Pride September 9-16 ~ Our First Carnival Cruise

[sparks1093]

Thank you for reading my review so far. I think I'm going to cry. I just typed up "Day 5 - part 2", forgot about the "time-out" feature, and hit return. Gone! No part 2. Well, I'll be back tomorrow - I mean later today - to try again.

 

Try typing the main part of the review up in Microsoft Word or other word processing program and the cut and paste it into the message window. Then you can add your photos and post it without having to worry about it timing out.

[cathyoo]

Loving your review. Especially since I will be on the same cruise in 9 days. Very well written and beautiful pictures.

[thePrincess04]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your review!! Thank you for sharing – Cannot wait to read the rest!

[Silent Penguin]

You lucky people who are leaving soon, I envy you! To think, dh and I though only DCL could make us happy.

 

 

Day 5 -Part 2

 

 

 

Afternoon

• Laundry – How valuable is your time? By Thursday afternoon, we had one full load of laundry to do. We had the choice of using the ship's laundry service or doing it ourselves. I don't mind doing laundry on vacation, so I took our sack of clothes, my roll of quarters, and my ziploc bags of detergent and dryer sheets to the laundrette.
  
  • 
    

  [*]As it was the fourth full day of the cruise, I had company at the laundrette. When I arrived, one lady was loading a washer and another was waiting around for her clothes to finish the spin cycle. All four dryers were in use. No one was using the folding table or the ironing board, so I set my basket on the table and hung around with the other women until one of the washers was free. I felt lucky to have arrived when I did, which was about 4:00, because as it grew later, the number of people popping their heads in the door to check for an open machine increased.

• Here is an idea of what each option costs.
  
  • Ship Service
    
  • cost -$15.00 a bag (one full load)
    
  • piece rate examples – $2.00 (socks, underwear, t-shirt) to 4.00 (shirt, jeans) to 7.00 (trousers)
     
    
  • Self-Service (one full load)
    
  • cost - $8.00 to use the washer (3.00), dryer (3.00), buy detergent (1.00) & dryer sheet (1.00)
    
  • *note – No change machine in laundrette. seek quarters from casino or guest services.
     
     
    

Dinner – the first one

 

 

 

 

Not particularly hungry but curious to see what new dishes might be on the menu, dh and went to the dining room at 6pm. Nothing on the starter menu appealed to us, so we just ordered entrees. We both had the petite filet & short rib.

• petite filet and short rib dinner entre -
  
  • The portion was probably 4 ounces of filet and almost 2 ounces of short rib slice.
    
  • Delicious!- Given the portion size, if I was really hungry and if I knew it was going to taste so good, I would skipped every other part of the meal (even dessert) and have ordered two of them ;)
    

Thinking we might sample the carrot cake at the Piazzo Cafe later, we skipped dessert.

 

 

 

Dinner – the second one

 

After dinner, dh and I perused the pictures in the photo gallery and then went back up to our room to read our Fun Times to find the location of the sushi bar. I read it, promptly forgot it, and wound up misdirecting us to the fourth floor where we literally ran into my Scrabble friends who were also heading to the sushi bar. Needless to say, we followed them.

 

 

 

Too much saki? - (Something I witnessed that has nothing to do with our narrative)

 

There was only one person at the sushi bar when we approached, a 20'ish year old man who was not too steady on his feet. He was in the process of paying for the cups of saki he had on a small tray. Noting too late that buying saki by the carafe is cheaper than by the cup, he attempted to persuade the sushi bar chef to charge him for a carafe instead. But, the chef didn't understand him and the man's gestures led the chef to believe that he wanted to buy a carafe. So, the chef handed the guest a carafe and asked him to sign for it, which he did. The drunk man appeared a little confused by the transaction, looking back and forth at his tray of cups and then at his carafe a couple times when his friend came over and relieved him of the tray and the carafe.

 

That wasn't the end of it though. Instead of leaving with his friend, he hung back and asked the chef how much a bottle of saki cost. When the chef told him, the man asked if he could cancel the carafe and pay for a whole bottle since he had, between the cups and the carafe as much saki as a bottle. Again, the chef didn't understand, handed him a full bottle and asked for his card. The drunk guest started to explain what he wanted but mid-sentence changed his mind, shook his head like he had spiders crawling in his ears and paid for the bottle. Then he left.

 

 

 

I would have forgotten about the whole thing, but on the last day of the cruise, dh and I were in line at Guest Services when I saw that poor man sitting on a chair in the lounge near the Guest Services desk. He was staring in naked horror at his multi-page Sail & Sign statement. Watching him slowly flip the pages, scanning each line with his mouth agape, I can't help but think there was more than one episode like the one I witnessed at the sushi bar.

 

 

 

Making our own Fun Times.

 

 

 

Although dh and I had planned to check out Sixty Seconds or Less and a couple other entertainments that night, we never did make it to any of the shows. My Scrabble friends, with whom we were sharing a sushi dinner, were traveling with another couple who showed up shortly after we sat down at the promenade seating area to eat our sushi. The wife had her travel Scrabble set in her hands and suggested we play. I looked at dh's face and knew he was hating life. In his mind, he was surrounded by Scrabble freaks! He does NOT play word games and would rather sit cross-legged on a cold tile floor watching eight hours of The Teletubbies while drinking two day old decaf coffee than play Scrabble all night, which what he thought he was in for. But, his chagrin was short-lived. As it turned out, the other husbands weren't crazy about playing word games either. They only played when their wives made them. But, we ladies didn't need them to play, so they were off the hook.

 

 

 

When a Carnival waiter cleared the sushi plates, it reminded me that the next course should be dessert and that I had mini-bottles of Kahlua and Baileys bought especially to share with our friends. When I suggested dessert and coffee drinks, two of the husbands went up to the buffet to collect a variety of desserts for everyone while one of the ladies ordered coffees from the Piazzo Cafe and I went up to our room to retrieve the Kahlua and Baileys.

 

 

 

• Buffet desserts – It's frustrating how something that looks like it should taste so good can be so bland. Except for the lemon cake (very lemony), the rest of the desserts were boring and/or dry.
  
  • 
    

  [*]Piazzo Cafe coffee – very good. I never had a bad cup of coffee from the cafe during our whole cruise.

 

I don't recall finishing more than one or two games of Scrabble, but nevertheless, we had a wonderful time. We all agreed that our impromptu party was better than anything listed in the Fun Times that night. Too bad we are a bunch of light-weight partiers who, after a couple drinks were ready for night-night by 11:00.

[mslius]

I'm not sure what a steady diet of the Chinese food would do to a person's life expectancy, though.

 

 

 

 

?

I am not sure I understand what you mean. There are over one billion chinese people keep a steady diet of chinese food. The life expectancy is comparable to the US (73 vs 79). The obesity rate is way lower than US.

[sparks1093]

I am not sure I understand what you mean. There are over one billion chinese people keep a steady diet of chinese food. The life expectancy is comparable to the US (73 vs 79). The obesity rate is way lower than US.

 

I am pretty sure that OP's comment was limited to the Chinese food that was onboard, not the typical fare one is likely to find in China.

[Philly Steve]

Entertaining and well written review! Did you keep a journal?

 

Loved the story about saki man. "Friends don't let friends Sign and Sail drunk." :D

[PeggyMc]

I am not sure I understand what you mean. There are over one billion chinese people keep a steady diet of chinese food. The life expectancy is comparable to the US (73 vs 79). The obesity rate is way lower than US.

 

I am enjoying your review and we get what you are saying!

 

I know a family who owns a number of large Chinese restaurants. Lots of famiy members work there and all the kids have always basically lived in the restaurants too. They play, do their home work etc from opening to closing. I know weight gain is a problem as eating all the "Chinese American" food as well as the all you can eat ice cream machine at their restaurants has lead to the kids being overweight. There is a clear difference in the food most Americans would pay money for and what people eat in China.

 

I love a good plate of that food though!

[Silent Penguin]

My apologies to msluis for the misunderstanding. Sparks and Peggy are both correct that I was talking about the "Chinese" food on the ship and not the food that the people of China typically eat.

[Silent Penguin]

Entertaining and well written review! Did you keep a journal?

 

Thank you. Yes, I kept a journal. Experience has taught me the value of keeping notes. Every night, I scrawled out the day's events except for once when I fell asleep before finishing. As a result, that day's report was the one I couldn't complete.

 

 

 

Loved the story about saki man. "Friends don't let friends Sign and Sail drunk." :D

 

Excellent! If I could go back and edit my post, I would use that title (with credit to its creator)

[Philly Steve]

Thank you. Yes, I kept a journal. Experience has taught me the value of keeping notes. Every night, I scrawled out the day's events except for once when I fell asleep before finishing. As a result, that day's report was the one I couldn't complete.

 

Well done. I don't know how many times I've been up recapping the day in my journal while the DW was blissfully sleeping. Vacations are so fleeting and a journal/review is something we can hold in our hands afterward. :) Looking forward to your next installment. ;)

[smplyblessed619]

The wife had her travel Scrabble set in her hands and suggested we play. I looked at dh's face and knew he was hating life. In his mind, he was surrounded by Scrabble freaks! He does NOT play word games and would rather sit cross-legged on a cold tile floor watching eight hours of The Teletubbies while drinking two day old decaf coffee than play Scrabble all night, which what he thought he was in for.

 

I literally laughed out loud!!! I am enjoying your review and want to thank you for taking the time to post. I will be visiting these ports in only a few short days and it's helping to fill the "cruise" bug I've come down with (Since January) :) Great pics so far as well... Thanks again!

[Silent Penguin]

Day 6 – Freeport – Nature & Snorkeling Excursion

 

 

 

Morning – Coffee drinking is something I only started doing about 5 years ago, so I hadn't yet learned that the soporific effects of alcohol do not cancel out the stimulating effects of coffee. I know it now. We slept very badly after our evening with our friends. I thought it was because I was anxious about the tour the next morning.

 

I wasn't concerned about the quality of the excursion because the reviews on Travel Adviser were unanimously glowing, but I was concerned about missing it. Here's why. Every excursion we have arranged prior to a cruise has been with a company that has a website, requires a deposit, and indicates a time and location to meet. Not so with Chad4nature. No website, just an email address. No deposit, just an email from us with our names, our shoe size for the flippers, and our lunch choice. No time and location for meeting, just a phone number to call when we get off the ship. My biggest concern was we are going to walk off the ship in Freeport and find ourselves unable to immediately find a phone to call Chad and so much time would pass between finding a phone and making contact that our guide would decide we were “no-shows” and leave without us.

 

 

In addition, waking up to a pre-dawn sky after a bad's night sleep had us in a less than vacation mode mood. Thank goodness for the cheering effects of a room service breakfast of hot chocolate & coffee, fresh bagels and lox, ripe melon slices and moist chocolate muffins. By the time we finished breakfast, the sky and our outlook had brightened.

 

 

 

• Meeting our tour guide - As it turned out, there was no time for worry. Within seconds of walking off the ship, we spotted a neatly groomed Bahamian man holding a sign that read “Chad4Nature”. With giddy relief, we shook his hand. Our guide, Jay, knew who we were before we could introduce ourselves. A good sign.
  

• Our tour group -The next pleasant surprise was that we were the only people on the tour. It's not that we don't enjoy the company of others -we love meeting new people – but who wouldn't want a tour guide all to oneself?
  
• 
  
• A proper conveyance - Not interested in the port's shops, we headed to Jay's van, which I was relieved to see was clean and relatively new. (One time, we booked a snorkeling excursion that boasted clean and comfortable transportation, but our actual conveyance from the port to the snorkeling boat dock turned out to be an old Chevy truck with no muffler, passenger side window glass or seat belts.)
  
• 
  
• Industrial strength - As we left the port center to start our Western End tour, dh expressed an interest in the industrial aspects of the Port of Freeport, asking questions about the refinery and container centers we could see from the ship as we entered the Port of Freeport. Honestly, I didn't expect Jay to have much to say, but I was wrong. Instead of heading straight for the “nature” part of our nature tour, Jay started us off with a guided tour of the industrial operations near the port. He was a walking encyclopedia and Dh couldn't have been happier.
  

 

 

• History and culture stops There were several more stops and sights to see before we were to reach the nature path including
  

 

 

 

At "The Hole" - The water was so clear and there were so many fish, you wanted to dive right in.

 

 

This church is not storm-damaged. It was built to look like this, like Noah's Ark

 

 

• Nature trail - we saw
  
  • spiders - We must have been the first hikers of the day because all the spider webs spun across our path were still intact. As our guide, poor Jay was first to encounter them, he was constantly batting them from his face. In spite of Jay's admonishments not to touch anything, dh picked up a stick for Jay to use on the webs. From that point on, it looked like Jay was evoking a magic spell with his “wand” as he lead us on our path.
    
  • butterflies, insects, snails, and hermit crabs We saw a lot of butterflies and insects, and the forest floor was alive with hermit crabs. Jay named all the flora and fauna we encountered and told us so much about the Fern Gully as we walked through it, I started to think of him as a young professor and not a tour guide!
    
  • fresh water cave - one of many but the only one we were to see that day.
    

• That's me peeking down into the fresh water cave
   
   
  
• Snorkeling at Paradise Cove- Eventually, we reached our snorkeling destination at Paradise Cove, where Deadman's Reef is located.
  
  • Very pleasant place- laid back spot with equipment and chair rentals, an outdoor eatery with decent prices, and some shopping.
    
  • The snorkeling - fantastic. We saw lots of different kinds of sea life, but you have to swim a ways out (¼ mile or more) past the very shallow turtle grass to reach the reef.
    
  • Decent Food - limited menu - burgers, fish & chips, etc, but affordable prices. The food was good but I wouldn't trust a hungry snorkeler such as I was to be too discriminating.
    
  • One drawback . Biting/sting flies. Probably what we call no-see-ums. I don't know if they are a year-round nuisance or maybe a certain time of day nuisance, but in the few minutes it took to get my snorkel gear on, I had bites all over my lower legs. It didn't hurt enough to yelp but a couple days after the trip, and for almost a week after that, I was itching.
    

  [*]

  [*]The snorkeling ends abruptly...

  • Jay offered to be our snorkeling guide as we were experienced snorkelers, we declined assistance. We swam out to the reef, took lots of pictures and were having an absolutely fabulous time until the occasional jelly fish spotting turned into this..
    

 

(PICTURE)

 

 

 

• That's when we decided we had enough snorkeling and it was time for lunch. Jay must have been tracking our progress to shore because by the time we had showered off and were heading back to the picnic table where Jay was watching our things, he was bringing our lunches to the table. We all ate fish & chips (mine with a good dousing of malt vinegar) and dh bought a Kalik beer. I think it was $3.50 or $4.00.
  

 

 

• Jay takes us back to the port The snorkeling was our last prolonged stop before returning to the port.
  
  • A stop we should have made - The duty free outside of the port shopping area. The one in the cruise ship area was small, limited in selection, and no bargain. Since we didn't have enough time left after the tour to go back outside the port to find a different store, and we really wanted to buy a bottle of rum for our room steward, we sucked it up and bought a bottle a the port's duty free.
    

If we return to Freeport, we want to do a tour of the Eastern End and and we will definitely ask for Jay to take us. I think I have focused on how knowledgeable he is, but he has other wonderful qualities as a tour guide that any couple, family or group would appreciate.

[Silent Penguin]

Here are more pictures from our time at Paradise Cove.

 

 

 

View of Deadman's Reef from the shore. The kayaks in the foreground of the photo are rentals.

 

 

This photo was taken from behind the reef not approaching it.

 

 

 

Contact information

 

 

 

I DID NOT doctor this photo. MEN are on the menu but no price is listed. Is that because of the price of The Catch of the Day changes depending on what it is?

[bigcraig]

We are going on the Pride in dec(for the 3rd time) has the pizza station been changed to the new thin crust style with only 4 choices and no calzones yet?

[Silent Penguin]

We are going on the Pride in dec(for the 3rd time) has the pizza station been changed to the new thin crust style with only 4 choices and no calzones yet?

 

 

I know calzones are still available but I couldn't tell you how many selections of pizza there were. Dh had a slice on embarkment day. It looked like a thin crust slice.

[mntbikejack]

Thanks for the very good review. We can't wait to get back on the Pride.

[Silent Penguin]

Day 5 – Continued -

 

 

 

Afternoon - Shopping - After showers and a nap, dh and I went gift shopping for us and for our children. I know absolutely nothing about what cigarettes, jewelry, handbags or designer sunglasses cost nor do I have reason to care, so I can't report on those. As for the prices of clothes and flipflops, I didn't think the prices, considering the brands, were any more than retail stores on land. Our purchases:

• For our 2 sons -2 for $20 tee shirt for each
  
  • not too shabby in the quality department
    

  [*]our daughter - De Sol nail polish that we knew she would flip over for $10.00 a bottle(same as on land) or 4 for $30.00.

  [*]for all three of them - Selection of Sweets (you fill a compartmentalized container with your choice of candy) .

  • It has become a tradition that when dh and I travel without them, we bring them boxes of candy, something we rarely keep in the house. Guilty conscience? Maybe, but it works. Our oldest is 17 and he still goes for it.
    

  [*]For us - a couple bottles of vodka, rum, tequila, Baileys, Kahlua. You can check how the prices compare to your local supplier. As for us, these were bargains. Keep in mind these are, except for the Kahlua, 1 liter bottles, not 750ml.

  • Baileys 2 for 35.99
    
  • Captain Morgan 2 for 21.99
    
  • Absolut 2 for 29.99
    
  • Kahlua 1 bottle (980ml) - 18.99
    
  • Jose Cuervo Gold - 20.99
    

Next post : Evening - Dinner at David's

[Delta Dear]

If anyone has any suggestions on how to post pictures that aren't either HUGE or thumbnail small, please tell me them. I've been reading here and there, but obviously, I'm not getting it!

 

Thanks.

 

I love HUGE, I feel like I'm right there ! Please DON"T change sizes.

[Silent Penguin]

It's been a busy week. I won't bore you with the details. Here's the rest of my trip report minus whatever I don't get to tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

Evening – David's and Beyond

• David's – After all the raves, I really thought we would love David's. I really wanted to love David's. Cruise Critic, on this one and only point, you let me down. Or maybe, on this one and only point, I had unrealistic expectations. After all, if it's been said once, it's been said a 1000 times. Don't expect Carnival to be DCL. In terms of premium restaurants, this is too true. Here's what David's was for us.
  

 

 

 

• what we liked
  

• 
  
  • the ahi tuna starter
    

 

 

 

the mushrooms (no picture)

• the fact that I was able to have the Chilean sea bass with the filet mignon instead of the lobster tail with it.
  
• 
  

• This wouldn't have been an issue on DCL, but the waitress at David's seemed to think it was a big, hairy deal and warned me that there was little chance the chef would allow the substitution. She even had me give her a second choice of entree just in case he said no.
  

• the cheesecake – I had never cheesecake with a light texture. It was good. Notice how tall it is!
  

 

 

• the dessert sampler - slightly more tasty that offerings on the buffet
  

• 
  
  • 

    
    

the service – Fawning servers bother me. No fawning here. On the other hand, our waitress was not aloof either and was willing to answer all our questions, some of which were not about the menu.

what we didn't like

• the bleu cheese dressing – it tasted like the same lackluster mayonaise blend served in the dining room
  

• Dh's lobster bisque – attractive presentation but it tasted like canned soup (He made me try it for a second opinion)
  

• 
  

• Chilean sea bass – watery and bland.
  

• The display of raw meat and fish brought to the table - why a display of raw meat & fish but not a display of desserts?
  

• (not Carnival's fault) the place was a ghost town
  
• (not Carnival's fault) limited menu selection compared to Palo (DCL's premium restaurant)
   
   
   
   
  
• After David's
   
   
   
  
• Planning Ahead – After dinner, we found our way to the Future Cruise desk with the intention of booking a cruise. Instead, we bought vouchers.
  
  • Why? The beautiful but edgy representative all but refused to book us! Maybe, she saw indecision on our faces that we didn't know we were projecting? I have to say, although I do so reluctantly because I don't want to disparage the woman, she needed a night off. She was edgy, taciturn, and impatient -(obviously not good traits for someone encouraging sales.) Even dh, who is thick skinned, found her stingy with information and reluctant to answer questions.
     
    
    
  • 
    

  [*]

  [*] Since we had only this single experience, I can't say all the Future Cruise representatives are similar, but here's my suggestion to other first-time guests who are considering booking on board.

  • If there is any chance you are going to book a cruise while onboard, educate yourself on the fine details of booking a cruise according to your personal situation, needs and possible complications before you get on the ship. Do not expect the Future Cruise representative to have the time, the patience, or the inclination to guide or advise you.
    

[Silent Penguin]

After Dinner Entertainment

• Admiring the art – Perhaps we are uncultured, but dh and I did not care for the paintings and framed prints hung everywhere about the ship. What we did like very much were the glass sculptures displayed, in pairs, on the landings of the grand staircases in the after, mid, and forward parts of the ship. As people who don't use elevators unless carrying luggage, we became very familiar with the sight of these beauties pictures below, as well as many other, glass sculptures displayed on the stairwell landing.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I only wish that each sculpture had some kind of identification plaque. Although I enjoyed making my own associations with what each sculpture represented to me, I would have liked to have known what the artist had in mind and when it was created.

[Silent Penguin]

Saturday - At Sea Day

 

Everything's coming to a more than satisfactory end. All that's left is one more at-sea day. One last chance to do what we came for, relax.

 

 

The Morning - Serenity

• Breakfast As usual, I was up by 7am. I left a note for dh, who remained asleep, to meet me at Serenity when he's ready for his breakfast. Up at the buffet, I order an omelette and assemble my usual breakfast foods on a tray. At this time of the morning, there is no wait for omelettes. I took my tray to a table at Serenity. The place is deserted.
  

This picture is Serenity and for the most part the entire deck at 7am in the morning.

 

 

• Finding just the right spot By the time I finish my breakfast, about 20 minutes later, a few people have arrived. Since I had my pick of lounge spots, I tried the hammock. Nah, not as comfy as it looks like it should be. I decided against one of the big, round couches. It seems like a waste for just one or maybe two people. A lounge chair near the pool seemed like a bad idea because I know it's going to get loud and busy by 8:30. And, dh and I are not planning on swimming so why hog a prime spot someone else might prefer. I move to the starboard side lounge chairs, and that is where I stay for the rest of the morning, even when a couple brief sprinkles of rain pass over us.
  
• Warm, fluffy towels - It was a little chilly that morning. Thinking a big, fluffy towel would make a good blanket, I went to the towel desk. As just about every other time I've approached the towel desk, there's a plentiful stack of towels but no attendant. Not wanting to leave the area to get one from my room, I went looking for anyone who looked like a Carnival employee to give me a towel or at least find the attendant. There was an employee looking busy doing not much near the jacuzzi. She hands me a towel and the first thing I noticed is it was warm! The amazing thing is that it stayed for warm for a while. I wonder if the towels are kept warm or if I just lucked out and those towel just came out of the dryer.
  

The Afternoon

 

• Doing nothing Eventually, dh joined me on the Serenity deck, which did as I expected fill up completely between the time I first noticed a handful of people around 7:45am and 8:30am. We spend the morning pretty much in our chairs. One last bout of light rain passed over about 11:45 and this time it was heavy enough to clear the deck. A lot of people took shelter by the bar to wait out the rain, but we were getting hungry anyway, so we left.
  
• lunch - The Normandie dining room is open for lunch on at-sea days, so we ate there. The rarest of anti-social streaks overtook me, and when the host lead us toward a table for 8 at which 6 people were already sitting, I stopped dead in my tracks and asked for a table for 2. He was a little flustered but he quickly found us another table. No big deal. The lunch menu was pretty lame compared to the menu offerings on the other at-sea days, but dh enjoyed his tuna salad sub, and my neptune salad was good. Nothing worth the calories was offered for dessert, and I knew there was a chocolate buffet going on, so we skipped it.
  
• chocolate buffet After lunch, dh went up to our room to start packing our stuff and I went to the chocolate buffet to get us dessert and coffee.
  
  • the lines - long but moved quickly, no craziness or uncouth people but while waiting in line, I did see my first bare-foot, bare-chested-pot-bellied, old man dressed only in a bathrobe. The robe was mostly clothes, so it's entirely possible he wasn't wearing only a bathrobe.
    
  • the desserts - so, so. Nothing was what I would call yummy. When we do another Carnival cruise, there's a 50-50 chance I'll skip the chocolate buffet. I am glad that it happens during the day and not at midnight like the one on DCL's ships. On the other hand, that one really is yummy and worth staying up for.
    

  [*]More of Doing Nothing - I took a tray of desserts and coffees back to our room for dh and I to sample. Dh was asleep on the bed with a book on his chest. Nothing had been packed (No picture needed). I ate a little dessert, left some for dh, read my Kindle and joined him in a nap.

  [*]Settling the Bill - Before dinner we took a walk over to Guest Services to settle our bill and get envelopes for additional gratuities for our servers and room steward. The line wasn't that long. The employees were helpful and cheerful. No surprises on the bill. The balance was about 521.00 and included:

  • gratuities for 2
    
  • 8 bottles of duty-free liquor
    
  • 3 or 4 beers
    
  • 4 coffees
    
  • 1 mixed drink
    
  • crap, I mean gifts for our kids
    
  • dinner, wine and tip at David's
    
  • internet minutes
    
  • a toothbrush
    

The Evening

• Dinner -
  
  • Excellent service as usual, terrible prime rib. Our prime rib was pretty much inedibly rubbery and fatty. We could have sent it back but, it really messes up the server's rhythm to have people just getting their entrees when most everyone else is onto dessert. Besides, less dinner means more room for dessert. If I had eaten all of my dinner, my melting cake and ice cream would definitely have given me a stomach ache. No stomach ache tonight.
    
  • Singing waiters - I thought this would be corny and embarrassing to watch, but it wasn't. It would have been if our waiters appeared akward or unwilling participants but they didn't. These guys seem to enjoy performing. They sang their version of Leaving on a Jet Plane, accepted our applause and returned to serving desserts, etc. I think everyone in our area of the dining room was pleased with our serving team. There was a lot of handshaking and hugs at the end of the meal.
    
  • The trembling tables. An ongoing situation I forgot to mention. Our table vibrated a little but not enough to annoy us. But, for the tables to our immediate right, the vibrations were so bad, from at least 4 feet away, we could see the dishes and glasses trembling! That explains why the people sitting at those tables seemed to change nightly. No one wanted to sit there twice.
    

• Party Time - I don't remember what we did after dinner. Maybe, we continued with our game of hunting for chipped glass sculptures. I know we checked with guest services to find out where our vouchers were. When we got backto our room, about 9:00pm, there was a phone message from our Scrabble friends that they would be on the Lido deck that night. We intended to pack after dinner, but instead we changed into comfortable clothes, gathered up the Scrabble, the Farkle, what was left of our minis, cabana sodas, pints of rum, and a camera and headed to the Lido deck.
  
• No one but us would give a hang what we did that evening so I won't bore you with the details of who said what and how ridiculous it was but hilarious to watch when the men played table tennis in the wind. The details would bore anyone who wasn't there, and maybe this picture will too, but here's us on the last night.
  

 

 

 

Sunday Morning

 

• Getting off the ship
  
  • I detest DCL's disembarkment morning. Unless it's changed, you're expected to eat breakfast at too-early o'clock in your assigned dining room and wait around in the public areas until it's time to depart. You can't go back to your room. There is no room service on disembarkment morning. The breakfast is lame, and the mood is cranky.
    
  • Carnival rocks when it comes to disembarkment morning. You can eat when you want, and you can wait in your room until it's time to leave. We chose to carry our bags off the ship and lucked out by being one of the first zones for departure. It got a little crazy at the end when we reached the (for lack of a better description) beginning of the exit area because some guests didn't know whose turn it was to leave and others were creating their own line. There weren't any Carnival employees far enough back to help maintain the line and inform passengers as to what zone was called. That would have helped.
    

The port of Baltimore

• Lines - more lines - lines to leave, lines for customs. No one likes lines, and cruising involves a lot of lines, but at least they move at a decent pace. Customs was a breeze. They really, really don't care about the extra liquor. We didn't buy any cigarettes so I don't know about that.
  
• Meeting your ride - We had our 17 year old, newly licensed son pick us up at the port. He found the port and where he was supposed to park and wait for us with no problems. If he can do, anyone can.
  

[dwaterhouse]

Thank you for the great review..... I am so excited to be there in 2 weeks

[Jimbo59]

Great review!

 

How much did you pay for extra cost items ( or were some of them no cost)?

 

Serenity, coffee bar, etc.