DaCruzNut

Thanks for the excellent review. I agree with most of your comments. I have been on RCCL three times and Carnival 12 or 13. Yes, the RCCL cabins are tiny! Even the 'better' cabins, with balconies, are much smaller than Carnival, or any other line I have travelled in 64 cruises! Likewise, I felt the entertainment on Carnival was far better. The food on Carnival has gotten better and is a little better than RCCL, but the service is not as good on Carnival. In fact, my last two RCCL cruises were among my least favorites. Funny, because my first RCCL cruise was among my favorites. But, times have changed... Carnival is still one of my favorites, with Celebrity and Princess tying for first place and Carnival a close second....

Glad to have you back! Hope you had a great time and I'm looking forward to your review

Welcome home! Hope you had a great time. The Triumph was one of my favorites.....especially the NY Deli!

All 64 of my cruises have left from Miami or Port Everglades (FtL), except one! I prefer Miami, even though I live in Ft. Lauderdale. the drive into the port is beautiful, passing downtown Miami and Bayside. The views are fantastic as the ship leaves the port, past Star Island, Hibiscus Island, fabulous Fisher Island and South Beach. The only time I left from elsewhere, was my one cruise from San Juan. I swore I'd never fly to a cruise again!

MSC is a "very European" cruise line. It caters, mostly, to the European traveler and is geared to that market. There are many differences between an American line and a European one, as far as food and entertainment are concerned. If you google "MSC Opera," you'll find reviews by passengers, etc;

Cruising can be a 'social affair,' but can also be very private and romantic. Book a nice cabin, with a balcony, and you seldom have to leave. I would suggest, however, dinner in the dining room, even if it's at a table for two. A bottle of wine, and you're all set. Pick a nice line, such as Celebrity, and stay away from Carnival, which I usually suggest for first-time cruisers. Your case is the exception....

Hi, and welcome to our family. Hope you'll stick around and play with us. Discount stores are fine for savin money if you know exactly what you want. I'd wait 'til my 3rd or 4th cruise for that. Right now, I'd o with a cuise-only travel aent. If you're near one, drop in. If not, use one that works by phone, not online. For your first few cruises you want help and you want to be able to talk to a real person. Once you 'get to know the ropes,' you can use Sam's or B.J.'s I always try to sail a week, or two, before Christmas. The rates are fantastic, The ships aren't crowded and the ships all decorated for the Holiday Season. There's a festive air without the cost, and crowding, of a Holiday Cruise. As far as which line, for a first cruise, with children, I always recommend Carnival. I've been on most of the major lines, several times, including a dozen no longer around, and that's my opinion. It's not my favorite line, and that;s not why I'm recommending it. I just feel it's a good choice for a first cruise.

Perhaps the real reason Disney is doing Europe is that they are having a VERY hard time filling the ships here in the U.S..... Their fares are considerably higher than the other 'mainstream' lines; their ships have no casinos; etc; etc;

I do believe a little dancing is in order! CONGRATS! And, you'll get to visit Coco Cay, my favorite private island!

It's always best to check around and make several inquiries. I have found that my PVP at Carnival always gets me the best deals on that line. My luck has been differebnt with other lines, and I have booked direct, used a local TA and used online companies...

I still love the smaller ships, in the 45,000 grt range, such as The Holiday. Really enjoy ships like the Horizon, Zenith, Century.... However, as much as I love her, the Regal Empress seems a little too small. Unfortunately, with fuel costs rising the way they are, Mega-ships are the wave of the future. It only takes a little more fuel to move a 160,000 grt ship than it does a 70,000 grt ship. Thefrefore, the cost per passenger drops proportionately. What with fuel being the cruise lines #1 expense....

During my first cruise, aboard the Holiday, Hurricane Hugo was battering the Wester Caribbean. While we were cruising the Eastern Caribbean, the water was rough for a few days and we hed a bunch of extra ships in oyur ports...

Only one thing will make me give up cruising, and everything else: Dying!

I'm not a big fan of Royal Caribbean. My first RCCL cruise was one of my favorites, many years ago, but two following it were among the most unpleasent I've been on. That being said, they have every right to change the itinerary, even for no reason; the passenger contract says so, and it's l;egally enforcible, even in New Jersey. With all the problems that state has with its government, you'd think they'd find better ways a spending their time. And, it's not to smart for a state that's looking to build a cruise industry out of Newark, and environs, to piss off the cruise lines... But, then again, \ New Jersey politicians ain't known for their smarts.....

Have a great cruise! Be sure to lift a frozen thingee in honor of all of us you've left behind!

Actually, Kate, I bet you'll have a balcony in no time! Just don't lose that enthusiasm.... We need members like you!

Not unusual, for Celebrity, Rose. One of the reasons that Celebrity is my favorite line is the level of service. They seem to be concerned with the smallest details. What impressed me was, that in an age where the lines have cut back on offering trays for the buffets, Celebrity not only provides trays, but each tray has a linen liner so the plates won't slide and the silver doesn't rattle....

OK, I'm being serious; My favorite drink on Celebrity is their coffee. They are one of the last cruise lines (the others being Seaborn and Imperial Majesty) that still brews its coffee from real, ground, coffee! All the others use a liquid coffee concentrate, similar to concentrated fruit juices. The only difference is that you add hot water to the coffee.

On my last Carnival Cruise, my Sail & Sign card was a "Platinum Card," instead of the plain red, white and blue. Everytime I showed my card, the Carnival employee would smile and say, "Welcome back, Mr. Stern...."

My favorite part is leaving home and driving to Port Everglades, or the Port of Miami, both far less than an hour away, and thinking about all those poor souls who had to hassle and airport, baggage handlers, flying, getting to the ship, etc; since 6:00 am that morning. Oh the joys of living in South Florida....

Not to be outdone, Carnival has just announced NASCAR racing of Lido deck!!!

Congratulations, and thanks!!! I have been privileged enough to have been here from the near-beginning and have watched the board grow and get better and better. And, all the new, active, members in the past few months! It's nice that the newcomers have picked up the slack and let this 'old timer' sit back, a little, and relax and enjoy. Keep up the good work all my fellow Crazies!

I had such a nice time, at such a low price, that I'm thinking of going again in a few weeks...

I always recommend Carnival to first-time cruisers. Not knowing what to expect, you won't be disappointed. My three favorite limes are Celebrity, Proncess and Carnival. Quite a 'range..." The food on Carnival may not be as good as the other two, but it's very good. The entertainment is possibly the best at sea... The service is good. As far as itinerary, the Western Caribbean gives you a taste of three very different ports; Cozumel (or Playa del Carmen or CanCun, depending on the ship) is typicallly Mexican; Jamaica is very 'Caribbean;" and Grand Cayman very British... As far as ports to leave from, I live near Port Everglades (Ft. Laud) and Miami, so I'm prejudiced... Been on 62 cruises, of which 61 left from those two ports...

Hope you have a fantastic time. Give my regards to Hollywood Boulevard and visit my money in the casino...