Carnival Holiday

Has anyone been on this ship and have any comments? I am booked for next
year but I'm having hesitations since it is an older ship. I know it was
used during Hurricane Katrina but was scheduled to under go an upgrade after
that. It's only a 5 day cruise in order to initiate my 16 year old grand
daughter into the world of cruising at a port closest to home (Mobile).

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Sandra

"Sandra (AR)" wrote in message
news:1FBOf.80396$bF.25329@dukeread07...
Has anyone been on this ship and have any comments? I am booked for next
year but I'm having hesitations since it is an older ship. I know it was
used during Hurricane Katrina but was scheduled to under go an upgrade
after that. It's only a 5 day cruise in order to initiate my 16 year old
grand daughter into the world of cruising at a port closest to home
(Mobile).

It's not a bad ship for the first time cruiser and it was my first cruising
experience in 2003.
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat...nival_holiday/

Even a local New Orleans area cover band who've cruised on bigger ships
(Carnival Conquest in '04 and Sensation last year) is going on the Holiday
for a 5 day cruise in August.
http://www.thetopcats.com/calendar2.html

They were supposed to go back on Sensation once again with my friend's band
The Chee-Weez for another 4 day cruise but due to Hurricane Katrina,
Carnival hasn't scheduled resumption of service to New Orleans until
October.
Pictures from last year's 4 day cruise.
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat...val_sensation/

If you can live without the big atriums typically found on the Fantasy Class
and above ships then it should be no problem. Also, the smaller ships
usually score a higher service rating as the crew boasted when I was on the
Holiday. They are more attentive to your needs. The one thing that I noticed
was that the Maitre D' on Holiday always greeted me by my name since day one
but I barely even saw a peep of the Maitre D' on Sensation.

Your mileage will vary. The one thing I didn't like on the Holiday was its
late arrival to Cozumel (didn't dock until after 10:00 AM) and wasn't
compensated with a later departure to make up for lost time. We were already
docked by around 3:00 AM on the Sensation. I think it was because Sensation
sped to Cozumel in the early AM hours to get a dying guest suffering from a
heart attack to a hospital. We could feel how rough the ride was due to
excessive speed. I wish that I had gotten my bulky laptop GPS ready to
actually see how fast we were going. Anyway, I'm straying off topic so here
the link for more details on my most recent cruise.
http://carnivalcruiseblog.com/blog/a...nsation-cruise


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
(on the Western side of the 17th Street Canal)
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

Thanks Andy. It's not my first time cruising but I've only been on Royal
Carribian ships. It will be a first for my grand daughter though. I'll
definately look into the links you've provided me. We are booked in one of
the 10 suites they have so that's a plus. I understand only these 10 suites
have balcony's. I love to sit on my balcony & watch the world (water) go by
with a good book.

Sandra

"Andy P. Jung" wrote in message
news:UCIOf.46813$Dh.46770@dukeread04...
"Sandra (AR)" wrote in message
news:1FBOf.80396$bF.25329@dukeread07...
Has anyone been on this ship and have any comments? I am booked for next
year but I'm having hesitations since it is an older ship. I know it was
used during Hurricane Katrina but was scheduled to under go an upgrade
after that. It's only a 5 day cruise in order to initiate my 16 year old
grand daughter into the world of cruising at a port closest to home
(Mobile).

It's not a bad ship for the first time cruiser and it was my first
cruising experience in 2003.
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat...nival_holiday/

Even a local New Orleans area cover band who've cruised on bigger ships
(Carnival Conquest in '04 and Sensation last year) is going on the Holiday
for a 5 day cruise in August.
http://www.thetopcats.com/calendar2.html

They were supposed to go back on Sensation once again with my friend's
band The Chee-Weez for another 4 day cruise but due to Hurricane Katrina,
Carnival hasn't scheduled resumption of service to New Orleans until
October.
Pictures from last year's 4 day cruise.
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat...val_sensation/

If you can live without the big atriums typically found on the Fantasy
Class and above ships then it should be no problem. Also, the smaller
ships usually score a higher service rating as the crew boasted when I was
on the Holiday. They are more attentive to your needs. The one thing that
I noticed was that the Maitre D' on Holiday always greeted me by my name
since day one but I barely even saw a peep of the Maitre D' on Sensation.

Your mileage will vary. The one thing I didn't like on the Holiday was its
late arrival to Cozumel (didn't dock until after 10:00 AM) and wasn't
compensated with a later departure to make up for lost time. We were
already docked by around 3:00 AM on the Sensation. I think it was because
Sensation sped to Cozumel in the early AM hours to get a dying guest
suffering from a heart attack to a hospital. We could feel how rough the
ride was due to excessive speed. I wish that I had gotten my bulky laptop
GPS ready to actually see how fast we were going. Anyway, I'm straying off
topic so here the link for more details on my most recent cruise.
http://carnivalcruiseblog.com/blog/a...nsation-cruise


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
(on the Western side of the 17th Street Canal)
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

"Sandra (AR)" wrote in message
news:RGJOf.80621$bF.16094@dukeread07...
Thanks Andy. It's not my first time cruising but I've only been on Royal
Carribian ships. It will be a first for my grand daughter though. I'll
definately look into the links you've provided me. We are booked in one
of the 10 suites they have so that's a plus. I understand only these 10
suites have balcony's. I love to sit on my balcony & watch the world
(water) go by with a good book.

Lucky you! Here are pictures of most of the balcony suites. The only ones
completely out of the frame are rooms V1 and V2.
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat.../dsc04966.html
and
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacat.../dsc04963.html


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
(on the Western side of the 17th Street Canal)
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

Thus spake "Sandra \(AR\)" :

Thanks Andy. It's not my first time cruising but I've only been on Royal
Carribian ships. It will be a first for my grand daughter though. I'll
definately look into the links you've provided me. We are booked in one of
the 10 suites they have so that's a plus. I understand only these 10 suites
have balcony's. I love to sit on my balcony & watch the world (water) go by
with a good book.

Be aware that some of the balconies are obstructed. Specifically V7,
V8, V9 & V10.


We liked the Celebration, a sister to the Holiday. A nice ship, great
intro to cruising. Got us started.
--
dillon

Could have been is in the past
Could be is in the future
There is only the now

Thanks Dillon. We are in V2
"Dillon Pyron" wrote in message
...
Thus spake "Sandra \(AR\)" :

Thanks Andy. It's not my first time cruising but I've only been on Royal
Carribian ships. It will be a first for my grand daughter though. I'll
definately look into the links you've provided me. We are booked in one
of
the 10 suites they have so that's a plus. I understand only these 10
suites
have balcony's. I love to sit on my balcony & watch the world (water) go
by
with a good book.

Be aware that some of the balconies are obstructed. Specifically V7,
V8, V9 & V10.


We liked the Celebration, a sister to the Holiday. A nice ship, great
intro to cruising. Got us started.
--
dillon

Could have been is in the past
Could be is in the future
There is only the now

"Sandra (AR)" wrote in message
news:cuOOf.80808$bF.63915@dukeread07...
Thanks Dillon. We are in V2

When you post a reply, try to post on the bottom, not the top.

Anyway, make sure to take lots of pictures!


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
(on the Western side of the 17th Street Canal)
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

Sandra,

While certainly not the mega ship of today, my wife (Deborah) and I did sail
on the Holiday awhile back. We enjoyed it very much and would have no
hesitation in sailing on her again. Being a bit on the smaller size,
actually made it a bit easier to find our way around. We found the ship
comfortable, inviting, up-to-date on amenities, and not at all brought any
reference in our minds to compare it with the newer mega ships. Bigger is
not always better. Yet, in all fairness, this is a ship to "see," not be
"seen." It is better for those who enjoy a somewhat slower pace, not for
those just looking for all types of glitz and glamour. This is not to say
the ship itself is boring, far from it, it is just geared more towards those
who don't expect to be entertained 24 hours a day.

This was also one of the Carnival ships that had the beer drinking contest,
along with male nightgown, hairy chest and knobby knees contests.
Apparently, from other posts and previous comments, such events have long
since been eliminated, but at one time was some of the more adventuresome
activities of the day, even though a few frequent visitors to this newsgroup
never heard of such a thing. Yet, in spite of the fact that we were on the
ship, and they weren't, these were indeed very popular events. In reality,
these events of the past were even remembered by a few others, so some of
the comments you may see posted here and there by others, just need to be
taken with a grain of salt. Obviously some are fast to give personal
opinions, but with little or no knowledge or facts to back them up with.

The bottom line is, the Holiday would be a fine introduction to cruising for
a 16 year old. Don't hesitate for a second to keep this reservation. There
will be plenty to do, and for all age groups.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker
SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at
(800) 724-6644 & (pagoo ID: 714.536.3850)
http://www.shiptoshorecruise.com




"Sandra (AR)" wrote in message
news:1FBOf.80396$bF.25329@dukeread07...
Has anyone been on this ship and have any comments? I am booked for next
year but I'm having hesitations since it is an older ship. I know it was
used during Hurricane Katrina but was scheduled to under go an upgrade
after that. It's only a 5 day cruise in order to initiate my 16 year old
grand daughter into the world of cruising at a port closest to home
(Mobile).

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Sandra

In article . net, John
Sisker wrote:

This was also one of the Carnival ships that had the beer drinking contest,
along with male nightgown, hairy chest and knobby knees contests.
Apparently, from other posts and previous comments, such events have long
since been eliminated, but at one time was some of the more adventuresome
activities of the day, even though a few frequent visitors to this newsgroup
never heard of such a thing.

Those kind of events, which are called poolside activities, occur in
one form or another on all the cruise lines I have been on. Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, and Carnival. You generalized that
somehow Carnival was unique compared to other cruise lines. I never saw
a beer drinking contest on Carnival but I have seen beer drinking
contests on Royal Caribbean and Princess. So the way you paint Carnival
is not helpful at all since knobby knees, hairy chest, belly flop, and
other poolside activities like that are common cruise events on all the
popular cruise lines and don't specificaly relate to describing
Carnival.

--
Charles

Charles,

Sorry if I generalized. I sure you're right and other cruise lines have
similar activities. Even though my wife and I have been on many other
cruises, including most of the lines you mentioned, we never saw these
poolside or other activities on any of the other ships. Since this original
post was referring to the 'Holiday' from Carnival Cruise Lines, it was
Carnival that I was referring to, since generalizing at this point really
had nothing to do with the original question.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker
SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at
(800) 724-6644 & (pagoo ID: 714.536.3850)
http://www.shiptoshorecruise.com




"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article . net, John
Sisker wrote:

This was also one of the Carnival ships that had the beer drinking
contest,
along with male nightgown, hairy chest and knobby knees contests.
Apparently, from other posts and previous comments, such events have long
since been eliminated, but at one time was some of the more adventuresome
activities of the day, even though a few frequent visitors to this
newsgroup
never heard of such a thing.

Those kind of events, which are called poolside activities, occur in
one form or another on all the cruise lines I have been on. Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, and Carnival. You generalized that
somehow Carnival was unique compared to other cruise lines. I never saw
a beer drinking contest on Carnival but I have seen beer drinking
contests on Royal Caribbean and Princess. So the way you paint Carnival
is not helpful at all since knobby knees, hairy chest, belly flop, and
other poolside activities like that are common cruise events on all the
popular cruise lines and don't specificaly relate to describing
Carnival.

--
Charles