Carnival Spirit Questions

[Hunter69]

All matches shown in Sports bar & casino bar. Had Australian matches on cabin TV's. The weather was great all the way hay Vozzie.. The ship has a new painted hull with some special paint (sealant), we kept getting to port earlier Captain said 1 or 2 knots faster, so did some strange circles & moves off Airlie & Sydney.

The best thing as Vozzie said was entertainment. Ridge Asia is way better then Music Manilla. (MM play mostly Aussie music) Ridge Asia did British (Beatles,Stones) American (Bon Jovi, CCR) & different Aussie (LRB & Air Supply). the drummer looks just like Ringo (but he's from Phillipines). Also they had the bands starting at 3;00 in the afternoon & changing at 7:00. (between MM & ridge).

The other entertainment thing was having afternoon comedy on sea-days. (at 3:30 a family friendly show). they are just trailing these 2 things at the moment.

The only negative was the passengers. it seemed very Princess like. 2000 over 60, only 120 under 18. being in my 40's & Carnival normally caters for families (the parents are my age). it was very slow going moving around the ship.

Enjoy Mic & ask disscussed before BANZAI..

[banzaii]

Thanks for the update Hunter! :D

 

What do you mean with that last sentence?

 

 

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[Hunter69]

Thanks for the update Hunter! :D

 

What do you mean with that last sentence?

 

 

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Banzai; it means as what i had discussed with you previously, last month. to give you a heads up..

ps: The Captain is a funny bastard. Ciao Ciao.

[vozzie]

Yes..another pleasant cruise on Carnival Spirit. No real complaints.....except for the filthy buffet Windows. You'd think they could have cleaned them at least once. Sitting in beautiful ports....looking out through smeared and grubby Windows. It kills the mood. Funny the little things that annoy you. The Soul Play facility seemed to be a success...just ask my wife. And I couldn't believe how busy the casino was. So different to last cruise. Gladstone was a real charmer. They really put it on for the ship. And to top it off, we had all the passengers hanging over the side cheering on two "runners" ..as the captain gave them a hurry up with the ship's horn.

[banzaii]

I've only used the Social Media wifi package, but I can say that it worked fine the majority of the time. I'll probably get premium on my 25th of June cruise so I'll come back to this!

 

So is Tigerlily75 back today?

 

How was it?

 

Anything to report?

 

Cheers

[Tigerlily75]

So is Tigerlily75 back today?

 

How was it?

 

Anything to report?

 

Cheers

 

I'm back! After our very foggy arrival yesterday morning. I've forgotten how to post pictures here, but I'll figure it out and come back.

 

It was great, the staff on the Spirit are amazing. If there was ever a ship to do Traditional set time dining on, this is the one. Dessi the Maitre D runs that room so well, and the staff are all like a family. It's such a happy place to be. We had a great table of people, and fell in love with our waiters. No one on our table of nine missed a single dinner, it was the highlight of each day.

 

Staff are everywhere, and always cleaning.

 

Food is plentiful and good. I found I rarely ate "buffet" food as such (except breakfast, though you can go to the dining room too) since they have so many options like the Deli (get the Buffalo chicken sandwich), Guys Burgers, Pizza, Blue Iguana, Jimmy's C-Side BBQ etc etc.

 

Oh - hot tip! When it's busy and noisy in the buffet, take your food to Serenity if you're not with kids. There were always tables free there, and it's really nice and peaceful. The buffet adjoins Serenity.

 

I had the Value Plan Internet and it was fine. It's not your home wifi, but it works. Social media, emails, banking apps, websites. I uploaded video to Instagram and that was slow but there were no issues at all going through. Weirdly I could watch video on Instagram but not Facebook. The Carnival Hub app was handy to have.

 

A note with the iPhone, when you manually set its clock forward one hour, you can't log into banking. And whenever I commented or got a notification on FB or wherever, it would always say "1 hour ago"

 

We had a small diversion to Noumea on the way to Mystery Island for a helicopter medivac. No idea on the condition of the person. That same day the ship went dark for about half an hour, we were dead in the water. Just a circuit breaker which was quickly rectified with no further issues.

 

I don't think the current show cast are very strong singers and I was a bit underwhelmed by the shows. But I enjoyed things like the Love & Marriage Show, Lip Sync Battle, Stories of a Cruise Director, and the Q&A they had at the end. I think the prizes for Bingo are too small for the amount of tickets they sell.

 

Overall - we had a great time. People like to pick on Carnival a bit, there is a small element of bogans on board - but there's plenty of non bogans there too! Bottom line is Carnival is unpretentious, they really are the "fun ship" and they want you to have a good time and the staff joins you in a having a good time!

 

Any questions fire away!

[banzaii]

Thanks Tigerlily75 just happy to know you had a great cruise! For now!!!!![emoji482]

 

 

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[GUT2407]

I'm back! After our very foggy arrival yesterday morning. I've forgotten how to post pictures here, but I'll figure it out and come back.

 

It was great, the staff on the Spirit are amazing. If there was ever a ship to do Traditional set time dining on, this is the one. Dessi the Maitre D runs that room so well, and the staff are all like a family. It's such a happy place to be. We had a great table of people, and fell in love with our waiters. No one on our table of nine missed a single dinner, it was the highlight of each day.

 

Staff are everywhere, and always cleaning.

 

Food is plentiful and good. I found I rarely ate "buffet" food as such (except breakfast, though you can go to the dining room too) since they have so many options like the Deli (get the Buffalo chicken sandwich), Guys Burgers, Pizza, Blue Iguana, Jimmy's C-Side BBQ etc etc.

 

Oh - hot tip! When it's busy and noisy in the buffet, take your food to Serenity if you're not with kids. There were always tables free there, and it's really nice and peaceful. The buffet adjoins Serenity.

 

I had the Value Plan Internet and it was fine. It's not your home wifi, but it works. Social media, emails, banking apps, websites. I uploaded video to Instagram and that was slow but there were no issues at all going through. Weirdly I could watch video on Instagram but not Facebook. The Carnival Hub app was handy to have.

 

A note with the iPhone, when you manually set its clock forward one hour, you can't log into banking. And whenever I commented or got a notification on FB or wherever, it would always say "1 hour ago"

 

We had a small diversion to Noumea on the way to Mystery Island for a helicopter medivac. No idea on the condition of the person. That same day the ship went dark for about half an hour, we were dead in the water. Just a circuit breaker which was quickly rectified with no further issues.

 

I don't think the current show cast are very strong singers and I was a bit underwhelmed by the shows. But I enjoyed things like the Love & Marriage Show, Lip Sync Battle, Stories of a Cruise Director, and the Q&A they had at the end. I think the prizes for Bingo are too small for the amount of tickets they sell.

 

Overall - we had a great time. People like to pick on Carnival a bit, there is a small element of bogans on board - but there's plenty of non bogans there too! Bottom line is Carnival is unpretentious, they really are the "fun ship" and they want you to have a good time and the staff joins you in a having a good time!

 

Any questions fire away!

 

 

Great to hear you enjoyed it.

[MicCanberra]

We are back from our sampler and I am impressed by Carnival, so much better than what we were expecting (FB and CC to blame). The ship is great, there were so many activities it was hard to pick what to do and most didn't incur a fee. It seems to me that a lot of people who pick on carnival may never have cruised on them. In the end I would say Carnival spirit is a fun ship and while the décor is very ornate, and may not match many other ships, I would describe it as Casino Chic or Vegas like rather than Gaudi or garish. As Tigerlily said, 'Carnival is unpretentious, they really are the "fun ship" and they want you to have a good time and the staff joins you in a having a good time!'

 

I think you generally get what you pay for and Carnival is generally priced right. If you can get a bargain sale price even better.

[Jandex]

Tigerlily75 and MicCanberra - thanks for sharing. I’ve got 7 days (and a few hours) to go before sailing the Spirit for the first time and its good to know you’ve enjoyed the ship. Always reassuring when others have had great experiences. [emoji1]

 

 

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[2016USAHoliday]

We are back from our sampler and I am impressed by Carnival, so much better than what we were expecting (FB and CC to blame). The ship is great, there were so many activities it was hard to pick what to do and most didn't incur a fee. It seems to me that a lot of people who pick on carnival may never have cruised on them. In the end I would say Carnival spirit is a fun ship and while the décor is very ornate, and may not match many other ships, I would describe it as Casino Chic or Vegas like rather than Gaudi or garish. As Tigerlily said, 'Carnival is unpretentious, they really are the "fun ship" and they want you to have a good time and the staff joins you in a having a good time!'

 

I think you generally get what you pay for and Carnival is generally priced right. If you can get a bargain sale price even better.

 

I’m glad you liked it. And yes there are a few who like to comment on Carnival who have never travelled on them. A cruise is what you make it, go on with a fun and positive attitude and you will have a great time. The staff have always been so attentive and I never felt I was asking too much. Although I was once told off by our room steward...... Miss 2016 you leave your room too clean, I walk in and there is nothing to pick up...... so the next day we left a pair of shoes on the floor!! Great for a laugh.

 

As for the decor, I can honestly say I can’t remember it even after 5 Spirits!

[MicCanberra]

LOL, we are not messy either, our demands are usually fresh towels every second day and an extra one every third day so my wife can wash her hair, is about it.

[sewgood]

The first night on the Ledgend I said to my friends when the waiters started dancing "we are not on Princess anymore."

The next night the waiter held out his hand I took it and joined in the dance. Everynight after that I joined in and had fun. I'm sure my friends got some good video of me.

The kids especially the young girls really liked to get up and dance. Lovely to see the smiles on their faces.

I had read on here ( AUS/NZ board) that the food was good on Carnival.

 

We loved the food in the dining room as it was an unknown menu and we liked the Rare Finds and the International Flavours. The food was cooked well and tasted great.

 

 

Good to hear that you enjoyed your time on the Spirit Mic.

 

 

Karryl

[banzaii]

Looking forward to my cruise.

 

Now only 15 days away.

 

But who's counting?[emoji2]

 

Cheers

[Hunter69]

Thank's for the feed-back Mic & Tigerlilly on your cruises; from my favourite cruise line.. I hope Banzai enjoy's

his cruise too. As i said it's a bit like K-Mart; there's all different types on board, it's cheap & great value for money & you make it what you want out of it... Plus it's good that there here for 365 days a year especially when you need a break or just get back on a ship over winter & half of spring..

[MicCanberra]

The first night on the Ledgend I said to my friends when the waiters started dancing "we are not on Princess anymore."

The next night the waiter held out his hand I took it and joined in the dance. Everynight after that I joined in and had fun. I'm sure my friends got some good video of me.

The kids especially the young girls really liked to get up and dance. Lovely to see the smiles on their faces.

I had read on here ( AUS/NZ board) that the food was good on Carnival.

 

We loved the food in the dining room as it was an unknown menu and we liked the Rare Finds and the International Flavours. The food was cooked well and tasted great.

 

 

Good to hear that you enjoyed your time on the Spirit Mic.

 

 

Karryl

The dinner experience in the MDR is so different to any other line. I am sure some would find it cheesy but I thoroughly enjoyed it and i think it really makes it so much more fun. The staff member that did some of the songs was awesome and their version of Endless love (doing both parts and being dressed for it) was very entertaining.

[MicCanberra]

Thank's for the feed-back Mic & Tigerlilly on your cruises; from my favourite cruise line.. I hope Banzai enjoy's

his cruise too. As i said it's a bit like K-Mart; there's all different types on board, it's cheap & great value for money & you make it what you want out of it... Plus it's good that there here for 365 days a year especially when you need a break or just get back on a ship over winter & half of spring..

I don't think it will become my favourite line but it certainly has appeal for the winter season mini breaks.:D

[mr walker]

This thread typifies why I regularly read the Aus/NZ forum & sometimes contribute to it. Fair & honest opinions expressed by a wide range of people with differing tastes, expectations and experiences, which provides valuable information for cc folk to choose cruise options. Without the hyperbole, outrageous rantings, poster bashing etc often read on social media, including on many of the other boards here on cc.

 

For what it's worth, whilst our preferred cruiseline is RCI, we really enjoyed our cruises on Carnival (Spirit & Legend). Why RCI. Well it was our first love & just seems to fit us well :-) Nothing wrong with Carnival and we also enjoyed the only other cruiseline we tried - Princess. Maybe we are easily pleased?? No, we go with a positive attitude and it's a formula that works.

 

Cheers

[MicCanberra]

Well said Mr Walker. A positive attitude can make all the difference to how much you enjoy life. You cannot always expect others to make life fun for you.

[Tigerlily75]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise MicCanberra and I hope everyone on upcoming cruises enjoys theirs!

 

Having only cruised Carnival so far I'm a bit worried about the dining rooms on other lines - what even is a cruise dinner without all the singing and dancing?!?! LOL!

 

I have upcoming cruises on other lines, I'm sure I will enjoy them, I think I too am easily pleased, and not one to find complaint in small issues. I'm looking forward to my Princess cruise in December, being just before Christmas I think my daughter will enjoy all the Christmas stuff they will have going. I also found the Spirit ship so familiar this time that I'm looking forward to something new. But like you said about RCI mr walker, Carnival will always be my first love - I won my very first cruise on the Spirit, having never considered cruising before that, so she will always have a special place in my heart (aww!).

[MicCanberra]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise MicCanberra and I hope everyone on upcoming cruises enjoys theirs!

 

Having only cruised Carnival so far I'm a bit worried about the dining rooms on other lines - what even is a cruise dinner without all the singing and dancing?!?! LOL!

 

I have upcoming cruises on other lines, I'm sure I will enjoy them, I think I too am easily pleased, and not one to find complaint in small issues. I'm looking forward to my Princess cruise in December, being just before Christmas I think my daughter will enjoy all the Christmas stuff they will have going. I also found the Spirit ship so familiar this time that I'm looking forward to something new. But like you said about RCI mr walker, Carnival will always be my first love - I won my very first cruise on the Spirit, having never considered cruising before that, so she will always have a special place in my heart (aww!).

Don't change and you will enjoy every cruise line despite being different to carnival.:D

[banzaii]

This thread typifies why I regularly read the Aus/NZ forum & sometimes contribute to it. Fair & honest opinions expressed by a wide range of people with differing tastes, expectations and experiences, which provides valuable information for cc folk to choose cruise options. Without the hyperbole, outrageous rantings, poster bashing etc often read on social media, including on many of the other boards here on cc.

 

For what it's worth, whilst our preferred cruiseline is RCI, we really enjoyed our cruises on Carnival (Spirit & Legend). Why RCI. Well it was our first love & just seems to fit us well :-) Nothing wrong with Carnival and we also enjoyed the only other cruiseline we tried - Princess. Maybe we are easily pleased?? No, we go with a positive attitude and it's a formula that works.

 

Cheers

This upcoming Spirit cruise will be my lovely wife's first away from RCI. I think she is expecting a very similar experience to Explorer but is prepared for different. She already knows that she loves cruising and one of the things she loves most is meeting new people.

 

The big difference will be that we are travelling with family - which can be a bit hit & miss. I hope nobody expects us to be in each other's pockets 24/7. Ironically that is our sail date!

 

Cheers

[banzaii]

Well said Mr Walker. A positive attitude can make all the difference to how much you enjoy life. You cannot always expect others to make life fun for you.

Life, and holidays are there to be enjoyed!

 

If I find a situation or a person is trying to change that for me, I'll make every effort to bring them up to where I'm at rather than allow myself to get in a funk!

 

Cheers

[MicCanberra]

Life, and holidays are there to be enjoyed!

 

If I find a situation or a person is trying to change that for me, I'll make every effort to bring them up to where I'm at rather than allow myself to get in a funk!

 

Cheers

Good work.

[Jandex]

Anybody care to comment on specialty restaurants on board? Not sure what else there is beside nouveau - haven’t been before. Worthwhile?

 

 

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