dolphinsfan246

I would just go and make your own opinion. I have read some absolute horror stories about ships before I sail on them and then experience none of what I read about. Just remember that people are 10x more likely to write a bad review than write praise in a good one. 

39 minutes ago, packedandready said:

We love aft facing balconies, but since the rear on Legend is slanted it doesn’t look like much shade. Is there any deck where there is full or almost full cover? Deck 4 looks like it might have decent shade but can’t tell for sure. 

Definitely not Deck 7, it was blazing in the sun all day every day. Like you said it looks like Deck 4 would be your best bet. Included photo for reference. 

As others have stated don’t miss out on the Big Chicken restaurant! Not a lot of people know that it’s actually open for breakfast as well and had an amazing chicken and biscuit sandwich! The Bolt! roller coaster is $15 but totally worth at least one ride, I’d recommend it on a sea day for the best views. Cucina del capitano and Chibang restaurants are included on this ship for no extra charge, definitely check them out. I really enjoyed Cucina for lunch. Have an open mind and you’re going to have an amazing cruise! She’s a really great ship. 

11 hours ago, DingL said:

Looks like this order ended up being for NCL instead

As another person posted, the NCL order has no effect on the possible Carnival order. As they pointed out the timing of the NCL order actually more than likely confirms that the Carnival order is coming. 

38 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

His job is to be the brands spokesperson.  he does that very well.  We are here discussing his comments…check

I am discussing his comments, my thoughts on his comments are don’t get your hopes up. 

I love John Heald as a person, but let’s be realistic. He tends to hint at a lot of things that’s mostly just blowing smoke. I mean he’s been hinting at the “brilliant” new VIFP program that’s been right around the corner since like what ? 2017? I wouldn’t get your hopes up. 

3 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

It has zero to do with their hearing ability and totally about the finances to a decision.  I have no idea what you are referring to clientele.  

I was just stating that the clientele they build new ships for is the new cruiser. A new Spirit class ship (while appealing to us) is not gonna look great on a commercial and bring in the blue cards. 

On 4/19/2024 at 2:02 PM, JMAE said:

Not that it means anything at this point, today on JH FB page he asked the following question:

 

"Do you one day hope that Carnival Cruise Line will build a smaller ship, a brand new ship say a new Spirit class sized ship?". 

 

I think this is very interesting, because he often presents items prior to news releases.  No guarantees, but interesting and adds to this thread.  

And the funny thing about that is when you go through and read the comments almost every single one says yes. But it falls on deaf ears, as someone else pointed out the majority of John’s following is seasoned cruisers who appreciate the subtle things that make the Spirit class great. Unfortunately that is not the clientele that Carnival is ordering new ships for. 

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

My next cruise I'll organize an LRC session but instead of money we'll play with the next best thing: bacon.

Only if you bring your own. Bacon is on vacation. 

I’m really curious how much money they were playing for. I don’t think I’ve ever made more than $15 in a game of LCR 😂😂

1 hour ago, jxtgreek said:

I wish these cruise lines would comment on what their plans are for ports such as Tampa.

I think Tampa needs to comment on what their plans to accommodate their future is. It’s not going to go the other way around. 

I wonder if it has anything to do with all the flooding on the ship that’s been going viral. I heard they were flying contractors in from all over to fix it up quick. 

6 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Macro 101, how many ships are sailing from PC, LB, Galveston, et al and how many from NO?  Then add other cruise lines to the same question.  There are other factors without a doubt.  I have been told that Galveston is Carnivals best home port.   I got that info from someone who should know the answer.

Galveston has quickly become their top homeport. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they got a second Excel class ship for shorter cruises in 2027/2028. The only problem is the itineraries can be so boring. But that’s the way of the industry now, pivoting more towards the ship as the destination and the ports as an afterthought. 

In this photo you can see they are preparing to make the same cut as last time. Stubby Freedom rides again! I wonder if they will put a rush on a permanent fix or wait until the next scheduled dry dock. That likely won’t be until 2027/2028. 

7 hours ago, w53097 said:

I remember the Miracle used to go out of Jacksonville back in 2010.  I friend of mine who lived there said it was a Miracle that it fit under the bridge.  I wonder what the height difference is between the Fantasy and Spirit class ships.

Fun fact about the Miracle. She actually sailed her maiden voyage from Jacksonville in 2004. A 3 day cruise to Freeport. 

34 minutes ago, AllgoodOnTheRoad said:

Love that they are back to ordering more ships, but it is time to start raising the quality of goods and services onboard again. It was understandable after Covid, but now we should see some of that come back again. 

The rest of the world hasn’t, so why would they 🤪 It would be nice though. 

33 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Oh I know, I sailed from Charleston over a dozen times over the years. I mean with Charleston gone - Norfolk doesn't quite fill that void. The new builds allows Carnival to put Conquest or Dream class ships in other home ports around the country. Surely they can find a home port between Norfolk and Jacksonville that would welcome the tourism.

Savannah, Georgia was exploring the cruise industry years ago before Covid but ultimately decided against it. Personally I would love to see a ship put in Wilmington, North Carolina, but I have no idea about the logistics of that being possible. 

22 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Do they take the rollercoaster off #4 and $5 and try a different gimmick or are they sold on that thing?

No way, big money maker. Big marketing gimmick, great for commercials on TV to bring in blue cards. Then when they get there, charge em $15 to ride it. No way they would give that up. 

This is probably a long shot but I wonder if they will give it a quick trim along these lines and it will keep somewhat of a whale tail shape. Do you think this would negatively affect the aerodynamics of the funnel? Overall it’s probably easier to just go back to the stump though since the funnel is made in those 2 pieces anyway. 

3 minutes ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

She is about to be a stump again….. I wonder how they plan on getting people onboard right now home? 

John Healds post says the funnel is stabilized enough to return to Port Canaveral to debark guests then it’s back to Freeport for the “repair”.

I had an “upsell” offer to go from my Porthole cabin to a regular interior for $44. I thought now wait a minute, when I booked the cruise I paid extra to go from interior to porthole and now you are asking for more money to go backwards? The upgraded room was not even on a higher deck! Sometimes their upgrade algorithm is wild. 

5 minutes ago, TheLargeFamily said:

After the last fire, did she immediately get repaired or did she sail with a half burned tail? Any photos? 

She sailed from Grand Turk to Freeport with a half tail. Freeport was where the temporary fix was made. I believe there was at least a few weeks of sailings cancelled that time. 

6 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

The ships are the tallest things in the water so yeah they are lightning rods for sure. It does seem like we'd have more funnel fires than we do if this was the case. It also doesn't seem like the fire would be billowing out of the smokestacks if it was a lightning fire.

Well they do have a camera pointed at the funnel at all times so if they wanted to they could prove it (or not) 

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Carnival has $100 fares out of Galveston, too. You say they couldn't sell rooms, but obviously they did. You are proof.

 

Carnival doesn't make most of their money selling cabins. There are many other factors including tax incentives that factor in, and I guarantee "somebody else" has no access to Carnival inside information.

 

 

And neither do you. 

4 minutes ago, starstruck05 said:

The other poster is speaking invalid information. I live here, work here and cruise here. I know the port and the people who travel the port very well. I even worked the port for Royal for 2 years. I refuse to allow someone to spead lies. They have zero proof. They have only taken 1 cruise out of NOLA. They think just because they got 1 cheap cruise here 6 years ago it means the market can't fill ships. It's simply stupid and wrong. 

Even in their most recent shuffling of ships they only swapped Glory for Liberty. Swapping a potato for a slightly younger potato is not exactly infusing confidence into that market. It’s a great secondary port for aging ships, but thinking it’s going straight to Excel class anytime soon is joke. You have to know that. 

4 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

You say Dream wasn't making money without any proof. Surely you don't believe that. Your whole argument is bogus.

As somebody else mentioned, look at the per day fares for the Dream all the years she sailed from NOLA. Significantly lower than the rest of the fleet. They couldn’t sell the rooms and had to basically give them away at cut rate prices. I paid $239 PP for a 7 day interior room in 2018. That’s stupid cheap.