Lurkyloo

There is one CD, Jen Baxter, who we would probably book a cruise SOLELY because she's the CD. We've sailed with her several times and we just absolutely love her. She is very, very British--a little loud, a little snarky, a little naughty but she (at least from our experience) genuinely cares about the passengers and will do everything in her power to make things right if something goes wrong.

Totally agree! I never paid much attentions to the CD's before, but on our last cruise on the Legend, Jen was the CD and OMG - her and her group were just hysterical and made our cruise so much fun! I wouldn't say a CD could ruin your cruise, but a great one can certainly enhance it!

......that my wife and I will be very sorry to have booked a Carnival Cruise. She said that Carnival will be filled with loud drunks, the food will suck and why didn't I take her advice and book with Celebrity.

 

Is there that big of a difference between Carnival and Celebrity?

 

 

 

Our hope is for a decent room, decent food, nice staff and enjoy our ports of Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. The major reason for booking with Carnival is it fit our holiday schedule the best.

I have never cruised Celebrity, but have friends (who are 60's) who cruised Celebrity and they said never again! Everyone was in bed by 8, music was boring, food was ok, ports were great but she felt like she was sailing in a floating retirement home. I have another friend who said it was an ok experience, and a guy couple I know loves Celebrity - so there you go! Depends on what you are looking for and probably where you are going. I have never had a bad cruise, but Carnival is my favorite for just relaxing, and having fun. It has more of a casual "upbeat" feel to it and we have never had a problem. Go into it with a positive attitude and you will have a great time!

I just completed my last minute booking sailing on 11/22/14 on Sunshine so...

3 days "left"!

32 days - Legend - 10 day Vancouver to Hawaii! :D

We have an aft ex. balcony on the legend next month, and got an up sell call to go to an Ocean Suite for $1000. We said no thanks! Might have taken it for $500 more, but $1000 it wasn't even worth considering IMO. You made the right decision! Enjoy your aft balcony! ;)

Thanks for your review and I agree. I honestly think some people are not happy unless they have something to gripe about. I feel sorry for them.... and the people around them. :(

Many thanks...every time I Google'd it, it brought me to the page stating ALL ships would be done by early 2016! Guess your Google is better than mine!!! Didnt give me the answer I hoped though as I sail in 30 days on the Splendor 😂

I hear ya - 36 days on the Legend for us, and no new plan in sight! :(

Splurge -

Cabin - Always get a balcony

Photos - Always buy at least a few photos

Excursions - Always book at least 2 excursions, with an occasional beach day depending on port.

Shopping - Yes please! Both on ship and on shore!

Tips - Always give more than auto tips on last night (Have never had poor service)

Food in port - Always like to try regional foods.

Scrimp -

Food on board - Specialty restaurants (food is not why I cruise and MDR is fine for me)

Casino - Not much of a gambler

Drink Pkg - Only if another in cabin is and I have to, I don't drink enough to make it worth while. I do have several drinks every day - if I want one I buy it so not really a scrimp.

I have been on 4 Carnival cruises and this was the first upsell call I have gotten - all 4 previous cruises were balconies or extended balconies booked with a travel agent at AAA Auto Club. This is the first time I booked online on the Carnival Website. I booked an extended aft view balcony.

I should say however, we were offered an ocean suite - a bit bigger room and patio and a tub. We didn't take the offer as we didn't really think it was that big of an upgrade for $1000. The $500 each we saved will pay for our cheers program... ;)

25 Carnival cruises and never a call. Question for those who have been called. If you have caller ID, did CARNIVAL show? We get many 800 number calls and never answer them, are we doing it wrong?

Mine didn't say Carnival - it just showed the number and "Florida" The number was 305 area code.

If it makes you feel any better, this was a first for me as well, although I have only cruised Carnival 4 times prior. ;) Never got a call from the other cruise lines either...

We accepted an Upsell from an extended balcony to an ocean suite a couple years ago. I'm glad we did because DH then realized they're not that awesome. He wanted it because we really like mini-suites on Princess, but they're not comparable.

Good to know... we always get extended balcony cabins, and have always been content with them. We aren't in the room that much and have always been more than comfortable.

If it had been $500, I would have probably jumped on it, but $1000 is a lot of vacation money and I don't generally spend a whole lot of time in the room anyway... :D

We are currently booked in an extended aft balcony, and was offered an Ocean Suite on the Legend for $1000 more. It might have been a good deal but adding another $1000 just didn't sound attractive to me. Might kick myself later though! ;)

Had to share - was the first time I ever got an upsell call!

So sorry for your loss, I would imagine that this cruise will be bittersweet without her, but I think you should do it! I would request a large table at dinner so you have opportunities to meet and chat with people, and be sure to get on the role call of the cruise to hopefully meet others who will be cruising with you. I don't know how outgoing you are, or the types of things you enjoy doing but I think you could have a good time! Enjoy! :)

Thank you all for your responses. I work the midnight shift and was asleep for most of the late afternoon/ evening.

 

I found out about this event by dumb luck. A coworker mentioned that he found a Facebook group for people going on his cruise and since the Roll Call thread on here is small and quiet I figured I'd search Facebook for the heck of it. Then I saw the Tejano cruise. As I researched more and more I realized this was bigger than an average them cruise as they have entertainers etc (MANY).

 

I tried going back to read reviews on this site from previous years with this cruise but found none. From the Facebook page it certainly looks like the ship (dance areas, entertainment venues, and pool areas were all geared towards the group).

 

I called Carnival this afternoon and they confirmed what I discovered but could not tell me exactly how many tickets had been sold. The agent did say he would typically expect at least 500 from the group sales.

 

I don't want to sound rude so I'm trying to use my words wisely. My family respects all cultures and backgrounds. With that said a cruise filled with a majority of events and entertainment geared towards the Latin Tex Mex culture would not be as fun for us. I'm sure these people are a fun group just trying to enjoy a vacation like us, but it's just not what we had in mind when we booked.

 

Now comes the annoying part of trying to find another similar cruise, similar price. We got a GREAT rate on this cruise by booking so far in advance. I had not cruised with Carnival in 10 years and figured with my daughter being 3 I would give them another shot due to the great kids program. Now with this I'm starting to have a bad taste in my mouth. How on earth they let people book without informing them of this group is beyond me.

 

I'm going to look at the Magic out of Galveston instead. Problem is we only have a 2 1/2week window to work with(Jan 1st -19th). And we prefer Galveston as my brother and sister in law live near Dallas and booked the same cruise with us. Very Frustrated!

I understand... and If I were cruising to Mexico - I would probably enjoy that kind of theme to set the mood, but when I am going to the Caribbean, I wouldn't want to be on a Mexican themed cruise where I would more than likely just feel like an outsider. I actually wouldn't want to be on any cruise where a group was likely to "take over" the ship particularly if all the entertainment was geared to them. Now a classic rock or Jimmy Buffet theme would probably be fine with me because that is the music I enjoy - but to be stuck with all Mexican music, Classical, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop or (God forbid) Rap would be torture for me! It's my cruise too, and I don't want to be locked in to one kind of entertainment!

When I first saw this post, I was ready to go to iTunes

Hahaha! I thought maybe it was,a new text app onboard! :D

Just wanted to state for the record, this was a thread about how to specifically handle what we had already decided to do. It wasn't to ask for opinions or be judged. My kids are both good with money. I haven't given either an allowance for years. Both have worked since they were about 11. First babysitting and refereeing soccer games and now bussing tables and being a home health aid. The older one pays for her own gas, spending money and books, which as a nursing major are not cheap. I don't need to be judged for treating them to a vacation and some spending money.

Opps - didn't read the whole thread before responding :o! Hopefully you don't think my post judgemental, I was just stating how I personally would handle it. I am a total softy and was buying him stuff in the shops if he wanted something and we were together - same with when on excursions. It's a cruise and these are your kids - do what you can afford and what makes you happy! I love spoiling my kids a bit on vacations and as a parent - that's my right! ;) As I have always thought of it, you are building a wonderful memory that they will always remember!

If you are paying for cruise, transportation to and from cruise, and tips - I would say for 21 year olds that should be more than enough and can be bought ahead of time. Then their Sail and Sign card for drinks and souvenirs can be on their own credit card and their own dime.

For the 18 year old I would probably get them the unlimited soda card if they enjoy those drinks add $20 to $25 a day.

Last time we cruised with my son, he was 16, but (as on every cruise with him) we bought the soda card and told him he had up to $20 a day to spend on whatever he wanted and he was happy with that and always stayed within his limit.

It's really personal though, and depends on what YOU want to do for them. There is no right or wrong way to handle it. Hope you all have a lovely cruise.

I saw a couple who showed up for elegant night - woman in denim shorts and tee shirt and man in cut up jeans and a ratty looking shirt and they were refused. So yes, I do believe that they usually enforce it. May vary from ship to ship though.

Not sure what the OP is looking at?? They really can NOT be the "exact" same? There are differences in ports and port times, which can mean a big difference depending on what activities you want.

 

It sound like they are referring to a repo cruise, since NCL otherwise does round trip Honolulu- which in my opinion, is the "winner" itinerary. I've sailed to Hawaii on several itineraries, including the round trip Ca, repo Vancouver/LA sailings, and my most on the round trip NCL Hawaii. I'm bored with sea days- which needs a strong look with those first timers, since that can involve 2/3's of some cruises.

Totally agree... the 10 day to Hawaii with 5 sea days and 5 port days would be torture for my hubby - most he can handle is 2 sea days and even then he grumbles! :D Which is why I am going with my sister who loves sea days as much as I do. Cruises with heavy sea days is not for everyone, but many love them.

We are Royal Caribbean Diamond Members. We are looking at Hawaii in 2016 or 2017. Right now the rates for Royal Caribbean, and even NCL, are considerably higher than Carnival's for the exact same itinerary. The rate for Royal Caribbean 2pp balcony is $4620.00, NCL is $4975.00 and Carnival is only $2965.00. All last we checked! Have not cruised on Carnival Cruise Lines before and because of the significant difference in price, we are concerned about the the quality of the cruise. If you have cruised on the Carnival Legend in Hawaii and can compare it to either Royal Caribbean or NCL, I would like to hear your thoughts and reviews on the Carnival Legend, There was a posting on CruiseCritic from a passenger who sailed in June of 2015 and it was not a good review. I want to be fair so reaching to you guys for some feedback. Your the best! Thank you in advance!

I'll let you know - My sister and I are sailing the Legend from Vancouver Canada to Hawaii as it relocates back to Australia in September. Looking forward to long lazy sea days and seeing a couple of Islands I haven't been to! I have been on two of the Spirit Class ships and loved them, so I am sure I will love the Legend as well, and I haven't had a bad cruise yet, so I am sure I will have a great cruise! :)

Husband wears a button down shirt with tie and dress slacks (his everyday work wear). I wear nice top and slacks... sometimes with a dressy soft jacket. I have to wear a suit every day to work so I have no interest in dressing up on a cruise, but I do it out of respect.

 

Also, I never wear shorts or beach attire in the DR no matter what day it is. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but you can put on capri pants and a decent looking top. I don't want to see anyone in a bathing suit at dinner... that's just me :)

Yep - I agree! Will often wear nice capris and cute top when eating in the dining room... You would never catch me in a tee shirt and shorts unless at the buffet.

We were never tux and ball gowns types of people, Hubby wore suit and tie, son wore nice shirt, nice slacks, nice shoes and tie and I wore dresses suitable for formal weddings or cocktail parties. As we have progressed, (and as more people became more casual about formal nights) Hubby will usually wear nice shirt and slack - sometimes with tie and I will wear a nice dress or nice slacks with a sparkly (or at least dressy) top.

Usually there are people fancier than us, but many are less dressed up so we never feel out of place. And we don't have to pack as much... :D

As we age we find we just want to cruise and enjoy without all the fuss!

So what you are saying is because women would be upset if they were not allowed to have them that is why they are allowed although they are a higher risk. It seems to me the reason they are not allowed is because the cruise lines would rather you paid them to press the clothing for you, just another way of making money. Just like not bringing booze on board. They want you to buy it from them. In my eyes that is the real reason behind not bring steamers on. A steamer in use that runs out of water will unlikely start a fire but a curling iron can. Seems to me the wool is being pulled over a lot of eyes like I said I know people who have taken them on and not a word was said to them. It's all about $$$$

They have self serve laundromats for small fee like all laundromats. Irons are free, at least they were last time I used them.

Would love to know why curling irons allowed. I would think they would be a higher risk than a clothes steamer.

As stated in faqs, an alternative is offered i.e. Land ry facilities with iron. There is no way they could Pprovide all the different sizes and styles of curling wanpds for the ladies on board thus they allow them.

We have some Brits as friends also and that was their son's "cheeky" Facebook status for today! :)

Happy 4th to all!