RedBeard78

I love Cheers! We always check our room, then go to the bar with no line. Get our sticker there and a fruity drink.

Thanks for the review and pictures! We took this ship last year and plan on sailing again in September (to Princess Cays).

One thing of note regarding room cleaning.....i've never understood folks that needs their room cleaned twice per day. I usually keep the do not disturb sign on the door for the length of the cruise. I might take it off for a few hours mid cruise to get some fresh towels, but that's it.

Paradise was my first cruise ship. I enjoy the fantasy class ships, it fits my type of vacation (I don't need frills and i don't need huge crowds). I'm sure i would enjoy some of those DeathStart sized cruise ships, but for me they are harder to get to, that puts a damper on the start and end of my vacations

I try to prepurchase at least 2 bundles of water. If i know someone else going, i'll surprise them with a bundle waiting for them in their room. It's really nice and convenient to have it when you want it.

The room service coffee is good. We always "pre-order" with the slip on the door. THey are usually pretty close to the time window that you select. Also the coffee in the coffee bar (it's named different on each ship) is really really good. (not free though)

EDIT: keep in mind you can order multiple pots through room service. My wife and I usually order 1 pot each. Sometimes they aren't completely full.

I have found that on my last two cruises (Triumph and Ecstasy), finding the higher end liquors was impossible.

i think it will depend where your room is. We've had muster indoors then walked outdoors before. The last time on Ecstasy we were outdoors but not in the direct sun.

I think the small ships will continue to go there for a long time. I think they are mixing in Princess Cays to gauge interest. I can't imagine that any of those stops are as good as HMC. I'm not a huge fan of "beach days," but renting the cabana on the far end away from the crowd is the most enjoyable stop i've ever had on a Carnival Cruise.

They do not get in a hurry at that coffee bar, but the coffee drinks are really really good!

last spring we were in a suite and there was no mini fridge. Wasn't a huge deal for us, if we needed ice we would just ask for it. Since we bought the drink package, there wasn't much need to keep anything cold in our room.

We mostly went there around 4pm, never had an issue. I'm guessing you need to be willing to stand around and wait. Unfortunately

Are the priority boarding tickets still just stamped with "PRIORITY" on them?

My husband and I are sailing out Feb 28 after the upgrades. Anyone ate at Guy's Burgers or Cantina burrito place? If so, are they good? Thanks

Yes, both are great!

Don't forget the spicy chipotle margarita too. You can get it at the bar by the pool

At HMC, consider a bungalow. We did and thought it was great. We picked the one furthest from the main beach area.

Would love to see new deck plans.

I enjoyed Ecstasy last April, now that she will have good burgers and Alchemy drink, PLUS a new stop at Princess Cays, she will be my fav trip. 242 days till sailing....

It is not just cocktails at 7-10 bucks a pop but also coffees, milkshakes, bottles of water, soda, vitamin drinks, etc. If you enjoy any of these other items the cost can add up quickly.

100% this. On cruises i like to get the coconut waters (when you can find them). Having those on hand in the room really makes a difference with me when my body is trying to recover from the alcohol drinks!

I also like to get nice coffees.

If you add those things in with me drinking 3-9 drinks per day, it's worth it. I also like the aspect of not worrying about bill at end of cruise.

Hey all! So I'm looking at possibly booking a cruise on the Pride or Ectasy. Which ship and port itinerary do you think is better? Thank you! :)

Not surprised by no love for Ecstasy.

personally thought, I like Ecstasy. It has what we like. It's a smaller ship, so getting anywhere is quick and easy. Especially if you take the stairs. There is the Adult Serenity area if we need a break from the hustle and bustle of crowded areas. It's getting the Funship 2.0 Upgrades this month so it will have Alchemy (my favorite bar).

The only downside to Ecstasy for me is Charleston Port. Don't expect to drive right up and park. Things are slow there. Plan ahead if you consider it.

It really depends on a lot variables. How mobile you are, how much you are accustomed to walking, do you want less hallway noise, etc.

My wife and i love balcony rooms. We love obstructed balcony rooms even more. Why? Because if you book early enough, you get an "obstructed" room at the end and your view isn't obstructed at all. Usually there is less foot traffic near those rooms, less kids around those rooms, etc.

With that being said, we are taking a super cheap cruise in September and will have the cheapest (non bunkbed room) in the bottom of the ship. We'll see how that goes!

I'm sure they wish they handled it differently, but i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and guess they didn't want to start any panic on the boat. THey can't really increase their internet speeds, so if they had announced more you may have had to wait even longer to get access to make alternate plans.

Not even the employees at the airport know when they will fully reopen after a tragedy like that.

In short, hopefully they learned a valuable lesson that they won't have to apply any time soon.

We skipped Cheers on our last cruise because we love cocktails from the Alchemy Bar and they were over the price limit. Now that the price point is MUCH higher, we're going for it on our cruise next month.

I wish Alchemy was on every ship. That's where I used my Cheers package the most. Such good drinks. Also, those bartenders are usually REALLY GOOD. I would ask them to make me whatever drink they would drink if they weren't on duty, make me their newest drink they learned, or just make me whatever they thought I would like from my past purchases. I was always pleased with what they made.

I almost wet my pants when i looked at cruises today. I didn't realize that Ecstasy (out of Charleston, SC) now goes to Princess Cay!

HMC is our favorite stop on any of the cruises we have been on. If Princess Cay is half as good as HMC, it will be our new 2nd favorite stop!

On my second cruise I got the call. I think I paid an extra $150 for a balcony from an interior. It was worth it for me.

That's also the only time we booked directly through carnival. All other cruises were through travel agents. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Now I just pay for the room that I can afford and want. I've definitely overpaid before, but i've also gotten some good deals as well. I call it a wash!

He still hasn't posted.