lazydayz

Never seen them in the planner. Once they are available to book, there was a banner on my cruise page. Love the Cabanas for the peace and quiet, shade and great service. While we tip a little extra, remember you have already tipped the Loft 19 staff over $250 when you rent the cabana for week. And we did a dollar per drink when ordering beverages. And you get champagne everyday you use the cabana. Mimosa anyone?

Just the name, which includes "family", is enough to keep me away unless I am cruising with my grandkids. I would not accept this offer.

So glad your travels went well and you are on the ship. Enjoy!

Good luck packing and safe travels.

Thanks for doing this. Glad you are branching out and taking us along.

Agree with you about the ship rocking. We felt it both Friday and Saturday, and we were on deck 11 mid-ship.

That's my suggestion as well. Unless you book Early Saver, as long as one person in the room stays the same, changing a name is not a cancellation so only fee (if any) would be nominal. Also, by separating the adults, this gives the opportunity to only have one adult buy the Cheers package, and does away with the restriction as to how close the two cabins need to be.

The Pride is going into dry dock soon. So that would be plus for the Pride in my ledger.

Thanks for the live review. I am enjoying it.

Favorite cruise was, hands down, the Panama Canal. And the bonus was we met our cruising friends, Randy and Jackie, at one of the ports and have been great friends since. I also love all of the family cruises, and the cast of characters. Our three granddaughters and one of our two daughters are now cruise fanatics.

Loving your take on this cruise. We also enjoyed ChiBang. Did you revisit it for lunch?

On Sunday, March 26, we couldn't even get to the garage. After 2.5 hours going from downtown Miami to the Port, which is maybe two miles, when we saw our ship and the traffic nightmare continuing, so we parked in Lot 2 and walked over. This worked out pretty well, as I was in no mood to continue fighting the traffic. The port traffic was as bad as the downtown traffic. I have no idea what they are thinking. So it might be better to park offsite and take a shuttle to the port. At least shuttles have some sort of priority. Good luck!

Ship - Celebration Deck -11 Stateroom # - 11362 Stateroom Category – Balcony Starboard or Port Side - Port Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes. No issues other than kids across the hall in an interior who liked hanging out in the hallway. Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Yes, never heard these neighbors. Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Good, unobstructed vies. Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Extended balcony. Had one lounger, two chairs and a table. There was still plenty of empty space. Loved it. Was wind a problem? - No, and we had a few windy days If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a Any specific problems with this cabin? - none Any other comments? - Bed is by the balcony. Plenty of close space. Would book this cabin again.

Agree with both of you. We have cruised from Miami multiple times but this was a classic cluster. They literally only had one lane open on the bridge from downtown. We were the next car in line when they closed an entrance to the port, which led to us having to circle the port, go from five lanes, down to three lanes, back up to four of five, etc. The port itself was a madhouse, not just the expected traffic from downtown to the port. I really don't know what they were thinking, or if the Port of Miami has just gotten ahead of itself in adding these new ships. I think it is time for the Port and the cruise lines to figure out a way to move these staggering number of passengers to and from what, eight cruise ships, in a matter of hours. I am convinced the cruisers who we saw walking from downtown to the port were on the ship at least an hour before we were.

Thanks for doing a review. We were on this cruise as well and it has us considering whether we will ever cruise from Miami again. The traffic was crazy, and I was super stressed. Getting there was horrible, and leaving the port was bad. Hope it went better for you.

Nope, just prefer lazy days on a cruise ship. Figured it was as good a name as any other.

Not gone. The Excel Suites get a lot more perks, including access to Loft 19. But as of now, that’s only for Mardi Gras and Celebration.

Glad you all made it safely and got some rest.

Sure, but not if the person never cruises and Carnival doesn’t have to refund it. Then it’s just free money. Agreed. I don’t mind losing a few hundred dollars. But when the numbers get big, I buy insurance.

This. I think Carnival is just trying to hold onto any $ it gets to service its debts. Not directed to mz-s, but to anyone who is going to cruise Carnival again because they have $250 or less of your money, there is a point where that doesn’t make sense. Won’t you spend a multiple of that booking a new cruise and then all the extra expenses, like tips, taxes, parking, drinks, etc.? I get that it is annoying, and I feel for you, but at some point I just cut my losses and move on. But I usually self insure for cheap cruises, and so far, that has worked out for me.

Not at all. The only difference I have noticed is the host, and Denver was funny and fun. He would often go four or five winners deep if the first few had not won much money in the drawings.

Just returned from the Celebration on an Elite cruise. Started off with a nice cocktail party with lovely food. They gave away three prizes and introduced the hosts, Denver, Dion, Maya and Darrien (think he is in training). You go to the casino cage to get parking reimbursed (did not need a receipt) and the Platinum bonus $25. Casino was busy but could always find a machine. Drawing at 11 each night (except the last day, when the drawing was at 4) and games included Matilda, Bubbles, Super Joker and Fill my Bag. As to gifts, we got the wine and cheese basket, a Carnival Swiss army type tool, eight cookies, and two waterproof speakers. Very nice gifts this time. We choose one of the offered excursions and all of the hosts were there, though they kept to themselves for the most part. If you choose the credit instead, it is $150 per person, for up to two people. I was also given dinner for two at Rudi’s but for the first time, it didn’t include a bottle of wine. With Free Drinks Everywhere for both myself and my husband, we really didn't miss it. And $100 for Bonsai Sushi, which was a feast! Hard for two people to eat $100 of sushi, but they do have a steak which was very good. Only the Elite players were eligible for the drawings. Our pre-ordered (free) tequila, vodka, and mixers were waiting in the cabin. Over the course of the week, there were some really big jackpots won. The highest I heard was $23,000, but several more were over $10,000. I won two small jackpots, one each on the last two days. Carnival Players Club did a great job of taking care of the Elite players this cruise, and this is the best host team I have cruised with. There were plenty of servers in the casino, and it was very easy to get drinks. If you go on the Celebration, look for Alfredo in the casino. He is a great server, who always checked with me and even remembered my name and folio number.

Agree with you about the breakfast sandwiches. Disgusting, mine literally had a wheel of bacon and was totally inedible. however, the regular sandwiches from room service were good.

Just returned from the Celebration on an Elite cruise today. Started off with a nice cocktail party with lovely food. They gave away three prizes and introduced the hosts, Denver, Dion, Maya and Darrien (think he is in training). just go to the casino cage to get parking reimbursed. We did not need to show a receipt. Free play was pre-loaded on my card, but have to get the Platinum bonus $25 from the cage. Casino was busy but could always find a machine. Drawing at 11 each night (except the last day, when the drawing was at 4) and games included Matilda, Bubbles, Super Joker and Fill my Bag. as to gifts, we got the wine and cheese basket, a Carnival Swiss army type tool, eight cookies, and two waterproof speakers. Very nice gifts this time. We choose one of the offered excursions and all of the hosts were there, though they kept to themselves for the most part. If you choose the credit instead, it is $150 per person, for up to two people. I was also given dinner for two at Rudi’s but for the first time, it didn’t include a bottle of wine. But since you and your guest both have Free Drinks Everywhere, who needs another bottle of wine? And $100 for Bonsai Sushi, which was a feast! Hard for two people to eat $100 of sushi, but they do have a steak which was very good. Only the Elite players were eligible for the drawings. Tequila, vodka, and mixers were waiting in the cabin. and there were some really big jackpots won. The highest I heard was $23,000, but several more were over $10,000. I won two small jackpots, one each on the last two days. I felt they did a great job of taking care of the Elite players this cruise, and they are by far, the best host team I have cruised with. There were plenty of servers in the casino, and it was very easy to get drinks. If you go on the Celebration, look for Alfredo in the casino. He is a great server that remembers your name and folio number.

Wow, safe travels and have a wonderful trip and cruise.