cruzinlisa

Has Canival improved it's food in the restaurant? In the past I felt Celebrity was always step above.

Carnival's MDR food is actually quite good. On our last cruise, most nights that the food was good enough that I would have eaten more if I was able to do so (comfortably). Even the nights where the food was not spectacular, it was better than average. I certainly never went hungry. But Carnival is previewing this "new menu" (with less choices) and its getting mixed reviews, so we will see if that becomes a regular thing.

But I was hoping that Celebrity's food would be a step above Carnival's, even though I think Carnival's is very good. We are AQ so we will be dining in Blu, hopefully that will push the dining experience a little more. We are paying quite a bit more for the two of us this 5 day cruise than we did for three people for 7 days on Carnival. Granted we have a premium drink package and prepaid grats (thanks to our TA) and a balcony in AQ class, so its going to be more.

OP I am glad to hear that you liked the production shows. Carnival's entertainment was so so to me. I am not sure how I feel about the new (playlist?) shows that they started introducing with the 2.0. The techno graphics are kind of neat, but the show itself was not as interesting. We did not even stay for the whole thing.

The Italian crepe always looks good! :) (I love the Cowboy crepe as well.)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

I want that. yum

Interested to hear some feedback also. We have room 9081, which looks to be under the pool area. Its a little more mid than those you have listed, I guess. I don't need anything super quiet, but I am not looking for something where it sounds like there is a train or party outside of my room either.

Forgive me, I know this sounds like a dumb question. I have bought travel insurance a couple of times and I obviously have no idea what it covered, since I never had to use it.

This trip we are flying from Kansas City to Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday (booked on our own not cruiseline) and then cruising on a Monday. Our 3 year old DD is going to be home with her grandparents. My biggest concern is that if there are issues with our flight and its delayed, cancelled etc., I would like to have insurance that will get me to the next port or refund the trip, if its not possible. My second concern is that if there is an emergency at home, I need to get home. If travel insurance can cover that, it would be preferrable.

I am planning on buying an independent policy- not through the cruiseline and listing my trip cost as the amount of the flights, cruise and the hotel in Fort Lauderdale, which is prepaid.

I will be buying an independent policy, not cruiseline insurance. My questions are:

Do most policies cover my two concerns above? Or either of them? Is this covered under trip interruption?

I would also like to have cancel for work reason's but I see that there are a couple of policies that provide it or I can get a separate rider for it, so I think I am okay there.

I have only been on a 7 day cruise, but we usually go either night 3 or 4, as neither menu was super inspiring. I am not sure of the order of your menus on an 8 day though, so it could be different. What I can recommend is eating light during the day. Last cruise we went on a port day. We had a light room service breakfast before leaving and were out all day. I did not eat in port, because I was not very interested in anything at the place where our group stopped, which was more like an overpriced fast food place IMO. So we got back to the ship and I was starving and the buffet was already closed. So my options were guys burgers, pizza or room service. I opted to split a burger and fries with my 2 year old DD. Big mistake. At dinner, I had just finished my lobster bisque and started to feel satisfied. I picked at the salad and skipped the bread. Luckily for my entree, I ordered lobster, which is a little lighter than steak. I was not able to eat the mashed potatoes. As far as the dessert, I had the chocolate sampler so I had a little bite of each kind (I mean like tip of the spoon taste). No drinks for me that night. It really is a lot of food, even more than it sounds like on paper. The portions are huge. The mashed potatoes that came with my lobster were big mountains, like 2 cups of it. :eek:

The service was available on our Silhouette cruise which disembarked on Jan 12. Worked fine for us. I believe that JetBlue was included, along with Southwest, AirTran, American, United and Delta.

This makes me happy. I thought I had heard Southwest did not participate. It would be lovely to not have to worry about dragging bags to the airport and I would pay more for it.

And here I am in Michigan basking in the heat-wave......we're above freezing!! I actually been running errands wearing only a t-shirt, jeans and a hoodie!! 60 degrees and I'd be in shorts and a tank top!

I know. We had almost 60 degree weather and we were walking around in short sleeves, no coats. But it was windy so It was not quite as pleasant. It did melt the rest of the snow that we had gotten earlier in the week, when we had sub zero temperatures. :eek: I love the mid-west. One Sunday my pipes freeze and the next Sunday its 59 degrees. Whats up with that.:confused:

I like traditional because you have the same waitstaff and you get have dining companions that are the same all cruise. If that is what you are looking for.

But I also like anytime because of the flexibility of being able to eat when you want to do so. I like to eat later and DH likes to eat early. So I would pick late seating and he would pick early. If we do ATD, we can go around 7:00 and meet in the middle. I did traditional on my first two cruises (2004 and 2009) and I feel like we had better service. I was not besties with the wait staff or anything, but they seemed more attentive. The last two (2012 and 2013) were with ATD and the service ranged from decent to subpar. I am not sure if its an issue with ATD, ATD on the Conquest or changes in carnival in general since 2009. We did opt to sit with others last cruise for elegant night in ATD and it was nice. The other nights we either had a table for 2 or 3, depending on whether DD came to eat with us.

All in all, I think if the service is the same, ATD would win for me.

Hello,

Thinking about booking a cruise out of NOLA and driving the 10 or so hours down there. I've seen some hotel packages that let you park for free during the cruise and also has free shuttle to the port. I googled and found some but like to get others recommendations. If it's not a 4 or 5 star hotel that's fine with me, it's just a place to sleep for the night and doesn't have to be in the heart of New Orleans either. Thanks for any information.

Hello, we are practically neighbors. We are in Jeff City area now, but I lived in St. Charles County most of my life. We have stayed twice at Quality Inn in Gretna. The first time they were good, but most recently the quality was not as good. Quality Inn had a free shuttle to and from port and parking during the cruise. And breakfast in the a.m. For that reason I might go back again. Otherwise, I would check out Gretna. Its not far from the interstate.

So I am assuming you can get eggs benedict in the MDR for breakfast then? This may sound a little silly but if you are AQ and assigned to Blu, can you eat breakfast in the MDR. I am assuming its open seating, so you could, but not sure. Eggs benedict are a RARE treat for me (like less than once per year) so I would like to have them atleast once on the cruise. Hopefully they are tasty. The last cruise I went on they were not so good, so I skipped them. But I would like to try the MDR for one breakfast. I am not sure if we will eat in Blu. I think the menu looks good but DH is more of a omlet or fried egg and lots of meat eater, so I don't know how much Blu would suit him at breakfast. Maybe we can try one day and if he doesn't like it, then he can find something else to eat.

Thanks everyone.

Since we are discussing dress, I know that Blu's dress code says smart casual every day, but is that what we can REALLY expect to see on formal nights too. We will be on a 5 day cruise (Caribbean) and will be in AQ. We are flying and DH would love not to have a suit packed. If he wears a shirt, tie and slacks will he be underdressed?

I put a bid on a hotel and ended up with this one. I have heard that there is not much near here. :( We would like to have a fun decent meal (not too fancy). Are we best to get a taxi? As far as to the port, how much is the shuttle and are we better to just get a cab.

We come from St. Louis and our port of choice is New Orleans. It is about a 10 hour drive for us and if needed we usually make a stop in Jackson, MS if we don' want to do the trip in one shot. Also there are a couple of hotels in New Orleans that offer stay and park where if you stay a night they will let you park for the week for free. The Drury Hotel offers this still I think. Also New Orleans has a lot to see and do before getting on the ship which is nice.

Also the biggest reason we don't fly is that I don't want to double the amount of my vacation for airfare. Usually that costs as much as the cruise itself.

We come from Jeff City, Missouri, which is just a little further and we do about the same. We usually stop in Southaven MS on the way down. Then on to NOLA the next day. Then on the way home we go all the way through. We have done it twice with our DD (who is now almost 3)

Did you know there is a special thread for Family Cruising?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

 

If you don't get much feedback here you may try posting there.it seems when I am asked a question by my younger relatives I can usually find the answer there.consensus from my nieces and nephews who have cruised with their kids is that under 18 months is considerably easier than with a toddler!

 

Have a great cruise, and don't forget to sign up your baby with his own captains club membership... My 6 year old twin grandnephews are well on their way to select...my nephew is looking to have them elite by the time they can cruise by themselves. Discounted laundry is more useful than the Happy Hour!

I can attest to this one. We took our DD on a family vacation when she was six months old, to Florida. We flew. The trip was a breeze. We took her on two cruises, 14 months and 2 years old and it was a very different experience. We decided that this cruise was for DH and I alone and that we would wait until our daughter is older to take her on another trip. But it may be just my DD's temperament. Boy that last cruise was something else. :eek:.

My thoughts as well.

 

Blu was so intimate and the view was spectacular. The food, great! Loved the shower too. My Sweetie will take no less than AQ now.

 

Look for the good prices. We got a nice discount being from IL.

This is what I worry about, being spoiled by AQ. We have a (almost) 3 year old that usually cruises with us, but this one is just me and DH. Since AQ is only for 2 people, we could do it if we take our DD with us. :(

Carole, Hey neighbor, another AQ fan here. Agree with baldercash's review of the excellent food food in Blu. Even if the food was the same, we would prefer the atmosphere over the MDR. After four AQ sailings we went back to a 1A and MDR last cruise because DD was with us...what a mistake. Everything suffered by comparison, but just having available open seating (Select dining was often a wait, but never more than a few minutes in Blu), smart casual dress so no formal dress needed, much lower noise level, better service, etc was worth it. Also a fan of the Relaxation room and heated tile loungers, always found one on the Reflection, and I go at different times a day, sometimes more than once. So excited to experience AQ again in 3 days! Been too cold here for me. AQ is a great choice, Janet from Cary.

 

Ps Lisa, there is always a steak, which is excellent btw, but try some of the other meat dishes like the short ribs, filet, etc.

That is true and he would be fine with steak. He also loves fish and chicken. Do they have an everyday menu in Blu with steak or chicken on it daily. He would be okay with that all week.

Looking at the menus, I think I will do okay. Some of the foods sound a little fancy for me, but I like food with flavor and like sauces and marinades etc. as long as they are light and not overpowering. I will try most things unless it has to do with bugs or anyone's(things') liver. DH likes his steak lightly salted and peppered, then grilled with heinz 57 sauce and fries. So as long as they have something that caters to the simpler side, I think he will be okay. Of course he surprises me once in a while by eating things like calamari or escargot. The other day, he even tried some sushi (it was just a california roll though).

We would never again book an Aqua Class stateroom. The amenities, if you can call them that, are not worth the higher price. With Blu, you either love it or hate it. Pick a nice cabin in a good location, enjoy the MDR and an occasional specialty restaurant dinner. If Aqua is being offered at the same price as a standard balcony, then go for it.

We booked it because for our sailing, for whatever reason Aqua was less than Concierge. Our TA offered extra incentive if you booked Concierge or higher and we were leaning toward that anyway due to the priority boarding. Hopefully we like it. I am not sure whether we will like Blu or not. A lot of the meals seem kind of complex. I like fresh and interesting tastes but DH is more of a (plain) meat and potatoes guy, so I don't know.

Is your cruise stop in the morning? Blue Heaven is a restaurant that I hear serves a great breakfast. I ate there a few years ago for lunch, and it is outside under some nice big trees, and has chickens walking about! We thought it was very nice. I didn't have their Key Lime Pie, but, I hear that it is the "meringue" type pie, and is to die for! Hopefully someone else can pipe up with a bar/grill for you!

You know, I have no idea what time we are in port. I should probably start looking at that. Now that we are about 2 1/2 months out, I will probably start researching more. Because I am like that. Now DH, well he knows we are going on a cruise. I am not sure if he knows what the ports are. ;) He is just like that.

I have seen a couple of references to the "hop on/hop off." Can you tell me more about it- i.e. cost, where it goes, where you pick it up at? That might be something we would be interested in, if its like what i am thinking it is. We did a hop on/off bus in Jamaica with our DD and it was nice. We could get off at the stops we wanted, spend as much or little time as we liked and then get on another bus.

Also, sorry about the "just Florida" thing. Ha, ha. I guess since its technically part of Florida, I think of it as being Florida. Florida is amazing, but I never thought of it as exotic or caribbean. I have always wanted to go there as part of a land vacation, but its quite expensive. Hopefully I will love it.

It is NOT Bannister Island. We have been to Bannister many times. We used to go with a private excursion, then Carnival offered their Beach Break which was tendering directly to Bannister for the day. In October we went to Bannister with Carnival and we booked the beach break again a few weeks ago but this time we were tendered to a new beach. Not sure of the name but it was very nice , I'm our opinion, nicer than Bannister!! We r going again in February and will be doing the excursion again.

 

 

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Interesting. We went in April and it was Bannister Island. It was OKAAAAAY but nothing to write home about. Hopefully someone will review and post some pictures.

I love Conquest, sailed on her twice. Conquest has 2.0 upgrades, which is nice. But its not as new as the Breeze and doesn't have all the same features. If you go into it expecting the Breeze, you are going to be disappointed. But I like Conquest, she is a nice ship and love 2.0 upgrades.

You will definitely tender. As others have mentioned if FTTF is available, go for it. Our experience with tendering there was not a good one. But that was before FTTF was invented. The ship arrived later than I believe we were supposed to and there were long lines. We waited at least an hour before attempting to get a tender ticket (thinking the line would die down) and then waited another hour to get a tender. Ugh. It was bad enough that DH said we would never tender again. But of course that did not last. ;)

The Baked Beans are sort of an English/Canadian thing. I have a friend who serves them with every brunch she hosts.

 

The sauce with the steak and eggs is a Bernaise sauce, and quite good.

Thanks. I thought it was bernaise, but wasn't sure. I know I liked it.

I love the lobster. DH got a steak, I am sure whatever was the biggest. DH had crab cakes I think and ceasar salad which was prepared tableside. He also had the cheesecake. I had lobster bisque, lobster, salad with the mushrooms (I think) and choc sampler. I ate all of the soup, picked at the salad, ate all of the lobster (yummy), just a taste of the potatoes and then 1-2 bites of each of the choc sampler. And I was stuffed. DH ordered the cheesecake, which was good but he couldn't finish it. It really is a lot of food and its very rich, which makes it even harder to finish.