Momma1980

Best choices for food on bar hop?

I have hopped years ago and know that there is limited time to order and eat at each stop. 

I can say that the two things I miss most after the cruise is over are...

1.  Lido deck (with meals that I didn’t have to shop for or prepare nor clean up after)

2. Coming ‘home’ to a comfortable inviting bed that has been turned down for me in a     tidy room 

Thank you for posting.  It is appreciated! 

How did you find the dining room service to be? Was the food served hot? Did you wait a long time between courses? 

Was it easy to find loungers available in the Serenity area?

thanks again:)

I second that opinion on the hummingbird cake.  It was really good!

I didn't  see the whale tail cup offered but I spent very little time on Lido. Did see the disco ball (my personal favorite) being sold in the main theater.  

Following!  I have already laughed embarrassingly loudly at least three times. Keep it coming😄

I just ‘upgraded’ from a lido deck balcony to a spa balcony for a price drop! I called Carnival and they did approve the upgrade even though it was a LESSER  price for the higher category cabin.    The person I talked to just needed to put me on hold for a few minutes to get approval from her superior as I was actually going to be paying less money for the upgrade!  I was already paid in full, so the price difference shows as OBC.  I may have just gotten lucky, but I am very happy to be paying less money and gaining spa perks.  

Based on YouTube videos I have watched, there are hair dryers. 

Ladies... what did you wear to the spa/ in the spa?  Bathing suit with robe over? Do the floors stay wet? If so, do I need to bring shower sandals? 

For those of you that have loved the Thalasso pool / Cloud 9 spa...

Do you leave your cabin in a bathing suit and head to the spa? Do you cover up with the Carnival robes? Should I expect a bunch of naked people in the steam rooms?   What do most people in spa cabins wear when they go from cabin to spa and back? Protect your feet from shower fungus with shoes/shower sandals or just go barefoot? 

If if you bring a bag with you to the spa...where do you put it? Are there hooks everywhere?  How well do Carnival staff do at keeping ‘non-spa’ cruisers out of the spa area?  Do I need to worry about securing my bag somewhere? How convenient are the lockers? 

Are Elemis quality products available for spa cabin occupants in the spa showers?  Can I get extras from the cabin steward or are we limited to the samples they put in the spa cabins at the start of the cruise?

I realize that is overkill on the questions... but I will ask them all in hopes of getting answers to some.  Many thanks in advance for any insight!

Following!

Thank you!

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the information 🙂

3 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

It honestly depends on the position of the ship as to how much sun you'll get. They are good for star gazing.

Thank you!

On 5/3/2019 at 10:37 PM, Butterbean1000 said:

We always book on  Panorama.  I can honestly say we don't notice any more movement up there than anywhere else on the ship.

 

If you are on a ship with a Cloud  9 Spa, the thermal suites and T-pool are fabulous.  You get upgraded towels and toiletries, robes and slippers.

I upgraded to Magic Cloud 9 Spa balcony but only deck 12 was available. Are the uncovered balconies unbearably hot?  We are on the balcony in the evening more often than during the day. I thought the uncovered balcony might give us a better view of the stars at night. Hoping I didn’t make a bad choice.  Any tips?

Upgraded to spa balcony on our upcoming Magic cruise.

We will have 4 people in cabin so we will appreciate the ability to use the spa showers to cut down on the congestion in the cabin if we all need to get ready at once.  How many showers are available in the spa? Are they usually more in demand  at certain times? I imagine sea days are busier.  

Do do we have to wear spa bracelets/wristbands the entire cruise?  Is it a pain to just dip into the spa area for a short time then pop out again for a drink and re-enter?

Can we choose which 2 of the 4 cabin occupants get spa access? (Website states “first two booked”)

I hope the upgrade is worth it.  Have never had a cabin in this ultra-high, ultra-forward location before.  

Any help/tips are appreciated.  Thanks:)

Hello!  Wondering if you visited the Spa at all?

I miss the days when the dining room staff and room stewards had less people assigned to them. And there were enough bar staff  that you were served drinks in your lounge chair without having to go up to the bar   😔 

3 hours ago, Rosefloater said:

I've cruised on the Miracle (same class as the Spirit) with 3 people in a cabin. The sofa is made up to be a bed. It is not a pull out. I prefer the sofa to the beds.

Do you mean you prefer sleeping on the sofa turned bed  vs the regular beds?  Just curious.

Just my opinion here....

If you are not prone to seasickness, I would not base your cabin choice on avoiding seasickness.  Pick the cabin location that makes sense for what you do on the ship or the location that makes you most excited to be in. In all of my cruises (about 20)  I have only been seasick twice and in both instances it was because of unusually rough seas....not my cabin location.  And even when I felt seasick- taking some medication solved the problem. I always pack the meds just in case.  So I suggest you choose the cabin that you want the most.  Have fun! 

Just show up!

Show up about 15 minutes ahead of the start time to get a spot near the front so you can hear and see what the chef is doing.

Just show up!

I know I am going to get FLAMED for this comment.

I surely hope the people that are asking for special menus on a cruise of hundreds are tipping for the extra service they are getting from staff that are already working hard to please.

It seems (from what I have heard) that Carnival does an excellent job of catering to special needs. I hope the staff are appreciated for going above and beyond.

Thank you for the quick reply Chengkp75.

I appreciate your ability to explain the complex in words I can understand.

You bring so much valuable and interesting information to this board.

Funny you mention the "auxiliary generators" that Carnival promised to install. I don't believe the Sunshine got this, and I don't believe any of Carnival's ships received these. Carnival found that a much less expensive rerouting of the power cables from the forward engine room to outside the after engine room, would, in the case of an engine room fire like the Splendor or Triumph, that total power would not be lost, and so this was the permanent fix for the problem, much less costly than a new generator, and they are hoping that the concept of "additional auxiliary generator for essential hotel services" will quietly fade into history. I believe Sunshine was the first ship to have this cabling rerouted. The other reason the shipyard was extended was to repair/replace the fire suppression systems, that were found to be systemically flawed in most of the ships built at Fincantieri, and these flaws were never discovered despite onboard testing and maintenance, and annual inspection and testing by a third party fire equipment company. Necessary modifications? Yes. But I hardly think that what amounts to a "maritime recall" is worthy of being called a "significant improvement".

 

But, to each their own. Be happy with the Sunshine, and the "new" Triumph, just know that at their current age, the maintenance costs during drydocking (and they must drydock twice as often as newer ships) has increased greatly just for hull and piping repairs/renewals, and so either fares will rise for an older ship, or costs will be shaved elsewhere.

Hello! Thank you again for all of the insight you provide. I read your posts as if they were gospel. ( I think engineers make the modern world go 'round. )

I get the impression that you don't approve of these re-makes of older ships. Is that the case? I am almost nervous about boarding Sunshine again if you don't feel she is safe.

The way I look at it is that Carnival is the one footing the bill for the refurb. of their older boats and for the build of newer boats. Therefore they have the choice to do them as they see fit. I'm sure the details are based on the ship being profitable and enjoyable by the majority of cruisers. They also take into consideration the competition and how they might be able to attract cruisers from other lines.

There are too many cruise lines and ships out there, to sit and beat one cruise line to death over one ship's attributes or lack there of.

My two main goals in cruising is to be taken to new or favorite locations, while enjoying being out on the open ocean. All the rest is icing on the cake. Most of the shows are pretty lackluster...very few "wow" moments. If I want a vacation without children, then I will go to an adult resort.

A cruise will never be 100% what you "want". But for the cost and value, it is obviously very appealing to a lot of people. Choose the cruise line and ship carefully for what matters to you and it should be very rewarding.

Happy cruising everyone.

👍🏼👍🏼

I had to comment ; if only to say that I could not agree more with your post.