New York March 2021

[3smithboys]

I know it seems crazy to be thinking this far in advance, but our school calendars are out and DH and I both have Spring Break at the same time! This never happens! This will also be the year we both turn 50, so we were thinking that we might plan a SB cruise without the kids.

 

Does anyone know if Carnival might have a new ship planned for New York at that time? We are looking at the possibility of trying the Allure of the Seas. We’ve been on RC before but never on one of their bigger ships. 

[maryred]

Doubtful, since 2013 no Carnival ships have been homeported in Manhattan during the late fall to early spring (Nov- Apr.). Most Carnival ships reposition to NYC as seasonal port in mid-May and stay till sometime in Oct. with the exception of a few special cruises like the Vista"s US inaugural cruises in November of 2016.

If looking to cruise with Carnival in March you will either need to drive to the Baltimore for the Pride or fly further south. Or you could consider other cruise lines leaving from Bayonne in New Jersey (RCI) or New York (NCL).

[3smithboys]

15 minutes ago, maryred said:

Doubtful, since 2013 no Carnival ships have been homeported in Manhattan during the late fall to early spring (Nov- Apr.). Most Carnival ships reposition to NYC as seasonal port in mid-May and stay till sometime in Oct. with the exception of a few special cruises like the Vista"s US inaugural cruises in November of 2016.

If looking to cruise with Carnival in March you will either need to drive to the Baltimore for the Pride or fly further south. Or you could consider other cruise lines leaving from Bayonne in New Jersey (RCI) or New York (NCL).

Thanks so much for your response. This is exactly the information I needed. In my OP, I mistakenly said we were looking at the Allure, but it’s actually the Anthem of the Seas that sails at the time we need. Even though the ports aren’t great ( Orlando and Bahamas) we were thinking the ship might be a destination in itself. We would be happy to just be away.  Since it’s out of NJ, we can drive. 

 

The other option was the Mardi Gras, out of Orlando. The two “issues” we had with that was having to fly and the ports are the exact same ones we are doing on the Breeze this summer. Certainly, not deal breakers because we can just do something different or stay on the ship. 

 

Every time we attempt to look at NCL, the sticker shock gives us whiplash! Not sure we’re ready to bite the bullet on that one!

Edited June 19, 2019 by 3smithboys

[gnegron22]

I ask John about this not so long ago, and Carnival will only sale out during a certain time frame to be able to have a full ship (Peak traveling month to NY). Which sucks because NYC being my homeport but being from New England (Northeast) I can see the major fators of having a ship sale during the winter and early spring months. Weather can kill a itinary really quick!

Edited June 19, 2019 by gnegron22

[Stick93]

Book one of the other cruise lines if you want to leave out of the NY/NJ area. 

 

Carnival coming back to here in the fall/winter/spring is a dream. 

 

You can consider Baltimore if you want to drive a bit - but you can not compare Anthem to the Pride. 

[3smithboys]

1 minute ago, Stick93 said:

Book one of the other cruise lines if you want to leave out of the NY/NJ area. 

 

Carnival coming back to here in the fall/winter/spring is a dream. 

 

You can consider Baltimore if you want to drive a bit - but you can not compare Anthem to the Pride. 

Thanks, we definitely want a new/newer ship. So, if Carnival isn’t going to have anything going out of NY/NJ area, then we just have to decide if we want to try one of RC big ships or possibly Mardi Gras. 

 

I just didn’t want to be waiting/looking for a ship that was never going to come. Now we know not to expect one. Thanks again!

[thesmiths]

7 hours ago, Stick93 said:

 you can not compare Anthem to the Pride. 

Is the Pride that much better?

[Jerseygirl1416]

7 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

Is the Pride that much better?

The Anthem of the Seas is a beautiful ship. She’s definitely designed to leave from colder weather. Lots of dining options and didn’t feel very crowded. The only thing I didn’t like about the ship was that it only had one outdoor pool and we tend to spend our days in the sun by the pool. We always got 2 seats out there but had to be out between 7am-8am to get them. The ship has an indoor pool and a huge enclosed adults only area that’s great if it’s cold out but if it’s warm feels like you’re in a terrarium. 

I don’t think you can compare the Pride with the Anthem because they are just two totally different ships. Ones a newer mega ship and ones a much older smaller ship. I’ve been on both and I’d only sail Anthem again. Good luck with your decision!

[thesmiths]

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

The Anthem of the Seas is a beautiful ship. She’s definitely designed to leave from colder weather. Lots of dining options and didn’t feel very crowded. The only thing I didn’t like about the ship was that it only had one outdoor pool and we tend to spend our days in the sun by the pool. We always got 2 seats out there but had to be out between 7am-8am to get them. The ship has an indoor pool and a huge enclosed adults only area that’s great if it’s cold out but if it’s warm feels like you’re in a terrarium. 

I don’t think you can compare the Pride with the Anthem because they are just two totally different ships. Ones a newer mega ship and ones a much older smaller ship. I’ve been on both and I’d only sail Anthem again. Good luck with your decision!

Thank you!

 

 

[Stick93]

1 hour ago, thesmiths said:

Is the Pride that much better?

I think you should cruise on both and make your own opinion.  

 

I love carnival and the product but but I personally feel you can not compare the two ships or even the newer carnival ships to anthem. Anthem is a new, big and technological advanced ship with many more entertainment and food options. The pride is a carnival ship - no frills but fun as heck! 

 

i will agree with the last post that it’s a wonderful winter ship. I have not cruises on it in the spring/summer so I am not sure how stir upper decks would be leaving from warm weather. 

[maryred]

Here's my attempt to compare the Anthem (sailed once) to the Pride (sailed 6 times):

The Pride is an older ship (2001) lacking many of the bells and whistles of a a newer mega cruise ship like the Anthem (2015). But the Pride is not lacking in being a good experience if looking for a cruise in and of itself, so in all honestly it would be better compared to it's "dock mate" the Grandeur which I have yet to sail. 

Food itself is a subjective subject so I will only focus on variety and venues availability. Service quality in my experience has been equal on the 2 lines.

Pride: has a single MDR at the aft of the ship on 2 decks that services both traditional set time dining and Anytime Dining. Additionally the MDR is used for seaday brunch from 9am-1:30 pm offering full menu service for a variety of traditional and non-traditional breakfast and lunch items (and you can go twice during service hours, for each meal time). Also on every seaday about 3:30pm is the afternoon tea, not high tea but a nice lowkey social event with finger sandwiches and traditional sweet, lipton teas are the default choices but for an beverage charge you can upgrade to Art of Tea selections. On port days the MDR is open for a more traditional breakfast menu,  about 2 hours prior to docking (but no later than 8:30am) for about 2 hours before the door "closes" for seating. Set time dining is on the lower level at 6pm and 8:15pm, with ATD being open seating on the balcony level starting at 5:45 until 9:30pm without the ability to reserve a time.  The menu in general has 8-10 starters listed and 4-6 main course that vary every night, additionally there is a static "comfort" food menu that is the same every night and a port specialty recommendation with a starter and main that changes based on the itinerary. There are 6-8 on menu desserts offered every night with 3-5 of them changing daily (warm chocolate melting cake, fruit platter, and cheese plate are every night), but there are also a couple of hidden menu desserts you can ask about like the banana split (actually it's on the kid's menu).

As with most Carnival ships the Lido deck buffet is accessible 24/7 because that is where the all hours pizza (& ceasar salad) counter and soft serve ice cream machines are located along with the ever accessible gratis beverage dispensers. Nearly continuous counter service starts at 5:30am with a basic continental breakfast set up. By 7am the full hot breakfast stations are in operation (including the custom omelette counters), and this lasts until 10am, though I do believe the Blue Iguana breakfast burrito bar closes by 9:30am. After that there is a "late risers" breakfast which is more  or less a return to a continental option with a few hot item offers in chafing dishes. Around 11am stations they close 1 by 1 to clean and switchover to lunch choices, and Guys Burgers and the deli counter opens for the day. By noon all lunch options are open, and by 2:30pm most station are closing till dinner, but the deli and Guys (and of course the fresh made pizza counter) remain open. Around 5pm a few counters are open for dinner selections with all being available by 5:30pm, but unfortunately Guys closes by 6pm. Dinner options are replenished until about 8:30pm with all but the deli and pizza closing by 9pm. The deli counter remains open till 11pm, and about 11:30pm a counter across from the pizza opens with late night snacks until 1am. Between the indoor and outdoor poolside tables there is ample seating for all but embarkation and debarkation day use.

There is only 2 specialty restaurants on the Pride David's Steakhouse which is comparable to Chops and the Bonsai Sushi with it's a la carte menu. David's is only open from 5:30pm till 9pm and in my opinion well worth the upcharge. If not wanting the full steakhouse experience, in the MDR for a fee you can upgrade your main course to a steakhouse select option and this will be cooked up at David's and brought down to the MDR. Bonsai is open on seadays for lunch through dinner service but on port days the hours vary around the docking time. For those that that don't like sushi (but sailing with those that do) a braised beef dish or vegetarian option are available.(currently) is offering free room service though there are items that can also be ordered at an upcharge. After 10pm until 5:59am all of the room service selections have a per item charge.

Anthem: Has 4 MDRs, on Deck 3 the Grande and Chic used for traditional set time dining (which I believe are sat at 5:30pm and 8pm) and Deck 4, Silk and Icon for My Time Dining (open seating at 5pm until 9pm) with reservations taken until 2:30pm each day for that night or through your cruise planner for any or all nights. (On our first  night of MTD we were strongly "encouraged" to select the same service team or table for each night that we already reserved for.) The menu is the same at all 4 MDRs for that night's service, and there were less menu choices per night with more repeats of dishes offered especially on the starters and desserts. FOr variety we did opt a couple of nights for the Bistro in the Solarium for dining. Being a specialty yet included venue we found the lighter Mediterranean fare to be a refreshing change and  really enjoyed the self service tapa starters. In the mornings breakfast was available in Silk and Icon with a split type of menu, a few traditional made to order items but the rest of the selection came from a buffet style setup in the restaurant. Breakfast hours varied slightly but mostly were 7-9am. On seadays lunch was offered from usually from 11:30am-1:30pm but we did not attend so no idea on the menus or which of the 2 MDRs were being used for seating. 

On the Anthem we found the buffet setup a little confusing at first as it was not the traditional "start here" line type of station arrangement we are used to on cruise ships, plus the operation times were strictly segmented. Basically it was more like a Chinese Buffet (though the food was greatly varied in ethnicities offered) where you just grab a plate and walk up to the dish of your choice take what you want then go to another area for a different selection. Where we found fault is for each meal time the Windjammer was only open 2-2.5 hours and completely closed in between. Seating felt very limited since the service times were shorter for each meal, and often the 2 of us wound up sharing large tables with other small parties. Here I would have to say though the variety of menu items offered did offset the limitations of what was offered in the MDR and we frequently would enjoy a small portion as our appetizers instead of ordering from the limited menu offerings in the MDR. 

Promenade Cafe and the Deli at 270 is where we opted to have lunch most days.The Promenade Cafe on Deck 4 is the Anthem's 24/7 service counter with 4-6 sandwich offerings at lunch and dinner times and several desserts, but mostly pastries at breakfast. Here was the only 24/7 self service beverage areas which consisted of iced water in pitchers and urns with coffee and hot water for tea and to mix your own hot chocolate from powder packs. The freestyle soda machines were also located here for those that wished to carry around their cup from the beverage packages. Sorrento's pizza is adjacent and shares the seating area and is open most days from 11am til 2 am for slices of pizza, with tapas offerings at select times. On Deck 5 aft was the 270 deli, open usually for just breakfast, lunch, and seaday afternoon snack hours as the 270 cabaret theater is used for seating. Like the Promenade Cafe they offer 4-6 premade sandwich and plenty of sweets as options, but add in 1-2 fresh panini style choices and a fresh tossed salad area. 

As for specialty restaurants here's is where the Anthem really excelled, and please forgive me if I miss any. For seaday lunches you have both Chops and Jamie's Italian to choose from at less of an upcharge than at dinner time but a smaller menu but still beyond excellent service and food quality. These 2 along with Wonderland (a gasto-science nouvelle cuisine menu), Izumi sushi, and Michael's Pub all had at fee dining for just about every taste for dinner time. A Johnny Rockets is also available for lunch and dinner but we found it lacking the fresh taste for the burgers and fries compared to the ones we have visited on land.

 

Wow just noticed how long this comparison is will come back later to post about entertainment and activities.

[3smithboys]

34 minutes ago, maryred said:

Wow just noticed how long this comparison is will come back later to post about entertainment and activities.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write all of this information! I’m definitely interested in hearing anything else you have to share!

[elcuchio24]

Glad to see all the questions/posts about NYC on the CCL page.....take note people, put more ships in this port!