Two GAPearl reviews in one! Imagination 3 day 11/15 & Sensation 3 day 12/12- PLATINUM

[sharecruises]

Great review again thanks!

 

I love the Imagination - we are sorry to lose her from South Florida

 

One possible reason why she stayed overnight in Nassau is that Imagination has been sailing from Miami since she came over from Italy<grin> I first was on a 7 night whoo whoo...then a 5 night and for past years she has been doing the 3 and 4 - she had "grandfathered" in the port schedule I was told -

 

the Bahamas decides really - they may or may not have space depending what other ships are there. But Imagination was there every week so it got the better berth

~~~~~~~~~Some thoughts - I am one who is about over Nassau, been there a lot - it is directly across from Fort Lauderdale and in the "winter" it can be "cold" - I like to go far south and get warm. Also - Nassau looks just like Florida and vice versa.

 

BUT - I have had a great water taxi "tour guide" - a very young guy, he was a doll, so funny , we all tipped well and thought he was better than the comedians on the ship haha. Luck of the draw - youth may help too - the older guides more bossy as I recall?

 

Senor Frogs is fun - you would end up with balloons on your head for sure haha

 

Cirque?? My dear (Late) Dad loved it - I was able to take him to see it in Miami, and he had dvd's...but after he died I cry at the thought so I don't know what I would do on Epic....however, MSC has fabulous shows with acrobats and contortionists etc , some of whom were in Cirque shows

 

and Epic has a "Cirque" theater /dinner

 

Royal ships have aerilist shows on some of them and of course on the Big Two they have the water cirque type show

 

I am just sayin' .....the entertainment is totally different and better on other lines IMHO - I am looking forward to your Freedom of the Seas review

 

Oh -= groups?? We don't come in 45 min late - I had one gal on my last cruise who tried it and I told the waiters to start our orders , no more waiting. I also made some pointed comments LOL

 

Group advantage - fixed seating, mix and mingle, NOT matchmaking, just being with other single or solos ...I have friends who cruised solo and some nights ate alone when others did not show up? Also , some like the savings from sharing cabins, roommate matches.

 

I agree - The solo rates they had recently - that you had - are awesome (in fact that is what Carnival used to have all the time )

 

Epic is supposed to be wonderful for solos - some friends of mine did it. The studio cabins have a singles lounge and you can write up stuff on a whiteboard like "anyone want to go on snorkel tour tomorrow? " or "want to eat at Italian restaurant, anyone else?"...pretty cool

 

A bit of History - years ago most of the lines had 1) solo small cabins...2) cruise line roommate matching - yes they did - Carnival did and Holland still does on their round the world I hear LOL

 

Kim you would also love MSC- so many bands, groups, music, dueling pianos...and Officer and a Gentleman night - handsome Italian officers in dress whites dance with the ladies

and on all nights they have fun animation team that dance with passengers, get them in a party mood, get people together

MSC often has great solo rates like 150%

 

Oh...and on Royal you will want to try the "honey stung" chicken the first day at buffet - that is one of their "signatures' and I see you love chicken :) Not sure bout the cornbread LOL

Jiffy mix?

[JetSet2B]

I love your reviews!!! My first cruise ever was on the Sensation so I guess she started my addiction. I'm back on another Carnival cruise (my 4th solo) on the Pride coming up shortly. I hope I have as much fun as you seem to have in the photos! :D

[gapearl]

I am going to join. A solo excursion is a great idea.

 

Awesome! Looking forward to you joining us! :D

 

Great review again thanks!

 

I love the Imagination - we are sorry to lose her from South Florida

 

One possible reason why she stayed overnight in Nassau is that Imagination has been sailing from Miami since she came over from Italy<grin> I first was on a 7 night whoo whoo...then a 5 night and for past years she has been doing the 3 and 4 - she had "grandfathered" in the port schedule I was told -

 

the Bahamas decides really - they may or may not have space depending what other ships are there. But Imagination was there every week so it got the better berth

~~~~~~~~~Some thoughts - I am one who is about over Nassau, been there a lot - it is directly across from Fort Lauderdale and in the "winter" it can be "cold" - I like to go far south and get warm. Also - Nassau looks just like Florida and vice versa.

 

BUT - I have had a great water taxi "tour guide" - a very young guy, he was a doll, so funny , we all tipped well and thought he was better than the comedians on the ship haha. Luck of the draw - youth may help too - the older guides more bossy as I recall?

 

Senor Frogs is fun - you would end up with balloons on your head for sure haha

 

Cirque?? My dear (Late) Dad loved it - I was able to take him to see it in Miami, and he had dvd's...but after he died I cry at the thought so I don't know what I would do on Epic....however, MSC has fabulous shows with acrobats and contortionists etc , some of whom were in Cirque shows

 

and Epic has a "Cirque" theater /dinner

 

Royal ships have aerilist shows on some of them and of course on the Big Two they have the water cirque type show

 

I am just sayin' .....the entertainment is totally different and better on other lines IMHO - I am looking forward to your Freedom of the Seas review

 

Oh -= groups?? We don't come in 45 min late - I had one gal on my last cruise who tried it and I told the waiters to start our orders , no more waiting. I also made some pointed comments LOL

 

Group advantage - fixed seating, mix and mingle, NOT matchmaking, just being with other single or solos ...I have friends who cruised solo and some nights ate alone when others did not show up? Also , some like the savings from sharing cabins, roommate matches.

 

I agree - The solo rates they had recently - that you had - are awesome (in fact that is what Carnival used to have all the time )

 

Epic is supposed to be wonderful for solos - some friends of mine did it. The studio cabins have a singles lounge and you can write up stuff on a whiteboard like "anyone want to go on snorkel tour tomorrow? " or "want to eat at Italian restaurant, anyone else?"...pretty cool

 

A bit of History - years ago most of the lines had 1) solo small cabins...2) cruise line roommate matching - yes they did - Carnival did and Holland still does on their round the world I hear LOL

 

Kim you would also love MSC- so many bands, groups, music, dueling pianos...and Officer and a Gentleman night - handsome Italian officers in dress whites dance with the ladies

and on all nights they have fun animation team that dance with passengers, get them in a party mood, get people together

MSC often has great solo rates like 150%

 

Oh...and on Royal you will want to try the "honey stung" chicken the first day at buffet - that is one of their "signatures' and I see you love chicken :) Not sure bout the cornbread LOL

Jiffy mix?

 

I would love to make it to Nassau again. Next time maybe I'll do an island tour before heading to my favorite beach tiki bar. Maybe I'll end up at Senor Frogs one day too, but I'll pass on the balloon hats. Balloons are my secret silly phobia. I HATE balloons! :o I've heard some other ships have the cirque acrobat acts. That would be really cool to see while sailing. I've sailed Royal once already, so I know their entertainment is MUCH better than Carnival's. There is no comparison at all. I'm sure I'll try to catch all the shows on Freedom OTS. I tried the honey stung chicken too. It was great! I wish it was served more than just one day though.

 

I don't think I'd be interested in a singles group. I'm such a social person that I have no problem meeting people. My first two solo cruises were cheap, and then they went to the 200% single supplement. I hated that, but even with it, Carnival was still cheaper than sailing solo on Royal or NCL. At least it was for the weeks I needed and the sailings I looked at. I've considered the Epic in a studio cabin, but the price has never been good enough and the itineraries aren't that great. Even paying 200% on my solo Valor cruise last year was $200 cheaper than Epic with 6 ports (in you include the embarkation port of San Juan) instead of Epic's 3. There's no way in hell I'd ever share a cabin with a stranger, especially for a long round the world cruise. No thank you! lol I'm not sure MSC is for me right now. They're not even on my radar. Maybe one day. Thanks for all the comments!

 

I love your reviews!!! My first cruise ever was on the Sensation so I guess she started my addiction. I'm back on another Carnival cruise (my 4th solo) on the Pride coming up shortly. I hope I have as much fun as you seem to have in the photos! :D

 

Awesome! i'm sure you'll have a great time! Thanks for reading and enjoy your upcoming cruise! :)

[CnL]

After hearing in the forums and on that "other" website what great reviews you write, I had to come see for myself. Now I know what everyone is raving about! Looking forward to meeting you on the Splendor in November. It's going to be a great trip!

[gapearl]

After hearing in the forums and on that "other" website what great reviews you write, I had to come see for myself. Now I know what everyone is raving about! Looking forward to meeting you on the Splendor in November. It's going to be a great trip!

 

Hey Liz! Welcome to the party called a Georgia Pearl review! :D Thanks for coming by to read. Yes, we're going to have an awesome cruise!

[yj2cute]

Hi, Kim.

 

I don't hang around the Carnival boards too much, but I just remembered you were taking a cruise at the end of the year. I enjoy all of your reviews so I came looking an here it is! I'm late to the party, but that's OK because now I can read it all at once.

 

As usual looks like you had a great time, even with the rain. I'm only on day 2 but wanted to say hi. I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

 

Thanks again for posting your reviews.

 

Yael

[gapearl]

Hi, Kim.

 

I don't hang around the Carnival boards too much, but I just remembered you were taking a cruise at the end of the year. I enjoy all of your reviews so I came looking an here it is! I'm late to the party, but that's OK because now I can read it all at once.

 

As usual looks like you had a great time, even with the rain. I'm only on day 2 but wanted to say hi. I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

 

Thanks again for posting your reviews.

 

Yael

 

Hey there! I appreciate you venturing over here to the Carnival board just to find my review! I hope you enjoy it! :)

[yj2cute]

Loved it! I'm reading at work and should be working, but reading your review is much more fun!

 

My favorite dress of the trip was the blue one. Loved it. Those aqua shoes hurt my feet just looking at them.

 

Hope I don't have to wait til September for another GAPearl review!

 

Yael

[gapearl]

Loved it! I'm reading at work and should be working, but reading your review is much more fun!

 

My favorite dress of the trip was the blue one. Loved it. Those aqua shoes hurt my feet just looking at them.

 

Hope I don't have to wait til September for another GAPearl review!

 

Yael

 

Thank you! I bought that blue dress the day before I left for Orlando. It was on sale at Express and I had a coupon! :D I'm someone that doesn't own a pair of flat shoes and wears 4" pumps to work, so I'm used to heels. That being said, those shoes felt awful! Beauty over pain though lol. As of now I don't think I'll get any more cruises in before Freedom. I'm thinking about doing a regular blog or youtube video or something for my upcoming trip to Cartagena. I'll be sure to post a link to it in my signature if I do. :)

[MomofTheBoy]

This is the cruise I'm doing in November and reading your review reminded me just how short it really is!:eek: Since I'm taking my son and this is his first cruise, I didn't want it to be too long but now I'm seriously rethinking!

[Darkingnj]

Great review and pictures, thanks for taking the time. I sailed on the Freedom last September out of Port Canaveral, you'll love it. I was able to rent a one way rental each way from Dollar for less than $100 each way, I believe it was $80.00 to the Port and $60.00 back to Orlando, SUV's. Someone posted a coupon code in a Port Canaveral thread here on Cruise Critic.

[gapearl]

This is the cruise I'm doing in November and reading your review reminded me just how short it really is!:eek: Since I'm taking my son and this is his first cruise, I didn't want it to be too long but now I'm seriously rethinking!

 

Yes it is indeed short! But a short cruise is better than no cruise. You might want to look for a 4-5 day if you think 3 days won't be long enough.

 

Great review and pictures, thanks for taking the time. I sailed on the Freedom last September out of Port Canaveral, you'll love it. I was able to rent a one way rental each way from Dollar for less than $100 each way, I believe it was $80.00 to the Port and $60.00 back to Orlando, SUV's. Someone posted a coupon code in a Port Canaveral thread here on Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks for reading! As much as I was looking forward to that Freedom cruise, sadly I have a list of reasons why it won't work for me this year and I'm going to cancel it this week. :( Maybe next year though. I'm really looking forward to sailing Royal Caribbean again. Have fun on the Navigator!

[cruiser1202]

I noticed the hair but I didn't want to interrupt the review! Love it. I'm thinking of trying something similar for wedding cruise.

 

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forums mobile app

 

I see you are on the Breeze!! congratulations on your honeymoon. Me and hubby will be on the ship April 20! So excited. Is it everything you had hoped it would be??:D:D

[bigmama9224]

Hi GaPearl:

 

I read on one of your reviews last year that you used SAS for transportation

in FLL. Are they reliable we are 9 maybe eleven people.

[cruisexlife]

Just read this review too, and, again, LOVED IT! :D

 

I too enjoy stops in Nassau, and always leave the ship. It beats 22 degree Maryland by far. :p

 

Thanks for putting in all this time and effort into these reviews , I love them !

[gapearl]

Hi GaPearl:

 

I read on one of your reviews last year that you used SAS for transportation

in FLL. Are they reliable we are 9 maybe eleven people.

 

Oopsie! Sorry I'm just noticing your comment here. :o I have used SAS several times and never had any issues. If you haven't secured transportation for your Conquest cruise yet, I'd say give them a call and see if you can have your own van. Nine people could surely fill one up.

 

Just read this review too, and, again, LOVED IT! :D

 

I too enjoy stops in Nassau, and always leave the ship. It beats 22 degree Maryland by far. :p

 

Thanks for putting in all this time and effort into these reviews , I love them !

 

Yes I enjoyed Nassau too! I'm so tempted to book the weekend overnight cruise again, but I just have no idea when I'll be able to fit it in between other trips I have planned. I'm glad you're enjoying reading them all! :)

[cruisexlife]

Oopsie! Sorry I'm just noticing your comment here. :o I have used SAS several times and never had any issues. If you haven't secured transportation for your Conquest cruise yet, I'd say give them a call and see if you can have your own van. Nine people could surely fill one up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I enjoyed Nassau too! I'm so tempted to book the weekend overnight cruise again, but I just have no idea when I'll be able to fit it in between other trips I have planned. I'm glad you're enjoying reading them all! :)

 

 

Thank you! I'm taking my aunt from Savannah on her first cruise this summer, and I'm considering the Sensation for 3 or 4 nights just so she can see what it's like, so the review really helped.

 

I REALLY want an overnight stay in Nassau though, but they only come on Ecstasy apparently, or at least not on my Sensation dates.

[Mabks0412]

I've now read two (well actually three) of your reviews. I love them! I'm sitting here laughing my a** off at the cornbread comments. My boyfriend has to keep turning around to find out what is going on. I am about to go back and read your others reviews!