WOW! Never noticed any conversations like this on the CCL Boards!

[halos]

You all know I just got off the Miracle and it was my best cruise yet. Because I did not want to get off that ship after 7 days, I decided that the next cruise would have to be a lot longer, so DH and I are tossing around the idea of going on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise 2 years from now after my youngest goes off to college (how's that for a run-on sentence??)

Anyway, because of my annal obsession with planning things, I decided to start doing some homework on this cruise now. It helps with the PCD I am experiencing and gives me something to look forward to. I looked at the ships (from all lines) that do the Canal (we are interested in full transit) and decided that I'd like to give Princess a try. I have only cruised 3x and all times it was with Carnival, I want to try something different now and don't have much interest in RCCL at the moment (their snobbery has turned me off the line) and HAL is just out of the question for us yet (maybe 25 years from now :D ) Princess had great itineraries for this cruise so I kind of put my thoughts there.

I decided to visit the Princess boards to see if I could come across any reviews on the Dawn, or any reviews at all on a Panama Canal cruise. I didn't do a search, I was just lurking and came across a thread on pot smoking on the ships. I read through all the threads and was amazed at how many Princess Loyalists have smelled pot in the halls or out on their balconies during their cruises....it seemed that most had smelled it quite often and some said they have smelled pot on every cruise they have taken. Many posters wanted to make sure they protected their dear Princess by stating "This happens on all cruise lines" but I have never experienced this...have any of you??

I am not a prude, I just thought it was weird that folks would take a chance of having illegal drugs in international waters...seems stupid to me. And I know I have only been on 3 cruises, but I swear that I have never smelled pot on board. I was wondering if any carnival cruisers out there HAVE smelled pot on board...I know when you go to all those islands they are selling all kinds of drugs right out in the open and everything...I just was totally floored when I read through that thread anyway.

I guess I must be really naiive!!!

So...is this common on all ships and all lines...or should I just stay away from the Princess line ands the druggies on board and stick with my tried and true Wal-Mart :cool: Carnival crowd??? :D

 

Oh...and any other thoughts on Princess would be appreciated as well!!

Thanks!

[pungo3]

Halos, I've only been on 3 Carnival cruises but I've never smelled pot on any of them. We've had a balcony on each one but never encountered it. Maybe it is common but I haven't been exposed to it.

[DebBrown]

I think that "basically" all the lines are the same on most levels. They all have staterooms, they all serve food 24/7, they all have pools, they all have shows, bingo, night clubs etc. If Princess has an itinerary that you really like, book it and have a wonderful time!

[zonemasconi]

you forgot they all have pot smokers on them, every cruise I have been on I have smelled it(and no it's not mine)lol.

 

I did however go by this one cabin on the Conquest and the door was open so I innocently peered in and saw a hot woman smoking a dobie on the balcony.

it was all fine by me, I drink so whats the difference.

[halos]

You know, I never felt 'loyalty' to Carnival prior to this last cruise....but after this Miracle cruise I don't know if I should stray.

I understand (logically) how utterly ridiculous that sounds but like I said in my reviews...the passengers on this ship were awesome! I like being with fun people...I like the idea that you can strike up a conversation with folks at your table while eating breakfast or in the elevator and they are happy to speak back (I just read on the other thread titled "why you love carnival", a couple was 'snubbed' several times when trying to start a conversation with other passengers on their Princess cruise...who needs that???)

I can't believe that now I have become a chicken and afraid to try another line!

What happened to me...did Carnival spike all my foo foos with loyalty potion???????

Maybe I'll just stick with Carnival for this LONG cruise and try another line for a short cruise. I'd hate to sail off in a ship for 15 days and hate the line and the people sailing it!!!

Now I have 2 years to torture myself over this!! :eek:

[pholter]

I, too have smelled it on each cruise I've been on, but don't smoke it anymore (not since High School)... I think the reason why alot less people may smell it on Carnival vs. Princess could be that Carnival ships are built with more balconies. Most cruisers probably smoke outside. I've never been below the balconies, so I can't tell you if those rooms have more of a smell in the hallways, etc. or not. My guess is yes.

[pungo3]

pholter, thanks for mentioning the balcony rooms might now experience the smell. I guess that's my excuse. I honestly have never smelled it. Oh well, I'm cruising again in October and I'll go sniffing every hallway on the lower decks to see if I smell it. And halos, I could never cruise another line. IMHO, Carnival has the nicest people.:D

[teedee]

I've cruised with Carnival, Celebrity and NCL and I've never smelled it on a cruise. It wouldn't bother me if I did, even though those days are looooong behind me!

 

Terri

[NinaCO]

I've cruised four times with Royal Caribbean and once (was enough!) with HAL. My last three cruises have been with Carnival. I've never smelled pot on any of my cruises. I smoked the stuff quite frequently when I was younger (a long time ago :( ) and still love the smell of it. Wouldn't have been bothered if I had smelled it. Even if I still smoked pot, I'd be too worried about security at the airport & port to try sneaking it onto the ship.

 

By the way, I like Royal Caribbean a lot and haven't found the passengers or crew to be snobby. If Royal Caribbean had good solo rates, I'd probably sail with them as often as Carnival. But, RCI charges an additional 100% for singles. And, I have a preference for group cruises which usually seem to be booked on Carnival.

[halos]

Has anyone out there sailed a few Princess cruises?? Can anyone give me some feedback on that line? I don't want to ask people on the Princess boards, they'd give biased opinions.

How about any Carnival Cruisers out there who have done a Panama Canal cruise on a Carnival ship? From what I see, there are just 2 ships that do that cruise, the Paradise and the Ecstacy....how are those ships??

[peanutprincess1977]

I didn't smell it on my last cruise, and as I was posting this I realized why - I was on the Paradise!!! DUH!!!

[prose]

I've cruised Carnival 7 times and Princess 2 (so far) with a 15 day Hawaii cruise on the Island Princess booked March 5, 2005. Love both lines. Princess has the 24 hour fresh water pools, Carnival has the water slides, both have great food! I would book for the itinerary you want as opposed to the cruise line. We did a 10 day round trip Panama Canal cruise on Princess and had a wonderful time. Never got bored. Last January, we did the 8 day Legend to the Western Caribbean and that was a blast also! We've been upgraded on both lines, so that's a plus.

[hstrybuf]

I've sailed a couple of times on Princess, although not through the Canal. Both were enjoyable and I had no problems with anything. I have no brand loyalty to one line or another so I say give Princess a try if it has the itinerary you want.

[Cotton]

Halos, I MUST go find your Miracle review to read. So glad y'all enjoyed it.

Chris (CruisingIsLife) had a great Princess review not long ago. Go to his website - you know how thorough and un-biased he is, so you'll be able to glean all the info you need from him, I'm sure.

 

It's been a long time since I cruised on Princess, but I didn't sense any snobbery back then, just as on NCL - I've met many very nice people on every cruise, no matter which ship.

 

Oh, about pot. I've detected a tiny whiff one time when I passed by an open-doored cabin a coupla years ago; otherwise, no.

And - sweet little Halos - (I'm old and have learned a lot) - You have to develop a thicker skin, dear. When you feel people are snubbing you, it's because YOU are perceiving it that way. Always remember that nobody, nobody, can make you feel less of yourself unless you allow that to happen. It took me a long time to realize that.:rolleyes:

[thebird]

Thanks for the tip about them selling drugs in the streets! I swear I don't know HOW I missed that!

ROFLMAO!!!

 

I didn't see or smell any pot on my cruise, not that I would know what I was seeing or smelling, anyway......(ummm..............yeah)

BUT....

My sister bought a smoking pipe (for a friend, I assure you) in Cozumel, and upon reboarding the Sensation, a man behind her (very drunk-but happily so) was heckling the heck out of her! Asking if it was for her personal use.....and so on........she looked crossways at him, and said nothing. Then....he said "Want to see something 'really' funny?" and pulled out his badge....

ROFLMAO!!!

 

(we thought it was MUCH funnier than his girlfriend did)

[CruiseCATnMACK]

We have smelled pot on several ships, all I must admit on CCL. On one of our cruises, I believe it was the Destiny; our neighbor would smoke out on his balcony every night before dinner.

[momofmeg]

RCCL is a fine line- don't let a few narrow minded snobs keep you from trying one of their cruises-if you do you are playing into their hands and like them boxing yourself in-narrow minded people miss out on alot. Personally I like trying different things; I don't want always the same-o same-o. I have also done one Princess cruise and really loved Princess. HAL also had great food and the Broadway style shows are tops on HAL but as you said they are really subdued and if you get bored easily you probally won't like them. Princess's food and shows were also tops and better then Carnival or RCCL but still had things going on in the lounges in the evenings. Now I myself are usually asleep by 1 a.m. so I don't know about late late nights but there was plenty going on until then. Poor HAL was dead by 8p.m.

[halos]

Thanks for the input guys!!!

Guess my sniffer is out of whack.....

 

I'll definitely keep an open mind about Princess and just go by the itinerary (and, of course, the PRICE!!)

The only 2 ships of Carnival's that do the canal (at this time) are the Ecstacy and the Paradise...If I do decide to stick with Carnival, I was leaning toward the Ecstacy....any thoughts on her???

[bmgaritty]

I've been on CCL, RCL, NCL. CCL had the most cabins with the scent wafting under the door and also out on deck late at night. My last cruise in March was on HAL - My husband and I walked by a few cabins astounded - definite reefer madness!

[crzndeb]

Good Mornin all,

 

On the Spirit last year, the people next door were pot smokers.

And Halos, Princess is a great line. Cotton is right, check out Chris's review(check out his website). I believe he is on a Princess ship right now.You may get a little bit of an older crowd on a longer cruise, but that holds true for most cruise lines. I have also sailed RCI 6 times and always had a great time there too. You have plenty of time to research, so I'm sure you get lots of good info. And from your posts, you seem like a very positive and upbeat person...I think you would be happy on a fishing boat in the Bermuda Triangle (OK, maybe that's pushing it). If you need any specific info on Princess or Panama Canal (I've done a partial) email me at crzndeb@yahoo....

[glrounds]

I've smelled pot oft times on Carnival ships, but that's probably more due to a flashback from years ago....:D

 

If anyone is considering buying drugs in Mexico, be forewarned and be prepared for the HASSLE OF YOUR LIFE. Many of the drug sales are setups (a local dealer "paying" his way out of encarse by selling and fingering an American).

 

Many foreign countries, especially Mexico, get sick and tired of being blamed for "our" drug problem, which is essentially a supply and demand thing (if there were no demand there would be no need for a supply). When they can tag an American they love it. Plus they certainly love all the loot they can elicit from the friends and relatives of the suspect as he awaits for months and maybe years to get a "trial" while all the time there is a smelly Hells Angel trying to sign on as his proctologist. :D

 

You'll at least come away with a new respect and admiration for our Constitution and Bill of Rights. IF YOU LIVE THROUGH IT.

[halos]

Deb....LOL! I think you're right...I would be happy on a fishing boat...maybe not in the triangle...but hey, that might be OK too...who knows??

I'm definitely going to keep an open mind.

And yes, I do remember Chris saying he loved his Princess cruise. I can't wait until he returns with a review from this second PC!

[dickinson]

We're going through the Panama Canal this September on the Paradise. Carnival is moving the Paradise to Calif so it can be non smoking and do 3 and 4 day cruises. they are taking the Ecstasy from Calif to Miami. I think it will go in dry dock and then sail 3 and 4 day cruises from Galveston TX. In all likeliehood these repositioning cruises are one time only things. they used to reposition the Spirit for a few years from Miami to the west coast for a couple of Hawaii cruises before it went for the summer up to Alaska but now it will stay on the west coast. At this time, Carnival has no plans for a repositioning cruise although you never know what the future brings. Definately check out the other cruise lines if you want a Panama Canal cruise. Some cruises though are not full transits but go through one lock and then turn around. I have only sailed Carnival except for one cruise years ago on NCL (which I did not enjoy) so I can only speak for Carnival and you already know how wonderful that is!

 

fyi- we have never had a balcony and never smelled pot in the hallways. Frankly from reading these boards I would be afraid to pay all those extra $$ for a balcony as we are non smokers and don't drink. I would be afraid our neighbor's smoke would drift our way and ruin our time on our balcony or they could be people travelling with lots of others and have company over for a few drinks and be loud.:mad:

[halos]

We had balconies for the first time this past cruise. I loved it!!

My DH and I had no problem with smoke from the next cabins, but my DD, who was 4 cabins down from us did indeed smell cigarette smoke from the cabin next door while out on her balcony (unfortunately, the folks next to her were rude altogether, screaming from their balcony at all hours of the night and slamming the balcony door continously as well...my DD, who is 16, actually was so fed up by the 4th night that she called the pursers desk to complain!! (A 16 year old complaining about rambunctious adults...how weird is that???)

Anyway, I loved the balcony (despite the constant door slamming from those poor folks who don't know about bungee cords) and if I am fortunate enough to get a balcony at a good price again, I will certainly jump on it. It was very nice.

[aggieastrosfan]

My grandmother went on a Carnival cruise a few years back out of Galveston (I think it was the Jubilee she was on, not sure, though), and she actually found some pot in the pocket of the bathroom robe in her stateroom! :eek:

 

After hearing this, I always ask for fresh robes...