Carnival to Hawaii

[Thnlk]

We leave on Saturday for a 15 day Hawaiian cruise on Carnival. This is are 1st non Disney cruise and we are getting nervous. Anybody have any insight?

[Mickeyhugger]

Carnival is our family's 2nd favorite cruiseline.

Of course, nothing compares (IMHO) to DCL, but, we LOVED the food in the MDR on Carnival! We also enjoyed, very much, their steakhouse.

Which ship are you sailing?

We've sailed the Freedom, Legend, Dream and Liberty. Service was almost as good as Disney's.

I think your family will still have a great time. Post a report when you return!

[Thnlk]

Originally Posted by Mickeyhugger

Carnival is our family's 2nd favorite cruiseline.

Of course, nothing compares (IMHO) to DCL, but, we LOVED the food in the MDR on Carnival! We also enjoyed, very much, their steakhouse.

Which ship are you sailing?

We've sailed the Freedom, Legend, Dream and Liberty. Service was almost as good as Disney's.

I think your family will still have a great time. Post a report when you return!

We are sailing on the Splendor

[jdb in AZ]

I looked up your itinerary. with stops at Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, does that include a night-time sailing by the volcano? The lava glows at night and it's spectacular. That's one thing DCL didn't include last year, and I was quite bummed about it.

i also noticed the Splendor doesn't stop in Kauai. What's up with that? After you fall in love with Hawaii, you'll just have to book a land trip that spends several days on Kauai because it's so beautiful and there's so much to see and do there.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Originally Posted by Thnlk

We are sailing on the Splendor

I hope the Spendours 2 days + of repairs have not delayed your cruise?

Seems they ran over some fishing nets and damaged the shaft seals and the repairs are taking longer then expected.

Have you heard anything?


AKK

[declansdad]

Originally Posted by Tonka's Skipper

I hope the Spendours 2 days + of repairs have not delayed your cruise?

Seems they ran over some fishing nets and damaged the shaft seals and the repairs are taking longer then expected.

Have you heard anything?


AKK

from the LA Daily News

Due to the delay, passengers scheduled to leave Sunday on a Mexican cruise had their departure put off by one day. Their cruise will be shortened from six days to five, Gulliksen said. Passengers will receive a one-day refund and were given a $50 credit. They were also given the option of canceling without fees, Gulliksen said.

[ilovetexas]

Originally Posted by Thnlk

We leave on Saturday for a 15 day Hawaiian cruise on Carnival. This is are 1st non Disney cruise and we are getting nervous. Anybody have any insight?

It's a 15 day cruise. To Hawaii. If you're too nervous to go, I'll be happy to take your place!

Seriously, if you want feedback specific to the Splendor, go to Cruise Critic and get on their Carnival board. In my opinion:

1) Their ships aren't elegantly decorated (plus the giant mouse thing) but they are nice.

2) Their pools are bigger on some ships but I'm not sure about that one.

3) Entertainment is different. I prefer Carnival's dancing and singing to DCL's production numbers, but that's a matter of opinion. In my experience on DCL, the ADULTS in the audience are so impossibly rude and loud, I can't hear half the shows, anyway.

4) Buffet food is WAY better on Carnival. Plus they usually have a stir fry station (Mongolian Wok), their pizza beats DCL hands down, and be sure to get some french fries from the grill. Love them!

5) In the past, I would say the MDR food was better on Carnival, then it was about the same, but the last Carnival cruise I went on, I was not happy with the MDR food or service. The wait staff was stretched way too thin; they weren't bad or rude, just too busy. That might have been an anomaly.

6) Regardless of what you hear here, the overall service on Carnival is just as good as DCL. I did have a surly bartender on the Serenity deck on Legend a couple of years ago. It amused me so I made a point to go bug him every time I needed a coke refill. My best friend said he was still there in October and he made a point of bugging him, too. No REAL complaints on CCL but I have had one or two on DCL. Overall, both lines provide good service.

7) On a 15 day cruise to Hawaii, you are not going to run into too much of the short weekend party crowd. They don't often go on 15 day cruises.

8) It is FAR easier to find a photographer for family photos on CCL. I was stunned at the horrible set up on the Fantasy last May. We were 15 minutes late to dinner on formal night. On CCL, there are a billion photographers with many backgrounds to choose from. Waiting in a line of any kind is rare.

That's what comes to mind quickly and I have to run out the door to school. You're going to have a great cruise and Hawaii is beautiful!

[woody73]

Originally Posted by Thnlk

. . . This is are 1st non Disney cruise and we are getting nervous. Anybody have any insight?

Originally Posted by ilovetexas

. . . 7) On a 15 day cruise to Hawaii, you are not going to run into too much of the short weekend party crowd. They don't often go on 15 day cruises.

Since school is in session and this is a 15-day cruise, there likely won't be very many school age kids onboard. Families we met did homeschooling.

I would bring: A hat and sunscreen. Bug repellant. An umbrella. Postage stamps so you can mail postcards from the islands. Dramamine.

Woody

[Thnlk]

Thanks everybody for your input. I know poor us we have to go on a 15 days hawaiin cruise.

[jdb in AZ]

Originally Posted by Thnlk

Thanks everybody for your input. I know poor us we have to go on a 15 days hawaiin cruise.

Tough job, but somebuddy's gotta do it. Oh, and pack a sweater -- the Pacific Ocean is surprisingly cool, 'til you get to Hawaii, where the natives bundle up when the temps drop below 80F.

[Thnlk]

Originally Posted by jdb in AZ

Tough job, but somebuddy's gotta do it. Oh, and pack a sweater -- the Pacific Ocean is surprisingly cool, 'til you get to Hawaii, where the natives bundle up when the temps drop below 80F.

The Northwest is in the middle of a cold snap. Lows this last weekend were in th teens. Anything above 50 is going to be great.

[bahacca]

You lucked out BIG TIME that your cruise leaves in the next week and didn't this week. Here in S. CA, temps have been in the 50s for the highs and almost freezing at night! Temps are supposed to rise almost 20* in the next 2 days, so should be pleasant, but the ocean does have cool winds.
Enjoy Hawaii! I'm totally jealous and now contemplating homeschooling

[ilovetexas]

BTW, come back and tell us how it was. I can't go on a 15 day cruise right now but a girl can dream!