matt87

`good review, and pretty much spot on. i live in RI and have sailed from NYC in the past on carnival, but this was the last time. my wife and i sailed with a group of friends totaling 10. we were always doing something. i found the same issues as you with the kids. we were on deck 8 post side mid. i swear it was the loudest deck on the ship. 3:30 am kids still running and yelling. oh and the weed! god, do they even bother to screen guests for illegal drugs anymore? it was everywhere. on a side note the night of the last island stop my wife started to feel sick, then me the next morning. we self quarantined in our room for the remainder of the cruise. our friends took turns bringing us food and drinks. we knew it was going to be covid. we tested after we got home, both positive. anyways, sailing the new Celebration next. i just dont have the love for the dream class i used to. they seem cramped, and overcrowded. 

going on her in september, just my wife and I. first time we are cruising alone since our honeymoon back in 04. we are keeping our minds open and not going to judge a book by its cover. we have sailed on rccl and ccl enough and want to try something different. regardless of what i have read, i'm still looking forward to this one.

great stuff! thanks for sharing!

i plan to form my own opinion. just was curious as to the main differences from msc from rccl and ccl.

Hello all! well after checking the prices and frankly kinda getting kinda bored with carnival and rci. my wife and i decided to try MSC. the prices are really enticing and the Seaside is stunning! anyway we booked a balcony cabin on deck 15 and chose the fantastica package. we usually sail in july or august with school teacher friends, but this year its just us so we are going in september. hopefully there will be less children. so what kind of experience can i expect? how will the food compare to ccl and rci? how is the food service? entertainment? any tips and thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

no we are comparing a ship half the size qe2 vs anthem? looks like qe2 was heading west to east and hitting a storm heading south to north. that musta been one hell of a storm to stop her for 21 hrs. regardless of the RCi cheerleaders, someone dropped the ball big time on making that call to sail. they took a huge chance and luckily came out ok. if that ship had lost power and went broadside with 30-40ft swells hitting all that glass.....ya no thanks.

well i think we can all agree, the QM2 is a proper ocean liner, built to take rough seas of the north atlantic in all months. the Anthem of the Seas could not make any forward headway during this storm, took a lot of internal damage, and even burnt out all the clutches in one of its azi pods. she is very lucky engine power did not fail, that ship would have been sunk if they did.

went on the breeze last summer. loved the ship, people on board? not so much. worst crowd i've seen on any of my cruises.

small is a relative term i used. small and being 70,000 tons and holding 2000+ passengers is funny to say if you think about it. still a city on the sea.

that class of ships is a win for ccl. they are smaller so can fit where the big ships cant, the smaller cruises 3-5 days are affordable and easy for ccl to fill. smaller ships are probably cheaper to run. i think of that class as the work horses of the ccl fleet. i dont see any of them leaving anytime soon. i hope to get the chance to sail on one before they do go.

Allure heading back in now???

i saw in another post looks like the magic to port canaveral not nyc. that means more splendor or another conquest class. oh well it was wishfull thinking i guess.

i suspect fuel costs has alot to due with sailing prices out of nyc. thats a long haul to get to the caribbean, and they do almost top speed the whole way there.

Carnival should place one if biggest and newest ships out of NYC. rccl has the Quantum over in NJ and i believe the Liberty after the Quantum leaves(both huge ships) and ncl has the Breakaway, a new, and huge ship. if the Dream comes to NYC i will book. i loved all my cruises out of NY.

too bad none of your itinerary choices include Half moon key, carnivals private island. way better than any of the beaches for the places you listed. i've been to gran turk several times, and again this summer. i'm bored with that place. the beach isnt that great, and the pool area gets very crowded. i've sailed on the Glory and she is a fine ship with a great crew, her theme is colors!

well we never use the pools anyways. something about that many people of unknown hygiene using an unchlorinated salt water pool just skeeves me out, even if they change it daily, still gross. also we never do atd, i like knowing when. and where i'm eating every night. crowds at the buffet? ya every ship at peak times is an adventure. i've also read on numerous reviews about the strong latin theme to al the music on board. is this true?

the long dining times is not just a carnival thing. i've sailed rci an equal amount of time and all early seating. always a 2-2 1/2 hour dinner. i like it though, with friends and family talking and eating. whats better than that? i'm on vacation after all! thanks for the input folks!

let me start by saying i'm a happy cruiser. never had a bad one and i'm not super picky. with that being said my family and friends are taking the Breeze this coming summer. i like to read the reviews on CC and it seems the she takes a beating from folks. i take alot of it with a grain of salt but it makes me wonder. all the past cruise ships i've been on had better ratings. should i be concerned?? thanks!

been on both equally. can honestly say i like ccl way better. rci just nickels and dimes you to death for everything. also noticed alot of folks who sail rci think they are special, and that being on a rci ship makes them feel entitled or something. i dont get it at all. on a whole rci is more expensive for almost the same product. i'm all set cruising with them.

ship almost looks at normal trim. coat of paint and some new interiors and i'm ready to book! lol!

great review! keep it coming!

is not one of them home porting in europe soon?

every time i log into carnival's website, like clockwork i get a cal from my pvp the next day. always, never fails.

i cant comment on the Freedom class but the voyager class. i felt it a very inward ship with not many ways to get to see the water unless you have a balcony, or sit on the pool deck. the ship is designed to center focus on its royal promenade. i also could care less about all the amusement park rides, but i know the mass market likes them. i just dont understand why rcci is so much more money to cruise on than ccl?

problem is you pay tons extra to be on those huge royal ships. i've been on both sides and the royal ships are huge. the explorer i felt so much bigger than the splendor, but in the end still like ccl better. def more fun and things to do.