comeon530

You can also just purchase a day pass if you want to try it without spending the weekly amount. It's about $40. Cloud 9 spa is my absolute favorite place to be. It was my daily ritual the past 2 years on the Dream.

I will say that while they don't have a 'Formal' on NCL, I was refused entry to the dining room one night simply because I wasn't thinking when I left my cabin and had on my rubber pool flip flops. (I was wearing them because I don't go barefoot in the cabins) The lady at the door politely looked down and told me that they had a dress code. It was embarrassing to say the least. I'm pretty sure on Carnival that they wouldn't have said anything. That can be good or bad depending on your point of view.

Although NCL touts their freestyle dining, they repeatedly asked us to sit with others.

Overall, I prefered the food on Carnival. I had a great time on our NCL cruise, but I always have a great time because to me it's about the people I'm with and the overall trip, ports etc. It also seems like there are more options on CCL for dining that are already included in the fare.

We've cruised the Dream twice and never noticed any odor. It was strong on the Triumph a few years ago in certain places.

I'm convinced to go with the Liberty. We both like the idea of 4 sea days. We're looking for a really vacation next year. 4 ports in a row can get tiring.

Thanks everyone! I just hadn't read a lot about the Liberty or people loving it. We're looking at June 2014. The Sunshine has the same itinerary in May, but we can't travel then. I appreciate the feedback. :)

Looking for opinions. Which would you choose?

1. Our favorite ports, Aruba and Curacao plus Grand Turk, 8 days on the Liberty. I like this one because it has 4 sea days.

2. The ship we really want, the Sunshine, with a second choice itinerary, Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Tortola, St. Maarten. 8 days with 3 sea days.

So, the itinerary or the ship?

Does anyone know what night the past guest party is? We are on the Western itinerary (I think) on March 16th. Thanks for the information.

When we were on the Dream, it was on the Costa Maya port day in the late afternoon.

Great review, I booked 11201 for April. I can not wait. I read through most of the posts in the thread but I am still confused as to the Spa Access and cost. I see in one post that if I want to use it for a week for a couple, it would cost $250. If I don't pay the $250, what are some of the benefits then for booking a Spa OV room? Can I use the sauna, T-Pool, Relaxation room without paying the $250? I assume no...

Anyone can buy passes to the spa. If you don't want to buy the weekly pass, you can buy a day pass for $45 or so. That will give you unlimited access to the pool and thermal suite for the day. You can come and go as you please but you have to check in at the desk each time to get an arm band.

If you book a Spa room, the access is included in your room rate (for 2 people) and you would not have to purchase the passes.

Thanks so much for your indepth review and wonderful photos. I bought day passes on our last Dream cruise and loved it. I agree that the showers are wonderful, but I never tried the 'open' ones. I definitely will do that next time. We are booking a spa cabin next spring for the spa access and proximity to Serenity.

Are they still serving Escargot?

On Facebook today, it was mentioned that they will be unable to get any more escargot for a while due to a drought. While a totally different dish, their ceviche was quite good.

I am really enjoying the pictures! Great thread.

I was hoping it wasn't human fingers, lol. Kind of gross close up.:) Neat pic!

Is that a monkey reaching for the camera?