pcrum

Wow! I had no idea there were whales in the Caribbean. I did a whale watching excursion in Juneau, but did not realize they were in the Caribbean.

What are we having a shot of? Edited: Sorry, I see you answered already.

Ugg...why? Does anyone like those shared tables?? Who walks into their favorite breakfast place in their hometown and says, "I'll take a table with random strangers, please."

Is that an entree portion: 4 grilled shrimp??

How was it?

Just to add to this, when you board the first day, you can go to the MDR and see the maitre d to inquire about your table. On our Divina cruise last Sept., when we went to check on the table, we were told that we had been assigned to a large shared table. Eating with strangers is our worse nightmare, so we asked to be moved to a table for two. They had to change our dining time (from early to late) to accommodate our request, but to us, it was worth it. We could tell that others were not aware that you can do this, because many walked into the MDR and seemed surprised to be shown to a large, shared table with others. On this 3-day sailing, they had only 2 dining times, so our late seating was at something like 8:15 pm, which was fine by us.

The lack of tablecloths really gets to me. Reminds me of a Denny's or IHOP, but at least there, I think you get a paper placemat. The tablecloths provided a nice, upscale, hotel dining experience.

Last time I was on Carnival was 2013 and the shirts were $10 each. My husband still has some.

And this is why I am reading your review even though Carnival is not my thing. I’ve been looking for a hydration powder that is low carb and viola, stur fits the bill. Liquid IV is way too many carbs. Thank you!

Are your rugs from the place you work?

Eating with strangers would be my worse nightmare!

Great review. Glad you had a such a good cruise. It was great to read a review for a ship I am really interested in. I follow @Saint Gregand a few others because I enjoy their take on cruising and the pre-cruise information, but I honestly will probably never cruise Carnival again. But this NCL Prima ship looks spectacular! I’m sorry it’s leaving my home port so soon.

Now @Saint Gregjust needs to find a friend on his cruise. 😊

Is it weird that I am bothered by the fact that the cheese is not melted.

Concierge was so much more to us. I live in Orlando, so we drove to Miami the morning of our sailing. After driving in Miami traffic, having the sit down lunch in the MDR for concierge class was worth the price to me!! We also were invited to the helipad for sail away, which was stunning. A great view and cocktails, what’s not to like? My daughter is gluten free and I’m low carb, so we let our room steward know we preferred a fruit and cheese plate as our snack and he had it there every afternoon. The upgraded bottle of bubbly came home with us. There was also a dedicated line for us at guest services. I’d do concierge class again! We were fortunate to get an aft balcony, so the balcony was huge and we enjoyed our room service breakfast there each morning. I can’t wait to sail Celebrity concierge class again!

I compared Carnival to Celebrity for a 4 night cruise 12/27-12/31/22. With the Wi-Fi, tips, and premium beverage package (included at the time of our booking) plus $100/person onboard credit, Celebrity was cheaper than doing Carnival at the same time and adding in a “Cheers” package, tips, and Wi-Fi. Plus, Carnival’s Cheers is not really geared to wine drinkers and we like the better wines. I’m all about the bottom line, but when I can get a better cruise experience for less money than Carnival, that’s where I’m sailing. I have not been on Carnival since 2013 because I prefer other lines. MSC and NCL are also favorites.

I must agree that Celebrity is absolutely lovely. I celebrated my 60th birthday in December on the Summit, an older ship, but was blown away by the service, food, and drinks. I much prefer the “ everything included “ model and we booked at a time when the premium beverage package was included. Carnival has an abysmal wine list, but had we added their “Cheers” package and gratitudes and unlimited Wi-Fi, it would have been more expensive than Celebrity, which included all of these items. We also had a great experience on MSC last year and have booked a longer cruise on them for later this year. But after my Summit cruise, I can’t wait to get back on another M- class Celebrity ship.

Is there still a buffet or has it been replaced by the Indulge Food Hall?

When did the upcharge for the filet begin?

Is the food from Indulge Food Hall included or is it an upcharge?

Love the window booths!!

It’s entirely your preference. My husband and I are more into wines and prefer the better wines in the upgraded package. If you mainly drink spirits and the spirits in the regular package are ok with you, then you should be fine with the Easy Plus package. I am afraid that I’ve become a bit of a wine snob in my old age. I turned 60 this year and my motto is “Life is too short to drink cheap champagne!”

Sorry to hear this. Howl at the Moon is one of the reasons we love NCL. Hope they are not phasing them out.

Very strange. I'd keep calling to see if you can do it ahead of time. If not, for us it was a very simple process to do it at the first bar we stopped at once onboard. I think the bartenders get something from the transaction as they were extremely helpful. I will say that it seemed that only certain bars had the upgraded wines and liquors, but we quickly found those that carried our preferences.

Having never been on the Magnifica, it's hard to say. I will say that 4 nights is always better than 3 (especially at the same price!), but Nassau is really a throwaway port. I really wish that cruise lines would stop going there. But, it is always nice to enjoy an emptier ship!! I would not hesitate to recommend Divina. I have read so many positive reviews of Divina on that other site (book of faces).