Mainah

Nice Review. Thanks for taking the time to report.

We will be sailing on the "Dream" in 4 weeks!

Thanks johnlcruise. Have a great cruise!

Yes, a big thank you for informative review!

Thank you lstrong.

My partner and I fell in love with cruising a few years ago after our first cruise on Disney, since then we’ve taken 4 more cruises 2 on NCL and 2 on MSC so this was our first cruise on Carnival. Initially I had reservations about cruising on Carnival because of all the bad press and Carnival’s reputation as having a constant huge party atmosphere on their ships (younger crowd falling down drunk all day) however after reading the reviews and information on this forum plus Carnival’s having a much better price for their cabins than other lines this time of year I had a change of heart and decided to give them a try.

We flew to New Orleans a couple of days before the cruise and stayed at the Hilton Riverside. It was a very easy walk to the port from the hotel on embarkation day. We left the hotel about 11:15 and it took about 5-10 minutes to get to the terminal. It was a little hectic and confusing once we got there making it difficult to find a porter for our bags but after a few minutes we got everything sorted and walked inside. I’d say within 30 minutes we were on board the ship having a drink at the Sunset Bar. It was quite fast and easy. Carnival had everything very well organized.

We thought the ship’s décor was a little over the top (hey this is Carnival I was expecting it! ;) ) but really quite nice certainly nothing to complain about. I didn’t take pictures of the inside of the ship (except our cabin) or the pool areas however you can find plenty of good ones here on the forum using the search function if you wish.

We’ve always wanted to try an aft balcony and were able to snag cabin 8475 for this trip. We loved it. The cabin was a good size and the balcony was great! Sitting on that balcony reading and watching the wake was the highlight of the trip for me (doesn’t take much to make me happy ;) ). The views from the aft are wonderful. Here are some pictures of the cabin and balcony plus a video of the balcony:

https://flic.kr/ps/2YFFXB

The ports were ok we didn’t do much but just walk around the port areas of Roatan and Cozumel for a little while then back on the ship to relax by the pool or on the balcony. We did a little more in Belize taking an excursion called the Belize City Tour and Airboat Ride. In my opinion we could have skipped the city tour, which wasn’t very good, and just gone straight to the Airboat ride which was great! I think we’ve done only 4 or 5 excursions total with the (now) 6 cruises we’ve taken and I can only think of one which was really worth the time and money. I’d rather walk around the port a bit and then get back on the ship and relax to be honest. I do the relaxing thing very well! ;)

Let’s talk about the food. We ate at the MDR twice for dinner and twice for Sea Day Brunch. Brunch was excellent, my dinner both nights was very good however my partner didn’t like his one night…well actually it was the shrimp cocktail appetizer he didn’t like, the shrimp had no taste at all however he did like the rest of his meal. After reading here about the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake I had to try it and boy was I glad I did…excellent! The buffet food in our opinion was very good. We loved the food at Tandoor and ate there a few times for lunch. Pasta Bella was good also. The highlight of our food experience was the Steakhouse (or Chef’s Art Steakhouse). We had only planned on eating there one night and ended up going back 2 more times after that first night. What great food and service!

As on any cruise the pools on sea days were packed however on our other cruises we’ve been able to find somewhere else to go lounge in the sun if we wanted but unfortunately found it very difficult on this ship. It seemed all outdoor public spaces from the Serenity area to the Lanai were jam packed with people on sea days. This is where a balcony cabin is worth its weight in gold in my opinion and I was very happy to just go sit on my balcony and chill out for hours. If I wanted the activity of the pool and lanai decks I could go up and walk around and soak it in, if I wanted quiet relaxation I’d just sit on my balcony…best of both worlds!

We were very fortunate to have had very good neighbors in the cabins on both sides of us. Very nice and quiet people, couldn’t have asked for better! We also found most of the crew that we came into contact with extremely nice, always a smile and a good morning, good afternoon etc., plus many of the other passengers were very friendly….smiling and willing to engage in conversation. The reason this has stuck in my head is because I don’t remember as many passengers being so outwardly friendly on our other cruises.

I can’t comment on any of the shows as we didn’t go to any. I guess too much relaxing made us too tired to do anything at night…;).

I’ll close by saying that we really enjoyed our first Carnival cruise and will definitely consider another. We’ve also become aft balcony addicts and now will want one every time we cruise if possible.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

I'll leave you with this:

Just a bit of info. I have been posting on CC for almost 8 years, mostly on the Northern Europe/Baltics Port of Call boards. I also post on the Alaska, Bahamas, Canada and New England Port of call boards. All in an effort to help other cruisers enjoy their port of calls to their fullest. To give advice and to listen to what they say when they return from their cruises.

In all those years, if some one, anyone, comes on, posts a review of their cruise, I cannot remember people attacking them, making light of what they felt was wrong with their cruise, like some of the people here.

 

I posted what I felt was right and wrong about my cruise. One of the main things was the fish dinners, yet there have been so many posts questioning this, it is utterly unbelievable. I guess people who can afford to be Yacht Club members, don't realize that there are about 3500 other people on the ship what have to survive without a butler, private dining options and all the rest that goes with a regular cruise.

 

I tried to enlighten people as to what they MIGHT expect if they sail the Divina, yet some feel this is the cruise to end all cruises, nothing can be wrong, and if one criticizes something, it must be the poster and not the cruise lines fault.

 

I have been questioned on my choice of food, my religious options, even a bar of soap we found in our cabin and trying to let MSC know about it. People read what they only want to read and not what is stated, while others simply make up menu items that are no where to be found on the ship. (eggplant Parm).

 

I have explained our dilemma when cruising, trying to keep a Kosher style, we DO NOT EAT MEAT, yet here is some one still suggesting I order chicken. (if y0ou didn't know, chicken is considered MEAT).

 

If anyone decides to take a Baltic cruise, come over to that board and you will be treated with respect. Your likes and dislikes will be accepted with no questioning. You had a bad experience, no one questions whether or not YOU might be the cause. We listen and learn.

 

I am very sorry for the rant. Maybe I do have a bit of a thin skin. But when you make the effort to report your cruise, your likes and dislikes, and others simply question why I ordered salmon, and tell me, maybe it was me and not the salmon, get advice from people who hate salmon, well it does get a bit annoying.

 

You want honest answers, I tried to give them. I will still continue to give them, but really, people who sing the praises of the Yacht Club shouldn't comment on us 'poor' people, who have to suffer thru the real world of cruising. I can see there is a distinct group of posters who just want to see the good in MSC and anyone who might see things being wrong, saying so, is jumped on. I never criticized MSC directly, just saying this was our experience and if we had to do it over again, we would probably not sail the Divina again. No more no less. If you can't handle that, please don't reply to my posts.

 

Cheers

 

Len

Very well said Giantfan13. Thank you!

Would appreciate any info on these rooms. TIA.

We stayed in 9145 this past Feb. Here are a few pics of the room and balcony. We liked the layout with the bed area separated from the sitting area by a partial wall (bath and closet are in the sitting area). Pics aren't really great but hope they'll give you an idea.

My partner and I did self assist and were off the ship and on our way by 8:15.

As to MSC...a few years ago we did a Caribbean cruise on the MSC Poesia and did not have a good experience mostly due to bad crew attitude throughout the ship. They just didn't seem to want to be there hence service really suffered so we were very hesitant to go on this cruise however I have always wanted to try an all gay cruise and the timing was right so thought we'd try MSC again. Well I must say that unfortunately it was about the same as our last MSC experience crew wise. Although there were some very nice and service oriented crew aboard (especially at the Cafe D'Italia) we found most of the crew just didn't seem to want to be there and service suffered as a result. We didn't let this ruin our cruise though and we think that RSVP did a great job but we've decided not to cruise with MSC again (bite me once shame on you...bite me twice shame on me).

We enjoyed our first gay cruise quite a lot though and would definitely consider an RSVP cruise again just not on an MSC ship.

Thanks so much for your answers to my questions and all of the other ones too.

 

One more question please. Do you know if the WiFi was good in your cabin area?

 

Thanks again!

Unfortunately I don't know about the WiFi as we didn't use it. Sorry about that!

Thanks for the video. It seems to be really hard to find pictures of the Sun cabins. I have one picky type question for you. I noticed that the tub and shower had lotions or shampoo attached to the walls. Did you also receive the small bottles of Elemis products like we've gotten on other ships or were the large containers the only thing provided.

 

It'll make a difference in my packing, so I appreciate any help.

We did indeed have the Elemis products. IIRC they were bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Very nice products IMO.

Thank you for posting the video. We will have our first suite experience on the Sun in March. We'll be a couple doors down in 8003. Who was your Butler? Did you ask for anything different? I would be interested in a review especially how the concierge and butler enhanced your cruise.

Our butler was Constancio and he was excellent! We didn't really ask for anything different per se but he brought us breakfast a few times and we had dinner in the room with my sister and her boyfriend one night which he served to us course by course. That was very special. He is a very nice and warm individual really couldn't ask for a nicer person! We didn't use the concierge much at all, just for priority disembarking at the ports and when we returned to Miami however he was also very nice. In fact 99.9% of crew we came into contact with were great. Always a good morning, hello, good evening with a smile, from the people cleaning the stairs to the officers.

We will be in 8202 very soon!!

How windy was the balcony- could you be comfortable using it during sailing?

 

Will miss the Lavazza coffee maker- were you even offered to bring one in and set it up someplace?

 

Did the jacuzzi tub work well? (looks like we could live in the bathroom dressing area)

 

thank you for taking the time for the video- first time I have really seen the Suite- wow- makes the excitment even more- last time on the Sun was in 2006, had a mini and thought it was the greatest- have been in Suites on other NCL Ships but this one looks like the best!!

As I noted in my above post it was very windy on the balcony during the first 2 days of the cruise because of rough seas/storms in the area. I still used it though because when I sat down in the chair/lounge the solid front railing protected me from the wind. After the seas calmed down it was very nice to be out there and the wind was not a problem at all. Actually I didn't like not being able to see over the top of the solid railing while I sat so got the seat cushions from the couch and chair from inside and built the chair and/or lounger up with these so I could see out over the railing. I called them my ghetto chair and lounger ; ).

We were not offered a Lavazza coffee maker. I didn't even think to ask as I was under the impression that there were none on this ship but I could be wrong.

The jacuzzi tub worked only too well! I turned that thing on and it was like jet engines coming alive in the water!

Thanks so much for posting this video. I am going to be in the Penthouse Suite 9001 in March. My travel agent warned me that there would be times that captain would not allow people in these cabins to be on their balconies. Did you ever experience this?

 

I sometimes like to sleep at night with the balcony door open and hear the waves. I am guessing that the position of these cabins would make it too windy for that?

 

Did you have breakfast and lunch at Il Adagio. If so, how was it and what was your favorite?

 

Was there reserved seating in the theater for suite guests?

 

Thanks again for posting the video.

 

Denise

We never experienced the captain telling us we couldn't use the balcony however the bridge did call down one night to ask us to turn off our balcony lights.

The only time it was too windy to keep the balcony door open was during the first 2 days of the cruise when the seas were pretty rough. Every time I opened the door things got blown around quite a bit (didn't prevent me from using the balcony though :) ).

We had breakfast and lunch at Il Adagio quite often. It was a great perk to have. We basically liked everything we had. One of my favorite breakfast dishes was the Crab Benedict (I think that is what it was called). We found the food at all the places we ate from the MDR's to East meets West to be very good. The desserts however were not so good but who needs dessert anyway? ; )

Yes there was reserved seating in the theater for suite guests. It was on the second level on the far right.

Hope this helps!

We had Penthouse Suite 8202 on the Sun this last December over Christmas. Before the cruise I had looked for pictures and videos of this suite and could not find much so I took a video while on the cruise and thought I'd post a (youtube) link to it here in case anyone would like to take a look. If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

While on the Divina tour in December I picked up a flyer of all the drinks packages on their regular cruises. Here is a comparison of the packages they are offering on our RSVP cruise (the offer more on a regular cruise):

 

RSVP:

Soft Drink Package ($30) – 14 soft drinks in cans and/or fruit juices. Vouchers can be redeemed at any bar or restaurant. They can also be used for in-stateroom minibar soda purchases.

MSC:

Soft Drink Package ($30) – 15 cans of your favorite soda.

 

RSVP:

Bottled Beer Package ($52) – 14 beers in 33cl bottle. Vouchers can be used at any bar or restaurant. They can also be used for in-stateroom minibar beer purchases.

MSC:

Draft Beer Package ($62) – 14 large glasse of your favorite draft beer.

 

RSVP:

Allegrissimo Classic Carnet ($44/day) – 15 vouchers per day for the entire length of your cruise. Good for wine by the glass, draft beer, soft drinks, mineral water, hot drinks, a wide range of cocktails, and ice cream. Vouchers can be redeemed at any bar or restaurant. They can also be used for in-stateroom minibar purchases.

MSC:

Allegrissimo Classic Carnet ($44/day) – Unlimited wine by the glass, draft beer, soft drinks, mineral water, hot drinks, a wide range of cocktails, and ice cream.

 

RSVP and MSC the same:

Allegrissimo Escape – a carnet of 15 vouchers ($72), good for a glass of wine, a cocktail, a glass of draft beer, your favorite liquor, a non-alcoholic drink, or even a cone of Divina’s homemade ice cream. Vouchers can be redeemed at any bar or restaurant. They can also be used for in-stateroom minibar purchases.

Main dining room only:

Wine Package “Choose Seven of Ten” ($155) – 7 bottles of wine chosen from among 10 sommelier-suggested bottles.

Wine Package “Choose Ten of Fifteen” ($212) – 10 bottles of wine chosen from among 15 sommelier-suggested bottles.

 

 

RSVP only:

Dinner Wine – 7 bottles ($85) – House-brand wine to accompany dinner.

Dinner Wine – 10 bottles ($120) – House-brand wine to accompany dinner.

 

Here is the MSC flyer:

[ATTACH]298079[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]298080[/ATTACH]

Thanks for the comparisons Boytjie. I notice in the fine print on the MSC flyer about (some) of these packages that each person in the stateroom must purchase the package. I am wondering if the same is true for the RSVP packages? For example can one person in a stateroom occupied by two people buy the the Allegrissimo Classic carnet $44/day package or do both have to?

Welcome aboard!

 

There is a wide variety of ages on gay cruises so nobody should feel like the odd-one-out. :)

 

Have you seen the pictures of previous RSVP cruises at www,gaycruisepictures.com?

Thanks!

No I hadn't seen those pictures. Looks like a lot of fun!

Feel much better now!

My partner and I are booked on this. It'll be our first gay cruise. Never really considered a gay cruise before as we always thought they were geared mostly for the younger crowd and didn't think we'd like it, however I've learned differently from reading some of these boards. Anyway, we won't know until we try it!

My partner and I took the MSC Poesia out of FLL Dec. 2011. It was a nice ship however the service left a lot to be desired. There was a server in one of the bars who brought my partner the wrong drink who when told it was not the drink ordered argued with him and tried to make him drink it anyway instead of going to get the right one. She was later serving our table at dinner and brought me the wrong drink and did the same to me when I told her it was not what I ordered. At disembarkation at one of the islands a staff member yelled and screamed at an elderly couple who could not understand what he was saying to them. These are only two instances but enough to make us never want to sail MSC again.

We've only sailed NCL once (Gem out of Venice in 2010) but never encountered anything like the above, however they did let kids run all about the ship in the adult only bars and in the adult only pool...staff only did anything about it when complained to. That said we like the freestyle concept very much and are giving NCL another try this Xmas.