Carnival Spirit Mexican Riviera review, tips 2/21/05

[kdsteffie]

I have a lot of tips and tricks for all of you planning on going on his ship for the Mexican Riviera!

 

We flew out of Seattle at the butt crack of dawn and got to San Diego around: 11:00 am. We thought, heck, were young, we don't need to fly in the day before so to get on the boat relaxed...boy were we wrong, if a 24 and 26 year old can't do it, no one can! We were so tired by the time we got off the plane we just wanted to get on the ship and take a nap!!!

 

TIP: If you don't have a whole lot of luggage per person, I suggest you take the City Bus to the port (we used it on our way back). I believe it is bus route 190 or 192 (check with information) and it stops right out front of baggage claim every10 minutes. It costs 1.50 per person and takes you right to the port within 10 minutes! The first few rows of the left side of the bus have the luggage shelves so it really isn't a problem, as long as you can carry your suitcase on and off the bus.

 

Another suggestion is to skip the Carnival Shuttle and get a taxi on your own. It cost us $10 (including tip) to get from the airport to the PORT and he dropped us off right on the dock! This sure beats the $16 per person for a carnival shuttle and there is no waiting for the shuttle to be full.

 

EMBARKATION:

 

Not too bad. We unloaded the taxi and the porters were there to take our bags (we were told to tip $1 per bag) Make sure you have locks on your luggage and clearly have your name and room number on your bag on one or two different places. Have your FUN PASS filled out on the Internet and have the ticket book completed as well so you don't have to fight with he other passengers to get a pen and complete it there. Get ready to be herded like cattle as you get on another line to get your boarding pass/room key.

 

We were on the boat within 35 minutes.

 

Day 1

 

After we got on the ship we were greeted by the staff and given little maps of the ship. The atrium was beautiful. The swirly patterns on the wall were very luxurious, but just below from being gaudy. It really was beautiful. We first headed to our obstructed room view balcony on the 5th floor. The rooms were very nice and clean. The decor was that 70's orange which left a little to be desired. There were two robes in the closet (very nice) and plenty of space. Make sure to note that the first closet has shelves, which can be turned up to allow more space for hanging clothes. We did not realize this until our last day.

 

You might see an invitation to the Carnival Vacation Club. Go to the Casino area and make an appointment for this. They give you lanyards with photo ID holder and a book of ship coupons just for signing up.

 

We went to lunch on the Lido deck and it was packed. The food was good though.

 

The Shipboard drill went by pretty quickly; just don't be in a rush to be the first there as it takes a while to assemble everyone.

 

After taking a much-needed nap and missing the sail away party, we got ready for dinner. We sat at the back of the boat which lookout out into the water. The dining room was very nice. Only problem was the constant shaking of the table by the motors. We sat with 3 other newlywed couples. Our waiters Akan and Pawwel were very nice. Pawel always had something funny to say or do and Akan was always very honest about our dinner choices.

 

Dining

 

Akan would tell us if the dessert that night was not tasting that great or what entree was the best. My husband always got two appetizers, two entrees and at times two desserts and the waiters were more than happy to do this. Ok, the food was beautifully presented, but I thought the food on Royal Caribbean or Carnival were a lot better, although not as "pretty" to look at, as was the Carnival. It was good though. We always laughed when they served us salad because there was like only 2 tablespoons given per person...are they afraid to make us fat on salad? I had steak almost every night and they were all good. On the entree menu they always have pasta. Instead of getting the appetizer, you can get a small bowl of the pasta instead.

 

Our waiters were great, the food was good and every night the maitr'd went little nuts, put on some music and the waiters put on funky hats and danced around. I am glad that they get to have a little fun too.

 

Dining on the Lido deck is good. Always the same stuff, though, everyday. They have4 different stations with 4 different types of foods, I.e. Asian, American etc. The deli was good. They would make hot sandwiches every day. My husband loved the pastrami and Rueben sandwiches. The pizza bar is open 24 hours. If you ask, they can make you a calzone as well (just takes 10 minutes) or a ceaser salad (a little fishy tasting). Out by the pool they have typical hamburger and hotdogs and fries. There are Ice cream machines available as well.

 

Having Lunch in the main dining rooms was really good this surprised us. You are seated with other people and the waiters aren’t as friendly as when you have them for dinner (I guess they know you aren’t the ones tipping them at lunch) but the food was really good.

 

Breakfast on the Lido deck was good. They always had fresh fruit available. Rom service breakfast is great to have while you sit out on the balcony and enjoy the view.

 

The Supper Club:

 

If you want to do this on a specific night, i.e. day at sea, book early! Also, Go HUNGRY! We went and the service was very formal and very well done! The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Was it a whole lot better then the food in the main dining room? Not by much. It was more like the food you get on a Celebrity Ship, a few notches up. My husband and I both agreed that although we enjoyed the experience, it is not something we would do again on our next cruise.

 

Day 1 continued....

 

After dinner we went to the show, a pretty good comedian who later on at midnight did an R rated version. That night they also have a Pub-crawl / Pub Hop. You meet up in a room and go from bar t bar, getting special drinks at lower cost and meeting new people. It was a lot of fun and I am glad I went because I would have never found out how fun the shanghai Bar is. There is a piano player who will play all the "fun" sing a long songs we spent another evening here and had a BLAST!!! Definatly go!

 

Day 2 At Sea. It was pretty cool out and the waves were still a little choppy. We went out to get some sun. They had plenty of lounge e chairs on the upper decks. And if you want some real privacy, go to the topless deck at the back of the ship. Very few people there, no kids (although we kept seeing little boys trying to sneak a peak0 and if you want to be a little daring like I, take it off! Most people up there keep their tops on. If you do decide to take it off, Note that the Supper Club ceiling windows are there, and are friend who were doing a wine tasting laughed when a girl kept trying g to move her lounge chair close to the window. Because she was standing right up close to it, people below had a view.

 

We watched the Newlywed game - lots of fun. If you are the newest married couple (judged by hours0 or the oldest you get to go on stage. Before that there was a sex and love trivia game at the Pharaohs palace. That was a lot of fun to participate in as well.

 

Day 3:

 

Acapulco. Beware; the taxi drivers will try to screw you as much as they can get away with here! They get you in their cab and then they try to "kidnap you" by insisting they take you to look at all the beautiful resorts, "only $30 per person my friend" BE FIRM WITH THEM!!! Negotiate prices also, you can walk into town and do shopping if your feet can carry you about 1 mile or pay a taxi $3. Wherever you go, don't take the taxis that are right there when you get off the boat, you can see the dollar signs in their eyes. Walk more into town and then get one. The Mayan Palace is a beautiful resort. You can take a cab there for about $14 dollars. If you walk in like you belong there, you can spend the day on their beach or at the beach at one of the other close by hotels. My husband old foreign exchange student met up with us there. They took us to see the cliff divers. Get there early! You want to try to get a spot as close to the edge as possible. It only costs $2 to get in to see them. You could probably get a tax I there for $5.

 

If you like the club atmosphere go to the Palladium! It was ladies night so it was $8 for me to get in and the taxi deriver had coupons for 30% off for the guys. A taxi there is about $12. This club is on a cliff overlooking the city and bay of Acapulco. There is only a floor to ceiling window as a wall overlooking the gorgeous view. The price covers all you can drink. We had a blast here!!! We drank premium liquor all night. We almost did not make it back to the boat. Try to share a cab back with other people as it costs $14. We were literally the last people to make it back on the ship (remember that boat time is 1 hour BEHIND Mexico time, so we left the club at 2:15 am Mexico time (1:15 am boat time) thank God for the 24 hour Pizza Bar, we came back drunk, went to the bar, for Pizza, ate 4 slices each and chatted with another drunk passenger. man, people are friendly on the boat. We walked around the decks to sober up and went to sleep.

 

Day 2, Zihuatenjo / Ixtapa

 

We took the tender off the boat and shopped a little in the town right there. Lf you like silver, they have a lot of shops. Remember, negotiate! Usually you can get 1/4 to 1/2 off the original price. I thought there weren’t enough cute things to shop for here and would rather have spent more time on the beach and skipped the shopping. We then took our own taxi (about $10 -12 to Las Playas where we got on a water taxi ($3 per person) and took it to Ixtapa island. take a walk to the other side of the island where they have some good snorkeling. The taxi guys got us a table with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella and we didn't have to pay, as long as you bought or rented something (like snorkels or a drink). We locked up our book bag (locked the zippers together and they used this Wire cord lock to lock the bag to our chair. You can never be too trusting. We brought the large milk bone dog biscuits with us. "WHY" you may ask, well if you break them in half and snorkel with them, the fish will be attracted to you and literally eat out from your hand! Rub the 2 pieces together to cause the food to come off (it take a minute or 2 to soften) and feed away. I you break little pieces off; the fish will SWARM around you trying to get at it. We brought 6 milk bones with us and it wasn’t enough! We had so much fun. Walking back, there are a lot of cute restaurant near where you pick up the tender back to the boat. We so wished we had more time so we could have eaten at one of them.

 

Day 5 - Manzanillo

 

It was overcast today. We took our own cab to Las Hadas Resort (about $10) and got into the resort for about$25 per person witch you get $25 per person worth of coupons to use at the resort. The beach wasn't that great so we saved $ by not having to rent a lounge chair or tent there. We stayed by the pool all day. We hooked our back to the chair, swam in the pool and relaxed. They have a swim up bar at the pool. For$9 you get a fruity drink of your choice in a huge pineapple, well worth the $. The pool had some waterfalls and a volleyball net set up.

 

We walked over to a restaurant on the premises and used our coupons for a meal there. It was a seafood restaurant all the way at the edge of the property (facing the water, go left) called Los Delfinos. It was pretty expensive, about $60 bucks, but our coupons covered it. WE had huge margaritas, appetizers, water and entree, plus chips and salsa. We met up with some ladies from the boat and shared a cab ride back with them. It was worth it. I hear that there is another resort, called The Karmina Palace, and its right next to Las Hadas. You can take your own taxi there and pay a $75 cover to get in. If you do this tour through the boat, I think its over $100 per person. We heard that the beach there wasn’t that great either.

 

Manzanillo is a very industrial city. No shops at all! Unless you want to buy a faucet or some tiles. I think they are taking this stop off the itinerary next season because there were so many complaints. Unless you go lot one of these 2 resorts, I’d say there isn't ANYTHING to do.

 

I will write more in a couple of days, my fingers are hurting...if you have specific questions. let me know!

.....TO BE CONTINUED.................:eek:

[koolart]

Just to note that there is actually a town with shops and a town square along a cute harbor. If you don't take the shuttle from the dock, you'll miss it completely!

 

 

 

I have a lot of tips and tricks for all of you planning on going on his ship for the Mexican Riviera!

 

We flew out of Seattle at the butt crack of dawn and got to San Diego around: 11:00 am. We thought, heck, were young, we don't need to fly in the day before so to get on the boat relaxed...boy were we wrong, if a 24 and 26 year old can't do it, no one can! We were so tired by the time we got off the plane we just wanted to get on the ship and take a nap!!!

 

TIP: If you don't have a whole lot of luggage per person, I suggest you take the City Bus to the port (we used it on our way back). I believe it is bus route 190 or 192 (check with information) and it stops right out front of baggage claim every10 minutes. It costs 1.50 per person and takes you right to the port within 10 minutes! The first few rows of the left side of the bus have the luggage shelves so it really isn't a problem, as long as you can carry your suitcase on and off the bus.

 

Another suggestion is to skip the Carnival Shuttle and get a taxi on your own. It cost us $10 (including tip) to get from the airport to the PORT and he dropped us off right on the dock! This sure beats the $16 per person for a carnival shuttle and there is no waiting for the shuttle to be full.

 

EMBARKATION:

 

Not too bad. We unloaded the taxi and the porters were there to take our bags (we were told to tip $1 per bag) Make sure you have locks on your luggage and clearly have your name and room number on your bag on one or two different places. Have your FUN PASS filled out on the Internet and have the ticket book completed as well so you don't have to fight with he other passengers to get a pen and complete it there. Get ready to be herded like cattle as you get on another line to get your boarding pass/room key.

 

We were on the boat within 35 minutes.

 

Day 1

 

After we got on the ship we were greeted by the staff and given little maps of the ship. The atrium was beautiful. The swirly patterns on the wall were very luxurious, but just below from being gaudy. It really was beautiful. We first headed to our obstructed room view balcony on the 5th floor. The rooms were very nice and clean. The decor was that 70's orange which left a little to be desired. There were two robes in the closet (very nice) and plenty of space. Make sure to note that the first closet has shelves, which can be turned up to allow more space for hanging clothes. We did not realize this until our last day.

 

You might see an invitation to the Carnival Vacation Club. Go to the Casino area and make an appointment for this. They give you lanyards with photo ID holder and a book of ship coupons just for signing up.

 

We went to lunch on the Lido deck and it was packed. The food was good though.

 

The Shipboard drill went by pretty quickly; just don't be in a rush to be the first there as it takes a while to assemble everyone.

 

After taking a much-needed nap and missing the sail away party, we got ready for dinner. We sat at the back of the boat which lookout out into the water. The dining room was very nice. Only problem was the constant shaking of the table by the motors. We sat with 3 other newlywed couples. Our waiters Akan and Pawwel were very nice. Pawel always had something funny to say or do and Akan was always very honest about our dinner choices.

 

Dining

 

Akan would tell us if the dessert that night was not tasting that great or what entree was the best. My husband always got two appetizers, two entrees and at times two desserts and the waiters were more than happy to do this. Ok, the food was beautifully presented, but I thought the food on Royal Caribbean or Carnival were a lot better, although not as "pretty" to look at, as was the Carnival. It was good though. We always laughed when they served us salad because there was like only 2 tablespoons given per person...are they afraid to make us fat on salad? I had steak almost every night and they were all good. On the entree menu they always have pasta. Instead of getting the appetizer, you can get a small bowl of the pasta instead.

 

Our waiters were great, the food was good and every night the maitr'd went little nuts, put on some music and the waiters put on funky hats and danced around. I am glad that they get to have a little fun too.

 

Dining on the Lido deck is good. Always the same stuff, though, everyday. They have4 different stations with 4 different types of foods, I.e. Asian, American etc. The deli was good. They would make hot sandwiches every day. My husband loved the pastrami and Rueben sandwiches. The pizza bar is open 24 hours. If you ask, they can make you a calzone as well (just takes 10 minutes) or a ceaser salad (a little fishy tasting). Out by the pool they have typical hamburger and hotdogs and fries. There are Ice cream machines available as well.

 

Having Lunch in the main dining rooms was really good this surprised us. You are seated with other people and the waiters aren’t as friendly as when you have them for dinner (I guess they know you aren’t the ones tipping them at lunch) but the food was really good.

 

Breakfast on the Lido deck was good. They always had fresh fruit available. Rom service breakfast is great to have while you sit out on the balcony and enjoy the view.

 

The Supper Club:

 

If you want to do this on a specific night, i.e. day at sea, book early! Also, Go HUNGRY! We went and the service was very formal and very well done! The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Was it a whole lot better then the food in the main dining room? Not by much. It was more like the food you get on a Celebrity Ship, a few notches up. My husband and I both agreed that although we enjoyed the experience, it is not something we would do again on our next cruise.

 

Day 1 continued....

 

After dinner we went to the show, a pretty good comedian who later on at midnight did an R rated version. That night they also have a Pub-crawl / Pub Hop. You meet up in a room and go from bar t bar, getting special drinks at lower cost and meeting new people. It was a lot of fun and I am glad I went because I would have never found out how fun the shanghai Bar is. There is a piano player who will play all the "fun" sing a long songs we spent another evening here and had a BLAST!!! Definatly go!

 

Day 2 At Sea. It was pretty cool out and the waves were still a little choppy. We went out to get some sun. They had plenty of lounge e chairs on the upper decks. And if you want some real privacy, go to the topless deck at the back of the ship. Very few people there, no kids (although we kept seeing little boys trying to sneak a peak0 and if you want to be a little daring like I, take it off! Most people up there keep their tops on. If you do decide to take it off, Note that the Supper Club ceiling windows are there, and are friend who were doing a wine tasting laughed when a girl kept trying g to move her lounge chair close to the window. Because she was standing right up close to it, people below had a view.

 

We watched the Newlywed game - lots of fun. If you are the newest married couple (judged by hours0 or the oldest you get to go on stage. Before that there was a sex and love trivia game at the Pharaohs palace. That was a lot of fun to participate in as well.

 

Day 3:

 

Acapulco. Beware; the taxi drivers will try to screw you as much as they can get away with here! They get you in their cab and then they try to "kidnap you" by insisting they take you to look at all the beautiful resorts, "only $30 per person my friend" BE FIRM WITH THEM!!! Negotiate prices also, you can walk into town and do shopping if your feet can carry you about 1 mile or pay a taxi $3. Wherever you go, don't take the taxis that are right there when you get off the boat, you can see the dollar signs in their eyes. Walk more into town and then get one. The Mayan Palace is a beautiful resort. You can take a cab there for about $14 dollars. If you walk in like you belong there, you can spend the day on their beach or at the beach at one of the other close by hotels. My husband old foreign exchange student met up with us there. They took us to see the cliff divers. Get there early! You want to try to get a spot as close to the edge as possible. It only costs $2 to get in to see them. You could probably get a tax I there for $5.

 

If you like the club atmosphere go to the Palladium! It was ladies night so it was $8 for me to get in and the taxi deriver had coupons for 30% off for the guys. A taxi there is about $12. This club is on a cliff overlooking the city and bay of Acapulco. There is only a floor to ceiling window as a wall overlooking the gorgeous view. The price covers all you can drink. We had a blast here!!! We drank premium liquor all night. We almost did not make it back to the boat. Try to share a cab back with other people as it costs $14. We were literally the last people to make it back on the ship (remember that boat time is 1 hour BEHIND Mexico time, so we left the club at 2:15 am Mexico time (1:15 am boat time) thank God for the 24 hour Pizza Bar, we came back drunk, went to the bar, for Pizza, ate 4 slices each and chatted with another drunk passenger. man, people are friendly on the boat. We walked around the decks to sober up and went to sleep.

 

Day 2, Zihuatenjo / Ixtapa

 

We took the tender off the boat and shopped a little in the town right there. Lf you like silver, they have a lot of shops. Remember, negotiate! Usually you can get 1/4 to 1/2 off the original price. I thought there weren’t enough cute things to shop for here and would rather have spent more time on the beach and skipped the shopping. We then took our own taxi (about $10 -12 to Las Playas where we got on a water taxi ($3 per person) and took it to Ixtapa island. take a walk to the other side of the island where they have some good snorkeling. The taxi guys got us a table with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella and we didn't have to pay, as long as you bought or rented something (like snorkels or a drink). We locked up our book bag (locked the zippers together and they used this Wire cord lock to lock the bag to our chair. You can never be too trusting. We brought the large milk bone dog biscuits with us. "WHY" you may ask, well if you break them in half and snorkel with them, the fish will be attracted to you and literally eat out from your hand! Rub the 2 pieces together to cause the food to come off (it take a minute or 2 to soften) and feed away. I you break little pieces off; the fish will SWARM around you trying to get at it. We brought 6 milk bones with us and it wasn’t enough! We had so much fun. Walking back, there are a lot of cute restaurant near where you pick up the tender back to the boat. We so wished we had more time so we could have eaten at one of them.

 

Day 5 - Manzanillo

 

It was overcast today. We took our own cab to Las Hadas Resort (about $10) and got into the resort for about$25 per person witch you get $25 per person worth of coupons to use at the resort. The beach wasn't that great so we saved $ by not having to rent a lounge chair or tent there. We stayed by the pool all day. We hooked our back to the chair, swam in the pool and relaxed. They have a swim up bar at the pool. For$9 you get a fruity drink of your choice in a huge pineapple, well worth the $. The pool had some waterfalls and a volleyball net set up.

 

We walked over to a restaurant on the premises and used our coupons for a meal there. It was a seafood restaurant all the way at the edge of the property (facing the water, go left) called Los Delfinos. It was pretty expensive, about $60 bucks, but our coupons covered it. WE had huge margaritas, appetizers, water and entree, plus chips and salsa. We met up with some ladies from the boat and shared a cab ride back with them. It was worth it. I hear that there is another resort, called The Karmina Palace, and its right next to Las Hadas. You can take your own taxi there and pay a $75 cover to get in. If you do this tour through the boat, I think its over $100 per person. We heard that the beach there wasn’t that great either.

 

Manzanillo is a very industrial city. No shops at all! Unless you want to buy a faucet or some tiles. I think they are taking this stop off the itinerary next season because there were so many complaints. Unless you go lot one of these 2 resorts, I’d say there isn't ANYTHING to do.

 

I will write more in a couple of days, my fingers are hurting...if you have specific questions. let me know!

.....TO BE CONTINUED.................:eek:

[michelle2]

Thanks for the review. I would love to read more. We will be on the Spirit 11/2005.

[mohavemommy]

I will also be on the Spirit on Nov 2005 and am loving this review!

 

michelle2 - I will be on the Nov 16th sailing.... how about you??

[michelle2]

mohavemommy - We get on Nov 8. We'll be leaving as you are arriving.

[mohavemommy]

Try to leave her in good shape for us! :D

[kdsteffie]

CARNIVAL SPIRIT REVIEW CONTINUED.....

 

Entertainment:

The Cruise Director and his wife were very cool. They were cute and lots of fun. He did get a little annoying by e saying “bye bye, y’all goodbye” (You’ll know what I mean when you are on the boat).

 

Like I said previously, the comedian was good and his after hours R rated version was real funny as well.

 

The hypnotist is not to be misses. If you or your family partake, remember to take pictures or video because it is not included on the Ships video Diary. Our table mates wife became Brittany Spears up there and boy do they regret not being able to see it on the Ships video!

 

The hypnotist has an R rated after hours show as well. We missed this one but heard it was really good.

 

The Pharos Palace (Theatre) is really nice. There was ample seating and the stadium seating on the top balcony was great. Everyone had a view.

 

The Broadway Shows- We went to the first Broadway Show on the boat I believe the 2nd night. They reviewed all the big musicals……I don’t know if it was the wine at dinner or what, but we found this boring. In fact I started to fall asleep. We went and spent our time at the Shanghai Lounge and THAT was a lot of fun. There were plenty of other lounges and Bars onboard. Each one had their own form of entertainment whether it be listening to classical and jazz music, to karaoke, to 50’s 60’s through 90’s music. The Club n board was very cool . We only got to spend a little time here, but if you want to shake what your mamma gave ya, here is the place to go. The other lounges also offered a dance floor as well.

 

Through out the day there were various activities to participate in from a ship scavenger hunt to Trivia, Card Games, bingo, etc. My personal favorites were the Newlywed game and the Sex and Love Trivia.

 

For children they have a Kids Club which keep them busy all day. We walked through their areas, and they have a Fun House where only a few kids go in at a time for and jump on bouncy ball ,inflatable rooms, etc. They have children’s only pool area/tub, a water slide ( that has a view of the topless deck if a child / husband can strain there neck up high and over enough) and an arcade. There are jungle themed lounges as well. I saw counselors keeping kids busy with trivia and craft projects.

 

I think the kids area on the Royal Caribbean voyager of the Seas was a lot nicer, with a lot more to offer, including a teen only club.

 

Rooms:

 

We had a Balcony Obstructed View room. If you opt for this room, make sure you do not get one of the first three rooms from the forward part of the ship as the life rafts are bigger /higher and block more. Also, choose a room at the balk half of the life boat since the front part of the life boat has a hump. It still did not come up above our railing, , but if you are paying the same money, choose a room that is on the back half /covers less of the view. If you want to see a picture, let me know.

 

If you think an Ocean View Obstructed room is for you, don’t go there! WE laughed because the Ocean view rooms with the French doors that were “obstructed” opened up to a beautiful view of the lifeboats hull. You could not see any ocean at all. If you are thinking this is an upgrade, forget it, try to get a different room

 

The rooms in general were that ugly 70’s orange, like mentioned before. The bathroom has an okay size shower. The water pressure was GREAT!!! I wish they had a glass door rather then the curtain that would allow water to get out of the little one inch divider between the shower floor and the bathroom floor.

 

Storage in the bathroom was pretty good. They have a basket of samples, from hair gel to toothpaste. In fact, if I is only the two of you in the room, don’t bother bringing your own tube as they have 4 little packets of the Crest flavored toothpaste. If you need more, just ask the room steward. They also had samples of men/women/ bic shaver, herbal essence shampoo and conditioner, coupons for those products, hmmmm...there is more but I don’t remember what they are.

 

The bathroom has 3 glass shelves on both sides, giving plenty of room for your toiletries. Since we had a lot of shower stuff ( ie byway, shampoos, razors, etc, I wish we had brought one of those corner bathroom storage things that suction to the side of your bathtub/shower. This would have been great to keep all of our shower stuff up and off the floor. You can get these at Wal-mart or Target in the bathroom section.

 

The room had 3 large closets, one with a rod that allows for you to hang long dresses. The 2nd door had a top and bottom rod that allowed for shirts and pants to be hung. The 3rd closet had shelves which could be pushed up and locked into place with a tab should you need more hanging space.

 

The drawers in the vanity were small. The first had a hairdryer, the rest were not to deep but ok. There is one plug on the vanity. There is also what looks like to be the 220 volt plug as well on the vanity and in the bathroom for shavers. The fridge is stocked. We asked our room steward to empty it out and unlock it so we could put our own bottles of wine(smuggled aboard) and drinks in there.

 

The rooms has a big bottle of water (its $3.95 per bottle) ice, and 3 types of drinking glasses, regular, wine and champagne.

 

The nightstands each have a cubby. The couch in the room could be pulled out to a bed and was quite large. The deck furniture is your typical white plastic Wal-Mart special, offering a small lounger, a chair and a comfortable (great t o eat room service and watch the view at)

 

There are no alarm clocks, so bring your own, especially if you are in an interior stateroom, where it is pitch dark, even in daytime.

 

The safe in the room was in the little cabinet below the TV. You use a card that has a magnetic strip to open and close it. You can use your Sail and Sign card or a credit card. We used our Costco card for this. You can even use those expired gift cards you get from a store. Make sure you put your valuables in here as when the room steward cleans the room, sometimes they leave the door propped open or sometimes it doesn’t close all the way. This happened to one of our tablemates. Actually when we got on board our door was cracked open. Be carefully when you leave or get in the room that the door closes ALL THE WAY!

 

The TV always had something about what happened the day before, ie video of a show or contest. They had some movies that would run all day long.

 

Our room stewards kept the room very clean, always providing us with fresh towels. We brought a “post it” Pad with us and would leave him notes such as “please empty our fridge” etc, should we need anything. They were always very couritouse. The bedspreads itself was stained in the room . The hallway outside had stains in the carpet, you can tell al lot of people have passed these halls. The only thing I did not like about the room was that you could here the kids running up and down the halls morning, noon, and night. They sound like a herd of elephant. If you got kids, don't let them do this!

 

Outside our door we used a 3M post it hook ( you know the ones that you can pull the glue off after) and hung a little chalkboard with our wedding picture in it. Kids down the hall had fun writing us little messages that were so sweet as well as other passengers. I am glad we did this, no matter how cheesy it sounds.

 

We didn’t use the shoe hanger that was suggested we bring. Although it would have made it a lot easier if it were more than 2 people per room. Make sure to bring roller lint remover as well as extra hangers if you need them, as they don’t supply more then say, 10, per room.

 

Bring a wine opener if you smuggle wine aboard, a bungee cord for your balcony door, Water bottles (trust me, it cost a lot less to bring a bottle filled with the ships juice or water that you get from breakfast then buying water from the boat on your way out! We would fill our sports bottle in the morning and use it al day, on and off the boat. We filled it with a ton of ice. I suggest getting a juice as the water doesn’t have the best taste. In Acapulco you could buy water at a store for 50 cents.

 

Debarkation.:

 

Pack your bags he last day at sea in the afternoon, so you are not rushing to do so that evening. Remember to keep a carry on with you so you can pack your PJs and toiletries the next morning. Definatly before you come on the cruise ship, get some kind of interesting ribbon to put on your luggage, cause they all look the same when you get off. Make sure you lock your luggage as you leave it in the hallway for pick up. You get assigned a color and the next morning when your color is called, you get off the ship. It went by rather quickly, we were off the boat by 9am. Get to breakfast early so you have a full tummy for your trip back home.

 

Ideas , Tips, Tricks

 

-Find out when the free cocktails parties are and go! WE accidentally walked in to the “Past Guests” Cocktail Party and got awesome appetizers and drinks. You can find out when it is by saying you “accidentally” forgot to someone in the Pursers office.

 

-Get involved with the Carnival Vacation Club. They have a cocktail night/appetizers on the 3rd to last day of the cruise. Also, if you check out the Vacation Club, you can get buy one get one free airfare anywhere in the US. The vacation deals aren’t bad either. The Silver Plan is actually pretty good and we would have done it if we weren’t a military couple and had crazy ever changing schedules.

 

-They also give you a coupon book 9 one of which gets you free pics after purchase of an 8x12 formal pic)

 

-Bring bug spray. We didn’t think we needed it, but I got quite a few bites

 

-Bring your own cheap beach towel. It saves you from being scared that you might lose yours and have to pay that ridiculous $22 charge. Also, with your own towel, you don’t scream out that you are a Cruise ship tourist (remember the $$ signs I said people get in Mexico)

 

-Don’t be too afraid to drink the ice from a frozen beverage in the major locals in Mexico, we never got sick.

 

-When you are at a port that requires a tender, go to the Lido deck and get your Number for the tender early, as it can take an hour or more if you are not signed up on one of the cruises’ shore excursion to get off the ship. The shore excursions get first priority, followed by everyone else in number order. Go get your ticket, then have breakfast, because it takes a while! Start to go downstairs when the number below you is called so you can be the first in line for your tender.

 

-Bring your own wine to the dinner table. Talk to your waiter beforehand (tip him if need be) and bring your own wine. Even if they charge you corkage, you get a better quality wine then you would for the same price off the menu. It was amazing how a 4.99 bottle of wine from Costco cost 22.95 on their menu. We brought wine that was normally 20 to 30 dollars a bottle for dinner and our waiter didn’t charge us corkage (Shhhhh, we did however tip him well)

 

-Customs is a joke when you get off the boat. We were so worried that since we bought so much duty free alcohol, we would get caught. Customs consisted of us handing our form to an official on our way out. He was at the gate when we got off, but yet, no customs were anywhere after we got our bags! If you pack your alcohol in a bag, you should be fine. It was cool for the sake of the alcohol, but a little scary in as to what can be smuggles in.

 

-The people in Mexico are very friendly, even the guy on the side of the street that looks like a bum will help you out. I can speak a some Spanish and boy does that help! It made the taxi drivers and anyone we dealt with “like us “ a little more because we made the effort and joked around with them. They like talking about themselves, their family, the area, so get friendly on the long cab rides to a resort or beach. They will be more likely to give you info.

 

-If you get a Carnival Vacation Club coupon book and don’t use it all, leave it in the safe with a note for the next guest to use it. Also, unlock your safe at the end of the cruise. It makes it easier for the cain stewards.

 

-Buy some calling cards and give them to the people who have made your trip enjoyable, ie bartender, room steward, waiters, etc…They can get a chance to call home

 

-When you get off the boat, you can take the City bus into the airport. It is a bust stop across the street from the dock. Take a left and the bus stop sign is right there. Like I said earlier, they have a luggage rack and it only takes 10 minutes max to get to the airport, all for a couple of bucks. WE went to the airport, dropped off our luggage at the USO ( our flight wasn’t until 6pm) and took the bus back into the town. Get off at broadway and take a walk along the water to some nice shopping/ touristy areas. You can also go to little Italy if you walk from the cruise ship, walk straight up a couple of blocks.

 

Well, that’s it for me, if you have more specific questions, ask away. Other then that, I will post again if I remember anything else.

 

[shungirl]

Thanks for all the details... I leave Sunday and cant wait. I am so glad you talked about the hypnotist. That sounds like a hoot!!

[mohavemommy]

Thanks for the post! I love to hear about the Spirit!

[Bethwte]

Thanks for all the details... I leave Sunday and cant wait. I am so glad you talked about the hypnotist. That sounds like a hoot!!

 

I was also on the 2/21 sailing, and the hypnotist, chuck milligan was hillarious! I actually went to all 3 of his shows (early seating, late seating, midnight show) and they were all a bit different, even the two dinner seating shows had their twists. Word to the wise if you see the hypnotist more than once: you can probably skip the first 20 minutes or so of the show, as that is exactly the same for all three (to get the people hypnotized)... Also, I heard that they alternate between two hypnotists, so not all people will have Chuck Milligan I suppose...

[michelle2]

For those of you that saw the hypnotist on the Spirit:

 

Will I feel comfortable with my 7 and 10 year olds? How "adult" is the show?

[Bethwte]

I suppose it depends on how sheltered they are, but there were definitely some adult undertones in the show, so I'd be weary, especially with the 7 year old.

[K.T.B.]

For those of you that saw the hypnotist on the Spirit:

 

Will I feel comfortable with my 7 and 10 year olds? How "adult" is the show?

 

If it bothers you, just have him hypnotize them to forget it all. ;)

 

 

To kdsteffie: Great review. Obviously I was more interested in the ship itself since I'll be sailing her when she's in Alaska. Now I am wishing I didn't wait over a year.....

[emporess]

We were on the 3/25 sailing and had a great time. We took the 7 hour Colonial Tour offered by Carnival. It was extremely interesting and actually our favorite port day! I know all of us are different so find something you like to do and have fun. You will have to get outside of the pier to find something.

[mohavemommy]

We were on the 3/25 sailing and had a great time. We took the 7 hour Colonial Tour offered by Carnival. It was extremely interesting and actually our favorite port day! I know all of us are different so find something you like to do and have fun. You will have to get outside of the pier to find something.

 

Where was the Colonial Tour and what did it include? :confused:

[ronrythm]

:(

We brought the large milk bone dog biscuits with us. "WHY" you may ask, well if you break them in half and snorkel with them, the fish will be attracted to you and literally eat out from your hand!

Please DO NOT DO THIS. You are poisoning the fish. Dog biscuits contain things fish can't handle. You shouldn't feed them anything, but if you really must feed the fish, go to the pet store and get tropical fish food.

[emporess]

Where was the Colonial Tour and what did it include? :confused:

The Colonial Tour left Manzanillo's pier at 8:00am. We took an hour and a half motorcoach bus drive towards the city of Colima. The guide spoke for the entire drive about the surroundings or history of the city. He was fantastic. Once in Colima we could either go on our own or follow our guide through a museum and government building. I think we had about one hour. We then got back on the bus and headed for archeological ruins that were discovered 14 years ago. We were there for 20 minutes and it was HOT. There is one ruin where we went down some steps and there are bones and aritfacts. We then headed off to have lunch (included) where they serve you small plates of tacos, salads, and fruit until you are full. It also includes two drinks per person. They can be water, soda, or beer. Also, an active volcano can be seen from Colima. Before departing we did a little shopping. Quite a day.

[kluv2cruz]

mohavemommy - We get on Nov 8. We'll be leaving as you are arriving.

 

 

Hey ho - I started a roll call for the Nov 8th Spirit Mexico.... Check it out & keep it going! How many more sleeps?

[kdsteffie]

Thanks for the update, i did not know this. On my first cruise with celebrity our snorkel rental came wth the Milkbone and they told us we could feed the fish with it..... Ever since then I had thought it woudl be okay and have been using it.

[javamom]

Dining on the Lido deck is good. Always the same stuff, though, everyday. They have4 different stations with 4 different types of foods, I.e. Asian, American etc. The deli was good. They would make hot sandwiches every day. My husband loved the pastrami and Rueben sandwiches. The pizza bar is open 24 hours. If you ask, they can make you a calzone as well (just takes 10 minutes) or a ceaser salad (a little fishy tasting).

 

Perhaps the anchovy in Ceasar dressing?

[Arisia]

emporess, We, too, took the Colonial Tour out of Manzanillo (Celebrity cruise) last month and it was truly a highlight of our 6 ports! We really enjoyed the bus trip, the city of Colima and the wonderful site of the pyramids of La Campana! The two volcanoes (one very active) in the background were breathtaking!! The small town of Comala was very interesting as well and the snack provided at the restaurant was delicious. The weather was perfect. I hate to think that Manzanillo would be dropped as a port of call because I, for one, would love to return to Colima and Comala.

[kdsteffie]

I wish I knew about that tour in Manzanillo! Everywhere I looked said that we were better off going to the resorts. And the drive to the resorts was gloomy, with no tourisyt spots. I wish Carnival did a better job at explaing the fact that there was more to offer in Manzanillo. The description of the colonial tour didn't sound that appealing. Thanks you for updating us all on the possibility that Manzanillo has in store for future passengers.

[Wennfred]

We were on the same ship too.. hypnotist, chuck milligan was one of the best shows ever. My wife Wendy got hypnotized from the audience on the second show since she needed to feel rested, She ended up on stage !!! LOL we went to all 3 shows.

 

If your Kids 7 and 10 year old were very tired that day from a long day of fun, I wouldnt recommend this show to them as they too can fall under the Evil Spell of Chuck Milligan. LOL

 

As for Michael Mullane, we have had him 3 times now and he gets better with every cruise, Mr. Mullane and wife are a great team.:)

 

Can you email me this Review so I can Print it out and Read it during work.

 

Thanks

[emporess]

Thank you for remembering the correct name of the ruins and towns......how quickly one forgets!

[kdsteffie]

hmmm, i was just thinking about the need for bug spray....I did not ever remember seeing any mosquito or feeling them bite me while in Mexico, but in the morning i would wake up with bites (more like welts) on my legs.......perhaps these were bed bugs?