UPNYGuy

4 minutes ago, George C said:all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

I have found I can get a good martini on Royal Caribbean and MSC as well, and with minimum difficulty. 

On 5/24/2023 at 1:18 AM, notscb said:

 

The key is also versatility, IMHO. Alaska, for example, will never see an Oasis class ship for example, which makes those ships less competitive overall in terms of itineraries and positioning.

this is exactly why MSC rolled out the Meravigila the way they did. The hull is 'short and fat' so to speak, relative to the pax load it carries. It was deliberately designed so it could fit in ports that ships that had a similar capacity could not go. MSC explicitly mentioned Alaska several times during the build-out, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Carnival take a similar approach to this. 

On 6/8/2023 at 7:28 PM, George C said:

It much safer to specify a certain brand , we like vodka martinis, dirty with Tito’s , if gin I would order Bombay sapphire, that goes for anything other than that you can’t be sure what you will get.n

this is the other reason why I find it tough to get a good martini on carnival. I prefer a classic, london style dry gin. I ask what type of gin they are using before I order, and more often than not it is a new-world style. Some are ok, but bulldog (all over the carnival ships) is horrible. I'll take bombay original if I can find it.   

On 6/2/2023 at 12:23 PM, klfrodo said:

I've always wondered why people think a drink would be made the same way all over the world. Every culture is going to put their own spin on a recipe. Heck, people don't even make basic foods the same way across the street, let alone around the world.

You want a drink made a certain way, then call it.

I can go to Brazil and order a caipirinha and it is made with cachaca, as it is on MSC and Royal Caribbean, and IMO the proper way. However, I can go to the D.R or Jamaica, and have it made with rum, which would be a local interpretation. Cachaca is a type of rum made from the sugarcane itself, whereas what most people know as rum is actually made from molasses. 

DW and I have run into this exact thing repeatedly. We have been told by bartenders (and observed firsthand) it has to do with people not knowing what they are ordering. Someone orders a tom collins and (correctly) wants it made with gin, and the next person comes up and orders it because they saw it on TikTok, but assumes it has vodka in it because it was in a trendy video.

and what they are seeing is a vodka sour, not a tom collins. 

I almost always have an issue when I request a dry gin martini, up with a twist. I always get asked if I want vodka or gin, and then I repeat myself. I dont blame them for going on autipilot, especially when you are serving a large population that *thinks* that knows what they are ordering, but in actuality is getting the drink order incorrect. 

I have also witnessed someone trying to order a 'tequila sour', and confusing the bartender. They were next to me, so I went 'that's more commonly known as a margarita".

On 1/5/2023 at 1:26 AM, tidecat said:

August 12, 2045, however, will be a much better time to be cruising to catch an eclipse, as the path of totality will include Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Freeport (Bahamas), the Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos.

lolll... I'll be 62, so hope I'm still here.

...now if we post this in the HAL and Cunard forum...

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I guess how "mega" is your definition of mega? Over 200k tons? Sure I agree. Because by other definitions (say anything bigger than Conquest class) all the mainstream lines are all-in on mega ships.

Hell, there were people on the HAL forums that were ranting about the 'mega ship' size of the HAL vistas and Signatures when those first came out. 

FWIW, those are the same size as a Spirit class.

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Why couldn't they do that? As long as they visit a foreign port during the voyage then it's fine right?

That's what they did on Freedom on the 3 and 4 day cruises when the ships first started sailing again

1 hour ago, perakcruiser said:

She lied to you. MSC works perfectly with many agents. But your TA seems to be not qualified for the "special" phone line for preferred MSC agents, understandably that makes her not happy. And she has probably a fine status with other lines, so she directs her clients to these lines. Always keep this system in mind when booking a cruise with a TA. 

correct. My agent has never had an issue with booking me on MSC. 

20 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Wait.  I didn't know that with the Bella package you don't get to pick your cabin.  I was always was selecting the Fantastica level since its not much more and you get the dining time you want.  That means that even if you select the fare that includes the drink package for $220pp more, you still can't pick your cabin unless you upgrade again for another $20pp.  

You can also select your dining time with Bella. Fantastica just gets priority 

35 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm sorry, I can't get past this. MSC actually charges people money to select the time they can eat? I assume you can just go with whatever time MSC gives you instead of paying the money. Wow, talk about nickel and diming you! 

MSC considers flexible dining a perk of higher end cabins. They do NOT charge a fee to let you select your dining time. They simply do not permit you to select flexible dining unless you are in an Aurea level (or Yacht Club). They assign an early or late seating. 

DW and I cruise on MSC, and quite enjoy them. 
 

If those in this thread are new to them, PLEASE pay attention to the Bella, Fantastica, Aurea, and Yacht Club levels. Bella is guaranteed only, and (interestingly enough) only the Aurea and Y/C permit flexible dining. 
 

MSC is good about laying out the inclusion levels. 

Off of goccl. 

11 hours ago, msmith198025 said:

Not sure.  Exclusive means exclusive.  
 

Exclusive during the day means something different.  
 

 

It looks like we will have to wait and see at this point.  

the christine duffy video confirmed it will be open at night. At first the goccl page said it would be totally private, and afterward it was changed to imply open at night. 

Just now, msmith198025 said:

Under the explore ship section for the Venezia, it still says this when you click on each stateroom type. 

 

 

So one place says daytime, the ship stateroom description says exclusive.  If other Vista ships are exclusive, I would hope these are as well. 

 

 

A Terrazza Cabana stateroom gets you real estate on one of the most desirable addresses on the ship: your very own lounging patio, complete with deck chairs and a hammock. Plus, you'll have easy access to the exclusive Terrazza Carnevale area. (All Terrazza stateroom guests must be 12 or older.)

Amenities exclusive to Terrazza staterooms:

• Access to the Terrazza Carnevale area for that seaside-lounging lifestyle
• Morning access to the Carnevale Lounge for a daily continental breakfast
• Specially-curated brunch on select sea days, with a complimentary Spritz or Mimosa
• Sailaway event at Terrazza Carnevale, featuring live music
• Comfy Terrazza-branded robes and towels for your use

 

 

it seems like it is to be like how the Havana area was when it first launched (open at night to all).

Just now, Kimandthekids said:

We just upgraded to terrazza 

I just cancelled all my sailings on Venezia thus far. I wanted to go, but Carnival has not followed through and made it fully private (like the Havana). 

On 1/15/2023 at 2:21 PM, Eli_6 said:

Yeah, with it being open to the public in the evenings and no pool, that makes the price seem high.  

open to the public at night = me canceling all the Venezia bookings I had. Too bad, because I was looking forward to this ship. 

Was on the legend last month out of Baltimore and same thing 

On 2/24/2023 at 10:57 AM, Hlitner said:

Our last Carnival cruise was back in 2005 or 2006 on the Carnival Spirit.  We were on our way to Australia, stopped in CA for a few days, and grabbed a week Spirit cruise to the Mexican Riviera.  My one memory of that cruise was that the noise from the props, in part of the restaurant (Empire) was deafening.  I had never heard such a racket on any ship (we have been on more than 60 different cruise ships) and thought it must have been an engineering fiasco or an issue with a bad prop.  I always wondered if this had been repaired, or if it is a cavitation-related problem inherent in the design,

 

Hank

oh I’m assuming it would have been repaired. DW and I haven’t had any issues like that on the sisters in that class. 

On 2/19/2023 at 9:17 PM, Bostonjetset said:

Oh yes the dancing waitstaff. I’ve always cringed at that on past carnival cruises. I’m surprised they still do it after all the other cutbacks I’ve heard about. It won’t ruin my cruise but I certainly can do without it. 

I actually don’t mind this. HAL used to have a cheesy Baked Alaska parade. It is nice to see a cruise line stick with something somewhat ‘traditional’ in the era of cutbacks. 

On 2/18/2023 at 12:13 AM, Hlitner said:

Have you ever been on Carnival?  Which ship(s) and when?  Do not get me wrong, we are not Carnival fans, especially being in our 70s.  But when we cruise on lines like HAL and chat with other cruisers, it is common to hear "Carnival bashers."  When this happens, I always ask about their previous experience with Carnival and the response is usually "we would never go on Carnival."  

 

So, DW and I have only been on 3 Carnival cruises (out of far more than 100 cruises) and all 3 were quite good (and fun).  It is not one of our normal cruise lines, but those 3 bookings made good sense and we had no regrets.  In fact, there were quite a few things on Carnival that we thought were far superior to what we have experienced on HAL (we are 5* Mariners).

 

I am not suggesting that most HAL fans would enjoy Carnival.  But for many folks, the right CarnIf ival cruise might be enjoyable.  If you have experienced Carnival (in recent years) and dislike it, that is one thing.  But if you have never been on Carnival and just assume it is awful, you might be surprised.

 

Hank

 

 

agree with this. The spirit ships are similar in size to the HAL vista and signature ships. DW and I quite like them. In fact, we actually stopped sailing on HAL after 2 dreadful sailings (Ryndam and Eurodam) and now sail on MSC, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. 

9 hours ago, maui traveler said:

Couldn’t agree move…I felt so uncomfortable when I spent a few hours in Haven on NCL Bliss as wasn’t a guest of that level. Should’ve had to walk the plank. I left before the gig was up. Wouldn’t enjoy daydreamer in my Havana experience this July.

I got annoyed when the tours used to go through the Haven area when I was staying in there. I don’t recall Carnival doing this in the Havana area. 

MSC also did this with the yacht club, and I also thought that was disruptive. 

On 1/20/2022 at 9:13 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

I think you missed the point entirely. OP, as well as myself, are not trying to "sneak" in. Just getting/using what is paid for. If I pay for a havana room, I'm dam sure going to use it, just like anyone else who pays for it. As far as the ship within a ship, get ready for everything to turn into à la carte. You'll see. 

DW and I have witnessed numerous people tossed out for trying to skirt the Havana access rules on Horizon and Panorama. One on Panorama was so belligerent that ship security was called on her. This *is* (thankfully) enforced. 

5 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

You have to get right. It's "This is Todd your cruise director,  that's T-O double D on the M-I-C". Annoying as hell! 😁

Todd is easily the most grating CD I have had in 43 cruises. 

21 hours ago, Beezo said:

***PURE SPECULATION**

 

If I were to make a guess...I'd say Deliziosa.  This would give Carnival a total of six Spirit-class vessels, replacing a lot of the itinerary and homeport coverage previously held with the Fantasy-class vessels.

 

Elation is currently in dry dock - but I believe at her age she now needs to be in dry dock a minimum of every two years.

 

 

I would agree with this, especially if the Luminosa is received well.