CruisersNC

Thank you for an excellent impartial review and comparison. I didn't read a thing I'd disagree with.

We sailed on the Pride last November and they didn't have any NFL games out on the big screen but had several different games on at the same time in the sports bar. Have a fun cruise! :)

Pauleydm you have done an awesome job of keeping us informed! Thank You!!

We weren't impressed on the Pride last November. We used to thoroughly enjoy the old shows like "Dancing In The Streets" on the Dream. Its a shame. :(

Splurge: We like to have a balcony. We spend a good deal of time on it. We also enjoy taking interesting excursions. We're not into beaches so we look for excursions that take us out to do some exploring. Sometimes we book private and sometimes we book through the cruiseline.

Scrimp: We mostly cruise Carnival and that saves quite a bit. We don't drink and that saves a bundle. We don't gamble....more money saved. We've dined in the specialty restaurants a few times but really the dining room is fine for us. FTTF....no way we'd spend money on that. We don't bother with the pictures anymore and only buy a souvenir here and there.

We've had good experiences and a couple not so good. The best was when we took our son and 2 of his buddies on a graduation cruise and we were placed at a table with another couple, their son, and 2 daughters. That made for interesting conversation pretty much every evening. The worst was our last cruise on RCL when we were placed at a large table for 12 but it was just my wife and I along with 1 other couple who could only talk about how trashy Carnival was....even though they had never cruised on Carnival. The husband was an obnoxious bore. It was also the only cruise we ever had late seating and we didn't care for it at all. Since then we've pretty much decided that we'd do YTD with tables for 2. That way we're guaranteed to enjoy our company at dinner.

Go in with low expectations and you'll probably leave with a :). Go in with real high expectations and you may end up leaving with a :(.

We used self assist on our last cruise for the first time. It was a chore dealing with all the bags on the elevator and escalators getting off the ship in Tampa. But it got us to our car and on the road a lot earlier than if we hadn't used self assist.

Your plan sounds good to me! Get there between 10:30 and 11 and you'll be on the ship eating lunch by noon. The straw market in Nassau is interesting if you haven't been to one before. But be ready for some pushy vendors. Have a GREAT cruise!!!! :)

Much tamer on Carnival ships than NCL ships, fortunately. The NCL version I saw (didn't participate) went a bit too far for our tastes, even to the point of brief nudity, and as is usually the case on clothing optional beaches, it's the very ones you'd never desire to see nude, that you end up seeing nude. (some things just can't be un-seen) It's a fun event though for the most part.

It wasn't brief on our Dream cruise. My son and his friends got a close-up lesson in anatomy that left nothing to the imagination. I guess lucky for them the girl was young and pretty so they weren't scarred for life. :D

My wife and I went to a Quest on RCI and found it funny and fairly tame. So when we took our son on a graduation cruise with 2 of his buddies we told them they needed to go to the Quest on the Dream. BIG mistake! It was extremely adult including one young couple that stripped and swapped underwear in front of all of us. No doubt my son and his buddies would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't been with them. Thankfully my wife wasn't feeling well that night and stayed in the cabin.

It all has to do with expectations. A few years back you would have heard me say how great the food was (can't say regarding Carnival, because at that time I was only sailing Celebrity and RCCL), but in recent years, the food has declined across all lines, IMHO. With that said, considering the number of pax they have to serve, they do a pretty good job and it makes cruising a very good vacation value.

I'm in accord with this post.

I agree that the price of a Carnival cruise is still as big a bargain as it was many years ago. However....there ARE other things too that are even bigger bargains when compared to years ago. In 1977 I bought my first new color tv for $299. It was 19", had no remote control, and absolutely no bells and whistles. It was a Montgomery Ward bottom of the line model. Look at the tv's you can get today for $300!! But I agree with your post. ;)

ps...I wish cars were like tv's and cruises. :D

They may have put new carpet in the cabins but the cabins weren't updated. We were on the 2nd cruise after drydock and our room was old looking with a lot of dings and scrapes on the furniture....spots where the stain had been worn off....etc. Still a nice ship though with most all the public area's looking like new.

I agree.....find the rollcall for your cruise and post there. I bet you'll find a few friends to hang with by cruise time. :)

I thought I had always read the lower you are the less chances of getting sea sick because there's less movement. :confused: Is that wrong?

Side to side rocking would be worse higher up. Front to back rocking is lessened if you're in the middle of the ship. So if you wanted as little rocking as possible a midship cabin lower deck would be best.

 

 

 

Anyone ever seen any animals in the water while cruising in a balcony that low?

Last time we were on the Dream we had a school of dolphin along side us for quite a while. It was so much fun to watch. And we've also seen other fish jumping out of the water quite often.

I always shake my head when someone who has never cruised in a cove cabin criticizes them. It reminds me of all the RCL people who have never stepped foot on a Carnival ship yet trash them at every opportunity. The coves are great....very quiet....very private....shady....cozy. You're not right on top of the water....some people would have you think the waves are lapping at your feet! Any time we sail a ship with coves that's where we'll be!

Hmmmm....maybe it would help once you get home from a cruise to remove your shoes and socks....stand on the carpet.....and make fists with your feet....lol. Hey it worked for Bruce Willis!

We love the rocking of the ship so we always get a room near the front or back to enhance the feeling. But when we got home this last cruise it felt like the whole house was riding out a storm. I tryed to lay on the couch but it felt like it was gonna pitch me off. In the past i've enjoyed this sensation after a cruise...but this last time I felt pretty bad for a couple days. Next time....feet fists for me! :rolleyes:

Everyone's idea of a vacation is different. Some people want to be entertained and some want to lay by a pool. Someone playing a video game for a little bit is no different then someone sitting reading a book. I wouldn't bother bringing a game system but I can see that some people may want to play games in their down time.

 

I say "wow" to all the people that think their idea of a vacation is the only right one.

 

You can play the why game all day long. Why go on a cruise to lay by the pool when I have my own. Why go on a cruise to gamble when Vegas is better. Why go on a cruise for shows when nyc has Broadway. Why go on a cruise to play video games.

 

Why? Because that is someone's idea of a good vacation. Just because it isn't yours or mine doesn't mean it's wrong.

2 BIG thumbs up to this post!!!!

Our son was on that cruise and said the Bonsai Sushi was excellent!

That sounds right....we were on her in November too.

We went to the Quest on a Royal Caribbean cruise a few years back and, while a bit naughty, it was a lot of laughs. A couple years later we sailed on the Dream with my 18 year old son and 2 of his 18 year old buddies. I saw the Quest one night on the list of activities and thought it would be "good fun" for the bunch of us. Thankfully my wife wasn't feeling well and didn't go. It ended up being a very awkward experience for me. It really was X rated and I would discourage anyone who's sailing with three 18 year olds to just let them go by themselves if they want and stay with your seasick wife and hold her hand for the evening. :eek:

Count me in.

We're in too! :)

Can't argue with your assessment. We feel about the same. They're more similar than different. If the ships were going to the same places for about the same price we'd choose RCI. But the disparity in prices seem to be growing which leads me to think that there will be more Carnival cruises than RCI in our future. :)

We were just on the Pride week before last.....we had anytime dining. What we saw on elegant nights was I would guess about 1/3 in suits....1/3 in button up shirts with tie.....and 1/3 with button up shirts no tie. We did see a polo shirt or 2.....not a single tux......didn't see any jeans or shorts.