Holiday Cruise Ship

[tigereye]

Has anyone sailed from Mobile on the Holiday? How was embarkation and debarkation? What about parking? Any good or bad info will be appreciated.

[Cotton]

[b]The only thing I can answer is about parking. I've driven past the new terminal and parking area, and it looks great...should be very easy to park and board the ship. (At least my reply will bring your questions back to the top for more specific answers.):) And, btw, you'll LOVE the Holiday![/b]

[southernlagirl]

[font=Comic Sans MS]I've heard that embarkation was a bit crazy the first few times the Holiday left but hopefully they'll have things together in no time. When are ya'll going on the Holiday?[/font]

[RoperDK]

We just returned from the Holiday on Nov. 8th. Embarkation was a breeze. Drop off and parking are easy. Check in and boarding were very organized. Embarkation on the other hand was a nightmare. I am hoping it is temporary as they get used to handling cruise ship passengers. It really wasn't a Carnival problem. They did the standard self-assist first, then called colored luggage tags to disembark. It always seems slow until it's your turn to go, but it really was about the same as other cruises I've been on. Then the trouble began! The line slowed to a crawl once we left the gangway. It took well over an hour from the time we left the ship to get to luggage pick up and then wait in a massive line to clear customs. There were several elderly people struggling to haul their luggage through the maze and were clearly exhausted after standing for so long. Carnival reps were encouraging people to talk to their TAs or Carnival directly to get Mobile to get more customs inspectors. They need to do something. I am a Carnival fan and heard many first time cruisers say that they would never go through this mess again. I e-mailed my thoughts to Carnival today.
On a lighter note, I enjoyed my cruise. I did miss having a balcony. (I know the suites have balconies, but my budget doesn't allow for that.) The service was great. Many activities during the day and night. I came out ahead in the casino. Best of all I was home unpacking in 3 hours! Let me know if you have any questions.