TheTravelista

5 hours ago, krismas_tina said:

We were on the Conquest in July and noticed that the entire lunch buffet menu had been changed. Before, you’d have the Comfort foods section (chicken tenders, potato wedges, etc.) as well as the theme section (Italian, Caribbean, French). Now it’s just the same foods at all buffet stations and it’s completely different food. No chicken tenders on the Lido deck all week.

I noticed it too on the Magic in June. Why 4 buffet lines with the same food? It’s silly.

Do all the ships have Guy’s Burgers now? Ships with the old grill still have chicken tenders. While I enjoy Guy’s Burgers, I’d give it back to have the variety of the old grill, especially back when they had the steak sandwiches too. These days they sometimes have chicken tenders in the Comfort Kitchen section of the buffet on ships that do have Guy’s Burgers. I didn’t like the room service ones at all. While they had a nice crunch, they were also tasteless.

I personally am hoping Shaq’s Big Chicken will be rolled out to more ships. They’ll have good chicken tenders amongst other things. Looking forward to trying it on Mardi Gras.

3 😊

Just now, havanadaydreaming said:

I've sailed carnival 3x and only CD i can remember by name is Butchy Baby from the Breeze. that was, oh man....at least 5-6 years ago.  

I loved Butch! Still my favorite CD til this day, followed by Matt. He really kind of revolutionized the cruise director position for Carnival. His popularity lead to a big youth movement and the switch to a different type of CD.

He was definitely one of a kind.

Matt Mitcham is my guess. He’s been the inaugural cruise director for every new ship going back quite a few years now.

You ended up with the better itinerary lol

1 hour ago, tattoos said:

TheTravelista:  Last year we sailed on the Conquest with a stop in Aruba and we chose Eagle Beach in front of the New Amsterdam Hotel.  This year we decided to try Palm Beach.  

 

After walking through the terminal building and outside, go down the steps and turn left and you will see someone loading passengers into taxis going to different places on the island.  We got into the queue line and told the organizer where we wanted to go and the four of us were loaded into the next van that pulled up.  We asked the driver to drop us off at the walkway that runs alongside the RIU Hotel to the beach.  It was maybe a 10-15 minute taxi ride and cost $15.  Taxis in Aruba charge flat rates per van not per person..  Our driver dropped us off right in front of the paved walkway.  It's not a rough path thru the woods but an easy walk on a wide, paved, sidewalk to the beach.  When we arrived at the beautiful beach, we turned right because there were lots of empty chairs under palapas and umbrellas.  We asked the person in charge if he had chairs available for rent.  He said that he had available chairs but the palapas were only for hotel guests and he did not have any more umbrellas available.  So, we walked to the left of the paved walkway to a stand on the beach and rented four lounge chairs and one umbrella and I believe they charged $65 but I'm not sure because my son-in-law paid.  We had a good spot near the pier and when we got hungry, we walked to the pier and ordered take-out and brought the food and drinks back to our chairs.  There were a lot of people being towed in those big, inflatable chairs.  Maybe there are other vendors charging less for chairs and umbrellas but we did not want to walk too far, it was so hot and we wanted to stay close to the restaurant.  There were no vendors on the beach taking drink orders and no people walking up and down the beach selling souvenirs or hair braiding or massages.  I don't know if it was because we were in front of the beautiful RIU hotel or if vendors were not allowed but I was happy, we had a nice, peaceful day at the beach, the water was clear and clean.  When we were ready to leave, we walked on the paved walkway back to the main road and there were taxi drivers there waiting to take people back to the ship.  We were prepared to go into the hotel and have them call a taxi for us but it wasn't necessary.  I would definitely go to this beach again, it wasn't crowded and gorgeous.

You are a LIFESAVER. Thank you so much!!

Can you give more specifics about where exactly you went on Palm Beach and how you got there, IE did you tell your taxi driver anything special? I'm looking for exactly what you described, easily accessible rentable chairs and umbrella, good food and drinks, all on a beautiful beach and its like pulling teeth to find specifics. Thank you so much!

And I'm definitely going to be bringing my own butter pats, sugar packets and coffee/tea stirrers on my next cruise lol

45 minutes ago, HeavyMetalDeacon said:

Yes we did. No problem and it was tasty 

Thank you!

If so, did they do it?

The burgers are good but they cook them to DEATH on certain ships, completely ruining the taste. I would love to be able to request one cooked just to about medium.

Thank you!

On the Carnival Paradise specifically, if that changes anything.

Thanks 💕

I can’t remember the last time Carnivsl did something that actually excited me. Finally. I cannot wait to sail this ship! Find me in Summers Landing by day and the French Quarter by night. I want to know everything about the new bars and cuisine in that area. I’m also looking forward to more information on the new Mediterranean restaurant.

The one by the buffet is free of charge and only available on VIsta class ships. The gelato at the coffee bar has a fee.

On 12/26/2018 at 12:03 PM, fyree39 said:

There are many RCCL and Carnival cruises out of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale that are similarly priced and sometimes RCCL is cheaper.  There are plenty of times Carnival isn't cheaper.  I think people simply get used to one line and stay with it no matter what. I'm very glad we branched out and now enjoy the differences with all the lines.

 

My HAL cruise was dirt cheap compared to anything Carnival has.

This is very true. The price difference between NCL, RCI and Carnival are not much different these days. Definitely a far cry from what they were in the past. A lot of times Carnival is the more expensive choice. Especially when you take into account that other lines are offering dining/drink/tour/picture packages included with the price.

People aren’t the savvy shoppers they think they are. You’re getting a lot less with Carnival these days. Pay the same amount and go elsewhere. Or pay a little bit more and get a lot more.

Im sure you already know the answer to your question lol. Yes, I believe you will be disappointed. With new cruisers, it’s really best to start small and work your way up to the bigger ships because going the opposite direction really can mess with you.

It would be very different if you didn’t like Allure and thought it was too big or too crowded, or that all the amenities were a waste. I swore off Carnival Fantasy class ships over a decade ago and wouldn’t sail one for free. Going on Elation after loving the Allure is begging for disappointment, IMHO. 

I cant tell if Carnival really doesn’t know their passengers or if they’re trying to appeal to a different type of passenger. Poke and oysters with mignonette from the cruise line that once had meatloaf and fried chicken on their dining room menu. It doesn’t compute.

The items sound interesting though and I ever found myself on a Carnival ship with these offerings, I’d give them all a try.

Love Cortrans. Will always use them when I’m in the area.

I usually ask the locals.

You can try the Ports or Call forums: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

And also Trip Advisor.

That’s not true at all.

The prices vary from like 1-3 dollars for desserts. I don’t remember ever seeing anything more than 3 dollars, but no way is there anything more than 5.

Guy's burger is an upgrade?? They are the greasiest and worst burgers at sea . Upgrade lol

I think Guys Burgers are delicious but in no way are they an upgrade. I’d rather have the old grill that let you have burgers/fries AND chicken sandwiches, steak sandwiches, chicken fingers and nachos. I applaud Carnival’s marketing team for fooling people into thinking it was an upgrade though. The same way they tried to convince us this new pizza place with literally like three toppings is an “upgrade”.

I can’t think of anything that has been upgraded. “Upgrade” means taking something old and making it better. There are some new additions I enjoy but upgrades? They don’t exist.

I bring food on from ports quite a bit and I’ve seen many others do as well. I don’t know if the rules are different at the initial port of embarkation. You just pit whatever you have on the scanner with your other stuff when reboarding the ship. I’ll usually have food if I didn’t have time to eat while in port. I’ll just grab a takeout order from a local restaurant or something. I never take food off the ship though.

As for why anyone would want to...the quality and taste of local fresh food cannot be compared to the mass produced stuff available on the ships. Enjoying the local cuisine is a big part of why I cruise.

Honestly the only thing that I truly miss is the fruit punch they had at the Lido restaurant. In the afternoons, it was the only included beverage that was worth drinking. Also, I remember when I first started cruising, at Lido breakfast there was more juice variety.

How could I forget the fruit punch. This is near the top of my list.

I was fine in the Caribbean in January. The weather was in the low 80s and perfect. It’s honestly now my preferred time to go.

Captains Gala that took place in the theater with the live band/dancing, free drinks and appetizers for all.

Fun Farewell Party on the last night that included free drinks and a live band.

The late night crepes.

The midnight buffets.

Guys Burgers are really great but I miss the variety of the old grills. Chicken sandwiches, steak sandwiches, chicken tenders, hot dogs, chili, cheese sauce, grilled onions, AND fries/burgers.

The variety of toppings from the old pizza station. I honestly prefer the old pizza, period.

When the loyalty program was referred to as “The Carnival Concierge Club” instead of “VIFP.” Very Important Fun Person just...no.