2chilover

Hello all. We sail on the Pride on Sunday. Anyone know if any of the bars are showing post season games? We are big baseball fans and it would be so nice to be able to see some games while on the ship. TIA! 

On 10/5/2019 at 4:57 PM, 2chilover said:

So, we sail on the Pride on the 13th. Obviously all movies on this list won’t be shown on that Ship. How do I find out which movies will be on a specific ship? TIA!

So...still wondering how I can find out the movie line up for specific ships? Thanks for any help. 

So, we sail on the Pride on the 13th. Obviously all movies on this list won’t be shown on that Ship. How do I find out which movies will be on a specific ship? TIA!

How about that "charming" urchin standing by the cinnamon rolls, licking the icing off of each, then putting them back! Proud parents proclaimed, "Isn't he cute???" :)

It takes a lot for me to say something - but that would have been my time. And those pathetic "parents" would have gotten an earful.

How about the passengers who walk around the ship in their bathrobes?? I guess it is better than the ones who come to the buffet in their bathing suits with their bottoms sticking out:o

On my first cruise, on elegant night, I was in the bathrobe, hair and makeup done, and needed to iron hubby's shirt. I went, in the bathrobe, down to the laundry room to iron it. Got several "looks". Realized it was tacky and never made that mistake again.

If my husband had his way, he'd wear what-the-heck-ever. But out of respect for me, the dress code and the staff, he wears khakis and a polo shirt on regular nights and dress slacks, dress shirt, jacket and tie on elegant nights. And then he high-tails it back to the cabin to change, lol.

Smoking at the railing on embarkation with no ash tray in sight. I asked him where he was putting his ashes and he said "over the side". !! I explained to him how dangerous that was. "Oh, I didn't know."

 

Saw a small child at the railing nearly go through to the ocean. Mom wasn't paying any attention. Scared the heck out of me.

First cruise after they moved smoking to the upper lido deck, I walked up for the first time and there were two guys standing at the railing smoking - I didn't realize that the sitting area a bit down was the actual smoking area - and I asked them where the ashtrays were. One of them points over the railing and says "Right there - it's called the ocean!" Idiot.

I don't wear one. Its kinda tacky to me imo. I dont wear my credit cards and debit cards around my neck so why would i with my s&s card? Seems kinda juvenile imo. No offense to people who do it, just not for me

 

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Yep.

Just off Valor and we had robes in our interior cabin.

I suspect the reason for this new system is to stop all of the people who are not diamond, plat, suite or FTTF and think the rules don't apply to them from going straight to their cabins and getting in the way of and slowing down the crew who are trying to turn over the cabins.

I like (and prefer) the twice a day service. However, to be honest, where else can you go and get twice daily service. Any hotel you stay in will make up your bed (s) in the am and won't be back until the next am. I don't have a problem with no bed turndown. I can turn down my own bed. Not a deal breaker. As for the towel animal, if that is what you like, they can do it when they make up the bed in the am. I see no eal advantage to the bed being turned down. I would much rather they make it up in the am. Just my thought.

I disagree in comparing cruising with staying at a hotel for a night or two. Apples and oranges, IMO. Cruising is supposed to be a much more regal (for lack of a better word) experience than just staying in a hotel.

I've seen some posts about "birthday" gifts from carnival like free photos, spa time, etc...

 

Is this a package you purchase at a discount, or is it triggered by noting a birthday on your reservation / DOB for the guest? We were switch from a Halloween cruise to one during my wife's birthday so was just wondering if I need to find this under the gift catalog or is it automated?

My birthday is in October and we just got off the Valor. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a spa gift card and a pixels card for a free 5 x 7 in my cabin. I had not mentioned anything about my birthday in my booking and I have sailed several times previously in October and didn't receive anything.

Just a heads up to anyone receiving the pixels card - it's not for any picture you choose. We rarely buy pictures so I wasn't too knowledgeable and assumed I could just have any picture printed into a 5 x 7. We did have some formals done this time for the first time and I thought I could have one of them made into a 5 x 7 and use my card. That's not how it works - only the disembark (ports) photos and a few others taken around the ship are made into 5 x 7s. Unfortunately for me, it was too late to get any of those taken so I couldn't use my card.

Just off the Valor yesterday. I'm not a fan of the American table but it is what it is. We did ask our waiter - Kittisak (who was awesome) if it would be possible to order right away and all at once because we were heading to the family comedian show. Every night, without fail, he took our orders right away, the appetizers came quickly and as soon as we were finished, the next course was ready. Typical superb service and Kittisak got a big tip. :)

My take on this:

 

If I am dining and there is a disruptive child spoiling my evening, I will quietly get up and throw the problem on the maitre d'.

 

"This child is disrupting my meal, either deal with the parents or I am leaving, and anything I have eaten WILL be comped."

 

Hit Carnival in the wallet. If they allow unruly toddlers in the steak house, it is their problem, not mine to endure. Some decorum should be maintained by the staff.

 

As to unruly, drunk adults, the same would apply.

 

It's rather quite simple, you see. :cool:

Love it!

You CAN, but the question is whether you SHOULD

 

 

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This. In a nutshell. We will be sailing next month with our son, DIL and my precious grandsons, 5 and 3. We will be dining in the steakhouse for the first time. We wouldn't dream of taking them to the steakhouse, they will be at Camp Carnival.

One fellow on our cruise had Nike shorts, NASCAR t-shirt and flip flops at dinner on formal night. Needless to say he did 'stand out'. :eek:

 

 

.

Shoulda been THROWN out. SMH.

OK, first, the background, so haters can bear it in mind BEFORE pointless comments! This was our 14th cruise of which four were RCCL, one Celebrity, seven NCL and two Carnival. There was about a 13 year gap since the last Carnival, which was a complete disaster (some CCL's fault and some ours). We decided that, as this cruise was the only one that fit the time we had available, it was time to give CCL another chance. With that in mind, here we go...

 

Embarkation...

 

We arrived at the port at around 12:30pm. It was an easy drive in and we got the bags off and parked very quickly. I use a cane sometimes for balance and as soon as employees saw it, they were all over me with offers of a wheelchair, which I declined, and shorter lines and elevators instead of escalators and/or stairs. We were on board by soon after 1:00 and headed straight for Fish & Chips, following advice from this board. It was perfect. Quiet and few people, not to mention tasty food!

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know our way around and settling into our oceanview room. This was our first disappointment. No, not the room, it was fine, but I tried to book a balcony and failed, so I had called a few times in the past week or so to get the room changed (willing to pay, not looking for a freebie!). When we got to the check in desk, we were told that there were seven cabins available, but he couldn't do anything there, so we needed to check with Guest Services when we got on board. Well, they told us once on board, the chances of an upgrade were precisely zero and we should have asked at the pier! So no upgrade - and we missed not having that. Anyway...

 

Dining...

 

Breakfast...

 

Sit-down in the Washington dining room on sea days incorporated a brunch, which was available until 1pm. We did this on both sea days and enjoyed the food (Huevos Rancheros one day and steak and eggs the other). I also quickly found out that if you like smoked salmon, a restaurant is the only place to get it - there is NONE in the buffet.

 

Lunch...

 

This was all in the buffet, an area that also included the Blue Iguana burrito and taco bar and what became our favorite, Guy's Burger Joint (styled by the Food Network star, Guy Fierri). The burgers were very good with some awesome toppings, but what put it over the edge for us was the fresh potato fries. Fish & Chips was located in a position that is fairly hard to find and easy to forget it's there. Consequently, it is relatively quiet and a good spot to get away from the crowds on a sea day.

 

Dinner...

 

We opted for Your Time Dining and absolutely no complaints. We were greeted by first name, which is a nice touch and the waiter, Eduardo and his assistant, Vincent, were absolutely great. In fact, we asked to be seated in their section every day and apart from the night we ate at the Chef's Table (more later), we had them every night but one. We made sure that they got an extra cash tip on the last night, too. They were fun and efficient, to the point of making sure that as soon as I sat down, I had a diet coke waiting for me!

 

The food was very good. In fact, comparing main dining room food between NCL and CCL, the latter was much better. It was nice, on the second night, to get Maine lobster tail (or two!). NCL has removed lobster from the menu, unless you count a lobster fettuccine dish offered in the buffet one night.

 

The Chef's Table is something that MUST be done by anyone with a love of food and was a highlight of the cruise. It's expensive ($75 + 15% gratuity each), but that includes champagne, five amuse bouche tastings (including molten chocolate cake!), followed by a seven course gourmet meal that is out of this world! A Merlot and a Pinot Grigio are served and a choice of bottled still or San Pelegrino sparkling water.

 

Shipboard Entertainment...

 

This is subjective, but for us, this is where Carnival really needs to focus and improve. The Welcome Aboard show is usually a cheesy look at what's to come with small sections by some singers, the dancers and any specialty acts. No. This was the CD (Chris from Australia for those that want to know these things) and a really slightly below average lounge singer and...well, there is no and. That was it. Very disappointing. The rest of the week was not much better and there weren't even shows every night. A specialty act called Side Show Bert performed one night and, after a lot of warming up, the smallish crowd warmed to him and eventually enjoyed it.

 

The big screen on the Lido deck is nice to look at, but not at all well utilized. On sea days, the offerings included a Beach Boys concert, a 'Live in London' concert which was an assortment of acts and finally a show by Katy Perry. This was repeated on both sea days, unlike the movies, which were shown one time each - and even then they didn't start at the advertised time and even worse, cut off anything from 10-30 minutes before the end!!!!

 

The first comedian we saw wasn't funny in the slightest, so we didn't bother going to any other shows in the 'Punchliners (now without George Lopez)' comedy club.

 

I think the word that sums up the entertainment for us is 'uneven'. Some nights there was too much happening, it was hard to decide and others, there was little or nothing if you didn't drink gamble or play bingo!

 

Finally, Ports...

 

Nassau...

 

We stayed on the ship here as we've been to Nassau many times. It's the perfect time to try the pool and hot tubs.

 

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic...

 

The DR is a very pretty island, at least it is where the ship docks. We took an island tour, which lasted about five hours and took us to a rum distillery, amber museum and a couple other stops. It was pleasant enough, but I wonder how safe is a country that has it's own tourist police protection department? Everywhere we went we saw 'Cestur' tourist assistance uniformed officers and if anyone even came close to making contact with a tourist, they were on them like a bad rash!!

 

Grand Turk...

 

We were here just last October, but this was a different part of the island. Plenty of beaches nearby including a Margaritaville with its own pool, which was mobbed. Here, we took a tour called Rays, Conch and Snorkel, which was pretty cool. We Went to a snorkeling spot and then on to collect conch. Unfortunately, it was a little too windy for us to go in and dive for conch, but one of the staff suited up and dove for about 10-15 live conch, making a delicious salad with peppers, onions, tomatoes, orange and lime juices and a variety of spices, served with tortilla chips and rum punch. Then on to a beach with a shallow area that attracted rays. The captain collected a large ray and hung on to it for people to take pictures. Total excursion time here was close to four hours, so we had time to get some Guy' and take a nap before the Chef's Table!

 

Disembarkation...

 

With a short drive to stay with the in-laws, we weren't in a rush to get off the ship. In fact, we thought about going to Cape Canaveral until we checked and found it was $50 to get in! This meant we had time to go to the Washington restaurant for breakfast and then go up to deck 9 for our call. We put our bags out the night before (which had to be out by 9:30pm, but were still there at 11:30!) and took the 'relaxed' disembark route. Our number was called at around 9:45 and we proceeded to get off the ship. It took a while to eventually be allowed to leave and get our bags and then the Customs line was fairly long. It just didn't seem to be as well organized as NCL, but as we didn't have an agenda, it was no big deal.

 

Conclusion...

 

There were things we liked and things we didn't about the cruise and Carnival in particular. The ship, in particular, was not quite what we expected, having just got out of dry dock. Guy's and Blue Iguana were nice, as was the Red Frog Pub and the Rum and Tequila bars, but the older areas that were just given a wash and brush up, were showing age. Not in the way of cleanliness or repair, but in presentation. The pinhole signs showing the names of the areas were often hard to read and small things like putting new bulbs behind the buttons in the elevators still needed overhauling.

 

Was it a bad cruise? Absolutely not! We had a good time and plenty of R&R.

Was it great? No, it wasn't that either, but compared to the original nightmare, it was a LOT better!

Would we cruise Carnival again? Most probably not. Other lines offer more to suit us than CCL. Two attempts and we still have issues that would make it low on the list and, unless there was a fairly unique, port-intensive itinerary, most of the other lines would be chosen first.

 

Feel free to flame me, I don't really care, but I wanted to give as full a review as I could and be as honest as possible.

Thank you for your review, as we are sailing her in October for the first time. We aren't that into the entertainment (which seems to be stale among all the ships) so no big deal there. Glad to hear the food was good and I think I will book that Chef's table since you made it sound so good.

I truly understand the appeal of the larger ships for some.

For myself, a cruise is more about the ambiance of the sailing, not the attractions offered.

These mega ships are fascinating to me, but aren't what I sail for.

Am I alone with this thought?:o

No. We prefer the smaller ships as they are easy to navigate and have better crews/service in our opinion. We sail with our son, DIL and grandsons and they prefer the larger ships for the extra amenities so we do every other cruise, small ship, big ship.

It is customary to tip 2 to 5$ for a room service delivery. I keep a stack of ones just for this in the closest spot. The amount depends on you, and the amount of food ordered.

All else is covered with your prepaid tip..

Good point. I forgot room service. $3.00 each delivery (I keep a stack of ones for this as well). And bartenders - $1.00 for each drink, left with the receipt.

We are going on our first cruise on the Carnival Dream July 17, 2016. One of the reasons I booked a cruise was because I read where you could prepay gratuities.

 

You see, I am what you would call and awkward tipper. I never know how much to give to who when we are on vacation, so I just wing it and am usually way over or under the "norm" when I check with my seasoned traveler friends afterwards.

 

As you can imagine, checking in to a Hotel is more stressful to me than the average well-put-together tipper because I immediately start worrying about who we are supposed to tip and how much. Restaurants I do OK with, but everything else from hair professionals to maid service, I can't ever remember what I am supposed to give to who. I know, there's a app for that. I have it-still doesn't help much.

 

So I was so happy to have this stress removed from my vacation with the click of a check box and a couple hundred upfront dollars. Then I started reading all of the wonderful reviews on these boards and see that on top of the prepaid tip, almost all of the seasoned cruisers tip more.

 

Carnival's site says that all the tips other than room service are paid and drink gratuities would be added to my sign and sail card.

 

I don't want to seem cheap and ungrateful to the staff on the ship so I was wondering what the seasoned cruisers have to say about extra tips. Who do you tip, including excursions, why, and how much.

 

Thanks!:confused:

We prepay our gratuities so we don't even have to think about it. On the ship, we give thank you cards, placed in a bag or basket of candy bars, with cash in them to our steward, his assistant and our MDR waiter and his assistant.

On excursions, it depends. A taxi or bus driver- usually $5. The leader of an excursion who gave us a great time - more. When snorkeling in Coz, the guide got into the water with us and spent two hours providing food for the fish and diving down to get conches and sting rays stirred up. We gave him $25 and the driver $10. The guide came running down the boat dock after us, waving the money and yelling "Miss Chilover!, Miss Chilover!" I was afraid I hadn't given him enough. On the contrary, he was acting like it was Christmas, thanking us profusely. That made our whole trip.

Next cruise is October and I plan on implementing a new way of tipping that I read - bringing full sized candy bars with a couple of ones or a five wrapped around them with a rubber band to hand out to various staff such as cleaning personnel etc.

For us, tipping is part of the fun of a cruise. They are so very appreciative.

Looking forward to seeing more as we sail her for the first time in October. Thanks for the review so far.

She's looking sharp!! Come on October!!!

That's when we are sailing her too - on the 8th! Can't wait!

This is how it has worked for me. If I find a cheaper fare, on the site you are using, though, know it has to be in the same category. Inside to inside, balcony to balcony, etc... unless you are trying for an upgrade. Then you have to fill out the form, Carnival Price Protection Form. They will email you with an answer toot sweet. But, sometimes, disagree with your findings. I then call Carnival and have always, if I stay FIRM, gotten the drop. As I have posted before, I book with the only room I will consider. If you are flexible, sometimes can get up to 3 category upgrades. If you did not book directly through Carnival, we do, not with a PVP, just online, you would have to let your PVP or TA know of the drop and they would take it from there. Maybe. That's why I do my own booking. Is this :)clear as mud or what?

Thank you very much for the help! :)

Glad for you that you got it if that's what you want. In four sailings, I've never bought it and didn't think it worth the money. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've always gotten to the port early (fly in the night before) and have little to no hassle or lines boarding. Three out of four sailings, our luggage was at the cabin fairly early. Don't use Guest Services much but did have to on the Glory last October and the lines were horrendous so I guess it would have come in handy then. Tenders - didn't mind waiting with our group to be called. Also - I've read the plat and diamond criticisms that those perks should not be available to be bought, but should be earned - and I do kind of agree with that.

However, having said that, my DIL wanted us to get the FTTF this next cruise (October) because if the grandson's needed to nap as soon as we got on board, the room would be ready. She also wanted it for the tender to HMC. So I bought it, hoping I didn't waste sixty bucks. Since we are going on the Valor, a bigger ship (we love the smaller, Fantasy class ships but the kids want the amenities of the larger ones for the grandkids), which will probably have guest service lines, I guess it will come in handy if I need guest services but I will feel badly for having "purchased" the perks that others have worked hard for and jumping the line with them. But I'm like that, lol, all for earning and working hard for rewards. Just my two cents.

Thank you for the advice, ready2. But what do you mean by doing a mock booking? So.....I log in, and act like I'm booking the same cruise I've already booked.........and when the price is lower.........then what do I do?

 

I'm sorry to be stupid, I only have four cruises under my belt. :o

Oh, and I should have mentioned that I use a PVP. But she isn't very good.......in fact, ignored my question about how to take advantage of the newest fare I found on the Fare viewer. She seems to have no patience for questions and I really don't ask that many questions, promise. :)