Gon2hwe

I've been trying to find out where the smoking areas are on the Dawn so I'll know where to book my cabin. Since most people are being civil to the OP on this thread maybe someone could answer my question.

How much is the 6 day?

One factor you missed was cost. I think Carnival wins that hands down. The Oasis class is the only ships worth paying more for.

Thank you! On another thread I mentioned that I didn't care for the lasagne on the Dream but didn't remember what it was that I didn't like about it. Can't remember EVER leaving over lasagne. That would be like refusing a free cruise! I love the episode of the Golden Girls when Blanche is so upset she takes a pan of Sophia's lasagne, cuts off a single serving, puts it in a plate but digs into the pan.

We liked the lasagna on the Dream but knew there was something different about it. They said it had sweet potatoes in it.

On the Dream the omelet station was by the Mongolian Wok, or maybe it was where the wok is in the morning. You can get them to fry your eggs there too. Like mine over easy. The scrambled eggs on the buffet were nasty. The best breakfast was in the Sea Day Brunch. You could get steak and eggs and it was really good. People start lining up at 8:30.

I've been on the FOS and Carnival Dream. I'd say they are pretty close in size but the FOS seems bigger because of the promenade. The FOS doesn't have any of the really neat stuff like the Oasis class. Carnival Dream class has more food options with better food in my opinion and a more casual atmosphere but the ship layout is a pill to navigate until you get use to it. Entertainment on both is nothing to write home about.

As long as your not right over the BBQ it should be okay as long as you don't mind being right above deck 5. See you at the M&M.

Don't expect prices to go down for next year. They have to make up for all the smokers they are throwing overboard. Get used to it, they will only get higher.

Wyndam Riverside is a great little hotel . Right across from the Hilton where the trolley stops going to the French Quarter. Couple blocks from Harrahs. You can see the ships from there. It's a little older but nice and clean, great staff. About half the cost of the Hilton. Go to dinner at Drago's at the Hilton. You won't be disappointed.

The Breakdancers were really good if their still on there. If you have anytime dining ask for a table with Samson. He was a riot and very good at what he does.

Early Saver is the way to go if you are locked in to travel dates. Typical are summer. spring break. or holiday travel. Otherwise for us (retired) we book the lowest rates possible for any number of dates usually right before final payments. One date may be hundreds less than the week before or after. After final payment we won't get OBC but we may be able to upgrade for very little money. Therefore we book the lowest grade cabin in the category we want and upgrade from there when prices drop. Also if you belong to any memberships that sell travel. quite often their prices are usually rock bottom but only on specific cruises.

We're 32 and 27, and have been on 4 cruises with Royal Caribbean on 4 different ships; allure, freedom (east and west Caribbean), mariner and rhapsody in Asia and Australia.

 

We haven't cruised with another company.

 

We're looking at a Southern Caribbean cruise next June with RCI on adventure ots from San Juan but the price has gone up from around €1400 to €2000 in the past couple of weeks, so we had a look at other companies and found a similar itinerary with Carnival on their Valor ship priced around €1400.

 

Is there much of a difference between the 2 companies, does carnival have drinks packages, anytime dining, etc, etc....

 

 

Looking for advise from anyone that has experienced both lines or even better, been on both ships, adventure and valor.

I have been on Adventure but not Valor. Valor would probably be comparable in size to Rhapsody. It would not have the promenade like Adventure. Carnival does not have this on their ships. Carnival does have the drink packages and anytime dining. IMO Carnivals food is better and has more options than RC. Carnival has more of a fun atmosphere if that's what your looking for.

Just curious and I think I know the answer, but do any of the deck 6 aft cabins have shade?

I don't believe it does unless the position of the ship gives shade. We knew this when we switched from Deck 9 but we really like the way the cabin is a lot better on 6. Guess we'll see next month. Just gonna take an umbrella and pray for no rain.

We were in Aft Wrap Cabin 6470 on the Breeze last November. I posted quite a few inside and outside pics on the website cruiselinerooms dot com

Not sure, but I believe the balconies get just a little narrower the higher up you go.

We have this cabin reserved next month. Did you like the layout of it. Originally we booked deck 9 but decided we didn't care for the way its shaped. It'll be worth it for the balcony I'm sure.

Although we are on the Breeze next month in the aft wrap balcony I'm reading along. I understand the layout is very similar. We are on deck 6 so guess we'll hear the noise but we are usually hard sleepers. I understand all the rooms are different but thanks for posting photos. There aren't many out there. Hoping to go to the same ports so I'll enjoy that part of your review also. Thanks and keep it coming!

We're not big drinkers. Maybe a couple a day. We ordered two bottles from The Fun Shop before our cruise and they lasted the whole cruise for us. Still cost way too much money but I think it did save us money. We just brought on sodas for mixers.

And this is relative to a Carnival Forum how? Is this yet another attempt to get arguments and name calling started again?

Carnival has banned smoking on the balcony. Ok there you go! We'll cruise on NCL until they do then we'll do land vacations or stay home, whatever. The only reason we decided to cruise on Carnival is because RCL banned smoking on balconies. Never in a million years did I think I'd cruise on Carnival especially after all the bad stuff that happened a couple years ago. We gave it a try and it wasn't actually too bad. Decided to go next month. But it will be our last Carnival cruise. If they all ban smoking on balconies, and I have to chose between all the cruise lines, Carnival will still be at the bottom of the list. If Carnival thinks this will help them lose the Wal Mart of the seas reputation, it wont. I don't go there either unless I can't find what I need anywhere else. Now they don't have what I need I have no reason to go back on Carnival again. But all those gloating about it remember this. The same balcony I paid $699 for on RCL last Sept. is $500 more this Sept. People on the RCL boards said it wouldn't happen then, just like those gloating now are saying. So happy cruising!

I've been on 4RC cruises. 1Disney. 1 NCL. and One Carnival. I'm going on Carnival Breeze next month.

My first NCL cruise was in Hawaii. The ship was a floating hotel. We liked the casual atmosphere. Not having to dress up but still dress for dinner. Sometimes we would be exhausted after a long day on the islands.

On RC we were on Adventure of the seas, Freedom of the Seas, Allure of the Seas.and then back to the Freedom. I loved the itinerary on Adventure. The Freedom was just ok both times. The last being the worst of all. After that I began to reevaluate what I wanted out of a cruise and went with a really cheap Disney cruise. Hard to believe I know but they have the best military fare out there sometimes. So if we wanted to keep cruising for the price we decided to give Carnival a try. We went on the Carnival Dream repo cruise for 9 days for a really low price. Cheaper than any RC cruise we have been on. We had an absolutely wonderful roll call and everywhere we went we meet a lot of people that I alredy knew The food was really good. A lot better than RC. RC does a really big buffett. But Carnival had multiple places to eat all over the ship and it was all good. I thought their MDR was better than Disney

Carnival's cabins are bigger at lest more spacious. Balcony's about the same on all.

So now we're going on the Breeze next month . The price was wonderful and I know we're going o have a great time. What I'm paying for an aft wrap balcony I'd be paying for a oceanview on RC. I'm gonna have a great time on a great ship!

I haven't even been there (on Carnival) but won't even think of trying them. When you pull into port next to three Carnival ships and see generators strapped to the top decks near slide into the pool (I've attached a picture that shows the generator), that tells me they haven't fixed their generator problems and are relying on a generator to run their ships when their generators crap out again. Not for us thank you!

The last time I noticed a generator on top of a ship was the Freedom of the seas. It was right after that other RCCL ship caught on fire.

There are discounters. Use one myself all the time for all kinds of travel. These are membership clubs. I've saved a lot using it. If your a member of any kind of discount club or group exchange clubs check if they sell cruises. Not all cruises are discounted but when you find one that is you can save a lot.

I am booked on a six-day on the breeze. But it's a concert cruise and I have not seen any drops yet only an increase. I'll keep looking!!!!!

 

 

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The one I'm on just dropped 2 mo. out. Cove was $509 to $366.

For some reason the 6 day cruises on Breeze aren't selling well. If you booked one of these keep an eye on the rates. They are dropping big time.

Since my husband retired we always book by price not date. I know everyone can't do that and feel lucky that we now can. He was a teacher so all of his times off were the most expensive times to go. We're also able to book through a great membership travel site and often get rates far below Carnival's rates. Our next cruise is Breeze 6 day. Aft wrap balcony for $1300 for 2 ppl including taxes, port fees and gratuities in Aug. Could have gone for a Cove for about $800 but decided to go for the wrap while it was so low.

I've been on Carnival Dream and RC Allure. Dream was my first Carnival cruise. It's a little like comparing Apples to Oranges. Allure was huge but it is divided into different areas and oddly never felt crowded anywhere. There are more choices of free dining on Allure than smaller RC ships so that was never a problem. I would not want a Boardwalk balcony though. It was noisy and lots of food smells mxed together. Johnny Rockets, Italian Resturant. and hot dogs. I'd get a Central Park balcony if your doing that. The entertainment was also far above what the Dream had with so many different shows. But saying that, I also enjoyed the Dream. I love my balcony's and that's part of cruising for me. Dream had a lot to offer and we enjoyed it a lot. I'm going on the Breeze in August so that tells you I liked Carnival. I think there is plenty to do on Breeze to keep you all busy. We did the Allure once and I'm glad we got to experience it but for that price difference I wouldn't choose it again. Only you can decide if it's worth that much difference in price. If your hoping for a really memorable experience before your kids leave home and you can afford it then go for it. But I'm one of these that tells parents with young children that they should take them on a Disney cruise at least once.