ray98

Every class is divided into categories depending on location. A 4A on the lowest deck is less desirable than a 4E several decks higher even though they are both inside cabins.

Not very steep, very gradual incline.

Mine was in the cabin by 7 on the final evening.

If, in your life, you are a complainer, you will always find something to be upset about.

Quote that for truth.

 

The fact is that Carnival has its business model down pat, they know exactly what their passengers want, and there are far more satisfied Carnival passengers than one would imagine from reading Cruise Critic boards. I've cruised other lines and no doubt will again, but Carnival works great for me.

Yup...they successfully tapped the large market of people who normally partake in beach vacations and all inclusive type resorts. Cruising is now seen as another variety of the Caribbean vacation experience. Once cruising had a fairly limited clientel, normally well to do people (or those who thought they were) who dressed in their finest and enjoyed afternoon tea. Now the people you see the same people you would find at a resort in the islands who would rather enjoy that type atmosphere than a stuffy formal type environment. It works and is one of the reason Carnival has exploded over the past few decades, they understand their customer base and what they expect for their money.

It is the most relaxing vacation for me plus it is budget friendly. Nothing is worse than trying to keep a group entertained and fed 3 times a day in a crowded resort or beach town. Sometimes I am ready to go home just to get a break. On a cruise it is all taken care of which means the weight is off my shoulders. I love it because I can be as active or sedentary as I want with a plus of waking up in some pretty amazing places to spend the day.

CatgirlNC -

Also, at one point, I thought they were serving certain appetizers “for the table” style, but then they went back to just serving everything individually. Can anyone clarify on that?

All appetizers were individual. The only change was the table got a basket of assorted bread. Thankfully no more waiting for the waiter to come.

Changing the menu would be a waste of time for my children. If anything was delivered other than chicken nuggets or pizza on the cruise, they would not eat it.

 

I may be missing a point here, but can't any child order off the adult menu if they wanted it?

Yes...it is a non-issue.

Looks exactly like the one we had two weeks ago. It was a great experience.

LOL...it's a kids menu giving options kids like to eat. If not they have a whole ship full of "regular" food. Why in the world would it need a redo? Someone has way too much spare time.

Great news...I loved the new menus. They needed a freshening.

There is a specialized forum for this.

No....adds nothing to my enjoyment of a meal or to the overall cruise experience. Actually, it is tacky.

Never had the call or an email.

It really made me notice how much Carnival is "cutting back" but yet other cruises can be found for less price and still have the amenities.

LOL....where? Maybe if you pick out specific isolated cruises instead of taking the overall picture into account. Overall on my 7 day last month the cheapest other option was a 50% increase with most being 75% or more, some were a full 100% increase. My two Carnival cruises last year were similarly priced in relation to the competition. I did find a screaming deal on RCCL last winter that I took but it was a large deviation from the normal price even compared to surrounding weeks. It would not be fair for me to take that cruise and say "see RCCL is similarly priced as Carnival".

No...in my opinion they are cutting stupid stuff. My biggest expectation is for them to deliver me a vacation cruise experience that is budget friendly for my family. If that means cutting out the chocolates that I am sure are expensive in that quantity just to end up in the trash can then so be it.

That would be my luck, a neighbor with a boom box.

Not worth it for me. I would rather have all the information on the web in front of me as I narrow my decision.

Just to confirm, if we have two people (i.e. my wife and I), we could put all 24 bottles of soda into one carry-on, right? I plan to just have one carry-on for the two of us and will check our main bag. So, I just want to make sure that I can put both of our soda limit into one carry-on.

 

Thanks!

 

- John...

That is what I did for the 3 of us last time.

LOL...fried fish is greasy....say it isn't so.

Standard carry on size bags. They have to fit through the scanner.

I have had no problems getting a personal cup filled, actually the program used to include an insulated mug for free and it was filled without question. They always filled those also.

As for those worrying about someones intake of a certain amount of soda, if it will be flat or watered down. Indulge in something called "mind your business", do as you want but get others the same respect.

FYI...52oz will be large to lug around and they will only provide a 12oz can at a time anyway. I would go to Walmart and look in the coffee aisle for some of the double insulated metal mugs. Many will keep a drink ice cold for 6 hours or more and have auto seal lids. They are well worth the money.

I completely paid for everything on my cruise 2 weeks ago with egift cards from Citi. It saved us 10% across the board. I ended up buying 6 or so, 3 were used to pay for the cruise and the other 3 went with us. I added them onto the S&S account at the kiosk in the lobby, took about a minute each and it printed a receipt showing the credit.

Jeez....it isn't the end of the world. Same pool of ships, they just move them around. Nothing gained, nothing lost. People just look for reasons to get pissed off.

As above....$57ish per day with gratuity.