cruisinqt

The person I was replying to was comparing the perks he gets with Royal to other cruise lines perks. Perks could be anything from casino perks, loyalty perks, or other benefits from being a loyal customer for many years. We weren’t discussing normal everyday pricing between the cruise lines, we were discussing perks. With Carnival $2.50 spent in the casino earns 1 point. With Royal and most other cruise lines you’ll have to spend $5 in the casino to earn 1 point. So Carnival has better casino perks and that was the point I was trying to make. I wasn’t putting Royal down, I love Royal and thoroughly enjoyed my recent cruise to Alaska on the Quantam. I totally agree with you that Carnival is terrible for solo cruisers. I think it isn’t fair what they charge them. And I worry about my future cruising with Carnival if my spouse were somehow no longer in the picture. I wish they’d change their stance on that. Happy sailing ⛵️

Actually, Carnivals perks are pretty outstanding. We are Platinum and we get amazing deals. We are doing a suite on the new Carnival Celebration (7 days) during peak season (early July) for the cost of port fees and taxes which comes to $502 for 2 people. We are doing a 12 day cruise out of London in late August (going to Iceland, Ireland,& Scotland) in an extended balcony cabin for $644 for 2 people. Then in October we are doing a 14 day transatlantic cruise out of Barcelona for $508 for 2 people. I won’t even go into detail on next years cruises but they’re awesome deals and places too. And all of these cruises include unlimited free drinks including alcohol. And we almost always have a few hundred dollars in on board cash to spend too. We do spend money in the casino so that is a factor in the perks we get but we aren’t big spenders gambling wise. I just about choke when I see these gamblers spending $5-$10 per spin on the slot machines, I could never do that. If I’m down $100 I just leave and come back the next day. I think Carnival is just very generous to their long time cruisers especially if they gamble or spend money on extras like shopping on board, excursions, or specialty restaurants like we do (we usually do 2-3 specialty restaurants per cruise.) I did enjoy our cruise on the Quantam but since we aren’t top tier status with them it was quite expensive. But if I had the status and perks you did I completely understand sticking with Royal like you are. I guess we are in the same situation with Carnival that you are with Royal, our status and the perks we get are hard to beat.

I’ve had total knee replacement on my right knee and I’m contemplating getting the left one done soon. And my husband has had 3 back surgeries. So I understand where you’re coming from. That long walk to the elevators and even just standing there FOREVER waiting for one can be painful. And the long elevator wait on Royal was way longer than any wait I’ve ever had on Carnival. The cruiser that posted earlier that the elevator wait with Royal wasn’t that bad and it never bothered him obviously has no clue what it’s like to cruise with disabilities. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, 3 sets of elevators per deck is essential on larger cruise ships, especially ones with several thousand people on board like the Oasis or Quantam class. And I looked at booking the new Icon Of The Seas but it only has 2 banks of elevators per deck and I just can’t do that, not with 7,960 people on board. The elevator wait would be too much for me.

That’s a good idea to just save what you don’t use. I’ll keep that in mind.

Really? That’s crazy. It’s good to know, thanks.

In America there’s lots of free bathrooms everywhere and they don’t care if you’re a customer or not. It’s a bit different here so we’re trying to be prepared for the change because while we’re out sightseeing we will likely need bathroom breaks. I don’t mind paying a small fee for the bathroom though. I’ve heard that London tips 10% but I haven’t researched Spain or our other ports. I like the idea of not tipping. Here in America even if they’re paid well they still want a tip. The tipping situation is out of hand. Thanks for the info on the card I'll look into it.

You’re welcome. I’ve been reading tons of reviews and that was the biggest complaint people had. Nobody from America would expect to pay for a restroom.

I’ve sailed both more than once and really liked them both. I’ve sailed Princess, Royal, Norwegian and several other cruise lines. I would say the Mardi Gras is very similar to Royal in both layout and entertainment. So if you’re a big fan of Royals big ships with their wide variety of specialty restaurants and shops then the Mardi Gras will be more your style. And the roller coaster is amazing. But then the Vista has the IMAX theater and I love their afternoon matinee’s.They even have a concession stand and reclining seats. And they have GiGi’s Asian and Cucina Del Capitano (not the free one like on Mardi Gras but one with the full menu that’s to die for). Personally I don’t think you can go wrong with either ship, they’re both excellent choices. If I knew more of what your preferences were I could help more but they’re both great ships. Just be sure to look into the Family Harbor area which is a new concept with the Vista and Excel class (Mardi Gras) ships. It’s pretty popular with families and has larger family sized suites and cabins. There’s also a separate lounge area just for the kids with snacks, drinks, board games, video games, family movies and other kids to play with. You have your own separate breakfast in the lounge area too which is so nice not having to fight the lido buffet crowds. Also, kids under 11 can eat for free once at either the steak house, Rudi’s Sea Grill or Bonsai Sushi. You also get one free night owls evening at Camp Ocean for kids 11 and under. Oh and they have cookies and milk out every evening around bed time which is a nice touch.

I’m doing Europe this summer and a transatlantic repositioning cruise this fall. I’m really excited too. One thing to remember when using credit cards in Europe is to never convert to euros when making purchases. Whether you’re getting cash at an ATM or making a purchase if it asks if you’d like for them to convert it to euros for you say no, the fees are usually very steep. Just leave it and let your credit card do the converting. Your credit card company won’t have crazy conversion rates or hidden fees. You won’t need much cash in Europe since everything (subways, restaurants, shops, tour operators etc) takes credit cards. But you’ll probably need some to tip your tour guide or if you need to use the bathroom (no it’s not free there.)

I’m allergic to shellfish and the MDR staff tend to go a bit overboard in watching out for me. But I tell them anyways because I have to be careful and honestly, they need to know. The problem is I love fish and fish doesn’t bother me at all, just lobster and anything in a shell. But they never want to serve me fish. So my husband and I have worked out a system. He orders it for himself then gives it to me once they walk away. I always go to the hub app and figure out ahead of time what I want that my husband needs to order for me. Thank goodness they allow you to order more than one entree. I’ve gotten lots of laughs and knowing smiles from the tables around us when we swap dishes though.

It depends on which ship you’re looking at but yes there are quite a few. The Dream class ships offer deluxe ocean view cabins that sleeps five. Deluxe family harbor oceanview cabins on Vista and Excel class ships sleeps five and gives access to the family harbor lounge with snacks, board games, and video games. Or you can do like I’ve done numerous times in the past and get a balcony cabin for us and an interior cabin across the hallway for the kids.

I completely agree with your assessment. Guys Burgers is so good that my picky daughter that dislikes just about all food (even burgers) likes to eat there and insists on eating there several times per cruise.

I guess I should have explained this a bit better, I was referring to the amount of elevator banks PER DECK of which Royal has two. Quantam of the Seas has only two sets of elevators per deck, one forward and one aft. This is standard with Royal. Carnival has 3 sets of elevators on each deck, one forward, one midship, and one aft. Having 3 sets of elevators to choose from per deck (instead of 2) makes a HUGE difference in a ship that hold 5,000+ people.

We just got back from an Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbeans Quantam Of The Seas. It’s not our first time on Royal but it feels like it because it’s been 10 years since we’ve cruised with them. Right off the bat the biggest disappointment for us was the food. Cafe Two 70 had great breakfasts, Izumi had very good food, the MDR was decent and pretty comparable to Carnival, but overall we were underwhelmed food wise. And we tried all of the food places on Royal too. I’m just used to so much variety and choices with Carnival with everything tasting pretty good. And ALL of the Carnival specialty restaurants are really good whereas out of 3 specialty restaurants on Royal we were only impressed with Izumi. Nothing at the Windjammer was very good either. And they made every person wash their hands before entering which created a backup that seemed to go on forever, like literally hundreds of people. A squirt of hand sanitizer would be quicker and just as effective like Carnival does. We liked Royals cabin layout and storage space better. The showers were great. I thought their shows were better than Carnivals. We loved every show we watched. As far as activities go Royal has lots of activities you don’t normally see on Carnival. Like bumper cars, laser tag, escape rooms, rock climbing walls, and even skydiving simulators. But we found most of these activities to be more geared towards the younger crowd. Being in our fifties we like Carnivals adult comedy club, Deal Or No Deal, Family Feud, bingo, etc. But that’s a personal preference. As far as the spa goes Carnival wins hands down. We went to Royals spa and were shocked to see everything $250 and up. I’m looking right now at booking either an Elemis Biotec facial for $159 or a 50 minute Swedish massage for $119, or a 75 minute bamboo massage for $167 on our upcoming Carnival cruise. You can’t beat those prices and the massages and service are top notch. And they send out coupons a lot. I’ve got a $50 coupon I’m using that Carnival just sent me for this cruise. We were disappointed with Royals app, it was very hard to navigate and didn’t have all of the cool features the hub app had. We were also shocked there were only 2 elevators on a ship with 5,000+ people on board. The elevator situation was the worst I’ve ever seen. I’ll never complain about Carnival’s elevators again, at least they have 3 of them. And the casino was quite small, poorly laid out and had very old machines with the emblems all faded on them. But the adults only solarium with its two massive hot tubs and a multi level pool made up for all of that. It was absolute heaven. The bar made strong drinks and even brought them to us at the hot tubs. And the bistro was so convenient with fresh fruit that hit the spot. I’d go back on Royal just to hang out there all day. Overall we enjoyed our cruise and found some things we liked better on Royal and other things we liked better on Carnival. But the things we liked better on Carnival were the things that matter most to us while cruising. Like the food (we’re foodies), the spa, the activities and the casino. We missed Carnival and definitely prefer it over Royal. That doesn’t mean we wont cruise Royal, we love them, but Carnival just checks all of the boxes for us.

I knew about the museums and the palace but I had no idea about the Roman ruins or Egyptian Temple. That’s sounds so cool! I hope I can fit all of that into 2 days.

That’s a great idea. Maybe one of the taxi drivers could arrange something for you.

I was on the Celebration in February and was offered the choice of an elite excursion or a spa credit.

I was on the Celebration in February and was given the choice of an excursion or spa credit.

We are on this cruise too and we’ve never been to Barcelona. I’ve been so busy handling our summer 12 day London cruise that I’m just now getting around to booking hotels and tours for our Barcelona cruise in October. We will look into the hotel you suggested in Barcelona, but what about Madrid? We are flying in 4 days early and staying 2 days in Madrid then taking a train to Barcelona and staying there a couple more days before going on the cruise. Flying into Madrid was much cheaper for us and we’ve never been there either.

In the email it gives you the choices of liquor and a mixer for both you and your companion so you’ll get a lot of stuff in your cabin when you arrive. It also gives you an elite shore excursion to go on or if you’d rather choose your own excursion or spend the money in the spa, they will give you $150 credit for each of you. Our elite shore excursion choice for the Horizon (we just received it as our cruise is 3 weeks away) was an all inclusive at Senator Resort in Amber Cove. We chose that since it wasn’t on the list of shore excursions for the cruise so we’re hoping it’s not as crowded. I looked it up online and it looks really upscale. The email will also ask how you are arriving and if you’ll need driver services. If you answer yes you’ll receive a text on your phone with a link to book your ride. It can be used to book a ride from the airport to the hotel or cruise ship, from the cruise ship to the hotel or airport, etc. It’s basically two personal car services to be used however you want. You also get free room service which doesn’t seem like much but we love it. We love ordering pizza and dessert to our cabins after a long day in port. And ordering a couple of 12 packs of soda through room service to stock our fridge is pretty nice. You’ll get an elite gift like a sun-care set, a shower speaker, or a small travel bag. They’ll send you cookies and a fruit basket too. There will be a meeting of elite cruisers, don’t miss it! There’s lots of big money giveaways and free drinks and appetizers. Have fun!

I’m glad it worked out for you. Let me know how you like him. I won’t be using him till August

I was talking to a guy on our whale watching tour that visits Europe regularly. And he said he goes to TripAdvisor to find all of his transportation. In the search box he said he puts “transportation to Vok baths” or “transportation from Heathrow to London” and all of the ride services in the area pops up. They’re rated and have reviews you can read. He said it’s the most reliable way to find transportation in Europe. So if Asi can’t take a smaller group then you might try the TripAdvisor thing.

Well I’m on my Royal Caribbean Alaskan cruise on Quantum of the Seas and I thought I’d update you. Despite being told that “in Alaska, regardless of cruise line, there is less late night entertainment” this cruise has had quite a bit of late night entertainment. As is usual with cruise lines with a younger demographic (like Royal, Carnival, NCL) there has been lots of late night activities. Last night the Love & Marriage show didn’t even start till 11:00 pm. The piano bar and karaoke bar have been going strong well past 1:00 am. There’s a live band called Rhythmocracy that puts on a show every night starting at 11 pm. And the night club doesn’t open till 12:15 am every night but it’s still packed. And the comment that “Overall, Alaska seems to attract an older group across all lines” was way off. This ship has the normal younger age group that Royal Caribbean always has. And the bumper cars, laser tag, skydiving simulator and rock climbing wall were always busy with lots of young ones (and those young of heart.) As I said, the biggest difference between the cruise lines you mentioned is the age demographics. A cruise line that caters to older passengers is very different from a cruise line that caters to younger people. Both are great so it’s up to your personal preferences and what you’re looking for in a cruise. I hope this helps.

This is the guy I booked. He was recommended to me by Vok baths when I asked who they could recommend that would give me a ride there. He responded quickly to all of my emails. He quoted me $150 euros round trip for my family of four. His name is Asi and this is his email: asgrimstaxi@gmail.com

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’m on an Alaskan cruise right now and I haven’t been able to check my notifications lately. Fortunately I had some down time with a late port arrival tomorrow. I’ll be in Sedisfjordur the week after you so maybe the guy I’m using will available for you. His name is Asi and he’s a local that does this for a living. He was recommended by Vok baths when I asked who could give me a ride there. Here’s his email: asgrimstaxi@gmail.com