Goodbye Mickey, Hello Freddy a Carnival Cruise Report-Update 4/1 Final Thoughts Pg10

[anewmac]

5K for a Cause
(continued) ​

We headed back to the room to get ready for the muster drill, but learned we didnt have to wear our life jackets.. but the obligatory pics had to be taken.

This is what he looks like at home too, minus the life jacket

Since he was to lazy to stand up I got no flash and my head cut off.. thanks buddy

He looks THRILLED right ahh got to love an almost 13yr old

I heart this kid! I ask, he does, I love him he's my favorite LOL shh I never said that

As we were making our way up to deck 4 for muster we met our cabin steward TITO.. kept looking for his 4 brothers all week LOL. Muster was quick and painless, and once we were dismissed we ran up to the lido deck to watch sail away. There was no big party, just some music playing, again Mickey you get the cake with dancers and confetti and streamers. Carnival was very mellow, I didnt want to sit on our balcony as I wanted the group feeling to experience but how they kick off sail away, I would have had more fun on my balcony LOL.

Even their horn isnt as fun! Freddy you lose! Click here to listen!


HA Boys said we are never going to fit between there.. good thing we took a sharp right

Once we had sailed away for about 30mins the boys were over it (actually they were over it 10mins later)

But E made them stay for me.

Port Everglade I believe there was 6 ships total docked

Camp Carnival area has a splash area. J was checking it out he later said eh its ok but for those lil kids.

It was time for orientation of the kids clubs next. Yes inside the Victoriana Lounge (where they have the shows) parents and kids of ALL ages go to register (we had already done it online I told one of the counselors.. oh but they make you do it again (great glad I wasted time filling out online forms) They basically go over all the "rules" for each club/age group, and what type of activates to expect. They really try and sell the Build a Bear times and the Teen Spa times.. (I was over it within 2seconds in). This is where they also tell you kids from age 8 and below after 10pm, the clubs are no longer FREE.. it then starts a charge of $6 an hour... now I had read this so we werent surprised by it but still wasnt thrilled with it. Really at 10pm is when parents want a lil bit of us time. I think it should start at midnight for them to charge.. but thats just me. Mickey you win this round also since kids club is free any time on your ships. Anyhow off my soap box, I refilled out the forms and turned them in and off we went.

Boys immediately found the arcade and got a few games in

We wanted to head back to the room to wash up before dinner, and maybe see if our luggage was there yet.. and more importantly did our smuggling work? P went and got pizza, then J ordered room service (he had been dying to do that for months, tuna samich, and BLT that we all split, both YUMMY. This is where Disney and Carny differ again, Disney served warm food along with cold things... Carny all cold samiches. We were ok with it also as we all split but it would have been nice to have a burger delivered every now and then. Another point for Mickey as my lil piggy’s would have preferred hot food too. Little by little our luggage arrives and E and I have great teamwork to unpack it no time flat and WOOHOO my Rum Runners all survived! 3 points for me (one for each rum runner LOL)!

Our dinning room was the Posh restaurant and we were on the top deck. I didn’t remember to ask for our own table so was worried we would be sharing with others, Not that I or E mind people but were always worried how the boys will react to "outsiders" or for that matter if meltdowns will erupt infront of them... lol but was happy to see we were at our own 4top. Something that E noticed is before we walked to our table the wait staff was yelling the left side was ODD table numbers and the right side was EVEN numbers.. Then we were to go in and find our table... where on Disney, the 1st night they walk to to your table so your not on a scavenger hunt. We though Mickey gets a point for being classier then Carny screaming directions at us.
It took us almost 2 hours to get through dinner everyone got served before us, it lagged so bad, E asked for lemonade at start didnt get it till he was almost done with dinner.

By the time I remembered to take food porn pics this was all that was left LOL
E had caesar salad then a steak with mac & cheese. J & P shared fried chicken since they just ate.

I had shrimp cocktail then Mahi Mahi w/red potatoes, and it didnt impress me pretty blan appearance and taste. But apparently the pics make it look like had hadnt eatten in years LOL.

J had for dessert some decadent chocolate cake, up he's my kid alright

E & I had Famous Warm Chocolate Lava Cake he's normally not a sweets kind of guy so he suprized me in getting something. It was really yummy I chalk it up to an equvalant of Palo soufle!! I could go for one right now !

and do you see what I see...?

P had vanilla ice cream. Guess no pic since that wasnt too exciting LOL

When the mateir d came by and asked how our 1st night was, we told him we cant do 2 hour dinners w/the boys and need it asap to get the kids out of there fast. He said no prob tmrw would be better, we shall see. Also it was then we asked is their a kids menu as we werent offered one, but since they werent too hungry it didnt matter.. he said he would make sure the boys got those also. (my cruise rule is too look at the adult menu and maybe try something but then they can always fall back on the kids menu if they want)

After dinner the boys wanted to go to their clubs so P went off to his and we went to check J into his.

Alone at last E & I went to the Welcome aboard show.. they must not screen these people well.. there were a few off key moments.. they were NOT the next American Idol. Also for girls that are on stage in skimpy lil outfits you would think they would be toned at least.. I am in no way Americas Next Top Model but I could have beat out half those girls in the next Miss USA pageant.. just saying.

Mickey your shows rock point for you!

They brought out our Cruise Director Ryan (he's no Brett, but a close 2nd, sort of same size and build LOL) Then had some audience participation dance which now any time we hear Disco Inferno we do the dances (thank god no one can see me in my corner at work LOL.)

There wasnt much going on after that so we went to get J out of his club ($9 for an hour and a half to find out they just watched a movie.. really? There went a DOTD and a half) and since we told P curfew was at 1230am after his last activity and had time to kill we went to the pool area and caught the end of Iron Man 2 (boys love this movie)

It was a tad chilly so they have blankets you can check out. (BTW those plates are NOT ours I swear.. they were left there.. we didnt pork out that much.. at least not on the 1st day LOL)

Yes you go and give them your SS Card at the lil cabana by the pool and they write your name on a paper with room # and how many you take then at the end of the night you are to return them so you are not charged for "borrowing/stealing etc", they do this for towels during the day also. I will say its kind of a pain in the rear when the line is long and you just wanna lay out. But when I was on Disney I couldnt find any "free" towels so this worked. No point for either since one washes out the other LOL. But Carny uses paper and pen to check them out they need a faster system, like how about you slide my SSC? DUH Freddy get with the times.

The pool wait staff has to write up tickets also... no automated system.. what is this 1980? lol

We were totally exhausted by now and made our way back down to our room on deck 6 after the movie. E and J watched a lil tv, I worked on my trip report and P walked in right at 1230am on the dot. Said he wanted to stop for a piece of pizza but didnt want to be late for curfew and the line was LONG. I told him next time call us from one of the ship phones and let me know and it would be ok to get food and come back. BUT can I say he scored Major trust points for being on time and showing responsibility. 2 points for P.

I ended the night by picking up a little, and hanging the Room Service Menu on the Door. Ordered a pot of coffee (to go with my Kahlua) and some Danishes cuz I wanted to take full advantage of our balcony.

Tally
Mickey-9
Freddy- 1
P-2
Me-3

Next Up: Getting our GTL on (Gym, Tan, & Lunch)

 

[podsnel]

Forget the horn....YOU JUMP OUT OF PLANES!!!!! And J can blow up a balloon with his NOSE!!!! You guys are some CRAZEEEEEE Californians!!!

I loved hearing your voice when you were skydiving- and you smile SO MUCH!! Almost as much as ME!!! LOL!!!

Pods & I think Freddy is pretty stupid charging $6 an hour for under 8s after 10- we think they'd be making a whole lot more than $6 an hour if Mommy & Daddy were drinking in a club or a bar... well, depending on the Mommy & Daddy, I guess!

Congrats on having such a talented son- can't wait to show my kids!!

Hope you had a happy Easter!!

 

[nenner1]

This is what I woke up to on my iphone. Woohoo Vacation Time!

What app is that? Is it a Carny- specific one or just a general vacation countdown one?

So we chatted with them till we got to the port which was quick about 30mins.

It took **30** minutes to get there? From HP north? Wow! We were going to take the shuttle, maybe we'll just do Park n GO...ouch. We got there in 5 mins when we drove from HP.

This is where its different from Port Canaveral. The Disney pier is gorgeous and bright, has a model of the ship, island markers on the floor.. where as the Carnival pier.. is like a warehouse put together last minute with some 99cent decor, and they dont let you take pics. Now Im sure I could of but it was so BLAH I didnt want to waste the memory space. So again Mickey gets a point. But who cares right were not staying there long.

Yeah I am pretty sure that is an overall Port Everglades thing. (not a fan). Nothing anywhere compares to the DCL terminal @ PC though, period!

Aww! Love it!!!!

We walk in and it feels like a side entrance to the lobby. So it wasnt to thrilling, unlike where Disney announces you and you walk into the middle of the grand lobby (another point for Mickey). I cant believe I didnt take pics. I must have been unexcited to. They did have people there directing us to the lido deck for the buffet and Kids Club members telling us about when and where to meet for orientation, also spa handouts for deals.

RCCL- same thing. We went in by the dining room. Blah. I've read the entrance to Oasis/Allure is much more grand. Better be!

Best thing were pocket maps they gave we used those till the day we got off (the boys had it memorized by day 2 LOL)

Wow- cool...can you believe they don't give out maps at all- of any size on Allure?!?! Good thing I already have the deck plans of that behemoth memorized (OCVP baby!!)

Seaside Theatre or as we like to call it Iron Man 2 View (more on that later)

The pool decks on Carnival don't do much for me, they always look so jumbled and crowded...but doesn't seem as bad as I thoguht in your pics!

Finally they open the doors and off we go to find our room. 1st order of business was to decorate the door, we didnt see many done up. Except for a wedding one, and someone "added to it" on TP they wrote GAME OVER didnt have my camera to capture that one.

Carnival doesnt have magnetic doors (least not on the Freedom) so I knew to take some tape and make a couple door decorations to help us locate our home. Safe to say all were without any "additions" or stolen all week!!

Great job! Looks terrific!

The boys wanted to hit the slide so they changed, I had packed their suits in our carryon and back up we went. There goes J!

That looks fun! Another point for Freddy right? Adults can go on it, no?

I got my 1st DOTD while we watched them. A Funship Special.

[/quote]

Then a few minutes later the boys got out of the pool and said they were done.. WHY UFO? (Unidentified Floating Object) No.. worse they say. UVO! ??? Unidentified Vomiting Object..

LOL the only time we saw any pool closed on our last cruise was a UVO on the last day (Goofy pool)

but pointed out the lil girl and her father w/her still having a great time in a now secluded pool.. GROSS who lets their kid swim in puke. The "authorities" were called and they started the cleaning process.

OK that's just NASTY!

J's club Camp Carnival was a combo of 2 clubs with dividers to keep the 2-5 yr olds separate from the 6-8yr olds.

Another point for Freddy. DCL dropped the ball when they caved to the "but we want johnny snowflake with junior snowflake" whiners and combined the kids club ages. We couldn't keep Sav in there with the ankle biters to save her life.

As we were making our way up to deck 4 for muster we met our cabin steward TITO.. kept looking for his 4 brothers all week LOL.

hahaha! Tito was always my favorite!

Muster was quick and painless, and once we were dismissed we ran up to the lido deck to watch sail away. There was no big party, just some music playing, again Mickey you get the cake with dancers and confetti and streamers. Carnival was very mellow, I didnt want to sit on our balcony as I wanted the group feeling to experience but how they kick off sail away, I would have had more fun on my balcony LOL.

Well at least you didn't have the strange yellow and blue dancing Bouy.

Even their horn isnt as fun! Freddy you lose! Click here to listen!

Yeah, boo. No way to compare to Mickey!

This is where they also tell you kids from age 8 and below after 10pm, the clubs are no longer FREE.. it then starts a charge of $6 an hour... now I had read this so we werent surprised by it but still wasnt thrilled with it. Really at 10pm is when parents want a lil bit of us time. I think it should start at midnight for them to charge.. but thats just me. Mickey you win this round also since kids club is free any time on your ships. Anyhow off my soap box, I refilled out the forms and turned them in and off we went.

Yep, RCCL is the same way..I think all of them but Disney are now. Hopefully Mickey doesn't get any ideas.

Little by little our luggage arrives and E and I have great teamwork to unpack it no time flat and WOOHOO my Rum Runners all survived! 3 points for me (one for each rum runner LOL)!

Something that E noticed is before we walked to our table the wait staff was yelling the left side was ODD table numbers and the right side was EVEN numbers.. Then we were to go in and find our table... where on Disney, the 1st night they walk to to your table so your not on a scavenger hunt. We though Mickey gets a point for being classier then Carny screaming directions at us.

Yeaah, nice.

It took us almost 2 hours to get through dinner everyone got served before us, it lagged so bad, E asked for lemonade at start didnt get it till he was almost done with dinner.

Sorry your service sucked! Hopefully it gets better. The first night is always rough. We decided on Allure we are going off the grid and doing specialty restaurant the first night to avoid that cluster in the MDR!

E & I had Famous Warm Chocolate Lava Cake he's normally not a sweets kind of guy so he suprized me in getting something. It was really yummy I chalk it up to an equvalant of Palo soufle!! I could go for one right now !

and do you see what I see...?

Yep that looks as amazing as I've read and heard!!! Did you only get it the first night?

Yes you go and give them your SS Card at the lil cabana by the pool and they write your name on a paper with room # and how many you take then at the end of the night you are to return them so you are not charged for "borrowing/stealing etc", they do this for towels during the day also. I will say its kind of a pain in the rear when the line is long and you just wanna lay out. But when I was on Disney I couldnt find any "free" towels so this worked. No point for either since one washes out the other LOL. But Carny uses paper and pen to check them out they need a faster system, like how about you slide my SSC? DUH Freddy get with the times.

The pool wait staff has to write up tickets also... no automated system.. what is this 1980? lol

Uh..yeah. That is strange. They do the towel checkout on RCCL too but like you mentioned, they swipe your card there..quick easy...takes like 2 seconds.

Tally
Mickey-9
Freddy- 1
P-2
Me-3

Wow..Mickey is waaaay ahead!

Great start so far, can't wait for more!!!

 

[Nik's Mom]

Great trip report, anewmac. We also have to boys and are always tossing around the idea of trying a Carnival cruise, but I'm nervous that it will be a disaster compared to dcl. Some people on the dcl board say that Carnival is nothing but a party boat and not for kids. I can't wait to read the rest of your report.

We are former Californians ourselves, originally from West Covina.

 

[marybet]

I've been on 9 Carnival cruises and the waiters always lead us to our table on the first night. Can't understand why they didn't do that for you, they really should.

I am enjoying your review. I think when you are handing out points you should remember the price difference. Had you gotten the same type of cabin on Carnival you would have paid a lot less, or gotten a balcony on Disney and paid a lot more.

Carnival costs less so they are going to charge for things to make up the difference. I like that because then I only pay for things I use and don't have to pay (higher fare) for things I don't use.

I think it's really nice that cruisers are announced on Disney but I really don't want to pay more for that. It will be interesting to see if the price difference brings you back to Carnival or the added perks make you want to sail on Disney again. We all cruise for different reasons, that's why there are so many different cruise lines.

 

[marybet]

Great trip report, anewmac. We also have to boys and are always tossing around the idea of trying a Carnival cruise, but I'm nervous that it will be a disaster compared to dcl. Some people on the dcl board say that Carnival is nothing but a party boat and not for kids. I can't wait to read the rest of your report.

We are former Californians ourselves, originally from West Covina.

Carnival is not a party boat. If you sail during Spring Break you will get more of a party crowd but that is true on any cruise line. I have heard that the 3 day weekend cruises are party cruises but I have never been on one.

We took our grandkids when they were 9 & 10 and they had a blast. They loved the kids club. If that is the only thing keeping you from trying Carnival you should go to CruiseCritic and read some reviews and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[anewmac]

Forget the horn....YOU JUMP OUT OF PLANES!!!!! :And J can blow up a balloon with his NOSE!!!! You guys are some CRAZEEEEEE Californians!!!
LMAO i was all how did you know that.. oh yea youtube.. . Oh and skydiving is awesome. cant wait to do it again.. come to Cali, Ill show you a fun time

I loved hearing your voice when you were skydiving- and you smile SO MUCH!! Almost as much as ME!!! LOL!!!
ha its so hard to while falling 30k feet

Pods & I think Freddy is pretty stupid charging $6 an hour for under 8s after 10- we think they'd be making a whole lot more than $6 an hour if Mommy & Daddy were drinking in a club or a bar... well, depending on the Mommy & Daddy, I guess!
RIGHT! In one hour E and I could do some Damage.. probably 2 drinks at $8 each (cuz were not getting any DOTD) were getting down with our bad selves.. then we would probably meet people which would lead to shots.. oh Freddy you could have made a killing on us

Congrats on having such a talented son- can't wait to show my kids!!
Ha there goes J's chance of being president HUH

Hope you had a happy Easter!!

Thanks I did mom bought new wine it was great LOL, so how many more days till Dis Moms gone wild?

What app is that? Is it a Carny- specific one or just a general vacation countdown one?
Cruise Card Control (free) its for all lines. I had to delete it.. I was so used to checking it ever Monday it got depessing that I had no need for it after the cruise LOL

It took **30** minutes to get there? From HP north? Wow! We were going to take the shuttle, maybe we'll just do Park n GO...ouch. We got there in 5 mins when we drove from HP.
K I read this to E and he said what shuttel were you on .. apparently I have time issues, he said it was like 10mins apparently I was too involved in the Oasis talks lol

Yeah I am pretty sure that is an overall Port Everglades thing. (not a fan). Nothing anywhere compares to the DCL terminal @ PC though, period!
I agree so sad.. its dark and dreary... I want it to be bright and peppy. Like whoo hoo im on vacaton

RCCL- same thing. We went in by the dining room. Blah. I've read the entrance to Oasis/Allure is much more grand. Better be!
Well glad its not just one line. I know Disneys is on the side too but the lobby is OPEN .. we had to walk bewteen chairs lol and behind the bar, not even infront of.. lol

Wow- cool...can you believe they don't give out maps at all- of any size on Allure?!?! Good thing I already have the deck plans of that behemoth memorized (OCVP baby!!)

Make a pocket one.. its awesome LOL Im gonna do that for every cruise we go one from now on. So much easier.. LOL

The pool decks on Carnival don't do much for me, they always look so jumbled and crowded...but doesn't seem as bad as I thoguht in your pics!
I agree in pics I hate the way it looks muliple levels of chairs but I see why so every deck basically gets sun. And in person its not as bad. I kind of prefer it now LOL

That looks fun! Another point for Freddy right? Adults can go on it, no?
OH YEAH!!!!

Another point for Freddy. DCL dropped the ball when they caved to the "but we want johnny snowflake with junior snowflake" whiners and combined the kids club ages. We couldn't keep Sav in there with the ankle biters to save her life.
Ya I heard they are pretty strict on the age thing. Yet P did say there was some kid in his club that was 11.. so maybe if you know how to work the system and have other kids in there you can play the cards right?

hahaha! Tito was always my favorite!
I prefer their sister Ms Jackson only cuz im nasty LOL

Well at least you didn't have the strange yellow and blue dancing Bouy.
that would have been at least SOMETHING.. heck I would have paid good money to see. oH wait I DID

Yep, RCCL is the same way..I think all of them but Disney are now. Hopefully Mickey doesn't get any ideas.
Ya they have the idea on allowing alcohol and no charge kids area.. if only they would lower their prices LOL

Sorry your service sucked! Hopefully it gets better. The first night is always rough. We decided on Allure we are going off the grid and doing specialty restaurant the first night to avoid that cluster in the MDR!
I always wanna have dinner as a family on the 1st night.. but I think from now on im going to make it only manditory on elegant/formal nights LOL

Yep that looks as amazing as I've read and heard!!! Did you only get it the first night?
hello do you now know me? I will say, it IS offered on the menue EVERYNIGHT.... stay tooned to see what kind of a piggy i am lol

Uh..yeah. That is strange. They do the towel checkout on RCCL too but like you mentioned, they swipe your card there..quick easy...takes like 2 seconds.
for as much money as they make, upgrade, get with the times, save me some vacation time. If I wanted to wait in lines I would go to WDW lol jk

Wow..Mickey is waaaay ahead!
I know but remember its jusst a number and the 1st day

Great start so far, can't wait for more!!!

I would say by weds. But thats never gonna happen i hope to get part up by Saturday LOL work is killing me. (ok maybe the people or lack of showing up LOL) I wish I could just go away 3 days a week like E sleep in my office no phone kids or work bothering me just read my book and work on my trip report.. ok so there would be an occational deployment just means more time for me

Great trip report, anewmac. We also have to boys and are always tossing around the idea of trying a Carnival cruise, but I'm nervous that it will be a disaster compared to dcl. Some people on the dcl board say that Carnival is nothing but a party boat and not for kids. I can't wait to read the rest of your report.

THATS what I thought.. but not so true. So I can gladly squash that idea. Sure they have hairy man contest and mr and mrs carnival contest but my boys LOVED IT.. and it was totally tackful for kids

We are former Californians ourselves, originally from West Covina.

Well howdy neighbor once removed LOL

I've been on 9 Carnival cruises and the waiters always lead us to our table on the first night. Can't understand why they didn't do that for you, they really should.
Well Im glad to hear that they should. Maybe cause there were tons of people waiting for it to open up? Either way not a deal breaker for us, but would have been nice lol glad we werent too far deep in lol

I am enjoying your review. I think when you are handing out points you should remember the price difference. Had you gotten the same type of cabin on Carnival you would have paid a lot less, or gotten a balcony on Disney and paid a lot more.
I did that is why we booked a balcony for the same price on carny we got a balcony and an extra day than what we paid for Disney. Actually that is what made us "jump ship" lol but now im spoiled dont think i could ever not have a balcony LOL

Carnival costs less so they are going to charge for things to make up the difference. I like that because then I only pay for things I use and don't have to pay (higher fare) for things I don't use.
True ... guess everything I use I dont want to pay for jk

I think it's really nice that cruisers are announced on Disney but I really don't want to pay more for that. It will be interesting to see if the price difference brings you back to Carnival or the added perks make you want to sail on Disney again. We all cruise for different reasons, that's why there are so many different cruise lines.

Oh me either on paying more to be announced lol. But it would be nice to walk into the lobby and not feel like were shuffled into a side area kind of felt like the lower area of the Titanic I wasnt good enought to be let in the main entrance Oh and I want to try each line too cuz what works for some may not work for others. only my opinion counts.. for me and the 3 people I take along for the ride

Carnival is not a party boat. If you sail during Spring Break you will get more of a party crowd but that is true on any cruise line. I have heard that the 3 day weekend cruises are party cruises but I have never been on one.
Eh it wasnt too bad, There were a few moments where you went oh college kids LOL but for the most part it was pretty tame. E and I went on a 3day RCCL to Ensenada a few years ago.. ya those seem to be a lil more "lively" but over all I would have still took my kids on that one

We took our grandkids when they were 9 & 10 and they had a blast. They loved the kids club. If that is the only thing keeping you from trying Carnival you should go to CruiseCritic and read some reviews and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Agreed I had to do that a LOT before I would book. Then I told the boys over and over it may not be like Disney, so go in with an open mind and try it out. They did!

alright guess I better go to bed. tmrw will be here before I want it too

 

[karajeboo]

​

Yeah, what Jen said - where did you get this app?

By then they had started boarding and were already on 3.. sweet not much more time to wait. We got some prime seats right by the hallway where they call you. They did have a few tvs showing basically longer version of their Carnival Commercials. A few minutes later we were walking down the hall (no cute Mickey Ears to walk thru like Disney another Mickey point) Get our pics taken for our SSC (sail & sign card) P had a sticker put on his all 9-17yr olds did to show which clubs they belonged too. (Segragation Now! lol)

But no wrist "tagging?"

Then it was UP the gang plank... talk about a work out it was a ramp going up 2 decks.

Disney couldn't get away with that because we are all LEGALLY bringing on cases and cases of booze and we'd never be able to drag our carry ons up any kind of ramp!!!!



Finally they open the doors and off we go to find our room. 1st order of business was to decorate the door, we didnt see many done up. Except for a wedding one, and someone "added to it" on TP they wrote GAME OVER didnt have my camera to capture that one. Carnival doesnt have magnetic doors (least not on the Freedom) so I knew to take some tape and make a couple door decorations to help us locate our home. Safe to say all were without any "additions" or stolen all week!!

Not magnetic? So not as heavy? That would be good for Ally's toe and Timmy's finger, eh Ellen?


I got my 1st DOTD while we watched them. A Funship Special.

Hey, even DCL gets ya with that first DOTD "special."

Then a few minutes later the boys got out of the pool and said they were done.. WHY UFO? (Unidentified Floating Object) No.. worse they say. UVO! ??? Unidentified Vomiting Object.. eww apparently some lil girl got sick in the pool.. so my boys got out asap.. but pointed out the lil girl and her father w/her still having a great time in a now secluded pool.. GROSS who lets their kid swim in puke. The "authorities" were called and they started the cleaning process.

EWWWWW! If I had more time I'd find the barfing smiley.....

It was at that time that we decided to go check out the kids clubs before it was time to do the muster drill. P's club Circle C is 12-14 yrs old and it was small, but did have a wii & playstation, We were told they go to the older kids club also at time for games and Club Decades a dance club ha this would be fun. (P started middle school this yr and has had a few dances he went to for the food and bounce house he states lol, so it would be fun to "check in" on him here Ya I know Im a mean mom lol).

I would do that too!!!!

J's club Camp Carnival was a combo of 2 clubs with dividers to keep the 2-5 yr olds separate from the 6-8yr olds. We met the counselors and found out when orientation was, and we were told to go weather you preregistered or not.. ok. His club stated they did science and geography type things along with the normal freeze tag etc. They both were looking forward to some non parent time! As were we looking forward to some non kid time too!


***TO BE CONTINUED, too many pics***

I'm dying to hear more about the kids clubs as your TR goes on. This is our biggest hesitation in doing another cruise line. Ally turned 10 on this cruise and we gave her sign in/out priviledges and she pretty much had the run of the ship. Did you feel comfortable with your son having that independence on Carnival? I know there are a lot more singles/ partiers/ couples, etc, on Carnival than there are on DCL so that's why we felt pretty safe with Ally and her friends roaming around the ship......

I heart this kid! I ask, he does, I love him he's my favorite LOL shh I never said that

Now THAT is funny!!! And I didn't just post it on facebook......

As we were making our way up to deck 4 for muster we met our cabin steward TITO.. kept looking for his 4 brothers all week LOL.

I'd be a little spooked if you told us you found "the gloved one" - odds are they were all in surgery so that next time we see them they will appear younger than OUR kids!

There was no big party, just some music playing, again Mickey you get the cake with dancers and confetti and streamers. Carnival was very mellow, I didnt want to sit on our balcony as I wanted the group feeling to experience but how they kick off sail away, I would have had more fun on my balcony LOL.

That is so sad!!!! Sail Away really got me excited and totally into vacation mode. Did anyone wave at you with giant "just got caught in the heavy magnetic door" gloved hands?????

It was time for orientation of the kids clubs next. Yes inside the Victoriana Lounge (where they have the shows) parents and kids of ALL ages go to register (we had already done it online I told one of the counselors.. oh but they make you do it again (great glad I wasted time filling out online forms) They basically go over all the "rules" for each club/age group, and what type of activates to expect. They really try and sell the Build a Bear times and the Teen Spa times.. (I was over it within 2seconds in). This is where they also tell you kids from age 8 and below after 10pm, the clubs are no longer FREE.. it then starts a charge of $6 an hour... now I had read this so we werent surprised by it but still wasnt thrilled with it. Really at 10pm is when parents want a lil bit of us time. I think it should start at midnight for them to charge.. but thats just me. Mickey you win this round also since kids club is free any time on your ships. Anyhow off my soap box, I refilled out the forms and turned them in and off we went.

I agree with what others have said. Disney is all about kids and we definitely pay for it..... Just not on an hourly basis.....

We wanted to head back to the room to wash up before dinner, and maybe see if our luggage was there yet.. and more importantly did our smuggling work? P went and got pizza, then J ordered room service (he had been dying to do that for months, tuna samich, and BLT that we all split, both YUMMY. This is where Disney and Carny differ again, Disney served warm food along with cold things... Carny all cold samiches. We were ok with it also as we all split but it would have been nice to have a burger delivered every now and then. Another point for Mickey as my lil piggy’s would have preferred hot food too. Little by little our luggage arrives and E and I have great teamwork to unpack it no time flat and WOOHOO my Rum Runners all survived! 3 points for me (one for each rum runner LOL)!

Oh yea!!!!!! It almost feels better to be bad than to "legally" bring on the booze on DCL, right????

Our dinning room was the Posh (Spice?) restaurant and we were on the top deck. I didn’t remember to ask for our own table so was worried we would be sharing with others, Not that I or E mind people but were always worried how the boys will react to "outsiders" or for that matter if meltdowns will erupt infront of them... lol but was happy to see we were at our own 4top. Something that E noticed is before we walked to our table the wait staff was yelling the left side was ODD table numbers and the right side was EVEN numbers.. Then we were to go in and find our table... where on Disney, the 1st night they walk to to your table so your not on a scavenger hunt. We though Mickey gets a point for being classier then Carny screaming directions at us.
It took us almost 2 hours to get through dinner everyone got served before us, it lagged so bad, E asked for lemonade at start didnt get it till he was almost done with dinner.

So did you eat in same dining room every night?

and do you see what I see...?

We are so sad to be home from our cruise that we see hidden Mickey's EVERYWHERE!!!! Poor Jeff just can't escape us!

When the mateir d came by and asked how our 1st night was, we told him we cant do 2 hour dinners w/the boys and need it asap to get the kids out of there fast. He said no prob tmrw would be better, we shall see. Also it was then we asked is their a kids menu as we werent offered one, but since they werent too hungry it didnt matter.. he said he would make sure the boys got those also. (my cruise rule is too look at the adult menu and maybe try something but then they can always fall back on the kids menu if they want)

So the kids WERE allowed to order from adult menu? We just read somewhere that DCL is the only cruise line that allows that.... hmmmm.....

Alone at last E & I went to the Welcome aboard show.. they must not screen these people well.. there were a few off key moments.. they were NOT the next American Idol. Also for girls that are on stage in skimpy lil outfits you would think they would be toned at least.. I am in no way Americas Next Top Model but I could have beat out half those girls in the next Miss USA pageant.. just saying.

Mickey your shows rock point for you!

I remember back in the "day" when cruising first became a big deal, that it was all because of the food and the shows...... So sad the shows aren't all that - however, it saves that crazy running from dinner to show to clubs, etc. What is it? The stilleto 5k?

It was a tad chilly so they have blankets you can check out. (BTW those plates are NOT ours I swear.. they were left there.. we didnt pork out that much.. at least not on the 1st day LOL)

You crazy Californians!!! We were in the same part of the ocean the same week and I never even pulled out my sweaters!!!! Silly west coasters......

Yes you go and give them your SS Card at the lil cabana by the pool and they write your name on a paper with room # and how many you take then at the end of the night you are to return them so you are not charged for "borrowing/stealing etc", they do this for towels during the day also. I will say its kind of a pain in the rear when the line is long and you just wanna lay out. But when I was on Disney I couldnt find any "free" towels so this worked. No point for either since one washes out the other LOL. But Carny uses paper and pen to check them out they need a faster system, like how about you slide my SSC? DUH Freddy get with the times.

The pool wait staff has to write up tickets also... no automated system.. what is this 1980? lol

But if it were still 1980 the food and shows would be better.....

We were totally exhausted by now and made our way back down to our room on deck 6 after the movie. E and J watched a lil tv, I worked on my trip report and P walked in right at 1230am on the dot. Said he wanted to stop for a piece of pizza but didnt want to be late for curfew and the line was LONG. I told him next time call us from one of the ship phones and let me know and it would be ok to get food and come back. BUT can I say he scored Major trust points for being on time and showing responsibility. 2 points for P.

Great job!!!!!

I ended the night by picking up a little, and hanging the Room Service Menu on the Door. Ordered a pot of coffee (to go with my Kahlua) and some Danishes cuz I wanted to take full advantage of our balcony. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

Tally
Mickey-9
Freddy- 1
P-2
Me-3

Next Up: Getting our GTL on (Gym, Tan, & Lunch)[/QUOTE]

Poor Freddy........ So far he's just inexpensive, but is he "cheap?" The ship looks great though, how big was that one in comparison? More more more!!!!! I'm jonesing SOOOOO bad and I've been on websites every night trying to decide do we cheat on the mouse next year or wait two years so we can afford the Mouse again?????

 

[princess aleya]

Great updates, can't believe how much they charge for the kids clubs after 10pm . You're right, they could make so much more money off parents just from drinking..

 

[karajeboo]

Carnival is not a party boat. If you sail during Spring Break you will get more of a party crowd but that is true on any cruise line. I have heard that the 3 day weekend cruises are party cruises but I have never been on one.

We took our grandkids when they were 9 & 10 and they had a blast. They loved the kids club. If that is the only thing keeping you from trying Carnival you should go to CruiseCritic and read some reviews and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I think Carnival is more of a party boat on shorter cruises because you can take a cruise for less than $200pp in some cases. So that allows for bachelor/bachelorette parties, spring breakers, etc. The longer cruises where you are still paying at least $500pp will be similar to other cruise lines. But Carnival also gave themselves that stigma when they launched the Fun Ships campaign.......

 

[nenner1]

^ Mmm, yeah I'll pass on that one!

And you thought the lifestyle pics were pricey!!!

Hey Kara you should cheat! Between me and Ellen you will learn all you ever need to know about RCCL too so you have plenty of choices! Besides you *ARE* going on Mickey's boat next year (ahem..Dismoms cruise)..I swear I will have to find a way on that one!

 

[podsnel]

^ mmm, yeah i'll pass on that one!

And you thought the lifestyle pics were pricey!!!

Hey kara you should cheat! between me and ellen you will learn all you ever need to know about rccl too so you have plenty of choices! besides you *are* going on mickey's boat next year (ahem..dismoms cruise)..i swear i will have to find a way on that one!

yes!!!! Yes!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!

 

[anewmac]

hey all so sorry im lagging, had a horrible cold last week but now I think its just my alergies acting up cuz its all sinusy (thats a word right?) But trying to get back into it.

I'm dying to hear more about the kids clubs as your TR goes on. This is our biggest hesitation in doing another cruise line. Ally turned 10 on this cruise and we gave her sign in/out priviledges and she pretty much had the run of the ship. Did you feel comfortable with your son having that independence on Carnival? I know there are a lot more singles/ partiers/ couples, etc, on Carnival than there are on DCL so that's why we felt pretty safe with Ally and her friends roaming around the ship......
Yes I did feel ok, I was hesitent at 1st since there wasnt any bar codes on them to scan, so when he left his club that was it. Unlike Disney (thanks for reminding me Kara) when he checked out then they would at least tell me via the pager, P has left the kids club getting pizza then going to the room (which gave E and I a good heads up ), he knew the rules, be where he told us he would be. LOL. He made friends so there was a group of them always together, even some girls.. lol. And when we checked in J they took your SSC (for regular play time or pay for play time) and wrote your number in a "book" and you literally signed them In and Out. They were quick I will say and not many kids at any one time so the process was fast unlike disney where I had to wait for eons at times.


That is so sad!!!! Sail Away really got me excited and totally into vacation mode. Did anyone wave at you with giant "just got caught in the heavy magnetic door" gloved hands?????
HA no but some people on the Oasis did.. so lil hands on a big boat lol

I agree with what others have said. Disney is all about kids and we definitely pay for it..... Just not on an hourly basis.....
I will say J did enjoy it and it was more structured after the 1st night, they didnt play movies everynight thank goodness or I would have been really mad. Heck I would just lock him in our room to watch a movie if so

Oh yea!!!!!! It almost feels better to be bad than to "legally" bring on the booze on DCL, right????
yes and no.. we were happy (and proud they made it on, but were scared to buy too much incase it got taken then pissed we didnt buy more when it did. Mickey I thank you for letting me take on a bottle per day to contain my needs lol

Our dinning room was the Posh (Spice?)
So did you eat in same dining room every night?
what would I do without you Kara... Yes Same Dinning Room Same Table Same Servers, same seats (no they didnt make you sit that way my family did LOL). I like the excitement of Disney moving to different dining rooms. I cant talk BAD about Posh spice but would have been nice to see Sporty once. They do have a Steakhouse for $30 extra per person. We opted out this time. But the table next to us went one night and they said it was to die for. Live and learn, said you cut it with a butter knife. Its not adult only kids can go but they say the service is even slower then normal and they dont speed it up as its part of the ambiance.

So the kids WERE allowed to order from adult menu? We just read somewhere that DCL is the only cruise line that allows that.... hmmmm.....
Oh ya, and vise versa, E orderd chicken strips as an appy from them one night.

I remember back in the "day" when cruising first became a big deal, that it was all because of the food and the shows...... So sad the shows aren't all that - however, it saves that crazy running from dinner to show to clubs, etc. What is it? The stilleto 5k?
ya there was no 5k on this cruise.. except for one time back to port.. but it was a flip flop 5k.. but Im skipping ahead....
You crazy Californians!!! We were in the same part of the ocean the same week and I never even pulled out my sweaters!!!! Silly west coasters......
hey anything under 75 is cold for us lol time to breakout the hoodies

But if it were still 1980 the food and shows would be better.....
ya but then our pics with the hair and clothes wouldnt be lol

Poor Freddy........ So far he's just inexpensive, but is he "cheap?" The ship looks great though, how big was that one in comparison? More more more!!!!! I'm jonesing SOOOOO bad and I've been on websites every night trying to decide do we cheat on the mouse next year or wait two years so we can afford the Mouse again?????

It felt the same... to me. but apparently its a tad bigger.
Carnival Freedom
Gross Tonnage - 110,000
Length - 952 feet
Beam - 116 feet wide
Guest Capacity - 2,974
Staterooms - 1,487
Crew - 1,150
Disney
Tonnage: 83,000 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 964 ft (294 m)
Beam: 106 ft (32 m)
Draft: 25.3 ft (7.7 m)[2]
Decks: 11
Speed: Cruising 21.5-knot (39.8 km/h),
maximum 24 kn (44 km/h)[2]
Capacity: 2,400 passengers
Crew: 945

And you thought the lifestyle pics were pricey!!!
HA, not compaired to Freddy!

Hey Kara you should cheat! Between me and Ellen you will learn all you ever need to know about RCCL too so you have plenty of choices! Besides you *ARE* going on Mickey's boat next year (ahem..Dismoms cruise)..I swear I will have to find a way on that one!

I agree Mickey wont mind. and ya me to on that boat....

 

[sunlver]

I am enjoying your trip report. We have sailed onCarnival twice,and Royal Carribean twice.. I love to cruise, and it is fun reading about other people's adventures.

 

[podsnel]

 

[karajeboo]

hey all so sorry im lagging, had a horrible cold last week but now I think its just my alergies acting up cuz its all sinusy (thats a word right?) But trying to get back into it.


It felt the same... to me. but apparently its a tad bigger.
Carnival Freedom
Gross Tonnage - 110,000
Length - 952 feet
Beam - 116 feet wide
Guest Capacity - 2,974
Staterooms - 1,487
Crew - 1,150
Disney
Tonnage: 83,000 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 964 ft (294 m)
Beam: 106 ft (32 m)
Draft: 25.3 ft (7.7 m)[2]
Decks: 11
Speed: Cruising 21.5-knot (39.8 km/h),
maximum 24 kn (44 km/h)[2]
Capacity: 2,400 passengers
Crew: 945


I agree Mickey wont mind. and ya me to on that boat....

This is near the size of the next cruise we are considering IF we decide to cheat on the mouse......

Thanx for answering all my questions!!!!! Hurry up though, I need MORE!!!!

 

[Grog]

Enjoying the TR. We're going to be booking a Feb 2012 trip on the Carnival Magic in a couple of weeks.

I've heard more good than bad about Carnival, but it's nice to hear from someone who is not a Carnival "fanatic".

 

[nenner1]

It felt the same... to me. but apparently its a tad bigger.

This is near the size of the next cruise we are considering IF we decide to cheat on the mouse......

Even though Independence was a LOT bigger it actually seemed very similar to DCL since it is set up similar to the Magic/Wonder. We adjusted to it almost immediately!

Yeah I'll second that!

 

[Fastpaks]

And now I found where the "other cruises" are.. Looking forward to the trip!

 

[anewmac]

G,T,L
(Gym, Tan, Lunch!)​

Well 630 am wake up call got hung up on and I passed back out. Which by the way isn’t a cute mouse telling you lots to do.. No just some automated chick voice not really that thrilling. I will give a point to Disney but either way wake up calls are no bueno lol. I had the coffee and juice being delivered between 7-730am and at 730 on the dot I heard a knock at the door. I jumped out of bed, and got it. Took my coffee and Danish out to the balcony and enjoyed reading my book (Nickolas Sparks, The Guardian) listening to the quiet ocean and 4 cups of Kahlua infused coffee with French vanilla creamer that I bought at Publix .

Its not a vacation until you start your day with a coffee and Kahlua. (Thought of you every morning El!)

I let the boys keep sleeping, don’t they look so peaceful

So once I was fully awake from my coffee intake I decided I better hit the gym. Normally I go walk around the ship and just take pics, but I had been working out hard prior to us vacationing to lose 30lbs (yea me! Still lots to go but it’s a start) So I packed my workout gear and wanted to stay on top of my workouts. I changed and off I walked to the gym/spa on deck 12 (we were on 6) you would think that would be workout enough.

It was a small gym and packed.

8treadmills, a couple elliptical, some weight machines, a whirlpool and then some cycles but you have to sign up for the class to use those. I hoped on the tread and set off to do my 3miles. The gym is at the front of the ship so you feel ever move… and the tv screens are like 5inches from your faces so as your watching the water then the tv your moving side to side.. Its horrible lol Me and the dude next to me kept laughing and grabbing on to the rails. Best part is you don’t have to put and incline cuz when the ship goes up on a wave its like and incline then when it goes down its like your running down hill LOL. If you ever want to see how it feels, just get super drunk, put on a blindfold and go running around the block.

See I have proof, well I was in the sauna here. It has a great window view and is super relaxing.

Once I was done I went back to the room to shower and get ready, E decided he was going to go running at the gym. Told him to watch out for the hills lol We missed sit down breakfast so I woke the boys up and we went to the lido deck for buffet breakfast. I will give Freddy a point here. As there are multiple buffet lines 2 on each buffet with 2buffet so 4 lines total (go to the ones in the back they are always shorter) where the Magic is only 2lines 1 buffet.

I had an omelet and some potatoes… not a lot and it was pretty fast to get and not to packed. But the outside deck by now was already packed around the pool. Chair hogs get there early! Once we were done eating P and I dropped J off at his club for 2 hours of fun. Camp Carnival for the 6-8yr old were having Mummy Wrap and paper ball war. Basically kids team up and they wrapped a member like mummy’s using TP. (sure hope Tito doesn’t use that in our room after LOL) Then Head to Head Challenge.. Sorry I forgot what J described it as and when I asked him now he couldn’t remember LOL. After we dropped him off P and I went back to the room to meet up with E. He finshed his run, showered and changed and we went to find the "secret deck" on 7. Ended up not being too secret and not to hard to find. Sort of miss seeing a hidden Mickey here.

We saw something in the water at the front of the ship come to find out it was whales but we were never close enough to get a good pic, just splashed in the water.

Guess a whale doesn’t “splash” though huh?

Oh ya they gave P this bag and some headphones that say Circle C (too bad we didnt have an ipod to go with them LOL)

If they had some deck chairs there it would be nice and quiet to read and relax

P had highlighted his Fun times guide to do the Digital scavenger hunt , Shout about (scream your answer to trivia ya that’s productive how bout we raise a hand LOL) video game free time (wow free this ship knows what that is?) Hip hop dance class, & Karaoke Craziness but he ended up wanting to stick with us (another point for this awesome kid) so I talked E & P into going to the movie quote trivia outside the casino bar. We did pretty good got 15 out of 20 correct. It was all ages too so P knew some also. But were totally beat by a team that got all 20 so no Gold Ship on a Stick for us (that’s your price for winning most games or participating in thing a 24k gold plated ship on a stick LOL). (stold this one off google)

When that was done we went to find our pictures from last nights dinner. They don’t have any package deals like Disney does (1point for Mickey) so its an arm and a leg for each picture. We got the embark pic and then the pics from dinner I hurried and took pics of them, then we trashed them cuz they werent that that good. P and I have this down to a science he’s my look out. E ditches us as he wants NO part in breaking the rules LOL. (oh sure but stuff some rum in a shoe and Im the bomb LOL)

Got to admit this is a cute one but not for $9.95

OMG totally forgot, best part is they have a pirate come around for pics on the 1st night, omg he was the cheesiest thing I have ever seen costume and make up looked no more then put together for $5, heck J could have done a better job.

The four of us cracked up so hard at dinner last night at him.

He’s no Capt Jack that for sure.

Anyhow pics, they had a deal buy a 6x8 get a photo book holder for $5 instead of $8 with purchase. So I went for it.

After that went up to get J from Camp Carnival and who do we happen to see… FREDDY. I begged P to take a pic and he said NO. I was upset as he promised on this cruise he wouldn’t be like the last where he never wanted to take pics. So I said fine whatever.. And just as I was about to click it… guess who popped in.

We headed back to the room and got our swim trunks on and headed out to catch the hairy man contest. They should have called it the hairless man contest, as most the guys had NONE and they even had a young kid in there it was funny as heck though, kids were loving it

As we walked around a bit to find a lounge chair, we spotted Kid Rock lol

Eventually I found 1 chair hog less so I jumped on it and later the lady next to me left and E came over to sit down from being in the pool. He even rode the slide but I missed him. So yes Jen adults can ride the slide. We laid out a bit, got some bbq from the outside buffet, hamburgers, nuggets and fries. We had packed a bag with some sodas and our rum runners. Got cups and ice and had our self a party!

Not a drink of the day but it will do

This kid made his own slide on the bench (watch out for splinters lol)

Eventually after my nap I needed to cool down so I got a DOTD a Goomsbay Smash

At 3pm they were starting a weeklong Whodunit game. Like mystery theater. Then each day you would find clues in the Fun Times and at certain shows etc they would throw them out. I really wanted to do it.. And what happens I slept through it.. AND my cruise meet. I had been chatting on Cruise Critic with a handful of people (nothing like the DIS, hence why Im doing my report here LOL) and we decided at 2pm to meet up in one of the lounges and one gal who had cruised a million times had a direct email (stalker.. Or maybe it was like a direct line to Batman?) to our Cruise Director Ryan (Gopher oh wait that was Julie on Love boat right Kara? Lol) So I never got to put faces with usernames together. Eh I wasn’t too bummed though. Over a yr we only had chatted enough to make 10pages. To me that was month 1 on the DIS for our cruise meets thread LOL. Oh well I was more thrilled I had napped and already was half way tan to looking like Jwow! (towards the end of the cruise you can call me Snookie after all the food LOL)

E later moved to the rocking chairs on the bottom deck to cheer on his Longhorns (sorry I should crop that guy from behind E but had to show the reverse wedgie LOL)

To watch some NCAA basketball they had on the Iron Man Screen.

The boys and I went to play a round of mini golf. 1st we had to check out the clubs and balls. Back to the cabanna to sign in

My lil Tiger Woods

Ya I got to play 9 holes of golf in the middle of the ocean

And Ya I won… not to gloat or anything.. What Im competitive I don’t go easy even on my kids

Freddy got MAD points here. We all loved playing putt putt at sea 3 points for Carny since Disney doesn’t have anything like this (well on the OLD ships that is)

NEXT UP: Our Dinners So Bright. We Gotta Wear Shades.

Tally
Mickey 2
Freddy 5
P 1