cruising maniac

So any idea which part of the ship would be assigned to which dining room? In other words, would a mid ship cabin be assigned to the aft dining room or the mid dining room?

Mine only gave me the option of 3 very LARGE payments. Not monthly.

The burgers are fantastic. Good and juicy. I like the Ringer and add carmelized onions. Yum!!!

I get way too excited whenever I am on a ship with Cove balconies. They are fantastic and the life boats overhead have never been a problem for us. As a matter of fact, as native Floridians we get enough sun and strongly prefer the shade offered by the boats. My next cruise is on the Conquest and sadly it won't be in a Cove.

I've gone to the AARP website many times and cannot find any gift cards/e-cards just a link to a deal on cruises. What am I doing wrong?

You have to go to AARP Rewards for Good. You do a few quizzes, earn points, and use the points toward the gift certificates. It is easy to sign up. It is free, and they don't fill your inbox up with junk.

The four of us rented a gold cart and went all over the island. It was a blast. I really liked feeding fruit loops to the wild donkeys down at the lighthouse.

We've been there twice with the last time being in October. I don't think we'll go back. We were disappointed this last time with the food being mediocre and the drinks being weak. However, the service is fantastic. With that being said, you make reservations directly through Mr. Santos and pay a $5 deposit. The rest is paid upon arrival.

Everything about the cove balconies makes me happy. Private, quiet, closer to the water. Perfect!!

We were on the Sunshine this past September and I was concerned because of reviews. It seemed people either loved it or hated it. We thought it was a good ship. I would absolutely sail on her again with no hesitation.

 

We saw no bugs - bed or other. The food was great - best of any Carnival ship we’ve been on. Service was great as well. We had a great room steward and dining staff.

 

I don’t think I’ve ever been on a ship that didn’t have some rust. It’s a ship at sea most of the time subject to salt water, wind, waves. They do a good job of keeping up. It’s not perfect but neither were any of the other ships we’ve been on.

 

It could be crowded I guess if it’s up to whether it’s at full capacity, but we didn’t run into any issues - except the atrium when all the photographers were set up.

 

So don’t just listen to the negatives. If I had I would have missed a great cruise.

 

 

T

 

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Thank you so much for your point of view. It really helped and I am going to go ahead and book an 8 night Eastern. You said exactly what I needed and wanted to hear. We are not picky, but do usually sail "newer" ships.

Why would you be scared? Look at the video reviews on YouTube of recent sailings on Sunshine - is there anything in particular that you find disturbing?

 

And you can find negative or positive reviews of any and all ships in the fleet.

 

"I hate the Elation, it is too small, not enough of the upgrades, no Alchemy Bar."

 

"I hate Sunshine, too big, I prefer small ships like the Elation."

 

"The Vista is the newest ship, yet I found a speck of dust on deck 7 near a window. Never sailing her again!"

 

"I remember the Mardi Gras, best ship ever! All these new ships have too many bells and whistles, I long for the old fashioned way of cruising!"

 

And so on...

Small things like bed bugs, mediocre food, visual signs of rust, other signs of aging, Ship is too crowded, people complaining about service issues..... Not things like I like smaller ships or I like bigger ships. I have been on thirty cruises and I can sort through those. I was just looking for some reassurance from recent cruisers.

I am seriously torn. We live in Orlando and the Sunshine would be perfect. I am scared to book this old ship after all of the negative reviews. Really thinking of driving to Ft. Lauderdale for the Conquest. I don't know what to do.........

I do a mock booking of one of many online travel/ cruise websites because I don't know for sure that Carnival would show me a reduced rate if I am already booked.

I got one yesterday by e-mail and had it in one minute. I cut and paste the number and logged into my Carnival site and posted the payment immediately. Looked at my balance today and the payment hadn't posted. I could not get it to work this time so I had to call them. Make sure that a receipt is e-mailed as confirmation.

I have a few thoughts on this one. I have nothing against Shaq, but I have to wonder why he would get in bed with Carnival. I doubt he needs the money. I would much rather see families or married couples having fun on a cruise. That makes me smile. Secondly, do you think he would be comfortable in one of those little tiny bathrooms? Lastly - Kanye West= Really?!?!

Well, I must be in the minority because I do look at the inspection reports. I would not cancel a cruise because of a low score, but I might pick another ship because of a low score. I do not want to spend all of the money and time planning and excitement just to get sick on vacation. I do find the low scores alarming and concerning.

Reading these posts have been helpful. We are cruising to Bermuda on the Conquest in October. It will be our first time on the Conquest but we were on the Valor a few years ago.

Can somebody please post the prices. I don't see them on the menu.

We are sailing to Bermuda with an overnight in October on the Conquest.

Sure thing! They also have great made-to-order omelettes in the morning.

Can you tell me what else they have for breakfast besides the made to order omelets?

I'm so sorry for the islands that have been devastated by the hurricanes. I am truly sympathetic and I understand because I live in Florida and we are still cleaning up from Irma. That being said, I would absolutely be bummed with that itinerary.

We're on the Oasis in 20 days and no joy on the deluxe beverage package. I keep checking but it has stayed $55 plus 18%. I can't justify the expense.

I understand your disappointment with Nassau. I am willing to bet that a lot of the folks will feel the same. We sailed to Costa Maya a few years back and rented a gold cart and went all over the island. Had a great time and it was very reasonable and safe. People have lost their lives and their livelihoods. The damage from these hurricanes has been catastrophic to those little islands. I always sail during hurricane season and I realize that there might be itinerary changes. I am willing to bet that you will have a fantastic time no matter that beautiful ship takes you!!

Show your picture to guest services. That should take care of it.

I cashed in 10,000 at the beginning of August and it took almost a month for it to show in my cruise planner. It was the first time so I called them and they said that it had to be entered manually and depends on how soon you are sailing. It will be in your cruise planner between your order history and your cart at the top right hand corner. I got the card just for the $100 OBC. It was a no-brainer.

I have been on 25 cruises but not yet on Royal. That is in 6 weeks from today. YEA. Anyway, with kids, I don't think you would be disappointed with Carnival. The food is good and the service is so much better than it used to be. I understand that the kids program is good. Just pick one of the newer, bigger ships like the Breeze, Dream, Magic, or Vista. My favorite cruise lines are Celebrity and Norgewian. Although I feel like most cruises are more alike than different. The only one I did not like was Costa because the food was horrible. Sorry about your cruise being cancelled.