Kristi Williamson

Right. I've filled out the ES forms before, but if this doesn't honor "price guarantee", then what does that mean?

 

It doesn't say "price guarantee and you must pay the extra deposit money". :cool:

 

Actually, I just jumped over to Carnival to see what it's called and the very top of the promo says "EARLY SAVER rate with reduced deposit". So, isn't that ES?

We booked the 10 day from Charleston last night and it was 200.00 per person.

 

It said it's also a "price guarantee" so I anticipate getting the price drops if they happen, just like ES. Is that wrong?

What about a 10 day? What's the usual deposit? We're looking at the one from Charleston next year and it's under the 50 percent deposit.

Want to try one of the smaller ships. This one looks decent.

 

 

They are really wonderful for quick get-aways. I think their size really helps you to focus on the people you're with and relax more. Hope you get a chance to spend some time on the smaller ships, too. We loved Fascination and we enjoy the Fantasy, as well. Thinking about the Elation next year. :)

Thank's for the great review :)

We are boarding Monday for a B2B & this just make me more excited if that is possible ;)

 

We are staying at the Quality Inn & meeting some of our roll call at the Millhouse for Happy Hour on Sunday. That is always fun ( getting a early start )

 

Char

 

 

Early starts are always fun!! Have a wonderful trip! We're considering a B2B for next year. Come back and let us know how you liked it, please! :)

We spent the last Sea Day doing the same things we did the first Sea day: Sunning, reading, gambling and eating. All good things!

 

We also attended our first Past Guest Party, which was actually pretty awesome. We enjoyed a plethora of free drinks, free appetizers and dancing. We clapped and cheered and were basically just happy to be doing what we were doing. We'll definitely be attending the next one.

 

Final thoughts and a few random pictures:

 

We ate dinner four of the five nights in the MDR and thought it was very good to good. Service was great and we weren't charged a corkage fee for opening our wine, which is always nice. :p

 

We attended the show where the guests are the talent (can't remember the name for the life of me) and one older gentlemen sang to his wife of 52 years and made us all cry. Again, more good things.

 

The comedians were funny at the Punchliner and the venue is actually large enough to hold most people who want to attend, unlike the Sunshine.

 

Our steward, Kedek, was beyond awesome. We actually wondered if he had a camera on our room. We'd leave for breakfast, come back to change into swimwear and he'd been in and gone every morning. We'd come back from dinner and our rooms were magically perfect every single night. Ice was plentiful every day and he filled our cooler without complaint. We were happy.

 

Mostly, I wish I was still on the Fascination and I'm once again convinced that the smaller ships without all the bells and whistles are the way to go if you're just going for a get-away with loved ones.

 

I admit that we missed the night time movies on Lido, but other than that, I think the smaller ships really help to create an atmosphere to enjoy the company you're with and relax. We'll definitely be back...

 

Till next time:

 

Our second stop, and the reason we choose to book this particular offer, was Little Stirrup Cay, also known as RCCL's Coco Cay.

 

We've been here many times and, aside from Carnival's Half Moon Cay, it's our favorite place to spend a sunny day by the ocean.

 

There's plenty to do here if you want to spend some cash, but we decided a free lounger and a few drinks would work for us. If you want to play on the water slides or parasail or ride a jet ski or kayak, all that is available for purchase.

 

There are also some cabanas to the left of the docking marina, but I must admit I thought they were oddly placed. The beach and ocean are not easily accessed from the cabanas, but if you want privacy there's plenty of that to be had.

 

Here's a few pics, but I've never seen pictures of the private islands that really do them justice and I promise you my point and shoot certainly won't be those.

 

After the bird fest on Lido the day before in Nassau, this struck us all as funny...

 

 

Me and Syndee in the water. Note how shallow the water is, even that far out. We saw stingrays, small sharks and star fish just walking around in these shallow waters, but snorkeling isn't really premium at LSC.

 

 

 

Let me take a Selfie...after one to many drinks or two...

 

 

And a random one of Atlantis from the evening before.

I'll add here that one of the things I love most about the Fantasy class ships are the outdoor eating areas all the way aft on the Lido. They're easily accessed by the Serenity deck, as well. The waterworks is one deck up and the Serenity deck is one deck down and stairs from this location will lead you up to Waterworks or down to Serenity. Lovely area!!

 

If you walk all the way through the Lido buffet area, to the right and left of the pizza/deli area there are sliding doors that lead outside. There's an open area with outdoor tables that covered overhead. It's almost always nearly empty and every night after 9:00pm we found ourselves here with coffee and the ship's wake to keep us company.

 

We laughed and talked until we were tired or ready to do something else and were almost never joined by anyone else.

 

So, if you're heading out on a Fantasy class any time soon, find this area when you want some time to enjoy the ocean and your companions. It's wonderful.

Thanks for sharing, I'll be following along. I've been on her twice and enjoyed both cruises a lot!

 

 

Good to see you, Grady. I'm pretty sure I've read many of your reviews and I will not do you justice! :)

 

We had a wonderful time and I'd sail her again in a heartbeat.

Day 2 was a Sea Day and I'd love to say I have tons of pics but I don't. We went to Sea Day Brunch, which is really fabulous and if you haven't been, you should.

 

We laid in the sun, which was mostly hiding behind gray clouds, and drank. We read books, played a bit in the casino and dressed for dinner.

 

Later that night, we went to Punchliners and then hung out and visited. That was our entire Sea Day and it was wonderful!!

 

Our first stop was Nassau. Our traveling buddies had never been here and we'd originally booked the scavenger hunt excursion but because it was still raining that morning we canceled it and decided to just hit the straw market. We actually had fun but came back to the ship just after lunch....And then the sun came out!!! Finally.

 

We decided to hit the Serenity deck and read because, honestly, I'd missed the sun and just wanted to appreciate that she was still in the sky.

 

Serenity:

 

 

 

During lunch on the ship, a young man had some pizza but left the crust and his plate when he was finished. This is the aftermath of that rather gigantic mistake:

 

 

 

 

These pics were taken about 15 minutes before the sun made her re-appearance.

I love the little details on the Fascination....

 

The piano tables in the Piano Bar made me smile every single time.

 

 

 

The piano key bar stools:

 

 

 

The cute little caricatures in the Stars Bar outside the Casino were fun to see, too. Each table is unique and different, but here's an idea of what they looked like...

 

 

And, of course, Scarlett...

 

We arrived at the port around 10:40am on Monday morning because I'd read that Jacksonville can sometimes turn you away if you get there before 10:30. That didn't happen this morning because there were already a good many cars in the terminal parking area.

 

I don't have a pic, but if you park here the terminal entrance is very close to the parking area and the cost is $15.00 per day.

 

A porter walked straight up to us and began to help unload our luggage straight from the car and onto his cart. I've never had that happen before but it was nice! (we've only sailed from Jacksonville two other times, so maybe this is common and we've just missed it?)

 

He didn't act like he expected a tip, but we handed him one anyway and he was very happy to receive it. He slapped our Priority stickers on our bags and away we went!

 

Since we're Platinum, we walked straight into the priority boarding section, got our S & S cards and had a seat. We knew there would be a wait because people were still debarking when we were heading into the terminal (this is a thing in Jacksonville because the same thing happened to us), but we'd already decided we were on vacation and nothing was getting us down. The guy in front of us was basically the sourest human ever, but we talked amongst ourselves and ended up having him laughing, too, by the time we boarded.

 

We left SC with a week of rain and turned up in Jacksonville to more rain, but we grabbed a couple of DOD's and had lunch before settling into the Serenity located on Deck 9 just behind the Puttin' on The Ritz lounge. We found a love seat under the eaves and drank and talked the afternoon away.

 

Our luggage was to our room by 1:00pm, so we unpacked, grabbed another drink and settled back into the same love seat until muster.

 

Speaking of muster... We went to the Palace lounge, listened to the spill and then had to line up and all walk outside to the lifeboat area for more drills. I didn't love this part, but it was over in twenty minutes or so and then we headed out to sea.

Even an experienced cruiser likes to find reviews of older ships and when we booked this quick get-away on the Fascination I looked for cruise reviews and had a tough time finding any newer ones on this old girl, so I thought I'd post a quick one for those that are sailing on her soon.

 

We booked this cruise under the 50.00 per/person casino promo and couldn't have been happier! Since my DH and I both received the offer, we booked myself and my cousin (also my closest friend) in "my" room and my DH and her DH in "his" room. These were connecting inside cabins and once we were on-board we simply hopped rooms and had our sail and signs adjusted. Easy peasy.

 

With the offer, we paid a total of 283.00 bucks (that includes port charges and taxes) and couldn't wait to start our trip.

 

We drove down from SC to Jacksonville and stayed at the Jacksonville Plaza and Suites. I wouldn't say this was a fabulous hotel, but for 51.00 we got a decent bed, a basic continental breakfast and were less than 1/2 mile from tons of restaurants and shopping and less than 15 minutes from the port. We'd stay there again for that price, for sure. It's right off I-95 and Duval.

 

Here's the group of us just before the Past Guest Party, which is a good thing because free drinks make us much more smiley later in the evening (I have no idea why the date is wrong, but I'm going to guess they're all that way):

 

We're platinum and attended our first past guest party this past week on the Fascination. We had a blast and will definitely go back.

 

I'll admit that the timing was one reason we decided to go to this one, though. It was held from 5-5:45 and we could head to dinner immediately afterward. Food is always better with a buzz, right? :D:p

 

I'd love to go to another one but hate when they're at 4pm or something. I'm either at the pool or getting ready in my room at that time. Here's to hoping they continue to have them at a reasonable time that just makes more sense...

We aren't necessarily "loyal" to Carnival, but we do cruise them more than the other lines we enjoy primarily because of price. Why pay 1000 more for the same itinerary?

 

What we enjoy about Carnival is the laid back vibe, the slightly larger cabins and a few little things that may or may not impact anyone else. We adore Sea Day Brunch!! We like their bedding. We've always had the best of luck with room stewards on Carnival. It's been hit or miss with us on RCCL and NCL.

 

We'd sail RCCL and NCL in a heart beat, but Carnival is never out of the running, either.

I have sailed on Carnival, and if the OP had said that they were sailing on a 3 night Ecstasy weekend cruise from Miami, then I would have told them that it would be a "drunken, party cruise" as you say. Been on those several times and that's what I've experienced (I may have even "participated" in the drunken party!)

 

But the OP is sailing on an 11 night cruise off season aboard the Dream. Demographics will most likely lean towards an older, more traveled, and sedated clientele. I believe that they will thoroughly enjoy the cruise. Dream is one of our favorite Carnival ships.

 

 

Based on our experience this is true of ALL lines. The "party" cruises aren't any one line. They're the 3 and 4 day cruises on ALL lines. The absolute wildest cruise we've ever taken was a 4 day on RCCL and we hated it. We've never seen anything like that on Carnival...and it wasn't even spring break!!! :eek:

 

OP...Carnival is a fabulous cruise line and the Dream is a great ship. Don't buy the hype, usually coming from the mouths of people who have either never sailed Carnival or have only done one 4 day on the oldest ship in the fleet and just can't fathom why it didn't compare to that 9 day on Independence of the Seas. ;):):D

Thank you guys very much. I have checked out the port boards and boy o' boy is that a lot of info to wade through. I've gotten some good referrals for excursions there, but can't book an excursion for every port, so knowing which beaches are a don't miss and which are better for excursions, gives me

a jumping off point.

 

Keep in mind the taxi service in St. Thomas is expensive!! They aren't regulated like Cozumel. So, if you pick a beach here, make sure to factor in the cost of taxi service and compare it to just taking a Carnival excursion. You can shop here directly from the pier or walk to the tram that takes you up the little mountain top for drinks and great picture opportunities. The tram is 19 dollars, I think.

 

We've found that private excursions are the way to go, if you're comfortable booking yourself outside a Carnival excursion. We've never had an issue.

 

Good luck! This is a fabulous itinerary!!!

With so many stops on our next cruise in December 2015, departing San Juan going to St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten, I'm find the task of planning excursions rather daunting. All these stops are new to us and where ever does one start in developing the best plan of action?

In your opinion, which ports should be beach days and which excursion days?

We love snorkeling, a little drinking, maybe a fishing excursion, would love to take in/explore as much of the local sights and culture as possible, etc.

Thanks in advice for any advice.

 

If you go to the CC home page, there's a "ports of call" section with TONS of information on each of these ports. There's no way we could do it justice here.

 

However, of those ports, I'd say St. Thomas and Barbados are really great beach days. St. Lucia has Pitons that's always worth a see if you've never been there. We did the catamaran in St. Kitts last time and we really enjoyed it. The water is SO warm and clear.

 

St. Maartin is great for beaches, too, especially Maho and Orient. Maho has the planes flying over, so you can just pit stop there for a drink at fly over times and head to the beach before or after. We like to shop here, too. I don't enjoy shopping in St. Thomas, but many others love it there.

 

Coki Beach in St. Thomas isn't as pretty as Magen's Bay or Trunk Bay on St. John's (you can take the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John's pretty easily) but the snorkeling there is pretty good, as far as snorkeling in St. Thomas goes.

 

Either way, head over to the ports section. You'll get much better info.

I have mainly cruised Carnival, but went along with friends on some other cruise lines - Royal Caribbean was very nice, but still didn't like it as much as Carnival. Princess, while I loved the ships and the staff were great - I just don't like how they do things. We tendered in on one port each cruise and the wait to get off the ship was like an hour! The food was meh... and I don't really like how they do the dining... When I plan the cruise, it is always Carnival! So looking forward to getting back on a Carnival ship! ;)

 

 

It's so funny how different people enjoy different things. I read all the time how people love the food on Princess and Celebrity, but my closest buddy went on Princess for her honeymoon last year and she, too, just really didn't enjoy their food. She actually lost weight. We're thinking of them for 2016, but I'll be bummed if the food isn't good.

 

We love Carnival, though, and will probably always return to it, even though we try new lines about every 3 years or so.

Yep - I agree whole heartedly with you! The desserts always look so good, but tastes so bland. It has been the same on every cruise and every ship we have been on. I don't even bother getting a dessert anymore and instead buy a candy bar when my sweet tooth gets the best of me!

 

Great review - thanks for sharing!

 

 

We end up ordering cheesecake and/or chocolate cake from the room service menu on Carnival to get a good dessert that doesn't cost us anything. They are MUCH better than anywhere else on the ship. The for-pay desserts in the coffee bar are fabulous on Carnival.

 

We're trying our first Princess cruise in 2016, so thank you for the side-by-side comparison. :)

[quote name='cruizinisthebest']The post was most certainly rude. I agree with. However since when do you need to have mobility issues in order to justify ordering room service? I don't get it. I can move just fine thank God. We like ordering room service. SMH.[/quote]


I've read these threads today and have thought the exact same thought over and over and over. Why are people having to defend themselves for enjoying ordering room service on vacation?!

We enjoy it immensely and believe since NONE of these items are specialty items we should NOT be charged for them. And I shouldn't have to explain myself for ordering room service on my vacation. If I want to lie in bed and eat room service all day and watch TV, that's my business. I work my behind off running a company and raising four kids. Vacation means vacation to me.

[quote name='Tom-n-Cheryl']When we sail on Carnival, probably the single biggest thing I miss (compared to most other mainstream lines) is not being able to order off the dining room menu in our suite. Many will say "yes, but other lines charge much more than Carnival for thier suites." While that's mostly true, Carnival would do well (in my opinion) to offer this perk to those in at least their top suites: Captain's Suites, and Fantasy class Owner's Suites - as the rates for those are similar to other lines suites.

This has happened rarely for us, but that's HD dependent!

Tom

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2[/quote]

I agree with this. NCL's suite menu is spectacular....and completely included in the cruise fare!!!

[quote name='Hoosierpop']To me, the issue isn't whether something is a cut back. The issue each of us needs to decide for ourselves is, is this changing something I value. For some, the answer to this is yes because they get a lot of room service. For me, if it will keep my cruise costs down, since I don't get room service much at all, then I'm for it. That doesn't mean I think others shouldn't be disappointed in this change.

That's the way I view any change Carnival makes. How does it affect my experience? And if there's one thing I have learned in reading threads, it's amazing how diverse people's opinions are in what we each value.[/quote]


This is so perfectly stated. A few days ago, someone posted a review that wasn't overly complimentary to Carnival based on something small happening every single day. He was blasted by most posters as being someone unable to be satisfied. My post said simply that the OP gets to feel how he feels. No one can determine what holds value or relevance to another.

This change is actually pretty big for us. We cruise for ports, but also for the complete relaxation factor of cruising. My DH and I both have heavy work schedules, so down time is a HUGE deal for us when we vacation. Part of that is getting up in the morning and ordering coffee and danishes to sit on the balcony and watch the ocean go by together. Part of that is sitting on the balcony in the late evening with tea and cheesecake to just visit and be together. The food is part of that feeling and time together (sort of like how food plays a part in family gatherings).

While those things are included in our cruise fare NOW, this change signals a larger change because that is the trend. Removing 1/2 of the menu items matters, as well.

Excluding room service from the inclusive cruise experience and fare would matter greatly to us.

Eliminated all free food, no more MDR, but just a new assortment of pay as-you- go buffets and restaurants, would you still cruise?

 

 

It depends on what "drastically reduced" means. I don't compare cruising to hotels in any capacity.

 

I don't pay 1000's of dollars for a hotel room unless I'm in downtown Manhattan, so something relatively significant needs to accompany the extremely small room to justify that price and that price would have to drop significantly for me to even consider cruising over other vacations if it only covered the room and transportation. (let's face it...the entertainment left the train a LONG time ago.)

Getting ready for cruise #16 next week and never got room service... Never understood how lazy someone must be that they can't walk a couple of hundred feet to piles of food everywhere..

 

 

I'm on vacation from my 60 hour a week job running my real estate company. Sitting on my balcony enjoying coffee and danishes and watching the ocean go by isn't laziness. It's my vacation.

 

If you want to jump up and run around all over the ship for your vacation, that's your business, and I hope you have a jolly time at it, but that's not how I do it.