centurycruiser

btw - I've never experienced a stevedore being pushy in any port. I guess I was just ahead of the curve . . .

I guess you've never cruised from NY.

Has anyone used 717 Parking at Tampa?

They are currently advertising $2.99 per day.

If we go to 3 or 4 specialty restaurants, I do not want to tip for 7 nights! Sorry to vent, but need some advice...

Tips for the waiters cover breakfast, lunch, snack times, teas, etc, not just dinner.

The MDR wait staff are assigned throughout the ship for other meals. So, just consider your tip of $3 as $1.50 per meal and it is still a bargain.

If we go to 3 or 4 specialty restaurants, I do not want to tip for 7 nights! Sorry to vent, but need some advice...

Tips for the waiters cover breakfast, lunch, snack times, teas, etc, not just dinner.

The MDR wait staff are assigned throughout the ship for other meals. So, just consider your tip of $3 as $1.50 per meal and it is still a bargain.

For breakfast from room service, Royal Caribbean is far better. For lunch in the buffet, Royal Caribbean is better in that it has stations rather than a long line. The grill, deli, Mongolian Wok, pasta bar, burrito bar and pizza are tons better than anything Royal Caribbean has for lunch.

I like to get eggs Benedict at least once each cruise. Royal and Celebrity are the only lines that serve that with a loose yolk. I believe that's the way it should be served, so, they are the only ones who do that right.

If you consider fresh hamburgs from the "grill, deli, Mongolian Wok, pasta bar, burrito bar and pizza," and pandoori as part of the lunch buffet (as I do), NO other cruise line comes close to CCL's lunch buffet. They offer more options than there are days of the cruise. I don't know how anyone can say this is boring. I always end up wishing for more days.

I've been on around 30 RCI, 20 CCL, 15 Princess, 11 HAL, 8 NCL and many, many other lines, so I've gotten a lot of eating experience.

Can someone tell me what's up with the giant hand. I have seen pics of it before but usually in the bridge windows. Is it some sort of communication from the ship?

It is crew members doing it. I imagine it is a way to pass the time. They probably enjoy doing it and give everyone seeing it something to talk about.

We were leaving St Thomas when we happened to notice someone on the Carnival Dream waving at us.

http://www.jaunts.com/Carnival/images/hand.jpg

We think an area where Carnival really shines is food selection and quality, especially in the MDR. The quality of the meat and seafood seems to be quite a bit better on CCL vs. RCCL.

 

I prefer the rotating lunch menus on Carnival and Princess to the set menu on RCCL.

 

One thing I like about Carnival is all the Lido options that aren't buffet...Mongolian Grill, Deli, fresh pizza, the grill, Burrito Bar, Rotisserie Chicken, etc.

 

There are things I like better about Royal Caribbean, but food isn't one of them.:)

I think Cindy just about nailed it! I like Royal's bread and rolls and that's about it. We never eat dessert on Royal. Not worth the extra calories.

I really like Carnival's Lido options. Add in the Italian restaurant to the other options Cindy mentioned and you have a home run. Or, maybe a grand slam.

And, Carnival is one of the few mass market cruise lines offering fresh made-to-order sandwiches. Only Celebrity and HAL are the others I am aware of.

Someone mentioned Carnival's pizza as the best at sea. I don't agree. (There goes that personal preference subjectivity) I believe Princess has the best pizza at sea. I believe their pizza is competitive with land based pizza. Carnival is the only one that offers calzone, though.

I thought the line about NCL being the Walmart of ocean dining was spot on. Except I like the 24 hour dining options on NCL. That and their cookies. Imagine getting a fresh burger at 2AM. Or, a bowl of won ton soup.

I believe Carnival is about the second best cruise line from a cuisine standpoint. If that was the reason to cruise, they would always be one of my top choices. But, I do love Royal's ships!

How times change.

A couple of years ago we flew into Seattle, rented a car and drove to Vancouver for a NB Alaska cruise.

When we pulled up to the immigration booth, the officer asked "what are you doing in Canada?"

I said "we're cruising out of Vancouver."

He said, "Just the two of you?"

I said, "yes."

He said, "Are you carrying any firearms."

I said, "No."

He said, "Go ahead."

Probably took less than 1 minute.

I don't know how things are now or how they will be after June 1.

Good Luck and report back after the cruise.