1st Time Carnival Cruiser with Questions

[bjboothman]

I've enjoyed 5 Princess cruises and want to try something different. DH and I are thinking of booking a 7-day cruise from NYC to Canada/New England in September.

 

Anything notable about the Triumph that I should be aware of? It is not a non-smoking ship is it?

 

If I'm looking for a bargain, is there any reason not to take take IS inside guarantee and is there any likelihood of an upgrade? I'm well aware that there are no promises, but is an "IS" acceptable or should I choose a specific cabin instead of the guarantee? Just looking for your opinions.

 

Lately (for now), tell me about insurance. Carnival wants $129/pp for insurance on a trip that only sells for $599 in the first place. I find that exorbitant. Anyone with better ideas on where to buy travel insurance? My main concern would be cancellation due to illness or death in the family, those kinds of things. Otherwise, we would definitely be driving to NYC and taking the cruise.

 

One more thing? Anyone with any experience on driving into NYC and parking at the port - or is there a better place to park and shuttle to the port. The only time I've sailed out of NYC we flew in and taxi'd to the port, so I'm not that familiar. We live in western PA and as it takes a whole day to fly to NYC, we thought we would just drive up and save the airfare, etc. just to try something new.

 

Thanks for your help, Carnival experts --------

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

Not an expert by any means but I can add a little here, lol. Carnival does not have any non smoking ships. But smoking is limited to cabins and designated areas. Not in the dining room (thank goodness).

 

 

As far as trip insurance, I have heard not to buy it directly from Carnival. I got mine thru www.insuremytrip.com. You can compare policies there. I got TravelEX Travelite policy. It was $79 for my family of 4 (I think my small kids were free) and has excellent coverage.

 

GL in you planning!

[bjboothman]

Thanks djk, and I've thought of more questions ----

 

Keep in mind that I am reading the old threads to learn what I can, but I still have questions:

 

What are the dining options on the Triumph? Is it all traditional dining, or do they have "anytime or PC dining" as some of the other lines do?

 

And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, how is the coffee? Princess uses a liquid concentration which I think is just awful? Coffee-lovers, tell me the truth, how is Carnival's coffee and is there anyplace on the ship to get good coffee?

[reverend]

Carnivals coffee is very very strong I had to use 1/3 coffee and 2/3 hot water.

[lrizit]

What are the dining options on the Triumph? Is it all traditional dining, or do they have "anytime or PC dining" as some of the other lines do?

 

And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, how is the coffee? Princess uses a liquid concentration which I think is just awful? Coffee-lovers, tell me the truth, how is Carnival's coffee and is there anyplace on the ship to get good coffee?

 

I've never been on Triumph, but can only assume all ships are similar. They have the dining room option, or buffets, 24 hr. pizza, a deli which in my experience makes GREAT sandwiches, some ships I've seen have sushi...so there are options for dining. With Triumph being so big, I'm sure there will be several alternatives.

Coffee...hate to break your heart, but, on my first Carnival cruise, I thought I'd never make it through the week. But, I did get used to it, so I was able to drink it. Second cruise, it was much better, so I guess it depends on who makes it. SORRY! I know how you feel about this. Coffee is vital! Good luck!

[JrMafia90]

We live in southern NJ, so we drove to NYC. We parked right at the port right next to our ship the Victory! I don't drink coffee so I can't help you there but a lot of people get it. For dining you can choose late or early seating. Or if you don't want to dine in the dining room, then go to the buffet or the pizza bar, or the grill, deli,chinese food, sushi, and on the Conquest Class ships you can also have fish and chips.

[bjboothman]

Thanks for all the great info - I've thought of something else.

 

On the Triumph, 7 day cruise, does the ship observe formal nights? How many? And what is the dress code the other evenings?

[StacyandTim]

For the 7-day there are 2 formal nights. We are leaving in 5 days for our Triumph cruise, and I was told by my Carnival PVP that the formal nights will be the second and 5th night.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Stacy

[Ehpride]

I've heard there's also a pay-for specialty shop with coffee and desserts and things like that on Carnival ships if you get desperate for a cappachino (My cousin used this when she cruised with my mom last Nov.)

[Guest cruzr44]

Cruise line insurance is more expensive for less coverage and they do not cover preexisting conditions. In order for any insurance to cover preexisting conditions I believe you have to purchase it within 14 days of booking (most companies). This means preexisting, even for family that is not cruising.

 

Last I heard parking at the port is $24 day. I will probably take a bus to NY for my Triumph cruise in August.

 

Carnival does not have PC dining like Princess, but there are plenty of places to find food if you decide not to use the dining room any given night. There are two early seatings and two late seatings as there are two dining rooms.

[nybumpkin]

DH lived in the specialty coffee shop on Victory, which is Triumph's sister (although he had no problem with the coffee served in the Lido restaurant - perfectly acceptable). As for driving and parking in NYC, there is ample parking at the pier, although it is more expensive than many parking facilities. (Of course, any parking in NYC is expensive!) The piers are right off the West Side Highway; if you come in on Interstate 80 and cross the George Washington Bridge, you just drop south on the WSH and you will see an exit for the passenger ship terminal. Drop off your checked bags with the porter before parking your car - there are no elevators from the parking area to the embarcation area, and the powers that be do not like having people bring suitcases down the escalator. Likewise, when you disembark after the cruise, one person will have to go up to the parking area and bring the car around for the remaining pax and luggage - and if there is more than one ship in port, the pick-up area is a madhouse!

 

The cruise in and out of NY Harbor is well worth any of the hassles in getting to and from the port. When you leave, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will be to starboard (right) and Manhattan will be to port (left). We had 6:15 seating for dinner and were able to stay on deck just until we passed the statue. On our return, I awakened at 5 am to experience sailing into NY, and it was well worth 2 hours' lost sleep.

[bjboothman]

cruzr44 (or anyone who knows) - what are the details of taking a bus into NYC? Is there maybe a hotel or something that can arrange a sleeping room plus bus transport --- or exactly how does one go about arranging bus transport. Altho, I figure the $24/day parking is worth is, since if I had to fly I'd be paying $30 each way for a taxi to the port, and this way I can avoid the airfare. But just wondering--

 

nybumpkin, I agree with you that it's wonderful to cruise in and out of the harbor. I had never before seen NYC and when we took our first cruise ever in June 2002, we cruised out of NY on the old Pacific Princess (Love Boat) to Bermuda. Everyone stood on deck at sailaway and pointed out to us "outsiders" where the Trade Center had been. It was so bittersweet to be in such a fabulous city, but with such a sad memory.

 

I also got out of bed very early the morning we arrived back in NYC to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island where my Italian grandparents first came to the U.S. in the 1920s. There is something pretty awesome about NYC, despite my fear of the traffic and crowds and getting lost.

[nybumpkin]

I think the parking is probably worth it. You can check with one of the bus lines as to their schedule; the buses arrive at the Port Authority terminal at 42nd street and 8th avenue, which is a short taxi ride from the piers. If you need to stay overnight, the hotel expense can add substantially to your cost, since rooms range from about $150 and up.

 

I had the same thought about family on coming into NY Harbor - my gg grandfather was an Irish famine immigrant who came to NY in 1850, and I thought about how he must have felt on seeing NY for the first time, not knowing what he would do with himself.