Just Returned!! Holiday 10/04/07

[Tapi]

Enjoy this video from the Holiday, 4 night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWpn5EonmyA

 

We just returned from a 4 night cruise aboard the Holiday. This was my 19th cruise overall, and 9th aboard Carnival. We had read all of the reviews (good and bad) and even though we had read plenty of “it’s an old ship, it’s a small ship, it smells like sewage, it has brown water, etc”, the fact that Mobile is the closest port from Atlanta (where we live) made us decide to give it a try.

 

I can’t start my review before talking about the wonderful personnel at the port of Mobile. Without a doubt, this was the easiest, friendliest, most efficient check in process that we have ever gone through in our lives. Everybody, including the security agents, embarkation personnel, and even the parking lot attendants, were very courteous and made what normally is a chaotic part of the cruise, an enjoyable experience. This was a great beginning to our vacation.

 

The terminal is fairly new, attractive and very efficient. Even though I had read about people parking under I-10 or at a hotel and then taking a shuttle to the port, we decided to park at the terminal’s parking garage. This was probably one of the best decisions that we made during the cruise. First, we didn’t spend our cruise worrying that someone was going to break into our car because we wanted to save a few bucks. We breezed into the terminal on embarkation day, and on debarkation day, we were literally sitting in our car and driving away within 10 minutes of getting off the ship.

 

I want to put things into perspective. The Holiday is indeed a smaller ship (at least by today’s standards), older and more low key than other ships in the Carnival fleet, but what some might have considered a drawback, we found to be an advantage.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed that it’s indeed a smaller ship. This meant shorter lines at the buffet, to go ashore, and to get on and off the ship. The decoration was also to our liking. It’s far from being a luxurious ship, but there was plenty of wood throughout, which in our opinion is more pleasing to the eye than the plastic decoration found on newer “glitzier” ships.

 

We had cabin M21, an inside cabin but perfectly comfortable for our needs. The Comfort Bed System was just as great as the one we found on the Carnival Liberty.

 

About the sewage smell and brown water, I had warned my wife about the possibility of sewage smell on this ship, and it wasn’t until we were driving back to Atlanta on the last day that we realized that we never smelled any sewage anywhere on the ship. However, there was a slight brown color in the water from the faucet, but you could only notice it if you filled the sink with water.

 

The food was excellent as always, and many of our favorite dishes that we had experienced on our previous cruise were also on the menu of the Holiday: Chateaubriand, Roasted Duckling, Rack of Lamb, Pumpkin Soup, etc…

 

Fellow passengers are mostly from AL, GA, LA, MS and TN. Many first time cruisers, and in the most part, an absolute pleasure to cruise with. Everybody seemed to be having a wonderful time, polite, courteous and even though people were indeed enjoying themselves, we didn’t run into rude or obnoxious behavior, which unfortunately we’ve found aboard other recent cruises.

 

Speaking of fellow passengers, even though the food, entertainment, activities, and ambiance are 100% Carnival, the flavor is a bit different. For example, I found myself on the lido deck as we sailed away from Mobile Bay dancing to “Sweet Home Alabama” instead of the more traditional “Hot, Hot, Hot” or “Electric Slide”. I also learned that there is a “Mississippi Slide” that was played on deck and at the night club several times during the cruise!

 

I hadn’t been to Cozumel since 2003 (pre-hurricane Wilma) so it was nice to see that overall, it looks up to speed. The Punta Langosta pier (where we docked) was great for shopping. We browsed the stores for about an hour before taking a taxi to Chankanaab Park where we walked around and enjoyed the beach. Also, even though we didn’t participate in the Dolphin programs, we could see the guests that were participating interacting with the dolphins. After that, we returned to the Punta Langosta area, did some more shopping, hung out at Carlos and Charlie’s for a bit, and returned to the ship around 4pm for a 5pm departure back to Mobile.

 

The last day was a wonderful, relaxing, lazy day at sea. By the time we returned to Mobile, we felt like we had truly taken a vacation (with only one port of call in this itinerary, it allowed us to relax during our sea days and enjoy what cruising is truly about).

 

Would I go on the Holiday again? Absolutely yes! 100%. The convenience, fellow passengers, intimate feel of this ship and relaxing itinerary make it truly a winner. The only thing that made us sad about sailing on the Holiday is that we’re aware that her days with Carnival and in Mobile are probably coming to an end, and she might not be there when we cruise again. But we’re glad to say that we had the wonderful experience of sailing aboard Carnival’s Friendliest Ship…

[Montycruiser]

Glad you enjoyed your trip on Holiday, we love it too and Mobile is only 2.5 hours from our home. Mobile is by far the easiest and friendliest port we have sailed out of. We leave in 19 days on the Fantasy out of NOLA, haven't been there since Katrina, looking forward to having a great trip. Rumer is we will get a replacement for Holiday at the end on next year, a Fantasy Class ship, guess we will have to wait and see.:)

[RVman]

I'm glad someone liked it.

[luckycruzer]

You enjoyed my fave ship. I'm b2b a week from Sat...I will be Platinum in the middle...10x in a year, or rather 9 mos, as i dont cruise May/Jun/July. plus a RCCL thrown in. I have 10 more thru next year also..So I dont need to tell you the allure of Holiday..100 miles from home was my 1st concern..and I was hooked. There are a growing group on the boards that are repeating, and going on "each others" cruises. We all feel the same. I enjoy the familiar faces in the dining room, and the same ports. PDC (Monday departure) is so delightful, and I always find a new street to explore. Thanks for your wonderful review. We allll appreciate it..Lucky

[TIMELMAN]

Great to hear you had a great time. We leave on next sat to go on a five day cruise and will spend two days in moblie. Gladd to hear all is wel.l

[Payd]

Enjoy this video from the Holiday, 4 night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWpn5EonmyA

 

We just returned from a 4 night cruise aboard the Holiday. This was my 19th cruise overall, and 9th aboard Carnival. We had read all of the reviews (good and bad) and even though we had read plenty of “it’s an old ship, it’s a small ship, it smells like sewage, it has brown water, etc”, the fact that Mobile is the closest port from Atlanta (where we live) made us decide to give it a try.

 

I can’t start my review before talking about the wonderful personnel at the port of Mobile. Without a doubt, this was the easiest, friendliest, most efficient check in process that we have ever gone through in our lives. Everybody, including the security agents, embarkation personnel, and even the parking lot attendants, were very courteous and made what normally is a chaotic part of the cruise, an enjoyable experience. This was a great beginning to our vacation.

 

The terminal is fairly new, attractive and very efficient. Even though I had read about people parking under I-10 or at a hotel and then taking a shuttle to the port, we decided to park at the terminal’s parking garage. This was probably one of the best decisions that we made during the cruise. First, we didn’t spend our cruise worrying that someone was going to break into our car because we wanted to save a few bucks. We breezed into the terminal on embarkation day, and on debarkation day, we were literally sitting in our car and driving away within 10 minutes of getting off the ship.

 

I want to put things into perspective. The Holiday is indeed a smaller ship (at least by today’s standards), older and more low key than other ships in the Carnival fleet, but what some might have considered a drawback, we found to be an advantage.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed that it’s indeed a smaller ship. This meant shorter lines at the buffet, to go ashore, and to get on and off the ship. The decoration was also to our liking. It’s far from being a luxurious ship, but there was plenty of wood throughout, which in our opinion is more pleasing to the eye than the plastic decoration found on newer “glitzier” ships.

 

We had cabin M21, an inside cabin but perfectly comfortable for our needs. The Comfort Bed System was just as great as the one we found on the Carnival Liberty.

 

About the sewage smell and brown water, I had warned my wife about the possibility of sewage smell on this ship, and it wasn’t until we were driving back to Atlanta on the last day that we realized that we never smelled any sewage anywhere on the ship. However, there was a slight brown color in the water from the faucet, but you could only notice it if you filled the sink with water.

 

The food was excellent as always, and many of our favorite dishes that we had experienced on our previous cruise were also on the menu of the Holiday: Chateaubriand, Roasted Duckling, Rack of Lamb, Pumpkin Soup, etc…

 

Fellow passengers are mostly from AL, GA, LA, MS and TN. Many first time cruisers, and in the most part, an absolute pleasure to cruise with. Everybody seemed to be having a wonderful time, polite, courteous and even though people were indeed enjoying themselves, we didn’t run into rude or obnoxious behavior, which unfortunately we’ve found aboard other recent cruises.

 

Speaking of fellow passengers, even though the food, entertainment, activities, and ambiance are 100% Carnival, the flavor is a bit different. For example, I found myself on the lido deck as we sailed away from Mobile Bay dancing to “Sweet Home Alabama” instead of the more traditional “Hot, Hot, Hot” or “Electric Slide”. I also learned that there is a “Mississippi Slide” that was played on deck and at the night club several times during the cruise!

 

I hadn’t been to Cozumel since 2003 (pre-hurricane Wilma) so it was nice to see that overall, it looks up to speed. The Punta Langosta pier (where we docked) was great for shopping. We browsed the stores for about an hour before taking a taxi to Chankanaab Park where we walked around and enjoyed the beach. Also, even though we didn’t participate in the Dolphin programs, we could see the guests that were participating interacting with the dolphins. After that, we returned to the Punta Langosta area, did some more shopping, hung out at Carlos and Charlie’s for a bit, and returned to the ship around 4pm for a 5pm departure back to Mobile.

 

The last day was a wonderful, relaxing, lazy day at sea. By the time we returned to Mobile, we felt like we had truly taken a vacation (with only one port of call in this itinerary, it allowed us to relax during our sea days and enjoy what cruising is truly about).

 

Would I go on the Holiday again? Absolutely yes! 100%. The convenience, fellow passengers, intimate feel of this ship and relaxing itinerary make it truly a winner. The only thing that made us sad about sailing on the Holiday is that we’re aware that her days with Carnival and in Mobile are probably coming to an end, and she might not be there when we cruise again. But we’re glad to say that we had the wonderful experience of sailing aboard Carnival’s Friendliest Ship…

 

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you had such a good time!!

 

Payd:)

[swansonia]

Let's keep it a secret!!! Don't want all those rude people to ruin "our" little ship. ;) I am one of those people who keeps repeat cruising on the Holiday and while I am thrilled that you enjoyed your cruise, let the others keep snubbing "the little ship that could." Two past cruises on her, two more book and looking to book another soon...See ya soon Judi !!! And I agree...the Mobile Cruise Terminal and the people there are great!!!

Karen

[luckycruzer]

Great to hear you had a great time. We leave on next sat to go on a five day cruise and will spend two days in moblie. Gladd to hear all is wel.l

 

if you are looking for a must see in Mobile..the Mardi Gras Costume museum is great..$5..cnr of Franklin and Govt St..w/ nice parking lot/free.Plan to spend 2 hrs..Hope you get a fab Docent!

[missouri_chick]

Great review!

We've cruised on her twice this year...had a great time! We decided to go on a bigger ship next year though. But we'll never forget our "FIRST" Thanks for the nice review, i agree about the terminal and the people...they are always smiling...one of them were singing the whole time we were waiting to board..lol

[cruzdawg69]

We did Holiday a couple years ago with a warning from our TA about Carnivals Oldest ship.............after it was all over, my reply to her " Old ship, Small Ship" it was still a blast ! If they had played Sweet Home Alabama daughter #1's boy friend would STILL BE ON THE SHIP !!!

 

Leaving Sat on Glory..............going to set on balcony and count flying fish !

[Tapi]

Thanks for the feedback! Will probably go again, but at the same we have our eyes set on so many other ships/sailings!

[DqALEX]

Welcome back. I'm glad you had a good cruise. When I get word the Holiday is going to be sold, I'm going to drop everything and take one last cruise on her. When That ship is gone it will be sad. Carnival doesn't have another one like her.

[leedm]

I have been on the Holiday 3 times in the last 18 months. One was with business group, one was with my wife. The last cruise we took my mother (her first) and my sister. They loved everything, even the hairy chest contest. Each cruise was a great adventure. Yes the ship is a little older and smaller, but IT IS A CRUISE and the price is right. We have been on bigger ships and on longer cruises, the little ship in Mobile has a great following. I will go again... Carnival has a good thing going in Mobile.

 

leedm

[jimjamxx]

One of the best video's(slide shows) I have seen about the Holiday!! I really like how you used black and white images with color. Good job. Gave me some ideas. P.S.> Good music as well.