Tantra1

Thanks everyone. Your descriptions are what I thought it would be like. Certainly not worth the extra expense.

The last 3 times we cruised on Carnival we had a Cloud 9 Spa cabin because the Dream was close enough for us to drive a few hours and it had a nice Spa package that was a nice value for the money.

Now that there are no longer Carnival ships with the same amenities out of PC I don't think we will be considering Carnival anytime in the near future. Sad. We have been to the Caribbean a few times so it doesn't hold much interest for us and we only cruised for the Cloud 9 Spa on the Dream. We enjoyed all those facilities everyday but the cost of the cruise with the spa package on the Sunshine just doesn't come close to the same value.

Since Carnival doesn't cruise out of Europe either I guess we will be spending our dollars and time with Celebrity. Maybe when the day comes that Carnival builds another ship we will cruise with them again when it does the "shake down" cruises in Europe.

Cheers!

We have cruised on Carnival quite a few times. The last few years it has been on larger ships like Breeze and Dream and we booked the Cloud 9 Spa cabins. Since Dream is no longer at Port Canaveral the choice becomes a smaller ship, the reconditioned Sunshine. I see where they also have Cloud 9 Spa cabins for the same cost for upgrade but it doesn't seem to have the same amenities.

The following are the amenities with private entrances for the Cloud 9 Spa cabins only on the Dream but which ones are offered on the Sunshine?

1. 2 relaxation rooms with heated tiled lounge chairs.

2. 2 steam rooms - one that is scented.

3. A relaxation room with cushioned chairs and chilled lemon and orange water and tea.

4. A Thallasotherapy pool

5. Changing rooms with large showers.

6. Fresh towels available in all areas.

The cost to upgrade is the same on both ships but it appears there is less offered on the Sunshine.

Has anyone had a Cloud 9 Spa cabin that can enlighten me?

Cheers!

We used the spa on our last 2 cruises on the Dream. The first was to purchase a week pass and the second we booked a Cloud 9 Spa cabin. We will be cruising in a few days just to relax and enjoy the spa we like it so much. If you want to use the spa I think it is worth booking a Cloud 9 Spa cabin.

However, DO NOT book a cabin on the Port side of deck 11. It could be the worst cruise you will ever take. Those cabins are under the gym and the cabin walls will shake and the banging from the weight machines will be almost non-stop from 6AM to 10PM. There have been numerous complaints from passengers about the problem. This has been a chronic problem from the beginning and there is really nothing Carnival can do about this. It was a really bad design that they only realized after the ship was built and in service. They have since corrected this design flaw on the ships built after the Dream.

Also if you book a Cloud 9 Spa cabin be sure to regularly check your cabin number. They have been known to change cabins on passengers and put them under the gym even though the booking was made elsewhere.

Cheers!

You got it right..Thats precisely the point. The whole pest thing is BS. You know if you can inject fear into people, you can control them. Thats what is happening to most folks here in the US.

Evidently you must have failed high school biology. By the way the world is round (more or less) and the sun is the center of the solar system :eek:

Cheers!

We always bring our own soap, and most definitely shampoo and conditioner. That crap that they put in those dispensers is absolute garbage. My wife and I always giggle because we can tell who's been using the "Carnival-provided" shampoo. Their hair usually looks like this:

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

:D

Well worth seeing again.

Cheers!

Stirring the pot to keep the thread going? You have been on here long enough to have read many posts by parents, grandparents, teachers, and day care workers who just want a break from large numbers of children. Nothing disgusting or shameful about that. Most people cruise for a break from something.

Personally I don't mind a ship full of children as long as they are behaved. I enjoy seeing them making new friends and having fun on their cruise. What I take issue with are those who misbehave just like I take issue with adults that are drunk and obnoxious creating an unpleasant atmosphere for everyone else. The more children on board the greater the chances for a few with bad behavior.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Won't most (hopefully all) spring breaks be over by the time we sail Carnival Magic out of Galveston on March 30? All my research said yes, but someone posted that that will be their spring break cruise!

If you are into partying and heavy drinking boy are you going to have fun! :D

Cheers!

I've been looking through threads and didn't find a discussion on this and was wondering if anyone has ever worn disposable gloves to serve themselves at the buffet or anywhere else on the ship? I've never done this or saw anyone else in my travels but thought it might be a good idea, even if it gives someone peace of mind.

 

I thought about it on our last cruise when we were at the buffet and there was a woman serving herself and then she went walking around to find the people she was with still with the tongs in her hand. It made me think after that, who knows where the tongs ended up and who knows where her hands were.:eek:

If I felt that wearing gloves would be helpful then I would do what makes me more comfortable. I wouldn't let some putz try to tell me what to do. I bet a few of them are the same ones that don't think it is necessary to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom and then go through the buffet. I see this more often than not. If you get sick they won't care.

When the opportunity to safeguard my health is available I will take advantage of it. I may not use gloves but I wash my hands before going through the buffet out of consideration for others and then wash them again before I eat. If someone doesn't like it then they can suck a petri dish of Noro.

Cheers!

So no ice cold beverages without using ice. Thats ok, atleast we will be cruising!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Forums mobile app

If you bring a small cooler (like one for a 6-pack) you could get the cabin steward to bring ice for you to cool down your drinks. Just a thought.

Cheers!

Calling them a refrigerator is pushing the definition a little. They don't really keep things cold. Slightly cool maybe.

Cheers!

Did you purchase anything the last morning?

Pictures? videos? drinks?

I didn't think you could purchase anything while the ship is in port. Aren't the shops and bars closed?

Cheers!

If you are on the Dream and booked into a cabin on the port side of the Panorama deck under the gym you will experience a lot of noise once the gym is open.

We recently had an inside cabin and for 7 days from approximately 6AM to 11PM (crew used the gym after closing hours) the noise would get so bad at times the ceiling and walls would shake and a few times the beds would even shake. Our neighbors on either side of us, down the hall and across the hall in the balcony cabins said the same thing.

When I posted about this other people responded that they had the same experience on the Dream on the port side Panorama deck during other cruises.

This is a chronic problem on the Dream that they are well aware of and hasn't been corrected since the ship was built. The ships built after the Dream like the Breeze have a different deck plan that resolved the problem.

Cheers!

Agree 100% with this statement. By the same token, just because someone IS there squirting gel, doesn't mean that a person's hands are clean. A month ago I was on RCI Liberty of the Seas and a month before that we sailed on Crown Princess. Both Princess and RCI had people at the entrances of restaurants pushing the hand sanitizers. I wonder how many cruisers who might normally "wash" their hands in a rudimentary fashion, forwent their normal (paltry) ritual because they knew that the "washy-washy" gel-pushing crew would "hook them up" as they sauntered into the buffet? Hand sanitizer does not take the place of 15 seconds of vigorous lathering with good, old fashioned soap and water.

I agree. You are absolutely correct.

However, I bet half the passengers don't do this before they enter the buffet regardless of whether there is gel or not. From my observation most don't even do this after they finish in the bathroom. Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode.

Cheers!

My husband used a walker on our last cruise, and we would have been very content to wait in line; however, as soon as we were in sight of a person at the check-in desk, she motioned for us to come ahead of everyone. We were so impressed. Upon debarkation the cruise and port personnel were also very solicitous of his needs.

This was in Charleston.

Kathy

This has also been my experience on a couple of cruises when having issues walking due to nerve damage and difficulty walking with a cane. It was never asked for or expected yet greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Hi we just want to do every six months to chartreuse like in April or May and then a longer cruise before the winter and just on the wall Good food good entertainment that's her thing just want anyways opinion thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Repeating your question doesn't really help and the post is confusing. If you are close to a port then choose from what is available or your travel expenses could cost more than the cruise. Unless money is not a consideration.

Cheers!

What a nice experience. And a big +1 for Carnival.

Cheers!

Of course they have to right to be comfortable on their vacation. They can order room service and eat naked. They can eat in swim suits and cover ups or shorts on the Lido. There is a place for everyone's comfort level onboard. :)

Well said.

Cheers!

What an exellent and well phrased review.

We have not cruised HAL but may give it a try in the future. However, we have cruised with both Carnival and Celebrity and could say the same things in a comparison in almost every instance.

This has not always been the case until the last few years.

As you stated, "It is what it is". When the interest is an inexpensive cruise then you go with the knowledge that you will be getting a cruise experience complete with sub-par dining experience, some of the entertainment styles, and the Honey Boo Boo attitudes by a few of the passengers as is evidenced by some of the confrontational posts on this forum.

Cheers!

As others have said they have omelets with just egg whites. However, as you probably know most whole wheat bread is only partial whole wheat with the rest being processed white flour. The color comes from things like molasses. The label has to say 100% whole wheat but good luck getting the label from the ships kitchen to verify.

Cheers!

On a recent cruise on the Dream they had Pop-overs in the bread basket one morning. Mmmmmmmm! :D Sadly they were missing the next brunch. :(

Cheers!

In my experience the quality of Carnival cruising has declined and there are more charges if you want those extra perks. This is just my observations over time.

However, the cost has not kept up with inflation so this is something to be expected from a cruise line that tries to be affordable for more people.

Since a great deal of their revenue comes from the bar and casino the reason for the decline is easy to correct. All you folks need to do you part and start drinking and gambliing more. Seriously! :D

Cheers!

I've sailed all 3 lines mentioned, and would rank Princess #1, NCL #2, and Carnival #3 for MDR food.

 

But Celebrity tops them all.

+1 re Celebrity.

Carnival dining (as well as entertainment and over all atmosphere) is no competition based on what we have experienced on our Celebrity cruises. Carnival is not even close.

The best dining on any of our Carnival cruises was a Med cruise on the Breeze before she came over to the US. However, the rest of the Carnival cruises over the years have just been OK with the quality in the dining room declining each year to date. This is not a criticism but an observation based on my experiences. I expect this since they are focusing on affordable cruises for the masses and are cutting expenses where ever they can.

Carnival is an inexpensive cruise with a quality to match so you get what you pay for. If the cost was to go up then they would lose market share to other cruise lines and have a problem with their bottom line.

They need to make their money and pay their stock holders. So all you cruisers are NOT doing you job. A large part of their revenue comes from the bar and the casino. You all need to start drinking more and gambling more if you expect to keep the prices down. :D

Cheers!

On all our cruises the employees have appeared to be cheerful and pleasant to the passengers although I can't say the same for the passengers. On our past cruise a couple of weeks ago our room steward was friendly, accomodating and always greeted us with a smile and a kind word but she did seem to be tired and overworked.

Cheers!

How can it be random if we all just returned from a cruise?

 

Also our do not call list is current

They make thousands of calls. You could say the same thing if this was a forum for people going to a movie or buying a pizza.

Cheers!

I hope you have the names of the screeners in addition to the recording as well as everyone you talked to, what was said, and dates and time. Carnival employees (and other cruise lines) are notorious for lying about most anything when it is more convenient to do so.

And just ignore the responses from the Honey Boo Boo types that make the ignorant posts.

Cheers!