rdler

Tomorrow, I'm going on my first cruise without a balcony. We have an OV. I am scared to death because I like a balcony for all the reasons mentioned.

The folks who bring bowls, big baggies, totebags and boxes to squirrel away food remind me of the story one poster recounted a few years ago when she saw a woman remove a whole metal platter of chicken off the buffet and take it with her.

Has your family traveled on a Carnival cruise? Without you? Did they eat in the dining room? What was their experience, if any, with Guest Services?

I liked the commercial, although it would have been better with Kathy Lee and Frank in it.

I am absolutely loving this review. But I am dying how long does LSU keep the tiger?

Interesting that they don't demonstrate how they cook the steak or the seafood. Is chicken even on the menu at the steakhouse? I can't recall that it is.

Wow! That was generous. With that kind of money you can almost buy a picture! Nice down payment, though. :)

I understand that some people do not mind sewage smell, nor particularly care about perks (but you could have found out that Carnival doesn't offer any). Your experience actually sounds rather dismal to me, and although one cheerleader pointed out that sewage smells are endemic on ships, I would have been disappointed too.

I hope you have better luck if you choose to take future cruises.

I certainly do not condone smoking on balconies.

However, I do think it becomes a safety issue if neighbors are contorting their bodies around the divider to get shots of evidence of smoking. Privacy issues notwithstanding one should not endanger one's self to get a photo aside and around a railing.

I am glad the OP is okay, however.

Well, going up one, two or three decks is not an option if you listen to these sensitive folks. The smoke comes up the elevator shafts.

I would think a better bet might be to cross the casino area on deck one, because smoke does not waft downward, although that is not a guarantee.

Perhaps a cruise on a ship that does not allow casino smoking is a better option as an earlier poster suggested.

For what it's worth, the weather was great in S. FL last weekend. Can't blame it on the weather.

How do you get 5 cartons back in with you? I thought it was one carton per adult.

Based on what evidence did they say you kicked out the window?

Did you?

I'm not entirely sure how you could have broken the window, but what happened?

Ninety minutes from cab to train to cab to Miami?! Wow! You have good luck. As a South Florida resident I find this to be very optimistic. I would allow at least-- really, at least-- 2 hours.

Sure it is. Espanola is an island.

We've been beaten into submission.

I feel safe on a Carnival cruise. I watch my young son carefully, but no more so than I would at a local park.

Tapi, you talk about the enhancements to security Carnival has made in recent years. What are they? I can't say that I see them-- far from it.

But I probably am wrong here. What has Carnival been doing? Whatever it is, I applaud it (if it is in fact happening).

Well if we have three future cruises booked in the next ten months, one might think we would still be here.

And why can't non Carnival people check on these boards to find out what is up?

Most likely I'll cruise Carnival again. For the life of me I don't know why. I find the cutbacks to have really diminished my cruise experience. But I won't rent a balcony anymore, so I'll be spending less.

I still think the ships ought to go gluten free to reflect the new trends, and I never understand why our gratuities go to Suzy at the Purser's Desk and not Carlos, the security guy who picks up your mother and discretely returns her to her cabin or prevents your child from diving into the splash zone.

I think if you travel from Miami, you might have good luck. It is not like your bringing 15 extra people-- only 4. I've seen small groups of Platinum/Non-Platinum check in together on my last 2 cruises. Heck, I've seen extended families board in the first batch with their granny who is in a wheelchair.

In Miami, at least, I don't think the folks at check-in are too stringent as long as you're not really, really stretching the rules. I think they just want to get you on the boat.

Other folks may have had different experiences.

Cuban cigars, of course, which must be consumed on board.

I would have reported it to the Port Authorities at the next port of call. It is an assault and should be actionable.

My wife and I have had to leave the Theater on Carnival many times because of the vapor that pours out during their production shows. I suppose it is to simulate a cabaret atmosphere, but it is offensive and unhealthy.

I have written to Carnival many times about this, but all I get as a reply is some variation of the "we always strive to make your cruise more pleasurable" letter. They are the biggest violators of the no vaping policy, and I am sure that this is part of the reason for the Love and Marriage and Hasbro shows. I think Carnival realizes that their fake smoke is endangering passengers.

I'm all with you, Jane, and smokers should realize that while they are welcome, their habit is not. Where I disagree with you, though, is that it is a safety concern. I know a lot of people seem concerned about that. But Carnival has had a lot of really disturbing fires over the past few years. None of them seem to be caused by smokers flinging cigarette butts over the sides of their balconies, or ashes immolating non-smoking neighbors on their balconies, above, forward, aft or on the lanai below.

Carnival has several of it's own channels on TV. You can catch re-broadcasts of the Hairy Chest Contest, the Mixology Contest, the Ice Carving, the Love and Marriage Show and just about everything else. Sometimes it is fun to watch the evening shows again on TV in case you missed something the first time around. There are also some CNN channels that usually aren't available in the U.S.