Just back from Holiday - 6/24 sailing

[Cruise, J.D.]

Here is a mini-review . . . hopefully I can write up a full review next week. Please post any questions and I will be happy to try and answer them.

 

Overall: My wife and I had a blast on this cruise. It was a wonderful time.

 

Positives: Food and service were outstanding, better than the Conquest. Both the buffet food and the dining room food were hands down better than the Conquest. In addition, the crew on this ship is fantastic and the hardest working group I have seen. Embarkation and debarkation were smooth and fast. Kudos to the Carnival and Mobile staff. The art auctions were fun and the free champagne was a bonus.

 

The shows Extreme Country and Shout were enjoyable. We were upgraded to an oceanview room which was excellent! The ports of call of Costa Maya and Cozumel were great. The CD, Steve Cassell, is a hoot! There were plenty of entertainment options at night with live music, karaoke, and dancing. There were also less announcements and selling of merchandise compared to the Conquest.

Negatives: Cabin steward could have shown more initiative with certain requests, but he did perform his basic job duties with no problems. A slight sewer smell developed on deck 5 on Monday and persisted and was also present in our bathroom. It was not overwhelming, but enough to be annoying. The elevators are slow and small and vibrate quite a bit when in use. Lines seemed longer than on the Conquest, probably because there are less dining options. Seating was also scarce during peak times on the Lido deck, that was never a problem on the Conquest.

 

Miscellaneous: Experienced none of the vibration problems reported except for in the elevators. Our cabin was on deck 5, starboard side, midship. The past guest party invitations made no mention of "and guest". My wife and I each recieved one and there was no mention of bringing someone along. They also collected invitations at the door.

 

Again, great cruise, and I can recommend the Holiday with no reservations.

[jstreet0204]

I just got back from the cruise as well, and was going to do a review, so I’ll just add to this one. This was my first cruise, and the only thing I was a little disappointed with was the size of the deck areas. I just thought the pools would be bigger. At times when it got REALLY hot and you wanted to take a dip to cool off, the pools would be full. Other than that, we were greeted by some of the friendliest people I have ever met. The guys taking your bags out of the car, the port security boarding the ship, the tour guides in the ports, and the staff the staff the staff. Everybody treated us so nicely. We absolutely loved Napa and Jean, our servers at dinner, and felt they added so much to the total experience of the cruise. The food was great, and was an experience in itself, since I have had very few four course meals with names I didn’t even try to pronounce. I ate things I never thought I would. Snails, raw salmon, goose liver, duck etc. I just said what the hell, and if I hadn’t tried it, and it was on the menu, I ordered it. Even the Russian bartender, remembered what I drank every time I ordered. I did think I felt the vibration others had mentioned, but it was hard to tell if it was actually coming from the prop shaft, or if it was just rough seas, which we had a few times. I did think that drinks were a little over priced, but if you tip at a bar, it is really only about a dollar more. We did sneak on a bottle of rum in our checked bags with no problem, so that cut down a little on the bill. The shows were good, and Steve the CD is an amazingly talented person. Part comedian, part musician, part announcer, part juggler, and very good at all. The first comedy show on the trip was ok. The second comedian was MUCH funnier, and if anyone was there, I was the “muscle man” he was talking about in the first row, in his show directly following Steve’s juggling act. Overall, we had a great time, and can’t wait to go again. I think we may try a different ship next time just the see what the “big” ships are like, but I will cruise on the Holiday again…

[Pednurse]

Thanks for the reviews. We are sailing on July 22. We went on the Holiday in Sept. 2004 out of NO. Can hardly wait till we cruise!

[Tater1800]

....

Negatives: ... A slight sewer smell developed on deck 5 on Monday and persisted and was also present in our bathroom. ...

 

I think the smell is part of the cruising experience. I have smelled it on every cruise I have been on. In your cabin, keep the sink plugged. I don't think the drains have traps. The Holiday is old and has warts but still a great cruise.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Jstreet, glad you enjoyed this cruise too! What excursions did you take?

 

Pednurse, I wish I was sailing again with you in July! Have a great time!

[jstreet0204]

Jstreet, glad you enjoyed this cruise too! What excursions did you take?

 

Pednurse, I wish I was sailing again with you in July! Have a great time!

 

We did the beach snorkel in costa maya, and just did some shopping, and caught a cab to play mia in cozumel. Well she did some shopping. I carried bags :) I was pretty easy to recognize. I am pretty big, and I have a superman tattoo on my right shoulder.

[sweetpea-2]

nice review, glad you had such a great time ;)