Just did my check-in, I was confused on the last piece, the guest smile and go. Why does it say something about taking your temp everyday and you can opt out if you want. I get checking on pictures, check your acct. etc.

Why would you opt out, does it cost anything?
This is my first Carnival cruise.

Thank You

On 4/23/2024 at 8:00 AM, Jamman54 said:

We have a review of our 21 days on the Venezia which you can access through my signature below. 😎

Jamman54 I  am just beginning to read your review. This is the first time on Carnival.

i see in one of your pics you are going to the first bar for your first drink. I heard if you have the drink package you can’t use it the day of embarkation, Is that true and why can I ask?

Really looking forward to this cruise!

Thank You

DeeDee

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

When they went to the no tablecloth look, they added new tabletops, that presented a finished wood like appearance (do not really know the composition).  While it was an adjustment, it is now the norm.  Not a biggie by any means.

Yes no biggie and can’t wait to go only 25 days to go. 

On 1/13/2024 at 1:28 PM, Crazy Carolyn said:

I have a question....On most of the current Carnival ships they have stopped using table cloths in most of the dining rooms; is this the same situation on the Venezia?  I know it's a little thing to most, but I miss this bit of elegance.

This is our first cruise on carnival I can’t imagine no tablecloth,

Not because of the elegance, but I can’t imagine a table or what it would look like without a tablecloth on it, in the main dining room anyway.

Of course this doesn’t stop me from enjoying my dinner, I’m sure it is fine,  just curious.

Getting so close I can’t wait. First time in Carnival.

Booked  a couple excursions. 
Looking  outside at this cold and snow it can’t come soon enough.

On 8/26/2023 at 7:32 PM, jdog99 said:

I booked this currently as a solo - hoping to get my brothers to join me.  I am taking Amtrak in and out of NY too (from CT) - seems like an easy way to get to/from NY without mortgaging my house to pay for parking.  I am also booked on the Venezia in January and February so I can relate my experience with the ship after those cruises.  BTW, my experience cruising is if you show up with a go with the flow attitude and are ready to be flexible you will have a good time.  If you look for things to be upset about you will find them but if you look for things to enjoy you will find them.

Jim

Absolutely agree. We have had people tell us not to go. I will make my own opinions when I go. I don’t  usually listen, because the people that do complain are usually the ones who complain about every little thing. 

On 7/23/2023 at 5:44 AM, nycruise1 said:

We were on the June 19 sailing which was an 8 day with all the same ports except we did not go to Nassau.  Enjoyed the ship especially the 11th floor "living room" area, a great covered place to hang out, read or even nap, while still hearing the sounds of the Lido deck.  Marq was the cruise director and we would enjoy having him again if he is aboard.  Also have the 12 day in February booked to escape the NE winter for awhile.  This is our homeport and just a short ride to the terminal.  Who else is joining the sailing?

This will be our first Carnival Cruise along with another couple their first also. Glad to hear your review and you’re going again, I read some good and not so good reviews. I like finding out for myself but this is reassuring.

Looking forward to going to a couple ports I’ve never been too.

9 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Hi.  I had read on cruisecritic and elsewhere that many Carnival ships allow cruisers to bring alcohol on board in Europe.  I tried it and it worked.  I also noticed there was no table/station with Carnival crew ready to take alcohol from people - you just went through the detector and to the elevators with no other Carnival crew after going through the detector.  Of course, my experience doesn't make me an expert on it, but it adds to the number of people who say they were successful, unlike with US ports.  Good luck!  Also FYI, I didn't visit any of the specialty bars, but in the casino we could call for Woodford Reserve or Buffalo Trace (sorry, don't know about scotch).

Thank you. We will be leaving from NY. We may or may it take out chances. My husband loves Woodford Reserve too. 

On 5/29/2023 at 7:15 AM, IntrepidFromDC said:

On board! Reminds me more of a MSC ship than Carnival ship. The "fun" is apparent with the staff being outgoing and encouraging a party atmosphere.  The decor is over the top Venice. Public area decor reminds me alot of Pride.  I was allowed to bring whiskey onboard. 

Hi there. We are thinking of going on this ship next May. I see you said you were allowed to bring whiskey on board is that normal for Carnival. My husband loves whiskey and would bring it if it was allowed.

Thanks

DeeDee

When we fly in 1 or 2 days prior, I make reservations at Cambrias or sleep Inn, any Choice hotels. (I do check trip advisor reviews first though)They are perfect for what we need for a night and usually the trip from airport to hotel to the cruise port is free or only, at the most $10 pp.

The airfare through royal for a TA we took in 2016 though was well worth it.  Doing it without was twice the price 

On 9/6/2019 at 2:28 PM, chicagopaul said:

Well from drop off at 10:30 via taxi ($8.75 cost) to walking on the ship it was a total of about 35 minutes. Check in was a breeze. Security took about 5 minutes and customs took a little bit longer just waiting for an open machine but very smooth and efficient overall. 

 

We grabbed our room keys and we are currently sitting at the Sunset bar with our first drink on board. 

 

 

You are very versed in getting around Van Couver. We have a private car from airport to the Best Western Cheateau Granville for 4 and lots of luggage $57us. What is your suggestion for hotel to port. Should we just get taxi’s? They do not have a shuttle.

On 9/5/2019 at 4:28 PM, chicagopaul said:

 

We are doing Hawaii to Vancouver in the spring on the Eclipse. 

Ahh we are doing the Vancouver to Hawaii April 10th. Love your blogs would have been nice if you were doing the other way around.😃

Not usually a fan of paying extra money for food when dining room to me is just fine. But our first time at Muranos was excellent, the lobster and Chareaubriand for 2 was exceptional.   I agree though with another post try to negotiate price. You can definitely get it cheaper we did.

On 4/23/2019 at 2:48 PM, QCAZ said:

We are on our way to Hawaii at this time ..... Vancouver to Hawaii.  Will arrive in Hilo tomorrow and have this tour booked:

Gil & Tina

Big Island Aina Tours

www.ainatours.com

808-217-7582 / 808-315-3097

 

Has good reviews and I booked it on-line and received a quick confirmation back.  They only take 10, but have 2 vehicles so will do 2 tours.  We booked early December and on the first tour, both tours filled I believe.  Will let you know after the tour if you like.   

 

Also there is a Hoppa on Hoppa off bus tour in Hilo, which I believe goes to many of the sights.  

I just booked this tour. Tina was very nice.

Only thing is, it says we don’t get there till 9:30. Our email from Tina says we will meet at 8:10am.  She did say we may be the only ship in port and she would wait of course. She said they put that on there but sometimes we are early. She didn’t ask for any money and we can cancel at anytime. We will see, but would love some feedback if anyone else goes and has the 9:30 arrival time.

it has everything we want. Volcano, black sand beach etc.

On 4/24/2019 at 6:51 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

Usually we do our own thing. However when we took a Celebrity cruise to Hawaii a few years back, I am so glad we splurged on one ship’s tour because it was the highlight of our whole trip.

 

It was the Road to Hana excursion in Maui, a full day tour that included lunch from the menu at Hana Ranch. We saw so much fabulous waterfall scenery and had a good driver guide (on a little bus) who stopped frequently for photos at scenic, interesting sites and the famous bridges. I’m not a fan of bus tours, but this never felt rushed. The tour was a clockwise circle returning on the dramatic back side of Haleakala.

 

It takes a full day to do this, and I wasn’t worried about missing the ship since it was their tour. We were literally on the first tenders off and final tenders back at sunset. Some people rent cars to do it, but the drive has tight curves and requires driver concentration; the return “back road” is isolated and rough, unpaved in places, so rental car companies don’t encourage it and might not rescue you there if you break down - therefore individual drivers tend to turn around and backtrack all the way back to port. 

 

If they still offer this tour, I highly recommend the splurge.

We were in Maui in 2004 with our sons and niece and drove the Road to Hana ourselves.  Oh my it was spectacular. Long day but so worth it.

1 hour ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Definitely rent a car in Oaho and spend a few days before flying home.

We are staying a couple days after and staying at Hale Kona. My brother in law is retired military. So will see some sites there.

6 hours ago, QCAZ said:

We are on our way to Hawaii at this time ..... Vancouver to Hawaii.  Will arrive in Hilo tomorrow and have this tour booked:

Gil & Tina

Big Island Aina Tours

www.ainatours.com

808-217-7582 / 808-315-3097

 

Has good reviews and I booked it on-line and received a quick confirmation back.  They only take 10, but have 2 vehicles so will do 2 tours.  We booked early December and on the first tour, both tours filled I believe.  Will let you know after the tour if you like.   

 

Also there is a Hoppa on Hoppa off bus tour in Hilo, which I believe goes to many of the sights.  

Thank you will definitely look into this as it gets closer.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have been on trip advisor and other sites. I will keep looking  around but these were good to start with. I have almost a year to decide.

On 4/21/2019 at 5:52 PM, gerelmx said:

 

Joint your roll call

Celebrity Eclipse Roll Call - April 10, 2020

I did join it or at least posted on the celebrity roll call site. 

1 hour ago, gerelmx said:

 

Joint your roll call

Celebrity Eclipse Roll Call - April 10, 2020

I did join it or at least posted on the celebrity roll call site. 

Oh great thank you 

We are going on the April 10th 2020 Vancouver to Hawaii cruise. Can anyone give me ideas for excursions we can do on our own. Most of the ones on the excursion list is a little expensive and we want to try other things. Any ideas would be great. When we gonna on caribbean cruises I can always manage to find outside tours having trouble with this cruise though.

Thank You

DeeDee

Love, love, love this review. Going on Equinox October 5th, and I thought I was excited before, but now forget it I am overly excited and wish time would go even faster then it seems to already be going. lol.

Great pics, this will be our first time on The Equinox and only second on Celebrity. There will be 14 of us.

We were on the harmony TA went three days ahead. We stayed at Cuateo naciones on las ramblas it was nice and free breakfast. Very close to port. Walked everywhere and saw so much, price was perfect. I booked it through booking.com

Anyone have any experience with the Central Park balconies? Pros? Cons? Is it really noisy? We are considering a 2J category. Thanks!

We were in a Central Park balcony on the TA on harmony.

Wasn’t noisy at all, in fact I found it kind of boring.

We thought being at sea for 9 days in a regular balcony would be too much looking at the ocean for 9days, I was wrong. I would rather have the sun and sea then Central Park. At least I had the experience but wouldn’t do it again. I may even do a boardwalk balcony if I am on that class of ship again. You get to see the aqua show from your balcony which is very appealing to me.