Carnival Glory

Published by Terri C Brower
Just returned from the Glory Saturday 09/29/07… Our itinerary was handed to us as we boarded (as it had changed MANY times due to hurricane Dean), Western. and was as follows…

Sunday at sea
Monday Cozumel
Tuesday Belize
Wednesday Roatan, Honduras
Thursday at sea
Friday Freeport, Bahamas

I’m sorry…I don’t remember the exact times.

I strongly recommend booking excursions in Belize and Roatan. Both of these ports have areas where it is “not safe to pass the gates” unless you are with a respected tour company. In Belize, we did not book excursions, and were sadly disappointed because the ONLY thing that was safe to do was shop and (questionably) eat. In Cozumel, I recommend lunch at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville for the tame, or Senor Frog’s for those into “alcoholic entertainment”. In Freeport, you can hire a taxi for $5 a head, to take you to the Port Lucaya…there is GREAT shopping there, and a fabulous free beach across the way. I have never been to Nassau, but my friend who had was disappointed in Freeport. It looked like a Navy ship yard from OUR ship.

In Roatan, we booked just the Tambayana Beach excursion for $35…which was AMAZING (well, except for the rottweiler that took a dump right on the beach, and the park guy just dug a hole right next to it and buried it…less than a foot deep, so don’t let your kids build sand castles)…and we rented snorkel equipment there for $15 for 2 hours. It is a fabulous place to snorkel. Very beautiful reefs and lots of colorful fish.

The Glory itself is a beautiful ship. I personally, found plenty to see and do. I was never lacking for entertainment, but then…I’m easily pleased and amused.

The food in the dining room was amazing. The dining room staff were great, and very entertaining. They also remembered our preferences as far as beverages, and how we liked out steaks, and who of us wanted cappuccino after dinner. Incredible.

The Red Sail Buffet was awesome. Loved the food. The fish and chips place on Deck 10…also very good. I was VERY disappointed in the reuben, which others on some of the other boards have RAVED about. I spit out the first bite. Don’t miss the midnight gala buffet (which was Thursday night), or the chocolate buffet (which was Friday afternoon).

The formal nights were both on the sea days, which was helpful.

We had an interior cabin. I will NEVER do that again. Not enough space, and I HATED not knowing whether it was night or day. I will ALWAYS at least have an ocean view from now on. Although, I did get some honeymooners to let me drool over their suite…UNREAL.

Wee Jimmy…very entertaining cruise director. We didn’t SEE him alot, but his announcements were very funny.

The “R” rated comedians were pretty funny. The dancers were great. The piano bar was VERY fun. And the late night showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” was a BLAST FROM THEPAST!

Before we left, it was VERY frustrating not knowing where we were going…I didn’t so much CARE…I just wanted to know. But, if you go with the right attitude…that you are going to have a great time no matter what…then you WILL have a great time no matter what, or where you go. Don’t stress about the “where” (especially if you’re going to cruise during hurricane season) just enjoy your cruise. Fun is what YOU make it, so make it the time of your life!

Mariner of the Seas

Orginally posted by Robert E Schoenly

We recently returned from a cruise on Rccl’s Mariner of the Seas on sept 16. We are in our late 50,s.The ship was large but the ony time we felt crowded was when they had special events on the prominade deck. The balcony room was very spacious for a cruise ship but of coarse the shower was extremely small. The dinning hall was very glamerous and the staff was excellent. The food was very good and the desserts were extra special. The pools weren’t overly crowded even on sea days. The bar service wherever we were was excellent. The shows were ok but we have seen better. Nice casino with very friendly dealers. We spent a bit of time in the English Pub on the prominade deck. The entertainment was outstanding. The Chops steak house was worth every dollar we spent. The food and the service were excellent. The ship was large and beautiful. I would highly recomend this ship.

The Pinnacle of Luxury

Silver Shadow - At the Pinnacle of Luxury
Orginally posted by Art Sbarsky

There is a lot to be said about cruising on a small luxury ship. Spaciousness, dining, service and the hardware itself are the primary hallmarks of the experience. Big-time entertainment including production shows? No. Lots of glitz? No. A relaxing, quiet on-bard experience? Absolutely.

And my recent cruise on Silver Shadow, one of the two larger Silversea Cruises ships matched all of the above. Add to it an itinerary that was, for me, at least, almost all first-time calls, and it was sensational.

THE ITINERARY

Small ships can get into ports that the big ships cannot. And, because of this, an itinerary can include places that may not be known to everyone. That’s a benefit in and of itself to a lot of cruisers, especially the upscale, more experienced ones. This cruise started in Greenwich which is only four miles down the Thames from London. The overnight call gave guests the chance to explore the home of Greenwich Mean Time with all of its fabulous museums and history. You could even set your watch at the official 1PM ball drop; sort of like Times Square on New Years but not as cold or crowded. There were then three calls in France: Honfleur, a great small town for just walking around, maybe having a great local bite and beverage; the most popular tour was to the beaches of Normandy; St. Malo, another great small town, this one walled in, with a wonderful tour to Mont St. Michel; an overnight call in Bordeaux for vineyard visits including the small town of St. Emilion, a charming little place. Next up was Vigo in Spain where I went mussel farming; well, it was eating and watching, not actually doing any work. Then it was on to Portugal for stops in Oporto, the city most famous for its large number of port wineries, and an overnight call in the better-known Lisbon before disembarking. From Lisbon, where I had been before, I took a tour to Obidos, a small hillside town that’s a protected world Heritage Site. Other than Lisbon, it was all new places for me and I enjoyed all of them, especially the small walking towns. I thoroughly enjoyed the two full days at sea and a couple of late-morning port arrivals.

THE ONBOARD EXPERIENCE

The very word luxury has been used in so many ways that it has become a bit diluted over time but until a better word comes along, it fits for the cruise industry. At the same time, some of the very hallmarks that have defined luxury cruising – balconies, exotic destinations and upscale alternative restaurants – have been adopted by the premium and contemporary cruise lines. This has certainly improved the overall cruise vacation for all cruisers. It has also made the luxury operators work that much harder to distinguish themselves and earn the higher ticket revenues they charge.

Two of the primary requisites of luxury cruising are still space and service. In the case of Silver Shadow, with a capacity of 388 and tonnage of 28,258, the space ratio works out to just under 73 – an extremely high figure. Throw in the crew of 276 for a crew to guest ratio of .71 and you can easily imagine that every guest on board has plenty of space to move around in and that their service needs, whether it be on deck, in the public rooms or in the suites, will all be met. And such was the case on this cruise. The crew was seemingly always friendly, even the normally reticent non-hotel staff. The bar, dining and suite staff have a knack of learning guests names very quickly and learning their preferences. It’s amazing how they do that; it’s certainly a nice feature on the small luxury ships. And they are proactive without being pushy and sociable without being overly familiar.

There are 194 suites on board, 157 of which have balconies. About 90% of the suites fit into the Veranda Suite or Vista Suite categories, the only difference being the balconies. The room size itself is about 287 square feet — very spacious indeed. And, separating themselves from the larger, more mass market ships, all of normal luxury amenities are available: DVD and CD players; wonderful linens and pillows (lots of pillow varieties available); a choice of toiletries among Acqua di Palma, Bulgari and Neutrogena, or mix and match all three; bathtub and separate shower in the bathroom; new lounge chairs on all balconies (just put in during my cruise); and a fully stocked mini-bar (most alcohol is included with the ticket price so having non-stop champagne, wine and such in the room is no problem) is included.

On the luxury ships, dining is of course one of the major features and Silver Shadow does not disappoint. The two main places to dine are The Restaurant, a lovely, spaciously set up room, or La Terrazza, for casual buffets for breakfast and lunch and a more elegant set-up for Italian meals at night. The menu options in La Terrazza rotate among the regional cuisines of Italy so no two nights in a row are the same. This room is also the more casual alternative on formal nights although guests dress quite nicely on all nights of the cruise. On nice days, the Pool Grill is a great outdoors location for lunch with a fairly extensive menu. To say the least, I ate extremely well. For lunch on board, I usually had a self-made salad with all the fixings and topped off with shellfish, sushi, beef stroganoff, minute steaks, pasta, etc. I even indulged a couple of times and had a custom made pizza as well. Outside, the hamburgers are cooked to order, rare if desired. For dinners, I ate in the main dining room most of the time and La Terrazza a few times. In the former, I never got away with less than four courses and virtually everything was perfect. Service was occasionally off a bit but never to the point of ruining the meal. In La Terrazza, in addition to the regional specialties, there’s an appetizer buffet with prosciutto, grilled eggplant and other veggies, mozzarella and tomatoes, reggiano and more; it was enough for a meal in and of itself. Naturally, there’s a staff member there to help fill up your plate and carry it back to one’s table.

The Silver Shadow experience is not an overly active one except for those who chose to utilize the gym (four treadmills and 18 other pieces of equipment) or the dance floor. There are plenty of places to relax and enjoy the time at sea. There are no auctions or ship photographers. But there were two well-done cooking classes, scotch tasting, dance classes and a husband and wife lecture team. Evening entertainment is mostly dinner and conversation but the four cabaret performers all attracted various sized audiences. One, Jon Courtenay, is a combination pianist, conversationalist, comedian, song parodist and magician. He’s easily one of the very best entertainers I’ve seen at sea.

TO SUM UP

There’s always going to be room in the cruise industry for the luxury ships. It will be fun to watch them continually try to implement product changes to keep them ahead of the larger ships. As they do just that, everyone benefits.

Carnival Victory

Posted By Margie Beerman

My Parents And I Took The New England Cruise Out Of Ny City Sept 8Th, 07. We Couldn’T Find A Carnival Repr. Near The Baggage Claim. Once We Found Her We Joined Another Group & Eventually It Came To 40 People. It Took 4 Hours From Newark Airport To Arrive At The Ship And Get Clearance. This Was A Long Wait, We Needed To Be Moved From One Place To Another, And Stand In Alot Of Lines. This Was My First And Last Carnival Cruise. (I Cruised 6 Times Before This Adventure) I Love Attending The Evening Shows, However On This Cruise The First 2 Nights Were Horrible. There Was A Sword Swallower, And Many People Left The Show. The Following Nights The Shows Were Good. The Victory Dancers Are Awesome. Everybody I Heard And Spoke To All Were Complaining About The Cruise. The Crafts Were Made For Pre-Schoolers. Threading Beads And Painting A Visor With A Toothpick. We Enjoyed The Scenery, Ports Of Call, Especially Halifax. Peggy’S Cove Was Beautiful. And The Reversing Falls Jet Boat Ride Was Wet, Cold And Amazing. The Food Was Fair, But We Had To Wait In Long Lines,By Then Yor Food Was Cold, Hard Dry Etc. There Was A Miss. Bar-B-Que That Made Breakfast, Lunch, And Snacks That Food Was Hot, Good And Tasteful. The Chef Made Your Own Omelet. The Chefs At This Area Were Always Happy And Helpful.

I Ate Alot Of Cereal, Bacon For Breakfast, Lunch Was Hotdogs. Coming Off The Ship Was Fast, And Uneventful
Margie

Carnival Imagination

Orginally posted by : Lisa Ann Rogers

We cruised on the Carnival Imagination in July 2006. We wanted to get
away for a few days and got a great price on this last minute cruise.
The cruise was 5 days embarking from Miami going to Grand Cayman Island
and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Embarkation was smooth and easy. We were on the ship in less than 30
minutes. Imagination is a Fantasy class ship, one of Carnival’s
smaller ships, but large enough to have a great cruise. After dropping
off our carry-on luggage in our cabin, we headed to the lido deck for
lunch. Our cabin was an outside on the Main Deck. It had plenty
of room, but the carpet was worn and badly needed replaced. Other
than that, the cabin was great. Our lunch on Lido deck was very
good with plenty of choices. We had to also sample Carnival’s
pizza. Carnival has the best pizza and you can get it 24/7.!!

Since we had cruised several times with Carnival and this class of
ship in the past, we found our way around easily. Our dining room
assignment was at a table for 6. Our tablemates were nice and we
enjoyed talking with them.

Our first full day of cruising was a sea day. We spent the day
relaxing, eating, walking, and watching. We ate breakfast in
the formal dining room, lunch at the buffet, and dinner in the
formal dining room. All the food during the cruise was very good.
Some dishes better than others. But, for the most part the food
was great. Our dining room servers were attentive and polite.

Our first port of call was Grand Cayman. We tendered from the
ship to the island. The harbor is so beautiful with many ships
large and small to admire. We walked around Georgetown, had a
tropical drink, and did some snorkeling off the shoreline.

The next day we docked at Ocho Rios. It was nice to have a pier
and not be tendered. We decided to walk over to the Island Shopping
area close to the pier. We looked around and then visited Jimmy
Buffet’s Margaritaville. We had some drinks, swam in the pool,
and “the bird man” made us a little bird from some tropical leaves.
We had a great time.

Carnival Imagination has a unique decor. Each area appears to be
from someones wildest imagination.! Colors are bright and a lot
of reflective materials are used. We attended 2 of the Broadway
type shows, which were good. We also, listened to a comedian.

All in all Carnival Imagination gave us a great vacation for not
a lot of money. The ship may not be the biggest and fanciest,
but the food, service, and shows were well worth the money. I
would recommend this ship for a relaxing, simple vacation.

Celebrity Cruises Millenium

Orginally posted by : Debra Krebs

I sailed on Celebrity Cruises’ Millenium on Aug. 17, 2007 from Barcelona to Venice. The itinerary was wonderful as were the shore excursions. I booked all of them in advance on their web site and my tickets were waiting in my room when I arrived. Since I’m talking about shore excursions, let me say that I found that the ship’s Shore Excursion Department was extremely organized. We met in the Celebrity Theater for each tour. Considering there were hundreds of guests participating in various tours, there was never any mass confusion.
Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived about 12:30pm and walked right up to an agent. Since we had done our on-line checkin, the process took less than 5 minutes. When we boarded, we were served champagne or a mimosa and escorted to our cabin. This was a very nice touch.
In terms of the ship, I was a bit disappointed in the décor. There is nothing about the décor that is eye-popping like the ships with Royal Caribbean or Carnival. I would describe it as understated elegance, which is what I guess they want it to be. We were in an oceanview room, which was actually more spacious than I thought it would be. The room had a hair dryer, safe and mini-bar. They also have the new bedding, which was wonderful! There is a desk, small sofa and small table. Also there is plenty of closet space. The beds are high enough off of the floor that you can stash your suitcases underneath. They also have very nice phones, which have the time and also caller ID!! So when your friend is calling from their room, their name appears on the display!
We were confirmed for early dining. However, prior to the cruise, we decided that because of very long touring days, we wouldn’t go to the dining room every night and would just go to the buffet. I was extremely disappointed in the options at the buffet. On other cruises I’ve been on, I always was able to get a fully cooked meal. Here the choices were pasta and salad bar, pizza, sushi (which was excellent), hamburgers and hot dogs and ice cream (which was also excellent and FREE!). They also had an option called the Aqua Spa Café which was in the solarium area. It was actually a bit hidden and in my opinion was the best kept secret on the ship in terms of food. Here they had light fare, which was delicious! I found out that the same staff (cooks and servers) took care of this venue as those in the Olympic Restaurant (specialty restaurant). They also have an option called Casual Dining. This is a great alternative, however, I feel that it should be called something else, because it is not at what I would consider casual dining. It’s dining very similar to the dining room, just in the Ocean Café (buffet area). The service personnel are in training (which I found out from a friend) and therefore, can be lacking. The food is good and you get your full courses. Reservations are required and there is a suggested $2 per person gratuity. One thing I found disturbing, however, is that our waiter here, as well as our waiter in the dining room solicited us to be sure to make comments on the comment form. I didn’t think this should come from the caliber of personnel that Celebrity has. The room service was excellent. They had a lot choices, including steak and French fries, which were very good. We ordered our food about 6pm and it took a bit longer than I expected (about 45 minutes).
The buffet at lunch time was much better and I found that there were a lot more choices. Another example of the great service on board a Celebrity ship is that at the lunch buffet after you make your choices, a waiter takes your tray for you and escorts you to an available table. We also had the opportunity to dine in the Olympic Restaurant. The cost is $30 per person. Although the specialty dining on cruise ships is not my thing, I found this experience to be delightful. The setting, of course, is very elegant and is great for a special occasion. At first, I thought it would be stuffy, but the staff were very friendly and interacted with us. There were more choices on the menu that I expected. You have your choice of either a 4 or 6 course meal. And if you like wine, you can choose wine pairings with each course (for an additional fee of course.) We arrived there early (6pm) so it took about 2 hours. But if you arrive later in the evening, it usually will be longer than that (about 3 hours). And needless to say, the food was outstanding.

The entertainment was very good. This is one of my favorite things on a cruise. The production shows (three of them) were fabulous. The costumes and sets were great and the dancers, the musicians and singers were very talented. On the other nights, they had singers, comedians and a virtuoso pianist, who was incredible. They also have a cinema on board where they showed movies. I was disappointed, however, that they repeated the same movies halfway through the cruise. Also around the ship, they had good entertainers. In particular, there was an a cappella group called Top Deck. This group consisted of 4 young men, who recently graduated from college and took on this venture before starting a “real” job. They were so talented and very entertaining. We tried to catch their act at every opportunity.
They offered several lectures. Although I didn’t attend any of them, I find that to be a nice benefit to the guests. They also offered complimentary computer classes. The internet café was staffed most of the time when the ship was at sea and they were very helpful with guests who weren’t familiar with computers.
Debarkation was also VERY organized and went very smoothly. Instead of having ALL of the guests be out of their rooms and in public lounges early in the morning, they asked guests be in an assigned public lounge at a certain time based on their colored tags. And then they came to that lounge to escort us to the gangway. This alleviated those annoying announcements and the lounges weren’t as crowded as on other cruise lines I’ve been on.
It was a great trip. I can’t say enough how great a cruise line Celebrity Cruises is!!

Volendam

Orginally posted by : Jeanna Gouse

It was our 16th cruise and one of the very best. The Volendam is a beautiful mid-sized ship(about 1400 passengers). We love this size because you get to know the other passengers and don’t feel like a bunch of cattle. Our itinerary started in Ft. Lauderdale took us down to Grand Turk(great beach day) then to Cartagena(beautiful interesting city) then through the Panama Canal. Everyone should go there at least once. The ship provided a lecture series about the Canal which made it all the more interesting. The remaining ports we stopped at were along the Pacific coast of Central America & Mexico. All were differnet and very interesting, so the itinerary was wonderful.
The ship offers bigger than normal staterooms. Our oceanview room had a wonderful bed, a long sofa and a bathtub plus loads of closet space. It also had a flat screen TV. Entertainment was above average and the food was outstanding. Service was terrific without being intrusive. The only thing we has trouble with was room service for breakfast when everyone wanted their breakfast all at the same time. We never got ours & ended up going to the Lido to eat real quick before touring.
We’ll definitely go back to Holland America for cruising as they offer some of the best bargains at sea, plus real teak walking decks and a nice touch of elegance.
Jeanne Gouse

Norwegian Pearl

Orginally Posted by : Jackie Vernon

Our extended family sailed on the NCL Pearl doing the 9 day Southern Caribbean itinerary 3/16 – 3/25/07. We arranged the flights, cruise, and hotel through Norwegian. Upon arrival in Miami, the cheerful NCL rep found us immediately and led us to our transportation. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Miami Oceanfront. The hotel was right on the beach, clean, and had a nice pool. There weren’t a lot of restaurants within walking distance, but we took a taxi to South Beach, where we had dinner and people watched. The rooms were a bit small, and for us I think we would rather have the convenience of staying closer to the pier. In the morning, our transfer arrived on schedule and we were ready for the adventure to really begin. The only thing we were disappointed with the pre-cruise arrangements was the lack of baggage handling. We schlepped our bags up and down the steps of the hotel, etc. and when we did get help everyone had their hand out – even though it says porterage is included in the hotel rates.

Embarkation was extremely efficient. There were very few lines (even thought the ship was full), and within 30 minutes of getting to the pier we were onboard. We were even more surprised to find that our room was ready immediately, and after coming back from the embarkation lunch, our luggage was already starting to arrive!

My husband and I booked a BD balcony cabin. It was smaller than most other lines, but very new and clean. The only downfall to this category is that the balcony was sort of obstructed. It was enclosed with metal all around it, and you really couldn’t enjoy the view without standing up. If we had to do it over again, I would have moved up to a BC cabin. The kids and parents were across the hall in category J cabins. The interior cabins were also very nice but on the small side.

Now, for the ship. She is gorgeous. There were so many great places to hang out. We loved the Spinnaker lounge, with very comfy sofa beds and chairs. This is where they host some of the events such as the game shows, etc. The Bliss Ultra lounge was also really a neat place. We enjoyed bowling as a family. We didn’t do the after hours scene there, but it looked like it would be fun. Many times we also relaxed with a cup of tea or snack at the Blue Lagoon, where you could overlook whatever was going on in the atrium.

Entertainment was also very good. We like the fact that there was always something going on. My son loved the Nintendo Wii on the big screen. We liked the fact that the shows were different – such as the BMX bike themed show and the Second City performance. Sometimes after you have been on a number of cruises they all seem the same, but these had an attitude (in a good way).

We found the food to be excellent, and loved Freestyle cruising. We never had a problem getting in to the specialty restaurants with the six of us. We liked the option of ditching the formal nights (although some people still did dress up). It’s hard to say what our favorite dining venue was, because they were all good. The Shabu Shabu was fun – where you cook in a soup pot. The kids especially enjoyed that. We also really liked Mambo’s for Mexican. The buffet had many good choices for all meals as well. We also found there to be excellent availability of food at all times.

Service for the most part was good. Our cabin steward was very efficient – and we liked the dials on the outside of your room that you could to say when you were ready to have the cabin made up. Also, my son thought the staffs in the kids club were fantastic. They even delivered to him a hand made card when he didn’t go one day, telling him that he missed him, and detailing all the upcoming events! In the dining room, the service was spotty (it’s difficult when you don’t have the same person every night).

Finally, the wonderful ports of call. The itinerary is great – 5 ports in 9 days leaving out of Miami. We visited Dominca, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Tortola. It was very convenient – we walked right off the ship in each port with no tendering at all. Highlights included a catamaran ride/swimming with the turtles in Barbados. We also loved the Virgin Gorda Baths snorkeling excursion (from Tortola). We wished we had more time in that port.

Disembarkation was very easy. You could stay in your room until you were ready to leave. It was so relaxing to have a leisurely morning on the balcony before a long day of travel. They also had the “walk off” option if you wanted to carry your own luggage, which my parents did.

Overall, this was one of the best cruises we have taken. The ship was beautiful, itinerary wonderful, food and entertainment fabulous. There really was something for everyone. My parents are die hard Celebrity fans, but even they had a hard time finding fault with this ship, other than the smaller rooms.

SAPPHIRE PRINCESS REVIEW

Orginally Posted by : Bob L. Wright

For our next cruise, we decided to try for the first week in December. Only after vacations were approved did I start looking at different web sites for a seven day Mexican trip. Our initial plan was for a balcony on Caribe deck on the Sapphire Princess. Before I got further in research, we got the brainstorm to bring two of our adult children with us.

Since we are not independently wealthy, we decided to book two interior staterooms. After several days of running into identical quotes on the web, we came across an offer we couldn’t pass up.

Well, it turns out our great deal is a guarantee, just to get on the ship. We have two unassigned cabins with a category of M. After several minutes searching deck plans of the Sapphire, I found all four cabins of this category. Plaza deck, lowest you can go, and all the way forward. These rooms are directly under stage left of the Princess Theatre. There is a space behind these cabins that I assume is for the mechanical equipment for the stage itself. Although we would have not picked this location, we have accepted them in trade for all four of us to take the cruise. Since upgrades trickle up, and we are as low as you can go, the chance for the upgrade fairy to strike us is likely, but do not expect it.

Four weeks before the cruise and the tickets have arrived. Room assignment has not happened and all that’s left is the packing.

Three days before the cruise, Princess has finally made room assignments. Our guaranteed M grade staterooms on Plaza forward of the art gallery are now category J, still interiors, on Caribe very near the forward elevators. Doing a little research, these are upgrades in name only. Per Orbitz.com, their price is the same for J through M.

EMBARKATION
It’s time to load up the car and go the 25 miles to the pier. If we had one more bag, I have no idea how we could get down to the docks. After unloading the bags, we are directed by security to use the parking in front of the cruise center. We pull into the entry of the long term parking lot by the ship, only when you are at the front of the line and can’t backup is there a sign where it’s stated the price is now $12 a day or $84 for the week.20% higher than last year.

Once inside, the passengers were divided into four lines. We shuffled through the switchback line for about 45 minutes until we are at the front. Have no idea what everyone else was doing, but within four minutes we had sail away cards in hand and were on to the next set of hurtles. We show a guard our cruise cards and are allowed into the next room and are handed a slip of paper with the number 30 printed on it. Only by osmosis do we figure out that we are being called in groups for the security checkpoint behind a partition. The people in line have number 26 in hand, so we set up for a wait. I scrounged a chair for my wife and the rest of us sat on the floor. After about 30 minutes our number is called and we get in line that leads to a partitioned off area. Twenty minutes later we turn the corner and see the problem in all its glory. The hundreds of people getting on the ship are being funneled in to two lines manned by rent-a-cops hired by either the TSA or the cruise center. The guards take their time and appear in no hurry. In any event, very poor planning has gotten a LOT of people upset before even getting near the gangway. Our last two Princess embarkations took no more than 40 minutes. This time, it took almost two hours. Calm down, think of my happy place, whatever. All I know is that we are finally on the ship.

Although we know our cabins are forward, we are herded in the wrong direction, back towards the elevators at the Atrium. There, ship staff tell us to join a small group of people waiting for elevators and go to Caribe deck, and then backtrack to the forward part of the ship. Thanks, I needed the exercise.

STATEROOMS
The rooms are nothing to brag about. Bedroom, desk, closet and bathroom crammed into a 16 by 10 foot area. We have our room set up for a queen bed. The remaining floor space is very limited and a small glass table is moved several times a day to be out of harms way, only to finally get a home in the closet. I have found a total of two electrical outlets in the bedroom. There are others, but there is a possibility they are 220 Volt, so why bother. A side note, this is our first cruise using an interior stateroom. We bought a $3.99 alarm clock that has a very bright read out. We have the same problem others have had. The voltage is not a true 110 and the clock looses about three minutes a day. Our two grown kids have the cabin next door and have it set up with two twin beds. Room looks larger with this setup and the small table is out of the way. Their room is a quad and has two drop down beds in the ceiling, never got a chance to see them in operation. Another thing I noted was the lack of ventilation, very little air was felt coming out of the one vent in the ceiling. I don’t know if this is normal for an interior room but I doubt it.

The room, like the ship, show some signs of wear. In the halls, small scuffs and dents can be seen on the walls. Crews are at work daily painting and varnishing keeping ahead of the effects of salt air. The same type of small things is seen in the cabin. A couple of small scuffs on the walls. Traffic patterns are obvious in the carpet, the beautiful blue seen along the walls is dull and stained in all the traffic zones. The front edge of the desk has many small chips out of the paint and my keen eye noted one screw does not match the others on the bathroom lock and some of the caulk behind the faucet is gone. In the kid’s cabin, for some reason there is a piece of tape on the showerhead with OK written on it.

I am doing a quick inspection of our room as I write this, while sitting at the desk. Looking at the mirror above the desk, I can tell it has not been cleaned in quite a few days. Looking into the mirror, behind me, I then inspect the large mirror above the bed along the back wall. I spot a rather large smudge on the glass at least 4” X 6”. I sit for a few moments since the steward has missed this very blatant mark on the mirror. Standing to get a better look at this mark, surprise, it has become invisible. For whatever reason, this mark can only be seen if looking up from the bed. And now that I’m in this position I note two larger oval marks below the original mark. In a flash my mind identifies the upper mark as a shoulder blade and bump from a large vertebrae. The two ovals that would be normally below a shoulder blade would be the mark left by someone’s posterior. My wife comes in wondering what I’m laughing at. I only tell her to lie on the bed and then point out the three marks. In less than ten seconds, she says, “you have to be kidding”. Later, my son also identifies the mark without prompting. This will be the test for our room steward. How long will it be before he brings a bottle of glass cleaner into the room?

As promised, the Diamond (which we were on six months ago) and the Sapphire are identical ships. In fact we did a double take when we saw that Neil Chandler was our cruise director. He was the assistant cruise director on the Diamond earlier this year. In speaking with him, we learned he was promoted to cruise director, but without a ship. For the time being, he will travel the world filling in on ships when the assigned cruise director is on vacation. Talk about globetrotting.

Carnival Pride

Orginally posted by : Hal Bloom

Having cruised more than 30 times, and loyal to brands such as Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, what a pleasant surprise to sail on the Carnival Pride to the Mexican Riviera. We had never sailed on Carnival, but heard that the Pride was not a typical Carnival ship, and the comments were correct. The crew actually appears to be happy and is always ready to accommodate you with a smile. To begin with the ship is beautiful. The colors and artwork are very unique, and each section is the ship is different. The lounges have large couches and chairs everywhere, that immediately put you into a relaxed mood; whether you are having Sushi or just a drink, the setting is great. The dining room food was also a big surprise. The food was very good. From rack of lamb, to lobster to great steaks and prime rib, the selection and service was excellent. The wait staff, was always ready to accommodate your needs. The outside decks by the pool area are also very unique. One area has a water slide, just like you would find at a water park. It is about 4 stories high and ends in a small splash pool. The gym offer a full assortment of exercise equipment to meet everyones needs. I can’t end without mentioning the cabins, which are a nice size, with plenty of closet and drawer space. And the cabins were always clean, even towel animals appear on your bed every night. Overall, kudos to Carnival for their Carnival Pride. An unexpected great cruise.

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