Sizzlechest

I wish Carnival would send a Vista class ship to NY. I'd book that cruise in a heartbeat. So far, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

33 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Post looks somewhat familiar......LOL so I am taking it you really really want us to know you did not like the ship.

I want to know if someone didn't like the ship. Quite frankly, I don't see how the Radiance is going to be any better than the Sunrise when the deck plans are essentially identical.

29 minutes ago, Garth2 said:

Sunrise has both Seafood Shack (near the aft pool) and Lucky Bowl (starboard side between the buffet and Guy's).  You won't know what issues there are, if any, until after the dry dock and a few Radiance cruises.

Yes, but the first sailing isn't until April 2020. That's not a lot of time to decide for a summer cruise.

"I don't get it. I heard about the $18 price so bought it then I contacted Royal Caribbean by phone, email, and social media and told them about it, then I called them back 3 different times to make sure it was a mistake. For some unknown reason, it got cancelled."

35 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

You can just go in and get a milkshake 

That's good to hear. I've been told by other people that I need to make a purchase to get a shake on the bev package.

Is it a la carte on Anthem? I'm wondering if I can get away with a minimal order of, say, onion rings so I can get a milkshake with the beverage package.

Hmmm, the ships' layouts are practically identical except the Radiance having a couple MORE cabins than Sunrise and it has the barely used seafood shack instead of the Asian food station. 🙄  I don't see on the deck plans where the chicken place will be. Maybe the plans aren't up to date?

3 minutes ago, Liverpoollovely said:

Sunrise does not have JiJi's - it does have something called either Lucky Bowl or Happy Bowl

Oops! I was looking at Sunshine instead of Sunrise.

I cruise out of NY, so my options on Carnival are somewhat limited. The 2020 season has two ships available: Sunrise and the upcoming Radiance. The deck plans are different but similar. Sunrise has JiJi's, which I liked when I cruised on the Horizon, but Radiance will have an Asian area and Big Chicken.

I've been reading about the issues on the Sunrise and I'm wondering if the Radiance will also have the same issues like overcrowding. What's your take?

On 6/30/2019 at 1:16 PM, Noreen411 said:

I had the chicken and waffles.  I didn’t like my chicken and waffles so went up to the salad bar and had a salad made.  I enjoyed the salad.

 

 

Geez. I mean, that's TECHNICALLY fried chicken and waffles, but I would have never imagined it looking like that when ordering it. I don't blame you.

Whoa! I haven't been on a NCL cruise since 2016. Moderno was my favorite specialty, but I would NEVER pay that. Good lord, I remember the days of $15-$25 cover charges for specialties. I was thinking about a 2020 cruise and was sad that the ship didn't have a Moderno. Now I don't know whether to be sad or relived.

2 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

Except the ones on the middle & forward  humps, all balconies on deck 6 are obstructed  , and balconies on deck 7 are at least  "partially" obstructed by lifeboats, with or without davits,  no matter what deck plans or TAs are saying.

Thanks for the link. I think these two images show what you're talking about:

The Forward Hump on the Quantum / Anthem

The Middle Recessed In Area

On 6/28/2019 at 1:35 PM, JoeFan said:

OP I totally agree with you.

Carnival for me has RCI totally beat on the following.

Soft Serve ice cream 24 hours to Frozen yogurt during the day

Pizza is way better to RCI (Sailing 8/25 HOS so hopefully much better)

Guys Burgers to Paid Johnny Rockets

Indian Food

 

Carnival also had fresh gelato, too.

3 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Are you sure that the card you used charges foreign transaction fees? I charged a beer at the Frog and Onion two weeks ago but it was a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. I will return in about 6 weeks and maybe I will do a small charge with a card that charges transaction fees. I believe I still have one. Another explanation is that the business where  you charged uses a US card processor. I recall a discussion a long

time ago that some Bermuda business used a US company. I also recall discussions where people reported being charged a foreign transaction fee in Bermuda. 

Anything is possible. I will say this: it's MORE difficult to get Bermuda currency over US dollars. If you ask someone for a Bermuda dollar, they tell you to go to the welcome center. The shops around the port usually don't carry it because of all the tourists. It wouldn't surprise me if they ensure credit card transactions are in US currency.

7 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

The foreign transaction fee is charged by the credit card companies not Bermuda or any foreign countries. It has nothing to do with the exchange rate. Most US cards charge the foreign transaction fee when transactions are made in foreign countries. Some do not charge foreign transaction fees. Frequent international travelers who use credit cards will obtain credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees to avoid the 3% charge. When I am in Bermuda or any other foreign country I use one of my cards that does not charge the foreign transaction fee. 

I know exactly what a foreign transaction fee is. I am telling you that my credit card got hit with that fee in a port where the exchange rate wasn't 1:1 did NOT get hit when used in Bermuda whose currency is locked to the US dollar.  Both transactions were under $10, so it wasn't a big deal to experiment. Try it next time you are in Bermuda.

17 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Foreign transaction fees are just that. And Bermuda is a foreign country. It doesn't matter whose currency it is pegged to.

Not for me. Credit cards that got hit with the fee in countries where the exchange rate isn't 1:1 like in Bermuda got a 3% fee. Not for my Bermuda transactions.

I'm not sure what the OP is asking, but here's my two cents...

Hamilton is a little city with more going on, but quite frankly, there isn't much to do. St. George is more rustic, but unless you're doing a tour, not much to do unless you have an itinerary in mind.

Some general comments about Bermuda: Do NOT do excursions through the cruise line. Bermuda's currency is locked to the US dollar. Credit cards shouldn't hit you up for a 3% foreign currency fee. There are lots of places at the dockyards you can do excursions if you so choose like glass bottom boat or snorkeling. The cabs are regulated, so no scams. The public transportation is great. There are ferries and buses at reasonable rates.

My cruise is before yours and I've been checking every day for iFly and Northstar. Never once was it offered. Good on ya for getting those reservations. I got The Key, so I'm not worried that I'll miss out.

Ship then itinerary. Keep in mind I leave from NY/NJ so itinerary for 7 day cruise is going to be either Florida/Nassau Bahamas or Bermuda. 8-10 day cruises are also pretty cookie cutter. Unless we're talking about private islands, the itinerary is going to be repetitive for a veteran cruiser, so less important.

Ships can matter maybe more than cruise line. A small ship on NCL is a very different experience than with a bigger new ship. Can't speak to RCL.

On 6/26/2019 at 3:20 AM, DISFANS3 said:

Try new drinks, we also drink lots of bottle water. Drink package was great..

Is bottled water included?

57 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

The last bunch of responses again high-light my previous post on this thread bolded above.

 

Since when is false advertising the fault of the consumer?

The Patty n' Eggs caught my eye, but is it possible to get a REAL burger patty and not a fake soy patty for breakfast?

I hear they're open for breakfast and that it's gratis. What do they serve? Is there a breakfast menu? Does it differ depending on the ship?

26 minutes ago, Croozin Soozin said:

You can get Starbucks coffee in La Patisserie on deck 4 using the refreshment package.  

That's good to hear. For some reason I thought Starbucks wasn't included.

Does it take a while to make your drink? I've never experienced it, so I have no idea why people say it's a novelty. It could potentially be a great place to get a drink without having to get a bartender's attention.