Journeys Cruise

[cdm289]

On 1/31/2023 at 9:57 PM, csm5986142 said:

 

I was debating mentioning the differing crowd. 🙂 The last Journeys we did was Spirit to Hawaii and next we will do Spirit to New Orleans.  I love the calmer atmosphere.  But I've read here that you can expect a huge percentage of people to be Platinum/Diamond so our Platinum perks might not mean much.  

I thought the same thing.  I am platinum and assumed that there would be a lot of Platinum and Diamonds onboard.  The non-platinum lines may be shorter...LOL.  

[Eli_6]

On 2/1/2023 at 5:56 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

I think the Journeys cruises Carnival offers are wonderful.  I've done six of them (all pre-pandemic) and have one scheduled for next year.  Others have covered much of what to expect.  I liked the throwback day and the horse racing, along with the lectures.  Expect lots of comedians and lots and lots of different shows.  

 

I'd like to do more Journeys cruises, but the prices have increased such that they're not much of a bargain anymore.  The one I have booked has already increased by several hundred dollars.  ☹️

 

Good luck on your cruise!  I bet you'll have a great time! 😍

Horse racing? I am intrigued...

 

[Eli_6]

43 minutes ago, cdm289 said:

I thought the same thing.  I am platinum and assumed that there would be a lot of Platinum and Diamonds onboard.  The non-platinum lines may be shorter...LOL.  

It was often that way on my Europe cruise. 

[Honolulu Blue]

10 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Horse racing? I am intrigued...

It's not thoroughbreds doing laps on promenade deck or the pool, though I'm sure that would be quite hilarious to see. 😆

 

The setup varies by ship and CD, but here are the basics as I remember them... the race is held onstage either in the main theater or the aft lounge.  Six "horses" (actually wood cutouts on sticks that are painted and numbered) are available to be bet on. 

 

Sometimes you can "buy" the horse, and you'd get to name it and get the pool from all the purchased horses if yours finishes first.  For example, if each horse was purchased for $200 each (you might think this is outrageous, but bidding can get up there - way higher than two bennies sometimes), you'd get the whole $1200 pool, which is separate from the regular betting pool.  I'll get into that in a bit.  The last three races I saw didn't have horse purchasing available, so it might have been retired.

 

More often, the host (usually the CD) picks someone to name each horse.  Then the bets are made by offering tickets to the audience for $2 each (cash - your sail & sign card is no good here).  Let's say the betting breaks down like this:

 

Horse #1 - $100
Horse #2 - $200

Horse #3 - $300

Horse #4 - $400

Horse #5 - $500

Horse #6 - $600

 

The total pool would be $2100.  If #1 wins, each $2 ticket would pay out $42.  If #6 wins, each $2 ticket would pay out $7.  The payout per ticket is announced just before each race.  AFAIK, this is straight parimutuel betting with no takeout by the house, which makes it the best bet on the ship.  The betting and payout calculation process takes a while and is quite labor-intensive and it's done by the entertainment staff.

 

And then the race begins!  Each horse is moved either by the person that "owns" the horse, or the person that named the horse (I did this once), or most often by members of the entertainment staff.  How do they move?  I'm glad you asked.  Three six-sided dice are rolled in some contraption.  If the numbers come out 1, 2, and 3 (for example), each of those horses would move one space.  If instead the roll came out 4, 5, and 5, then the #5 horse would move two spaces and the #4 horse would move one space.  What about something like 6, 6, 6?  You guessed it - the #6 would move three spaces.  The rolls keep coming until one horse crosses the finish line, which is (I'm guessing) between 12 and 25 spaces from the start.

 

After that, the bets are paid out and there's usually one more race that starts the whole process all over again.  One CD who ran an exceptionally tight ship was able to get three races in, but don't expect that.

 

It's a lot more fun than I make it sound, and it's something I'm looking forward to most on my next Journeys cruise.

 

Sorry for the length and detail.

[Guest BasicSailor]

On 2/1/2023 at 12:09 AM, lazydayz said:

On our Panama Canal cruise, we had a glee club and a dance club.  Toward the end of the cruise, we were part of the entertainment.  It was good fun and a great way to meet other people.  We also had two professional ballroom dancers onboard who taught several classes.  There was lots of trivia and even some arts and crafts.  Very few children onboard and they were typically with their parents.  We always commented when we saw people under 40, not to them, of course.  

Not to mention the parking lot at the MDR entrance 🙃

[Honolulu Blue]

Here's a YouTube video I found about a horse race on the Ruby Princess several years ago.  The action was similar to what I've seen on Carnival Journeys cruises, but this guy spoke and moved a lot faster than what I've seen on Carnival:

 

[VaTech8912]

My 10 day Journey cruise out of Norfolk this year seems to defy the older / fewer kids norm based on the FB group (so you just never know) .  I am looking forward to the Gala dinner and retro activities from the past.

[txcruiser1234]

On 1/31/2023 at 10:57 PM, csm5986142 said:

But I've read here that you can expect a huge percentage of people to be Platinum/Diamond so our Platinum perks might not mean much.  

 

Recently read this in an article dated Nov 2022 regarding platinum/diamond perk updates:

"As has been the case in the past, priority check-in, boarding, and debarkation is not available on longer Carnival Journeys cruises." (referring to platinum/diamond perk)

 

Is that an accurate statement?.. can't find it directly stated on the Carnival site..

[jsglow]

2 hours ago, txcruiser1234 said:

 

Recently read this in an article dated Nov 2022 regarding platinum/diamond perk updates:

"As has been the case in the past, priority check-in, boarding, and debarkation is not available on longer Carnival Journeys cruises." (referring to platinum/diamond perk)

 

Is that an accurate statement?.. can't find it directly stated on the Carnival site..

Yes, 100% accurate.  And it makes sense.  On our recent Dream Journey 2500 of the 3600 onboard were Dia/Plat. There can be no 'priority' when everyone qualifies.

Edited February 5, 2023 by jsglow

[N7786W Flyer]

On 2/1/2023 at 1:05 PM, jsglow said:

@BlerkOne HA! We took the stairs a bunch too.  And of course nobody was in the MDR at 8:20p.  That's when 'next day' breakfast was about to start! 😆

Hope you had fun. For us it was fantastic to get back to places we hadn't been since the pandemic.... or after Irma passed for that matter in the case of St. Maarten.

Assuming you were on the Carnival Dream's Journey's Cruise this past January (as were my wife and I), we were told by our dining room staff that the whole upper floor of the Scarlet Dining Room was closed during the late sitting as there were very few late sitting passengers.

 

Garnett

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, jsglow said:

Yes, 100% accurate.  And it makes sense.  On our recent Dream Journey 2500 of the 3600 onboard were Dia/Plat. There can be no 'priority' when everyone qualifies.

There was priority debarkation. For the first time that I noticed, not all Diamonds received luggage tag 1. I think they were spread out over the first 5 groups (at a minimum). I had Numero Uno and as soon as I got to the meeting point, it was you can leave anytime. Whatever your priority, you still had to wait for you luggage tags to be ready.

[jsglow]

16 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

There was priority debarkation. For the first time that I noticed, not all Diamonds received luggage tag 1. I think they were spread out over the first 5 groups (at a minimum). I had Numero Uno and as soon as I got to the meeting point, it was you can leave anytime. Whatever your priority, you still had to wait for you luggage tags to be ready.

So we actually had time to kill but had received luggage #2.  We carry anyway.

 

The funny part of our story was that at about 9a they 'suspended' disembarkation to off-load all 1000 (kidding......almost) wheelchairs/walkers. About 9:30 we peeked down and noticed a trickle of ambulatory pax exiting through a separate door as the wheelchairs were dwindling down from the theater. No announcement was made but the resumption of regular disembarkation was clearly beginning.  As we had a 10a reserved shuttle, we availed ourselves and were directed down a very efficient (but too steep for wheelchairs) ramp.  It was chaos down in the terminal with everyone trying to collect their 'dozen' suitcases!  But we breezed right past pulling our carry-ons/shouldering our backpacks.  All good. Made our shuttle with time to spare.  

Edited February 5, 2023 by jsglow

[BlerkOne]

1 minute ago, jsglow said:

So we actually had time to kill but had received luggage #2.  We carry anyway.

 

The funny part of our story was that at about 9a they 'suspended' disembarkation to off-load all 1000 (kidding......almost) wheelchairs/walkers. About 9:30 we peaked down and noticed a trickle of ambulatory pax exiting through a separate door as the wheelchairs were dwindling down from the theater.

That was kind of a cluster. I was in the forward restaurant and there were some people in wheelchairs and some needing wheelchairs and not enough staff or wheelchairs to deal with them all at once. They did their best and were putting names on a list and it was first come first served. Some just needed pushers (pullers?) and some needed everything. It wasn't a 1000, but it was a lot.

[jsglow]

20 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

That was kind of a cluster. I was in the forward restaurant and there were some people in wheelchairs and some needing wheelchairs and not enough staff or wheelchairs to deal with them all at once. They did their best and were putting names on a list and it was first come first served. Some just needed pushers (pullers?) and some needed everything. It wasn't a 1000, but it was a lot.

I was exaggerating of course. 🙂

[zzdoug]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:51 PM, BlerkOne said:

I am fresh off of a 2023 Journey Cruise and am slowly posting pictures, activities papers, menus, etc.

Can you please post a link to that thread?  I could not find it from your profile.  I would be interested in seeing the Fun Times (Capers?). Thanks!

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Can you please post a link to that thread?  I could not find it from your profile.  I would be interested in seeing the Fun Times (Capers?). Thanks!

 

Here ya go..

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2906879-live-to-partly-live-to-oh-well-from-carnival-dream-jan-14-28-2023-journey-cruise/page/11/

[EngIceDave]

Hi, lowly gold who will graduate to plat on his next cruise, a journeys cruise....so, no real perks this time....

 

We've always eaten about 5:30-6

 

Do they offer any list of lectures, events or the like prior to sailing?

 

 

[jsglow]

12 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Hi, lowly gold who will graduate to plat on his next cruise, a journeys cruise....so, no real perks this time....

 

We've always eaten about 5:30-6

 

Do they offer any list of lectures, events or the like prior to sailing?

 

 

Not quite true.  Laundry is a big deal, especially on Journeys.

 

I don't think anything is posted about events prior to boarding and accessing your Hub App on a daily basis.

[zzdoug]

I was hoping they would show Carnival Legends, the old show where they got guests to play Sinatra, Elton John etc, but I didn't see it or maybe I missed it? That was fantastic and I really miss it. I wasn't really a fan of the Carnival 2.0 rebranding.

[staceyglow]

6 hours ago, zzdoug said:

I was hoping they would show Carnival Legends, the old show where they got guests to play Sinatra, Elton John etc, but I didn't see it or maybe I missed it? That was fantastic and I really miss it. 

Same here! I have seen some pretty talented folks on that show!

[N7786W Flyer]

I was told, last year, by a cruise director that that show had been discontinued.  He said they had issues with people adlibbing once they got on stage and performing "acts" that were not approved.

 

Don't know how accurate this really is, but that's what I was told.

 

Garnett

[Hunter69]

Done a few journeys cruises, extra comedians, extra shows. I liked the impresonators. Eg Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Rod Stewart ETC. We have the horse racing on our journey cruises here in Australia & on our Melbourne Cup cruise.. Yes it's great to getaway from everything for 2-3 weeks, no work, phone calls, house work. Only thing is The Bloody Diamonds, here in Australia we have approx 5 diamonds under the age of 60, getting around the ship to get to a show, trivia or a meal can be slow painful effort. side stepping around there scooters, or walkers.. But us Gen X need to be there as FOMO kicks in..

 

[EngIceDave]

On 2/10/2023 at 10:18 PM, EngIceDave said:

 

Do they offer any list of lectures, events or the like prior to sailing?

 

I am curious about this for anyone who has sailed on a Journey's cruise. 

Was there anything in advance, even if close to sailing, about what some of the Journey's topics/events would be?

 

 

[staceyglow]

3 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

 

I am curious about this for anyone who has sailed on a Journey's cruise. 

Was there anything in advance, even if close to sailing, about what some of the Journey's topics/events would be?

 

 

We have never seen any.

 

They usually have one "throwback" day where they do the horse races, the knobby knee contest, ice carving, etc.  

 

[Pika8347]

On 2/4/2023 at 7:14 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

It's not thoroughbreds doing laps on promenade deck or the pool, though I'm sure that would be quite hilarious to see. 😆

 

The setup varies by ship and CD, but here are the basics as I remember them... the race is held onstage either in the main theater or the aft lounge.  Six "horses" (actually wood cutouts on sticks that are painted and numbered) are available to be bet on. 

 

Sometimes you can "buy" the horse, and you'd get to name it and get the pool from all the purchased horses if yours finishes first.  For example, if each horse was purchased for $200 each (you might think this is outrageous, but bidding can get up there - way higher than two bennies sometimes), you'd get the whole $1200 pool, which is separate from the regular betting pool.  I'll get into that in a bit.  The last three races I saw didn't have horse purchasing available, so it might have been retired.

 

More often, the host (usually the CD) picks someone to name each horse.  Then the bets are made by offering tickets to the audience for $2 each (cash - your sail & sign card is no good here).  Let's say the betting breaks down like this:

 

Horse #1 - $100
Horse #2 - $200

Horse #3 - $300

Horse #4 - $400

Horse #5 - $500

Horse #6 - $600

 

The total pool would be $2100.  If #1 wins, each $2 ticket would pay out $42.  If #6 wins, each $2 ticket would pay out $7.  The payout per ticket is announced just before each race.  AFAIK, this is straight parimutuel betting with no takeout by the house, which makes it the best bet on the ship.  The betting and payout calculation process takes a while and is quite labor-intensive and it's done by the entertainment staff.

 

And then the race begins!  Each horse is moved either by the person that "owns" the horse, or the person that named the horse (I did this once), or most often by members of the entertainment staff.  How do they move?  I'm glad you asked.  Three six-sided dice are rolled in some contraption.  If the numbers come out 1, 2, and 3 (for example), each of those horses would move one space.  If instead the roll came out 4, 5, and 5, then the #5 horse would move two spaces and the #4 horse would move one space.  What about something like 6, 6, 6?  You guessed it - the #6 would move three spaces.  The rolls keep coming until one horse crosses the finish line, which is (I'm guessing) between 12 and 25 spaces from the start.

 

After that, the bets are paid out and there's usually one more race that starts the whole process all over again.  One CD who ran an exceptionally tight ship was able to get three races in, but don't expect that.

 

It's a lot more fun than I make it sound, and it's something I'm looking forward to most on my next Journeys cruise.

 

Sorry for the length and detail.

This was a neat read! Thanks for explaining!