sunkey1

I've been doing research into new options, given that we've cruised some lines so many times. See this post about double computers in order to get tours, difficulty getting reservations for dining, etc. makes me nervous, given the upcharge from what we typically pay, and with less hassle. Tell me I'm wrong to be concerned.

My kids started cruising when they were 3 and 5. There were times that they were in the same clubs and times that they weren't. They always looked at it as an opportunity to make new friends and never had an issue with that. It was great experience for them learning to widen their social circle and meet new friends from all over.

BUT a lot of 12 year olds might not want to hang out with an 8 year old boy....

We did Woodwinds last October on the same run and can second that endorsement. They did a great job and we had a fantastic time!

Totally agree with the review. We went on a last minute cruise with friends on an older Carnival ship and it was awful. The ship was run down and I actually got locked out on my balcony one day due to a broken handle. No apologies from anyone. The Equinox, when we went on her (prior to dry dock) had very few rust spots and overall was in fantastic ship. Also agree about the food, service and entertainment all being excellent.

I've only sailed once on Princess so far but they are definitely a step above NCL and two steps above Carnival in ship decor and service. NCL has some good entertainment, Carnival still relies primarily on the guests as entertainment. I do love Carnival's newest ships, largely because of the (adults only) Serenity deck, with padded loungers, designated bar and pool (all free of charge). Just MY opinion.

Thanks for he heads up! Called, got a refund and rebooked - saved $40. About an hour later I finally received the email from Celebrity about the sale....

Yep, and the problem these days is that spring break, which used to run a week or two before or after Easter, now encompasses most of March And April....

Just came back from our third trip on the Mardi Gras - we still LOVE this class of ship. That said, although the ship, food, drinks and service were ALL wonderful, our biggest issue was with the guests. We knew to expect kids given the timing of the cruise, but we've never experienced so many young kids running around unsupervised. Parents were just partying, drinking and letting the kids do their thing. Some of the parents were worse than the kids. SO different from our first two MG cruises (both in October). Didn't spoil our cruise but definitely will not cruise Carnival again over spring break, just not our thing.

As far as the restrooms on the Mardi Gras, while I truly love the ship, it's probably the worst I've been on in over 60 cruises when it comes to restrooms. There are simply not enough for the number of passengers.

Problem is that it's too often NOT being kept in line. I saw TONS of security people on this last cruise but didn't see them doing much...

Yep, just got off the Mardi Gras and one night in Brass Magnolia there was a group of adults there drinking at one table, had their kids, about six of them, all under 10 at another table. Kids may have been okay except for the one dad who had them all worked up, literally picking them up and throwing them over his shoulder, while the musicians were playing. I've seldom seen anything so disrespectful to the performers as well as to the guests who were trying to listen to them. The two tables on either side of us finally gave up and left.

No difference, just a really large ship so bear that in mind. Much larger than the Glory.

That's one thing that Carnival definitely has over NCL, their drink package includes everything, alcohol, soda, bottled water, specialty coffees. NCL's does not....

You don't have to "upgrade" the alcohol package to get soda, that would be included in the alcohol package. I sail both lines (among others), Personally one of the highlights for us on NCL is enjoying the waterfront dining, nothing like having a nice meal at sea, watching the sunset. I also think that NCL still has the edge over Carnival as far as most production shows (although the Carnival Excel class are in a different class altogether, why I'm sailing for the third time on the Mardi Gras). It truly depends on what you want out of your vacation - that's the beauty of it - different strokes...

Nor on the Mardi Gras, so doubtful.

Carnival is not as bad as it used to be since they cracked down on young people traveling without someone at least 25 in the group. The worst offenders now are typically grown adults, but still not as bad as Carnival in past years. I've seen drunks on Carnival, NCL, Royal and Celebrity.

Yep, too many people live under the "entitlement" umbrella lately. And for all those Carnival haters I will confirm that they have cracked down more on this (albeit not enough) on my last few cruises with them than they did on my last Celebrity OR NCL cruises. I still remember one cruise where my husband and I settled into chairs at 9am one day, saw stuff piled on a few chairs nearby and when we left early that afternoon no one had shown up yet. Ridiculous....

Yes, I could, except you'll note that I said you can USUALLY get hard copies of menus, Fun Times, etc. I didn't say ALWAYS, and there were times that I had to use my phone to access those items.

That's just so wrong - wish the lines would start REALLY cracking down on this. Gather it all up and people can collect their stuff when they decide to show up.

They've definitely digitized almost everything, deck plans, menus, Fun Times, are all available on your phone. You can usually find regular menus at the restaurants and bars and hard copies of the Fun Times as well. I use my phone on the ship, but as little as possible, typically only for the occasional picture. I personally miss the days when we got on the ship, locked our phones in the safe and didn't touch them the whole time. Simpler days.....

For me it's largely the atmosphere, which one appeals to me the most? That's the one I'll likely go to the most.

My father in law was just cremated and they offered a box of sorts which was biodegradable and allowed my husband to place him at the inlet in Ft. Pierce. That "packaging" keeps it simple and saves money on an urn that would otherwise not likely ever be used. I know that's my plan.

Exactly why we're heading out soon on the Mardi Gras for the third time - love this class of ship.

Most likely as their website is sorely lacking in a LOT of ways.