nchikk

Food is subjective...what one likes, another may not.

That being said, I like the food in the MDR. I think it's good. It's not Michelin star, but I've never had a bad meal there. I also like the Steakhouse, sea day brunch, pizzeria and deli (old style, not tried the new one). The buffet can be hit or miss, but if something isn't to one's liking, there are choices.

Lastly, regarding Indian food on Carnival ships...the majority of chefs are Indian, so the flavours are authentic and not Americanised like what's found at many stateside Indian restaurants. This fat Indian thinks quite highly of these offerings.

This is a really bad article. It says "most hated" but then says the ranking is based on CDC health inspection scores. What the two have to do with each other, I don't know.

Hello,

I have never been on a cruise before and have some questions I can't find answers to online. I am booked onto a southern Caribbean cruise in January with my mum (surprise birthday gift) so it is just the 2 of us. The cruise departs San Juan Puerto Rico at 10pm. We are arriving in San Juan at 11am and we will get the Carnival transfers to the port.

 

I have read that we can leave our bags there and go explore San Juan prior to boarding. I believe this is correct.

 

Can we also board and then disembark to explore the town? I believe this is correct as well.

 

What time would boarding begin? I cannot make an arrival appointment as it is too far away. Not quite sure about this one.

 

Also, if you board prior to dinner, would dinner be included in your cruise fee or would that be an extra charge? Yes, first night dinner in the MDR would be included and would probably be open seating...at least it used to be.

 

Also, if I ordered items from the Fun Shop (champagne and chocolate) would that be delivered prior to boarding so it is there to surprise mum when we arrive at our stateroom? I don't want to order the stateroom decorations as we don't need a towel, photo frame etc. but I would love for the champagne and chocolate to be waiting upon arrival. When you order online, you should be able to request a delivery date/time.

 

Sorry for all the questions but I like to be prepared!

Thank you in advance for your help :)

I don't claim to be an expert on cruising out of San Juan. If I'm mistaken on anything, I'm sure someone will correct me.

I've used insure my trip dot com before and have been happy with them.

I've sailed Carnival many times and I've never heard of "freedom" dining. Could you mean "your time" or "anytime" dining?

If so, it means you go to dinner when it's convenient. Much like at a restaurant, if tables are available, they will seat you right away. If not, you're given a pager which will alert you when a table is available.

Sorry (not sorry) OP, but I'll point out a couple of things that seem obvious to me...

1. YOU let the child play the game (without knowing what it was about?)

2. Just because you feel it was inappropriate for your child (and it may have been), it may not have been for other kids. You can't take away something just because YOU don't like it.

But hey, what do I know?

Some people may say they've made a flight at that time from MCO after debarking at Canaveral...and that's perfectly fine, they may well have. But, what if.....

1. The ship is late in arriving back at PC?

2. USCBP delays clearing the ship?

3. There is a major cluster at customs once you get off the ship...or the customs agents are scrutinizing everything?

4. There is some delay on the way from PC to MCO (ie. traffic, accidents, etc)?

5. There is a cluster at the TSA checkpoint at MCO?

All of the above are out of your control, and there is really not much, if anything, you can do about them. The chances of any of these may be small, but I wouldn't chance a flight before noon or even 1:00. But that's just me...and what do I know? This is just my 2 cents.

Neither. Why not offer a third option? I prefer option number 1.5, that being a time frame between 1 and 1.5 hours.

I've ordered multiple apps in lieu of a main several times. In all those times, all of the apps were brought out with other people's apps but served to me one (or two) at a time.

Sure, I think the food is better on Carnival and I hate the rotational dining on Disney. I like the ability to dine when I want instead of having to take a set time. I find the staff on Carnival to be very friendly. A lot less kids and a separate serenity area on many of their ships where the kids don't go (on four Disney cruises kids were in the adult area and we never saw any of them made to leave). There are casinos for those that want to indulge. I generally feel more relaxed on Carnival.

 

For the cost, I don't find anything about Disney that I feel is better than Carnival so I'm not willing to pay their overpriced rates.

Thank you.

Just like people, all cruise lines are different. If they weren't, they'd all be the same...and that would be no fun.

In my opinion the "frat party" rep is so overblown. We've not experienced any such thing in 9 Carnival cruises and we have three more on the books. At our age we wouldn't be interested in a party cruise at all.

 

By the way, we've also done 4 Disney cruises and still prefer carnival.

Just curious...can you specify why you prefer Carnival?

Just my 2 cents, and of course, YMMV, as they say...

I wouldn't order and pay for food on the ship for the purposes of snacking. There is so much food. included in the cruise cost, as well as satisfying meals available pretty much everywhere you look, that I wouldn't snack...and I'm slightly XL. And after 9 cruises, I've never felt the need to snack. But that's just me...and what do I know?

I've never seen this offered.

Our last cruise was set for September. We had insurance from Carnival. I had was hospitalized with a stroke three days prior. I called Carnival from the hospital and cancelled. They put me in contact with the insurance carrier. They emailed me some paperwork to fill out and submit. Between Carnival and the insurance company, we had 100% of our money back in less than 3 weeks of filing the claim. That last part may not be paramount or top of mind, the health of your son is, I'm sure, but I mentioned it just to demonstrate how painless the whole process was. I hope for the best for you.

Tandoor.

7 > 6.

What I'm asking is why would it even be a consideration for anyone?

Because those who work for them actually enhance our cruise experience through what they do for us (sometimes just the little things) and our interactions with them. Because I believe good service should be rewarded. Because a few dollars more means WAY more to these hard working people than it does to me.

They have a veg Indian option every night in the MDR. It’s the same thing everyday though. It’s delicious! I always order it as a side dish to my main!

Sorry, I don't think this is right. In all the times I've ordered the Indian Vegetarian Dinner in the MDR, I've never gotten identical dishes during the same cruise.

Usually one veg option PLUS the Indian Vegetarian Dinner nightly in the MDR. Most of the chefs are Indian, so the dinner is very good and the flavours are authentic. But what do I know, I'm only a fat Indian.

So, first impressions are that Carnival staffs for lines. And then as a customer you wait or not, your choice. Eat or not, also your choice. Have a drink or not- again, your choice, depends on your threshold for waiting in line. Mine happens to be limited.

 

No MDR on embarkation day. So, everyone has to eat on 9 at the buffet, Guys, Pizza or the Mexican cantina. Why not have those open???

 

Line at Guys

 

 

Blue Iguanas closed right next door

 

Deli is open with a line as far as you can see

 

 

Half the buffet is closed

 

 

And half the buffet is open with a line as far as you can see...

 

Wait for it, the longest line yet, pizza!

 

Just wow. Your customers deserve more Carnival... no one vacations to wait in line!! My humble opinion. Charge little more and staff you facilities maybe???

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OP, you're entitled to your humble opinion...so am I. I would suggest you stick with your cruise line of choice, as you are obviously much happier there. Also, do not suggest a price increase unless you're willing to pay the increase for me.

Its been a while since my last Carnival cruise, so I don't know if they have some of these things:

 

Brunch- Steak and Eggs, tomato soup

Appetizers- Baked stuffed white mushrooms, Spring rolls, cream of mushroom soup, strawberry bisque

Main- Chateaubriand, Lobster (but they are tiny), prime rib, petite filet and short rib

Desserts- Black Forest gateau, amaretto cake

Buffet- Guys burgers, pizza

 

Drinks: kiss on the lips, Fun ship special, Miami Vice. There was also this blue drink in the comedy club (not frozen) that was really good. It had something like pineapple juice and/or sweet and sour in it.

 

Edited to add: I just looked up a menu for the comedy club and found the name of the drink. Punch liner- named after the punch line comedy club (imagine that). I only ever saw it available in the comedy club.

I bet if you asked for this drink at another bar, they wouldn't tell you 'no'.

.

No, especially if you're not picky about where on the ship you are.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Mushroom Cream Soup

Indian Vegetarian Dinner

Reuben w/ Potato Salad (from room service) (or the Deli)

Most things from the Tandoor

I'd have no problem doing so if we liked the ports. We're not beach people in the sense that we hunt down a beach at every port. We like to sight-see and check out the local culture. So if we've been on ship Q to ports A, B & C before, we can easily go on the same ship to the same ports. After all, every port has something else to see or do than the one thing we saw or did before.

OP, you're asking a very general question. And since no one here knows your interests, anyone who responds will tell you what interests them. There is a "Port if Call" section to these boards. If you search there, you will find many answers to your questions.