CBuick

I just came off the Pride. They didn't close it for rain, so I am not sure if it was not functional or if they didn't want to have to leave it closed for 2 days. My last trip in April they did close it. One issue I have heard with the Spirit class ships is that they cannot open or close them when the ship is in motion. Having just come off of her during a wet autumn, I can say only the first Sea Day did I not spend time outside. In any case I am sure they will have the Mid pool enclosure functioning if it is snowing outside. Only the mid ship pool is covered (the area with Red Frog, Guys and Blue Iguana Cantina) and it can be accessed by the middle bank of elevators.

I did once go on a cruise - The Splendor out of NYC - where it snowed on the first day out. It was alot of fun to sit in the hot tub while it snowed. If it snows while on the Pride - you could do the same in the forward or Serenity pool.

Otherwise, I really like the Pride alot. I did have had a snafu or two during Embarkation (once with the Fire Marshal closing the facility and the computers going down). I like that the ship has a Bonsai, Guy's and Chopsticks at the buffet. The decor is a little overdone, but it is the most tasteful of the Spirit ships in my opinion. The shows 88 Keys and 80's Pop are great. This is also one of the few Spirit Class ships that have a movie screen outside. My only complaint is I wish Serenity was a little larger on this ship.

If Victory had a 7 day I would give it a try for it's interesting ocean themed interior. Sadly no Steakhouse either - absolutely worth $35.

I just got off a trip on one of the Miracle's sister ships - Pride. So normally I would be singing praises of ships like her, but my trip was the most crowded I took on that class, so I might be less prejudiced toward the Miracle and Pride. I do feel as though the Miracle is the least pretty of the Spirit Class ships with purples and orange colors. It's lack of a Guy's Burger Joint is a serious minus. The one plus is that the Miracle does have a Chopsticks which offers really good Chinese food for lunch. The lunch buffet is more updated on the Glory with Comfort Kitchen.

If you prefer larger pool area's the Glory will be better as it is a generally wider ship and it has 2 very large pool areas as opposed to 3 smaller on the Miracle (Spirit Class). The Glory will have more hot tubs. I believe the Miracle has 4 (one by each pool and one hidden in the gym), and Glory has 7 (One by each pool, 2 in serenity and a nice large one hidden in the gym) The advantage of the Miracle if you like the comedy shows is the comedy club on the miracle is larger so it will be less likely to fill up. If you like to watch movies by the pool the Miracle is not your ship as it does not have a movie screen by the pool. That would be a big minus if you enjoy that night time activity.

The main positives for me were the covered mid ship pool, and the spa.

The negatives is they have not done any upgrades such as a Guys. Although I liked the decoration alot of ppl dont. High points for me were the 30s deco aft pool and Morroco lounge. The pink areas, dining rooms and lido design get critisized alot.

Lobster is a bottom feeder, gutter provisions that got a fortuitous PR makeover. Eating steak served in the MDR is consuming cruelty.

I like this comment. Being served Lobster Pot Pie at a colonial themed restraunt it was explained that lobster was considered an inferior dish and was served to ppl in prisons and pets. Even though they came up with variations to serve it, a law came to pass whereby it was considered cruel and unusual punishment to serve lobster in prisons 7 days a week. The lobster canning business thinned out the population to a point where lobsters stopped piling up on the shores, and the dish became an exotic food to be served in the dining cars of cross country trains.

I'm seeing meals with asterisks beside them do these items mean they have a surcharge, even if they are in the MDR?

Only steakhouse selecrions cost extra, the astirisk is a warning applied to red meat and cooking temperature.

Can't believe this thread is still going. Here is the deal for me. Most of the time the food is pretty good. Guys is really good, and I don't even like burgers. The surchage food is very high quality - and the perception to me is that Carnival does not charge unreasonable fees for these surcharge options. (I feel NCL and RCL are very expensive for comprable meals)

Either way I still see cruising as an excellent value.

I liked the Fantasy so there might be some pluses that are being missed on the old girl. Despite the urge to go on the latest and greatest I think a trip on the older ships can certainly be a worthwhile experience.

First, she doesn't have the American Table Menu. She has the older menu that some cruisers prefer. (this may have changed with the upgrade tho)

Second, the Fantasy Class Atriums are very impressive.

Third, the Fantasy might feel a little less crowded then the larger Dream.

Fourth, the Serenity area doesn't get as busy as the Dream since alot of ppl don't know to check at the back of the theater.

Fifth, I really like the Brits show on the Fantasy.

Sixth, The themes on the Fantasy are really cool, They have Great Britain, Egypt and Roman Times represented. There is even a club showing what household items look like to cats.

Seventh, Those chairs on the promenade are very comfortable.

Eighth, Fantasy now has a Guy's. Sure the line for it will be shorter than Dreams.

Ninth, It seemed easier to get a comedy club seat on the fantasy, and some of the best comedians I saw were on the Fantasy.

Tenth, the drill takes place in the lounges.

 

So if anyone has any tips or reports for dining on the Carnival Pride, I’d like to hear it because I’ll be there in October. I would be highly surprised if it’s quite as good as on the newer flagships, though, so I don’t expect the Pride to have great food just because the Dream does.

I will also be on the Pride in October. I should point out that Pride is one of the top 5 rated Carnival ships, and has both a high ratio of crew to passengers and tonnage to passengers. I felt the American Table menu was as good as any other Carnival Ship if not better. There was a table mate that had only done Princess cruises, and he was a little disapointed - though he and his wife did seem to be very apt to complain about anything. I will say the Dining Demonstration on the Pride was the best of any ship I have been on.

I don't think the MDR or typical venue quality will be any different from a larger or newer ship - I do like the design of the Normandie Dining Room. The main difference between the Pride and other ships is the venues not offered. For instance Vista has a more extensive Bonsai Menu. Both Sunshine and Vista have the excellent Ji Jis, and every ship Magic and newer have the Cucina De Capitano. Pride also lacks a more comprehensive Red Frog Menu and Seafood Shack. Pride also has the same buffet as most other Carnival ships. I believe only the Sunshine, Vista and Dream classes have the newer Comfort Kitchen - which I prefer over the international themed Chefs Choice. The last thing that Pride lacks is a Mongolian Grille. Instead they have a buffet area called Chopsticks. Some of the choices at Chopsticks were great, others not so much. I only ordered the mild sauce at the Mongolian Grille, so it is a bit more variety and alot less wait time. They have a Guy's and a Blue Iganna, and even the complaint couple admitted those two venues were good.

But yes, my belief is that Pride's apples to apples comparison to newer ships in food will be as good if not better.

I think cruises are a fantastic value: Here is an example of comparing a 7 day cruise to a Las Vegas trip. If I were to do Disney or Universal I would really be going into the high figures.

From my East Coast area: $800 (400 *2)

Hotel - Average Strip: 60 * 7 = 420

Cabs, etc $70

Meals (20*3*7*2) = 840

2 shows in that week = (60 *2) 120

A very basic trip for 2 for a week is over $2,250. There are so many good cruises for two that are alot less then that.

I have honestly never tried the flat iron steak. I have liked everything else they have served on the MDR menu. The twice a week prime rib is always very good. I believe they also had a night with Grilled Beef Tenderloin on my last cruise - that was good. There is also a dual of Filet Mignon and short ribs that is decent. I am not going to say there aren't a couple of misses now and then, but all in all I think the hits outnumber them. I have done the upcharges a couple of times and those are pretty reasonably priced at $20. I remember the RCL upcharge being higher and the item I ordered being dissapointing (I do have to work on my RCL hate :) )

oops just saw another thread saw this before I did.

Just caught a really cool video on YouTube talking about the Pinnacle Project.

The cool thing about this video is it contains alot more information then what can be found on the internet. Cool ship and cool video. Unlike the person who made the video, I like Carnival's ships.

I did it on the Splendor 3 years ago. I liked it alot. The main difference between the pool in the spa and regular hot tubs is you can lay down in the spa. There are also alot of different steam rooms. Although there is a description of each room, they seemed very similar. They also had thever very unique showers.

If you need a break from the crowds can be a good deal. Avoid getting to chummy with the spa staff as theyou work for Steiner and are really pros at the hard sell.

It doesn't really fit their business model. They're the low cost fun ships, having hefty loyalty benefits means their cost will rise. Part of going on Carnival (the low cost) will be lost

 

 

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I don't know if that is the complete story. Though Carnival is a more affordable line, they are much better leveraged than Royal Caribbean. Carnival's debt vs. EBITA is in the 30s while NCL and RCL are in the 50s. (http://marketrealist.com/2015/01/comparing-royal-caribbeans-leverage-versus-competitors/ )The reason for this lower debt is that Carnival has been alot more conservative with their new build investments - Those 150,000+ ton ships are capital intensive. I feel the significantly lower debt Carnival carries would make them more flexible to investment and would give them significantly lower overall costs to operate.

I feel Carnival's corporate culture is the reason their program is more laid back then the competition. It seems as though the goal of Carnival is to provide an equitable experience for all guests. Not have their system fall in to the trap of having the carrot being given to high tier customers become a stick for the lower. An example of how this process has played out with RCL would be the show seating for high tier guests in the theater. Even worse I have heard about high tier elevator privledges on Quantum, where guests are kicked out of elevators so the elite can use the elevator. Having been in the travel industry before I have worked in businesses where there was a much greater disparity between tiers, and I have been on the other side of the desk where I have had to be told I am not important enough to get what I needed. Even worse I have seen some highest tier benefits that are so unreasonable that they create a system wide drain on service to all other levels.

Reading an awesome Skift Article published yesterday (https://skift.com/2017/06/27/the-business-of-loyalty-carnival-cruise-line-wants-to-win-over-customers-earlier/), Carnival does say they are looking into their loyalty program. This confirms my thinking, as they do say they are not looking for people just needing high tier perks -" the cruise line wants to cultivate passengers who are enthusiastic about the brand, not just driven by the promise of perks." . They want to help foster a better attitude about the brand. They also want to allow for more perks early in the program.

I think we may be on the same cruise as you. We sail on the Sunshine March 3,2018. It will be on first time on the Sunshine and like you, I wasn't sure. However, after hearing all the positive things and reading some great reviews about her, I am totally excited ! I continue to hear the serenity area is one of the best and that is important to me. Hope you have a great trip !

There are good points and bad points about the serenity.

The splash pool is nice but I wish there was more than one hot tub.

Some don't like the proximity of the serenity to main pool area during the day, but u can watch movies from the serenity area.

Though I feel the decoration on Sunshine is understated, it is a little more mainstream for others.

I did love the food and the service on Sunshine. Ji Jis is a gem, and in addition to Havana being a great buffet area to sit the bitend sized food there is great as well.

Though I have heard some ppl say they wouldn't give her another shot, I think the ships pluses outweigh the minuses.

I have some links. They are planned for 2020 and 2022. They are slated to be LNG powered and 180,000 tons. They are expected to carry 5,200. This is close to the passenger to ton ratio of 34.6 tons per passenger, which is a little more than Vista at 33.93 and identical to the Dream class - also at 34.6. The most tons per passenger is 41.6 found on the Spirit Class, followed by the Splendor Class, Conquest, and Triumph classes https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/09/06/carnival-cruise-ship-order/89901984/

Supposedly a model was spied that could be the new ships. The model was named Carnival Reflection. http://cruisecapital.co.uk/is-this-carnivals-new-180000-gt-cruise-ship/

I don't know if it was a confirmation of a Port Canaveral location, but in a news article explaining an expansion of the Port Canaveral terminal the LNG ships are named as a possible port. https://www.cruisehive.com/new-cruise-terminal-for-port-canaveral-could-open-in-2019/17572

Hearing alot about the Oasis class I am wondering where Carnival is going to go with the two 180,000 ships they have planned? I know they will have all the venues that the Vista has, just wondering what additional features.

With the Vista, I didn't expect the brewery and the IMAX theater. I was happy to at least see an MDR. After all the other builds where the MDR was de-emphasized I was happy to see Carnival kept the MDRs.

Speaking of MDR's, I don't mind the tablecloths being taken away some nights. Having water on the table, and a newer menu isn't a terrible thing. Though I miss the chateaubriand, I really don't miss the Beef Strogonoff and Turkey with Farfalle.

It cuts totally across everything Carnival stands for and will never happen. Take it to the bank. Much more likely (and still doubtful for much of the list) for rccl or ncl to do this.

 

 

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I agree with this somewhat. I think RCL is still bruised from the Quantum Dynamic Dining debacle to try this. It wasn't just bad reviews, as they had to scrap the program - which they had planned on all their ships. So, I don't think this theory wI'll happen.

Don't they rotate the staff? If so this would make a big difference i am sure. If service wasn't up to par.

It could be the staff rotations. The ship was briefly re positioned to Bayonne, so the different clientel may have also gobsmacked the staff. The saying is, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. The staff on that ship were not happy campers that week, and seemed like they experienced a few more New York Minutes than they were used to.

I wasn't thrilled with the intended design of the Quantum class that tried real hard to scrap the MDR (not pleased the same guy who came up with Dynamic Dining went to Celebrity and canned the liner themed restaurants). I also had family members that weren't blown away by their trips on The Anthem.

For now I think I am sticking with Carnival with ships in Baltimore, NYC and Charleston. NCL is expensive in NYC - even for the Nassau Port Canaveral Itenerary (plus the expectation for incremental food and service), so if I ever try another line, or a more western Carnival itenerary, it would have to be a flight to Florida.

You've said it much more eloquently than i could have . I totally agree. But i think they have tried to have a good assortment of food venues that would please most people.

Oh yes they do have venues that I do like alot. I won't disagree with you on that. Wishing there were more Ji Ji's though.

Something I should have added to my description would be that there has been a suggested the differences between bread production in the East and West coast is the climate and consistency of water sourced. I have heard it explained that this is the reason the bagels, pizza and sandwich breads are vastly different between the more arid West Coast and the more temperate East. Perhaps the arid climate is key in producing higher quality tortillas.

Carnival addresses it's pizza very well in that they use flour and ovens that come from Italy.

I haven't checked out the other boards. But I would if I was considering cruising on one of those lines. I have been sometimes intrigued by NCL and the Disney Star Wars Cruises. I come down pretty hard on RCL, and I wouldn't want to do it in the forum. My trip on the Liberty of the Seas I had too numerous experiences where staff at all levels were rude or appeared to not care. The MDR food and some of the buffet didn't click with me. But I did think the ships design was impressive, the shows and entertainment programs well done, and the lido pool/solarium to be very well laid out.

I would chalk it up as just a bad week and try another, but the price vs. iteneraries in my driveable area are quite a bit more than Carnival. Those dreams where I look forward to the chocolate melting cake, Guys Burgers and swimming in the crystal clear waters in Half Moon Cay don't help matters either.

I know i have been to calif. and texas who have great mexican food. But for us floridians the mexican cantina is just fine. Tex mex is very good had the best fajitas in Texas . What i am trying to say is they have come along way and have a great line up of food venues with late night additions which we like.

I somehow missed the Mexican food conversation between alot of the other arguments. The few times I have been to California I would have to admit that Mexican Food in California is incredible compared to anything I can get on the East Coast. Although I like Camacho's Fried Tacos alot, I imagine there are even better hidden gem places.

I am not sure if Blue Iguana doesn't appeal as much to someone with California taste because Florida has less Mexican Culture present than California (perhaps Princess, a company headquartered on the West Coast, has a better handle on Mexican Cuisine), or if they are trying to appeal to a clientel that would prefer more generic Mexican Food. Sort of like that movie Big Night, where the generic Italian Restaurant was successfull, while the authentic was misunderstood, and languished.

I can understand being upset about staffing cutbacks. It isn't always the result of cutting back on staff, but also retention - people leaving contract early. They may have some ships that handle retention better than others. But I would advise noting unreasonable shortages to notes to Carnival, as staff shortages might indicate bad management at a lower level.

Personally I haven't had a steward ask if I prefer morning or evening. I also haven't used guest services, so I can't attest to these staffing shortages. Not saying they didn't happen, but maybe I lucked out and continue to luck out.

That would be a shame, because there are a lot of us who enjoy the "old clunkers" and the price breaks they give us. I've been on the Paradise and the Ecstasy and LOVED our cruises on both. Never felt like was missing anything. Going on the Paradise again. And yes, we've been on some of the larger ships and Disney, so we know what else is out there.

I have to agree that I like the older ships. I sailed on the Fantasy a little more than a year ago and I thought she was in great condition. I know there are gripes about the decoration on the old ships, but it actually grew on me. It is cool to discover hidden artwork during the trip. Newer builds on all lines seem to be a little more conservative. The new builds are nice, but not as much fun design wise. I hope the newer builds find a middle ground between the old and new.