dolphinsfan246

Well if history is anything to go on, I think it’s pretty much a 100% chance that any “Sunshining” of the Spirit class will definitely add more cabins. Most likely trimming the main theaters from 3 decks to 2 and adding cabins on deck 4 forward. The good news is other than that, they don’t present many other opportunities to squeeze in cabins. They could add a deck forward like they did on Paradise and Elation, but even that area only provides enough room for maybe 15-20 cabins. They could add cabins on deck 9 above the bridge, and probably market them as Spa cabins due to their close proximity.

Also John Heald mentioned on the final cruise that they really wanted to keep Ecstasy for longer but she was needing very expensive engine repairs, they looked into fixing her but it would have cost over $20 million. It was just too much to invest in the old girl. But even with that, Ecstasy’s engines was in better shape than Sensation’s, which is why they kept her around for that little final season from a Mobile instead of Sensation.

There is an Instagram account named @good_ship_ that does cool “what if” renderings. He recently did a modern Fantasy class.

I’ve read multiple posts on here that the Pride is in the same condition as you just mentioned on Sunshine. Those years off from Covid really put them behind on basic maintenance. And I still feel like each ship is still very under staffed. Sad , I wonder if we will ever get back to way it was before.

If I had to venture a total guess , I’d say they go out sometime in 2026-2028. Also let us not forget that the oldest ship in the fleet is now the Carnival Sunshine (1996) . So I’m more interested to see how much longer she lasts even though she had a major refurb in 2013, but old engines are still old engines, which was the sole reason Ecstasy was retired without being able to find a buyer.

John Heald said during a Q&A session on the Ecstasy that there are currently no plans to build any smaller ships. But he also said there is no plans to retire any ships in the coming years. So we have the 2 remaining Fantasy class and now technically 5 Spirit class with the addition of Luminosa. Also by todays standards , I’d even consider the Conquest class a smaller ship experience. He did mention that those ports that are locked by size restrictions could look at dredging or new terminals to accommodate. Seems they will put pressure on the ports to accommodate larger ships if they want to stay in the game.

I was told she was going to Miami first, for final preparations and crew transfers then to Aliaga as final destination.

Poor Vista, that ship has been nothing but problems from the very start.

It’s definitely a risk to take a cruise before or after a dry dock. If they are wanting to get a head start on the work, your cruise may be effected. If they don’t get all their work done on time , the cruise after could be effected. I have yet to hear anything about any major overhauls to the ship other than a proper repair to the funnel back to its whale tail shape.

Mardi Gras has actually always been too big to fully dock at the Grand Turk pier. What they do is dock “on thrusters” meaning they tie up as much as the can and gently use the thrusters to keep them pushed up against the dock. If you have been to GT recently you should have noticed construction on the pier, Carnival was in the process of extending the pier to accommodate the larger ships but I think most of that progress got washed away.

Have you checked to make sure you have the most up to date version of the app? Maybe there is an update available in the App Store that resolves this.

Not required but it’s extremely easy to use and pretty helpful. You just show them your green check mark on your phone and your off to the next station. I’ve found it way easier than having the paper documents in hand since I’m already going to be having my phone on me anyways. (I still keep them in carry on just in case, but have not been asked for them when using VeriFLY)

I don’t think they have enough/adequate water shuttles to tender Mardi Gras 6,000+ passengers every week plus she’s usually there with Freedom. That’s almost a 10,000 port load.

Typically go the opposite direction.

Really strange that the “maintenance” is taking place all the way out through February. Makes me wonder if the repairs are only happening while the ship is in Cozumel? Using the extra time each stop to do a little bit each time. - As for the itinerary change personally I think you now get a better itinerary but I know everybody has their preferences and specific reasons for wanting to go certain places. Sucks that this change effects so many cruises and people.

I was lucky enough to see 2 pilot whales swimming in tandem with Carnival Freedom back in April. At first I didn’t know what they were, looked like a dolphin or a maybe a killer whale, upon researching I found out they were definitely pilot whales. It’s so cool to see wildlife at sea!

That’s so weird! I wonder why it would be so inconsistent? I definitely did it on the Ecstasy in 2013 and Sunshine in 2014. And I have the pics to prove it 🤪 Really strange that it wasn’t offered on your Legend cruises either, I know we were the first or second cruise back to Tampa for Legend that year. I wonder if they cut it because Covid was starting to circulate the news in Dec 2019.

I did the tour in 2013,2014, and 2019. If that helps your timeline. Would love to do it again and really wish they would bring it back!

I remember years ago there was talks about Tampa building a terminal on the other side of the Sunshine Skyway, I guess those talks never materialized into anything. I’m sure Tampa is in a good spot to always have at least a Spirit class ship for quite some time, getting the Luminosa also helps. IF Carnival really wants to expand their smaller ship fleet, they still have 2 Spirit class ships in the Costa fleet that are literally sitting idle (supposed to be used for a Chinese start up) Also the Luminosa has an identical sister. But that would require purging the Costa fleet even more than it already has been.

I’ve been very pleased with the change to Pepsi. I can’t stand the taste of Coke from a can. But I love Pepsi from a can. Plus I can get Mountain Dew, it’s a win win for me. Bottomless bubbles every time now.

Yeah they can’t even prove to the Coast Guard that they can safely sail. I’ve never seen the CG give a no sail order to a ship before over safety concerns. To have to completely cancel a sailing over a routine Coast Guard inspection is extremely embarrassing. Sure ships score low sometimes but it really makes you wonder what kind of nasty was going on to warrant a no sail order. I highly doubt they are in any position to acquire more ships.

Yes both have received them.

Unfortunately I believe the ship was sold to the same breaking yard as the Sensation. I believe they were sold as a package deal. John Heald hinted at this once but never fully confirmed it. It would make sense as their retirement from the fleet was announced on the same day in the same press release. Unfortunately we didn’t get a proper goodbye to Sensation! (And the rest of the Fantasy class) I’m very much looking forward to sailing on Ecstasy’s final cruise in October.

Actually they do have full water parks , won’t need to add them.