Vanessa L

I feel horrible starting a new thread on this as I would just as soon search for posts with this topic but find no search feature 😒 That said, I'm cruising with a group of 10 people from 3/30 to 4/20 on the Oceania Regatta.  I'm looking for independent tours for the 10 of us that will not be combined with other tours, not trying to be herded like cattle like on most cruise tours.  In Moorea we're looking for snorkeling with lunch.  On Bora Bora a sunset cruise as we're there overnight.  In Rangiora, perhaps an island tour.  Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Oops! I think you meant to post this on the roll call board. Happy Sailing!

I realized that after the fact. Have no idea how to delete the post.

This post needs to be deleted.

There are plenty of places to eat while wearing shorts. The MDR in the back of the ship is the more formal MDR and does not allow shorts for dinner. I have worn capris there many times, though, and had no problem, but have seen those in shorts turned away. The midship MDR, serving the same food, has no such dress code. Also Le Bistro does not allow shorts.

Awesome! Thank you so much for the information!

I am doing a quick fam trip on this ship next week. I am unfamiliar with NCL but reading a few sites, I see that shorts are not permitted in the main dining rooms after 6PM? Is this strictly enforced? I have nice, dress shorts that I've worn on other lines and have been fine. Thank you in advance for your expertise :)

It's interesting that you asked for opinions but don't want to hear anything negative? Not sure that is going to get you a realistic view of what to expect, but that's just me. Park West has been involved in numerous lawsuits and if you Google them, you will get the real picture. That said, as long as you have the money to buy the pictures (can't necessarily define it as art) and you know 100% going in that you are buying prints that they will charge you an exorbitant amount of money to frame and ship to you, then who are we to define what you do or do not do with your money. I have been to a couple of the "auctions" and realized, much as the high pressure sales tactics of timeshare companies, if they have to "high pressure" me into buying, it's probably something I don't have any business buying. This is speaking only for me. You must do what is right for you.

He started off the ship.

This. He also has a place in Vegas. Technically speaking, he expanded onto the ships rather than the other way around :D

I agree it should be a plus one. Who wants to go alone? But it doesn't sound that exciting to me just to get a drink or 2. Speaking with the Captain would be nice.

Actually Jenhem31, it is unlimited free drinks of any kind you want. Many people do not realize that. Last past guest party when a waiter came by I gave him a $5 as a tip and told him to keep the Twilight Zones coming. He literally did just that and at one point I had 4 sitting on my table, he was bringing them faster than I could drink them lol!

Fortunately, my DH and I are both platinum so don't have to go alone but it's going to be interesting to see how (or if) they enforce this.

Over and above the ship, the crew on this one is absolutely wonderful. Thirty years of cruising, 48 cruises under my belt and her crew comes in #2 of 48. I hate to see her leave Tampa also, though BWI isn't a stretch from Charlotte either ;) Just prefer to sail out of Florida.

I was THRILLED when I realized my already booked Glory cruise on 2/2/16 was included in this! Of course, prices are up this AM as a result, lol! Glad I booked ES prior to this announcement! We were going for the ports but wow, is this icing on the cake!! :D

Thank you SO MUCH for posting these. I could have grabbed them off John's board but I'm too lazy! This is da bomb and I cannot wait to try them!!

The menus have changed since zydeco posted them. The newest ones are on John's page on "you know".

They're on his site that "shall not be mentioned". You know the one.

John Heald has been posting the menus along for a few weeks now and wow, am I excited for these changes! We are foodies and love trying new things so this is welcome news for us as we have 2 cruises booked so far for 2016 (already sailed in 2015). Cannot wait to have the new menus in place. Just as a side note, based on how many people I've seen whining about them, I am super grateful I was not raised a picky eater :D

I love the shows and after 28 cruises with Carnival have yet to run into staff that seem "mortified". Once or twice we've had some crappy dining staff that had crappy attitudes about the show, but trust me, that also spilled out into their job as servers too. Wasn't just the show, believe me.

I voted "other" simply because while I do like the shows I wish they were different on each ship and rotated the shows each month or so or, if everyone was doing the same show, change the entire show each month. We sail so often (2-3 times per year) that I now know all the words and dances to the shows, lol! It'd be nice to see some variety in them.

A good time to check for drops is 1-7 days after final payment is due. I typically check several times a day right after that. Occasionally, for numerous reasons, people find that they cannot make final payment when it is due and that ends up opening a bunch of space for the cruise. Since final payment is typically 45 days out, they want to fill those rooms as quickly as possible before sailing and will drop the prices. It's worked for me :)

I like getting "dressed" for dinner, seldom do I have the opportunity in my regular life. I can see why people don't, if i had to wear a tie everyday to work I would probably go nuts and definitely not want to do it on vacation.

This is precisely why my husband says, "Not just no, but hell no," to wearing a tie. He does it every day for work. Not happening on vacay!

I have never had a problem getting a chair. The only ones that seem to be taken early are the ones next to the pool. There are plenty of chairs away from the pool area or on the next deck up.

Perhaps on port days. On sea days, the exact opposite has been our experience. We head up on deck around 10 or so and have literally walked everywhere there are chairs and have not been able to find 2 together (it's not like we need 8, just 2). We make several sweeps, even in the shade thinking we could simply move the chairs, nothing. Serenity is right out on sea days. The only exception has been on the Fantasy class ships. Our solution is to sail exclusively with balconies now, aft if possible as they are almost always in the sun. However, it has been my experience that in fact, it is next to impossible to find a chair on deck on sea days unless you are up at 6 to put all your worldly possessions on one.

Don't you just LOVE the people who threaten bodily harm "if their stuff is moved"? Guess it never occurs to them that the repercussions for actually harming someone over a stupid chair might be a bit severe. Of course, that sounds about right for someone who would actually do that. You can't fix stupid. :rolleyes:

Unless you're concerned about other people's opinions, don't worry about it. I have seen everything from tuxes to jeans in the MDR on "elegant" night. Personally, my husband wears linen pants and a silk button down, or something similar. No coat, no tie. I typically wear a dress appropriate for work, or a pair of black slacks with a sparkly top.

This is just my 2 cents, but those who say you "need to eat on the Lido" if you don't want to "dress up" are full of horse hockey. It is no one's business what I do or do not wear in the MDR, yet many feel it is their right to be the fashion police. OP, take what you got and know it'll be fine. The exception of course, is if you are worried that the fashion police are taking notes and will talk about you for months. Then I would worry. Us, we don't worry :D

IMHO, this is yet another case of unrealistic expectations not met. Carnival is a great cruise line, and for what they charge, they deliver a lot. But let's be realistic here. You booked a cheap cruise on a budget cruise line. You can't expect attention to detail, or flawless, personal service. Carnival is great when you're price conscious. But if you're at a point where the "less than perfect" experience outweighs the money saved, it may be time to try a different cruise line.

 

OP: It's not uncommon for people to become more discerning and discriminating as they age and become more traveled. Things that you may have (consciously or unconsciously) overlooked before may be more noticeable and obvious as you cruise more. You may be at a point in your "cruise life" where you may want to dig a bit deeper in your pocket and pay more to sail on a more upscale cruise line where service will be more polished and attentive.

 

 

 

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OP, this is the best response you've received.

FWIW, we have done 48 cruises, 28 with Carnival, and our Breeze cruise in September was truly the worst ever for service, food, everything. Seriously, in 28 cruises. Worst ever, on the newest ship. Contrast that with the Pride, which we just debarked 1/25, and was the exact polar opposite of the Breeze with exceptional service from every single crew member we encountered. Of 28 Carnival cruises, it ranks #2. IMHO, and this is truly just my opinion, to say you would never cruise again or probably won't cruise again, over one bad cruise, seems kind of extreme to me. We cruised the biggest, newest and supposedly best ship they have and it was a miserable week (as it relates to the staff and service). Followed that up with a smaller, much older ship and it was very nearly perfect. Imagine what we would have missed if we'd stopped cruising any given line over 1 bad cruise?

Your opinion is your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it, but I think asking for anything at this juncture is a bit ridiculous. Carnival has a vacation guarantee for a reason and we could have invoked on our Breeze cruise for sure. But I am just so happy being on a ship, no matter how horrific the crew is, that, that was not an option at all. You most certainly could have used it, however. As with everything in life, I learn from things and know that sailing the Breeze is not for me. Doesn't mean I wouldn't try again with a different ship, as you pointed out yourself, you're at a 90% happiness rate. I'd say that's pretty darn good :D

Actually, as a new cruiser I love the negative reviews. While I think many people are overly dramatic, their negative experiences help shape my expectations and preparation for my cruise.

 

For instance, it is amazing how many people have "ruined" cruises because they did not bring earplugs or an air freshener and the sounds and smells of the ship made sleeping nearly impossible. These are very simply, cheap and small things that many cruisers probably take for granted, but the results of forgetting them can be very disastrous.

 

It also helps me know what to expect when I get on my ship. In two weeks I sail on the Carnival Elation which has been called anything between "a fine old ship" and a "floating Motel 6 from 1998." From this I understand not to expect fresh paint or Carnival Breeze style interior. Instead I will be very understanding when I step into the outdated interior with dinged up cabinets and older carpet.

 

I think it also helps to understand what works and what doesn't when issuing a complaint. If I do have a problem severe enough to upset me during my cruise, I know to complain to guest services or another member of the staff on the ship directly when the offense occurs, and to make it very clear what I expect to be done to make it right. Too often you see people have a cruise "ruined" when they either didn't voice their complaints until afterwards, or they voiced a complain without any idea what Carnival should do to help remedy the situation.

 

Long story short, every complaint valid or otherwise helps those of us trying to learn our way around what to expect, what not to expect and what common problems occur that could cause difficulty during a cruise.

Best. Response. Ever.

Carnival won't put another ship in the land of 1800s alcohol regulated Texas.

This.

I don't know if an absolute combination of cruise loyalty points would be a good thing for most Carnival cruisers. Holland, Princess and the others have much longer cruises and their passengers have hundreds, if not, thousands of cruise days. Carnival cruisers, for the most part, would be at the bottom of any combined loyalty program.

 

I think it would be nice however, to offer some level appropriate benefits when sailing on the other brands. HAL treats all previous cruisers on any Carnival owned line as a returning passenger. We will be doing this for the first time in July in Alaska. We will receive a lunch on embarkation day in the MDR as well as a few other benefits and the past guest party. It will be hard to move from Diamond on Carnival to no standing on HAL but at least we will get something.

 

I think this is a question of beware of what you're asking for because it might not beneficial. It will be interesting to see what kind of changes will be coming in the future.

Extremely well said, kicia! I agree 100% that you have to be careful what you wish for. Carnival is not exactly burning up the industry in past guest benefits (NCL seems to have that title for the mass lines) and each new change has not brought anything extraordinary to be sure.

I'd much rather see them revamp the program into something that actually encourages their passengers to return. We are currently Platinum (though should be Diamond had they kept records back to 1984 when I started cruising) and absolutely cruise for the fact that we love cruising and not for the perks offered to us.

Going to have to agree with you, OP. We sailed the Breeze in September and it was the worst we have experienced in 48 cruises. I'd heard that this was "fleet-wide" so went into our Pride cruise kinda nervous. I am happy to report that the Pride was a complete 180 from the Breeze and the service was top notch from the entire crew. After 48 cruises, it is #2 on our list of amazingness!

I'm not sure if it's the size of the Breeze, or that they were due to change crews soon when we sailed, but it just seemed like the entire crew was miserable. Our room steward was the worst we have ever had, our dining staff was atrocious (lengthy delays, wrong orders, and mismatched orders as you described) and the entire "feel" of the ship just seemed to have a lot of negative energy. If I had not just sailed this ship I might wonder what you were referring to (you typically see these remarks from people who haven't sailed the ship since its inception, if at all, but want to judge your comments), but having just done so, I know exactly of which you speak.

I'm not a Carnival cheerleader by any means, and have also sailed Norwegian and RCL, all of which I've had issues with, ranging from minuscule to significant. If you decide to try Carnival again, I'd recommend the Pride out of Tampa (winter) or Baltimore (rest of the year) and see the difference for yourself. This issue is definitely NOT fleet-wide, and appears to be localized to the larger ships.

Just my 2 cents. Thank you for your review.