teacher34

We have sailed on a total of 4 cruise lines, but the majority have been on Carnival. Recently we sailed on Freedom of the Seas with RCCL. Some friends of ours convinced us to try it, however we felt that we got a lot less for our money. For the same price that we get a balcony on Carnival, we were only able to get an inside promenade on Royal Caribean. The room was extremely small and looked as if it hadn't been updated in a while. There were marks on the wal where tape had been and had been pulled off. Part of the carpet was up. Also, we didn't feel that the food choices were as good. We missed the deli by the pool on Carnival. Also, we missed all the outdoors food venues. On RCI, people had raved about the Promenade Cafe for sandwiches, but we went there 2 times and each time there was a selection of only 3 premade sandwiches and they all seemed a bit stale.

RCI does have an ice cream machine, but it is only open for about 4 hours a day, which seems weird to me. We did find the staff equally friendly and the passengers were extremely nice. Actually the majority of them were 60 or above, which fits our age frame, so that was nice.

All in all, we felt that Carnival pamperes us more, whereas RCI nickels and dimes you to death. You have to pay extra for the hamburger place and many other food venues. We even felt that the food choices in the main dining room were nor as varied or as numerous as Carnival.

Needless to say, we are coming back to Carnival! We definately feel it is the best bang for our buck!

Thank you everyone for your help! I really appreciate it. I followed your directions and found it! Yeah !! I really do love CC, because you can always find the answer to any question! Now we have less than 2 weeks to go. I am so excited. I have read so many grest reviews of the FOS. Can't wait!

Can anyone help me find information about the different ports we will be visiting? We have cruised on Carnival before and it is easy to go on their website and pull up information about all the excursions they offer at each port. A description and the price are given, along with the activity level. Then you can purchase the excursion on line if you choose. I can't seem to find this info on the RCL 's website. Can anyone help me? Thank you.

We also sailed Alaska on the Spirit the last week in May. Most of our weather was great, but we did have 1 oe 2 rainy days. The sceanery was absolutely breathtaking! It was for us a once in a lifetime opportunity. With the airfare out there it made it a very expensive cruise for us, but something not to be missed. We did think it was a very different sailing experience than the Caribean. We didn't feel that there was as much offerred in the way of evening shows, but the days were full of being on deck and looking everywhere.We loved teh ports, especially Skagway and Ketchican. Amazing! The train ride was fantastic and I got some of my best pics there. I hope you enjoy every minute as we did!

Hello, Sherri, I have read all your reviews and absolutely love your writing style and your pictures. You really bring the trip alive and by the end, I feel as though I had been there with you. I know you said you didn't have another cruise planned, but I was wondering if you had changed your mind. I'm going through withdrawal now that I have finished all your reviews! Of the ships you've been on, which has been your favorite? My DH and I are going on the FOS in early March, so I particularly enjoyed your review of the Freedom. Thanks so much for taking all the time it requires to write such thorough reviews!

Hi, we are booked in the Ben and Jerry's room on Mar. 2 on the FOS and I have been a little concerned about the noise factor that some people have talked about, because I am a light sleeper. However, we were just offerred a free upgrade to an oceanview and we turned it down. Are we crazy?

We are booked in this suite on the FOS in Mar. and I can't wait! I've looked at the pictures and it seems like a nice cabin. It actually looks a little larger to me the other inside cabins. We can't afford a balcony this time, but I think looking out on the promenade should be nice.

PLEASE finish this review!! We will be sailing on the Freedom next spring for the first time and I am loving your review. Please don't stop writing !

Sherri, I have just finished this review and absolutely LOVED it! It truly is EPIC! I had first read your review of the Allure going solo and I am now hooked on your reviews! I know you mentioned that you have a blog, but I couldn't find the blog address. Could you post it again, please? We have not sailed on RCI before, but we are booked on the Freedom the first week in Mar. of 2014. We have the cow suite above the Ben and Jerry's. Previously, we have sailed on Carnival and a couple of other ships way back when. Most recently on Carnival we have always had balconies and I'm not sure what it will be like in an inside room. That was a compromise we had to make since RCI is more expensive. I am really looking forward to the cruise now and feel like I have a better idea what to expect after reading this review. You really are such a gifted writer ! I am definately planning on reading your review of your European trip. Thank you so much for taking the time to write these! I wish you would be cruising with us (hint, hint). If you don't have any plans for the first week in March of 2014 ... just saying!!:D

I am so sorry you were sick. I hope you've made a full recovery now. Don't worry about your review , it will come when there's time. I'm worried about, though. It sounds as if you are too busy. I'm glad your work is going so well, but be sure it doesn't consume every minute of your time. Strive for a balanced life. The stress of working too hard can have a negative effect on your health. You are too young and too talented to be a workaholic! Take care of yourself!

I am really happy that you are having so much work, because that is always a help finacially and it wil give you what you need to plan your next vacation! I am sorry you are going through so much personal stuff, that always has a negative ring to it, and I hope things are not bad for you . I have so enjoyed reading your Dream reviewand the beginning of this Breeze review. It doesn't matter to me when you finish it. Take the time you need to deal with everything life has brought you lately and don't worry about the review. Just promise that you will finish it whether it takes a year or whatever. I am so interested in your comparison of the Dream and the Breeze. I wish you only the best! Take care of yourself. You are so gifted!

Please don't feel bad about not posting! At the very beginning you said you wouldn't have much time and the review would evolve slowly! I love reading what you've posted, and I anxiously await more, but the anticipation just makes it better! I'm glad that you are so busy, but certainly I'm not surprised given the quality of your work!! I hope with everything you were able to have a great holiday and I hope you and LaTonya were able to celebrate her birthday. I'll be looking forward to more of your review whenever you have the time to do it. Please don't stress over it!

I also am so glad you posted this review. We leave on Mar. 2 on the Dream for the western itinerary. I loved looking at your pictures. I can't wait to see the rest. Please continue with your post!! Thanks.

Thank you so much for starting this review! I am so happy that you are getting things published! You really deserve it. Your work is amazing! Who knows what the future holds for you! Can't wait to read and see more!

Hello, again! I'm sorry to bother you in what I'm sure is a busy time for you, plus I know you are getting ready for your cruise, but I wondered if you could give me some information. I read your review all the way through while you were writing it and thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the pictures of you all at Dolphinaris. We are taking this same cruise the first week of March and I would love to do Dolphinaris, too. I noticed it isn't under Carnival's excursions. Did you book it independently? If so, can you tell me where and how? Iy seems better than any that Carnival is offering. Thanks for any info you can give. I can't wait to read your review of the Breeze! You are not only a gifted photographer, but also a gifted writer! Thanks so much for doing your review of the Dream!

Please don't stop your review! I am loving it! Your pictures are great and the information is terrific. I know it is time consuming, but please don't leave us dangling!

Hello! It was so nice to see this review pop up again. I read it back when you first did it and loved every picture and word! I have been waiting for you to go on your next cruise so I could read that review, too. You really helped me to live vicariously through your trip and I can't wait to repeat that when you are on the Breeze! We are going back on the Dream in Mar. Last time, 2010, we went to the eastern caribean, but this time we will be doing the western. I think I am most anxious to get back in that spa. I loved every room in it and loved looking at your pictures of the heated lounge chairs and that relaxation room, both of which were my favorites. Where will the Breeze take you? I know you must be getting excited!!

We were on that same cruise, but we just got home today and haven't had a chance to loook at our photos yet. Yours are absolutely beautiful! I can only hope ours turn out half as good. I'm bookmarking your post so I can show people your pictures in case ours don't turn out. I don't mean I will steal your pictures, just show people your postings so they can see what we saw. I am so glad you are posting all this. It was a fantastic cruise. The sceanery was so amazing!

I am sooo excited reading your review and looking at your pictures!! We sail on May 29 and I can't wait! We haven't even started packing yet, but reading everything you've written has given me some ideas! I really appreciate you taking the time to post this terrific review! It is not only really entertaining, but also very helpful. (My husband is hoping we won't see all the snow that you did, but I want to!)

Hello! I haven't posted anything yet on either of your reviews, but I have eagerly read every post. You did a fantastic job with this review and with the Pride review. Your pictures are amazing and I loved all the detail in your writing. I had never even dreamed about a B2B2B2B before, but boy, did you ever get me dreaming. I also loved the pictures you posted of Tracy's graduation. It was absolutely beautiful! You all are an amazing family. I read in some of your last posts on the Pride review that you were trying to sell your house, but I never read if you were able to or not. Also, you mentioned that you were considering a cruise this spring. Do you have any plans yet? I can't wait till you sail again so I can read your next review. How is Tracy liking being a MCMP? Thanks for all the time it must have taken to do those amazing reviews! We went on the Dream last MAr. and we loved that. Next we are going to Alaska the end of this MAy, but I can't take good pictures like you. I wish you would go on one to Alaska so I could see your pictures! (I remember that you said Tracy doesn't like cold weather and wouldn't enjoy Alaska, but boy you would sure have terrific pictures!).

I am so depressed realizing that there won't be any more to this review. I have excitedly turned on my computer each day to look for your review and hope there was more to see and read. You really did a fabulous job with both the pictures and the descriptions. I felt like I was following you the whole time. YOu have the ability to make the people seem so real that I feel as though I know not only you and Latonya, but Steve and Kim and others as well. I gained so much information about so many things. It was so kind of you to take the time to answer each reply and question. You really brightened my days. The sad question no is what do all of us who have become addicted to this review do now? Must we go cold turkey without anything? I would be glad if you could bring back the memories of other past cruises and do belated reviews of them. Anything to occupy the time until you get back from the Breeze, which I can't wait to hear about! Again , thank you so much for the tremendous amount of your time you sacrificed and the kindness which you showed to each person who replied. What a truly caring and kind person you must be.

Alicia, Thank you so much for posting this review. We took this cruise last March and it brought back so many happy memories. As so many others have said, your pictures are fantastic. everyday I can't wait to get to the computer to see if there is anything more. I don't know what I'll do when you are totally finished. I do have a question though, although this is slightly off topic. You started another thread asking people how many threads they subscribed to, and until that thread, I didn't know how to subscribe. I find it difficult each day trying to find this post. I followed the directions and subscribed to your thread, but I thought that would make yours come up first and it doesn't. What do you gain by subscribing to a post? Thanks for any info. I am very new at all of this. By the way, we are finally, after saving for 7 years, going to Alaska this May. I REALLY wish you and Latanya would be on that ship with us. I would love to see our photos of Alaska. I don't even have a camera yet!