SRQbeachgirl

Carnival has the best (and most frequent) comedy shows. Since you're on the Mardi Gras, the free dining options at night also include Pig & Anchor, Chi-Bang, and Cucina del Capitano. Pig & Anchor also offers a small late-night selection of comfort foods to soak up alcohol and tide you over till breakfast. At the Java Blue cafe you can get a punch card for specialty coffees - buy a certain number (I forget how many) and you get one free. Blue Iguana is a great option for breakfast - usually no line and their huevos rancheros and arepas are the perfect start to the day. Chair hogs will be out in force around the Lido pool, but if you don't have to be right in the center of the action (and noise) there are lots of places around the ship with lounge chairs and a choice of sun or shade. Carnival upped their game with the Mardi Gras class. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

We went on our first Celebrity cruise in January and were so impressed we immediately booked another one. We had also seen the reviews about the food, but we found the selections and quality to be very good. We did book specialty dining at Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill (on Reflection) and thoroughly enjoyed both. The biggest impression was the more relaxed and "adult" feeling compared with Royal and Carnival. Both of those lines have some things they do better than Celebrity (non-stop activities, included dining venues), but when we want a more relaxed cruise Celebrity will be the first line we look to.

We took our first Celebrity cruise in January and did the cruise only option. DH does not drink at all (also doesn't drink coffees) and I would only have 2 - 4 drinks per day, including specialty coffee. We did buy the basic WiFi package and the non-alcoholic drink package (because I NEED my diet sodas). Interestingly, I ended up not being charged for the majority of alcoholic drinks I got, especially when I ordered them in the theater or if the bar was crowded. They would take my card or write down my room number, but the charges never showed up.

And a specialty pillow menu. That body pillow reduced my typical nightly aches so much that I bought one when I got home.

I've gotten three free Australia cruise offers within the last year, but we'd have to get there. I hate flying these day and only begrudgingly fly halfway across the country to visit family, so halfway around the planet just isn't going to happen.

What would be the main differences someone who is not in the Retreat or suites would notice between revolutionized and non-revolutionized S-class? We were on the Reflection in January and will be again in November because we loved the ship so much. Hoping that eventually getting revolutionized doesn't mean we would lose some of the things we fell in love with.

We just got our lanai cage replaced (because the previous one got tossed into the Gulf by Ian) and we upgraded to no-see-um screen. We can finally eat dinner outside without becoming the meal.

Here in Florida we refer to them as no-see-ums because they are so small that you can't see them unless you are looking really closely for whatever is biting the living heck out of you. The little monsters are worse than mosquitoes and their bites hang around a lot longer. They're very common on beaches (especially around dusk) and mangroves.

There is another way for Carnival to curb bad behavior besides stronger security, and they have already hinted at it----higher prices. They have stated to their stockholders that they are too much of a value. Not only do the bottom-of-the-barrel prices undercut their earnings, the low rates also attract more customers who may not conduct themselves with appropriate social behavior. They needed to drop their prices after the reopening to get their ships up and running again, but that strategy may have served its usefulness.

Our first Carnival cruise was in 1992 on the Holiday. Much has changed since then, some good and some not so good. I miss the Midnight buffets with unlimited lobster and the chocolate extravaganzas. I miss the relaxed atmosphere and live steel drum music on the Lido deck (rather than the ear-splitting music they have now). I miss the more unusual ports they used to visit (St. Kitts, Barbados, Granada, Guadeloupe...). I don't miss the limited dining options. I don't miss the old muster drills. I don't miss the ships without balconies. But most of all, I don't really think about the changes. Times change. Consumer wants change. And if I want some of the smaller touches that Carnival used to have (crumb service at dinner, turndown cabin service, chocolates on the pillows) I can always sail on Celebrity and still get those things.

I'll never tell! 😆 🤐

On the Mardi Gras last July I got to Serenity about 9am on our first sea day and there wasn't a single lounge chair left--and I'm not talking towels and a single flip flop in empty chairs, I mean actual butts in seats. Fortunately, I found a great spot somewhere else near a bar with comfy chairs, shade, breeze, and a great view. And I'm not sharing the location! 😁

We have that 8-day itinerary on Reflection booked, specifically because of Tortola. Been wanting to go there forever. We also returned recently from a 7-day Eastern Caribbean on the Reflection and fell in love with the ship. Can't wait to sail on her again.

There is now only one non-alcoholic package and it's called Zero Proof. It includes soda, premium waters, specialty coffees, juices, non-alcoholic frozen drinks, smoothes, etc.

If you didn't book a spa cabin, I would suggest buying a pass to the T-pool and Thermal suite. It's amazing!

Carnival definitely gets the win for the included daytime food options (Guy's, Blue Tequila, Shaq's) and also gets the nod for the comedy shows every night. We were in a "prime" concierge balcony, which is the size of an extended balcony on Carnival, so that was a nice feature for us but certainly would not be a deciding factor for a future cruise. We will cruise both depending on what we're in the mood for. It's great to have options for both types of cruising.

Celebrity, in a heartbeat.

Maybe it's because we are Florida residents and lucked into a really good resident sale, but we sailed in a Concierge balcony on Celebrity Reflection last week for less than Carnival would have cost for the same week (I had compared prices on both lines before we booked it). I've been comparing Celebrity and Carnival prices for another cruise around April/May timeframe (this year) and we can sail Celebrity for about $500 (total) more than Carnival for a 7 or 8 day cruise. It's hard to pass up Celebrity when the cost is that close.

Yes, I completely forgot to mention the restroom attendants, real towels, and the welcome back at the ports! In fact, when we were walking back to the ship in St. Thomas my knee was really hurting (arthritis) and I had to stop walking for a minute about 100 feet before we made it to the greeting tent. One of the crew members saw me, put a cold towel and a glass of infused water on a tray, and came to meet me. Now THAT is service!

Last week we parked at the Palm Garage (which is also the garage for Beyond) at the port for our Reflection cruise. We arrived about 9:30am and got a parking space on the first level. I had read all kinds of horror stories about parking at the port, but I was very pleasantly surprised and wouldn't hesitate to park there again. The best thing is that we didn't have to leave our car keys with anyone (or leave them in the car like I read Park N' Go is now doing).

We have sailed mostly Carnival, but last week took our first cruise on an "upscale" line on Celebrity Reflection. It was the best cruise we've ever taken. Some of the differences we noted: Much better food selections and quality in the buffet - including bacon every morning and no "bacon police." Cabin service twice daily with turndown (and they still put chocolates on the pillow). Different production shows every night with MUCH better talent. Hardly any kids and no huge groups of family reunions, teenagers, etc taking over venues. Didn't have to sign anything for drinks. Immediate acknowledgement and service at every bar, even just for water. Didn't have to check out pool towels - they actually trust passengers to take as many as they want and bring them back without supervision. No smoking in the casino. No one hawking shots or sticking a camera in your face in the MDR. MDR has tablecloths and more attentive waitstaff (they still do crumb service!). Passengers in general were more considerate of each other (getting on elevators, in buffet lines, etc). Only ONE ship-wide announcement each morning, from the Captain. No constant announcements about bingo, art auctions, pool games, spa sales, etc. So have we completely "jumped ship" from Carnival to Celebrity? No, since we still think Carnival is a good value. But we will definitely be looking more at Celebrity or other more upscale lines for future cruises, specially when we are seeking more relaxation than 24/7 activity.

Yep, pretty safe to say! 😁 Can't wait to sail her again!

We just got off the Reflection today and there were maybe a dozen kids on the whole ship. If I had school-aged kids I would take them on a different line like Carnival, RCL, or Disney.

Lasting Impressions... We disembarked the Reflection this morning in what was a very easy and quick process. It's back to work for me tomorrow (Mr. SRQ is retired - or as he calls himself, my full-time assistant). We both agreed this was the most relaxing cruise we've ever had, which was exactly the type of experience we were looking for. We truly don't have a single negative thing to say about the ship, service, food, entertainment, or fellow passengers. I'm sure if we had looked hard enough we could have found something to be critical of, but we had no desire to go looking for things to nitpick. This cruise clearly demonstrated to us what it's like to be on a ship full of adults who actually act like adults. We kept commenting to each other about how nice it was. From arrival to departure and stem to stern, Celebrity has made a great lasting impression on us and earned our repeat business. We can't wait to plan our next X cruise!