What Is Your Fav Carnival Memory???

[MtnSeaGirl]

We seem to all be struggling with how life was post Covid.  So much has changed, so let's try a little something different this morning.

What is you favorite Carnival memory?????

I have two:

1.  We have two boys.  They are almost 16 yrs apart. Obviously, that was not planned. Except our honeymoon cruise neons ago, we did not cruise until our oldest was all grown up, out of the house, working, deployed more than he was stateside.  It was always bittersweet to be standing at the railing of a cruise ship for sail away when my oldest son was God knew where.  One of my greatest Carnival memories is the cruise in which BOTH BOYS got to be with us.  We even booked them the same cabin which they totally enjoyed.  

2.  My other favorite memory is standing on one of the top decks under strings of white lights on the ship, gazing at a beautiful moon, dressed up for elegant night, DH looks at me and says, "Knowing what you know now, will you marry me?"  It was one of the most romantic things.  I think it was the tenderness in his voice as the words doesn't convey the feeling that was there by any means.   Our lives at that point had not turned out like we expected.  Yet, our life was perfect for us.  By that time, we had been married some 18 years. I used to tell him for years that it bothered me he never asked me to marry him; Texan arrogance always assumed I would....and I did.  But,  I swear there are times I can close my eyes and be transported back to that magical place in time. I can see the shirt, the loosened tie, my gown glittering a little in the light.  ( In case you did the math, DH is oldest son's step dad. We were married when he was 9).

So.....do you have a fav Carnival memory you are willing to share???  

[havanadaydreaming]

Strongest memory -  shock and awe walking around first ship, Breeze, on embarkation day.  Seemed muuuuuuuch bigger than i anticipated. 

 

Fave - wife winning $600 on fat piggies slot.  Good times. 

 

Excursion - pitons, st lucia.  Maho beach, st maarten. Little french key, roatan.  Margaritaville, grand turk. 

 

Random - watching rival fans watching nfl games while dressed in jerseys.  Kinda fun hearing the roar of the crowd on big plays. 

 

 

 

 

[canes20]

Getting married on the beach in Grand Cayman, getting dropped off at the wrong pier and having to run to catch the last tender back to the ship. The Newlywed game was that night, and we were the newest Newlyweds. That was so long ago; they still made the DVD and we still have it.

[kona_wahine]

First cruise sail away party they played the black eyed peas I Gotta a Feeling. So excited, wind whipping my hair. Every time I hear that song now it takes me back to that moment. Also, won almost $900 on one of the first nights, different cruise. (First after covid) it payed for all our on island stuff, drinks, we splurged on things we wouldn’t have done, bought. 

[hurricane0226]

Getting my morning coffee delivered on time when we we able to order the night before.

[dmet0225]

So many to choose from, but I’ll go with the very first cruise.   Driving to the Galveston port, I was not prepared to see the massive size of the ships.  I was in awe.  As it turns out, the 2 ships in Galveston that day were on the small side - Rhapsody of the Seas and Carnival Elation.  My wife and I will be boarding one of the larger ships in just a few weeks, the Carnival Celebration.   I’m sure I will be in awe at the size of that ship.

[LatinaInTexas]

I will also go with first cruise on Carnival. We had a woman steward that cruise, actually the only time we have ever had a woman since then.

She was so sweet and helpful, on top of everything, always a smile. Our last night I left her a thank you note with a little extra tip. She left us this note in return. I kept it and reread it before every cruise hoping our next one will be even half as special as she was.

[Butterbean1000]

Seeing the ship for the first time up close. My first cruise.  It was the OG Celebration.  I wasn't prepared to see such a large ship, 😁.  That always sticks in mind everytime I get a look of the ship we are about to cruise on.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Butterbean1000

[dezertcruzer]

My first cruise, Fascination 1995, meeting my waiter Jose from Costa Rica and marrying him in 1997.  We're still going strong 26 years later!

[Homelines]

My best Carnival memory was the first cruise we took with the kids.  My mother and sister came too.  

[Beav1279]

I've only been on 1 Carnival cruise and it was at Christmas. My fav memory from that cruise was standing the in the Atrium, everyone with Santa hats and jingle bells, singing Christmas carols. It was such a fun way to spend the holiday!

[VIFP1987]

1 hour ago, dezertcruzer said:

My first cruise, Fascination 1995, meeting my waiter Jose from Costa Rica and marrying him in 1997.  We're still going strong 26 years later!

Congratulations! ❤️

[Thad409]

My best CCL memory is our first cruise with our son of 2.5 years of age. To see all the wonder and his looks of amazement when on board. he's 16 yo now and I wish so much that I could turn back time and go back to when he was 2.5 again.

[Aplmac]

Sailaway at 10 p.m. out of Old San Juan PR!

 

[Honolulu Blue]

So many memories on Carnival cruises... let's go with this one:  the last ship on a stick I won was at one of the Morning Shows.  The world's easiest trivia question was asked and no one was faster on the draw than I was.  It's always nice to win these things:

[cmukid87]

I have too many to choose but I'll pick the most unique and special at least.  Carnival Magic August 2021 - Back to Fun Cruise.  Magic's first sailing back post-pandemic shutdown.  The ship was about 50% full but we had the most active roll-call (although on another site) and man of those involved became life-long friends.  There are so many of us that still message frequently, some visit others across the country, some have spent holidays with each other and some actively plan cruises together.  There is something Magical about that sailing.

[havanadaydreaming]

Ahhhhhh, the half full post pandemic cruises were absolutely delightful.  

[Honolulu Blue]

20 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

Ahhhhhh, the half full post pandemic cruises were absolutely delightful.  

They were wonderful indeed, but I didn't do any of them on Carnival. ☹️

[angelsfort]

the first one that comes to mind, for me, is going to Port Canaveral just before cruising started back up again and watching one of our beloved ships come into port and dock.  It was only getting fuel, no passengers but just seeing that ship got me so emotional and excited.  There was still hope that things would return back to "normal" and we would cruise again.  (and we did!!)

 

the second one is my favorite...  when my daughter was maybe 9 or 10, we did the "Stingray City" excursion in one of our ports (I can't recall which one, at this point) and we took this small(ish) boat out to the sand bank they called "stingray city".   about 15 minutes into the journey out there, we went through a squall - violent winds, water whipping up everywhere.  Everyone and everything on board got completely soaked and we were terrified that the boat was going to capsize (it didn't).  My daughter was holding on for dear life and I was holding on to HER to make sure she didn't get rocked /tipped out of the boat...  I had a death grip on one of the railings with my other hand and was getting bashed by a buoy.   It lasted maybe 5 minutes (if that) but it felt like an eternity!   We came out the other side of the squall and everyone looked shell-shocked as they pulled out their now soaking wet cameras and cell phones, their towels and change of clothes for after they swam.  We made it to Stingray City and had SO MUCH FUN that all of the excitement from our trip there was completely forgotten...  my daughter and I were fortunate, we'd left our phones in our cabin and only brought our water cameras (designed to be under water), we didn't bring towels cuz we figured we'd dry off as we cruised back to the ship.

it's one of our fondest memories and favorite stories to tell! 

[sgttami]

Favorite Carnival Memory:

 

I had been on about a dozen cruises before I decided to try Carnival and was told by friends that I would hate it.

 

Went on Splendor from NY that year in a snow storm (2/2014) and had such a great time that I went four more times that year on Splendor and couldn't understand what all the negativity was about.  Had a blast!

 

Have only sailed Carnival since (except for one MSC)

 

[MtnSeaGirl]

Sure am loving all these fav memories!  Lots of good memories out there.  

[Frank12]

Tablecloths in the MDR and mints on my pillow every night🤣

[sydney dog]

The first cruise I brought my husband on was actually the Destiny (which is now the Sunshine).  When he saw how big it was he couldn't believe it.    He ran around the ship investigating everything.  He also could not believe he get anything he wanted at dinner. 

[nybumpkin]

My favorite memory is our first cruise, 2004 on the Carnival Victory, NYC-Canada. We were looking for something "different," and I saw a full-page ad in the NY Times for 4 and 5 day Canada cruises. Around the same time, I had to take our youngest son for x-rays for suspected bronchitis; they were playing "Love Boat" reruns in the waiting room, and I thought to myself, "What about a cruise?" DH really wasn't sure about it; we both loved boats and he actually had done a short cruise on the South American from Cleveland to Detroit as a kid (one of her last voyages), so I'm not sure what his problem was. My reasoning was that we could do a short trip to Canada and, if we didn't like it, all we had lost was les than a week. He finally agreed, and I booked the cruise without his input.😀 Driving down to NYC, he was still unsure about the trip - then we crossed the George Washington Bridge, looked downriver, and saw Victory at the dock. By the time we boarded, he was sold. He booked the next cruise without any input from me.

[silvercrikhix]

On our 1st cruise, it was out of Tampa in 2010 on the Carnival Legend, the moment we stepped onto the ship. We looked left, right and up then looked at each other and then we simultaneously

said, “Oh, heck yeah!”  We knew it was so us and we’re sad we didn’t find ‘our jam’ sooner! 
Forever Dreaming of Floating……

Edited June 7, 2023 by silvercrikhix