A Bunch of Firsts for Long Time Cruiser - Triumph 7/23

[njoyndride]

It's been a long time since I've penned any kind of review but thought I might share my perspective for some firsts I experienced on this cruise. After so many cruises you'd think we'd been there-done that but it just goes to show you there's always more to discover :D . This won’t be a typical review but focused on my “1st” experiences.

 

A little background - We originally were going to celebrate hubby's 60th by cruising in September but I held off booking anything as he was due for knee replacement surgery in early July and we weren't exactly sure how he would feel so we decided to wait until a week or so after the surgery to book. This is his second knee replacement, the first went really well but I didn't want to tempt fate. The day before his surgery it was postponed to the end of August...there goes the 60th celebration :rolleyes:.

 

After initially being bummed out we decided to make lemonade and thought what the heck let's try to fit one in prior to surgery and in between other commitments, we soon realized there was only one week that would work. I immediately scoured both CCL and RCCL to see what was available and found Carnival Triumph out of New Orleans would fit the bill. I did a mock booking and there were only 3 balconies left so I simultaneously emailed my PVP who called me within five minutes. We worked together to release my mock booking and then book the cabin. Since the location of the cabin was not my usual preference I checked later in the day to see if there were any others available…all balconies were booked. So glad I didn’t hesitate!!

 

This was the first 1st for me, we typically book 6-12 months out. I’m a HUGE planner and don’t like last minute surprises, so this was a good stress test for me! There was no big “last minute” discount as I’ve read about on these pages, I paid as much for this 5 day as I normally would for a 7 day and was ok with that knowing it’s high season. We booked an early morning flight on Friday the day before the cruise on Southwest, getting us to New Orleans at 2pm where our oldest daughter was going to take the day off of work and drive in from Houston to spend the afternoon and night with us. Yay a cruise and daughter time too!! The air wasn’t much more than we usually pay for San Francisco Bay Area to New Orleans…UNTIL…the Southwest computer glitch. On Tuesday afternoon all Southwest planes were temporarily grounded due to a computer glitch leaving passengers stranded as cancelled flights mounted. The cancellations/delays spilled in to Wednesday with displaced passengers being offered seats on flights that were days in the future. Since our flight wasn’t until Friday I paid attention but didn’t worry. When flights on Thursday were still being impacted due to aircraft/crew not being in the right place and loooooong lines being reported on the news we decided we better get to the airport very early for our 6:30am flight. I woke up at 2am to an email from Southwest that our flight was cancelled. Uh oh!!!! :eek:

 

We needed to make a call on what to do. I knew that calling Southwest would result in a flight way too late to make the ship and cancellation automatically results in a full refund. We had to decide if we wanted to go for it or ditch the whole cruise. I was disappointed that we might not get to see our daughter dependent upon booking a new flight and it making sense for her to make the long drive. Just a side note…I am not a morning person…dealing with this at 2am without coffee on top of my perfect planning which was now toast melt down, was a bit comical.

 

Once we decided to give it a go, try to make the cruise and secondarily try to still hook up with daughter had me banging away at the computer with combinations of flights to New Orleans or Houston and renting a car, to Houston with a Friday night hotel stay and a Saturday flight to New Orleans, what other airports are within driving distance to New Orleans, can we drive there in time???…it went on and on. I had 14 windows open on the computer, am barking orders at hubby, I NEED MY CREDIT CARD, TAKE THE GARBAGE OUT, TURN ON THE DISHWASHER, GET ME SOME COFFEEEEEEE all the while trying to focus my non coffee’d brain. It’s now 2:30am, our ride is coming at 3:45am and I’m not showered nor am I completely packed, you know all that morning stuff you need to use before packing it. I find a flight on United that will get us to New Orleans by 5:30pm, good for making the cruise, daughter will have to decide if it’s worth it, get all the way through names, address, birthdates, credit card info hit submit…sorry flight has been sold out. Devastation…evidently I wasn’t the only one crazily booking travel in the middle of the night. I find a flight on American, gets us there late but gets us there. The only seats available are 1st class but they are only $200 more than the coach seats on the previous United flight, get all the way through names, address, birthdates, credit card info hit submit…get message that the price has changed and jumps another $600. :mad: With tears pooling in my eyes I finally found a flight on Delta that got us in to New Orleans only an hour later than originally planned, a bit pricey since the only seats left were premium but not too bad, hit submit…aahhhh it worked! Flight leaves at 6am it’s now 3am, send a quick text to our ride that we are now going to San Jose rather than San Francisco, and took the quickest shower in history. Whirling dervish through the house and stood packed and ready on the front porch 3:55 sharp. Phew. Best husband ever buys me coffee at first Starbucks stand he sees at the airport…life is good :D . Update - Southwest has refunded my flight plus we have a 50% off coupon each for our next flight. WTG Southwest.

 

My second 1st was traveling in super high season, we are now retired but even when we were working we never cruised in the summer preferring the more low key fall and spring time frames. While there were 1,000 kids on the ship I did not run in to any bad behavior only typical rambunctiousness of excited children. When there’s a pool, they run around it…I’m not sure why but it’s an age old tradition. The heat/humidity while sailing in July was more annoying. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise in the summer months again. Our cabin being on deck 11 had no overhang and a public deck right above. Since the ping pong table was there it ended up being a hang out place for the teens at night. I could always hear them talking to each other, giggling, duuuuuuude…but it was never bothersome and they were never loud or obnoxious.

 

Our third 1st sailing on a 5 day cruise, we usually sail a 7 or longer. Would I feel cheated? Would I feel like I just got on board and it was time to leave? I really didn’t feel like the cruise was too short. We made the most of our days and enjoyed every minute. Of course more days on a ship are always better but no regrets here.

 

Fourth 1st was experiencing staggered check in, interestingly all times were still available at two weeks out when I booked. I chose the time I thought I would arrive even though we’d be using VIP check-in. I wasn’t sure if I should choose the latest time, leaving the earlier time slot for someone else, or when I thought I’d arrive keeping capacity control in mind. Thoughts? After a nice evening and breakfast with daughter, we left our hotel just off of Canal at 10:50. Our check in went extremely smooth and we were sitting in the Captain’s lounge at 11:15, we spent more time driving to the terminal than in the terminal. I did see the line for regular staggered check in when we arrived and it was very short. We boarded at 11:40 going directly to our cabin which was ready for us.

 

The fifth 1st was using special services for the muster drill. Since hubby still had a bum knee and Triumph uses the outside deck mustering I contacted Special Services and asked if there was a procedure for those unable to walk/stand for long periods of time along with stairs being an issue as we were on deck 11. They instructed me to go to Guest Services when we boarded as each ship is a bit different. We were directed to report to the library a little bit before it was time to muster. While not wanting the issues that required us to be there, what a luxury this was. We sat on comfortable chairs, in an air-conditioned room, we were served ice water and let go early in order to use the elevators before they got crowded. With the temperature at 95 and 75% humidity, the deck facing the sun must have been hellish. Best muster ever!

 

On to the sixth 1st – Progreso. In all our cruises we had never ported at Progreso. I checked the Ports of Call on this board and found many people who reported it was a dump, aggressive vendors, etc. and started researching what the heck to do. With the knee issue the ruins were out and we do love going to the beach so we decided just to walk the two blocks to the beach from town. LOVED it! Yes there are vendors, yes they are trying to make a living, yes this is a popular beach for Yucatan residents, but it was real Mexico. The town has not been Americanized and inundated with Diamonds International and Del Sol stores. We had so much fun, using sign language and my VERY limited broken Spanish to navigate our day.

 

The seventh and final 1st was self-debarkation. Normally we have two suitcases and a garment bag. Due to the shorter cruise and my attempt to simplify we took a medium suitcase and the garment bag. I’ve never wanted to try self-debarkation due to our age and wrangling three pieces of luggage but with two we decided to give it a try. I must say the luxury of NOT having to figure out what to pack/what to keep then transferring stuff back and forth on the floor of the terminal or at the airport was fantastic. I loved having my stuff with me the whole time. In the early days we took long gowns, cocktail dresses and a full tux. With all the newer luggage limitations and cruising becoming more casual overall we don’t bring nearly what we did and my goal is to now travel with two bags whenever we can.

 

We had a fantastic trip, spent way too much time in the casino. I got the drinks on us card the morning of the second day, the cashier said “oh already?”…hmmmm maybe I have a problem. :eek: Met some great people, we were a novelty coming from California as most of the passengers were more local they were fascinated by us left coasters. The staff onboard was very friendly, always addressed us by name and catered to our every need.

 

Our room steward was always very nice but I could tell he wasn’t thrilled when we wanted service twice a day. While Carnival corporate will deny that they are moving toward a once a day servicing the fact that they are increasing the number of cabins each steward is responsible for leads me to believe this is where they are heading. He left our towel animal in the morning, that was different. The cabin was on deck 11 sharing the hallway with Camp Carnival. I wondered if we’d hear a lot of running, screaming, door banging but none of that happened. We did happen to go to the cabin a couple of times during pick up time and there were people everywhere in the elevator lobby but other than that no impacts of a cabin adjacent to the kid’s area. The plus side is it’s also the same deck as the spa so it always smelled lovely. As I stated above there is no overhang on the balcony so you have absolutely no privacy. It did limit the amount of day time usage for the hubs as he’s very fair skinned but it was ok and offered an unobstructed view of the stars at night. The other thing I loved is the balcony door was a slider, no banging doors yippee!

 

We had Anytime Dining and requested a table for two each night. We did go at prime time and waited every night but one. The average wait was about 15 minutes. I know waiting bugs some people but I compare it to what would happen on land when you go to a restaurant at 7pm with no reservation, you are going to wait and probably longer than 15 minutes! I only had one bad meal in the dining room. I ordered prime rib which came out cold. It took a very long time between the first course and the entrée that night so I know it sat on the line. I was pretty full from the appetizer and salad so it wasn’t a big thing. The waiter was devastated and kept insisting that he bring me something else. We finally negotiated two desserts that night, one being the cheese plate. Actually a perfect meal in my book.

 

We had such a great relaxing time on this cruise. Coupled with the fact it leaves from New Orleans which is always so cool I wouldn’t hesitate to book a short cruise again!

[lasvegascruising]

Wow...that section about getting a new flight just gave ME stress. I can't imagine how you did it. I wouldn't wish this on anyone and I would have been crying the whole time trying to figure out what to do. You must be an amazing person! Way to go!

[jimbo5544]

Great review, love all the firsts. Feel the same way about Progresso, glad it all worked out for you.

[True Texan]

We also love Progresso. Love the walk from the ship to beach. Once we took a double decker bus through town l loved it.

[njoyndride]

Great review, love all the firsts. Feel the same way about Progresso, glad it all worked out for you.

 

We also love Progresso. Love the walk from the ship to beach. Once we took a double decker bus through town l loved it.

 

It was such a nice surprise, we can't wait to go back!

[njoyndride]

Wow...that section about getting a new flight just gave ME stress. I can't imagine how you did it. I wouldn't wish this on anyone and I would have been crying the whole time trying to figure out what to do. You must be an amazing person! Way to go!

 

You should have seen me it was pretty funny. My hubby knows me well and just remained calm, said do whatever you want to do and followed all shouted instructions to a T. I gave him a huge attaboy later :D. I'm a really calm person...normally :p.

[Clarea]

Enjoyed the report, thanks.

[ledelstein]

I absolutely loved reading your review.

 

Most reviews I end up skimming through because there is so much complaining about things that may or may not be out of someone's control.

Your review was a refreshing, recounting of a stressful time that you handled like a pro (even without coffee) along with great imagery of the ship during summer.

 

I love the ease at which you just go with the flow and don't seem to let anything ruin your cruise.

 

Bravo to you.

And thank you for sharing.

 

I certainly hope your husbands knee surgery goes well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[TX Catty Cruiser]

GREAT review!

[njoyndride]

I absolutely loved reading your review.

 

Most reviews I end up skimming through because there is so much complaining about things that may or may not be out of someone's control.

Your review was a refreshing, recounting of a stressful time that you handled like a pro (even without coffee) along with great imagery of the ship during summer.

 

I love the ease at which you just go with the flow and don't seem to let anything ruin your cruise.

 

Bravo to you.

And thank you for sharing.

 

I certainly hope your husbands knee surgery goes well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

Thanks ledelstein! :) We're so fortunate to travel and want to do as much as possible before we can't. The things people complain about blows my mind and more importantly the time and energy it takes...oy.

[njoyndride]

GREAT review!

 

Enjoyed the report, thanks.

 

Glad you enjoyed, I know it was a bit different than the norm.

[DenaInWyo]

Wow..I was on the edge of my seat reading your flight troubles! Whew! So glad it worked out.

 

My last cruise was my first five day as well. I don't think I'll ever really be interested in that again honestly. For the same airfare and pre-cruise hotel it's just not worth it. Now, if I lived close enough to a port to drive, that would be a different story.

 

I am dreading finally getting hit with the service once a day thing (it was still twice on the Liberty last April). I wonder, if I tipped my steward, if it would be much of a bother to just come in the evening and do our towel animal and leave the fun times? I don't need my room cleaned a second time, but I would very much miss coming back from dinner to find my bed turned down and my towel animal waiting. Would only take him 10 minutes or less. On the one hand, I will miss twice a day service, but on the other, it is totally not the steward's fault this is happening and I don't want to make his job any harder than it already is with all the extra rooms. That was a real jerk move Carnival.

[blainesterrr]

I love what you said about Progreso in reference to it not being "Americanized".

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[riffatsea]

Wow!! My mouth is open in awe!! As another left coaster I am amazed at your ability to work under pressure and rearrange those flights!

I thought I was good but I've never had to deal with last minute changes like you described!!

We are also on the Triumph 5 day to Progreso(new port for us) and Cozumel in December. Also flying on Southwest 2 days before the cruise.

I only hope we have as much fun as you did without the major computer mess up!!

Edited August 1, 2016 by riffatsea

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your report.

 

Keith

[louanne93]

Loved your review! Sending prayers for your husbands knee surgery!

[Banditswife]

Glad your cruise worked out. Thx for the review. Your flight problems would have made me just give up. Glad you got it worked out. I had a few relatives on your cruise, I haven't heard from them yet- I hope they enjoyed the cruise as much as you did. Most were driving, so most likely didn't have the flight issues.

[JaniceB]

I can't imagine the stress you were feeling before your cruise. Glad everything worked out and you had a nice cruise.

[bolln]

I loved everything about this review!! I am an overplanner...and that flight rearrangement? You deserve a medal!

[njoyndride]

I love what you said about Progreso in reference to it not being "Americanized".

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I truly can't wait to go back!

 

 

Wow!! My mouth is open in awe!! As another left coaster I am amazed at your ability to work under pressure and rearrange those flights!

I thought I was good but I've never had to deal with last minute changes like you described!!

We are also on the Triumph 5 day to Progreso(new port for us) and Cozumel in December. Also flying on Southwest 2 days before the cruise.

I only hope we have as much fun as you did without the major computer mess up!!

 

You will have a blast in December! :D

[njoyndride]

Wow..I was on the edge of my seat reading your flight troubles! Whew! So glad it worked out.

 

My last cruise was my first five day as well. I don't think I'll ever really be interested in that again honestly. For the same airfare and pre-cruise hotel it's just not worth it. Now, if I lived close enough to a port to drive, that would be a different story.

 

I am dreading finally getting hit with the service once a day thing (it was still twice on the Liberty last April). I wonder, if I tipped my steward, if it would be much of a bother to just come in the evening and do our towel animal and leave the fun times? I don't need my room cleaned a second time, but I would very much miss coming back from dinner to find my bed turned down and my towel animal waiting. Would only take him 10 minutes or less. On the one hand, I will miss twice a day service, but on the other, it is totally not the steward's fault this is happening and I don't want to make his job any harder than it already is with all the extra rooms. That was a real jerk move Carnival.

 

I don't think the room thing is coming soon I am just anticipating, why else would they ask which service you want and increase the number of cabins assigned to the stewards?

 

 

Enjoyed your report.

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith!

[njoyndride]

Loved your review! Sending prayers for your husbands knee surgery!

 

Thank you, that's sweet!

 

Glad your cruise worked out. Thx for the review. Your flight problems would have made me just give up. Glad you got it worked out. I had a few relatives on your cruise, I haven't heard from them yet- I hope they enjoyed the cruise as much as you did. Most were driving, so most likely didn't have the flight issues.

 

I'm sure they had a great time, the weather was perfect! There's something to be said for driving!!!!

[njoyndride]

I loved everything about this review!! I am an overplanner...and that flight rearrangement? You deserve a medal!

 

I had big motivation ha ha.

 

 

I can't imagine the stress you were feeling before your cruise. Glad everything worked out and you had a nice cruise.

 

 

Thank you, once I was at the airport gate I was fine. Our ride was borrowing our car so I ended up driving to the airport then handing over the car, going 80 mph down the freeway helped :p .

[littlekid58]

Thank you so much for your review.:)

[Liljo22]

Sorry the flight situation was so crazy. Glad you had a good outcome though. You see bad trip reviews from people that have less problems from the start that ruin the whole trip for them.