Disney verses Carnival

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi everyone, I think this report will be of interest to anyone who is thinking of trying Carnival instead of doing Disney again.

I will follow up the report with photos and a detailed comparrison between the two for those who may not of been on either line yet.

This is very long and since each post is limited to a certain amount of characters Iwill have to split it up over several posts.

 

6/30/07 Carnival Cruise report.

Hi everyone,

I will give you my report of the actual cruise and then follow it up by a comparrison report between Disney and Carnival.

 

First off here are the names of all who went.

myself: Kathy

my husband :Greg

daughter : Marie the lady with the turquoise hair.

her husband : Jerry

grandaughter: Ana

grandson : Andy

Ok, here goes,

 

We arrived at 11:00 a.m. saturday morning at the port. People were still getting off the ship, so we couldnt drop off our luggage. We were told to pay for our parking and then park in the parking garage and wait for a man to come and tell us it was time to drop off luggage and board the ship.

The garage was almost full and very small spaces for a full size truck. We finally found a place to park and waited for over an hour and nobody came. So we decided to take our luggage ourselves over to the terminal. It took a bit of doing but we made it and then we noticed people were dropping off their luggage and boarding the ship. NOBODY ever came to tell us like they were suppose to do.

We did get a porter after we got to the terminal to take our luggage. We had to show our photo ID and then proceeded to go through the scanner and up the elevator where we heard a lady practically yelling at people to go to a table and fill out a Bahamas form before checking in. There were 2 pens for 20 people so it took awhile to get it done for all 6 of us.

 

Once we were done we wanted to take a family photo in the terminal as usual but they don't allow any photos in the terminal. So we proceeded to go to check in. To our surprize your check in area was determined by your room number. Since we were on different decks we had different places to check in which caused confusion because we were all on the same credit card accept one family member.

 

We finally got to one window for all of us and the lady had to redo our cards 4 times before she got it correct. It seemed to take forever but eventually we were headed down the walkway to board the ship. Of course first we had the boarding photo taken.

 

 

Then across the gangplank onto an outside deck with many confused people standing around wondering which way to go?? We did see an open door a little ways away and headed for that. As you stepped into the lobby area they scanned your boarding pass and took your photo and then you walked into the lobby which was very crowded since you entered by the bar on one side and chairs on the other side that had lots of people in them.

Many of us newbies had no idea where to head to find lunch??

 

Nobody greeted us, nobody showed us where to go, we had to hunt down a CM to ask where to go. Finally we were up in the elevator to deck 5 and had to walk the length of the ship to take another elevator up to deck 9 for the buffet.

 

The lobby area and the Promenade (deck 5) were beautiful!! The ceiling changes colors constantly. There were glass elevators there that went up 10 floors for a fantastic view!

The hall down deck 5 was full of shops and chairs for sitting and many of the clubs were there along with the Casino. The ship does get an A+ for beauty.

 

The buffet was huge and had very good food. Upstairs was extra seating with a place that served fish and chips and other assorted seafood dishes daily. Around the buffet was smaller windows that served hamburgers, deli sandwiches, chinese food, hot dogs, pizza, 4 places that served ice cream, ans frozen yogurt another place that had a different themed food each day.

Pizza and ice cream was 24 hours a day.

 

The drink stations had iced tea, lemonade,coffee, Lipton tea, ice, water and apple and orange juice. One station was open 24 hours. If you want pop you can buy it all over the ship.

After lunch we had a few minutes to explore the upper decks. They were very crowded. No shade to sit in, all the seats were tired up around the pool areas. The pools were very small and filled with salt water and the pools and hot tubs had no covers so you were in the direct sun too. The big blue slide wasn't open yet but it looked like a lot of fun and didnt go into a pool, just ended in a small square area you stepped out of.

In order to get across the deck you had to walk up several small sets of stairs all over the place, As I said it was all tiered around the main pool area.

 

Behind the buffet was a bar, the pizza place, another pool with 2 hot tubs. No adult pools or hot tubs here. Kids were in every pool and hot tub on the ship no matter what the signs said.

 

It was now time to check out our room on deck 6.

The hallways were very pretty and our room was very nice. It had a great layout with tons of storage areas including under the sofa. Our balcony was quite small but it worked ok for us. The TV had terrible selections. They had PPV movies but they were either old or nothing we liked. Mostly it was 2 news stations, 3 guide stations, 5 stations that shows events around the ship or shopping talks for the ports. No movie stations. They did have the cartoon network for the kids. TNT also and Discovery. The set was larger than others crusies we have been on. 3 large closets and a big bathroom too.

 

The cooler was locked because they stock it with beverages and alcohol that i f you drink it you will be charged for it. we asked our room host to unlock it and we took out a lot of it so we could put our water and pop in it.

Our host was excellant even though he didnt speak great english.

 

continued:

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Now we had some time to explore the ship before our meet at 3:00p.m..

First thing we discovered is unless you want to zig zag through restaurants and clubs you only have one deck to go from front to aft on the ship inside. That of course was deck 5 with the shops and lots of clubs.

You can go across on the upper decks but with all the small stair cases and crowds it was very diffacult all week long to do this. You cant walk all the way around the ship on the upper decks,It is all cut up in sections and their jogging path is a tiny circle on the aft of the ship .

Deck 4 has an outside deck but you arnt allowed out on it.

Deck 3 has an outer deck but you can only walk about 1/3 of the length of the ship on it, on each side of the ship. They did put a few chairs out there but they had it closed for maintenance for part of the trip too.

So we were disappointed we couldnt walk around the ship after meals like we usually do.

One side is smoking the other side is non smoking which worked great.

 

We proceeded to our meet which was in such a crowded area we decided to move into the elevator area where it was cooler and quieter so we can hear ourselves tallking. I think there was about 12 of us that made it there. We had a later meet that I didnt make it to also.

 

We had a full ship 3600 people on board not counting crew.

 

One thing we noticed that was different for us was NO waste baskets anywhere inside the ship. None by the elevators or restaurants like other lines have. If you sneezed you had to carry your tissue around with you until you went up on deck or back to your room.

NO paper napkins even by the ice cream places, no paper cups, all were plastic.

 

Also NO hand sanitizing stations at the restaurants like other places. So I used my own every where I went on the ship. I was disappointed in this.

 

Time to return to the room for the safety drill. we found our luggage had arrived. It was pretty much the same as any other drill, accept it lasted about 25 minutes in the hot outside areas. Way too long.

 

The sailaway party consisted of a DJ playing music. It was so crowded that we just went back to our balcony and waved at everyone from there which worked great.

 

We had 5:45 p.m. dining. As we were dressing for dinner Marie called and said their luggage hadnt arrived, so we decided to go to the buffet with them the first night because they had no dinner clothes to wear.

so we went ot the buffet with them.

 

Her room host knew nothing of her luggage, she called and asked but no help there either. As she sat down to read her documents she saw a tiny place that said where lost luggage would be so she went there and saw tons of luggage just sitting unattended with their room tags tore off of them. Her luggage was there. Anyone could of taken any luggage there or gone through the bags because they were just thrown in a heap all by themselves.

Plus there was No one to help them take the luggage back to their room. Why someone didnt tell her of this place when she was asking about it I dont know?? It would of been nice if they had told her where to go to look for it.

That was not a good way to start your trip.

 

The Welcome aboard show was at 10:30 which was kind of late for people who had been traveling all day to get there.

It was a vegas style show with 2 main singers. Unfortunately the young man was off key a lot and couldnt hit the high notes. The woman was awesome. dancers were ok,

The comedian was very good.

He had an adult show later in the week which was great.

 

We had a long day so we turned in about midnight without checking out the clubs. We will do that tomarrow.

one little thing that seemed odd to us was the 2 waste baskets in the room didnt have any liners in them and they were shiny stainelss steel.

Pretty hard to keep clean without bags for the room host.

 

Off to bed, it was a very comfortable bed too.

 

continued:

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We woke up at 6:00 a.m. to smooth, calm seas which stayed with us for 99% of the trip. I can honestly say it was the smoothest cruise we have ever had.

 

Off for breakfast at the buffet which was very nice. Then we decided to video tape the ship while most were sleeping.

 

We then decided to visit the photo shop to check out our boarding picture. It was pretty good so we bought it. It was an 8x10 for $21.99 and NO package deals on the ship. I thought that wasa bit spendy, comnpared to other ships but bought it anyway.

 

Then we went off to the Casino before it got filled up. I brought $50.00 to "Donate" to the slot machines. I only used $10 today and played on nickels for quite awhile. The casino smelled of smoke even when you walked by on the promenade deck. It was all open to the walk way. I wish they would of closed it off behind a wall and door of some kind.

 

It wasnt just me, I heard many people with children saying they didnt like their kids walking by the smokey casino to get to their clubs or the buffet. By evening it was almost unbearable for non smokers. There was about 10 machines in a non smoking area. But you had to walk through the entire smokey casino to the back wall to get to it and smokers were only 4 feet away, so it really wasnt a good non smoking area.

I know smoking and casinos go together, I have no problem with people smoking there, just wish it had been closed off to the main walkway for children and those like Greg who has sensative to smoke.

 

I can understand why you hear on the news about many Carnival ships having a lot of sick people. NO hand sanitizing stations anywhere on the ship. Not even at the restaurants.

 

Lunch was good, nothing special, but good.

 

Off to Trivia on the Promenade deck which was fun. we got 9 out of 20.

We did run into a person from our cruise thread that told us his room was dirty when they arrived and they told him it would be cleaned by the time he returned from dinner.

It was still dirty and so he called and they told him they didnt have time to clean it right now.

He had to argue and demand someone to clean his room. It took until midnight to get someone to clean up is room, so that was not a good start to his trip, but these things do happen sometimes.

 

Next we went to Game show mania, then to browse the stores.

All the stores were specialty shops that were very expensive accept one that had some snacks, medicines and mugs in it. Even that stuff was spendy. I did find a scarpabooking kit for the ship that I did buy for our album for $9.00 which wasnt bad at all.

 

We did notice that there were no paper napkins accept the ones that the bar staff had to set drinks on. Kids having ice cream really needed them. Also No paper cups with lids at the drink stations, so if you took a drink with you to the show it was in a plastic cup with no lid.

 

Drink station had lemonade, coffee, Lipton tea, juice and water. The buffet also had milk and chocolate milk in cartons.

 

Next was an ice carving demonstration. He made a carnival ship which was really neat looking. Then was the hairy chest contest which we didnt see. It was so hot and crowded you couldnt see anything anyway. We had over 3600 people on the ship!!

 

In the Amber Palace theater they had Bingo 3 to 5 times a day. This place was spectacular to see but the seats were hard and uncomfortable. The lower level had great leg room, upper area was a little cramped like usual. One of the reasons the seats were so uncomfortable was the backs were straight up, not tilted back at all. Very stiff cushions too.

 

I went here to learn about the Murder mystery game. we were given clues both verbally and written to solve a murder, plus anagrams as clues in the daily caper to slove for 3 days. Of course I guessed wrong but it was fun. I wish they would of explained the clues at the end so we could of put it all together once they announced the winner.

 

Time to be off to dinner. We had to go to deck 3 to go in the lower level of the restaurant.

There are 2 main restaurants that hold 500 to 700 people each, plus a special adult restaurant that you pay $30 per person for if you want. Buffet is also open every night too.

 

As you arrive at this restaurant there were 3 doors to enter. The center door had the dining managers desk, so we decided to enter there to ask where out table was since we had to miss the first night. Nobody was there at first, but then a waiter came by and I asked where table 315 was, he said he didnt know. He pointed to the far right and said it is over there somewhere I think,a nd he walked off.

There are NO numbers on the table. So I went to the right with my family in tow. As we wound around many small areas and tables I found another server and asked him for help to find the table. He said it wasnt on his side so it must be on the other side of the restaurant.

 

I was getting a little upset by now but I didnt want to say anything in front of my grandkids, so i proceeded out the door and across the hallway to the far door and entered there.

I waited a bit and snagged a waiter who was not doing anything just then and asked him where table 315 was explaining that we had missed the first night since our luggage hadnt arrived yet.

 

He pointed to the far wall and said it's over by that wall. well there had to of been 25 tables there?? Most were empty. So I explained that he was the 3rd person who I had asked and I really needed to know which table it was. he gave me a nasty look, so I glared right back with a look that said show me the #*#** table!!! So he mumbled something and took us towards our table, then pointed to it and said it's the one where the man is standing an dleft. So we still had to walk several feet by ourselves hoping it was the right table.

 

Our waiter was nice and the food was good but our drink server asked Jerry if he wanted a drink from the bar, which is also where you order pop from. He said he wanted a beer and then she left without asking anyone else if they wanted a drink. Our waiter brought water and said nothing.

When she brought his drink she never even looked at the rest of us, she just hurried away to others. So we decided to see what happens and just drank our water.

She NEVER asked anyone but him if they wanted a drink the entire week. It was so weird. I know we could of said something but we just wanted to see how far it would go by this time.

 

Our waiter did bring Ana iced tea one day and we brought our own drink packetts to put in the water to make punch and lemonade. But we never used them or showed them until after the drink server had left.

 

They have a dessert every night called Melting Chocolate Lava Cake which was AWESOME!!

 

The Golden restaurant was an Oriental decor which was beautiful. Our waiters did sing one night and dance one night and then a conga line was formed once to, on the 4th of July I believe.

 

After dinner we went back to change our clothes. We tried to walk down the Promenade later but the photographers were set up between chairs and the lines and photographers stretched across the walkway. This was in several places and was very hard to go around due to the high volume of traffic.

 

The Show was called Living in America that evening. It was the same 2 lead singers. The entire cast was made up of 16 people. It was a vegas style show. It was pretty good accept as I stated earlier the male lead really couldnt hit the notes properly. Lots of bright glitzy costumes.

 

We went up on deck and watched the sunset for a few minutes.

I was tired and decided to turn in about 11:00, but Greg, Jerry and Marie went to the adult comedy show which they said was really funny. I told them I know it was. Our room was right over the theater so I could easily hear everything they said.:eek:

So if you go on Carnival Glory do not take a room anywhere on deck 6 because all of deck 5 has clubs, casino, stores and the Amber Palace for shows like us. There was late night events every night.

I did meet Cassandra and Mike on the stairwell. They didnt make it to our meet, so it was fun to meet them before the cruise was over.

 

Tomarrow Cozumel

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We were up early and had breakfast at the buffet then up on deck to watch us dock at Cozumel. We had a little bit of movement from small waves for the first time on the trip.

It was what I would call a normal movement that we would of felt on a normal trip.

It was overcast but very HOT already. we hit around 100 everyday.

 

We got off the ship and they had everyone stop for a couple of photos as we got on the pier.

They took pictures constantly on the entire cruise. More than DCL does.

 

We walked to the end of the pier and shopped around some. Then took a horse and carrage ride around the city area during which time we had a rain shower which felt good because it cooled it off but it also made it feel more humid and sticky. The ride took us by the hospital, police station , a huge catholic church, many old historical buildings that looked like shacks to us, but the storms had damaged many of them. Our driver was a great guy. His name was Raoul and he said he was married for 12 years and had 10 kids, No Tv on his part of the island. :D The horse was named Speedy Gonzales.

 

The ride was fun but now it was time to return to the ship for lunch and our excursion.

We had a quick lunch and then got back off the ship and walked to the end of the pier and looked for a sign to check in for our jungle hike excursion. Marie and the grandkids did this with us.

 

Bernardo was our guide. We had a narrated bus ride to the jungle area where we walked to a meeting area and were given a back pack with water and granola bars for each person. They do have lockers you can pay for and use if you need to. it was very HOT and HUMID and BUGGY.

Take bug spray if you ever do anything at Cozumel!!

Our walk was level for 99% of the hike. We saw several Iguanas, and some mayan ruins. Many butterflies. One set was blue with black trim, they had to of been 5 inches across. They moved too fast for a picture, but they were beautiful.

Our guide was very informative about the history of the area. We really enjoyed the excursion and do recommend it to others.

 

We arrived back just about dinner time so we didnt have enough time to clean up in time to go to the dining room. We went to the buffet and had a great meal and relaxed a bit. The pools were fiiled with kids, so were the hot tubs, NO adult only pool or hot tubs. Nobody obeyed the signs and nobody enforced them. 2 pools closed at 8 p.m. the slide closed way earlier than that. So the one last pool was fulled beyond capacity with kids. All the pools were salt water and smaller than Disney pools.

So we never got into a pool.

 

Not much to do in the evening accept trivia games or the casino, so we headed for famous faces trivia and Sea Feud fun which was like family feud.

We decided to check out Karoake at 9:00.

The singers were great. The DJ was rude and obnoxious!! He kept talking into his mike while people were singing. He would ask people to clap along to the music, but he could of just started clapping and people would of joined in without his LOUD voice calling out to people to clap. He also had a lousy sound system. It was either so loud you couldnt hear the person singing or so quiet they sounded like they were singing acapella. But he was so rude to the people we didnt enjoy it. We tired twice on the cruise to go and enjoy karoake but he runied it both times.

 

We were not the only ones. Others left and we could hear them talking about how rude the DJ was to the guests and it bothered them too.

So we decided to find Cyberspace which was the internet cafe. The decks are all cut up and confusing to navigate . The only maps are a small picture of the ship on the wall by the elevators, which is a general layout.

It showed it as being between a restaurant and the Ivory Club on deck three. The only thing between them was a small hallway with restrooms and a stairway . Finally we found it.

We had to go into the Ivory Bar to the back side to find the entrance to the Internet Cafe.

This was the only way in which was not only hard to find but children must also pass through here to get on line and this was not only a darkly lit bar, but it was a bar where people could smoke cigars. So it was particualrly bad for smoke. I thought that was poor planning on Carnivals behalf.

 

There was a deck party after we set sail too. we decided to check it out. We saw a DJ playing music on the stage but there were practically nobody around.

 

We did run into Jerry who had just won $1250.00 on quater slots!!! That made his trip.

 

well we had an early morning excursion so headed off to bed about 11:00.

 

Tomarrow is Belize

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Alrighty, now we arrived early at Belize. This is a port where you can shop safely at the port area or do an excursion safely but after riding through the town and surrounding area I would NOT venture out on my own there.

 

Our excursion left at 7:30 so we were up early.

We did the city tour and Altun Ha Mayan Ruins tour.

we had early breakfast at the buffet then straight to the Amber Palace to gather for our excursion.

we had to tender in to port. It is about a 6 miles ride in the tender boat. We had calm seas but at the speed we were zipping along at we still had an exciting ride to and from!!

If you have trouble with motion sickness, take you meds before going on this tender boat and sit in the back. The front bumps up and down a lot. It took about 10 to 12 minutes to get to shore.

 

We walked through the shopping area and loaded on a large air conditioned bus and we started our city tour.

Most people ride bikes and drive small cars. We saw dozens of old VW bugs there .

Gas was $5 per gallon, a bag of doritos was $5.

They are one of the few places left that do NOT have a McDonalds or KFC. The only franchise place they have is ONE Subway shop and it is new.

The nicer homes had concrete walls around them, with barbed wire and broken glass along the top of the wall. All the houses in town had the ,metal burglar bars on them. By our standards they were very poor looking shacks. Once we got out of town and into the jungle area it got much worse.

 

We saw houses that were one room round huts like you would see on a documentary on TV about an african village. Laundry was hung from a rope between trees and there was a cooking pit outside and outdoor toilets too. Many were on stilts too. Many had picked papayas and fruits from their yards and set them by the road to sell but I never saw anyone buying them. These people were 10 to 15 miles from the city with NO electricity or stores around, no phones, no TV, absolutely nothing but work to do.

They do require kids to go to school through age 14. You really appreciate what you have after seeing islands.

Our guides were great and the ruins were awesome.

 

We had a few minutes to shop before getting on the tender boat . We stayed in the fenced area at the port which had eveything you could think of and the people were very nice.

Many dont keep change for $20 if you are only spending a few dollars so bring small bills to all these islands if you can.

 

The ride back to the ship was as exciting as the first trip across.

WE missed lunch on the ship so we had sandwiches at the deli which were excellant.

 

By now it was 5:00 and we pulled out and were off for the next port.At 7:00 p.m. we went to see the Magician. His name was Justin Illusion.

He was very good and he was very entertaining with dancing and acrobatic stuff as well as magic. Tip: if you ever see him, sit down below, not the balcony as we did. We could see above and behind on some trick so we saw how it was done.:(

 

Our Caper said there was country music that night in the Promenade so we went to enjoy that but found out it was just a DJ playing CD's. We thought it was going to be live music.

They did have a live Calypso band and a piano player in the Piano bar and in the atrium area of the ship was a piano, flute and cello player at times. Not out kind of music.

Although they were very good at what they did and sometimes they had a female vocalists singing and she did an excellant job at Frank Sinatra type songs.

 

We decided at 9:00 to check out Karoake again and hope we just caught the DJ on a bad night. He was just as rude as ever. This time when speaking while others were singing he wanted people to toast and drink up, then order the special of the day. He was just too rude to the singers so we left as did several others. We felt sorry for those who wanted to sing.

 

At 11:00 there was an adult comedy show that was really funny. But there was about 6 or 7 kids in the front row that were maybe 15 years old. It was 18 and older. Even the comedian asked them their age and of course they said 18 but everyone knew they were lying. No CM's checked their ID or made them leave. One looked pretty embarassed by the end of the show.

 

Most of the teens seemed to be looking for something to do all week long.

Ana (16), said the teen club opened at 1:00 to around midnight.

The CM's never greeted them or introduced themselves or talked with them during the time she was there. They talked with each other.

Every couple of hours they played some music for dancing that lasted about 30 minutes.

They had a few structured events, but if less than 10 kids showed up they cancelled it. even if the event didnt need that many kids to do. Mostly the teens gathered in seats outside the teens club and chatted. Very disappointing for her. Our 16 year old grandaughter said Disney is 100 times better!!

 

The 12 to 14 club was a little better. I Andy said it opened at 2:00 to 11:00 most nights.

They had lots of video games to play but only from 5 to 7 p.m. The rest of the day you couldnt play them. They also had Foos Ball and Air Hockey from 5 to 7 also. Other than that they did have a couple of dances which didnt interest a 12 year old boy. At least now I know why the kids were in the pools so much. Not enough to do in the clubs so kids just ran around the ship.

I must say I bumped into many teens on this cruise who wernt looking where they were going and EVERYONE of them said I'm sorry!! BRAVO for their manners!!

 

 

They dont have a movie theater, but later in the week in the Ebony cafe They did play a couple of shows.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show and I think I love my Wife. Not exactly a family movie if you've ever seen them. We walked by and saw about 6 people in there.

PPV movies on TVfor $13.99 but they wernt so great either.

 

Off to bed, tomarrow is Costa Maya

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Costa Maya,

 

We were up early again. We had a 8:15 excursion, the Costa Maya town and beach break excursion.

After breakfast we headed down the long pier to meet at the end for our excursion.

If you've never been to Costa Maya the pier is about 1/3 of a mile long and then a side pier where we docked close to the end. They even have a slow moving tram you can ride for free from one end to the other.

 

We still are having calm seas, only 3.5 foot waves in the docking area. Much of the cruise the ocean was smooth as glass. We saw many large fish around the pier. The water is so clear there you can look down many feet and see all kinds of cool fish as you walk along.

 

Costa Maya is just now growing around the dock area. They have several shops there and some will dicker prices with you. There is a free pool there with a swim up bar.

Marie had a power boat excursion which was cancelled due to sea conditions, but nobody told them until they reached the end of the pier and someone noticed a group of people standing around. They said they notified the ship a couple of hours ago. Nobody announced it on board!! If they had, they may of been able to do a last minute booking for something else, even a beach day.

That was very disappointing for them, but instead of complaining they just jumped in the pool and made a day out of the pool, eating lunch out and shopping.

 

Our excursion took us to the outer areas of the city and the guide referred to it as "The Projects". It was about the worst I have ever seen in all my 15 cruises for poverty. Then we rode out to the jungle area and saw many one room shacks just like the previous island.

We sw many Iguanas and even a monkey in the top of a tree eating. Our vehicle was like a big yellow dune buggy, open air.

 

Eventually we made it to a nice beach area where they had a covered area with tables and chairs and we could have nachos and pop or beer which was included in our excursion. There was a nice beach area with several hammocks and umbrellas with tables and chairs.

The rip tides got worse and they changed to a red flag so we could only wade to our knees, but ok to lay down in the water to cool off.

We stayed for about an hour then off to see the fishing village of Mahual to shop.

All along these part of the island there is NO electricity. They use solar panels, or generators. We did see a couple of new hotels that can only be 3 stories high so not to ruin the view of the ocean.

The village was fun but didnt have enough time to see it all. Lots of locals selling things, great beach, open air massages on the beach area. Greg loves to dicker prices and we got some good buys while we were there. One example would be a set of decorative coasters made of fish bones in a Mayan design were $35 and he got them for $13.

 

Back to the shopping area. where we ran into Marie and grandkids and learned about their cancellation. We did some shopping and had a late lunch of a mexican burrito and home made salsa and guacamole.

we headed back to the ship to cool off. It was close to 100 at every port and very humid.

Lunch had a dessert buffet which was very nice. we went just for dessert since we ate on the island.

 

It was semi formal night and we set sail at 5 p.m..

Since it was the 4th of July at dinner we all stood and sang God Bless America followed by a conga line around the restaurant..

Greg had a steak with mashed potatoes. The potates were in a tiny cup that only held about 2 tablespoons. I really laughed at that portion. Wish I had my camera for that one.

Our waiter did show up after Greg finished his steak to ask if he wanted more potatoes.

 

In walking around we did see many signs by the photographers and their back drops saying NO cameras allowed, so you couldnt take any of your own photos.

 

well off to bed.

Sea day tomarrow.

 

They had a big 4th if July deck party that night. They tried to sell hats to wear that looked like the funnel of the ship. I didnt see one person wearing them!! Accept Funship Freddie.

He is the ships mascott and he looks like he has a giant funnel head with a big cheesy smile.

The party had loud music and some games which you couldnt see due to the huge mass of people. Dance contest stuff too, followed by a mexican buffet.

Marie stayed but it was so crowded you couldnt move, so we decided to find something inside to do.

 

We did a game called faces of the 80's where they show a face and you name who it is. I got 17 out of 20 which for me was very good.

The late night show tonight was a hypnotist, Peter Mamos.

He was very good and had about 12 volunteers from the audience, to assist him with the show,

The deck party was actually after his show, I just got them posted backwards.

 

 

 

continued:

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Sea Day,

 

slept in til 6:30, the beds were very comfortable.

It was very HOT again today.

After breakfast I decided to donate the last of my gambling money to the casino, before it got crowded and smokey. It didnt take long to do. But I had fun playing the slots.

 

 

 

Later we found how who done it for the murder mystery game.

Then they had the debarkation talk. This was the first time we saw the captain.

we went on deck to see Survivor at sea game show. People did crazy things like laying on their stomachs with hands behind your back and and eat a bowl of ice cream. It was fun to watch.

It was followed by a water melon eating contest.

 

Then we went to the restaurant to go on a Galley tour.

The place held over 500 people and it was full !! The Chef who talked for 5 minutes isnt say much aout the kitchen and how it worked, instead he gave number like how many bananas are consumed or burgers etc.. Then everyone was to line up and walk through the galley and at the other end would be cook books for sale.

we left without going through. After 40 minutes they were still lined up to go in. w ejust didnt want to stand all that time to ust walk through a kitchen with nobody telling us about it like other galley tours w ehave been on. It was poorly organized. Just my opinion.

 

After lunch we went to Mind games then off to the Newely wed game show which was funny.

I am not a bingo player but they had from 4 to 7 games of bingo each day too.

 

Tonight was the second formal night and we didn't feel like dressing up again, so we did dinner at the buffet.

At 10:00 p.m. thye had a musical called Rockin down Broadway. They did a lot of music from broadway shows and they did a take off from the Full Monty".

Yep, we had 4 males out on stage in their police uniforms who slowly took off the jacket, then shirt, then long pants to baggie underwear. they turned their backs and pulled them off which left them with a tiny G- string on, they pulled it off then turned around placing their hat over their private area and the lights went out. That was for all the ladies since they had show girls the first night.

My only complaint was they should of rated this show instead of leaving it as a family show for both this show and the show girls on the first night. I know kids see more than that on TV but, I am an old fashioned mom/ grandma and I dont think it was apropriate for families.

It was a good show and I did enjoy it very much, just thought it should of been adults only.

 

At 11;30 p,m, they did have an adult hypnotist show which was very funny.

 

well it is 1:00 a.m. so off to bed,

tomarrow is Nassau our final stop before arriving home.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

we are up early for our last day on the ship, although we didnt arrive at Nassau until 10:00 a.m.

It was a sad docking for me. I went up on deck and watched us pull up to one of my favorite ships, The Wonder. I wanted to jump over there so bad!!! It was like seeing my second home.

 

No excursions here for us because we have been so many times before.

Just as we were about ot leave our room, Marie called and said 3 of them were sick and had to cancel their snorkeling excusion. She asked if Ana could come with us.

So we took Ana into town.

Along the way we ran into AnneMarie and her family so we directed them to the straw market.

We did a horse and carriage ride, then to the Pirate Museum and then to shop at the Straw Market where we saw Lisa nad her family and then a few more shops.

 

The traffic was worse than usual due to them celebrating their independence day.

It was so hot we returned to the ship about 2:00 p.m.. We did have a very good time.

We dashed to the buffet for lunch and today was the chocolate extravaganza!! Tons of chocolate desserts that day.

 

Greg had a head ache from all the heat so he laid down and Ana and I headed to the spa and the nice whirl pool and jacuzzi there until 4:00 when it closed.

We pulled out about 5:30.

I believe this is where we left 8 people who never showed back up to the ship. Yes it was Nassau, they were all one family.

 

We checked in on Marie and family and they were feeling better but not up to going to dinner, so we skipped the dining room and went to the buffet where they had prime rib.

Marie said they had left the room long enough for room host to come in and clean earlier and when they returned the chocolates they give you were gone. The kids had them lined up on the counter and had saved 17 of them to bring home for a treat later. They were in plain sight.

They looked everywhere but couldnt find them, so the host had to of removed them.

It just didnt make sense. I would of asked them about it but she didnt want to bother since they were not feeling well anyway. each day they added to it, so the host had seen them all week sitting there. They had ate some.

I had saved ours too and will give them to them when they go home as a surprize.

I thought that was a rotton thing to do. Even if they thought they wernt eating them, they had no biusiness removing them.

 

I finished packing and looked at pictures to buy for the final time. $21.99 for an 8x10 was a bit much for me, but we did get a couple and a few smaller ones that were $7.99. No package deals for pictures like other lines.

 

There was a final musical but i was tired so stayed in the room to relax and we listened to it perfectly from our room since we were right over the top of the stage.

 

A few things that we heard and saw this week that was unacceptable to us:

 

CM's cussing while talking with another CM.

Yelling at a CM in front of guests

Smoking while on duty in guest areas

Dirty unifroms

Clothes were not neatly tucked in at waist.

earrings and tongue studs on males.

funky spiked hair do's

Only greeted twice on the cruise by CM's

CM's taking breaks in the buffet area where guests are sitting. They do have employee areas for this.

CM's walking down the hallways in groups chatting among themselves sipping drinks and eating in guest areas.

Speaking in foreign languages in front of the guests

 

 

just things you NEVER see on Disney.

 

Nest Debarkation THE NIGHTMARE!!!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

They start debarkation at 7:30 a.m. You can do self assist which means you carry off all your own luggage or set your luggage out in the hallway between 9 and 11 p.m. the night before and pick it up in the terminal.

 

They let people with early flights off first, then people who have special needs which was great.

Next was self assist. Now they call your deck by colors. we called and asked the pursers desk if they were going to call from 1 to 11 in order. but they said No. There is no reason for the order they call.

Then for people who had their luggage left out the night before they did the same thing.

Which ever color luggage is ready first to be taken off the ship will be called.

They rotate on a conveyor belt like at the airport. They insist all the color be picked up before they call the next color, then through customs and your done.

 

Problem is, we were on deck 6 and Marie was on deck 1. Of course we were among the first off and 3 1/2 hours later they got off. We had to wait in that 95 degree heat for them all that time. Luckily we could run the air conditioner for part of the time.

 

It took them about 45 minutes just to get through the first line to get to the escalator to the luggage area. Then waiting for luggage to come by. Then off to customs. They stopped several people who didnt have their forms filled out correctly, they kept the man of the family with the luggage and sent everyone else outside to wait.

This caused a lot of problems. There was a woman and a baby crying outside the terminal because she had been waiting with her baby for her husband who had left something off his form. The babies diapers and bottles had to be inspected with her husband. She kept asking then yelling to speak to her husband and get her diapers and fluids for her baby.

 

A cop was called over and threatened to arrest her, so she said go ahead and arrest me and I will be on the 5 o'clock news. He walked away and left her and the baby. Finally a port person brought out a phone so she could speak with her husband but she and the baby had to wait in the heat still.

2 people were arrested and taken away by the police as others were in a state of frenzy wanting to know what happened to their families. It had been hours. I dont know what they did to get arrested.

 

This slowed everyone down. Marie had the same experience like we had. No one thanked them for coming, no please come back again, or hope you enjoy d your stay with us.

Just herded out like cattle. The only friendly face was the customs agent, we had the same experience a few hours earlier. It took over an hour to get off the ship for us.

 

Greg went to the outside of the building after about 3 hours to wait for them, it was after 12 so we knew they had to be coming soon. he saw the screaming lady and many others who were complaining and wondering about their families still inside.

I think families should be kept together during debarkation, which you could do if you did self assist. but bags for 6 people to carry out and down an escalator, with 3 people still not feeling well just wouldnt work too well,

Plus if your detained by customs I think your entire family should be waiting together until things are sorted out, even if they had to wait in a small room off to one side, not separate them and send some out in the heat to wait.

Many of these people had planes to catch too.

 

I know some may of had things they shouldnt have brought back, but we saw several who just had made a mistake on their forms and they insisted a full luggage search for them too.

What a big mess it all was.

 

We started debarkation at around 8 for us and we didnt leave the parking lot until shortly after 1 p.m. to go home.

 

the next posts after this will show the main differences between arnival Glory and Disney in several areas.

some will be my opinion for how we like things done, some is just plain common sense things. I will try to keep it as impartial as I can.

 

Kathy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISNEY AND CARNIVAL.[/font]

ok, both ships had some things we liked better than the other ship, so here goes,

I am trying to be factual to our experiences,not just what we like or dislike. But my personality does come into play, I cant help it.

Boarding process: Carnival

Carnival we were told to go and park in the parking garage because at 11:00 a.m. they were still debarking from the ship and that someone would tell us when we could drive around and drop off luggage and check in,

Parking spots were very small and we had a full size truck which was hard to find a spot we could get into. Most of the garage was filled due to another ship they had cruising from the port on a previous day.

we did find a spot and waited for an hour and nobody came to say anything to us, so we decided to carry our luggage to the drop off area since we didnt want to loose our parking spot and people were looking for spots.

There were 6 of us , so quite a bit of luggage and we did manage to get to the terminal which was a fair walk in the heat and humidity, We did find a porter there to take our bags across the street and into the terminal.

We then proceeded to go inside to check in. First part was quick but then they make you stop and fill out the Bahamas form, 2 pens for 25 people, then you are split two directions to check in according to your room number. we went a different way than our family which caused some problems because we were all on the same credit card accept one adult.

They did put us at the same check in spot where the lady had to redo our cards 4 times to get us right. I guess she was having a bad day, 5 or 6 others check in during the time she took to get us checked in,

You cant take any family photos in the terminal anywhere. Disappointing.

Finally down the walkway and onto the ship and of course the boarding photo. once across the gangplank people were standing around not sure where to go?? We saw an open door down the walkaway and proceeded there and yes we were to enter there, They took our cards and checked us on and took a photo to show up on our records.

Lobby was crowded and a bar on our left, seats full of people on our right with a narrow path to the other side of the room. Nobody to show us where to go?? Greg finally found a CM to tell us the direction of the elevators and what deck lunch was on.

DCL Boarding differences:

Bahamas papers filled out at home, saves time.

can go to any check in window and keep family together even with different room numbers

can take family photos in the terminal

quick check in process

No second photo at boarding

You are greeted individually as you enter the ship and explained where lunch is being served and where to go to find it and they will answer any other questions you may have.

No congestion by the door caused by people buying drinks.

DISNEY WINS BOARDING PROCESS

Food was great on the ship.

Both ships tie on that point

Service in the dining room:

Carnival we had a good waiter but very impersonal,

Drink server only asked one person if they wanted a drink from the bar, that is where you order pop from too. Never asked the other 5 of us if we wanted a drink.

Waiter brought water and iced tea if you wanted but had to ask for it.

Upon arrival (2nd night) Nobody to greet us and show us where our table was. we missed first night(read report for details). I asked one person at the desk where our table was, he pointed off to the right and said over there. No numbers on tables. So I asked a waiter there where our table was, explaining we were sent to that side of the dining room to find it. He pointed to the far left side and said I think it is over there. and then left us. So i proceed to go out of the door back to the far left side of the restaurant and found another waiter and asked him which table was ours. he pointed to the far wall and said it's over there against the wall. Ok, there are about 25 tables against the wall with no numbers and so how do I tell which is ours. Your the 3rd person I've asked to help. He just shrugged his shoulders, so I gave him a look that said 'show me the ### TABLE. He finally walked us over to the table or at least within 3 tables of it. Waiter never acknowledged us by name.

Disney Dining:

Every night you are greeted by name and taken to your table. wait staff calls you by name and remember how you like your food cooked.

drink server is back many times to check on your beverages for everyone!! Offers to get you more of everything or something different if you dont seem to like what you have.

Dining room: Disney wins hands down

Buffet set up: Carnival:

food is very good.

Huge area, 2 large sides to the buffet. Mnay smaller places to get other foods around the buffet.

Pizza 24 hours, deli sandwiches, hot dogs stand, burgers, chinese food, italian foods, mexican food, all day long,plus the buffet. Nice selecion of sugar free desserts for DH. upper seating too with fish and chips stand and other sea foods.

No pop, just lemonade, coffee, one type tea, orange juice, apple juice ice water, milk and chocolate milk.

food was very good and well prepared.

CM's in there hardly ever smiled, they were polite if they spoke to you. very clean. but many CM's had their hair messy, shirts partially untucked, employees were eating i n the buffet with guests off to one side too.

Buffet on Disney: food is just as good, but not nearly the selection or seating arrangements.

more selection of teas and of course pop . CM's are nicer and clean cut and sharp looking.

Carnival has better set up and over all selection of food in the buffet.

Service, Disney is best .

Crew member in general:

On Carnival we saw many with dirty uniforms, untucked shirts, spiked hair with earrings on males, tongue studs, arguing between CM's, cussing in front of guests, reprimanding a CM in front of a room full of people which was unprofessional in my opinion. We saw crew smoking while on duty around the ship.

we were only greeted 2 or 3 times the entire trip. At photo shop we bought 4 different times and were only greeted and thanked one time!!

Boarding no one said welcome aboard, as we left no one said thankyou or come again or good bye. CM who took our cards to clock us off the ship was chatting to another CM so never said a word just grabbed our cards , put them into slot and handed them back.

The customs agent was the only smiling friendly person we saw.

Cruise director was very friendly and so was his assistant, but we only saw them at events on the ship.

Room host was excellant but didnt speak much english. He did take extra good care of us.

Maries room host removed mints that they were saving. WHY??? Didnt he have enough in his cart already?? taking candy from a kid??

Disney:

CM's start greeting you the second you step onto the ship.

EVERY CM says hello as you walk down the hallways. Even the Captain will stroll the hallways and stop and say hello.

They are neatly dressed, no funky hairdos and NO cussing or smoking in front of guests you are always greeted and thanked in the stores around the ship.

when you leave there are several CM's to say good bye and ask you to return again. For us the Captain was always there to say farewell too, but we always are among the first off, so he may not be there all the time. You felt at home while there and like you were going to be missed onc eyou leave, even though you know they wont remember you.

Attitude of CM's on board Disney wins hands down. We never felt welcome on Carnival. Disney you feel like you are at home there.

Rooms:

We had a room with a verandah.

Room lay out was better than disney. it was 100 square feet smaller but you never noticed. 3 large closets, one was all shelves, floor to ceiling, several small drawers, TV was much larger, drawers under the couch. One bathroom, not split and no tub just a shower, but for just 2 people it was great because it was so much larger and more room in the shower and you could sit on the toilet without hitting your knees on the wall in front of you. if you have small kids and want the little tub this isnt for you.

Balcony was smaller but did hold 2 chairs and a table. all have clear plexi glass for a great view. Bed was very comfortable and when you arrive your cooler is locked. you have to have room host unlock it. It is filled with pop, beer and mini bottles of hard liquor. You will be charged if you drink any of this and it will be replinished daily if you choose to drink it.

We removed part of it so we could put our own beverages in it to keep cool, they do lock it up the last night at bed time, so must have your stuff out by then. Carnival does allow you to bring some pop on board, so we did.

Disney has split baths so if you have more people this is better. Balconies are larger, frig is empty and ready for your use. Beds are comfortable. Plenty of storage for luggage.

We have to give this one to Carnival for the layout of the room, for us it was much better than Disney. Beds were of equal comfort.

Ease of finding your way around.

Carnival: Ok, one deck #5 the Promenade is the only inside deck you can go from one end to the other of the ship without zig zagging through restaurants or up and down different stairways on the inside of the ship. This is a beautiful area of the ship. all the shops and the casino are there, lots of seating to sit and enjoy, many of the clubs are also here so they are easy to get to.The decor is awesome here and in the lobby 2 floors down. In the center the ceiling changes colors and glass elevators go wayup for a spectacular view.

However they often set up photo stations among the chairs on this deck which means people and photographers block the walkway and you have to fight your way through. Also you can't use your own camera where they have the backdrops set up at. They also have tequilla tasting there which really blocked the hallway. Teen club is nearby so in the evenings the area is filled with teens so you cant find a seat to relax is you want at one end, the other end is across from the casino,Smokey smelling.

Here is the bad part of sitting across from the casino, seats are non smoking but 8 feet away in the casino you can smoke and you can smell it really strong when you sit there or walk by the area.

If your a smoker it's no big deal but for us non smokers it is not so good. I dont mind the smoking there, but it should be glass enclosed to keep the smell in or have a better ventilation system. Children walk this all the time too. It is very hard to go from end to end inside without walking through here and it its dinner time you cant get through the restaurants, so you are stuck.

upper decks are a pain, later for that.

Disney,

you can walk the length of the ship on almost every deck easily at any time, inside or upper decks. all these areas inside are non smoking areas.

decks are different story, I will address later.

Kids clubs:

12 to 14 year olds.

Didnt open until 2:00 p.m. and closed by 11:00 p.m.

they had a couple of dances and then had video games from 5 to 7 at night with foos ball and air hockey. No real structured events most of the time. Just sit and chill out until 5 to 7 at night. Counselors didnt interact with kids, just talked among themselves so the kids were left up to finding ways to entertain themselves.

Andy votes Disney is 100 times better than Carnival.

Teen Club:

Decor of club was great with a soda fountain.

It varied in hours some but generally opened at 1:00 but closed around midnight.

They did use the fountain once to make all the kids virgin drinks and every so often they would play music to dance by for 30 minutes.

On the few structured events they had if less than 10 kids showed up they would cancel it. Even if the event could easily be done with less kids. very disappointing.

Counselors never asked kids their names or said much to them. They just sat off to the side and chatted among themselves 95% of the time.

Ana never heard their names or had them say one word to her, so she quite going most of time the last few days, She juste looked in to see what was happening. Usually the club was empty and then teens were just hanging out together in the promenade area of the ship.

Ana did meet a couple of nice girls to hang with, but none of them liked the club or the counselors.

Ana says Disney is so much better and friendlier that she cant even begin to compare the two. It is like a sweet watermelon comapred to a persimmon. you can guess which is the melon and which is the persimmon.

Don't know about the club for younger kids.

They do have a mascot on the ship, Funship Freddie. Most younger kids were afraid of him.

see photo in trip report.

Disney is open longer hours and has more activites for all ages. CM's interact with the kids.

Pool for toddlers was really tiny. It looked like a colored planter box. we did see a few toddlers and parents using it a couple of days, but honestly only 3 or 4 at a time can fit and that was tight.

Disney wins on kids clubs according to my grandkids.

Arcade on board was AWESOME!!! Much larger than Disney and more choices for the kids. It takes up one large room behind the teens club. This does cost extra.

Arcade, Carnival wins hands down.

Debarkation:

This is a nightmare on carnival. Please read the above report for details.

Disney easy walk off the ship anytime after they say we are cleared. Must be out of room by 9:00 a.m. CM's to say thankyou, please come back again, Captain says farewell at least when the first people are getting off.

Luggage is set in area by room and color, so easy to get luggage, walk through customs and your done.

Even the times it was packed in the atrium to get off it never took more than 35 minutes total

Disney wins this hands down.

Upper deck areas:

Carnival has 3 upper deck areas although 2 of the upper decks are just smaller areas you can stand up on for the view. These are small areas. One has the entrance to the slide, the other has a small jogging track and a basketball area. One also had kids clubs in it.

The main outside deck , deck 9 has the buffet and pools and hot tubs.

There is a tiny bit of shade with chairs and tables next to the buffet, but all the rest is in direct sun.

There is a small jogging path on one upper deck too.

Seats are tiered and take up almost all the deck area. Because of the tiered seating you have several sets of mini stairs to go up and down to get across the deck area, It is a pain in the rear!! Pools are small too. The pool at the aft end behind the buffet had a roof they could close for bad weather so you could still use it. the pools are salt warer and really hard on the eyes and skin. Since you have to sit or lay in direct sun they do have several cold water fountains and several places to shower off that are NOT close to the pool area. 2 ping pong tables on the upper deck in the wind.

Front of ship has lots of plexi glass windows to stop some of the wind at the front of the ship which is nice, accept they are cloudy and dirty looking even when clean due to the weather and salt air. it is NOT a good view and you cant take a picture through it either.

There are places along the sides where there is no plexi glass to take a picture.

Decl 3 has outer deck but you can only walk 1/3 of the length of the ship there.

deck 4 has a nice deck but you cant go out there. I t says for emergencies only.

Disney,

Outer deck 4 is jogging / walking deck with shuffleboard and you can go all the way around the ship for your walk.

Deck 9 has lots of shaded tables and chairs and buffet and food places. You can walk 3/4 of the way around the deck. pools and hot tubs are located here too.

Disney has one pool and 2 hot tubs for adults only and they enforce this.

also pool tables and foos ball located here.

deck 10 has lots of sun, basketball and you can walk all the way around. Plenty of loungers and tables and chairs. much easier to navigate.

Disney wins this one for deck space, size of pools, adult only areas, ease of navigating the decks.

No salt water either to be harsh on skin and eyes.

Photographers:

Carnival: they do a great job. Set up their backdrops in the flow of traffic on decks 4 and 5 and some times near the lobby on deck 3 but there they are out of the way.

You are NOT allowed to use your own camera there.

No package picture deals

8x10 was $21.99 5x7 was $8.99 4x6 was $7.99

Pictures are so crowded they over lap them when set out so only one person shows so hard to spot your photo.

Carnival take triple the amount of photos Disney does.

CM at desk, never greeted us,no smile, no thankyou. we were there 4 times purchasing photos,

Disney:

Take good photos

backdrops are out of the way better, although you can get a line in the lobby , but they rope it off so people can still get past easily.

You can buy a package deal to save money

CM's are always smiling, they greet you and thank you.

Pictures are displyed with full photo showing so it's easier to find your photo.

you can use your own camera to take photos after photographer is done.

Disney wins this too.

Elevators and stairways.

Carnival has several glass elevators in the mid ship plus front, midship and aft has elevators that number from 4 to 8 at each place. Besides the stairs by each elevator they have small stairways around the ship to go to various places so you can spread out to get places. Carnival holds more people on their ships so they really need all these elevators. No trash cans by elevators. small ship on wall for directory but hard to read.

Disney: Has stairways and elevators front, midship and aft but not as many as Carnival.

Disney has 3 glass elevators in atrium.

Trash cans by all elevators. Directory in each elevator. Drink of the day posted in elevator.

Carnival wins on elevators because they have so many, but for directories and ease of reading them Disney wins. so this is kind of a tie.

Entertainment on board:

Carnival: evening shows were pretty good but you have the same 2 singers all week. The man was flat, he couldnt hit the high notes. The woman was great and dancers were good too. But at the welcome aboard show they did wear the skimpy vegas showgirl costumes. The only thing they really revealed was the naked butt with a gold g-string over the crack. it didnt offend me, but this was a family show with lots of kids in the audience. I know today kids see much worse on TV and I am old fashioned, I know but if I had young kids I would not of wanted them to be there. I think they should of warned us in the caper paper.

The comedian, magician, hyptonist were all very good. The adult only shows were very funny, although they didnt check ID of some very obvious young teens, see report for details.

One family show later in the week did feature a spoof on The Full Monty which was very funny and we all enjoyed it, but this was a family show and if I had young kids I would not of wanted them to see this. I think Carnival should of posted a warning in the Caper about the content of this show for parents of young kids.

I do realize most young kids have seen more than this on TV and most people dont think anything about this. I am a person with old fashion values by todays standards and I would NOT of wanted my young kids to see this. I am not saying to not have it, but warn people who may choose not to have their kids see this.

It was a funny show and very entertaining, but not for young kids. Just my opinion.

Can't compare the Casino since Disney doesnt have one. I thought the amount of tables and slots were fine and it was very pretty with the decor in there, but as I stated in kmy report they needed to have it enclosed so the smoke wouldnt filter into the main walkway or have a better ventilation system.

extra speciality food places.

Carnival had much more food choices for places other than main restaurants.

There was a deli, pizza place, hot dog place , hamburger place, coffe shop, milk shakes, fish n chips , daily themed special place, chinese food place, evening sushi bar, 4 places to get ice cream and frozen yogurt open 24 hours,deck 5 has place that offers different foods or speciality drinks each day, plus the buffet area which was almost open all day.

2 late night buffets and one mexican late night buffet, plus a chocolate extravaganza one day.

Disney does have burgers and pizza, chicken sandwiches,coffee shop and more but they are not open as long as these places.

quality is the same but carnival is open later and has more of a variety than Disney.

Carnival wins on this one.

Restaurants:

Carnival only has 2 main restaurants and they are huge!!! very pretty but lousy service over all. wait staff not helpful or very friendly. very crowded tables. food was very good.

Disney:

You have 3 different restaurants for you to try, friendly staff and they greet you each day. food is good.

Disney wins by a huge amount on helpfulness and friendliness of wait staff alone!!

Characters:

Carnival has Fun Ship Freddie

Disney: well everyone knows all the characters they have for the kids.

Disney wins this one.

Cleanliness:

Carnival ship was pretty clean but no trash cans to use accept 3 on upper decks. If you have a cold and sneeze into a tissue you will be carrying it until you go to an upper deck or go back to your room. This may sound petty but I looked for trash cans many times during the week and wound up carrying a dirty tissue for a couple of hours.

NO hand sanitation stations at restaurants or kids clubs.

Disney: has hand sanitizing stations all over the ship and at the gangplanks. waste baskets by every elevator and on all decks.

Disney wins for sanitation

I know there are more things to compare, but I dont have a month to post.

We had a good time on Carnival and it is a beautiful ship. But for what we look for in service and entertianment Disney is for us.

If you are big into drinking at 20 different bars and gambling then this is the cruise for you. It is a party ship and we are not big party people.

Please dont misunderstand, I am not knocking Carnival, it is great for many people, just not for us. We are too spoiled by Disney. we did have a good time. Just not the AWESOME time we always have on Disney.

Disney just spoils you to death on their cruises!!

we tried Carnival because the Magic was gone this summer and we wanted to take the grandkids on a 7 day cruise. I know NOT all Carnival ships are like this I have friends who have had awesome cruises with them.

But for our money, we will stick with Disney.

If anyone has any questions, please ask And I will try to answer them for you.

up next will be some photos,

mom x4,grandma x4

[mom x4,grandma x4]

ana on formal night

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=welcomeaboard019.jpg

our boarding photo

 

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=welcomeaboard011.jpg

dune buggy bus we took for our Costa Maya excursion

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=welcomeaboard009.jpg

 

Ana fighting off apirate at the Pirate museum at Nassau

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise243.jpg

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Horse and buggy ride at Nassau

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise216.jpg

 

decor of Ivory Bar

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise204.jpg

 

our restaurant

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise200.jpg

 

view of dance floor in the lobby

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise197.jpg

 

Platnum restaurant

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/?action=view&current=carnivalcruise199.jpg

[mom x4,grandma x4]

our balcony

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/sixtoedfrog/carnivalcruise192.jpg

[mom x4,grandma x4]

[mom x4,grandma x4]

The above picture is the aft pool.

I think I finally got this photo thing figured out, I hope, please bear with me.

 

long pier to the right at Costa May

 

long pier to the right of the ship

 

Shopping area at Costa Maya

[mom x4,grandma x4]

apaerments outside of the city at Costa Maya, NO electricity. Generators or solar panels or nothing!! Many had nothing.

 

 

monkey in tree on our excursion

 

beach hut for beverages and nachos on our break

 

new 3 story hotel along the beach.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

A typical house in Belize outside the city limits , one room, cook and wash outside.

 

mayan ruins at Belize

 

our guide on top of temple

 

beautiful bar on ship

[mom x4,grandma x4]

water break on jungle hike

 

 

Jungle hike

 

cave where people hid during storms that came through the islands

 

replica of prayer house

 

inside of prayer house

[mom x4,grandma x4]

our hiking group, guide has blue bandana on

sunset

 

us with ship in background

 

our group from Cruise Critic

 

Calypso band

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Me and Funship Freddie

 

amber palace

 

 

 

 

 

a beautiful theater

 

[mom x4,grandma x4]

ceiling that changes colors in lobby

 

casino

 

Teen area, themed for monopoly

more of teen area

[mom x4,grandma x4]

one side of the arcade.

 

 

 

 

I hop eyou enjoyed the report and photos but I figured I have bored you enough for one cruise,

 

thanks for sharing my report with me,

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[pisces68]

I think you did an awesome job comparing the 2 cruise lines! I also just got back from Carnival (Liberty) which was beautiful but... you just felt like something was missing. I am 39 years old and it just wasnt "fun". I am not a big drinker and there were alot of drunk people on this cruise. In fact, my 14 year old daughter was offered a drink right in front of me!!

We took Disney back in 2004 and loved it! Of course my daughter was younger then but she did not like this cruise. There was nothing for her to do in the 12-14 yr old group. We're glad we did the cruise and we couldnt go wrong for the money but after much discussion, it will be Disney again the next time!

Great job!!

[firefly333]

Hard to tell which ship you were on, are you going to post this on the Carnival board since it is mainly about Carnival?

 

Did you ask at the purser's desk for a fold out copy of the deck plans? I cant remember if it was in the cabin or we had to go ask for it, I get Carnival and Princess mixed up. I would not have gone all week without a copy of the deck plans.

 

We liked the checking in by deck, last time we had cabins on the Lido deck and no line because so few cabins and everyone else had to wait in line, sorry you disliked this method.

 

We do self disembarkation, even though I have to manage both suitcases since my sister really is mobility challenged, I manage. So far I think RCI gets the worst award in this area.

 

I dont remember no one being friendly like you said, maybe its true the ships out of Texas get Texasized and become more friendly.

 

Interesting viewpoint, thanks.

 

PS If you think the pier is long at Costa Maya, you should go to Progresso, its 3 miles long!!!! It was raining so hard at Costa Maya, then I forgot money and had to take that little cart back to the ship in the rain, thats one stop that needs another look by us, but we have been to all those ports. Recognized the pictures and thats always fun.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Firefly,

I dont know if they had a deck plan or not. we had thought about asking but there was such a huge long line every time we went by the Pursers desk.

 

Even though I have NOT cruised other Carnival ships I know some of them are great with wonderful crews because we have friends who have taken other ships.

 

I think it was just one of those times when many little things went wrong and it is hard to find good help for all those ships. It felt like we had most of the rejected crew members on our ship. I dont know why they were so rude, but they were.

 

Yes I am going to post this on the Carnival site on CC, just havnt had the time yet.

 

Debarkation:

If it was jsut us the self assist would of worked but for our family they had way too much to really make this work, plus they still wernt feeling too good and didnt want to mess with it.

But the lines just moved so slowly it took an hour just to get off the ship?? Then an hour again to get to the luggage area, then waiting for your luggage, then 45 minutes or more to get through customs because they were detaining a lot of people and many didnt have their forms filled out correctly. That really slowed everyone up.

 

Oh well, things happen, we still had a good time in spite of everything, but we learned Carnival is not for us. We all want something different from our cruises and for many Carnival is great and for others Disney is great.

 

Thanks for the responses I enjoyed reading them,

Kathy