RoperDK

We are searching for a way to safely park our car for a Brilliance cruise in January. We usually stay overnight in Biloxi and then park at the port, but I am getting nervous about secure parking. We are Diamond with Hilton, so a free room night is easy for us. Don't know about timely shuttles though. I sometimes have a gimpy knee so hauling luggage and walking is iffy. Looking forward to your input.

We are looking at doing some longer cruises, either B2B or Journeys. We are Platinum and closing in on Diamond. We've been cruising on Royal recently, but their higher prices are sending us back to Carnival. I know that Journey cruises are top heavy and that we should expect some of our benefits to be reduced. What are the good and bad points about going on one of these cruises?

We don't consistently use the MDR. We do Coastal Kitchen, specialty dining, and an occasional My Time MDR experience for the most part. Other than that, we snack or visit Windjammer. We are downsizing ships because of the crazy prices right now. We are also later diners with 7:30 being the perfect time for us. We just got off Mariner and had late dining at 8. It was a great experience! Our wait team was attentive and remembered our preferences, just like the "good old days". Our My Time dining experiences before had been hectic and disjointed. On my next cruise, we have MTD reserved at 7:30 each night. Should we switch to late? We don't have a lot of MDR experience, so we don't know what the "normal" experience is. Thanks!

Can you combine a future cruise booking with your annual prime free cruise benefit?

Is it good? I love rack of lamb, but sometimes lamb can be iffy.

I've always avoided the UDP because of the quantity of food. On Oasis class, we rely mostly on Coastal Kitchen with an occasional specialty dining meal. We cruise in suites mostly. We are now cruising on older ships without Coastal Kitchen and I was wondering about the value of the UDP. I know you don't have to order a ton of food, but it would be tempting for us. What are your strategies or do you just go for it and not worry about the quantity of food?

I'm talking about the Royal and Carnival back and forth. You are correct that every cruise line has its defenders. However, if I post about Princess or Celebrity on this or Royal's board, the level of responses won't be as ferocious. I've never seen that back and forth on the Princess or Celebrity boards, either.

That's funny, I don't think many Royal loyals think that much about Carnival. They are loyal to Royal, just like others are loyal to Carnival. Those that have tried both are free to compare and discuss and decide what line they prefer. I don't get upset when someone criticizes either line. That's their opinion according to their experiences. I will admit that it does irk me when people defend their preferred cruise line at all costs. I've never experienced anything in my life that was perfect.

As an avid Carnival AND Royal cruiser, I am always surprised about the way each line's loyal cruisers circle the wagons. No one does that about other cruise lines. Perhaps it's because the two lines are more alike than different. I enjoy both cruise lines. Each has positives and negatives. Royal does have great loyalty and suite benefits, however their prices are crazy right now. Carnival has better pricing and, to me, a more fun atmosphere. Food is in flux right now. I used to prefer Royal, but Carnival is trending higher. There are so many variables... old ships, new ships, different ports of embarkation, and cruise length. It's truly hard to get an apples to apples comparison.

Are Ultras more crowded than Premiers? I received the email, too. Premiers are pretty crowded and sometimes I wonder if it's worth the frustration, lol.

I mostly see positive reviews, also. Mardi Gras is a beautiful ship. I've been on her twice. I have decided that Excel class isn't for me, but I think I'm in the minority.

This was on a Carnival ship. We were sailing out of either Miami or Port Canaveral. I can't remember the exact date, but it was several years post 9/11. It was still during the time when marine police boats kept civilian watercraft away from the ships while the ships were docked. We were of course escorted by marine police out of the channel at the port as usual. It was shortly after the escort left us that we were approached by the boat. It looked like a pleasure craft with a handful of friendly, waving people onboard. They were probably either drunk or unaware of the requirement to stay at a distance. They were not heeding the ship's horns and were coming at us at full speed. It definitely caught my attention and I wondered what in the world these people were thinking. Our cabin was forward so I could see the bridge wing clearly. There were bridge crew with binoculars outside at first and then the long guns appeared. The pleasure craft must have seen them and veered off instantly. Interesting that the ships are not normally armed. I assumed that they had weapons onboard for security. I respect your knowledge, so I must have witnessed Coast Guard Marshalls instead of crew. It is definitely something I vividly remember and I haven't seen anything like it since.

This is timely. I have just started seeing the guarantee cabin offers. We usually upgrade to a suite. How does that work? Can you apply the guarantee cost to the upgrade or are you just out of luck about upgrading?

I will probably regret this, but I hope that cruisers know that the ship is armed. I have actually witnessed this from my balcony. We were cruising out of Florida (post 9/11). A small boat approached us and despite ship horn warnings, kept coming. Security appeared outside of the bridge with long guns. The small boat abruptly turned away and we went on our merry way. If I hadn't been on my balcony, I would have never known. I feel quite secure while onboard. I doubt that Royal would dock a ship at Labadee if they felt that there was a security issue. That would be horrible press. I actually would worry more about venturing out on my own at the Dominican Republic since they share the same island as Haiti.

I was hoping for some feedback on Vista since it returned from drydock, but I haven't heard anything. I know it had some mediocre reviews before and was wondering if the changes made the experience better. I have been on every class of ship except Vista class. My favorite class is Spirit class and my least favorite is Excel class. I did enjoy Dream class. I like eating at specialty restaurants and I am a frequent casino patron. I'm not a fan of wall-to-wall crowds (who is?), but I understand that the buffet at lunch and elevators at peak times get busy. I love ABC itineraries and the Vista does several of them. Any opinions on if I will like Vista and whether people are enjoying themselves onboard after drydock?

I am interested in knowing how the Signature restaurant menu differs from the Reserve restaurant and/or the MDR. Thanks for helping us out!

The mini suites on the Sun are narrower than on other Princess ships. All of the balcony cabins are, too. The interlocking design causes that along with fitting more cabins in the space available on a deck.

The bed and closet/desk area alternate. Either bed by the bath or closet/desk by the bath. The bed has to alternate because of the interlocking cabin design.

While I was sitting with others waiting to embark someone said that the minis were okay. Mine was just a regular size spray can. I tried to look it up on the Carnival website, but really didn't see where it was banned.

I just got off the Spirit and my lysol spray was taken from our carry on at embarkation. They said it was a new rule. I've always carried lysol in my carry on before. They said lysol wipes were allowed. Don't understand why I can bring on a can of hair spray, but not lysol. Just wondered when this new rule began.

Cant wait to see actual videos, but I still contend that in a mini suite the bed will either be by the bath or the closet/desk will. The sofa will be by the balcony. You can tell which one is which by looking at these deck plans. Cabin 12635 will be the closet/desk followed by the bed and then the sofa. Cabin 12639 will be the bed by the bath, followed by the desk/closet and then the sofa. Cabin 12641 (balcony cabin) will have the sofa by the bath and 12643 will have the bed by the bath. I know what the Princess site says, but perhaps they copied and pasted incorrectly. Mini suites have an additional section that balcony and cabana minis don't. It is the closet with the desk area across from it.

I guess only time will tell how these cabins are layed out. I only know how they are on the Mardi Gras, which is the same layout as the Sun. There are no sofas by the entrance unless they are cabana minis. Those cabanas have a totally different layout. Cabanas alternat the bed and sofa by the door. Minis alternate bed and closet by the door.

I'm interested, too.

Thanks for that input. I was hoping for a separate Signature menu like Celebrity's Luminae or Royal's Coastal Kitchen. That would be a true ship within a ship experience.

A cabana cabin is different. It is basically a balcony cabin with the cabana sitting area added between the room and balcony. In the cabana cabin the closet is across from the bathroom then you either have the sofa or bed configuration.