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We do have a few school days off around Presidents Day in February, so depending on the date, you might see a bit more kids/families. Yes, waiters will absolutely offer/get you all the drinks you want. I have not sailed Princess (we primarily do Carnival, and have tried NCL a few times, and HAL) but from friends/family who have, they tell me the music is louder and the crowd a bit more lively, but that is easy to avoid if it is not your thing.

I have heard him confirm he is scheduled to fly over and bring Jubilee to Galveston, so I believe you will both be on Jubilee for that long cruise.

That is a good point. We recently booked a really good casino deal but had to take a balcony guarantee, couldn't pick our room (first time in over 20 cruises) but ultimately decided, what is the worst that can happen? It might not be a great cabin, but I will be on a ship (not at work) and can handle almost anything for 8 days to be on vacation. 😄

I totally agree with you, with one exception - we were on the Breeze's first sailing after the shutdown with "Cookie" as the cruise director and I couldn't help but notice him. He is a total character with an incredible sense of humor. He was so happy to be back on the ship working again, and told some really touching stories about what he (and some of the other crew members) did during the shutdown and how tough it was for them. His parents happened to be on that sailing as well. For the first time ever, I went to the question/answer session with the cruise director and really enjoyed some of his stories (he was CD on Glory when it collided w/Legend). Then more recently we were on Mardi Gras and Cookie happened to be filling in for its cruise director (likely because he will be assigned to the new sister ship Jubilee I believe) and it was a really nice surprise to see/hear him again. It's not just a job for him, he is a true performer. Aside from that, I don't pay attention to the CD at all (I'm usually on the ship to rest/relax and avoid most group activities).

We had one once and it was terrible (would never book again) but as mentioned it all depends on your neighbors. We only had one bad night, when for some reason, there were a ton of people in the room next door, and I don't know if someone was bumping into it or what was causing it, but the door was rattling/thumping until like 3 am (our last night heading back to port). I kept waking up startled thinking someone had opened the connecting door. We could easily hear laughing/talking.

Agreed - I have only had 1 upgrade offer in just over 20 cruises with Carnival and it was gone by the time I logged in and saw the tab (I never even got to see what the offer was). 😒

That has been our experience - we have been on several cruises over the past year, and our daughter was only 17 for most of them (thus no OBC attributed to her) but I was surprised to see recently, after she turned 18, she started to get an equal portion of the OBC.

In my experience over the last few months, it has been divided equally between the adults in the cabin (so the 3rd person, being our daughter who had just turned 18, did end up with a portion of our onboard credit).

Congrats - I'm so jealous! We are on Panorama over Labor Day and I check almost daily for upgrade offers, but so far nothing.

Thank you for your review - I think you have talked me into trying to find a time to try this one (so jealous of those of you who live in FL - so much harder from the west coast)! Anyway, wanted to say I agree with you on the Steak & Eggs - we have had it on 2 ships (Miracle & Radiance) recently and it was very good (super tender and flavorful, probably my favorite meal). But I have heard that with supply chain issues, some of the ships are using an inferior cut of meat (but hopefully not so much anymore).

Everything seems fine now (I can see all my bookings and current offers).

That is a great deal. One thing to consider - you mentioned you have a nontraditional sleep schedule - in my experience, interior rooms near the front or near the aft are quieter. I always used to book midship when I was concerned about motion. But I found people tend to carry on long/loud conversations as they walk from their room to/from the elevator.

Great review - I agree with everything you said. I think Radiance offers a lot for that size ship. We've sailed on it twice recently and have a future cruise booked.

I think everyone's perspective on a "party ship" is different. We recently got off a 5-day Miracle cruise out of San Francisco. I ran to my room to pick something up and came in contact w/an older lady on her cell phone, who was saying to other person on the phone "boy this is really a party ship" - I had to contain my smile (we hadn't even left the port yet). 😄

I was going to say the exact same thing. I have had offers that say "up to a free balcony" but it's for limited sailings. When I would try to book Panama Canal or Hawaii, only interiors were available.

We just got off Miracle 2 weeks ago, and many people were complaining about only 1 outlet in the cabins. The CD said this will definitely be remedied (and the USB chargers will be added) when she goes to drydock shortly. Sorry, I know that doesn't help OP but an fyi for future cruises.

It seems like so many people who traveled/cruised over the 4th of July ended up with covid (me included) but I wanted to thank you for your review. We have been on Mardi Gras twice and I totally agree with everything you said. We loved it so much, we are already booked on Celebration and Jubilee. And I couldn't agree more with your warning that if people choose to travel now, they should know that there is a good chance they could get covid. Unfortunately it is just everywhere right now.

I hate to say it, but they are nervous for good reason. You are going to encounter some very crowded areas - sometimes it's just impossible to avoid (even being careful). Recently in the terminal at the port of San Francisco, instead of calling boarding groups (like they'd done in our prior 8 cruises) they started the boarding process by calling for anyone with priority/suites/platinum/diamond. As you can imagine, half the terminal rushed toward the boarding area, creating one of the largest crowds I've seen since cruising resumed. Unfortunately due to where we were sitting, we got caught right in the middle. The ships are 90% - 100% capacity and some areas just get crowded unexpectedly. Like a previous person said, I tested positive for Covid the day I got off the ship/got home. I'm not saying I got it on the ship, but Covid is absolutely everywhere right now and some people travel far (come in contact with lots of germs) just to get to the ship.

We were on the Horizon for Christmas, but it was a few years ago. They were giving out champagne as we boarded the ship. The decorations were pretty, and Christmas dinner is one of your formal nights. There were Christmas songs and movies. For me, there were pros and cons to flying across the Country at the holidays (airfare and hotels are very booked up and very expensive). Our kids liked it but decided they prefer to be home for the holidays. It was fun to try once though. We just booked Jubilee for New Year's Eve 2023 (surprisingly good deals) and are very excited for our first New Year's Eve cruise. There was a good discussion about Christmas cruising here (I will try to link it): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2854355-finally-booked-a-christmas-cruise-pretty-excited-and-wondering-what-it-will-be-like/#comment-63259465

Unfortunately the Excel class ships no longer have self-service laundry.

Someone else mentioned this recently, so I made sure to pay attention when we were on Miracle 2 weeks ago. We had tug boat assistance in both of our ports as well.

I didn't try the water in the room because we had ordered water bottles prior to the trip (they deliver them to your room). A 12-pack (of the 17 oz bottles) costs about $6 I think (4.95 plus tax/delivery). They also sell the larger (50 oz) bottles (an 8-pack is $20 plus tax/delivery). Also, if you have a red card (or higher) you get a complimentary 1.5 liter bottle of water per person (you just show your card and pick it up at any bar). Or if your wife has a Hydro Flask (or something similar) that she uses regularly, she can refill it anytime at the ice/water stations on lido (they just ask the you use their cups to pour into your water bottle).

I'm laughing so hard ... but honestly me too!!!

On the Dream a travel companion had her suitcase lost for several days (she did not have any extra clothing in a carry-on - literally had only the clothes on her back, which happened to be a tank type dress over a swimsuit (so try not to be too judgmental of the people wearing such things in the dining room - their luggage might be lost). 😉 On the 3rd day (our first port day) we bought her some clothing items in port. Finally her bag was found that night in a nearby cabin. Some teenage boys sharing a cabin across from their parents had simply moved all the luggage outside their door into the room, not realizing that bag didn't belong to any of them.

I honestly don't think the cruise lines even know because so many people don't test until they get back home (me included - tested positive the day I got off the ship and got home). But Carnival would have only been aware of people they tested onboard.