PH8

 

For lunch, the kids grabbed guys burgers and my wife and I checked out the pasta bar. It was quite good. After lunch we play yatzee in the Ocean Plaza (deck 5) with the fun squad,

Small world.........I also,played Yahtzee.......were you the ones up next to the stage on the right(as you look from the coffee bar?).......

Hi Kathy, good review.

 

You mentioned the 2 things that have kept us from cruising CCL again...and no amount of good food will lure us back.

 

The other problem is with cleanliness. Never again.

 

We are branching out though, love Celebrity and just booked NCL Bliss...maybe I'll post a comparison review with that one.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise though. Sad about the attitudes on board, but as you said this has become pretty common place these days...a sign of the times. Manners are not being passed down anymore:loudcry:

We did Celebrity in June......my 3rd.........Love them and Princess.......

YO Kathy, thanks for the great comparison.

 

Andrew

Amber cove is their private island type of place? How is it?

I appreciate the comparisons. We are RCCL cruisers going on our first Carnival cruise later this year and it is hard to find reasonable comparisons. Most reviews seem to paint one line or the other as horrible and lowdown without giving a fair review. And they tend to end with "I'll never sail this one again, I shouldn't have strayed from ________." I feel that both lines are probably fairly comparable and hope to enjoy our maiden voyage on Liberty in October!

No complaints really about the ship,staff or crew.

It was the passengers who put a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm not burrito fan,but it did look good. My husband had a taco salad and he enjoyed it.

Another plus to Carnival. They use Directv and have regular channels out of Florida

A very fair review. But as a Pinnacle cruiser on RCCL (over 700 points/usually days for you Carnival cruisers who don't know RCCL's Crown & Anchor loyalty levels) you are at the very top of their program. You would have to be a diamond on Carnival to make more of an equivalency comparison. But I don't disagree with your impressions.

My loyalty level has NOTHING to do with my experiences.....even if I were top dog with Carnival,it wouldn't change things..

• "One lady nearly started a fight with another one morning in the buffet over eggs"
  

  That was a woman, not a lady.

  That was a kind word ,NOT what we really called her.

A very fair review. But as a Pinnacle cruiser on RCCL (over 700 points/usually days for you Carnival cruisers who don't know RCCL's Crown & Anchor loyalty levels) you are at the very top of their program. You would have to be a diamond on Carnival to make more of an equivalency comparison. But I don't disagree with your impressions.

None of my complaints had anything to do with that

Thanks Kathy. Really sorry I missed you and Marci on MJ.

We didn't go..went on this one instead.

Thanks all.

Unfortunately since my husband is in retail,we can't cruise as of Sept.

Guess I'm not the only one who wasn't crazy about Guys bbq.

Nice to see you Paul..been too long.

Thinking maybe a land trip to the Keys instead of a cruise would be nice.

Thanks all and congrats on the "promotion",Bob!

Not doing an in depth review........just a few comparisons and observations. Which cruiseline "wins" in different categories......at least IN MY OPINION! I am Pinnacle with RCCL and this was only my 3rd Carnival cruise. Trust me,status DOES not matter to us...Just filling you in.

We booked this cruise just a few weeks ago........got assigned a 12:30 check in to the terminal time.....With RCCL,they only suggest times and you can show up whenever you want........Not with Carnival.....they won't let you into the terminal before your time. So we got to the port around 11am..........dropped our luggage off and went to Fishlips for lunch. Got back to the ship at our time and still had to battle LONG lines thru security and check in.

RCCL wins this round(don't have to be at the mercy of the clock)

On board,we didn't have too much time to go before our cabins opened up at 1:30.......RCCL basically has the same policy.

Upon entering our cabin(# 8211),we could see right away Carnival definitely offers more storage!! BUT the balconies are way smaller....No room for a lounger.......just room for two chairs and a table and no walking past each other.. So both lines win and lose in this.

Met our cabin steward.....handed up a piece of paper,we had to fill out right then and there........check off if you want your cabin cleaned morning,night OR BOTH.......and if we wanted bathrobes,more towels or pillows....... We told him he could do just morning but at night,just check to see if we needed fresh towels........and we also wanted ice..... His name is Denis and he did a fantastic job.Our mini bar was nice and cold and chilled our white wine perfectly.

Now food is subjective.....For the most part,Carnival has the better food. LOVED the deli....my favorite place....also good was Guys Burgers and the pizza......couldn't get near the Mongolian Wok so can't tell you have that was. Tried Guys BBQ....it was just ok......here where I live we have a fantastic BBQ place so perhaps I am spoiled..

We ate dinner in the dining room 2x.....all the appetizers,soups,salads were great..........not so much for the entrees...seems they all came with a sauce on them,even when we requested none....The last straw was when I had prime rib and they went to add gravy.........It "plopped" off the spoon........like it was congealed ....We left right after that and never went back............except for breakfast......which was FANTASTIC.

Tried the Cucina one night and again left before we even ordered dessert........steak with gravy? Jeez.....

So as far as food,I say Carnival RULES with the buffets and places to grab a bite whenever you want and RCCL rules in the main dining room and specialty restaurants.

Carnival has RCCL beat with the live music all over the ship,just about all day,every day.......from jazz to pop to reggae to country......and we enjoyed all the different kinds of trivia and games.........of course like every cruise,you have the same people who cruise a lot and know all the answers,even the obscure ones.......doesn't make it fun for others..

Some really nice places to go sit and have drink....except wish they had a wine bar type of place....

Other observations.......too many announcements...........even at night.......You can hear them in your cabin and it is kinda annoying. Not there is a speaker in your cabin. You can hear them from the hallway.

The pools are a JOKE......such a big ship to have TWO small pools....one on the main deck and one aft..neither one was big so it did not take long to fill up.......Kids in the hot tubs diving in and horse playing with each other.....Kid in a diaper in a hot tub with his father.Trust me,I am telling the truth...It was like Romper Room....When the kids took over the pools and hot tubs,no adult would dare go in.

LOTS of rude people on this cruise,esp the kids. Even the crew made a comment about it...Why do parents think it is ok to let the kids have a free for all once on board......I witnessed several groups walking and saying how they were on the way to beat up someone who was talking smack about their sister/brother/whoever.....and another group using the F bomb as many times as they could......Heck ,even as I played the slot tournament,one observer was standing behind the participants......the one lady playing told her to get the"F" away because she didn't know her and didn't want her nearby....I guess some of the kids learned from their parents.One lady nearly started a fight with another one morning in the buffet over eggs......

On line at guest services,the lady behind us was yelled at by the lady behind her because she moved her head and her hair must had touched her.............UNBELIEVABLE attitudes...

While waiting on line for pizza one day, a teen girl walked up and said to the pizza guy "YO,I want some pizza".......I had to look at her and ask "YO,,really???" Can't really blame this on Carnival...could happen on any ship....but this was the rudest bunch we ever saw and heard.

All in all,we enjoyed our Carnival cruise and the ports...... Amber Cove,St Thomas,San Juan and Grand Turk....I would cruise with them again,as I will with RCCL and other lines.

Not doing an in depth review........just a few comparisons and observations. Which cruiseline "wins" in different categories......at least IN MY OPINION! I am Pinnacle with RCCL and this was only my 3rd Carnival cruise. Trust me,status DOES not matter to us...Just filling you in.

We booked this cruise just a few weeks ago........got assigned a 12:30 check in to the terminal time.....With RCCL,they only suggest times and you can show up whenever you want........Not with Carnival.....they won't let you into the terminal before your time. So we got to the port around 11am..........dropped our luggage off and went to Fishlips for lunch. Got back to the ship at our time and still had to battle LONG lines thru security and check in.

RCCL wins this round(don't have to be at the mercy of the clock)

On board,we didn't have too much time to go before our cabins opened up at 1:30.......RCCL basically has the same policy.

Upon entering our cabin(# 8211),we could see right away Carnival definitely offers more storage!! BUT the balconies are way smaller....No room for a lounger.......just room for two chairs and a table and no walking past each other.. So both lines win and lose in this.

Met our cabin steward.....handed up a piece of paper,we had to fill out right then and there........check off if you want your cabin cleaned morning,night OR BOTH.......and if we wanted bathrobes,more towels or pillows....... We told him he could do just morning but at night,just check to see if we needed fresh towels........and we also wanted ice..... His name is Denis and he did a fantastic job.Our mini bar was nice and cold and chilled our white wine perfectly.

Now food is subjective.....For the most part,Carnival has the better food. LOVED the deli....my favorite place....also good was Guys Burgers and the pizza......couldn't get near the Mongolian Wok so can't tell you have that was. Tried Guys BBQ....it was just ok......here where I live we have a fantastic BBQ place so perhaps I am spoiled..

We ate dinner in the dining room 2x.....all the appetizers,soups,salads were great..........not so much for the entrees...seems they all came with a sauce on them,even when we requested none....The last straw was when I had prime rib and they went to add gravy.........It "plopped" off the spoon........like it was congealed ....We left right after that and never went back............except for breakfast......which was FANTASTIC.

Tried the Cucina one night and again left before we even ordered dessert........steak with gravy? Jeez.....

So as far as food,I say Carnival RULES with the buffets and places to grab a bite whenever you want and RCCL rules in the main dining room and specialty restaurants.

Carnival has RCCL beat with the live music all over the ship,just about all day,every day.......from jazz to pop to reggae to country......and we enjoyed all the different kinds of trivia and games.........of course like every cruise,you have the same people who cruise a lot and know all the answers,even the obscure ones.......doesn't make it fun for others..

Some really nice places to go sit and have drink....except wish they had a wine bar type of place....

Other observations.......too many announcements...........even at night.......You can hear them in your cabin and it is kinda annoying. Not there is a speaker in your cabin. You can hear them from the hallway.

The pools are a JOKE......such a big ship to have TWO small pools....one on the main deck and one aft..neither one was big so it did not take long to fill up.......Kids in the hot tubs diving in and horse playing with each other.....Kid in a diaper in a hot tub with his father.Trust me,I am telling the truth...It was like Romper Room....When the kids took over the pools and hot tubs,no adult would dare go in.

LOTS of rude people on this cruise,esp the kids. Even the crew made a comment about it...Why do parents think it is ok to let the kids have a free for all once on board......I witnessed several groups walking and saying how they were on the way to beat up someone who was talking smack about their sister/brother/whoever.....and another group using the F bomb as many times as they could......Heck ,even as I played the slot tournament,one observer was standing behind the participants......the one lady playing told her to get the"F" away because she didn't know her and didn't want her nearby....I guess some of the kids learned from their parents.One lady nearly started a fight with another one morning in the buffet over eggs......

On line at guest services,the lady behind us was yelled at by the lady behind her because she moved her head and her hair must had touched her.............UNBELIEVABLE attitudes...

While waiting on line for pizza one day, a teen girl walked up and said to the pizza guy "YO,I want some pizza".......I had to look at her and ask "YO,,really???" Can't really blame this on Carnival...could happen on any ship....but this was the rudest bunch we ever saw and heard.

All in all,we enjoyed our Carnival cruise and the ports...... Amber Cove,St Thomas,San Juan and Grand Turk....I would cruise with them again,as I will with RCCL and other lines....

Correct. Unless you have FTTF or are Platinum or Diamond

Haha.. I'm nothing with Carnival..only my 3rd cruise with them.

With RCCL, I have over 750 nights..but of course,that's not going help me tomorrow 😃🤣😂

Carnival is saying exactly that.

Oh jeez...

Guess we can still drop our luggage off before that?

But thanks.

It's 12:30.

I also have a 12:30 time.

So are you saying I can not enter the terminal till then?

There were no bathrobes in our cabin last week on Magic. They provide shampoo and body wash in the dispensers and a bar soap as well. I pack my own shampoo and conditioner because I have long hair and a ton of it, so their shampoo just doesn't get it done and I need conditioner in order to brush my hair!

Thanks.. I really want a bathrobe..

I'll ask.

Packing now and wondering........

Bathrobes in the cabin??

And shall I assume there will be shampoo,conditioner and lotion?? Or pack my own???(even though I am sure there has to be shampoo)

Thanks, Kathy - we board Sunday.

Enjoy Bette!

As of today,Dudley and Dexter are in the Suite Lounge on Allure.

Come Sunday,Dudley will move to the Diamond Lounge and Nancy will be in Suite Lounge with Dexter.

Thank You! I feel so much better.

When we were on the Oasis last week and in the SL. Federico Taylor told us that Dudley was going to the Independence. Not sure when and he didn't offer why. Federico is going to be on the ship longer, through November, in order to be home for the holidays. He didn't know who his replacement would be since Dudley is departing the Oasis. Claudine Benjamin is still on the ship as the second Concierge in the SL, but I don't know her schedule. We dealt mainly with Federico.

Wrong info..........Dudley signed onto the Alllure today.........suite lounge.....

Thanks everyone for their input.........I still have 6 more days,if you have any other tips or hints for me.......

You will need to pick early, late or YTD. We always do YTD and never had a problem being seated at the same table with the same crew. If you like the crew you have the first night just ask to be seated with them the rest of the cruise.

WE did pick YTD........I just wondering how it worked compared to what I am used to with RCCL.