Prev: Ari Silverstein: The troll who is a schmuck
Next: Cruise News (8/6/2010)
From: Janna on 6 Aug 2010 01:15
On Aug 5, 10:59 pm, GodsOnSafari <godsonsaf...(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> - No trip to the naughty room. Awwww. Nor where resuscitation takes
> place in such an event. We did note that employees on a Carnival
> cruise ship seem to actually have better housing than those at Cedar
> Point. Appreciably so. And way better food service too. They actually
> get waiters! And real food, not Uncrustables!
>

1. What is the naughty room?
2. They fed you Uncrustables at Cedar Point!?
From: Ari Silverstein, C.T.A. on 6 Aug 2010 03:10
On Thu, 5 Aug 2010 22:15:25 -0700 (PDT), Janna wrote:

> On Aug 5, 10:59�pm, GodsOnSafari <godsonsaf...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> - No trip to the naughty room. Awwww. Nor where resuscitation takes
>> place in such an event. We did note that employees on a Carnival
>> cruise ship seem to actually have better housing than those at Cedar
>> Point. Appreciably so. And way better food service too. They actually
>> get waiters! And real food, not Uncrustables!
>>
>
> 1. What is the naughty room?

Come with me :)

> 2. They fed you Uncrustables at Cedar Point!?

No they said my point looked as tall as a Lebanese Cedar.
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
Sign up for special email deals @ www.CruiseQuick.com - Sells more
cruises than 99% of the agencies in America. (not affiliated)
From: Charles on 6 Aug 2010 07:15
In article
<a69b3d0d-db68-4537-8d31-df6f89a957fe(a)i24g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>,
GodsOnSafari <godsonsafari(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> I know there's a lot to digest from this, but the one thing I can give
> you in an attempt to summarize is that we liked it. A lot. Yeah, we
> want to move up to Princess, Holland America, or Celebrity next time
> out if we can, but the negative connotations I had with Carnival are
> long gone. Instead, they're replaced with the feeling that Carnival
> offers legitimately great value in its field and a surprisingly high
> level of service. The food is plenty edible and the Fun Ships, as they
> are known, can be plenty relaxing should you just want to opt out from
> the madness. It is possible. It can be done.
>
> Personally, it's another lesson to me that I shouldn't let
> preconceptions get in my way of accepting that I can, in fact, "dumb
> out". Hell, its silly to say that - What is dumb about swimming with
> exotic fish or climbing pyramids? There are no irony points to score
> thinking about the lack of pacing involved with not seeing a spiny
> lobster immediately. Live before analyzing. Its more fun that way.

Very nice review. I enjoyed reading you trip report and your
conclusions.

--
Charles
From: gmbeasley on 6 Aug 2010 09:08
Nice review

> We learned our pro tip, which is that arriving with
>about 30 minutes left in the boarding process apparently leaves you
>without needing to wait in line when you arrive, unlike us timely folk
>who ended up having to stand in seemingly endless queuing.
>
I'm always too impatient to get on the ship, and with an ex-military
husband who always wants to be early, it is easier just to go with the
flow and let him get me there early.

>Unlike our previous two cruises, we chose to book shore excursions for
>each day of the cruise. That would ensure a minimum of unplanned
>boredom that we had run into in Bermuda and give us plenty of
>activities to look forward to. We came in with only two demands - my
>wife wanted snorkling (Cozumel) and I wanted ruins (Belize).
>Everything else was to be icing on the cake.

I think you did well with the excursion booking

>Add to that Carnival offering
>full service restaurant lunch on sea days and every day for breakfast,
>along with private seating during both sittings, and a buffet that
>wasn't inedible..

Don't all cruise ships have the restaurant open for breakfast and
lunch on sea days?

I've always found the food on ships to be good. I haven't tried
Carnival yet - I like HAL the best for food and Celebrity for service
in the dining room. The extra price restaurants (which I've only
tried on HAL) serve way too much food to eat.

>Another area synonymous with the cruise ship experience is on-board
>entertainment. I feel bad in retrospect that I didn't freak out more
>over NCL's array of production shows (some featuring Cirque-esque
>acrobatics), because man, neither ship I've said with since approached
>it. The theater on the Legend has some sightline issues in the second
>deck, and I don't like the way the first floor is set up - too flat,
>not enough decline.

I find that HAL has this same problem.

>Cozumel, Mexico:
....
>snorkle. I've never done it before, and had to order prescription
>goggles prior to leaving on the trip in order to ensure I'd see more
>than 6 inches in front of my face. While I took in enough seawater
>during each trip out to cause me to vomit in the boat's bathroom, I
>was good natured about it. Its not like it hurts, and once its gone,
>you feel better. I'm also a lousy swimmer and had to get dragged
>around by my wife at times.

It sounds like you didn't have a properly fitting snorkel or didn't
know how to use it. Practice some with it in a pool so you can do it
better next time.
>
>-Belize City, Belize:
>
>There are those who, on the internet, basically have Belize City being
>the worst place in the world. I am going to tell you a secret: It
>isn't. Its not even close.

There's a fine line between over-emphasizing the dangers (perhaps to
make a good story) and dismissing real problems. But I think the main
problem is Disney - Disney has cleaned and sanitized stuff so much
that people don't understand that a 'colonial' city will be "warts and
all" and will have run down buildings and maybe trash in the streets.
There may be beggars. At least though there are probably not
windshield washers demanding money at stop lights/


>-OVERALL-
>
>I know there's a lot to digest from this, but the one thing I can give
>you in an attempt to summarize is that we liked it. A lot. Yeah, we
>want to move up to Princess, Holland America, or Celebrity next time
>out if we can, but the negative connotations I had with Carnival are
>long gone. Instead, they're replaced with the feeling that Carnival
>offers legitimately great value in its field and a surprisingly high
>level of service. The food is plenty edible and the Fun Ships, as they
>are known, can be plenty relaxing should you just want to opt out from
>the madness. It is possible. It can be done.
>
>Personally, it's another lesson to me that I shouldn't let
>preconceptions get in my way .... Live before analyzing. Its more fun that way.

This is a lesson I have to keep learning.
From: Ari Silverstein, C.T.A. on 6 Aug 2010 10:37
On Fri, 6 Aug 2010 04:37:46 -0700 (PDT), GodsOnSafari wrote:

> You gotta think that they can't just turn you over to local
> authorities should you do something like bring weed on the boat.
> Imagine the reaction should some teenager end up getting put in a
> Mexican prison.

Au contraire', perhaps not the underaged but you can bet your bong
they'll hang you out on a hemp rope if you get caught with 420 as an
adult.

Drug enforcement in other nations is hit and miss but understand that
tourists are often the 'hits' and fines and jail are often the result.
I mean VERY heavy fines as well and the jails, well, let's just say
you have never seen anything like them and you need to pray you never
do. There is a notoriously grim jail in Coxen Hole on the Honduran
island of Roatan.

Been there. Ain't pretty.
--
Ari's Fun Times!
http://tr.im/hrFG
Motto: Run, rabbit, Run!
 |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3
Prev: Ari Silverstein: The troll who is a schmuck
Next: Cruise News (8/6/2010)