Thebosn1

Which sailing are you on?

 

 

 

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April 8

I am excited to finally sail on the VISTA this April. I appreciate the reviews and feedback from those that have sailed on her so far. One thing missing from many of the comments are opinions about the higher passenger capacity and how the ship handles all the extra bodies.

I have seen a few comments saying that it is tough to get into the shows or comedy clubs, but other than that does the ship generally FEEL crowded?

On SUNSHINE for example, I think they did a terrible job of accommodating the extra passengers just because the layout of most of the public spaces didn't change. It just felt crowded.

Can I take it from the lack of specific comments about this that the Vista is laid out in a way that easily accommodates all these people?

That's what I figured. Thanks guys. Platinum is not a real big deal for me, but I still would like to board platinum for my second cruise next year from Hawaii to Sydney.

I'll ask again (because I have looked and can't find it), I remember a few months ago JH said there were changes coming to VIFP. Then I didn't hear anything after that. HAS there actually been changes or not?

I'm right on the cusp of platinum and I just want to make sure they are not moving the bar again.

Whats the one thing or several things you must bring from home that carnival doesnt have or its not good enough for you? (Pillow, creamers, salsa, etc).

 

Just curious, might give me or others some "a ha" ideas.......

 

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OTC meds like alka seltzer. tums, Imodium, sunburn stuff, aspirin. Don't want to go to medical with stomach issues, they may quarantine you.

Children under 12 MUST be supervised. AND if they are doing anything dangerous in the pool, security can kick them out for a set time.

I'll be going on the Sunshine in April 2017 and wondered how early do I need to wake up to get a spot in the Serenity area? I've been looking at pictures online and love the little cabana/clam looking lounge chairs :-) I'm guessing that I'd need to be up at the crack of dawn to get one though. Sigh...

If you are going in April I would say...March. You should be up there in March. I was up there before breakfast every day and I never had a spot.

A little while back someone was talking about more changes to the VIFP program that JH was hinting at.

I can't find that post, I don't see anything on JH blog, and I don't notice any new changes to the Carnival web page.

Can anyone save me a little trouble looking? Were there any actual changes to the program, or was JH making a big deal out of nothing again?

Thanks.

I thought the response would be much more one sided, considering the number of people who's entire lives are ruined by being on a ship for a few days with people smoking.

We did a eight night cruise on the Sunshine in February.The Sunshine is the most crowded ship I ever sailed on.Chair Hogging was totally out of control both on deck and in the showrooms. We did manage to get a clamshell on deck 14 of Setenity by being out there by 7 AM. Everything on decks 11-12 was hogged at 7. To see a show in the Liquid Lounge required being in line 45 minutes early. Same for comedy. Never could get in the Piano bar !

 

I asked my wife about cruising on the Pride in January out of Tampa--- really like the itinerary and the Spirit class ships. She told me to have fun--- said no more Carnival for her after eight nights of Sunshine.

I didn't mean to make it sound as if the crowds were awful, but they were just worse than other ships. And I realize the buffet is not the top of the line food on any ship, but Sunshine was below normal for being cold, and the quality.

Any cruise for my wife and I, we can make the best of it and we ALWAYS enjoy ourselves. I usually have nothing negative to say, which is why Sunshine probably seemed a little below normal for us.

My wife and I just finished a 9 day Eastern Caribbean "Journeys" cruise on the Sunshine. We really enjoy every cruise we have taken, we like Carnival and I can't imagine a cruise being "ruined" unless something really catastrophic happened. Our cruise on the Sunshine was no exception, so please don't take anything negative that I have to say as complaining, just observation.

We went the night before and stayed in Cocoa Beach, by the pier. We thought it was a perfect spot, right on the beach and the pier to enjoy a few drinks and some food by the sea before we sailed. Turns out we were right. It was a decent hotel (Best Western) and the pier was a perfect "warm up" spot for a little pre-cruise celebration.

The next morning we had a great free breakfast (including a really cool pancake machine), and I was able to take my coffee and walk on the beach before catching the shuttle ($12 pp) to the cruise port.

This was our first time sailing out of Canaveral. Pretty standard, and I think they did a really good job of managing the crowd, moving people from one area to another at the right time to avoid any lengthy pile ups.

It turns out the Coast Guard was on board that morning, and there was a slight delay once boarding actually started, so we sat in the terminal for a little while longer than normal but no big deal. When they started calling priority, FTTF, platinum, diamond, I was a bit shocked at the number of people that were included. I think about a quarter of the terminal cleared out before they started calling zones so that us lowly gold folks could get on the ship. Still, we were on there within an hour of getting to the terminal, and if you think of the sheer number of people getting on and off, that is pretty amazing.

I have never taken a cruise where our cabin was not ready when we boarded, and this was no exception. Our luggage showed up about an hour after we did. Again, pretty amazing.

We headed up for the sail away party and to our astonishment, the first person to show up and ask if we wanted anything was Putu, a server that was with us two YEARS ago on the Legend from LA to Sydney. He remembered us, what we drink, and even some of the things we talked about on our last trip. Remarkable. He even noticed I had a new tattoo. This is not the first time this has happened with crew members, and is one of the reasons I like to stick with Carnival.

I'm not going to do one of those long day by day reviews, but here are a few highlights:

The Cruise Director "Donkey" was really good, at least as far as what I look for in a CD. He passed timely information, but not constantly. He was involved in making sure there were fun things planned, but he was not always in our face. When he was up on deck or at an activity he was hilarious. In other words, he added to the experience, he didn't take it over.

The Serenity Area, actually three decks, was amazing. However, you had to get up there at six AM if you wanted to be anywhere near a pool or hot tub. This is not an exaggeration. Two separate days my wife and I were up there at seven in the morning with no place close to a pool to sit. I'm not even talking about chair hogs. I did notice a couple of time stickers on some towels up there but for the most part the spots were all taken by people.

The Lido, by the main pool had plenty of chairs, and we had one right by the pool whenever we wanted. By mid Afternoon on most sea days though, if you climbed up to a top deck and looked down into the pool area, it looked more like a football stadium during a sold out game than a cruise ship.

I heard a lot prior to this trip about overcrowding on the ship. Unfortunately, I have to agree with this. But I don't think it is just the number of people on board. The LAYOUT of certain public areas is just a bit off as well, and it adds to the problem. A couple examples of this are that the tables in the buffet areas seemed slightly closer together. If several tables near each other were full, and all the chairs were out, the people's legs were almost touching those of the people at the other table. It just seemed cramped. The other reason I think the tables were moved was that the hanging lights don't match up with the tables. There are plenty of broken lights (including one created by my own head) in between tables because they should not be there and people hit them with their heads.

Another is the spaces near Guy's Burgers and the Taco Bar areas on each side of the ship. These areas act as a physical funnel for people moving back and forth from the pool areas. Directly adjacent to these areas is a barricade that separates an area of tables from the walkway. The problem is that the space left to walk past is not wide enough for two people to pass without turning slightly sideways. Add the VOLUME of people trying to get through, the occasional scooter, running kids, and the fact that the SAME AREA is used to line up to get food, and it's a mess. ALSO in this space are drink stations and in ice cream machine. It's just a mess. So yes, more people on board, but I think the ship could handle it if they had put more thought into it.

We had a balcony cabin, and it was smaller. Too small for the two of us to move about at the same time, and we are not big people. Basically one had to sit on the couch or the bed, or go on the balcony if the other had to move around. In the head, again this is not an exaggeration, if you sit on the toilet, your feet are in the shower.

OK food. I am NOT picky. I have always been able to find plenty of good food on the ships. Normally more items than I need. Now keep in mind, I DO NOT eat in the MDR, I eat on lido. But for the first time ever, the food there just was not good. I did not have a single meal there, with one exception (the dinner buffet was comprised of food from the Chinese restaurant) that was warm or tasted good. When I say not warm, I mean cold. As if the steam line was not working and the stuff had been cooked hours before. Cold. And only a few items actually tasted good, and that was a first for me.

Breakfast was the worst I have ever had. I only ate there twice. When I tried to grab some scrambled eggs (I know they are powdered, doesn't matter to me), and came away with an ice cold block of stuff that look and had the consistency of tofu, I was done. The "sausage" was chopped up hotdogs from the afternoon before mixed with cold onions.

Thankfully, the breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana were as fantastic as ever, and there was always Guy's Burgers and pizza, which were both very good.

That's my rants about crowds and food. It's the most negative stuff I have ever written about a cruise. Sorry Sunshine Lovers, maybe I just caught them at a bad time. I know they were going into the yard right after our cruise.

The rest of the trip was normal, and as much fun as always. The only "excursion" we did was a great catamaran ride in St. Lucia that we got through Carnival. It was a blast. We stopped to swim, then continued on to the Pitons for pictures. Great day. There was also a fun Cinco de Mayo party as we left port that absolutely cracked me up.

One unexpected positive was the main show "Epic Rock". It was, IMO, fantastic. If you like music from the 80's and 90's it is a real treat, and very well done by a very talented cast. After the second show the cast came out to the atrium for photos.

The trip was, overall, as enjoyable as ever. They would need to reconfigure some areas to accommodate the additional people, and I don't know what was up with the food, but we thought the crew was as amazing as ever, and would do another Journeys cruise anytime.

Anyone has any specific questions while it's fresh in my mind, fire away.

I have already asked this in a couple other places but I want to be sure, so I will ask here as well.

If I book a cruise with Carnival Australia, will those days count toward my overall VIFP days?

I have a chance to book a wonderful cruise next year on one of my favorite ships, the Legend. The booking would be through Carnival Australia, the booking is not even available on the US web site. This cruise would make both my wife and I platinum, and while that is not a deal breaker, I would at least like to be sure these days will be added to out US past cruises.

Has anyone done this, and is anyone absolutely certain this is how it works? I know they only count points from "Carnival Cruises" and not sister companies. I just want to know I would get the points added to the ones we already have.

Thanks.

Jim

I have already asked this in a couple other places but I want to be sure, so I will ask here as well.

If I book a cruise with Carnival Australia, will those days count toward my overall VIFP days?

I have a chance to book a wonderful cruise next year on one of my favorite ships, the Legend. The booking would be through Carnival Australia, the booking is not even available on the US web site. This cruise would make both my wife and I platinum, and while that is not a deal breaker, I would at least like to be sure these days will be added to out US past cruises.

Has anyone done this, and is anyone absolutely certain this is how it works? I know they only count points from "Carnival Cruises" and not sister companies. I just want to know I would get the points added to the ones we already have.

Thanks.

Jim

Thanks all

Has anyone had a situation where they booked cabin for two and then close to sailing one person can't go?

What happens if one person just doesn't show up? Has anyone ever done this?

I want the same cabin, would pay the gratuities and stuff, the second person would just not be there. I don't plan on cancelling them, just may have to go alone. If anyone has done this, I would love to know how it worked out. Thanks.:eek:

1 - You use the ship's towels if you want. I see people do it all the time.

2 - YES! I always bring those things, heartburn meds, Imodium, sunburn stuff, all of it.

3 - Don't use FTTF.

4 - Don't try to do everything. Go with the flow, don't stress if plans change. Look, I LOVE planning details of my cruises, but my vacation is not "ruined" if things change. You are on a ship, at sea and things happen. ROLL with it.

Don't let things that annoy you ruin your fun. Have a blast!

Not yet! We enjoy new people, new ports and experiences. The good thing is we are not so hard to please, don't ask for much. If anything specific on the particular ship annoys us, we just go do something else.

I'm booked in 7296 and I know I don't have one.

There was a thread on here before that someone posted. Basically most of the older cabins do not and the new ones do.

The new Vista does have the Havana area. It's not considered first class but the cabins do come at a premium. Some of the area is for the exclusive use of those staying in the Havana designated cabins until 5 pm. After 5 pm it's open to all.

 

I guess it's kind of a way to get away from the crowds on the Lido during peak times.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. I have to check that out, I had no idea. I just thought the cabins were more expensive because of the location, like a spa balcony or something.

They will probably eventually price themselves out of my economic reality.

 

Or if the main dining room offerings become grim and the numbers of extra fee eateries increases.

 

And if they do more of the "class system" sort of things, like keeping some areas of the ship for the exclusive use of "first class" passengers.

 

We have been platinum for quite a while, but I shop all the alternatives for every cruise.

So I guess we are loyal to ourselves and our budget.

What "class system" things are the currently doing? You kind of lost me on that one.

Thank you so much for this wonderful review! I sail on Sunshine for the first time in April, and thanks to all your time and effort I feel as if I have already been on her!

I was on Sunshine 2 weeks ago and I remember it was $3 something. Could have been $3.25 or $3.95, I was too drunk to read and didn't care :D

And it doesn't work until 9 am NOOOOOOOO!

I have a port call in Barbados from 10-6. My thought was to take a cab to the Mount Gay factory for a tour, return to the ship and then take a cab to the Boatyard for the rest of the day on the beach. has anyone done this before, I think the factory and the boatyard are in opposite directions, but not far from the ship. Anyone been to Barbados think this is a plan that just won't work?

Jim

So, I like many others, would like to see the aft pools on the ships to be adult only. i was told that it is a family cruise, so many ships that are not aft adult only won't be.

My thing about this is... The MID pool is family friendly, the water works are a great thing for families with children...

The majority of the year, are adults cruising without kids...Sep. through May.

But... even though we have the serenity areas, only a few ships, Sunshine and Spirit class, have pools in them.

Most Serenity areas only have hot tubs... Adults need an area where they can enjoy the cooling off at the pool without it being full of kiddos. I know some people don't agree... ususally those whose children are still young.

I have 5 grandchildren. two are grown... three are babies.. i love kids... don't get me wrong:rolleyes:

It just that WE ADULTS NEED AN ADULT ONLY POOL AREA:)

CARNIVAL... ARE YOU LISTENING?????? PRETTY PLEASE????:p

I'm with you, but don't think it will ever happen. The ships that have big serenity area with nice pools of their own are wonderful, and they are the ships I try to book on now. After Legend, I'm hooked on it.

I have to disagree with you a bit regarding people sailing without kids. It seems to be the "in" thing now to yank your kids out of school to cruise, so every cruise I have been on seems to have more kids instead of less. I always tried to time my cruises at times when I figured kids were all in school but it does not work anymore.

The enforcement of the serenity areas, in my opinion, has been pretty good, but not perfect. I think your best bet at adult only pools is ships with pools in serenity. Good luck!