DarthGrady

On 2/18/2024 at 8:47 AM, Sunshine3601 said:

I'm still hoping they build a new smaller ship.

Same here, and at this point I'm pretty flexible on their definition of "small". I'd be happy with some new design in the same size range as the Voyager class. Under 100K gross tonnage would be even better. 

I was on her back in November, it has just become extra seating for WJ again. It is still themed as Rita's, but I never even saw the bar open. 

Glad to hear the Vision Class will be around for a while, that (hopefully) means the Radiance Class has another 5+ years. As someone who prefers the older/smaller ships it is nice to have options especially now that Carnival has scrapped most of the Fantasy Class. 

If it helps, you're also allowed to carry on a 12-pack of sodas or water. 

As a fan of the entire Fantasy class, I wish it could be all of them, but since I had the most cruises on Inspiration I gave her the nod. It's going to be a dark day when the last two are gone. 

29 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I'd forgotten about it, but wasnt the deck near the funnel the nude deck where clothing was optional?

 

Showing my age. 

Once upon a time, yes, those decks were cordoned off to allow topless sunbathing. It was discontinued before they added the water slides which have their entrances on or above that deck. 

On 8/14/2023 at 11:53 PM, sailor05 said:

I figured there would those would disagree with me getting someone my free pictures, but to you I say move on, you're opinion isn't welcomed here. ALWAYS those who feel the need to run their mouths. I haven't received one single picture since becoming diamond, and likely will not any time soon, and my traveling mates are the same. We earned this right, and with the 4 free drinks, they ALLOW us to give those to someone else. So instead of not using them, I thought we'd try and let this couple have some free pictures, which costs them NOTHING, especially when compared to the free drinks we're ALLOWED to give away. Thanks for the "kinder" thoughts from the rest of you!

Then why ask the question on an open forum to begin with? If you just wanted people to agree with you, shouldn't the thread have been "I'm going to give my free Diamond picture away, post here if you do the same". 

To the topic of the thread, I think Merion Mom hit the nail on the head. It might work, it might not. I have given mine away in the past, but I've also been told no because I wasn't in them.

Just remember that you haven't earned any "rights". You've earned loyalty perks. Perks which can be taken away at their discretion if they feel it is being misused. It's great they allow us to share the unused drink vouchers, but they apparently haven't given that same blanket ruling to the photos. This isn't unkind, it's just reality.  

On 8/19/2023 at 1:06 PM, ZoeyVictoria said:

We live just an hour from Tampa and would like to cruise on the Elation’s sister, the Paradise, for easy, short cruises. The last time we were on that ship, though, we did not enjoy it as much as we hoped because the ship was so loud. The theater and especially the lido deck seemed to have the volume way up compared to other ships. We missed the outdoor promenade deck and could not find a place to get away from the noise and relax. Did you find anywhere to sit outside and relax that was not noisy?

On the Fantasy class ships I find that the best outdoor place to get some quiet is either the Serenity area (Promenade deck aft) or the the sun deck around the water slides. I know that seems strange with all the kids, but there's no band or music back there. The deck that wraps around the funnel is also pretty out of the way, and mostly quiet. 

I completely agree with the OP, I am also very much over the Oasis Class. The friends I frequently travel with love them though, so I have to do one a year. The rest of the time I try to stay on smaller ships, especially Radiance Class. I wish Royal would do a new class at some point for those of us not into gigantic floating theme parks, but that doesn't seem likely. 

On Conquest in May we were able to access the room at 11 when we boarded to drop off luggage. It was already made up and our room keys were waiting on us, no issues at all. 

If your heart isn't set on the Hilton, Radisson at the Port has a fairly large pool deck area. You'd have to look into whether they do day passes though. All the reviews I've seen on here were from people staying pre or post cruise. 

It's been hit or miss with Starlink for me so far. Pretty good on Indy last December, but not great on Harmony in January. 

I'm not a fan not so much because of the looks, but because they won't match all the old ones. 

Similar experience on Conquest last week. My buddy spends a lot of time, and I'm assuming money, in the casino. They gave him a nice Ocean Suite which we shared, we both had Cheers package and they sent us both to the steakhouse one night. As a non-gambler, I was more than happy to cover gas, parking and a pre-cruise hotel night for him letting me tag along.  

On 5/23/2023 at 7:35 AM, jimbo5544 said:

Thanks for doing the mini review.  Sad to hear about the weed vaping.  Did you see sniffer dogs in the pre-boarding area?

Yes, they were being used in the terminal at Miami, to obviously limited success. 

Good afternoon all. I wanted to take a few moments to provide some thoughts on my experience from the May 15, 2023 cruise on Conquest. I have been sailing with Carnival for many years now, the first being back in 1999. I prefer the older ships, Fantasy class especially, but I've done many on the Destiny and Conquest classes as well. This was my first cruise on the actual Conquest. 

This cruise left from Miami and went to Half Moon Cay and Nassau. Priority embarkation at Miami went fast, about 15 minutes from the parking garage to the gangway. The ship was in good shape overall, although she is really beginning to show her age in the some public areas. In particular the elevators and carpeting in some areas are looking really worn. We had an Ocean Suite on deck 7, plenty of room and the upgraded beds were much better than the standard ones. I slept better on this cruise than on any in recent memory. Dinner in the steakhouse was also one of the best I have had on a cruise. The crew was doing a great job even with short staffing being apparent, especially in the main dining room. 

Our group booked a villa at HMC which was very nice. Having the private bathroom, shower and hot tub made the day more enjoyable. They are pricey, but if you can smooth the cost within a group I would say they are worth it. I only walked off the ship for a few minutes in Nassau to look at the work on the new terminal. It isn't complete yet, but it looks to be way nicer than the old one.

A low point from the week would be guest behavior. I only went into the nightclub a few times, which is rare for me, but each time I did the smell of marijuana vaping was prevalent. Folks wandering in to set-time dining 45-60 minutes late was also being tolerated, which is really a shame for the crew. We saw and heard a lot (even by Carnival standards) of drunken buffoonery both in public and in the guest room areas at night (loud yelling, arguing, etc). I expect, and occasionally participate in some of that on a short CCL cruise, but this one was especially rowdy.

We took advantage of the priority debarkation and were in the first group off the ship at around 7:15 am. Considering the behavior of some of our fellow passengers throughout the cruise, leaving early seemed like the best plan. Overall not a bad trip, but I'm not in any rush to do another short itinerary out of South Florida.

I can't speak for all the ships, but I got an email from CCL about my upcoming cruise on Conquest in an Ocean Suite. It said that suites would be available to guests upon boarding along with expedited luggage delivery.  

I really liked the Solarium design on Ovation with the tiered pools, much nicer than the Oasis Class IMO. I would give Oasis Class the edge on pretty much everything else. Of course I would prefer a Radiance, Vision or Sovereign Class ship over either of them, but that's just me being a traditionalist.

1 hour ago, OBX-Cruisers said:

I have been unsuccessful getting the Shareholders OBC in several past tries.  I got the message that my booking included a $50/cabin OBC and that I am not entitled to an additional amount because of my stock ownership.  Is this a common problem or is there something I'm missing?

 

I have sent them OBC request several times since buying stock back in 2020. Responses have ranged from none at all to a confirmation a few hour later and everything in between. I don't get casino offers, all of my cruises are booked at market rate or with discounts offered to everyone. If the discounts or group related OBC are the reason for not getting the shareholder OBC I could understand that, I just wish they would do a better job with communication. Sending a request and hearing crickets chirp gets annoying.   

I've taken a few cruises with this company starting with the old Bahamas Paradise, then Grand Celebration and this ship before the re-brand. I agree with Rothko, as long as you look at it for what it is (a reasonably priced quick getaway) and accept that she is not the biggest/newest/nicest ship then you'll enjoy yourself.

Nice pics, I haven't had a chance to cruise with them again since the re-brand, hoping to in the not too distant future. 

WiFi was nearly useless on my Alaskan cruise on OV last year, really slow when it was working and frequently out of service entirely. I probably won't bother getting it when/if I go back to Alaska.  

Everything was looking nice back in January. 

Starlink has been hit or miss in my experience so far. OK speeds on Indy back in November (10ish down, 2ish up) but on Harmony in January it was worse, less than half that on average. 

Very much agree about the underwhelming WJ food, I ate there once on Harmony back in January and never went back. It might just be me getting jaded, but the quality does seem to have slipped.