cruisingguy007
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Posts posted by cruisingguy007
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23 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:
Basically, first time cruisers.
Who do you think is the cruise line for first time cruisers?
I doubt it'd be Cunard, Viking or even Celebrity.
Mass market is the only level for me lol. I would not pay anywhere near what some folks pay to cruise on so called luxury lines, I'd much rather take a land vacation than spend beaucoup bucks on a cramped cabin, tiny pools and limited ship activities. I only cruise for the value proposition and because it's fun for the whole family (everyone enjoys themselves, including the kids, and gets to vacay their way).
I priced out my next cruise on Disney vs Carnival and Disney wants 15K vs 4.5K on Carnival (same type of cabin and Carnival's cabin is actually a better layout). I'd never pay 3 times (or more in many cases) to cruise or even contemplate spending 15K+ on a cruise of any kind (maybe a world type cruise but that's about it). To me that's absurd and it's not even about the money, it's the principle and return on enjoyment value for the spend. I would never reach a equitable value proposition level no matter how nice the cabin or service as the price/value axis has limits for me and other options start looking much better.
Fancy blankets, food, robes and butlers are not enough to overcome the limitations of cruising. The things I love about cruising won't really change with luxury prices and the things I dislike will still be there on the luxury lines so why pay more?
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On 2/19/2023 at 6:33 AM, sanmarcosman said:
When I sailed Panorama January 14th - 21st this was no longer the case. I assumed the change had been made due to the relaxation of covid regulations for crew.
Interesting, I was on right after you got off and it was still roped off, crew only and a smoking section.
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19 hours ago, sanmarcosman said:
The crew smokes on Deck 4 on Vista Class vessels of which Panorama is one. Guest smoking areas are on the starboard side but the crew smokes on Deck 4 pretty much where they want. I'd move if it were me.
OP is correct, crew has an area on 5 forward on the port side for smoking also. Passengers have 5 forward starboard. It used to be open all the way around but 5 forward port side has been roped off for crew only to have some more outdoor space and smoking is permitted there.
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14 hours ago, MissesB4409 said:
My sister lives and works in Las Vegas, so its about 4 hours for her, but I think she has to be at work by 2pm
That is cutting it very close, it may be four hours with no traffic to Vegas but on a Saturday morning it will surely have traffic from all the SoCal folks heading over to Vegas. It'll probably be more like 5.5-6 hours (maybe more) on a Saturday.
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I don't live too far from you (around 45 min or so) and it took us 5 hours each way but I push it and keep it moving 😁. You should be able to get off by 9:30 doing self debark and figure 5.5-6 hours to get home (to be safe). One issue is that the schedule has changed with Cabo being last, this removes the extra sea day from the Cabo first schedule and the leisurely cruise back to LBC. The new schedule (Cabo last) kinda forces the ship to hightail it back so it may not get back as early as the Cabo first schedule. It's possible that you may not even start debarking until 9-9:30 (even later if there is some issue) and that would push back the time to actually walk off the ship (without priority debark). You may want to look into FTTF or have a back up plan just in case. If she works the evening then it's doable but I'd say 6PM ETA @ home worse case scenario and 3:30 ETA @ home a best case scenario.
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On 2/7/2023 at 1:13 PM, vwrestler171 said:
I was on the Jan 14-21 cruise and it had several nights that it was too cold to enjoy the movie on deck. On the 19th, just after leaving cabo heading to Long beach, we left the movie early and went to the cabin and the TV said it was 46 degrees outside. Cabo was also a little on the cool side. High was only supposed to be 68 the day we were there.
Yeah, that cruise was on the back end of the crazy storm we had out west. We lucked out and it ended the Thursday night before the 21st so we had sunshine and better weather but it was still pretty chilly some nights to be sure. Always smart to bring a sweatshirt and a jacket during the colder times just in case the evening gets nippy.
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On 2/7/2023 at 1:15 PM, cacruisin said:
Thank you.....how was Marty in terms of humor, fun activities etc?
He was fine, I don't really do many of the CD hosted events but I did watch a sing off type deal that was pretty funny and the Mrs. watched one of the shows one morning on the cabin TV (like a hurry up and answer type deal) and I watched a bit as a result and he was entertaining/funny. CD's don't really play a big roll for me but he seemed personable and out and about.
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10 hours ago, Jeafl said:
Thank you! This makes perfect sense. It definitely explains why most people don't bother.
Yeah, I tried a few times and just gave up, too much of a hassle.
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Marty Andrew is the CD right now (until 5/27/2023), then Chris Williams after that.
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It's because of the website design, they want you to remove all ad blockers and disable security features to be able to leave a review. I tried several times and it simply won't let you, I'm not sure what they were thinking but that's the way it's set up. It's quite strange indeed. They also don't ask you to review excursions as part of the post cruise survey, which would be an easy way to exclude folks who didn't take excursions from leaving reviews and thus, the need for disabling security features that they have in place.
Every time I try I get this: Please disable any ad blockers, which can prevent successful review submission.
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On 2/4/2023 at 10:40 PM, BethID said:
How was the weather at this time? We are thinking of the NYE cruise but are hesitating because we are worried it might be too cool.
Weather is great year round in the Mex Riv, well, except summer IMO. Some like the high heat and high humidity but I don't like humidity so it's not for me but the weather itself is great year round. January is a great time for a Mex Riv cruise. It can get a little chilly at night but the days are very nice.
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On 2/4/2023 at 12:05 PM, Eli_6 said:
Just boarded the Breeze. Loving the new nonsmoking casino which is so much bigger and nicer than it was our last time on the Breeze a year ago. The on board maps also show a Thrill Theatre that my husband and I have yet to find.
Love the guy in the hat, it looks like he's wondering "where the heck is everyone?" in that series of shots lol.
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3 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:
Thanks for sharing your experience, we are so looking forward to it! We board on the 30th so NYE will be on the normal first formal night and it’s an 8 night cruise with a stop in La Paz which is a new port to us. In October it was unbearably hot and humid in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan and just plain hot in Cabo so we are looking forward to better weather and whales. Hopefully lots and lots of whales!
We have La Paz over thanksgiving and that will be a new one for us. I hope the excursions improve, the options are pretty dismal. I'd like a trip to Badlandra or Playa El Tecolote, heck, even just some way to get there and back reliably and not an excursion per sey. I've heard they have busses now to ferry folks into town and back but I'm not sure on the limitations. FYI, you can swim with whale sharks in La Paz!
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7 hours ago, allinwonderland said:
I wonder if I ever said hi to you and didn't know it was you? LOL. Also spent a lot of time in Alchemy and Plaza. Thanks for inadvertently reminding me to go post all the notes and photos I took of this trip.
We had to have based on your review lol.
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Great review! I had a bunch of drinks from many of the same bartenders, we must have passed each other at some point because it seems we had to be in the same place, at the same, at some point lol. We had a bunch of espressotini's too! Thanks for sharing!
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6 hours ago, cacruisin said:
I read everything I can on the Panorama but I feel like no one ever references the night club lol….if you checked it out on your cruise any feedback? Any other fun activities to not be missed? TIA
Yes, checked it out one night and it was jumping! Drinks are weak in there though so you may want to hit the casino, catch a server, order a drink and tip them out and return to the nightclub. They have this rinky-dink cart they push out and the selection is limited and pours are super weak. I got a fella a drink for his birthday and it was almost embarrassing with the drizzle pour lol. I handed it off, wished him a happy birthday and promptly headed out to find a proper drink. 😆
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6 hours ago, RenoNanaOz said:
We are on Panorama in May and were looking at Rhythm of the Night. We have done the daytime excursion there twice and loved it. I have read of some having issues with bugs at the nightime excursion. Did you have any problem?
That is in summer when you have issues, if you go during the cooler months it's not as big of a problem. We had no issues with bugs as it was cooler and shaded when we arrived to the dock. Have a great trip!
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23 minutes ago, LaRue1975 said:
Thank you for the great review! We have been on the Vista, Panorama and Radiance since our return to cruising last April. Panorama was the best by a country mile, can’t wait to sail her again in December for our first NYE cruise. Hubby will turn 70 on NYE and four couples will be joining us, we’re all in Havana cabanas and balconies. Most will be first time cruisers and I booked the tailgate party cooking class for the group which should be fun. Everyone is getting the Cheers package, we can’t afford not too!
In October we found the Pig & Anchor bar the best and my daughter and SIL spent just about every night in there. It was the happening spot on our cruise, the bar staff was fabulous and the drinks were tasty and STRONG. I did my research on the elevators so tried to explain to my family that we needed to push the floor number five times for our party but they wouldn’t listen to me. They even had a crew member stationed next to elevators when we boarded and I asked her to confirm we needed to push the floor number for every person getting on, she said no, just push the button, grrrr…. By the third day everyone seemed to figure it out, I guess they got tired of the doors opening to already packed elevators, lol!
It was our 9 year old grandson’s first cruise, he had the time of his life and is now completely hooked. Camp Ocean was amazing, they do such a good job and the tears started when I picked him up the last night. He cried again at breakfast, walking off the ship and half way home in the car and is constantly asking when are going to take him on another cruise. Thanks for sharing your positive experience with the Family Harbor area. I have been getting free balcony offers so think I will book a cabin there when he is with us.
Rhythm Of The Nights gets excellent reviews but you really brought it to life in your review, I am definitely going to recommend it to our NYE group. It will be prime whale season then so we might get the bonus show too, I hope so! Thanks again, I am now even more excited for the Big 70 cruise!
Wow! Sounds like it will be great! A NYE cruise is high on the list for the Mrs. and I and we want to do one badly but missing Christmas with the extended fam would be tough. We actually missed our first one this year do to covid (dressed up as Santa for a school event and got a surprise present from someone or some family during photos) and it was tough but we are aiming to get one in, in the next few years. I'm really hoping to convince the extended fam to come along but it may be a tough sell. We are doing a Thanksgiving cruise this year though, a first for us and we are super excited about it.
The kids really do have a great time at the kids club and they get a real vacation too. It's nice to see them so happy and yet so sad when the magic is over.
Agree with Pig and Anchor and Alchemy, those old fashion variants are great! The espressotini's over at Plaza bar are pretty solid also!
Also agree with Rhythms of the Nights, especially for novice cruisers or those who have never done it on a land based Puerto/Nuevo Vallarta trip. Probably the most bang for the buck excursion as you get a sunset cruise, beach front dinner on the shore, a show and a combo nighttime starlight and lit up skyline view on the way back. Maybe even a whale bonus! It's like multiple excursions in one package.
Hope you have a wonderful NYE trip! It sounds fantastic!
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1 hour ago, mkkao924 said:
I am wondering what cabin number you had initially? We will soon be on her in family harbor suite, and hopefully the issue will be resolved by then.
2416 I believe, aka poo cabin. 😝 😁
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Read some more of the comments and it seems like Carnival needs to do a reunion sweetheart cruise for those who met onboard! Who knew there were so many?! 😆
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Random photos.
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9 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:
I tried to price match to $111 also but they said EVERYTHING had to be exactly the same, and the $111 price was for a later show so they didn’t match because of the time being different.
Yup, same response I got. They said since it was an exclusive ship excursion and the departure times and arrival back to ship times were different it was a no-go.
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48 minutes ago, nwcruiselover said:
Thank you for taking the time to do this review. I was on the Panorama B2B for the 1/7 and 1/14 cruises, and my experience was very similar to yours. I too did the Rhythms of the Night excursion in Puerto Vallarta and was very impressed with it. It was kind of pricey at $159.99 but worth every penny of it.
I agree, it was over 1K for me since we had a larger party and I tried to get a price match (to $111) for the regular show that day but it got denied, it would have helped but I'm glad we did it since the older kids are old enough to appreciate it and will probably remember it forever and we had some new cruisers who were elated with it overall. It was worth the money in the end though stung the wallet a bit. 😃
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Forgot to add, before anyone asks, no covid from any in our party once we got home. I keep seeing these doom/gloom posts warning about covid but we didn't get it on this cruise or the two previous cruises from last year. Wash your hands frequently and use common sense.
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What is the entry level cruise line?
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
It's all about the math, many times, even paying extra for the aforementioned items you listed, it's still cheaper to roll with Carnival than other lines that may include them. For us, it's usually cheaper to pay for the al-la-carte items we want than booking a line that includes everything. There are often hidden fees with these deals, increased cruise fares or higher up-charges and less included overall vs Carnival. Total cost should win out in the end. Carnival includes a nice selection of food options that others do not and has a higher energy level on the ships that creates a more favorable atmosphere value for some that has tangible value, especially those traveling as a family vs only couples/singles. There are many dynamics that go into the value-for-dollar ratio that many overlook.