cj'smom

In the MDR, can you order more than one starter or entre?  Are the Steakhouse selections an upcharge?  Any meals you would recommend or stay away from? 

Thanks everyone for the input!  

In the MDR, can you order more than one starter or entre?  Are the Steakhouse selections an upcharge?  Any meals you would recommend or stay away from? 

Submitted last night and had an email this afternoon. Matched Carnival Gold to MSC Silver.

Thanks for a great review! We just booked to sail on the Jade next fall for a New England/Canada cruise. Looking forward to it.  There seem to be many negative reviews of this ship so it was good to see a positive one.  We always feel like a cruise is what you make it and have never had a bad one!

I bring my own teas. Both for the afternoon tea but mainly for a nice decaf after dinner.  The selection of free teas is very limited. 

We made friends with a photographer on a trip with me and two of my young adult daughters. One of my daughters is quite tall and this photographer, Dennis, was quite short. They enjoyed good naturedly teasing each other with "giant" and "shrimp" the whole voyage. We would always stop and pose for his photos just for the fun banter. At one of his backdrops, Dennis got another photographer to take a photo of him with us. We only bought one or two photos that trip and were surprised to find the photo of us with Dennis included as a gift from him. It always makes us smile and brings back fun memories.

We have sailed several other cruise lines but this will be our first time trying Carnival. We are on a 5 day sailing on the Elation.

Few questions:

For "Elegant" night - what do people tend to wear? We like to go all out with tuxes and formals - would we be out of place? Should we just plan on suit/cocktail dresses?

Are there other "theme" nights (like NCL's White Hot Party)that we might want to pack for?

 

Any "must try" food in the MDR or anything to avoid? Any other tips / secrets about sailing Carnival or the Elation in particular.

Thanks!

Plastic window clings work great. I get them at the dollar store and write our names and cruise date/destination on one of the clings. Easy to put up and take down and cheap enough to throw out at the end of the cruise. Wiping the door with a wet washcloth before putting the clings up helps them adhere better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cj'smom View Post

In the MDR lobster is only served the first night! Surf/Turf plate with great steak. Many people skip the MDR on night one so it's a cost cutting measure. You can request as many plates as you want. My teen son had 4!

 

I've heard that lobster is no longer available in the MDR. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Sadly, yes, I can confirm that there is no longer lobster in the MDR. I was just on the Pearl and was excited to go to the MDR the first night for lobster. Found out that NCL has re-vamped menus fleet-wide and lobster was taken off. Big mistake by NCL in my opinion! It's one of those special treats I look forward to when cruising. They DID have a lobster pasta in the buffet one night that was wonderful! So, keep an eye out for seafood night in the buffet and eat there that night instead of the MRD.

 

Overall many of the items on the new menu were quite good -- main critique was the lack of seafood or skimpy amounts like 3 shrimp topping a shrimp pasta - really? I learned to ask for extra -- not 2 orders but a double portion of shrimp on one order otherwise I'd be left with a mountain of pasta. The beef was not very good - some kind of sauce with a strange taste was used on much of it. The good news is that the desserts are much better than they have been in the past. One of my complaints with NCL has been that the desserts were meh -- now that are some truly fantastic ones. Also, the quality and variety of food in the buffet was much better. I love the ambiance of the MRD but sometimes did an early "snack" dinner just to sample the specialty items on the buffet that night.

You're kidding, right? The Sun has tons of great reviews. We have sailed on her twice in the past year, a 10 day and an 11 day. We had our teens with us both times. The teen program was great and my kids made lots of friends. We loved the ship and even though we had an interior cabin with 4 people in it, the cabin was so spacious and had such well thought out storage, we never felt cramped. Staff were awesome. We ate in the MDR most nights and were happy with it. Great Outdoors was my favorite place. DH loved the observation lounge and the kids loved the 24 hour sports bar (and their wings). Tapas at Las Ramblas is also fun. Enjoy your cruise!

Yes, to free trial massage in the spa, not just on embarkation day but throughout the cruise, just look for the spa workers in the hallway outside the spa or sometimes offering free chair massage on the pool deck, also on embarkation day - there is a spa raffle where they give away various products and services.

 

Library - decent size, didn't use so can't speak to selection, nice reading/card playing room off library.

 

Casino - free rum punch and gaming lessons on either embarkation or 1st day. Late night (small) buffet is open to all guests not just those using the casino.

 

Free drinks and appetizers during Latitudes reception.

 

Yes, only one power outlet in most cabins so bring multi-plug adaptor or extension cord.

 

Sheesh - this is making wish we had another cruise booked! Have fun!

Hope y'all have a great cruise. Please let me know where to currently find lobster. Thanks! :)

 

In the MDR lobster is only served the first night! Surf/Turf plate with great steak. Many people skip the MDR on night one so it's a cost cutting measure. You can request as many plates as you want. My teen son had 4!

 

We had an inside cabin both times -- both very spacious and well thought out in terms of storage. 2nd time we paid a little more for a "family inside" that can sleep up to 5 people - extra spacious with 2 closets and tons of storage!

 

Other tips - crepes in the buffet starting at aprx 5:30, limited buffet in the Great Outdoors at all meals - less to chose from BUT much shorter lines, soft serve ice cream at Great Outdoors and sundae station -- most people don't know about it, the line in the main buffet for ice cream gets really long, Observation Lounge is a Wonderful space, esp. if you want some quiet and to get out of the Sun for awhile - nice decor and gorgeous views!, The Bacharach show is pretty bad -- not worth going to, the other cast member shows are all good as are many of the specialty shows. Hypnotist Terrance B is hilarious (but don't volunteer to be hypnotized if you are easily embarrassed). SKip the ships tours to save money, most can be booked in port for much less $$ - we would usually just hire a taxi driver to do a private tour for our group of 4 - much cheaper and more fun! If you need/want something ask - the crew will go out of their way to please you if possible. Sign up for the lottery for the officers dinner. It's great.

Sailing on the Sun this October and have enjoyed reading this thread.

 

As the thread dates back over the past 12 months I was hoping someone could say if the information given is still current. For example :

 

Lots of great food choices in Sports Bar from 5.30pm to 5.30 am.

Pizza in Moderno during lunch time.

Java Cafe open 24 hours providing complimentary croissants & muffins in the morning, and cakes in the afternoon.

2 for 1's available every afternoon (? venue).

Coffee pot in balcony room.

 

Food aside :), one power point in balcony cabin :eek:

 

Thanks for what ever you can update.

 

Have sailed the Sun twice recently -- an 11 day last Nov. and a 10 day this past April. Loved her both times! A great ship with an outstanding crew!

 

Sprots Bar - yes on the all night food, great strawberry shortcake and some of the best wings you'll ever find, good paninnis too. Other than room service, the only place for late night food.

Moderno - breakfast buffet (often much less crowded than the main buffet) and lunch - not sure about the pizza since I ate at the Great Outdoors every chance I could. Great Outdoors often has pizza, esp. late night open till about midnight if I recall

Java Cafe - don't think it is 24 hours. I think there may be some free pastries, not sure, most of it you had to pay for, does have canollis

Drink specials of some kind everyday - will be listed in your daily navigator

Also, don't miss the free tapas in Las Ramblas in the evening - a fun Barcelona themed space, usually pretty quiet.

We will be in St. Thomas on the NCL Sun. Our 2nd time there. Last time we did an island tour with stop at Magen's Bay. This time we would like to do the tour of Blackbeard's Castle (2 hrs) then maybe return to the ship for something to eat and then have some beach time for a couple hours. There are 4 of us and we are trying to do things lower budget. Can we walk to Blackbeards Castle from the port? And, is there a beach within walking distance from the port? If so, how long would it take to walk there? Thanks!

We did a Thanksgiving cruise last year. They put up some Thanksgiving decorations around the ship that day. There was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner offered on the menu in the MDR that night. However, we didn't think it was very good. There was also turkey and Thanksgiving dishes available on the buffet.

We've found the best price drops to be 3 - 4 weeks before sailing, esp. if you are willing to do a GTY. They are trying hard at that point to fill empty cabins. Then, as the ship fills, the prices often go back up.

Bump. Anyone have info? Thanks.

Hello,

With the amazing deals on the kids sale free promo, we are thinking of booking the 10 day on the Sun. They are one of the few ships that have inside cabins which can accommodate 5. I know it will be cozy but we aren't in the cabin much. Anyone ever stay in one of these with 5? What were the sleeping arrangements?

When I pull up the info on the booking site on individual cabins some of them mention having a 2nd shower -- is that accurate?

And, having been on the Sun in the past and done a cabin crawl, we noticed that the inside cabins varied quite a bit in layout and size. Anyone know which numbers are the larger cabins? Will have 2 cabins - each with 5 people in them.

Cabin #'s we are considering are 9124 & 25, 8308 and 10, 8108 & 9, and 9316 and 17. If anyone has stayed in one of these and can give input, we would appreciate it. Also, I know there is a site (not on CC) that has info on cabins but have no idea what it is. Thanks.

Great Outdoors on the Sun and Versailles on the Star.

Women who are afraid to sit on the toilet seat so instead stand over it and leave their pee all over the seat and don't have the common courtesy to wipe up after themselves. Please ladies!

 

People who spit in the pool and especially those who clear their throat and hock a lugey into the pool So disgusting!

Was on the Sun over Thanksgiving and had great service! Copied from my recent review:

WOW experiences - 1.) being selected for dinner with an officer (put your name in the lottery by noon the first sea day). We ate with the hotel director, Sarper, and the training director. It was my family of four along with 2 German women and another couple from the US. We had a great time with them and were treated to complimentary wine, champagne and birthday cake (for one of our tablemates). After that, whenever we would see the officers around the ship, they would greet us by name and chat with us.

2.) My son's 17th birthday where both the hotel director and the MDR maître D' sent him lovely cakes that were well and beyond the normal small square "comp" cake for special occasions that NCL normally gives. He felt very special and enjoyed taking the extra cake to the teen center to share with his friends. NCL delivered the cake from the MDR to the teen center along with plates and silverware.

3.) Guest services staff who helped me get OBC that had been promised by my TA but hadn't shown up and also helped me find my 13 year old DD one night when she didn't show up for dinner and we couldn't find her.

4.) Coming back to the ship after a day in port and being greeted with a cool washcloth, juice, ice cream and cookies. At the final port, the crew put on a special celebration where they sing and dance at the gangway as guests make their way back on board.

From the Star last Feb: Chocoholic Buffet ran out of my all-time favorite chocolate covered cream puffs. Maître D' overheard me tell my husband how disappointed I was that we had missed them. He went to the kitchen and brought me a plate himself.
It's the gestures of kindness, service and generosity like these that make me love cruising NCL!

Just so you know if you have not been to a beach in the Med before you may see topless women...it is a norm there. Sometimes people are really surprised so this is just a heads up for you.

 

At Barceloneta beach I saw some fully naked (well except for sandals) men and at least one nude woman. I was surprised because from everything I had read, it was not supposed to be a "nude" beach. I was also surprised by the number of families that I saw letting their children change out of their swimsuits on the beach. I'm not talking about babies or toddlers but much older children stripping down to nothing in public.:eek: Guess it's socially acceptable there.

 

A couple of other things - the beach itself is very course sand - not pretty powder white. There are a number of charming small beachside bars/cafes. There is a nice walkway area that goes for quite a distance. You'll pass some interesting Gaudi sculpture. There were numerous Asian women selling beach massages. They can be pretty aggressive and may touch you without your permission. If you're not interested, politely but firmly tell them no. I got a foot massage from one at a reasonable price but then saw her giving a head/back massage and it didn't appear that she washed her hands at all in between - gross! There are much nicer beaches in the Med but Barcelona is a charming city. Enjoy your time there!

I've done it every cruise and with the exception of one time (in Tunisia) have never had a bad experience. Cost is usually about 1/2 of what the ship charges -- sometimes less. It helps to research and have a good idea of what you want to do and have a backup plan in place. You can also book online ahead of time many places if that makes you feel more secure than winging it.

We've done this many times on both the Star and the Sun and had great experiences each time. Ask for a shared table when you check in. If there is already one started, they will take you directly to it. If you are the first, they will take you to a large table and you will have to wait while they fill the table up. If the table is not full after a reasonable amount of time (maybe 10 minutes), they will "close" the table, take away any remaining place settings and you then can proceed to order. We've met some very interesting people this way.

Besides wings, what other types of food does the Sports Bar offer?

 

Great Panini and strawberry shortcake. I second that the wings are really good. DD just said that the wonton soup was very good there.