runawaysoul

Everything mentioned in this post would be great. I would add:

Yeti - great for keeping beverages hot or cold for a very long time. Great for walking around without your hand getting hot or cold.

Cruise journal - There's nothing like re-reading memories, especially those you had forgotten. I don't journal, but for $2000+ cruise, I be journaling...

I wouldn't call Day 1 in the MDR a disaster. It's just chaotic. People trying to find their seats, change their seating locations, what have you. Hardly a cause for concern IMO. After that, it's pretty smooth. I've always had a pleasant experience in the MDR.

There's no think or maybe when it comes to the flu, you'll definitely know it when someone has it. I'd suggest getting that squared away ASAP. I had a cold last summer on a flight, and that alone took days for the pressure to alleviate in my ears. I couldn't imagine flying with something worse than a cold. I just got over a cold no less than a week ago. I tried something called "Hyperbiotics Immunity" from Amazon. Best $20 I ever spent. In fact, I'll be taking that the rest of my days.

I see we are cut from the same cloth. I enjoyed Carnival the first 3 times I sailed, but now that I've been on RCI 3 times since, the shortcomings are obvious. On my 2nd time with Carnival, the table mate next to me was so drunk he passed out during dinner, literally every night. It's uncomfortable eating when the person next to you is face first in his food. Eventually I didn't see him again due to missing the boat after passing out in a bar on the island. I found out after the cruise that he was an ex-convict and was arrested for probation violation for leaving the state.

I agree that 3 to 5 day cruises with carnival runs a very high risk of an unsavory crowd.. The cruising world is RIPE for a company that will bring back the days of old. By days of old, I'm talking basically the 90's and 00's.

Cruising is still an enjoyable experience, but gone are the days of selecting a random cruise ship. Do your research and you should be ok.

KarimaJ,

 

Check out this thread, if you haven't already, to get an idea of what Carnival is and is becoming:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2318929

 

...a lot of different opinions and experiences are being shared, that when taken all together, paint a fairly accurate picture of the Carnival cruise experience.;)

That's my thought as well. The way I see it, if I'm going swimming and/or lounging for tanning purposes, how much crap do you need? Is your stateroom so far away that you aren't able to store your mobile storage facility while you're lounging? Surely ye jest.

I always think it is comical to watch some ladies walking around on the decks with their big

over sized purses. ;)

I'm a planner by nature, like a lot of folks on here. I like to arrange excursions and dining arrangements prior to boarding, since those tend to go quickly. I'll try to find out what the menus are, and book specialty dining on those nights in which I'll have less regret in missing. For excursions, I'll take the top 2 or 3 recommendations that others mention about each port, and that dictates whether or not I book with the cruise line or with 3rd party. If you're not careful, you can spend a significant portion of your time just waiting, or deciding what to do after boarding. An hour or 2 each day adds up to pretty much a whole day by the end of the cruise! I've learned from past cruises that it is much better to have a system that breathes than it is to come up with a plan B, C, etc

Whenever I walk by the casino and feel tempted, I think about my job and marvel about how quickly a day's worth of labor can be moved... Do I love my job enough to work for "free" to make up for what I could lose? Negative, Jack! However, it's free to watch others and often times they'll be a happy hour, hence a source of cheaper alcohol.

Half of my sailings have been with carnival and half have been with RC. I thought carnival was at least as good as RC. Food is a subjective thing. Also, the nature of this forum is to dissect pretty much everything about cruising, so I don't think the opinions of this forum are all that representative of the whole. I wouldn't be too concerned. Just my opinion.

I've been to Aruba and St. John. St. John remains my favorite beach of all time. I didn't use the cruise line for St. John either. I went to St. John by the way of St. Thomas via ferry. The taxi took us to a beach that I wish I remembered the name of... Not a soul was there, and the sands were as white as sugar. It's pretty amazing!

Does cruising to achieve a certain level "prevent" you diamond members from checking out other cruise lines? I like Royal but I'm not "Royal or nothing!" I hate alcohol, so that discount doesn't matter to me, and I find that seeking "discounts" by obtaining enough points for a free flight and/or hotel stay negates any discount I'll find onboard.. At that point, would people like me still benefit from obtaining a status such as Diamond?

I agree. Food falls under the subjective category like music, movies, etc, which I tend to collectively dismiss. Personally, I have no sense of smell, and I'm not sure if that's affected my taste buds or not. I have a friend who thinks filet mignon is the most horrible thing in the world. He won't eat anywhere that doesn't serve a greasy hamburger, since that's pretty much all he eats. I'm the opposite. Only you know what works for you. :)

I learned a long time ago that another's opinion of a food dish does not mean I will have the same opinion. I ignore food reviews because they weren't done with my taste buds.

 

 

Pete

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Can OBC not be used on shore excursions? That would wipe it out easily. Also, since seapass is tied to my credit card, I simply book the lowest fare. I've never had OBC from cruise deals. Maybe I'm doing it wrong...

Thanks for your review. The Radiance class of ships are my favorite, but I have not been on the Brilliance. It's definitely on my bucket list!

So, if they didn't divert to a different itinerary due to, say, political rioting, would you still be voicing your complaint? It's not usually a bad thing. A plan B on a cruise ship is better than plan A in my cubicle. :)

What happens on the top deck stays on the top deck. I've seen guys in speedos in the pool during the Alaska cruise, to a priest in the hot tub full of blondes on Carnival Fantasy!

Except when I want to quickly run out and check the views when I get up in the morning

with my robe on. I only scare the fish that way. :p :p

When did you go? On mine (early May), it was pretty cold and windy for much of it... Of course, I'm from the southern U.S., which means I wear a parka for anything less than 80 degrees right? :p

When we were on our Alaska cruise, even though we had a baclony, we spent more time up on deck. Better views.

That's the truth. Only been to the Bahamas twice - 1st time, I watched a tornado land in the ocean and reappear on land while on the top deck (It was from a distance!). 2nd time there was a single, tiny cloud and that cloud was raining, although it didn't last long and didn't cover but a few city blocks!

the actual Caribbean will be just fine...it will be quite warm, and if there are showers, it's still hot, and they don't last long! Now, The Bahamas can be a different story, since they are NOT in the Caribbean!

I don't check. By then it's too late to cancel anyway. Besides, ocean weather has a mind of its own!

I had no idea about aft cabins until I read about it here on CC. Just what I need, to book another cruise to experience something I want to know more about. I hate you people! :D

You'll be as seasoned as the rest of us before too long! As for other tips - I recommend packing cubes, as this'll maximize your suitcase and make the most use of the space. It's only $30. There's a great book called "The Cruise Addict's Wife," which you can find on Amazon - most first time cruisers have a "I wish I knew that beforehand" list when they get off the ship, that book will help. I don't know who wrote the book, but it's a fun read! Oh, you might want to check out "Meet and Mingle" and "Roll Call" to meet other people who are going on your cruise as well.

I still experience the magic every time my foot touches the deck upon initial boarding. Just like the first time. Always!

Been there done that. It's more of a pain than it is worth. It was pretty amusing contact my party and getting a response from another cruise passenger that's on the same frequency though. The one time I used them was to determine when the others wanted to do lunch. If you arrange a set time to catch up, eat or whatever, then there's no need.

There's other places to grab a bite too. Part of the beauty of cruising is figuring out what works for you! :)

premium it is :) thanks so much for clarifying that for me. and I will definitely try out the MDR for breakfast, it sounds right up my dad's alley with the way you described it. thank you!!!!

Not really. There's pros and cons. They can offer perks like onboard credit, etc. I think if you research cruise prices, and request a quote on cruise compete (essentially EBAY for cruising, in which TA bid for your business) you'll see the differences between what you can do and what they can do more clearly.

I'm sure you can get strategic with it, but as far as view goes, any unobstructed view will do. There was far too much to see for any one cabin to be at a better vantage point than someone else. Balcony size is different matter.