Lurkyloo

I think that 50% of any good vacation, be it land or sea, is going to be based on your attitude. The cruise line provides the back drop and opportunity for a good time, but you make a choice as to whether you will actually have that good time. If you nit pick over every little detail, probably any cruise line is going to disappoint.

Me - I go in with the the attitude that I am going to have a blast, and oddly enough, I always do! My favorite cruises have been on Carnival, but the little things I didn't care for on the other lines did not affect my cruise because they are minor little details - mere specks on the big picture. I doubt that every cruise is going to be perfect on any line you choose. If you choose to focus on the negatives why bother? Hey! It's a cruise! Enjoy! ;)

I have never had a bad cruise...

That being said - Carnival is still my favorite and when I am the one booking and organizing, that is who we cruise with. Royal Caribbean was nice with a lovely ship. Princess was nice with a lovely ship. I just like the way Carnival does things and my fave cruises have always been on Carnival.

Don't really care what people say about Carnival, I just smile and say I love Carnival and leave it at that.;)

I would bring along a cute birthday card and put some extra cash inside... You could also lead your group in a rousing round of "Happy Birthday to You" or buy him lunch if a lunch stop is included.

I personally love the Spirit class ships - Have been on Spirit and Pride, and looking forward to our September Cruise to Hawaii on the Legend! :D

To me, the way the ship is set up makes it easy to figure out where things are and they were just really nice ships.

We had 7327 in May, we love the aft cabins having sailed in several of them, but this one is on my no no list. There is no seating in it, no sofa or chairs (except on the balcony). there was no fridge. But the worse part was the tv is mounted on the wall behind the headboard, so you have to lay upside down or across the bed to watch it. Maybe nitpicky but I'd never book it again. Ship was good though.

You are the second person to state that there was no sofa or chairs on an aft extended balcony - I am booked on an aft on the Spirit class ships (The Legend) in September and can't find any pictures of it and now I am stressed that the cabin is going to be small with no sofa! I do not want to pay a premium price for a cabin smaller than the standard balcony cabins just to be at the back of the ship. We are in cabin 4239 - does anyone know if the aft cabins on Spirit class ships have couches? I still have time to change if this is the case...

We are going on the Miracle to Hawaii in November on the 15 night from LA. We are going to celebrate our 30th Anniversary and Hawaii is my husband's dream vacation. There are so many excursions - can anybody give some recommendations - pearl harbor is a must for him.

We are going on the Legend 10 day to Hawaii in September - we are doing the submarine ride in Kilo, the Walking tour to the falls in Kona, snorkeling in Kauai, and beach day/snorkeling in Maui. We are staying 3 days in Honolulu and our hotel is right on the beach. Friday after we get off the ship we will drop our stuff at the hotel and go to Pearl Harbor, then Saturday laze around the beach and do Germain's famous Luau Saturday night. Then more beach Sunday. Have a great trip!

We were on a 4 day cruise and I didn't want to fuss either - I brought along a nice pair of black capris, high heeled black sandals and a nice top and didn't feel out of place at all. On the longer cruises I do dress up, but the short cruises are a bit less formal. But would never feel comfortable in shorts in the dining room and definitely not on a designated formal night.

Have fun!

You have 8M listed on the Spirit Class section, however on your initial list you don't have Spirit Class listed as ships that have an 8M.

Only reason I noticed was because we have an 8M on the Legend... ;)

I have read that Carnival does it's best job of taking care of passengers on Deck 7 where the majority of suites are. I always book Empress. However, I want to book an ext aft, Deck 7, for our upcoming Sunshine cruise, but I need to know if the 2 middle ext afts are smaller due to the renovation. I learned the hard way when I booked an aft next to the wrap on the Breeze. The 2 afts next to the wraps have annoyingly smaller cabins, no sofa area, so a little claustrophobic.

Does anyone know if this is the case on the Legend? (Spirit class ship) I booked an aft next to the wrap and the cabin type showed a couch - I am going to be majorly pissed paying more money than a regular balcony if the cabin is annoyingly smaller with no couch! :mad:

I guess I assumed they had loungers.... Depends on Ship I guess? Would love to know what they have on the aft extended balconies on the Legend, which is Spirit class ship...

Anyone know?

Was thinking of getting some to use as on board credit for charges while cruising where at least you are talking to a person face to face... would that be a safer way to use them?

What then is the purpose in obtaining a passport, taking it along on a cruise if you are too afraid to take it out of the safe ?? I see some people say this and wonder why bother even getting a passport ?

 

They do sell inexpensive waterproof bags made just the size of a passport that clip around your waist.

My concern would be having it get lost or stolen...

I myself have to renew my passport before our cruise in Sept. I am going to pay the extra money and get the passport, as well as the passport card. The passport card doesn't work in all things - but having it when I get off the ship is better than nothing. And my passport can remain in the safe.

In the past I took a picture of my passport with my phone so at least all my info was there - but then again, I am always back at the ship well before we are due. I am kind of paranoid that way... :D

When we cruised out of San Juan we were told there was a liquor store after you checked in and before you got on the boat. We hardly could believe it - but it was true! Right there in the cruise terminal between check in and going to the boat. Naturally we loaded up on Jack Daniels and Rum and all kinds of things and carried them right onto the boat - there was a huge line (obviously) but we were very well stocked for the cruise. Might want to check with others who have cruised out of there and see if that is still going on... It was a Princess Ship, but I think all the cruise ships use the same terminal...

The Legends Aft Camera is up - Foreward Camera is blank...

http://ships.carnivalentertainment.com/#ship/carnival-legend/cameras

I am paranoid - especially when flying in addition to cruising. My carry on contains:

All cruise documents, passport, flight info, excursion info etc...

2 sets of clean underwear

1 shorts

1 capris

2 tops

1 bathing suit

netbook (I love to download my pictures each night)

all medication

all makeup and hair stuff

In my purse aside from wallet and regular purse stuff:

camera

Kindle

I wouldn't let losing my bag ruin my trip and figure worse comes to worse, I can still have a great cruise with just those items... so that is what I have along until I am able to put it in my cabin - it is on wheels and easy to just drag along with me. :D

Have enjoyed every 3 day cruise I've been on...Wouldn't exactly describe them as booze cruises, but definitely have a fun vibe.

 

I'm in the minority though in that I prefer shorter cruises ( although 4,5,6 days would be my preference)...I get antsy after that.

You and my hubby would be a great pair - he starts getting antsy too, and prefers the shorter ones! Doesn't stop me from dragging him along though! ;)

I am going with my sister on the 10 day cruise to Hawaii - she is like me! We would do a month long cruise with no problem! Heck - I would live on a cruise ship if I could afford it!

I don't cruise for the food - that being said, I found the food on Princess to be the worst. Not horrible, but just not special. Buffets are buffets, but Carnival and Royal Caribbean had better tasting food over Princess in the dining rooms where it counts IMO. Not sure why the food on Princess didn't appeal to me because I am not really that picky and it certainly didn't ruin my cruise, we had a blast! Everyone's taste is different I suppose - and honestly I haven't been on Carnival in a while! We will see on our cruise in Sept. if Carnival disappoints now, but if it does - it will still be an awesome cruise - I don't sweat the little stuff! :p

Tell me about it! And we aren't sailing until September!!!! Grrrr

We will be on the Legend when it heads back to Hawaii, so looking forward to it but seems so far off! Enjoy your cruise!

I just scheduled a 3-night cruise on the Imagination. We have never gone on a 3-night trip. What can we expect on a 3-day that is different than on a 5-, 6-, or 7-night cruise? Obviously I've heard there is a lot of alcohol consumption. I'm looking for information beyond that, or if you have had a different experience than that on a 3-night cruise.

 

Thanks!

I have done 2 4 day cruises, never a 3 day. In my opinion, a 4 day is just not long enough for me and I only went on those because a group of people were going. (To be honest though, in my mind 7 days isn't really long enough either, unless leaving from someplace like Puerto Rico or New York or Florida where you can tack on a few more days before or after the cruise and sight see there as well. So I am not necessarily the norm lol)

That being said - I enjoyed the little mini cruises and had a good time on both - one on Carnival, one on Princess. I would do one again, but only if it were a group of people going. And yes we drank and partied and had a blast, but if you are the type that is going just to relax, I am sure you will be able to do that as well. Not everyone on a shorter cruise is there for the party - so just do your thing and enjoy every moment of it! :D

Any guess whether it will be available on the Legend by the time we cruise on Sept 15th to Hawaii? I read one place that the Alaskan Ships will have it this summer - and the Legend is an Alaskan Ship... Fingers crossed for sure because $60 for unlimited sure sounds better to me than $69 for 200 minutes! Especially since the wifi is so iffy and slow that everything takes forever to load!

They are both about the same actually - I have been on both and had fun on both cruises. As stated before, they are older, smaller ships but that being said - just enjoy! We sure did!

I would examine the ports carefully and choose based on where you want to go and what you want to do. You will enjoy either ship, as long as you are happy with where you are going! Have a great time! :D

My first 4 cruises were Carnival and I enjoyed each one thoroughly! After that, I kind of joined up with others who were cruising and ended up on Royal Caribbean, and Princess. Royal Caribbean was great, and loved the cruise but Carnival was still number 1 in my book. Princess - well the ships were lovely, the staff were great, and we had a great time... But, while I don't cruise for the food, I wasn't impressed with the food on Princess - it was just so so on both cruises. I also didn't like the way they did some things - seemed disorganized. I guess I just love Carnival and when I am the one making the arrangements, it will be Carnival when the destination and timing allows.

So looking forward to the cruise to Hawaii on my fave Cruise line! :D

gotta love the casino deals!

What is a casino deal? ;)

I have to admit, I have never gambled on a cruise - gambling bores me, but have seen others post about casino deals so am intrigued!

I don't know why people love to bag on Carnival - I have cruised them 4 times and loved every single cruise! I later tagged along on cruises that others planned and while I loved Mariner of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and Caribbean Princess and Crown Princess and had a total blast, Carnival is still my favorite cruise line. When my sister told me to choose the cruise - I ran back to Carnival and can't wait to be back!

Honestly though, I don't think I could ever have a bad Cruise - a vacation is what you make of it! And cruises are IMO the best! :D