Pellaz

<Casually hiding my comical misconception of the character "Effy Trinket" from the Hunger Games movies at the casino.*  "May the odds be forever in your favor!"    😄  >

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*  and yes, I know it's spelled "Effie"  

We've been waiting so long for the conclusion of this fascinating tale that in the meantime, half of the U.S. froze over.  😄  

(Seriously, we want to know about the dog.  Or "dawg" if you're from UGA territory. 🙂) 

1 hour ago, staceyglow said:

Did some quick calculating.  1% of Carnival cruises go to Bonaire, not one of which is less than 8 days. 26% go to the Bahamas. and many are 4 days or less.  

 

It's not like you can easily swap out Bonaire for the Bahamas at will.

Yep.  Sure, I'd swap Nassau for Bonaire in a heartbeat, but there's a huge difference in distance and time requirements.  I'm glad we got to Bonaire on the Horizon last October, completing our tour of the ABC Islands.  

OP, the Bahamas is (are?) certainly worth a visit at least once and can often be done "on the cheap" since they are close to Florida ports (except Tampa).   

-- Grand Turk, which is technically part of Turks & Caicos (actually contains the capital "city") but is part of the Bahamas island chain, is one of my favorite ports anywhere.  Very casual, vendors are not pushy, one of the nicest built-port areas anywhere with a big free pool and the beach is literally a few hundred feet from the dock.  

-- I'm mostly done with Nassau except that I haven't seen their new cruise port facility yet.  I've heard the vendors are less pushy there than they were in the old facility and I hope to check it out at some point.  

-- I really love Half Moon Cay...but the skyrocketing price of cabanas there has soured me on it a bit.   We've really enjoyed our cabanas there on 3 previous visits, but I doubt we'd ever get one there again.   Carnival is investing $70 million to build a dock there....finally.  Can't wait!  

-- Bimini was okay.   Couldn't ask for a closer port to Miami.  😄  

-- Haven't been to Freeport.  I'm told I ain't missin' much. 😄 

-- Haven't been to Princess Cay yet (part of Eleuthera Island).  I'd like to check it out at least once.  

-- Hope to get to Celebration Key, Carnival's new-build port on Grand Bahama Island, in 2025.  🙂  

Interesting.  What were the complaints about Venezia's pool?    

Oasis would of course be a much more "wow" ship, but that level of wow comes at a price, as you've noted.   

On 12/27/2023 at 5:04 PM, grillinchillin said:

The Carnival Steakhouses are very accommodating. If you have a quick conversation with the Host prior to seating, they will take care of your request.

Concur.  OP, I think if you inform the host that your son is special-needs, they'll accommodate you with an exception. 

They will likely bring a child's-size portion for him -- and after all, that's what you'd be paying for -- but if he's used to that from the MDR kids' menu, that should be fine.  

It's been a while since I've sailed on a Conquest-class, but I've been on Liberty -- my first "big" ship cruise! -- Conquest twice, and Freedom.  I wouldn't hesitate to book any of them again, although my friends and I had gravitated to longer cruises on newer ships.  

After being on some of the bigger ships lately (MG, Vista, Horizon), I think it would be nice to go to something smaller after our Celebration cruise next year.  

I like the fact that the older ships in the class have three pools -- pretty good for a relatively small ship by today's standards, and I like the sliding roof over the aft pool and hot tubs.  

I also like the "secret" decks forward -- on some ships you can stand above the bridge-wings, too! -- and the quasi-secret Ol' Fashioned BBQ place on Panorama Deck.  

On 12/24/2023 at 3:50 PM, firefly333 said:

Lol people used to say carnival is cheapest. Now I read msc is the cheapest,

On 12/26/2023 at 4:25 PM, sfaaa said:

Not necessary true anymore. MSC is also raising cruise prices and cutting back on some perks like everyone else.

If MSC really wanted to, they could undercut every other cruise line out there.  They are one of the world's biggest shipping firms and, with the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, their container shipping side stands to make even more profit.*

Sometimes I'm surprised they haven't undercut everyone else already, especially since they have been breaking into new markets like the U.S.    

On 12/26/2023 at 4:50 PM, firefly333 said:

Cutting back yes. Another thread here is about msc is charging for 2nd entree, is carnival?

Not for the second entrée, but yes, there is a "nominal" $5 charge for a third entree.   

If MSC is charging for a second entrée...that's really sad.  As I said above, MSC ain't hurtin'.  

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 * the reasons are complicated; see "What Is Going On With Shipping?" on YouTube for more

On 12/24/2023 at 1:34 PM, crewsweeper said:

 We avoid the Windjammer if at all possible. But waiting until 2 P for the cabins to open can be a bit onerous if we want to do something else.

Wait, I thought cabins were normally available by 1 pm?  😮  

On 12/26/2023 at 3:47 PM, ajtaylor29 said:

Our first few cruises were on Carnival, and i remember they used to give a free beer to the first people to get to the pub once boarding started. One cruise with my BF we were in the first groups of passengers to board, and we literally RAN to the pub but were just beaten by another couple!!! Bummer, missed that free beer!!! I don't know if Carnival still does that....but i've long since gotten over the urge to be the first!!

Yes, Carnival still does this (specifically for the first to arrive at the Red Frog Pub).   I'm not sure if it's a free beer, or if it's a free alcoholic drink of any kind, though.  

Umm, perhaps I should have said "included" beer?  😄  

16 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Are there really any "free" dining venues on any ships (besides the typical MDR, buffet, etc.)?

So, if we can agree on that basic premise, this whole discussion becomes moot, right?

Sorry, I thought I could safely assume that you'd know the meaning of my quote marks around the word, indicating that the author is fully aware that the word, when normally written, isn't totally applicable to reality.  

I apologize for my error.  

8 hours ago, KroozNut said:

It's just a pet-peeve of mine, that's all. And we all have pet-peeves right? People who repeatedly refer to specific items or services on a cruise ship as being 'free' is annoying to me, because it's intuitively obvious to most clear thinking folks that they're not 'free'.

If that strikes you as an 'inane' point, so be it..

Oh, it's arguably inane. 

But repeatedly belaboring the point when -- by your own words right up there ^^^^  -- "it's obvious to most clear-thinking folks" becomes inarguably tiresome.  

You can safely assume that most CruiseCritic users are smart enough to have made that incredibly difficult logical leap. 

8 hours ago, SeaScout said:

This was also my experience on Adventure of the Seas in early September in the Wind Jammer. The burgers were inedible in my opinion. Just plain awful.  I'd take a Guy's Burger on Carnival any day of the week over the mystery meat thing I had on AOS.

Whew, same here.  And "mystery meat" is an apt description -- it tasted like those nasty frozen, boxed hamburger patties you find in bunkers at the supermarket (I'm thinking specifically of "Flanders" brand).  Seriously awful.  

Honesty compels me to add that since then, the WJ burgers on the Indy and the Freedom have been...serviceable.  Nowhere near as bad.  

I HAVE been surprised at the paucity of "free" lunchtime dining venues on Freedom-class ships as compared to any of Carnival's Conquest-class (and larger) ships.  

On 12/22/2023 at 12:13 PM, jeh10641 said:

To those who compare burgers on cruise ships to McDonalds or Burger King, not the same at all (shipboard burgers are much better wherever you get them).

Oh, no, this is definitely NOT the case.  

On Liberty OTS, the burgers at the back of the Windjammer were TERRIBLE.  I hadn't had a burger THAT bad since maybe college or high-school.  Not only was it a hockey-puck, but it tasted like it was 50% "fillers and extenders"...or more.  I'd take virtually any fast-food burger over that, any day and twice on Sunday.    (More recently, the burgers in the WJ on the Indy and the Freedom were much improved...whew.) 

Johnny Rockets' DOES serve a decent burger (and onion rings, yumm), but as a general rule I don't pay food upcharges on cruises.  As mentioned by others, Guy's Burgers, "free"/included on most (all?) Carnival ships, are the best I've had on a cruise.  

On 12/19/2023 at 3:33 PM, Illbcruzn4life said:

you can also hit up Park Cafe for some free roast beef sandwiches.

On 12/19/2023 at 10:28 PM, KroozNut said:

Have not heard of those yet, but they sound good! We'll have to check those out on our upcoming EOS sailing 🙂

No, sorry, you can't.  As you have repeatedly stated, they are not free.  😄  

On 12/22/2023 at 2:32 PM, Biker19 said:

Brilliant.   And what a great show...which is now almost 20 years old itself.  😮   

Royal should have refunded the excursion cost immediately, as is standard for any "failed" excursions. 

They should also have offered free internet to affected guests who did not already have Wi-Fi, and a comp to those who did, to be able to contact family, handle lost items, etc.   The wi-fi would cost them a negligible amount anyway. 

However, I'm not so sure Royal is liable for lost items on the excursion.  If anything, the Blue Lagoon charter company CERTAINLY would be.  They should have already contacted the victims about it.  Good grief, their boat sank and it could be due to negligence.

And of course, this is a situation where trip/cruise insurance would signify greatly.  

7 hours ago, jean87510 said:

yes 33% at Atlantis.  Ticket person told me and one of the ride operators.  I was surprised at no lines for water rides.  

Aquaventure was significantly busier when I was there around mid-November, with longer lines for the rides.  I'm not sure if that was mostly Atlantis hotel guests or Comfort Suites guests or day-pass holders or cruise-excursion visitors. 

Seemed like Atlantis (the hotel) was fairly busy, though, and Comfort Suites told me they were at or near capacity.  When I arrived for my 4-night stay, they were able to assign me a room and give me my card for Atlantis access, but my room wouldn't be ready for a couple of hours.  I dropped my luggage off in the lobby and went over to Aquaventure in the meantime.  🙂   

I'm curious to see if Baha Mar, the BIG new hotel property west of Nassau, will be offering any capacity to cruise visitors, or if day-passes are offered.  They have what looks like a nice, brand-new waterpark that includes things that Aquaventure doesn't have, like a wave-pool.  

On 12/21/2023 at 5:33 AM, vjmatty said:

Unfortunately NY doesn’t allow CFAR coverage. I should clarify there are only 2 of us so $450 isn’t the value that it would be for a family of four. 

Oh yes, with only two you are likely to be better off buying day-passes and taking a taxi or the water taxi over to Paradise Island.  

On 12/21/2023 at 5:07 AM, jean87510 said:

I just did the day pass on October 31, 2023.  We took the ferry over then walked to Atlantis.  I would never book through the cruise ship.  We were there for 7 hours and had a great day.  Hotel was at 33% capacity and no lines.  No vendors.  Nicest staff.  

Which hotel?  Atlantis?   A 33% capacity there wouldn't surprise me -- it's a BIG property -- but I had thought they were doing better.   Comfort Suites tends to be a bit more full.

On 12/18/2023 at 9:16 PM, vjmatty said:

Did you feel like you had enough time with the ship tour? It seems awfully short and cabs are so plentiful and cheap in Nassau I think the $60 savings might be worth it, especially since the cheaper cost through Atlantis gives you a couple extra hours.

I've spoken with cruisers who booked the cruise line excursion or purchased day-passes who had only three or so hours at Atlantis -- their ship arrived at Nassau early in the morning, Atlantis slides opened at 10 am, back on board was in the afternoon.  You really have to know exactly where to go, what activities must be done in a certain order, hope the lines are short, etc.    And hope that the weather cooperates.  Although Aquaventure seldom closes, they will close for bad thunderstorms.  

On 12/18/2023 at 9:16 PM, vjmatty said:

As for the Comfort Inn in my earlier post, that comes to over $450 after taxes are added in. I had to laugh though, they have a “non-refundable, non-cancelable” fare that “can be canceled until the 8am the day before” 🤣 

Yep, that's why I booked CFAR travel insurance before my last trip to Atlantis and CSPI.   

Even $450 might not be too bad for four people if Atlantis day-passes are $200 each.  

On 12/19/2023 at 12:30 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

Were you on Vista two weeks ago?  Because that is exactly what the Captain told us during the BTF tour about docking in GT the previous day - the winds were almost too high, and yes, the max speed to allow docking is 35 knots, and they were getting close.

No, I wasn't on the Vista two weeks ago.  My BtF tour was several years ago.  

The Captain added reflectively "Very tricky approach to Grand Turk with high winds -- and there is no port-pilot."  

Do you perchance go on Cruise To the Edge?  I've been eyeing that one for a few years now. 

I very nearly went on the Prog Nation At Sea cruise years ago...and maybe I should have, since it became a once-and-done due to too-low cabin sales.  

Even with the price increases, Carnival's specialty dining is still either less than, or on par with, the prices on the other mass-market lines...Chef's Table excluded.

On 12/16/2023 at 3:43 PM, hurricane0226 said:

Chili, cooked onions, jalapeno's, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, A1 sauce, mustard,

mayo, ketchup, did I forget anything?

Yep.  Chipotle mayonnaise!  🙂  

4 hours ago, RoperDK said:

I'm looking forward to the Blue Iguana on my Feb cruise.  I enjoy having a taco shell full of fixings followed by a fresh slice of watermelon from the toppings bar.  It's a perfect lunch for me.  Royal has El Loco Fresh, but it is mainly premade mediocre offerings.  They are heavy on the tortilla and light on the filling and I only like the filling.  No tortilla for me.     

I mean, I appreciated the fact that Royal finally added SOMETHING new and "free" for lunch on the Freedom, but....yeah.  It was nowhere near as good as ye ol' Blue Iguana.  

2 hours ago, ChutChut said:

So sorry you've encountered ignorant, indelicate people. One of the problems is so many people abuse the service dog situation that a lot people are callous to it. 

I was about to post this, too.  

So many people have tried to game the system with "emotional support animals" (including snakes, pigs and, reportedly, a miniature horse 😮 )  that the airlines and cruise lines have had to adopt stricter policies.  It's a darned shame, since trained service dogs are really amazing at what they do...and what they don't do.   

On 12/17/2023 at 6:18 AM, vjmatty said:

Right now for our dates the cruise planner is showing $219pp and the Atlantis site is $190pp.  For only two people it may not be worth booking Comfort Suites in advance but I may look into it. 

Much depends on the time of the year (high season, low season) and the prices of the hotel room-night + per-person additional fees vs. the price of an Atlantis day-pass or a cruise-line excursion.  It's also possible that either of the latter could be sold out.  For that matter, the hotel was near capacity when I stayed there recently.....

Comfort Suites Paradise Island charged $40 per-person as an additional fee when adding guests, when I last visited a month ago. 

(For reference, I paid about $1350 for 4 nights and roundtrip airfare from Atlanta via a certain "warm cable" booking site.)

Coming up with a firm amount for the hotel room-charge is tricky, but I generally assume $200/night or so as their baseline charge.  So, call it around $240 for two people, $280 for three, and $320 for four (which is the max per room).   This can make it "iffy" for two people, but a real deal for 3 or 4.  

I just contacted the hotel directly and yes indeed, the "hack" still works.  Room must be booked in advance (as late as the day before, but I'd book it sooner) and it is up to 4 people per room, at $40 per person extra.  

You'd get your printed guest cards at hotel check-in, then proceed over to the Royal Towers lobby (past the casino) and downstairs to the Aquaventure desk to get your wristbands.   You'll need to show the cards at the security checkpoint past the casino and the Crystal Shops to gain access to the lobby.  

If you need any advice or "best practices" tips for navigating Atlantis and Aquaventure, tag me in a  post on the appropriate CruiseCritic "port" board and ask; I was just there a month ago.  Your time over at Atlantis will be limited and you definitely don't want to waste any of it trying to figure out how to ride certain rides, where to go, etc.   

On 12/12/2023 at 10:51 PM, bonsai3s said:

A more comfortable bed.

Gods, yes.  I don't know what it is about Royal's beds (or maybe the bedding), but I almost always have trouble falling asleep.  Maybe the mattress is too firm, as others have mentioned?  

I'd also love the option of getting firmer pillows instead of really soft fluffy ones; those tend to feel warmer to me.

On 12/15/2023 at 6:29 PM, The Sunset Glow said:

Every ship needs a food venue on the pool deck - one where you can get a quick meal with your bathing suit on.

Absolutely!  

On 12/16/2023 at 10:51 AM, Shayhooper said:

Please stop reminding us that we will be getting a survey and making us confirm we will give them a 10 rating after every single meal. EVERY.SINGLE.MEAL.  It seriously ended each meal on a sour note that made us quite uncomfortable.  

That's not just on Royal, but other lines too.  It's maddening. 

So:   "Umm, I've had good service from you, but this is the third time you've mentioned giving you a 10 on the post-cruise survey.  For every reminder after tonight, my score drops by one point." 

On 12/16/2023 at 1:31 PM, JupiterTwo said:

My one thing was going to be to have a shawarma stand on the pool deck like Disney has. Royal doesn't need another pizza, burger, or hot dog offering. Shawarma is easy to carry in a pita, slice a few cuts from a meat on a rotisserie, add some veggies and sauce, and walk away.

I wasn't really sure what "shawarma" was...until I sailed on Carnival's Mardi Gras.  Tried some from the shawarma station in the Lido...and loved it.  

I also discovered what "bulgogi beef" is, on the same ship (it was offered at one of their "Street Eats" kiosks.)

I'd love to see more "free"/included dining options for lunch on the smaller ships...and by smaller I mean anything Freedom-class or smaller.  After cruising on Carnival I was shocked at the paucity of included venues on the Indy and the Freedom -- although El Loco Fresh was a welcome addition on the latter.  Still nowhere near as good as Blue Iguana Cantina, but I respect Royal's effort.  

Also, unless they've already adopted this fleet-wide, PLEASE issue sail-and-sign cards with a pre-punched hole for a lanyard.  I hated having to wait in line at Guest Services just to get my lanyard punched.  

Things unique to Carnival:  

-- having many of the crew remember you by name.  From room-stewards to Havana Area deck crew to bartenders, it's always a nice feeling.   I know other cruise line employees probably do this, but they consistently try on Carnival (and it's a focus for guest-facing crew training), and on my last few Royal cruises it has been nonexistent.  

-- Towel animals.  These are also not technically unique to Carnival but I seldom get more than one or two on Royal, if at all.  And of course the Towel Animal Invasion on the pool-deck one morning toward the end of the cruise.  ❤️  

-- "Sssssshowtime!"   And also sometimes having crew members sing during dinner.  One of the female crew singers in the MDR on the Mardi Gras was absolutely amazing.  

-- Mongolian Wok or JiJi's Asian for stir-fry on embark day.  I make a beeline for those, on ships so equipped.  

15 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Yep.  In the last year I've missed 3 ports, none of them tender ports or private cruiseline ports.

 

And in some cases, it's not even docking that's the issue in windy weather.  We almost missed a port (Roatan I believe) once because the channel leading to the port is too narrow to safely navigate with the wind at certain speeds and directions.

The same is true for Grand Turk.  While missing the point is rare, it CAN happen due to high winds because the dredged approach (the "fairway"?) is quite narrow.  The Captain told us during the Behind the Fun tour that the max sustained wind speed there to dock safely was 35 mph (I think; it might have been 35 knots), and on that cruise, we JUST barely made it.   There were one to two-foot waves between the ship and the shore...which at Grand Turk is pretty startling...and every water excursion including my snuba trip was cancelled.  

On 12/13/2023 at 11:56 AM, smokeybandit said:

One night stays no longer qualify for the passes.

I believe this was clarified (on CruiseCritic's port board) to say "Same-day bookings no longer qualify."  

@jaredgold33 I'd suggest calling Comfort Suites directly and asking.  No need for any hesitation or potential embarrassment; they likely get questions like this often and they're pretty nice folks.