What did you learn on your last Carnival cruise?

We learned that the Spirit wasn't for us. Didn't care for the ship's layout, the long waits for the comedian and main shows, the lack of trivia before noon, the rudeness of several entertainment staff and more. The meals were not as good as on our other 22 cruises with Carnival. This was our least favorite ship.

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I learned NEVER to book a cruise where Skip Lyons is the E.D. He is currently aboard "Miracle", and was "Skipping Out" on all his duties. He wouldn't even talk to me, and I only actually saw him once on a seven day cruise. I left him various notes, and messages, all to no avail. I enjoy Karaoke, and just wanted to ask him if it was possible to arrange more karaoke sessions, as we only had karaoke ONE NIGHT, and two afternoons, while the ship was in port, during the entire cruise. BUMMER.

"SKY"

On our last cruise I learned to never forget to bring mother - in - law repellent.

Last cruise, Horizon out of NYC, I learned that Carnival continues to evolve as I was happily shocked to see they have increased the budget on the entertainment. Vintage Pop was AMAZING.

On our last cruise I learned to never forget to bring mother - in - law repellent.

We are born with the ability to create mother-in-law repellent. Just visit the salad station and load up on beans.

that musical entertainment on the Conquest ... how to put this nicely?... uh, needs work,

Oh boy, my wife and I just came off the Conquest a week ago. No offense to those who are trying real hard, but a couple of the singers were decent, but a couple really need some work. Let's just say those who cannot sing on pitch should not be given the loudest microphones.

Last cruise I sailed with Mom, she didn’t realize that ship phones are everywhere, including bars and elevator lobbies. She’s Diamond. 🤦*♀️

Yep, enjoy. Me and most every other Bronx born Italian won't be eating more than once or twice in Carnival's Cucina.............

Well, there you have it; I'm of Scottish descent, apparently without the Italian's fine taste in their food.:cool:

We learned that we did not care for the Vista, for several reasons, and consequently have no plans to cruise on the Horizon.

Ive heard similar things about the Vista, what was it you did not like, We are going on Vista next month

Well, my last cruise happened to be my first cruise so I learned a lot. Mainly, that I really like cruising! Our family has been talking every night since we got off the ship on the 18th about which ship/itinerary to do next!

 

Contrary to what we thought beforehand, we ended up really enjoying sea days and wouldn't be opposed to going on a cruise with more sea days than port days.

 

I also learned that my kids (except the youngest) really aren't "kids club" type kids. The teens prefer to be with each other doing their own thing or with us. I expected the opposite, but I guess I was wrong!

 

Another thing I learned was I need to plan better on the next one if I want to go to evening shows/activities... We had YTD and didn't plan our timing well enough some nights that we either missed the event entirely because dinner service ran long or we were too late to get seats. Oh well, live and learn!

Same thing happened to us, we took our 5 kids on their first cruise in 2007, thought they would be at clubs all the time with the other kids, turned out they just wanted to spend time together soooo cruises have become our favorite family vacations!!! keep cruising!!

As a big burrito fan, I don't like Blue Iguana's. The breakfast burrito is amazing. Tacos are amazing. I think I just don't care for the rice they use. I'd much rather have a cilantro-lime white rice.

As a big burrito fan, I don't like Blue Iguana's. The breakfast burrito is amazing. Tacos are amazing. I think I just don't care for the rice they use. I'd much rather have a cilantro-lime white rice.

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I learned that parking at a Park and Cruise can save you $50 or more per car and its easy.

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Just got back on Saturday from a 6 day on the Horizon out of Miami. We've taken a number of cruises, but there were a number of firsts for us on this vacation. We learned a lot.

1. Even if it seems like renting a car will only be slightly more than uber, it will cost more than you realize and it adds some stress to the trip (because you're driving in unfamiliar places and cars).
   
2. Always fill your own gas in a rental. I thought it was two or three bucks more overall to have them fill it, but it was per gallon. Added like $40 to the total.
   
3. Do more research on hotels. We had always driven down half way and airbnb and then rest of way and parked at the port. This time we flew down and stayed in a hotel that I originally thought offered free shuttle to port. As I was checking in another couple was arguing because they must've seen the same website I had saw. Next time I will definitely check on the boards for recommendations as well.
   
4. Read fine print on anything that is cheaper. On the hotel, it saved $20 bucks, but I couldn't cancel at all. On the rental, paying up front saved $2 bucks but then I couldn't cancel or move the reservations without a hefty fee. (I thought for a minute our flight would be cancelled. So I thought oh I can just pick up my reservation here and then drive. But at least Alamo doesn't work that way.)
   
5. I thought I had been to Walmart. Turns out I had no clue. The one in Miami/Doral was absolutely insane. We went at 10 on a Friday night and again the next morning at 11 on a Saturday. Every register open, with lines 10-20 deep. People with multipe flat screen tv's in carts and just massive orders. I mean the closest things I've seen is Black Friday around here in SC.
   
6. Pay attention to the check-in time window. It was a massive line for people that did not arrive in their window. For us, it was maybe 5-10 deep. We went from rental car shuttle to on the ship in less than 20 minutes. It was another 20-30 minutes to the room because I carried the luggage up 4 flights and walked both all the way to the room on the other end of the ship. I'd do that slightly different if I did it again.
   
7. You can roll on big suitcases, regardless of what the sidewalk porter says. I had done the research and knew my wifes 28er suitcase was within rules, but they kept insisting that it was too big. I was like "it has liquids that must be done through carry on." He finally relented and let me pass. Once I got past the porter, no issues at all.
   
8. HDMI ports / USB ports on screens in the staterooms will work with your devices, if you bring a universal remote. For that, it would also be helpful to have a flat plug extension cord. There is an extra american outlet behind the tv, that would then be usable. But I was able to play mkv files directly from the screens with no issues.
   
9. On the Horizon / Vista class ships, it's not that useful having both Havana and Spa access. They are on opposite ends of the ship and the Spa is not as good as the Magic. Missed having the thalassotherapy pool.
   
10. We prefer the serene of Serenity over the seclusion of Havana. The furniture is way more comfortable in Serenity and no music, just the sounds of the sea. Just really crowded on sea days in Serenity. Used Havana everyday and Serenity in the mornings on port days when we stayed on the ship.
    
11. We did not get off the ship the entire trip and it was great. I loved having the other 4000 passengers off the ship, so we had full reign over slides, food lines and elevators.
    
12. Speaking of elevators, they work fine when people use them correctly AND not overcrowded. I mean when hundreds are waiting to use them, traditional or smart elevators will struggle.
    
13. First time doing anytime dining and it was great. We could do more stuff and eat around it. Just missed getting the same staff every night.
    
14. Ate at the steakhouse and it was fabulous, will definitely be a regular thing now.
    
15. The phone app is great. Texting was a nice feature. Being able to see menu's was nice. But by far the best part about it was Pixels. I LOVED not having to sort through 1000s of pics looking for yours. I do wish when you placed reservations on it that you could make requests, like ocean side or a certain seating section.
    
16. Overall, I think we preferred Magic over Horizon. It was a very relaxing cruise and we had a great time, but if an 8 day costs the same as a 6 day, I'll go with the 8 day every single time in the future.
    

1. First time doing anytime dining and it was great. We could do more stuff and eat around it. Just missed getting the same staff every night.
   

Just for your future reference going forward, you canget the same wait staff every night with ATD. You just have to ask for them. ;)

Just for your future reference going forward, you canget the same wait staff every night with ATD. You just have to ask for them. ;)

Yea, I kind of covered that later. Using the app, it didn't give an option. One night, we walked up and requested an ocean view. Will probably make it a bigger priority next time. Both the view and repeat staff.

I learned that 40 years of driving a truck still hasn't made me deaf enough to stand the volume in the show lounge and piano bar.

What type of rice do they use sorry going on my 1st Carnival cruise in December

 

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Like that cheap, yellow, spanish rice

I learned that 40 years of driving a truck still hasn't made me deaf enough to stand the volume in the show lounge and piano bar.

HA! 30 year military flying is the same! I have the same problem in the few times we go to movies. Now I just remember to take my foam ear plugs with me; problem solved!:cool:

On 10/8/2018 at 2:05 PM, five. said:

The phone app is great. Texting was a nice feature. Being able to see menu's was nice. But by far the best part about it was Pixels

Another "my last cruise was my first" poster here:

And I learned I LOVE cruising! I also learned a ton from all of you experienced cruisers-we hit the shows, piano bar, comedy club etc. loved Alchemy bar but I learned one drink will last me for quite a while. Learned Cheers package definitely works for us-especially the coffee bar in am!. Learned FTTF is good for us (hubs hates waiting in lines-learned this from Disney trips where I planned like a commando but able to be flexible to avoid the cranky pants coming out)-FTTF especially helped when we had to go to GS to apply our gift cards to account!! We were on Valor 4 day.

I didn't know about the Pixel feature on the app!! We were with a large group and used the app alot to keep in touch!

I *may* have already booked another cruise (gotta get the credit for booking right away right? We just got back 3 days ago) while I convince hubs we need to do it again-this time to Cuba, next June. He is NOT a planner so by the time he agrees (and he will) the price will have shot up and best rooms gone.

I didn't know there was an "ironing room." I still haven't seen it but someone told me about it. I think they said it was deck 8 mid on the Dream.

I also didn't know that the...sea day brunch menu was double sided....I always thought there were two different menus and I just ordered off of the side that was face up.

On 9/6/2018 at 4:28 PM, Hypaiceangel said:

I think we are going to do it for our upcoming cruise mainly because I know that if we don't I will numbers crunch every time I order a drink and probably hold back and not fully enjoy myself. ... For me, the drink package is for piece of mind and knowing that I am neurotic and will otherwise be calculating the cost of each drink all trip long!

My thoughts exactly!

I learned that grabbing a clamshell in Serenity on sea days is the best way to spend the day in Glacier Bay. Blankets and extra towels make it cozy, and perfect for naps. 

On ‎8‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 6:55 PM, Joebucks said:

I learned that even the smallest and oldest ships offer a great vacation. I was scared to death of trying out the fantasy class.

LOL......and we learned EXACTLY the opposite.  We tried Fantasy class for the first and it will definitely be our LAST time!!  The "vacation" part (ports) was fine, it was the 'sea day' that did us in on that old smelly (mildew everywhere) ship.  Even the cabin, we stayed in a suite and it was smaller than any regular balcony cabin that we frequent on all the other ships....not 'our cup of tea'.....an expensive lesson we learned!

On 10/7/2018 at 7:07 AM, PaperSniper4 said:

 

Well, there you have it; I'm of Scottish descent, apparently without the Italian's fine taste in their food.:cool:

Actually, Southern Italian food is not cuisine, and it doesn't require fine taste.  It is simple peasant food.  Pasta and gravy, bread and cheese are the main ingredients.

Northern Italian food requires a refined palate and involves complicated sauces.