Live From The Carnival Freedom: Crossing the Atlantic for a New Whale Tail

[jam19872016]

Onto Freedom now there is a new Dreams studio location in the atrium just off to the side.

 

 

The location on deck 4 in the old internet cafe was still there, but I guess this is more visible.

 

@Blackjackboss this one's for you.

 

 

I almost didn't photograph the giant Lady Liberty.

 

 

I also never went up to the BBQ place. It was so terrible in January that I just didn't care to try it again when the rest of the food onboard was so much better overall.

 

As a revenue generator, I was surprised the PYOB was not fixed in dry dock.

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

The new Carnival stores look really nice and reminded me a lot of the one on Celebration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

That's it for pictures! I will post my final thoughts this afternoon.

[princess76021]

Good morning!!

Hugs

[Blackjackboss]

2 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Onto Freedom now there is a new Dreams studio location in the atrium just off to the side.

 

 

The location on deck 4 in the old internet cafe was still there, but I guess this is more visible.

 

@Blackjackboss this one's for you.

 

 

I almost didn't photograph the giant Lady Liberty.

 

 

I also never went up to the BBQ place. It was so terrible in January that I just didn't care to try it again when the rest of the food onboard was so much better overall.

 

As a revenue generator, I was surprised the PYOB was not fixed in dry dock.

 

 

 

Wow that is a lot of Haribo lol. Those fruit sculptures are amazing. 

[jam19872016]

Summary:

 

Queen Elizabeth

 

Dining:

 

The food on Queen Elizabeth was hands down the best food I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. There were very few items that I ate that I did not like and most were absolutely spectacular. 

The dining room was open for lunch every day including port days which was a very nice option to have. 

 

The Golden Lion Pub was available for lunch and dinner and everything I ate there was fantastic.

Not normally a buffet person but I even enjoyed the buffet even though it would still not be my first choice in most instances I did enjoy what I ate there and I enjoyed that they had sushi on the buffet. That was always a nice treat for this fresh fish lover.

 

Tea time was a wonderful experience that lived up to the hype and even exceeded my expectation.

 

The only weak spot I would say would be breakfast. I did not find the breakfast choices at the buffet to be very good and I never made it to the MDR but my mom wasn't crazy about it either and ended up switching to the buffet by the end of the cruise just to grab some pastries which were excellent by cruise ship standards. 

 

Having been let down my Celebrity's hyped up food offerings, I went in with a fair amount of skepticism about the quality of food on Cunard, but I am happy to report that there is a lot of effort and expense involved in creating an amazing dining experience on Queen Elizabeth.

 

Compared to Carnival, it is no contest, Cunard is the clear winner.

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

The ship's public spaces were very beautiful in a classically elegant sort of way. I believe she was out of dry dock a few months ago and it showed as everything looked fresh despite being an older ship. The crew were also constantly taking care to keep things clean and tidy. This was especially true in the buffet where tables were cleared in a timely manner to help with table turnover. Carnival did not do a great job keeping up with clearing the tables during busy meal times.

 

The cabin was reasonably sized for a cruise ship cabin. I would say about the same as a Carnival inside cabin. Not terribly spacious but it was spacious enough for two people. The only point I would deduct would be for the bathroom which was more cramped than Carnival but about the same as most cruise ship bathrooms - tiny.

 

The ship is basically a Spirt class ship which is already the best in Carnival's fleet for public space compared to capacity of the ship. This ship holds slightly less than Spirt class (less three and four person rooms) and was not full. She sailed with 1981 on the second leg and "a couple more" the first leg, which according to the crewmember I was speaking to, is about as full as she sails as they don't ever fully book every cabin (which is why I got such a great deal last minute). As a result, nothing was every crowded (except the buffet). Elevators were quick and usually private. It was nice never having to wait in a line. There was maybe a five minute line for dinner the first night and the crew were beside themselves apologizing for the wait. 

 

Entertainment:

 

I struggled with the entertainment on Cunard. I think that is a me thing more than a Cunard thing. I never heard complaints onboard about the offerings. In fact I heard mostly rave reviews about all the shows and singers. They just were not really  things that interested me. They certainly appealed to their core demographic though.

 

I thought Cunard offered on demand movies but that was not the case. The TV options were decent by cruise ship standards, and certainly better than what Carnival offers, but they were still pretty bad. There were only a couple channels geared towards English speaking audiences, and they were mostly news and sports. My mom found a German lego building competition that was slightly amusing especially since I don't speak German (and she has a very basic understanding at best). They did have movies on repeat, but no published start times so we did not always get to enjoy them.

 

The internet was great with the recent upgrade to Starlink. I was surprised to see that videos were not available with the lower package. I was surprised to see that even though they did say streaming would not be available. I always assumed that was a technical restriction, which would not apply with Starlink, and not an actual block. That may be standard though as I do usually purchase the full internet package.

 

Service:

 

Service was very professional. Any time I passed crew, they were cheerful and provided a greeting. It was clear that the crew from top to bottom had undergone training in high standards of hospitality.

 

But....it was very formal.

 

Few interactions of genuine personality and not formalities from the crew we interacted with. There was certainly nothing wrong, it was just not the same. Perhaps it is a European thing and I would certainly choose Cunard over MSC's idea of European hospitality which comes across as rude and uncaring. This was plesant and felt like being on Downton Abby at times, just lacked the personal touch you get on Carnival. I think, again, that this is just catering to their demographic who likely is used to a more formal approach than the familiarity you would expect on Carnival.

 

The exception I would say was the dining room. I already talked about my issues in the dining room so I won't rehash them again, but I was a bit put off by the service in the dining room. The formality was still place, napkins placed in our lap, silverware changed at each course etc, and that was a nice touch that added a little elegance to the dining experience.

 

I did not get a mint on my pillow. Isn't that a mark of a good cruise line with good service? It seems like it from reading these boards. I'm just kidding, of course, but I was surprised with so many aspects of a "traditional" cruise experience that I did not get a mint on my pillow.

 

Overall:

 

I was a bit apprehensive about Cunard going in. I expected it to be stuffy and I would have to hide in my room every evening and perhaps not even be allowed into the dining room. It was none of those things and as someone who doesn't always enjoy the louder aspects of a cruise, I enjoyed how quiet it was. I am a bit of a bargain shopper and mostly try to sail from Florida ports so I am not sure if I will make it onto one of the Queens again, but they are definitely on my radar now where I had never even given them a second thought prior. I would highly recommend Cunard to anyone who would be interested in a quieter experience and won't miss the deck parties and waterparks. It's a great experience and not nearly as stuffy as their reputation would have you think. 
 

[jam19872016]

Freedom:

 

Dining:

 

Dining post pandemic on Carnival has been a bit of a struggle. At first I would say the decline was mostly on the bigger ships. I could sail the smaller ships and find the food to still be enjoyable. By 2022, the food quality was mostly garbage even when sailing on the smaller ships. Then in 2023 I sailed Carnival Freedom, with very low expectations. I was very surprised by how good it all turned out to be. The only misses were the BBQ, and the Steakhouse (where I paid money to dine). My 2023 booking habits were influenced by 2022's shortcomings and of course higher prices and less (no) last minute deals so I would not sail again from January until now so I am not sure if it is an overall improvement, or just this ship, but the food was still much better than it was last year.

The dining room food was delicious and served quickly. I almost expected with a new menu rolling out in November that the care to execute this one would have slipped, but it was mostly very well executed each night. A few misses of course, but for the most part I was happy with my dinner each time.

 

Brunch is still average at best and I am sad by what they've done to the brunch menu. At least the hacksaw to the menu has stopped. I don't eat soup, so the return of the tomato soup does nothing to pacify me.

 

The buffet was the first time I've dared a Carnival buffet in a long time. Usually it gets a guaranteed pass, but this one was acceptable. That's still the best adjective I can give it 🙂 The cakes were still excellent. 

 

I love Mongolian Wok, although with this many sea days I did not get to enjoy it often as the line is far too long.

 

The deli tends to be hit or miss but when it's good its amazing and that was the case on Freedom. Almost every sandwich was great and it seems to be better staffed as I never really encountered a long wait, even on the short cruises which tend to have more people out late when deli is one of the few options.

 

Guy's and Blue Iguana were as good as ever. Pizza was ok. It's drunk food and it serves its purpose. It is also better staffed, because even that long line I posted was not nearly as long as it used to be when it took 45 minutes in line for your pie.

 

The late night snacks is a welcome addition and helps provide some relief to the pizza station at night. It's also drunk food, and not great, but it serves its purpose. I would recommend judging the line at both places, don't be tempted to jump in the buffet line because its empty because by the end of the night the food is dried out and not worth it unless you really just need something quick to soak up some alcohol. It's nice to not have to squirl away food anymore to have something after a night of drinking.

 

Dining on Carnival is still my favorite after Cunard just for the variety alone!

 

As a side note, after my four day trip on Celebrity, I did see some great improvement and an reconsidering placing them ahead of Carnival. I need more data points on the subject to be sure 🙂

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

I love the quirky design on older Carnival ships. Love, love, love it! Freedom is very subdued compared to other ships built in the era. It is just kinda meh to me. Give me giant pink donuts everywhere any day of the week! The ship is clean and like Cunard, the crew took great care at keeping things clean and spotless (except turning over tables in the buffet quickly, I had to bus a table a couple times) but it could have used some more love during the dry dock. A lot of the cosmetic damage and wear and tear that contribute to a "tired" feeling were not addressed in dry dock. In my opinion, that is why Carnival ships don't age as well as their competitor's ships. I've been on much older ships on other cruise lines, and they just seem to be holding up better than Carnival ships. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.

 

She also has some AC and plumbing issues. The AC issues seemed to be fixed during the dry dock, the plumbing issues seemed improved, but I'm not sure they have been completely fixed.

 

The cabin and bathroom were standard for Carnival and are the best sized standard inside cabins in the industry. The soundproofing is the worst in the industry (that I have experienced). Conversations (or announcements) in the hall might as well be in your room, and is one of the reasons I bring a fan when I'm sleeping.

 

The ship rarely felt crowded even on the Caribbean cruises which sailed over capacity. There were exceptions, like boarding day, or lunch on sea days, but in general this class of ship has enough room for everyone to spread out. 

 

Entertainment:

 

This was only my second journey cruise but I felt the team did a much better job at keeping the entertainment going sea day after sea day on this trip than last year. Last year it was like a marathon of trivia and ball room dancing all day every day. This year there was a much more diverse set of options and no lounge was left empty for long (to my dismay at times 🙂). One example that comes to mind, the basketball court. Last year it sat empty for two weeks except for the evening, when crew got off work and came to enjoy it. This year, after day two of sitting empty it was converted into a pickleball court and stayed full and even had some organized tournaments after the crew got some lessons from the guests. They responded to the demand and even learned it on the fly. Impressive. 

 

BTW, QE has a basketball court but it is only accessible via a stairway marked "crew only". Unless you can get to it from the grills area. Again a basketball court would be lost on this crowd, but I bet they would enjoy pickleball (or is that just a US thing?)

 

The comedy shows were easier to get into on the Journeys cruise if you went to the 1030 show (since most are in bed by then, or the casino). One thing I noticed, that I've seen before but as a quick mention, was the comedians (and Andy in his show) begging, pleading, for several minutes, that if you were offended to please not complain. They all seemed genuinely worried about being canceled. How sad.

 

Quest was a great example. I went three times. The first on a five day cruise. It was pretty wild, but nothing that I felt was out of hand. I sometimes feel like I am missing something when I hear people talk about how raunchy Quest gets. I've never seen it. Maybe I am too desensitized to raunchiness, but Quest is a solid R rating, but not X or NC-17. The second time was the Journey cruise and it was toned down considerably but still a good time. The last one, after Andy said he got in trouble for his performance on the last Journey cruise, was barely an R rating. R rating for the sake of getting that R and really just kind of sad. The crowd wasn't into either, only five teams were formed. 

 

I'll give Andy his own post.

 

The theater only has two shows so there were many fly on entertainers for the trip. Not really my thing, but they seemed to all be enjoyed by the others who saw them.

 

The Freedom Rockband was good. Like really, really, good. Be sure to check them out if you are onboard with them. The female vocalist especially was amazing and they all did a great job working the room.

 

Al Holbrook in the Piano Bar I would love to see him again after he has some time to develop his act. He has potential and was a great singer I am just not sure if PBE is a great fit for him.

Service:

 

The shining star for Carnival. The crew. We were greeted with so many happy "welcome back" from the  crew upon our return. They knew us, and called us by name. The happy and excited energy radiated from so many of the crew in every part of the ship. It was such a great feeling being back home and treated like family. Carnival crew is really something special and to me the best part of the Carnival product and Freedom is one of the best examples of that with so many happy and caring crew that go out of their way to make every body feel like the most important person onboard. Seriously an A+++ to so many of the wonderful hardworking crew on the the Freedom!

 

My mom can be a grumpy person and always sees the negative before the positive, but even she was happy with most of the service and formed a wonderful relationship with two of the servers. Alexandar, Headwaiter,  and Sunil, Assistant Team Server, were the best servers we have ever encountered and I truly hope that we get the chance to sail with them again someday.

 

Overall:

 

Overall I think the Freedom is a great example of what I enjoy about Carnival Cruise Lines. The problem I have with the product is the consistency from ship to ship, and the demographic onboard has gotten a bit rowdy in recent times. I think steps are being taken that are making improvements like increased security and drug dogs at embarkation, but I worry its too little too late. I'm taking a wait and see approach in 2024 but I think I'm mostly interested in Journeys cruises for now. The downside to that, is by eliminating the party crowd, you have eliminated the party crowd and the ship sure is too quiet when I'm still ready to party. There isn't really a happy middle ground.

 

I would not recommend Carnival to the Cunard crowd. But I would absolutely recommend Freedom to the Carnival crowd and a TA to those looking for a more mature crowd with most of the "Fun Ship" elements without all the riff raff running amok.

 

Carnival will have round trip TAs in 2025 in both the Valor in the Spring, and Mardi Gras in the Fall, and I would love to be able to do this again on one or both of those ships. A Cunard cruise in-between would certainly be a consideration as well 🙂 
 

[jam19872016]

Andy:

 

I had to think long and hard about this one. I really enjoyed many things about Andy. He does not make very many announcements. That is a huge plus for me. He is funny, engaging, and seemed to be everywhere while not being in your face.

 

He has a sort of "British" humour (spelled the British way :D) about him that reminds me of John Heald. Some of those are not things I like. The sarcasm mostly. He seems to be very negative towards "complainers" and dismissive (and in JH's case I think they are embellished to make him seem like the victim of unreasonable Karens) of genuine issues. Sometimes the dismissiveness came across as not caring about his role. His deck parties are a great example, I've never encountered a CD that let the DJ be the hype man while he was just sort of there.

 

As I studied him more and tried to get a read on him, he really grew on me. Turns out he can't dance, that's why he doesn't get super into the deck parties. 

 

His sarcasm that comes across sometimes as uninterested I think is just humour lost in translation as listening to him talk during our Walk a Mile With Andy sessions I could tell he was genuinely passionate about his career and traveling and just seemed like an all around great guy.

 

I also liked that he was just himself. He wasn't trying to oversell anything on the PA like so many CDs. He wasn't a fake and often annoying character. I can't stand Cousin Cookie (who I see today has abuptly quit) and found him to be pandering to a certain audience and if I was that demographic I would be insulted at the stereotype that he portrayed me as. Johnathan Adams is a different person than Cousin Cookie, the same as Tyler Perry is not Madea. It's a character invented for entertainment, and in this case an annoying one.

 

Andy is just Andy. And I like it. He has expressed interest in doing the Panorama next year for the TP's and if you are lucky enough to get him, he is a great fit as he his entertaining and engaging, while being low key and unobtrusive.

[jam19872016]

Thanks so much to each and every one of you who contributed to this review! It was a blast sharing in this journey with all of you.

 

I am getting ready to head out again on Sunday and I hope you all will join me for another one. 

 

 

[exlondoner]

38 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Summary:

 

Queen Elizabeth

 

Dining:

 

The food on Queen Elizabeth was hands down the best food I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. There were very few items that I ate that I did not like and most were absolutely spectacular. 

The dining room was open for lunch every day including port days which was a very nice option to have. 

 

The Golden Lion Pub was available for lunch and dinner and everything I ate there was fantastic.

Not normally a buffet person but I even enjoyed the buffet even though it would still not be my first choice in most instances I did enjoy what I ate there and I enjoyed that they had sushi on the buffet. That was always a nice treat for this fresh fish lover.

 

Tea time was a wonderful experience that lived up to the hype and even exceeded my expectation.

 

The only weak spot I would say would be breakfast. I did not find the breakfast choices at the buffet to be very good and I never made it to the MDR but my mom wasn't crazy about it either and ended up switching to the buffet by the end of the cruise just to grab some pastries which were excellent by cruise ship standards. 

 

Having been let down my Celebrity's hyped up food offerings, I went in with a fair amount of skepticism about the quality of food on Cunard, but I am happy to report that there is a lot of effort and expense involved in creating an amazing dining experience on Queen Elizabeth.

 

Compared to Carnival, it is no contest, Cunard is the clear winner.

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

The ship's public spaces were very beautiful in a classically elegant sort of way. I believe she was out of dry dock a few months ago and it showed as everything looked fresh despite being an older ship. The crew were also constantly taking care to keep things clean and tidy. This was especially true in the buffet where tables were cleared in a timely manner to help with table turnover. Carnival did not do a great job keeping up with clearing the tables during busy meal times.

 

The cabin was reasonably sized for a cruise ship cabin. I would say about the same as a Carnival inside cabin. Not terribly spacious but it was spacious enough for two people. The only point I would deduct would be for the bathroom which was more cramped than Carnival but about the same as most cruise ship bathrooms - tiny.

 

The ship is basically a Spirt class ship which is already the best in Carnival's fleet for public space compared to capacity of the ship. This ship holds slightly less than Spirt class (less three and four person rooms) and was not full. She sailed with 1981 on the second leg and "a couple more" the first leg, which according to the crewmember I was speaking to, is about as full as she sails as they don't ever fully book every cabin (which is why I got such a great deal last minute). As a result, nothing was every crowded (except the buffet). Elevators were quick and usually private. It was nice never having to wait in a line. There was maybe a five minute line for dinner the first night and the crew were beside themselves apologizing for the wait. 

 

Entertainment:

 

I struggled with the entertainment on Cunard. I think that is a me thing more than a Cunard thing. I never heard complaints onboard about the offerings. In fact I heard mostly rave reviews about all the shows and singers. They just were not really  things that interested me. They certainly appealed to their core demographic though.

 

I thought Cunard offered on demand movies but that was not the case. The TV options were decent by cruise ship standards, and certainly better than what Carnival offers, but they were still pretty bad. There were only a couple channels geared towards English speaking audiences, and they were mostly news and sports. My mom found a German lego building competition that was slightly amusing especially since I don't speak German (and she has a very basic understanding at best). They did have movies on repeat, but no published start times so we did not always get to enjoy them.

 

The internet was great with the recent upgrade to Starlink. I was surprised to see that videos were not available with the lower package. I was surprised to see that even though they did say streaming would not be available. I always assumed that was a technical restriction, which would not apply with Starlink, and not an actual block. That may be standard though as I do usually purchase the full internet package.

 

Service:

 

Service was very professional. Any time I passed crew, they were cheerful and provided a greeting. It was clear that the crew from top to bottom had undergone training in high standards of hospitality.

 

But....it was very formal.

 

Few interactions of genuine personality and not formalities from the crew we interacted with. There was certainly nothing wrong, it was just not the same. Perhaps it is a European thing and I would certainly choose Cunard over MSC's idea of European hospitality which comes across as rude and uncaring. This was plesant and felt like being on Downton Abby at times, just lacked the personal touch you get on Carnival. I think, again, that this is just catering to their demographic who likely is used to a more formal approach than the familiarity you would expect on Carnival.

 

The exception I would say was the dining room. I already talked about my issues in the dining room so I won't rehash them again, but I was a bit put off by the service in the dining room. The formality was still place, napkins placed in our lap, silverware changed at each course etc, and that was a nice touch that added a little elegance to the dining experience.

 

I did not get a mint on my pillow. Isn't that a mark of a good cruise line with good service? It seems like it from reading these boards. I'm just kidding, of course, but I was surprised with so many aspects of a "traditional" cruise experience that I did not get a mint on my pillow.

 

Overall:

 

I was a bit apprehensive about Cunard going in. I expected it to be stuffy and I would have to hide in my room every evening and perhaps not even be allowed into the dining room. It was none of those things and as someone who doesn't always enjoy the louder aspects of a cruise, I enjoyed how quiet it was. I am a bit of a bargain shopper and mostly try to sail from Florida ports so I am not sure if I will make it onto one of the Queens again, but they are definitely on my radar now where I had never even given them a second thought prior. I would highly recommend Cunard to anyone who would be interested in a quieter experience and won't miss the deck parties and waterparks. It's a great experience and not nearly as stuffy as their reputation would have you think. 
 

I think this is a very measured assessment. I think you are right also in saying some of the things you weren’t mad about, like the formality of approach, were because that is what we staid Europeans like. I don’t know why you didn’t get a pillow chocolate. They usually appear, though the current offerings are not worth having.

 

I think you were harsh on the restaurant breakfast, which to my mind, providing you can get them to warm up the croissants, is the breakfast of dreams.

 

I nope very much we coincide on a Cunard ship one day.

Edited November 24, 2023 by exlondoner

[Host Hattie]

Chocolates are usually left with the breakfast room service hanger and Daily Programme on the bed at turndown. 

Thanks for your final summary, it was very interesting. 

[exlondoner]

You would not recommend Carnival to the Cunard crowd, but, honestly, if the right ship were in the right place, you have almost sold it to me. 😀

[jam19872016]

12 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think this is a very measured assessment. I think you are right also in saying some of the things you weren’t mad about, like the formality of approach, were because that is what we staid Europeans like. I don’t know why you didn’t get a pillow,chocolate. They usually appear, though the current offerings are not worth having.

 

I think you were harsh on the restaurant breakfast, which to my mind, providing you can get them to warm up the croissants, is the breakfast of dreams.

 

I nope very much we coincide on a Cunard ship one day.

Was that a Freudian slip? I assume that was hope and not nope 🙂 

 

I did not experience the restaraunt breakfast personally so you could very well be correct. My mom is usually hard to please so I take what she says with a grain of salt, but I have never known her to be displeased enough to stop going. 

 

I'm sure the chocolates weren't good its just a nice treat, as if I have not had enough to eat already. I did not miss them, just thought it strange.

[jam19872016]

8 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Chocolates are usually left with the breakfast room service hanger and Daily Programme on the bed at turndown. 

Thanks for your final summary, it was very interesting. 

I wonder if this is recent then? There was a spot on the room steward's cart that said "chocolates" but when I peeked inside, it was empty. Nobody in my section was getting them.

 

Thanks for reading along, and thanks again for introducing the threat to the Cunard folks it was great having everyone join 😁

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, jam19872016 said:

Was that a Freudian slip? I assume that was hope and not nope 🙂 

 

I did not experience the restaraunt breakfast personally so you could very well be correct. My mom is usually hard to please so I take what she says with a grain of salt, but I have never known her to be displeased enough to stop going. 

 

I'm sure the chocolates weren't good its just a nice treat, as if I have not had enough to eat already. I did not miss them, just thought it strange.

It was indeed hope. No pineapples though. 
 

I have a larder full of turndown chocolates. We are always too full to eat them, so bring them home for a rainy day, which rarely occurs.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, jam19872016 said:

I wonder if this is recent then? There was a spot on the room steward's cart that said "chocolates" but when I peeked inside, it was empty. Nobody in my section was getting them.

 

Thanks for reading along, and thanks again for introducing the threat to the Cunard folks it was great having everyone join 😁

I assume that is a Freudian slip too.Thread?

[jam19872016]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

You would not recommend Carnival to the Cunard crowd, but, honestly, if the right ship were in the right place, you have almost sold it to me. 😀

The Carnival Legend will be in the Med next year, mostly out of Dover. It will feel very familiar in layout to the both QE and QV as they are essentially the same class of ship, just different ship yards and obviously spaces that cater to a different market. There is no Golden Lion and Queen's Room, that is all casino space! We love our gambling and Carnival fills their ships with gamblers!

 

It would be a much quieter crowd than a typical Carnival cruise and more like a Cunard voyage than a cruise in the Caribbean.

 

You would need to go in with a very very open mind about the differences, I think you could enjoy yourself I just don't think for most Cunarders Carnival would be a good fit.

 

I think the perception of the food quality just from pictures alone is a huge red flag. 

 

If you do ever decide to do it, I would love to hear your thoughts as well as objective reasoning why you did or did not like it.

[jam19872016]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I assume that is a Freudian slip too.Thread?

Touché 😅