meanjean80

I leave on the Splendor (first time sailing her) on the 27th, so I am so enjoying this!!!

Woohoo! I can't believe I finally managed to snag one of these!

I was on the Legend for the Florida-to-LA portion of its transition last year, and loved every second of it. I am partial to the Spirit class anyway but found for this trip (which also had a lot of sea days) that they really did an excellent job of providing lots of programming options.

My only objection to these menus is that no longer are there any dishes identified as "heart healthy". Since I am now on a low-sodium diet that's kind of a bummer, because at least it served as a guideline. My next cruise will still have the "old" menu but when I do finally sail on an AT ship I may have to talk to guest services in advance for some kind of pointers.

I admit to being totally biased towards any of the Spirit class ships, having sailed Miracle and Legend several times. Just love the layout and the size. Don't miss the fancy stuff. Wish we still had one of them sailing out of NY.

Wow...I have usually been seated at large group travels, and have been fortunate to have had great table mates. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must have been. Will be trying YTD for the first time on this next cruise, mainly because we're a party of 12 and we needed flexibility.

Looks like the Celebration was A LOT of folks' first cruise! I remember thinking how massive the ship was...and then in Cozumel we pulled in next to the (then brand-new) Destiny!

Will be sailing on the Splendor for the first time at the end of the month. I know it doesn't have some of the amenities that the newer ships do, but I've never sailed the newer ships, so I am not likely to miss them. :-)

That said, weather wise leaving from NY, it will mirror whatever weather NYC is having for the first day at sea and the last day at sea. In 2011 I was on the sailing that left on 9/11 and the weather that day was slightly overcast but in the 80's; our last day at sea was wet and rainy and rocky (we were tailing a hurricane...Bertha, I think). The following year it was sunny and warm both going and coming for an early September departure.

Right now in NYC we have so far this year been cooler than normal, so if you are not from the area I'd just watch the weather forecasts.

Darn...missed this. Anyone have any idea how often these come up?

Grand Turk def. one of my places to just stop and chill. Jack's shack was awesome and the conch fritters worth every penny.

Last cruise was my first with high blood pressure. I came back having lost a pound (was very good about ordering 'healthy') but my BP was up 10 points. Suspect I will have to bite the bullet and stop ordering soups...

Psyched to see this on the Splendor...it will be the first ship I've been on that has this, and I love Indian food. Sailing in 68 days!

I just read a news website that said Holland America changed one of their itineraries, but Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean do not have any ships going to the affected areas.

...except for Texas.

You can do everything in your power to raise your kid(s) responsibly, and it can still all be undone in 5 minutes of very bad decision making on that kid's part. Especially in a group setting where there a bunch of other people making the same dumb decision. Most people survive their dumb decisions; this young man paid with his life.

My condolences to his family. It was a very bad decision on his part, and nobody's fault but his own, but they will suffer forever.

Normally I love the Spirit class and would chose that over anything, however from what you described I would go with the Splendor. The reason? You mentioned Pride will only be a few weeks out of dry dock. It's not been unknown for a ship's dry dock to get extended, or for things not to be working perfectly immediately afterwards. In this instance, I would consider the Splendor the safer bet.

On my last cruise, our wonderful waiter overheard us early on (as our table was in the getting to know you phase) how much we all loved cheese. That night, and for every night forward, each couple had a cheese plate (the one normally served as a dessert course) waiting for them.

I'd like to think that this kind of service was more the norm than the attitude the OP experienced.

Never realized how lucky I was. I've had the same Eddie Bauer wheeled bag (hard bottom compartment/canvas duffle top) that's been with me for all but my first two cruises, plus five trips to Europe, a Las Vegas run, two Hawaii trips and a couple of Christmases...no damage other then some wear and tear on one of the ends. Too bad I can't clone it, I could apparently make a killing!

Having cruised mostly with Carnival, I've been pretty happy with the product, but am not blind to, nor happy with, some of the changes.

That said, my most recent cruise on the Legend (the Panama Canal crossing) was bar none the best I have ever been on.

Food changes: I feel fortunate that the Legend was not exposed to the American Table change. I had zero interest in it when announced and less as the reviews started coming in. I am pretty happy with the main dining room food (and I do consider myself a foodie). Our waiter this last trip had great, HONEST advice about which items he preferred, and what he thought we would enjoy. Out of 11 nights in the MDR, I think I was perfectly happy 9 of them, and just "meh" the other two. We also ate in the steakhouse two nights (it was very packed most nights) and loved it.

Ice: I don't get the calling out of this as a "cut back". It seems eminently sensible to me...I suspect that a vast majority of passengers were not touching their ice buckets and the stewards were dumping buckets of water twice a day. Making it optional is logical. My sister and I requested ice at the beginning of our trip and had the bucket filled twice a day...and we used it. It's not like we're suddenly getting charged more for ice.

I feel the same way with the towel policy...hang it up for re-use, leave on floor for laundering. It's ecological, and logical (I don't wash my towels daily at home).

Bacon: Have never had a problem getting as much as I wanted, even if I wasn't serving it myself.

Entertainment is the one area I find lacking. I always prefer live music to a DJ. And I can't stand the new shows...I made it through about 15 minutes of a "playlist" show. I miss the orchestra. But in truth, I also never cared for the old style "Vegas" shows. Generally, I will park myself for the evening at the piano bar or with one of the other live lounge acts (the Legend had several very strong, non-main venue performers). That's just me, and it's the one thing I would call a cutback in my years of sailing Carnival.

I was on this cruise as well...thought it was one of the best ever! Can't wait to hear your perspective!

My sister and i are getting on the ship on Sunday and we'd love to know which machine? :D

I have a wonderful niece who has two adorable rugrats who spend time in daycare. The bar-none worst illnesses I have had in the past year (a severe to the point of lasting 4 weeks upper respiratory infection and a norovirus like intestinal "flu") came directly after having contact with them after they'd had similar illnesses. Does not mean I am avoiding them in the future.

I've come back from a couple of cruises with a cold; I've noticed the same after my land based European vacations. For me, it's the flying, not the actual vacation. I now do everything in my power (nasal spray, airborne, zinc) when I fly to make it less likely to pick up a germ.

On my actual cruises, I do what I can to avoid unnecessary exposure. This includes avoiding the buffet (I won't eat at a NYC Deli buffet either). This is not a comment on Carnival, but at a buffet you are only as clean as the person who handled that spoon before you was. So I head to a venue where I will be handed my food by a server (like the deli). This minimizes (of course does not eliminate) risk.

I have also taken steps in the past couple of years to make sure *I* am as healthy as I can be, which includes losing a bit of weight and eating right, so that I give my body the best chance to fight off anything that comes my way.

I see zero benefit to staying holed up in my apartment watching the world go by.

There are risks in everything. I hate flying, but a pilot once told me that the most dangerous part of my travel day was the cab to the airport. So I take the risk, because the reward is greater.

Like others, have zero understanding of why the poster put this here. Wonder if they are a paid social media hack for a land based vacation. I suspect the Carnival board was chosen (rather than the P&O board, which is what i think the OP said they were on) because this board is "lively" and would get a a response. Pretty fruitless in any event.

So I will resume my now hour-by-hour countdown to my Panama Canal cruise this Sunday, where my primary health caution will be a bottle of mosquito spray.

You can't count on a specific game being played on board, ever. Ship will have an ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliate, but not necessarily a specific one (last time I sailed I think the CBS affiliate was out of Denver). I think if it's one of the "night" games you have a better shot.

They SAY they are Maine lobsters. I am a New Englander, and there is no way...they are definitely warm water version.

 

I LOVE that.... you have an "OBSETHSION" ! A bit of a tongue twister!!!:)

 

And I agree.... a very versatile young piano player...very enjoyable for everyone!

I am so stoked to hear this, since it appears he will be our guy on the Legend for the transitioning cruise. My sister and I are big piano bar folks and our only downer on the Valor last year was Dana Honey. Nice guy, good crowds, but he relied alot on electronics and barely seemed to play the piano at all.

Had no idea I could do that...I knew you could for things like gluten free, but didn't realize low sodium fell in to that category!