living at the beach

Yes, many guys do laundry- that’s great! But I was most concerned about how Carnival handled the more delicate items that women usually have👙🤭and whether or not CCL does separate delicate washes. Thanks again for everyone’s information 

On 4/14/2024 at 10:44 AM, jsglow said:

We travel worldwide for weeks on end with a carry-on plus backpack each. We are always sensitive to the clothing we bring making sure it's appropriately 'weathered'. Still, there are items we will hand wash in the sink. We typically send out a modest bag of laundry every 2-3 days. In what probably now approaches 100 total laundry bags on Carnival, we've probably had 2-3 items that were slightly impacted but it is worth noting that general fading does occur over time. I've noticed a few polos that I often take where after a half dozen trips through the ship's laundry it is somewhat noticeable when compared against brand new. We take the approach that clothes do wear out over time and industrial washers are hard on them. We're blessed to be able to travel and that's a small price to pay.

 

Oh, and I must strenuously object to the thread title!!!! I'm a guy and am routinely responsible for our laundry onboard. (Just pullin' your chain OP. 😁) Sail on. 

On 4/14/2024 at 10:44 AM, jsglow said:

We travel worldwide for weeks on end with a carry-on plus backpack each. We are always sensitive to the clothing we bring making sure it's appropriately 'weathered'. Still, there are items we will hand wash in the sink. We typically send out a modest bag of laundry every 2-3 days. In what probably now approaches 100 total laundry bags on Carnival, we've probably had 2-3 items that were slightly impacted but it is worth noting that general fading does occur over time. I've noticed a few polos that I often take where after a half dozen trips through the ship's laundry it is somewhat noticeable when compared against brand new. We take the approach that clothes do wear out over time and industrial washers are hard on them. We're blessed to be able to travel and that's a small price to pay.

 

Oh, and I must strenuously object to the thread title!!!! I'm a guy and am routinely responsible for our laundry onboard. (Just pullin' your chain OP. 😁) Sail on. 

Yes, many guys do laundry but I was mostly concerned about Womens more delicate fabric stuff.👙🤭

Thanks so much for the suggestions 

All of the things that I would like to do using Carnival’s guaranteed shore excursions for St Thomas and St Martin are already booked up. I’m traveling solo so would prefer going on their excursions rather than heading out on my own

Thanks for all your input. Guess I will pack cotton pjs , socks, and undies. No delicate stuff. I am platinum on Carnival but haven’t sailed with them for quite awhile because my guy no longer wants to fly or go through the hassle of cruising, so Norwegian has been my standby. But the elimination of their best entertainment and my frustration about a lot of things that have declined on NCL has made me try Carnival again. Yes, a bit more expensive because Carnival doesn’t give any breaks to solos, but giving Carnival a try. Any help from Carnival folks helps me to make the best of my upcoming cruise

So do things come out okay? Do they wash on normal spin or do something’s on delicate?

I’ve always done slacks and tops but never tried pjs or undies. But with

 a 3 day stay before an 8 day on the Magic, would like to cut down on how much I have to pack

Thanks so much for answering my question 

I am a solo. If I go to a specialty restaurant on the first night will I be able to get the complimentary bottle of wine?

After two disappointing NCL cruises this year- the first on the Viva from San Juan in January and the second on the Breakaway in March from New Orleans, I have booked my first Carnival cruise since 2015. I am Sapphire on  Norwegian and a solo cruiser so my Carnival interior cabin will actually cost more than my solo balcony on the Breakaway. So why? Well mostly because NCL doesn’t have the great entertainment that it used to have. Also I found too many of the food choices in both the MDR and specialty restaurants were way too salty. And after choosing NCL exclusively for the past seven years since my guy refused to travel on planes and go on cruise’s anymore NCL is so good for solos. About the entertainment. On the Viva we were supposed to have Beetlejuice but it was canceled and now is removed from future cruises. On the Breakaway all they had in the main theater was five dollars Burn the Floor and 2 okay comedians. The other venues for entertainment- Syd Normans and Headliners are so very small that you have to wait out in the hallway for at least 30 minutes to get a seat. Traveling solo and not into the casino entertainment is more important to me than to others. So I’m giving Carnival a try. According to recent CLL reviews their entertainment is better than it used to be and food is relative . I remember enjoying  the Blue Iguana and Guys Burgers and the Sea Day Brunch. By the way, I am 77 years old so wild partying is not my scene. But bigger pools and the Serenity lounge sound good. I’ll report back when I have come back from my cruise

I agree, I will have a great time on my Breakaway cruise leaving today from New Orleans. I love the Breakaway class and I will find other things to do in the evening- I’m traveling solo so I’m bringing two books with me. But I mourn the loss of great main theater programming because the other venues are so small and often require long lines to get in

I’m just curious. First of all itinerary is important to me. Then the general vibe on the ship and I like going casual but still nice so  Norwegian has been my cruise line of choice. And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do? You say not the casino, so watching tv in your cabin- with so many fewer options than ant land based resort or even your home tv, so again how is after dinner entertainment not an issue?

Really unhappy with the loss of quality Broadway shows replaced by game shows 

I am not a gambler so evening shows are important to me. I can deal with some losses in food offerings but the cancellation of premium entertainment on NCL has made me for the first time in decades check out other cruise lines. I am Sapphire on NCL- just means I have chosen Norwegian over others lots and lots of times. Probably isn’t an issue for those who gamble, but I don’t so the shows mean a lot to me 

Your kitties are so cute! But even though I have two cats who are brother and sister, they are rag dolls so they just jump in my lap on top of me and want lots of cuddles. Thank goodness that I have a cat sitter who has known them since they were babies. 
I am also on this cruise with you, scheduled to fly from Boston early Thursday morning hoping the strong winds and crazy weather doesn’t disrupt my flight to New Orleans. Have a solo balcony on deck 12 midship and looking forward to the cruise 

Yes, I am so disappointed with NCL even though I am sapphire, having chosen to cruise with them many times, and superior entertainment was one of my reasons. The problems with the other venues, Syd Normans, Comedy Club, etc. is that they are extremely small and so in order to get in you have to wait at least 45 minutes in line in order to get a seat. They need to have at least two, preferably three shows in the main theater in order to accommodate the numbers for cruisers onboard. I was on the Viva from San Juan in January and they had the Syd Norman performers do the Prom Night show in the main theater ,so that helped. Maybe they could do the Rumors she with them- I would really like that. They need to inform us about what’s going to happen. I hope it’s not the end of the Broadway shows but they need to have a good lineup of shows in the main theater!

One wonderful perk of sailing solo on NCL is being able to use the cappuccino/ espresso/ latte machine for free

1 hour ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

When you log into your AARP account, click on Rewards then under Browse Rewards click on Redeem and select Members Only. The Carnival gift cards are the first thing that show up there for me - but that might be because I buy them so frequently. 😂

Thanks so much!Your tip saved me so much and now I am comfortable booking destination y April Carnival Venezia  cruise after more than a decade since my last one when my husband still would go with me. I am platinum on Carnival but since having to go solo have favored NCL where I am sapphire. NCLis cutting back on entertainment and I am a bit tired of their offerings, so going back to Carnival is very exciting to me, but more expensive before I found your text and reduced my costs

I’ve been checking online and can’t find the AARP discounted gift cards - not on the AARP website or Carnivals. Has this been discontinued or am I not doing my search correctly?

Solo balconies are not all in poor locations. I have one booked on the March 3rd Breakaway mid ship on deck 12. I had a solo interior on the Viva in January. In each case the price was much less than booking those categories as a single person and I got to get into the solo studio whenever I wanted . Which in addition to being a nice quiet area has a complimentary fantastic cappuccino, espresso, machine and juices, pastries, fruit in the morning. Nice way to get that first cup of coffee without dealing with the crowds 

Thanks so much to you all for your input. You’ve confirmed my suspicions 

Looking at the deck plans for the Viva, lots of new things on the Ocean Walk ,but looks like much fewer comfortable seats than on the Breakaway ships, and only one outside bar now.  I have loved the Breakaway Waterfront, but I will be sailing on the Viva in January and trying to decide if I should go for a Vibe pass if there’s so little seating on the Vivas deck 8 because I don’t want to be fighting for seats on the Oceanwalk. Anyone who’s been on the Viva please comment

6 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

I'm on the January 21st Breakaway sailing from New Orleans.  On my Cruise Planner, entertainment is not yet reservable.  However, when I drill into the description for "Six", the following message is shown on that page under the description:

 

"Beginning January 26th, 2024, SIX will no longer be offered."

Hoping the new shows will be good. Saw Six last year and even though I’m very interested in the six wives of Henry the Eighth and enjoy Broadway musicals, found the show very repetitive and I would not want to see it again 

Thank you so much

This is a question about a previous post, but I couldn’t find a way to get there. In regards to the Dockyards mini bus, where do you go to get it? I never knew about it in the past and therefore used to take the regular bus that let me out at the top of the hill. Thanks