Beachdude
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Posts posted by Beachdude
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A little etiquette that I have learned from observing self-serve laundries is only use one machine at a time so as not to prevent other passengers from doing their laundry. The discussions started as a result of not following that simple kindness could disturb the passengers across the hall.
Burt
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I was entering the buffet from the pool deck when several of us noticed a very elderly gentlemen struggling to get his scooter across the raised door jam. The traffic going in and out was heavy and the scooter needed some space to get enough speed for getting over the jams. So a couple of us directed everyone to clear about 10 feet of space on each side of the door. The gentleman, who now has an audience of about 50 watching, back the scooter up the 10 feet then took off. He got so much speed that his scooter hit the jam and went air born by at least 6 inches. It was a rocky landing but he scootered off into the crowd with a huge smile and a standing ovation.
Burt
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I don't know if this was said already, buuut, I'm just going to go ahead and say what I was thinking anyway.
So you come on the Carnival board and ask if Carnival "is really that bad?"
Yes, but some people are capable of giving unemotional unbiased responses. And if you want the opinion of someone who has cruised Carnival, the Carnival forum is a logical place to find them. Of course there a lot of folks who are incapable of giving unemotional unbiased replies, but they are pretty obvious. There have been a few good informative responses in this thread.
Burt
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My goodness. Sally and I used to cruise Carnival a lot with our kids because back then we believed Carnival was 2nd only to Disney for family friendly cruises. We stopped sailing Carnival a few years ago when they started making cuts and because we started seeing more of, well let’s say hostility among the passengers. Sally wants to try Carnival again and even signed us up for a cruise next year to see if things have changed. I don’t think I will suggest she read this thread.
Burt
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For about $20, you can get a compact digital hanging scale at REI. Take one "checked" suitcase and fill it with whatever. Weigh it. If it's over 50 lbs., remove stuff until you are under 50 lbs.
In this contemporary age of air travel, the concept of "formal night" on a cruise ship is a dinosaur. Wasted luggage weight and space. Save the tux for a charity fundraiser and try cruise lines that focus on "country club casual" for dining.
Wow, but what if I like wearing a tux? Each of us are different and have different expectations to enjoy our vacation. What is wasted for you is likely a necessity for me. I'm different than you, that's all.
What we don't bring is a lot of stuff that other folks need for their vacation like duct tape, bungee cords, extension cords, clocks, mini coffee pots and so on. But that is us.
It's kind of funny, we have been cruising for almost 20 years now and also do a lot of land vacations. We pack more for a Carribbean cruise vacations than any other vacation. Even though we took clothes for layering on our Alaska cruise, it was still less than the Caribbean cruises. Go figure.
We pack the least for two week beach vacations in Hawaii.
We love to travel and we pack just enough to meet the requirements of our experiences.
Burt
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With those cheap corkscrews that RCI gives you? Yes. They are terrible. There's no leverage, because the handle part is only a couple inches long. Tight corks and/or cold bottles in high humidity make it worse.
As an amateur wine snob, I don't want to fight with my wine, I want to enjoy it.
Jp's reply was hostle. Nobody expects a reply to acknowledge such posters.
Burt
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You already asked this:
We have repeated question police?:confused:
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We enjoy dressing up for formal nights; for us it has always been part of the cruising experience. Even our kids who are now adults look forward to it because it was something kind of special back when they were young.
We haven't cruised Carnival in some years and it sounds like it isn't the same as it was. But our next Carnival cruise is the Mediterranean and I'm told the Europeans still like to dress up for the evenings. We will see.
Burt
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Leaving ports. There is something very beautiful in watching ports fade into the ocean horizon. It can only be experienced from a ship.
Burt
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I Yes, we have only cruised with Carnival and honestly I cannot do comparisons. If I did cruise other lines maybe I would notice differences. We are using Carnival as our traveling hotel room and restaurant. It is our transportation to islands we really want to see and we do not hold Carnival hostage to our vacation. They have given us good meals, clean rooms, and offer entertainment to the best of their abilities.
We are in charge of our vacation, not Carnival.
A bit of fresh air when someone admits that one can't compare what they haven't experienced. Bravo to farmer for being humble.
But using a cruise ship only as a cheap hotel is a sign of the times. Many of us remember when cruising was the experience, not a convenient place to sleep while traveling to the experience. I would have never guessed that pizza would be most cruisers favorite food. I remember looking forward to calamari or crab for lunch. That is how much the cruise experience has changed.
And I'm not complaining either, I did plenty of that on the forums as the cruise lines where making their cuts and switching their marketing to a different demographic customer. I have come to accept the changes and understand I have to change to enjoy my vacations.
So is Carnival that bad? Well for those of us who have done this for a while and liked that kind of cruising, yes Carnival is that bad. And so is RCCL, Princess, Holland America and maybe even Celebrity. OK, maybe slightly worse than Princess and Celebrity. But anything better requires a change in attitude and a larger budget.
Burt
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OK, a sign that I have been on forums too long is when I start responding to the wrong forum.
You're going to laugh, but I was repsonding to a poster in the Carnvial forum asking if Carnival was really that bad. Sally and I have decided to try a Carnival and RCCL cruise again since we haven't been on either one in several years. So I have been bouncing back and forth between the two forums.
Anyway, I'm still laughing and a little embarrassed, but I was suggesting to the OP of "Is Carnival that bad" read the last page of this thread. :rolleyes:
Then I realized this is the Royal Caribbean forum. See, I said you would laugh. Imagine my embarrassment if I would have hit the return key.
OK, I see the sign, I getting off the forums for a while.
Burt
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Our last Carnival Cruise on The Miracle the food was terrible, and I mean terrible. So bad that I truly doubt we will ever sail on Carnival again. The sad part is everything else was great. I had hoped this was perhaps an isolated incident but tlaking to other friends and family who sailed after us and on different ships this seems to be the norm.
I'm sorry to here that. We quit cruising Carnival several years ago because the food and services were changing a lot. I had heard lately that Carnival was improving in many areas, but I guess food isn't one of those areas. What's worse is the other lower end cruise lines are cutting in those same areas.
Burt
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Yeeeeah. I'm going to pack mud encrusted shoes to throw away later. The only thing ridiculous is people crucifying someone for saying she brings old clothes to throw out and save packing space on the way back. Since the ships have limited trash capacity do you also tell all those who bring aboard bottled water or soda to save their cans and bottles to toss until they leave? Considering most ships go less than a week between ports, trash capacity isn't a concern.
And folks deny that cruise ships are just becoming floating Walmarts.:rolleyes:
Burt
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If you want that, charter your own cruise with your own kitchen and private chef.
Oh for Pete sake, did you trip over your cat this morning? It is a good question because the lines are changing their routines from past years. How many here remember the midnight buffet? The OP deserves an apology.
The Navy guy with the long name is right, cruise lines have been making cuts and the food area is a big part of the cuts. But there is more, especially with Carnival and RCCL; the lines are marketing for a different demographic passenger than 15 years ago. The typical passenger today wants to spend less time eating and more time being entertained. The food and food services are a reflection of that trend. It was not unusual to spend two hours at dinner 10 to 15 years ago, but 1 hour is more typical today. Meals on ships today are just a way to ease the hunger pains whereas 15 years ago it was a social activity considered part of the cruise experience.
The cruise lines today are catering to the fast food generation and many of the subjects on this forum reflect the trend. Forum members today typically admit they don't really care about the quality of the food or the service and want to get in and out as fast as possible without even the hassle of what to wear. The cruise industry is changing to reach the fast food population and those of us who are used to the old way of food services are noticing the difference.
There have been several discussions on this forum predicting that the Main Dining Room will eventually give way to the buffet and passengers will have to pay extra to get meals served by a waiter. It allows the cruise lines to use lower cost food and more importantly, less serving staff.
Times are changing. McDonalds anyone.
Burt
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Yes they do.
Burt
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This thread is very interesting in that so many posters are projecting their own value system on others who may have very little in common with them..............................All service workers throughout the worldwide tourism industry understand and appreciate ONE common gratuity denominator - US dollars (or Euros In a pinch).
I'm not sure your second sentence isn't hypocritical to your first, but the point you are trying to make is probably right.
I learned from this forum several years ago to find an excuse when we first meet our room steward to tip them a $20 bill. I typically ask that clean wine glasses be brought each day and we usually get really good service the rest of the cruise along with the wine glasses. If we ask for something out of the norm like an egg crate mat to soften the mattress, I will add another $20. Rarely are my unusual request turned down like adding lounge chairs to the balcony. I also tip a couple bucks for room service and once learned that the extraordinarily quick delivery we had been getting all week was unusual for that cruise. Not always, but tipping during the cruise tends to improve the service we experience.
I know I know, all of us are tight wads to some degree, but consider how much you might be willing to pay at the beginning of a cruise for a better than normal services. Then get that amount in one dollar bills and stuff them in a place where you can quickly grab a couple bucks for a tip. You might be surprised by your improved service.
Burt
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My daily routine is a gym workout then sauna. In fact the reason we won't cruise the Royal Princess anymore is because passengers have to pay extra to use the sauna.
Burt
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Everytime Sally suggest moving to Florida, I respond with "were would we go for vacations, Oklahoma?"
Burt
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Royal is far from upscale
I agree, Royal has very little on Carnival. I do like Royal ships better.
As for the suites, Carnival suites are just bigger rooms, they aren't like suites on other cruise lines. HOWEVER, they don't cost anything near the suites on other cruise lines either. So they really aren't a fair comparision.
Interestingly, we are sailing with our whole family on RCCL next November and Carnival 14 months from now. Personally I'd rather sail Disney, but Sally doesn't tell me which motorycle I should buy, I don't tell her which cruise ship we should sail. And that is why we are still married after 35 years. :D
Burt
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You should be.
You are making the assumption that an aircraft in Toronto hasn't been in an area where there may be weather problems. Do you think that aircraft has only been flying back and forth between YYZ and YVR? Or YYZ and YOW or YUL? Nope, they fly all over the airline's system. It is entirely possible that your aircraft was in Dallas or Atlanta or wherever BEFORE it flew to YYZ for your particular flight.
But that's OK...your "non-stop" will protect you. ;)
This is getting silly, after reading exactly what the OP is doing, it is very low risk. Of course we can throw in the possibility of contaminated fuel two days before the flight or the pilots going on strike or this or that. There is always something we can say to defend our opinion (pride?). But the reality is that it is low risk. And the OP can't change his situation even if he wanted to appease your long shot analogies.
Shesh, get on with your life and go get absorbed in another thread.
Burt
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Royal is closer to Carnival than Disney. You will have a good time on any of the three.
That said, there are differences that are a matter of personal taste. Some of my opinions follow.
Ships: Carnival more colorful and casino like. Royal ships have a more refined decor and a few more bells and whistles (depending on ship)
Standard Cabins: Carnival larger. Otherwise similar (however, see above about decor)
Food: There are differences between the lines, but overall it is close enough to call a tie.
Service: Good on both.
Entertainment: I'd give Royal the edge here on production shows. Carnival has more comedy.
Overall atmosphere: Carnival more relaxed (see shorts in MDR). Royal more formal.
In the end, you can try for yourself. Your personal tastes will determine your preference.
I agree with Davy Jones on everything except I think service has improved the last couple years with Carnival making it better than RCCL.
Burt
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Meanwhile, just keep your cruise expectations very low and your chances for happiness will improve.
LOL, this reply has given me an idea of starting a thread called: "Signs that might indicate that we are cruising too much."
Burt
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We been cruising for over 15 years and just started using a carry garment bag for suits and dresses the last couple of years. I don't know why we waited so long because the dresses and suits come out much better and packing the rest of our clothes is much easier.
Burt
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So while some of the suggestions are valid (never needed more than the plugs provided in the room) many are personal preferences.
It's all personal preferences, I don't take any of the stuff mentioned in this discussion. But I get it, each one of us is on vacation and we take what we need to relax.
Burt
Chair hog solution?
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted · Edited by Beachdude
Yes, we have seen a couple similar situations in the theater and I personally experienced a threat on the deck. The deck experience was that I had scooted my chair into another guy’s space. But the reality was the there just wasn’t any extra room for any chair. Before I could say anything, the stranger on the other side of my wife's chair saw the whole thing and jumped to my defense. And rather loudly. I guess since Sally and I were seated next to his group, he considered us part of his ring of protection.
Our observation is that Caribbean cruises have a different demographic group of passengers than other cruises. I have become cautious of the times, locations and ships that we book in the Caribbean. We sailed Carnival in Alaska and I think they provide one of the best experiences for that itinerary. I understand that their Hawaiian and Panama Cruises are also very nice. We are sailing Carnival in the Mediterranean next year. But the Caribbean rates with other lines is so competitive with Carnival, I’m not sure we will ever do a Carnival Caribbean cruise again.
Burt