RoperDK

The mini suites on Sun will always have the sofa by the balcony. The alternating part of the configuration will be bed by the bath then closet and desk section or closet and desk section then bed. We prefer the closet and desk section by the bath as it opens up the room and you don't run into the bed immediately. The Sun cabins are quite narrow.

Good idea to split this topic off from the main Sun thread. I am interested in hearing any knowledge of the menu items in the Signature restaurant compared to the MDR. I am hoping for an upgraded experience, not just a couple of enhanced dishes (Club Class) and the prime rib cart. Princess would never answer the question about whether the menu would differ from the MDR. Princess has advertised the rolling prime rib cart, but nothing else. Hopefully, we will get reports back soon.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the Signature and Reserve dining rooms have the same menus? Also, the only real difference between these dining rooms and the MDR is primarily the rolling prime rib cart? I would expect the Signature dining room to be on the same level as Laminae on Celebrity or Coastal Kitchen on Royal. That is a major disappointment to me.

This is something we can agree on.

So you felt that your Celebrity cruise had the same quality and choices that Carnival does? I understand that the cost might have been higher, but for me, the value is there. I consider what I paid in comparison to what I received. Of course, JMHO.

I can't take it anymore! This is my FAVORITE drink and I am stuck at home doing taxes. 😭 Two more days and it will be my turn. I will be at Alchemy asking Leyla for a Grey Goose dirty martini with blue cheese olives. I am sooooo ready!

I'm not talking way back, although I've been sailing on Carnival for over 20 years. If you go way back, then you could get filet mignon every night. I'm talking perhaps 5 years. Food and service was still acceptable to me then. We sail in at least a balcony. Other than a great casino rate, we pay more than $100 pp especially with current pricing. I understand your argument and agree to a certain degree. At some point though, I personally feel like they are taking quality down as far as they can go to see where the cruisers finally reach a tipping point. Before people tell me to sail on other cruise lines....I do. I occasionally cruise on Carnival and wish the quality and service would get stepped up.

I think that many people have accepted this as the standard for the MDR. Newer cruisers especially have nothing to compare it to. There was a time that the quality of food served and the service was at a much higher level than it is today. They were serving the same amount of people at that time, so it can be done. Carnival (and other cruise lines) chose to change the MDR experience and cruisers appear to be okay with that.

Totally agree. Crispy bacon is hard to find at the buffet.

Does Carnival still have a tiramisu martini? That is my go-to drink after dinner.

Good catch! The cabana mini suites are basically a balcony cabin with the cabana sitting area added between the cabin and the balcony. The cabana has the closets across from the bathroom and the bathroom will be smaller compared to the regular mini suites. The regular mini suites have a larger bathroom in the entry hall area with a section of closets opposite the desk area. There are 2 TVs in the regular mini suite, also. One in front of the bed. One in front of the sofa. The regular mini suites are the same as the ocean suite on Carnival Mardi Gras. I have stayed in those cabins twice. FWIF, I prefer the regular minis.

How is that Brazilian steak house, anyway? I've never seen it on any other ship. Thinking about booking it when we cruise Radiance later this year. FWIW....we are meat lovers.

I can believe it! It is basically the State's official song. Roll Tide Roll! 😁

How is the ship's inside temperature? Trying to decide what to pack for next week.

Carnival's entry level Ocean Suite is larger than a Princess mini. They are quite nice, actually. As stated above, the mini's are more like an extended balcony and they also have a tub and 2 TVs. We like both. If you are looking at an Ocean Suite on Excel class, then they are very similar to Princess, except they are narrower and have a shower instead.

No, Carnival doesn't have anything to match the Plus or Premium package on Princess. You have to buy the drink package, Wi-Fi, and pay gratuities separately. I think the Plus package is a bargain. Good job Princess!

Can you tell me what vodka brands are on the "Alabama" menu? I'm a Grey Goose kinda girl. I think the regular drink menu is available once in International waters.

I totally agree. Loyalty on Royal has better perks. Stay in a suite and the perks are even better. We had transitioned to Royal for the most part until they started charging so much for their cruises along with major food cutbacks. We are trying Carnival again next week. Each has their pluses and minuses.

The pizza place and deli are on deck 8 on Mardi Gras. They only serve a slice of pizza, no ceasar salad. The deli only serves sandwiches, no fries, cole slaw, or potato salad. That is what I don't like about it. I can certainly travel up 8 decks to the lido and get a salad, but that isn't convenient in my book. On all of the other classes of ships, the food venues are all on lido deck. Much easier to mix and match. Like I said above, traveling up or down 8 decks to get some cole slaw with my sandwich isn't very convenient. Perhaps Carnival needs to distinguish between classes of ships.

Following. Perfect timing. We embark as you disembark. Spirit class is our favorite! We've done at least a dozen on them over the years. Mobile port can be...quirky. The port area is congested (don't stop on the railroad tracks)! Too much in a small area. Check cruisemapper. If there is some fog, the ship will be delayed and then all "you know what" breaks out. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about your cruise. Safe travels.

I understand where you are coming from. The reason we didn't care for Mardi Gras was a quirk that I have concerning the food. I prefer when all of the "lido type" venues are on one deck. I like to get a salad with my slice of pizza or sandwich. On Mardi Gras the deli and pizza place don't have any extras. No Ceasar salad for the pizza. No potato salad or fries with the sandwich. Everything was separated by several decks. Great to break up the crowds, not so good for variety. We enjoyed our first Mardi Gras cruise, which was close to the restart and without crowds. On the second one, the dining service was consistently poor. Many times our food was not warm and with many mistakes on orders. There were obvious staffing problems and the ship was packed. I really wanted to like the Excel class, but it just isn't for me. I like Oasis class ships for their neighborhoods, activities, and entertainment. However, we book Junior Suites and eat dinner in Coastal Kitchen and also book some specialty dining. It does make a huge difference. I am on the Spirit next week and I love that class of ship. I am also eyeing the Vista for a future cruise.

I'll add my 2 cents. We've been sailing on Carnival for over 20 years. We are Platinum and Diamond is not far away. We haven't attended the P/D event in many years. It's just not important to us anymore. I wonder how many of the P/D onboard actually go to the parties?

I could be wrong, but I don't think Carnival does that. You can reserve dining times on Royal in advance. We do this and get the same waitstaff every night. We don't eat in the dining room each night on Carnival and don't try and get the same waitstaff. If we had great service on the nights we go, we usually leave some cash on the table and don't tip at the end.

Husband drinks Sprite and hates Sierra Mist. Heard Carnival is switching to Starry and that it tastes more like Sprite. Question is....what is Spirit currently serving and do they have a diet version?

If you don't have any mobility issues then I would pick a deck 7 balcony over deck 8. You will get some deck chair scraping noises under the serenity deck and the dreaded rolling cart sounds from under lido. We've dealt with those noises before because we like the bowling alley balconies or the premium balconies and if deck 8 has the only ones available then so be it. I don't know what is available for your cruise, so I can't be specific. You do want to be able to easily access the outer decks for viewing and waiting for an elevator can be the difference between seeing something or missing it. If the Vista Suites on deck 4 are available and within your budget, then I would jump on them. They are our favorite cabins on Spirit class. Most people would say that higher decks are better, but our personal choice would be deck 4. Pop down one deck and you have open viewing from the aft and most of the sides.