Jeafl

On 1/26/2024 at 9:38 AM, jsglow said:

Wow. That's awfully presumptuous of them. I honestly wonder why they would have taken that position? 

Right?  If liquor offends you then a cruise may not be a good fit.  Alcohol is everywhere!

On 11/16/2023 at 6:20 PM, Destiny0315 said:

Ah the significance of the empty chair representing Edy's contribution...

 

OMG!  I'm reading this review at work and I actually snort laughed out loud at this one!

21 hours ago, Megan_Strick said:

You are literally 1 ft from the next table so we always end up talking to them anyway.

On the Magic in November it was more like 5-6 inches.  Not even enough room to  walk through.

Please tell them that you would spend much more money there if they figured out the smoke problem. 🙂

20 hours ago, tradewinds traveler said:

Delivery of checked on bass is weird. Sometimes mine arrived but not my husband's or his arrive & not mine. Sometimes is doesn't arrive until 5. We are platinum.

I can never understand this.  My husband and I drop our bags off together, they go in the same cart together, and yet his are always delivered hours before mine. Go figure.

I think we will check this place out when we are in Mazatlan in September.  We've already done the city tours so this looks fun!

On 1/21/2024 at 7:02 PM, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

You were very wise not to swim with the whale sharks.  We did this (well, tried to do this) as our eight-year old had her heart set on it.  Hubby and I went back and forth and back and forth on it.  (He had a bad feeling.)  I did a ton of research and asked for feedback in multiple forums/facebook sites, especially regarding our daughter.  Ultimately, we decided to give it a go.

 

We booked ahead of time for 10 a.m., knowing that the time could change a bit due to regulations.  The day before our tour, I got a call from the company saying that their turn was at noon.  We could either go or cancel.  (Should have cancelled, but more on that in a minute.)  I was a little concerned, but it seemed like we'd still have plenty of time to make the ship, so we decided to go.  

 

The next morning, I got a text saying they had a cancellation for the 10 a.m. tour.  Would we want to go then?  (This seemed shady to me as we actually requested the 10 a.m. tour, but they said they didn't have a turn til noon.)  No matter ... yes, we'll go at 10.

 

Checked in at 10 as instructed.  Guide said we were waiting for a few more people.  We asked if we could grab a quick bite and be back at 10:30.  Guide said to be back at 11.  Hmmm.

 

Got back to the meeting site at 10:40.  Waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Didn't go out on the boat until almost 1 p.m.   Texted the tour guide who I had been in touch with and expressed my concern about making it back to the ship on time.  He texted me back in ALL CAPS that back to the ship is guaranteed.  

 

So, after waiting around for three hours, it was suddenly rush, rush, rush.  They put 14 of us on the boat and started throwing out lifejackets for everyone to wear.  We took off really fast and the boat kept slamming against the waves.   My daughter was singing a made-up song about the whale sharks, which was really cute.  I, however, regretted getting on that boat.  It was not a nice ride.

 

We rode out really far to where the sharks were supposed to be.  After a long time, the crew finally spotted some.  By now, the water was really rough and the weather was cloudy.  The crew handed our snorkel gear, some of which did not have clips to attach the tube to the goggles.  The y offered wet suits and fins, but there was not space to put any of that stuff on in the crowded boat.  One lady was vocally complaining about how it was not safe for any of us to be out in that water.  Most people just brushed her off.

 

The two-man crew only spoke Spanish, which was fine except that the tour said we'd have an English speaking guide.  I can speak a tiny bit of Spanish so I could understand a bit of what they were saying.  There was a bilingual couple on board with us that translated some things, especially when things got dicey.

 

The first four people got ready to get into the water with the whale sharks.  They were the least concerned about the conditions and couldn't wait to get in.  The got in with the guide, went under the water, lost some snorkel gear, and called immediately for the boat to come get them.  They got back in the boat and the "captain" asked who was next.  Every single person on the boat declined to get in the water after that.  

 

One lady who didn't get into the water wanted a video at least since she paid for the tour.  So the first mate, I guess, got in and took a video for her while he swam with the whale sharks.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and we are WAY far out in the Sea of Cortez.  First mate gets back in the boat and the water is really rough now.  One guy is puking over the side of the boat.  White cap waves are tossing the little boat we're in.  Captain moves all the people around to more evenly distribute the weight, puts on his lifejacket, and slowly tried to maneuver the big waves.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

Once the waves started to smooth out, we started hauling butt back to shore.  We were watching the clock the whole time, terrified that we wouldn't make the ship on time.  Just when we thought we had a decent chance, the motor of the boat died.  My heart SANK.  Our fellow passenger who was bilingual (and not a cruise passenger) said we were out of gas.  I almost died.  Thankfully that wasn't the case.  The boat was taking the waves and crashing down so hard that the battery disconnected.  They were able to fix it though and we continued toward shore.  Tick, tick, tick.

 

We were told we'd be let off at a dock closer to the ship and a van would be waiting for us. (Nine of the 14 of us were cruise passengers.) Not the case.  The boat dropped us on a beach.  No one helped us off or secured the boat.  My husband got injured getting off the boat.  We grabbed our stuff and ran toward the road.  Ship leaves in 10 minutes.  Thankfully, we found a van taxi.  Husband flagged him down and our party of three and the party of four that went in the water got in.  As we drove off, we saw that the other couple trying to make it back to the ship was able to get a taxi as well.  (We would have invited them to join us, but they were behind us and there was no room.)

 

As we were driving to the ship, the tour operator called me to see if we still needed the van.  I lit him up.  Told him it was the worst excursion ever and that we might miss the ship.  Thankfully, we made it with five minutes to spare.  As we were getting out of our van, we saw the other couple pulling up as well.  So, we all made it, but it was really scary for a bit there.

 

As we walked onto the ship, my husband kissed it, lol.  As I was walking onto the ship, the crew member said, "watch your step" and I immediately tripped and fell on me knees.  Ugh.  I was so exhausted and just trying to get on board.  My knee still hasn't healed, but at least we didn't miss the ship.

 

So, moral of the story?  Trust your instincts.  (I almost cancelled twice.)  And listen to your partner when they say they have a bad feeling.  Sorry to hijack your review, deladane.  

Thanks for sharing this.  It sounds like my worse nightmare so I am taking it off my bucket list.

We really liked the Panorama both times we were on it.  I have to say, your chances of getting a picture of Java Blue without a line are pretty slim.  There was ALWAYS a line when we were there.  Even at night!

Following along!  We've done the Panorama twice with this itinerary, and have the same itinerary (more or less) booked on the Firenze this fall.

On 12/18/2023 at 3:03 PM, Mike45LC said:

I once had more than two entrees when the steak was inedible without a chainsaw (I was given a replacement steak which was just as bad), and I finally was served a grilled chicken breast.  

 

I sometimes try a dish that I've never had before, and if it is not to my taste, I will have another dish.  But that is "only" two entrees.

 

On the Magic a couple of months ago I ordered one of the Emeril fish dishes.  When they served it to me there was no fish!  It was a pile of polenta or something with sauce.  I asked the server and he was confused as well.  He asked if I wanted something else, and I told him just the chicken breast.  He ended up bring me the chicken entree as well as another fish entree which actually had the fish on it.  I didn't say anything, and my husband ate the chicken so nothing was wasted.

I have yet to be on a Spirit class ship, but after reading your review I think I would like to.  I think I may prefer the smaller ships, but we'll see.  Great review!

Having just got off the Magic 2 weeks before you got on, I would have to agree with just about everything you posted.  There was nothing horrible, but nothing spectacular either.  Your piano player sounded far better than ours, though.

Your comment about the loungers was spot on.  We actually saw  a rather large man go right through it one day.  Luckily he wasn't injured but he was pretty embarrassed.  Other than that we thought the ship was in pretty good shape for how old it is.

Thanks for taking the time to do the review.  It was a real pleasure to read.  🙂

19 hours ago, chryso said:

I am always excited to see mongolian wok on the ship.  The idea seems great, the toppings look interesting, but when I get it back to the table it is never as good as I was imagining it to be.  

I agree.  I waited half an hour in line last month and when I finally sat down to eat it I wasn't that crazy about it,  The noodles seemed to have a weird texture or something.  Oh well, live and learn.

On 12/14/2023 at 4:39 PM, Butterbean1000 said:

We did stay for the entire meal.  Awkward! I apologized, of coursed, but she was having none of it.  I am not a big person, but I did have on a full skirt.  There was simply not enough room between tables.

That's all on her, not you.  It was an accident and she should have been more gracious. People suck.

13 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Just one night without thing song would be a miracle 😆 

 

 

Sweet Caroline 🎶 

I was dismayed to hear the waiters also singing it in the MDR now. 

On 12/10/2023 at 6:29 PM, jam19872016 said:

Lido is packed. Like embarcation day lunch packed. That bodes well for the dining room. 

 

Variety music with Jesse and Sarah.

 

 

Somewhere over the rainbow 🎶 

I thought Jesse and Sarah were really talented!  We didn't discover them until mid week, but after that we tried to catch them wherever they were playing.

On 12/6/2023 at 9:22 PM, jam19872016 said:

Trivia after dark

 

 

Interesting.  They did not have this or Quest a few weeks ago on our cruise.

On 12/5/2023 at 6:03 PM, jam19872016 said:

Beef wellington and veal schnitzel 702.

 

 

The beef Wellington was the best thing I ate the whole 8 days when I was on there!

On 11/30/2023 at 9:02 PM, tradercj said:

Had the beef wellington last month on the Miracle. It was incredible. Sorry don't remember what day it was.

I agree.  It was my favorite meal on the entire cruise.  The cake they had that night was fantastic as well.

On 12/2/2023 at 6:58 PM, jam19872016 said:

I didn't think I was going to rally tonight but I am catching a second wind.

 

Dinner ran long, won't make the 90's music trivia again unless I run there now, but I still need to prepare the mobile bar. I may go for the end, I don't need to play I just want to hear the songs.

 

Piano lady is off again. They don't typically get the first night of the cruise off, so she must be sick again even though she made it out last night.

 

I'll find some music somewhere to keep me going as long as my second wind holds out!

That's funny (in a strange way) about the piano bar lady.  We were on the November 4-12 cruise and she was sick then as well.  She just stopped in the middle of a song and said she was losing her voice so she was just going to tell jokes instead of singing and playing.  Then another night while on stage in the theater before a production show, she was eating a piece of candy while singing and started choking on it and had to leave the stage in the middle of a song.  It was very odd.  Who eats candy while they are singing in front of a large crowd?  I was really not impressed with her at all.  The one complaint most people had was that she really didn't know many songs.  She would sing maybe half, then trail off and go on to the next one.

On 12/1/2023 at 4:51 PM, seaman11 said:

I take a nap before late dinner. Would you not hear noise and thumping around at 5:30pm? 

 

How many ppl would be in your cabin? 

I hope there is no noise.  I figured the MDR has carpet so that will help.

We have just 2 people in the room.

On 12/1/2023 at 12:54 PM, havanadaydreaming said:

all these years and we've still not seen an upgrade offer.  

There's always hope.  This is our 13th cruise and first upgrade offer.  I wasn't even looking for it.  I just happened to notice it when I went to check when our final payment was due.  It was just sitting there in small print.  Very easy to miss!

Thank you all!  We ended up taking the deal and went with the cove balcony.  I appreciate everyone's input.

2 hours ago, mets07 said:

Hi, did you receive this offer via e-mail? Thank you.

I actually found it accidentally on the Carnival website under Manage my Booking.  It was just sitting there, in rather small print, actually.

2 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

$192 ttl or pp?  

 

its kind of a coin flip to me.  i love the deluxe OV.  this from a fella that only did balconies first 10 cruises or so.  

 

i like the higher up balconies in port so i can see more stuff in the distance.  at sea not so much so long as it isnt obstructed view.   

 

It was $192 total.