cruiselover**

I know this is a subjective question, but I am interested in opinions on what cruise ship I should book next. My husband and I have been on 12 different Carnival ships over the past 22 years including 2 Fantasy class, Destiny, Triumph, Victory, 2 Spirit class, 4 Conquest class (but not the Conquest itself), and the beautiful Breeze (second time coming up in April 2015). We have loved them all! A few of the ships I have sailed on multiple times, but would like to go on one I haven't tried yet.

Anyway, I am already looking ahead to next year. If all ports and prices were the same, which of the above three ships would you choose? I would love to hear from my fellow Carnival cruisers!

I'm glad you asked this question. I was just telling my husband today that I was kind of depressed with all the negativity on Cruise Critic here on the Carnival board. If there are any new cruisers reading, they will think Carnival is a sub-par vacation. My husband and I are going on our 19th cruise in a couple months - all with Carnival - and we haven't been disappointed yet. We started cruising in 1993 and even with all the changes since that time, we think Carnival delivers a great product. We have sailed on 12 different ships and we have enjoyed them all. Yes, there can be little problems here and there because nothing is perfect! Anyway, to the original poster - go and enjoy your cruise. I bet you will become a repeat cruiser, just like the rest of us.

I always pack my clothes in the 2 1/2 gallon plastic storage bags. I can fit quite a few garments in each one. I prefer that method so the TSA aren't handling my clothes. Hopefully, that keeps my belongings fairly dry in the event of rain. Since I have soft-sided luggage, I also have sprayed it with fabric protector (like they use on furniture) to help protect the contents of my suitcase.

I am looking forward to trying at least one of the steakhouse entrees in the MDR on my next cruise. I have a question about the surf and turf. Does anyone know what size the filet mignon is that comes with the lobster tail?

I remember on one of my cruises - I think it was the Carnival Victory - that the casino host, Darren, was frequently chatting with the gamblers. I was playing in one of the slot machine tournaments and Darren sat down beside me. He said that if I beat his score, he would let me have a Carnival logo item. Well, I beat him by several thousand and he gave me a Carnival watch! I was SO excited. I didn't make it to the finals in the tournament, but who cares? I still enjoy that watch to this day and I believe the watch is about 12 years old now.

I wrote this suggestion a couple years ago on Cruise Critic - I think Carnival should have a lazy river on lido deck. I would love to sit in an inner tube and float around hours on end with an umbrella drink in hand. Sheer bliss!

In response to the question about cabin 6460 - I think your parents will love it. My husband and I had no complaints about noise or anything else. The view was not obstructed at all by the deck below. We loved the longer balcony (I think it was about one and a half times longer than the average balcony). I have booked "L" shaped balconies on several Carnival ships and am always very pleased with them. I switched cabins on our upcoming cruise to try a lido deck cabin on the Carnival Breeze since it was a free upgrade. If I hadn't gotten the freebie upgrade, I would stay in 6460 in a heartbeat!

Thanks for posting the information and video about the lido deck cabins on Carnival Breeze! My husband and I are staying in cabin 10276 on our upcoming cruise in late April. We were originally booked in 6460 because we stayed in that exact cabin two years ago and I thought it would be neat to stay there again. I was able to upgrade to the 8F and received a $26.00 reduction a couple months ago! Not too shabby. Anyway, I am excited about being so close to the pool and bars. My only fear is that I won't be able to book any other deck ever again.

Does anyone know when John Heald will be posting again on his blog? I believe he still uses the social media website that so many people read, but I do not use that site at all. He has not posted on his blog since early November, and prior to that it was September or so. Thanks in advance to everyone who replies.

My husband and I both keep our passports in the safe as buggins0402 suggests in the above post, but we take it a step further. We have a credit card, some cash, and a small flashlight with our passports in a one quart plastic bag. In the unlikely event of an emergency we can hopefully grab that little bag out of the safe and be on our way. I think I will add a couple days worth of prescription meds too.

As far as the best advice I have received from these boards - everything has been helpful. I continue to learn all the time from all members who have posted. I'm on here practically every day!

For any of you that have the round cooler and are having problems with leaking - get one of the Carnival beer buckets/ice buckets that they have on Lido deck. It fits inside the round coolers PERFECTLY and makes it leak-free. Now you have an excuse to book another Carnival cruise!

I just read about the new pricing on Carnival's website. I am disappointed that the per day rate went up. I was really looking forward to trying the program on my next cruise. It sure didn't take long for the rate to increase, did it? It seems like they just started the lower rates a couple months ago.

I don't have to make the bed!

I really like this Platinum gift. I don't cruise again until April 2015 so I hope this is still available. The toiletry bag is something I would definitely use - unlike the baseball cap. It worked out well for my husband though since he got a second hat! Most of the other gifts have been fine with me, especially the Tervis tumblers. I use mine every day.

For what my opinion is worth on the subject, my husband and I had cabin 6460 on the Carnival Breeze in 2013. We have booked the identical cabin again for our cruise on her in 2015. The cabin is close to the stern of the ship and we loved it! No problems whatsoever. I wouldn't worry about your cabin, if I were you.

On my next cruise:

1. Actually WIN money in the casino!

2. Spend more time on my balcony.

3. Savor every single moment of my vacation. The week goes by quickly so I want to really linger over each and every minute that I can.

4. Order room service more often. It's wonderful to have a snack out on my balcony and enjoy the view.

Right now, I am enjoying my countdown - less than five weeks until my next cruise!

What a great idea about taking a photo of your Sail and Sign card for the first picture! I put a small name and address sticker on the outside of my camera when I bought it to help with identification. I covered the sticker with Scotch tape to keep it in place and keep the lettering from fading. I always thought an honest person might return it to me if it is lost. I wish the manufacturer had a little more space where the battery fits in the camera so I could have ID inside too. Anyway, your idea is a good one - I will use it on my next cruise.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. It looks like I will be asking for my copy of my bar receipts after all. I understand that some of you don't mind not having a copy, but to me it is easier to track my transactions on my Sail and Sign account and make sure everything is okay. I always like to verify my transactions on my Visa credit card each month - to me it is the same thing. I have had a couple charges on my Sail and Sign account that were not mine over the years - not huge amounts, but inaccuracies just the same. I charge enough onboard myself, let alone if someone else's charges are on the account too.

Thanks for the quick reply! You gave me the answer I was hoping for. I have been on 17 Carnival cruises and that was the first time I wasn't given my copy of the receipt automatically. I felt badly asking the bartenders for the duplicate each time. I'm sure they didn't mind, but it seemed a poor choice for conserving paper or whatever the reasoning was.

When I last cruised in September 2013 on the Carnival Pride, if I ordered a drink at the bars I was given a receipt to sign and return to the bartender, but no customer receipt was automatically given to me. I had to request a duplicate each time. I'm sure other passengers were okay with this policy, but I like to double-check all my receipts against my Sail and Sign account. It wasn't difficult to obtain my copy, but I am hoping this was just a temporary policy. I will be going on the Carnival Glory soon and would like to know if this is still in place or not. Can anyone enlighten me? I know this isn't an earth-shattering problem - it is just a question for my fellow Carnival passengers.

I have a question for you about the use of the future cruise certificates and Early Saver rates. I am cruising in April and have the $80.00 in on-board credit for the bar promotion (a promo from December 2013). I also used my future cruise certificate for $100.00, but was able to get the double-credit of $200.00 with the January 2014 promo. I am booked under Early Saver and am wondering if I would lose the additional $100.00 in on-board credit if I see a price drop on my cruise. I realize I will probably lose the $80.00 for bar credits. If any of you are following what I am saying, let me know that you think will happen if I see a price drop after final payment.

I wanted to provide a follow-up to my post when I asked if anyone was able to get the double on-board credit even if they booked prior to the email promotion. I submitted my future cruise certificate to Carnival a few days ago for my upcoming cruise. I wrote in the comment section of the on-line form that I had received the email promotion. I received the $100.00 off my final payment as well as $200.00 on-board credit for my seven day cruise. This cruise was booked about a year and a half ago. I am very happy that Carnival came through for me. This is our 18th cruise with Carnival and I am as excited as I was when I went on my first one.

I wanted to see if anyone has tried to get the double value on-board credit for an upcoming cruise that was booked prior to receiving the email promotion. I sure would love it if Carnival would give me the $200.00 for my 7 night cruise this April, instead of the $100.00. I would like to give it a try when I submit my future cruise certificate form.

My husband and I cruised out of the Port of Baltimore in September 2013 and initially booked the Super 8 Hotel. I cancelled the booking due to poor reviews (three weeks in advance of my scheduled arrival). Long story short - the hotel made me pay the charge as a no show, even though I had confirmation of my cancellation. I have battled with my credit card company over the charges and still have had no luck with getting the problem corrected. Be forewarned - they must be running a shady establishment at the Super 8 in Baltimore!

Wow! Thanks for posting your very thorough review of the Carnival Liberty. I loved your pictures and enjoyed re-living your cruise with your daily report. My husband and I will be on the Liberty in another three months (our second time on her) and we are lookiing forward to all the 2.0 upgrades.

I'm so glad you got your SD card back. I have always been afraid of leaving things behind in the safe too, so I put all my items in a one quart plastic zipper bag. My husband and I each use one so we can keep track of our casino chips, cash, etc. Maybe you want to give one of the bags a try on your next cruise.