cynalan

the Silhouette has been our favourite ship to date. We've been on her twice. Once in the Mediterranean and another time in the southern Caribbean. Here are a few of my observations:

1. Celebrity eliminated the piano bar in Michael's Club a while back. It first became a craft beer bar but now is a lounge for suites. This is a big negative for us as the piano bar has always been a favourite.

2. The food in the MDR can be hit and miss. In the Mediterranean it was amongst the best of the large cruise ships. In the Caribbean it was amongst the worst. Poor selection and variety from night to night... boring and bland.

3. The dance pack and singers were the best of any ship. Great productions shows with a very talented cast. I just wish they did not do so much in the atrium. This is a small venue with poor viewing angles and limited occupancy.

4. Richard Spacey as our CD. We first experienced him on Freedom of the Seas. This guy has the most energy of any CD. He really puts on a show... a born entertainer.

Give me a month and I will let you know. We are booked on the Vista's inaugural sailing.

As for comparison, we've done most of the major cruise lines: Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess and Celebrity. We have no particular brand loyalty but lean toward Celebrity. I would say the Celebrity Silhouette and Constellation were our favourite ships. We have found the entertainment, particularly production shows (very important to us for our cruise experience) to be better than the rest. One negative with Celebrity is that they have done away with the Piano Bar.

Our only Carnival cruise was about 25 years ago, so my comments are probably dated. We found the Elation to be very glitzy, like Las Vegas on water. I recall the MDR had theme nights and the most engaged servers of any line. They actually got to know us really well and appeared to really enjoy their jobs and the interaction with guests. I have no idea whether that has changed over time.

Anyway, I generally post cruise reviews so keep an eye open toward the end of May for my comments. We are really looking forward to rediscovering Carnival.

Has anyone done either the "All Aboard" steam train adventure (4 hours $229) or the White Pass Summit Excursion ( 3 hours $124) rail excursions offered by Carnival in Skagway?

 

I am trying to figure out the difference between the two and why the first is over $100 more if it is only and hour longer.

 

We enjoy scenery and learning the history- but favor scenery over the narration anytime if that is a factor. I can't tell what the major difference is from Carnival's description or the reviews on Carnival. Any help is appreciated.

Given your preference for scenery, do the White Pass train. We did it on our HAL trip last year and the scenery was stunning.

Check when Fall Break and Canadian Thanksgiving are. Being in California we don't have either.

Canadian Thanksgiving is October 10.

I don't understand why people cant be happy with 95% of the ship non smoking.

Maybe we're trying to save you from yourselves. lol

And those who spend their lifetime eating well and exercise to stay healthy die anyway. They just die of nothing!

Well that has to be one of the most intelligent things I've read today (he said, tongue firmly planted in cheek.) lol

there are some in that crowd that will not be satisfied until smoking is prohibited on every inch of every cruise ship.

I would count myself in that group. I will not visit the casino due to the smoke. My last Celebrity cruise was great - no smoke in the casino or having to breathe in the pollution from someone smoking on a nearby verandah.

If the ship is scheduled to arrive at 8:00, disembarking should start within 30 - 60 minutes. However, one can never be certain. Give yourself a grace period should there be a delay. On one of our cruises, we were delayed two and half hours. No reason was ever given to us. So... moral of the story is to not cut things too closely.

My top 3 considerations for choosing a cruise are:

1. Date

2. Itinerary

3. Value

Obviously, our availability is the most important feature in selecting a cruise. Once we know our window of opportunity, we then select a destination that interests us. We review itineraries and ship options hoping to find something new and interesting that would differentiate one voyage from another. Finally, for us, value is subjective. This is a combination of price, expert and online reviews, itinerary, ship amenities, port locations, etc. It is not solely cost. For example, when we did SE Asia, we chose Oceania because as a smaller ship, it could sail up the rivers in Bangkok and Shanghai when the larger cruise ships might be moored more than an hour's drive outside the city. We are not "brand loyal" as the trinkets, baubles and minor perqs through loyalty programs really have minimal interest to us in our selection of a cruise.

Nevermind.... I saw on the Q&A that it is free to install and use. What a great idea!!!

I will be sailing on the inaugural voyage of the Vista and assume that the ship will be equipped with Hub App. Although I can probably suspect the answer, I do have a question about the app... I assume that one must purchased a data package onboard to access the app? Given the prices that are charged for Internet access, does anyone find it worth the cost?

Carnival sent me a packing list that said my prescription medications needed to be in their original bottles. My first question is why? I have never heard of this. Is it strictly enforced? I don't want to get slammed for this question, just wondering because I don't want to take all the bottles with me. Would rather use the Sunday thru Saturday dispenser.

I don't generally worry about this unless I have a narcotic prescription, e.g. opiod, with me. It would save any potential hassle of having to explain a controlled substance in your possession.

How far out I book depends on the situation. There are a number of factors. Is there a particular cruise that I want to take. Is there is a specific stateroom I want. What is the size of the ship. etc. The more rigid my desires, the earlier I book. In the past I've booked a cruise anywhere from 14 months to 3 weeks before sail date.

I'm wondering why Carnival keeps upgrading and refurbing these old ships. Many times things are undone. They have only Built one new ship since the breeze in 2012 and that's the Vista four years later. I think they would be wise to put those millions in profits into new ships. Their competitors sure are. They keep putting lipstick on a pig

Hmmm. Let's see. A $billion plus financing to build a new ship vs. a $100 mil to refurb. I think the math explains itself, particularly when bookings are solid.

Is there somewhere to put laptop when you leave your room. Any suggestions. I bring it for movies late at night. My mom uses it to help her sleep. Any ideas.

Nearly 20 cruises and narry a problem so far... touch wood. lol

Anyone know if a Chromecast device can be attached to the TVs in the staterooms? This would require an HDMI connector.

I have sailed with carnival before and when I have booked and fully paid I have received pop up countdown clock with a discount for shore excursions. I was wondering if anyone has received any offers like that for the Vista cruses

Yes, I did. After paying the full fare and receiving our booking number from our TA, we logged onto the Carnival site. There indeed was a countdown clock that offered a 15% discount on a number of shore excursions if booked within 24 hours. Please note, that if you place a hold on a stateroom, the clock will start from the hold, not the payment. For us, this was a 10 hour difference with a result that we almost missed the offer. We saved about $300 on our bookings.

So I am booked on the vista for February 2017. We are now thinking about changing our booking to next June and splurging on the Barcelona cruise. My question is when do you all typical buy your airfare. I've looked at prices for this June to see what I might possibly pay for that time period. Does anyone have any advice on international airfare?

Although it's generally true that booking in advance 8-10 months may yield better rates, a good deal can be found if one is diligent. My wife and I booked our Vista inaugural cruise only 2 months before sail date. We thought we would have to pay a premium for airfare from Toronto, particularly as we prefer premium economy. Over the course of a couple of weeks I monitored the websites for major carriers as well as travel sites such as Flighthub and Expedia. On the British Airways site I found a great price for premium economy only a couple hundred dollars more than economy. Do your homework. There are deals to be found.

Seriously? You spend 5 or 6 grand on a cruise and you\re worried about a couple of drinks>

Pretty clear to me. The passengers made a mistake and are not willing to own up to the fact. Why would Carnival be liable when the passengers dropped their bags off at the wrong ship? Sure the dock handler could have noticed but realize that these workers are moving thousands of bags in a very short time frame. Sorry they had a bad experience but it really was their fault. Trying to pass the blame will not change that.

Our travel agent got us an amazing rate for a balcony on the inaugural sailing of the Vista on May 1st from Trieste to Barcelona. How could we say no?

My wife and I enjoyed our first cruise together 26 years ago on the 3rd voyage of the Elation. At the time, we thought we were experiencing Las Vegas on the 7 seas. The ship was definitely glitzy and flashy, very different from our ensuing cruise experiences.

We enjoyed the ship and cruise but for some odd, undefinable reason never sailed Carnival again. No particular reason that I could put my finger on. As you can see from my cruise history, we're not exactly brand loyal. lol

So, we're really looking forward to experiencing Carnival again. From the promotional video, the ship looks to still have the flash and glitz that I remember (compared to other lines) but somewhat toned down.

As you can see from my signature, brand loyalty is not something that I demonstrate. Quite honestly, with so much choice out there, I have trouble understanding how anyone can only sail with one line. I've looked at rewards programs and don't find them meaningful enough to influence my decision. Each line has its strengths and weaknesses, whether it be the quality of food, entertainment, activities, etc. The key driver for us always has been and will continue to be the itineraries offered and the research I do on the different ships and ports of call. Interesting that we did our first Carnival Cruise 26 years ago and have just recently booked the second on the Vista inaugural sail.

How much weight do people typically gain on a 7 day cruise?

Actually, I lose weight on a cruise. My wife and I have a healthy breakfast and enjoy a good dinner. We don't overdo it with drinks and we get a lot of exercise on shore excursion. Most importantly, we exercise self control. Just because the food is there does not mean we have to eat it.

Don't expect HAL to do anything about this. Your best course of action is what you are doing now. You were disappointed in your cruise and you posted your experience in an eloquent manner. As a result you have a choice to never cruise with HAL again. Although my recent experience was not as dire as yours, I was very disappointed in the entertainment and activities onboard and will choose not to book HAL for future cruises.

1. How is the TV in-room entertainment (movies especially). Princess has an amazing variety with many recent titles; how about Holland?

2. Rooms, we are thinking of booking an interior, and see a big difference in space with categories J. Are they really much bigger than other interior cabins?

3. Spa pool. Is it free to use or is there a daily fee to use daily?

4. In case of price drop (after final payment) do they give you the difference back?

I will respond to your questions based upon my experience on three HAL ships: Noordam, Niew Amsterdam and most recently the Oosterdam.

1. I found the TV entertainment to be inferior to Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Have not been on Princess recently so cannot comment. The TVs are old and are not interactive. On Celeb and RCCL, for example, one could surf on them from your stateroom. Not so on HAL. TV channels are limited and the previous day's movie from the theatre can be watched in-room. Unable to view your account from the TV. Major shows and entertainment from the ship are not recorded and broadcast on the TV.

2. Can't comment.

3. Spa pool (thalassotherapy) has a charge.

4. No refund if price drops.