ilovetexas

Awe Daisy...................

 

dcl is not only different it is easily better then the major lines.........vessels' date=' service, food(ok food is very arbitrary), entertainment, etc.......Yes some will disagree.....but the over whelming majority will support me on this.

 

The only question is, if it worth the extra you get on DCL...........since these days they don't seem to be having any trouble filling the ships I would have to say..........YES.

 

Carnival line, RCCL and NCL are all still having to deeply discount many of there vessels and cruses to keep them at a operating level. RCCL new monster ship is even going to the far east as there is not the market for it in the US and European market.

 

AKK

 

PS, I am really tired on the soda thing......there you are right and everyone should understand its not FREE![/quote']

 

Now, Skipper, DCL isn't better, it's just different. :) Of course people here will agree with you, they're on a Disney board. Go over to a different one and you're going to get a different answer.

 

Celebrity's ships are equally as nice as DCL's ships, they just don't have Disney characters everywhere. I've experienced good and marginal service on every line I've been on, mostly good. The only truly BAD service I've ever gotten was a room steward on DCL Wonder. Entertainment....well, if you like Disney stuff, that's true. However, some of us would prefer to see a good hypnotist or magician or dance number. There are lines that do those things very well.

 

I question the business decision by CCL and RCCL to have so many ships. That's why they're discounting, basic supply and demand. If DCL had 23 ships they'd be discounting, too. Even with only four ships, the last time I looked they had discounted the heck out of October cruises.

 

I love that so many people are passionate about what they like, especially when it's something I like....cruising. But really, to answer the OP's question, DCL isn't superior...it's just different.

Why would they comp part of the cruise fare for someone they aren't contractually required to do so if they're being banned from the cruise operator? Compensation in this industry is offered as goodwill in hopes the guest returns.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of ANY comp/refund. I'm in favor of throwing disruptive / obnoxious / low-class people into the nearest lifeboat and setting them adrift.

The 15% suggestion was just to keep them mollified and hopefully quiet until the end of the cruise. Then, after debarkation, Carnival could send them a letter thanking them for NO future business.

I know, it's my dream world...

Really? Causing a ruckus at Guest Services due to missed ports? I like Carnival's ships, food, service, etc. but I'm really getting to where I can't stand sailing with a significant number of the people onboard certain trips. Low class, ill mannered people ruin things for the rest of us simply trying to enjoy our time at sea.

Carnival should have taken all the disruptive guests into a room, gotten all their info for a "special incentive," refunded them 15% of their cruise, put them on a DO NOT CRUISE list and never allowed them on one of their ships again.

Problem solved.

Did both Princess and Carnival in AK like both. Celebrity and I have had issues. I hate that they have a aqua class and it excludes you from some of the things we like if you didn't pay upfront for aqua class. So thing we didn't know when we booked stupid TA assured us there was no classes on Celebrity but there is. That being said there are no bad cruises to AK but I we always book the side of the ship that faces the coast.

What, exactly, were you banned from since you weren't in Aqua? We sailed in Aqua and the only thing I can think of that we got and you didn't was a private dining room, Blu. You had the main dining room and ALL of the other eating options onboard.

This will be my first experience purchasing Travel Insurance. I'm wondering where to start with investigating. Please Help with the Search!

http://www.insuremytrip.com/

My vote is Celebrity. We sailed on Millie to AK and loved it. We have also been on a solstice class and the ships are great.

I remain unconvinced that any of this is a real threat. It's smells of bird flu and H1N1 and Anthrax.

 

Did everyone notice all the flight sales to and from Dallas? :cool:

Works for me! I can fly home and see my family more often. ;)

This topic just gets beat to death around here, doesn't it? ;)

There seems to be some confusion about the basic concepts of supply and demand but instead of pointing fingers to clear them up, I'll just say that everyone should cruise on whichever line (or lines) makes them happy.

I love DCL, and CCL, and X and RCL and I'm sure I'd love any other cruise line I went on. I love to cruise. It isn't about Mickey, or a Funship, or a rock wall, or whatever. It's about a few relaxing days away from my normal life and all those others are nice extras. As I find service and food to be basically comparable (with the edge to Celebrity on food), it's really all about how much you are willing to pay for the extras.

Do I think DCL is worth the extra price? No. That said, if finances weren't a problem right now ($5k for a dog's surgery last fall, $5k for septic repairs this spring, $2k for a new transmission, $7k for a new roof, another dog facing medical bills, senior year expenses for oldest kid which will include the cruise of her choice as a graduation present), I'd be jumping on those *GT fares on DCL this October.

Neither Cabbage nor Cable beach are walkable from the ship, certainly not in the amount of time you'll have and not with children. If you consult a map of Nassau, Cabbage is out by Atlantis (on the northern side of Paradise Island) and Cable beach is out where the Wyndham and Melia (formerly Sheraton) are located.

The farthest I've walked (other than a Nassau walking tour) comfortably in the heat and with a minor is from the Fish Fry (Arawak Cay) back to the ship. I believe that is Junkanoo beach between the two. It's the one located next to the British Colonial Hilton. Never been to Junkanoo or to Cabbage.

Cable beach is nice and we typically take the #10 jitney (public bus) which costs $1.25 each. I don't know about the free areas since we usually pay to use the Sheraton (now Melia) property for the day.

It's different for everyone, regardless of what the experts say. While it's all good advice, you're only going to figure out what works for you by trial and error. I get horribly motion sick but over the years I've gotten used to the ship movements and am not bothered by them as much as I once was. That said, if I'm going to be sick, I'm going to be sick. NOTHING helps. Not cabin location, fresh air, starting at the horizon, size of the ship, etc. I have to lay down until it's over.

If you and your family are prone to motion sickness and you keep cruising, you WILL at some point fall victim. It may be a storm or simply choppy seas but it will happen. Take ginger tea and ginger candy to help with upset stomachs, get meds from the guest services desk, keep a positive attitude and get some extra sleep. It will stop when the waves calm down and you can get back to your cruise.

I preferred the Sunshine over the Glory. The Serenity Deck on Sunshine is the BEST! I cruised solo on that one so finding a good seat for comedy shows, etc. was never an issue but I will acknowledge the layout was strange.

Still....loved that ship.

He was born and raised in Arizona, so he likes all the hot stuff. I'm a "boring" midwesterner originally (Nebraska) so I'm more just meat and potatoes. :)

I was wondering how you lived in Arizona and didn't like spicy food. I guess that midwestern thing explains it! :D

I've been on record for a long time as being one of the Carnival "riff-raff" (with a personal shopper at Nordstrom who also cruises DCL and Celebrity, etc.) so I think I'll stay out of that debate. Except to say...there ARE neighborhoods that are dangerous and that has nothing to do with whether you shop at WalMart, Target or Nordstrom (not that there would be one) in those areas. They're simply unsafe. Period. Is it an indictment of the people who live around there? Perhaps. So what? I'm from a law enforcement family so you're not going to win that argument with me.

Anyway, my one experience with a ship doctor happened to be on DCL. He was rude to my sick child and they unprofessionally gave me meds the next day for another child they hadn't even seen so I wouldn't bring him to the clinic. Perhaps they were just overworked with all the sick passengers on that particular sailing. Regardless, I try to avoid ship doctors. :)

Hot sauce belongs on everything! If I must choke down scrambled eggs (even if I cook them myself and I'm a good cook), they must be doused with Tabasco. Pizza gets dipped in El Yucateco habanero sauce. Huy Fong chili garlic is perfect for stir fry and of course their sriracha goes on everything, according to my 15 year old DS. Cholula? Sure! But please no Texas Pete, that stuff is gross.

No, I don't really put it on everything but sometimes it's a must. I'm from TX, I like things spicy. Speaking of Carnival's food, if you like hot sauce get on one of their new ships with the Blue Iguana Cantina. The salsa bar is great!

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-food/blueiguana-cantina.aspx

Prytania Park hotel will let you leave a car there if you stay two nights before and one after, or one before and two after.

That's where we always stay when sailing when sailing from NOLA.

Thanks for that! Inexpensive and a block off the streetcar line. I'm going to check with them next time I cruise out of New Orleans.

Any recommendations for a hotel that lets you leave your car there while on the cruise?

 

Tucker in Texas

That's very unlikely in New Orleans proper, parking is expensive there. Some of the people in my CC group last time stayed at the Quality Inn out in Gretna. You can leave your car there and they provide transportation to the cruise port. I've just paid to park at the port both times I've cruised from New Orleans.

When we were in Nassau last summer, DH was down at guest services and happened to be in line behind a mom who was flipping out because the ship was about to leave port and her 13 yr old and 16 yr old (who I assume were together) weren't back on board yet. I really hope they made it back on board before the ship left.

WTH were 13 and 16 year old girls doing in Nassau by themselves? They should have tossed mom off the ship to go find her children, that way they'd have a parent with them when stranded in the foreign country.

I've had food on DCL that ranged from very good to not good at all. Mostly solidly in-between. The buffet on Wonder, Beach Blanket Buffet, was just gross. Remy, on the other hand, was the best meal I've ever had. I found most of the meals in the MDR to be fine, if not somewhat over-salted. The desserts tend to be a bit on the bland side.

My first several Carnival cruises had VERY good MDR food. I mean VERY good. That has not been my experience the last few. It isn't bad, it just isn't great, either. I will say the SeaDay brunch is fabulous. I've had it three times and haven't been disappointed yet. I'm not sure which CCL ships you've been on but their newer ships with Guys, Blue Iguana, Ji Ji and La Cucina for lunch provide excellent options you aren't going to find on DCL.

All that said, food is subjective and everyone is going to have a different opinion of the exact same meal. DCL's food is okay to good, you'll be fine. If you really want to cruise for food on a mainstream line, cruise with Celebrity. :)

I've only planned two cruises more than six months out and DH has made me cancel both of them. GRRRR!!! :mad: I think it's easier for us to book much closer to the cruise. We know what he'll be doing for work, what the kids will be up to (we don't take them with us on our couples cruises), etc.

We may miss out on some of the better rooms or better rates, but I'm always very happy with what I get or I wouldn't book it.

The one that still has the premium balconies is the Jan 2015, yes.

If I could go THIS June, I could still get a balcony (standard) for less than $2000 for the same itinerary.

 

I need to figure out how to get you my email address.

I have no idea how to do it on Cruise Critic. I just created a new one. I need all my cruise stuff going somewhere new, anyway. Send me something at cruisecrazy415@gmail.com and I'll forward you my regular address. Although, maybe I should just have all my stuff from all cruise lines and Cruise Critic forwarded there instead of my regular mail. It would make my regular stuff SO much easier to wade through! :D

For those of you who think she's being obstinate, no, it's just that some of us get tired of the all Disney all the time routine. This thread started as "if you think Disney is too expensive", and we do. Neither of us hates Disney, we've both sailed and enjoyed Disney and will again if/when the price/timing/itinerary are right. BUT, we aren't low class heathens because we also sail and enjoy other lines and we get sick of hearing about it.

:p:D:p

 

 

Carnival has some AWESOME deals going right now for past cruisers and VIFP members. I was just checking out a southern Caribbean 8 nights, Aruba, Bonaire and Grand Turk....premium Vista balcony less than $3000 for two people.

We spent a week in Turks and Caicos once, and 10 days on Bonaire....loved both. I've cruised to Aruba, but hubby hasn't. Doubt I can talk him into it, though. He hates planning that far ahead. I keep telling him it's okay....if he's moved on to that great place in the sky, I'll just find someone else to go. ;)

When we plan ahead, my cruises get canceled. :( It's better to do it four weeks in advance! The one you're looking at is Liberty in Jan 2015? I was looking at Sunshine this October. Eight days to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk. Since I'm not a huge fan of balconies, I can do a Cloud 9 Spa interior for two for under $2,000. Or I can leave him home and enjoy that spa room by myself again. Sunshine has all the 2.0 upgrades and the best Serenity deck yet and I'm dying to go to Aruba and Curacao. Hmmm....now you've got me thinking about Bonaire. I think that's an unusual place for the unwashed masses of CCL to get to go. ;)

I can't help you out with your itinerary but Sunshine was a great ship and your kids will enjoy the slides (I didn't get on them but the kids on the ship were having fun) and the rope course. If you get any time away from the children, the Serenity Deck is FABULOUS!!

You can't really judge whether to get a balcony by reviews from people who have never had one or people who have only had balconies.

Agreed.

Many who book Inside Cabins state that they don't spend much time in their cabin anyway. Why would you ?

Not to rain on your parade but I like inside cabins. Let's see, I'm counting. I've had six interiors (CCL, RCCL), three ocean views (CCL and DCL) and four balcony cabins (CCL, DCL and Celebrity).

I am not a balcony person. I'll go out there to watch the pier runners but otherwise, I get bored out there after about five or ten minutes. I do spend a decent amount of time in my cabin, I unwind there. I also prefer it to be PITCH BLACK if I want to sleep any time of day or night.

I don't think everyone has to like interior cabins and when I travel with those who prefer balconies, I book them. However, it's not money well spent just for me.

Pish posh! I've seen fights break out on Disney at the Pirate party because someone stepped in front of another person, blocking their view.

 

I had a friend who was in an accessible area for viewing a deck party, and a woman came up to him and was screaming at him, because he was "taking up space that her child could have used".....although it WAS a designated area, and her child didn't have special needs.

 

In 12 Disney cruises, trust me, I've seen plenty of drunks.

 

 

According to the cruises listed in your signature, you can afford to take expensive trips.....not everyone can.

Plenty of obnoxious folks on DCL, just like everywhere else in the world!

I noticed in your signature you're taking the three day Wonder next October. I wish there was a way on Cruise Critic to send you a message, but happy anniversary!

I did my first ever solo cruise on CCL Sunshine in February and really enjoyed it! Ship is great. I LOVED the Serenity Deck. I stayed in a spa cabin so I had access to the spa all week (steam rooms, heated loungers, etc.). Ji Ji was great as were the other non-MDR dining venues I tried. Like the Breeze, the decor is the "new" Carnival; more toned down, less neon.

I think the Sunshine is the only ship so far that has all of the 2.0 upgrades. It really was great. Sure, there were some tweaks I would recommend (I didn't like having to walk through the casino unless I was gambling, the new theater set up and the new comedy club set up were weird, etc.) but it was a fabulous cruise and I had a blast!

I haven't been on DCL Magic but have been on Wonder and Fantasy and STILL wouldn't pay that much more for any of them.

You will not get the same experience from CCL Fantasy as you will from Sunshine. Fantasy is an older (Fantasy class) ship. While I don't mind them at all, they do not have some of the bells and whistles as the newer ships and the decor is a bit harder on the eyes! :D