Carnival Legand 1/10-1/17/2010

"Ray Goldenberg" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:30:07 -0600, Stu wrote:

I don't understand why people cruise if they don't want to be
involved, you might as well save your money, stay home or fly.

Hi Stu,

While you may enjoy that type of involvement, there are many that
enjoy cruising but not Carnival's version of Involvement. BTW,
Carnival calls it "fun".

On our Queen Mary 2 sailing, one evening our waitress ran over to the next
table and immediately performed the Heimlich on a guy who was turning
blue... a few minutes later the family came over to her at our table and
thanked her for saving the person's life. She was kind of flustered about
the fuss they made over her heroics.

Now THAT was something I was impressed with... but I'm not impressed with
singing and dancing waiters.

--Tom

"Stu" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:51:06 -0800, Ray Goldenberg
wrote:

On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:25:22 -0600, Stu wrote:



At late dinner the crew put on a huge show every night, it was always
something different. They had most of the dining room up dancing and
singing, this when most were having desserts and coffee so it didn't
interfere while eating.

Hi Stu,

This has been one of the signature experiences on Carnival for many
years. This is a major irritant to many cruisers who dislike the
Carnival experience. Others enjoy it. Are you old enough to remember
the expression, "Different strokes for different folks" or was it the
other way around? I am so old I forgot. :+)

Oh I remember it, it was from a sitcom Diff'rent Strokes with Gary
Coleman in it circa 1975

As for the entertainment, I'm 59 going on 18, I enjoyed the cruises.
I hear there are specific cruise lines for people who don't want that
sort of thing, I've been told that Holland is one such.

I don't understand why people cruise if they don't want to be
involved, you might as well save your money, stay home or fly.

If I go to a nice restaurant here at home, I don't see why it would make my
dining experience any more satisfying if my waiter started dancing and
singing...

I like a nice, elegant, pampering type experience. I like when a waiter in
the buffet comes and takes my daughters tray so I don't have to schlep 2
trays. My first day on Celebrity... that's exactly what happened. It was
then that I realized... there is something different about the likes of
Celebrity and Cunard, vs. lines like Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess and
Carnival. They kick it up a notch. But not by dancing and singing. It's
simple elegance, better food, and better service. It's what makes a Ritz
Carleton different from a Holiday Inn. Like getting leather seats in your
car instead of vinyl.

--Tom

On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 18:08:12 -0500, "Tom K"
wrote:

Now THAT was something I was impressed with... but I'm not impressed with
singing and dancing waiters.

Hi Tom,

I agree with you. Singing and dancing waiters are a major turn off
for you and I. We do agree on many of the same cruise points.
--
Ray Goldenberg 800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
Lighthouse Travel http://www.lighthousetravel.com
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lighthousetravl
Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ray.goldenberg

"Stu" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:56:52 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:53:13 -0800, Ray Goldenberg
wrote:

On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:38:49 -0600, Stu wrote:


Why, what happened? When was the cruise?

Hi Stu,

Many folks love the Carnival experience and some do not care for it at
all. This is why there are a diversity of cruise lines & travel
agents to assist in finding the correct cruise line experience. :+)

Our trivia partners on Celebrity Mercury (who helped fill in the
blanks of our knowledge) are long time cruisers on Carnival and really
like that cruise line. They went on one Princess cruise and were
highly annoyed when Princess charged them extra for ice cream. Said
they would never do a Princess cruise again. I've never done either
of them. I am looking forward to trying Carnival because I hear the
food is terrific. And although I was disappointed in the food and
general 'togetherness' of the crew on Grandeur of the Seas, we are
trying RCCL again next year on a different ship.


At late dinner the crew put on a huge show every night, it was always
something different. They had most of the dining room up dancing and
singing, this when most were having desserts and coffee so it didn't
interfere while eating.
As for the togetherness, the crew went out of their way for us at
every turn, I don't believe it was the gratuities, I believe it was
because they really wanted to.


Stu, out of 51 cruises that we have taken, 11 of them have been on Carnival,
the last was Nov.2006 on the Conquest. I have enjoyed every one of them with
perhaps the Elation the least and that was only because of the location of
our cabin. It was early in our cruising lives and I was not savvy about
cruising and ended up with a cabin under the galley which meant banging of
pots and pans, rolling of carts and things being dropped on the floor
overhead until 4AM...not conducive to a good night's sleep the entire 14
days for sure!. But I consider that my fault for not checking the deck plans
nor having a travel agent who was caring enough to let me know it was not a
desirable location. Both have both been remedied through experience and
three very good travel agents.

Needless to say, that did not prevent me from booking Carnival again. The
food was not as good then as I hear that it is now, but it was about par
with Royal Caribbean at the time. I look forward to booking with Carnival
again in the near future...I do not let one experience influence me from
booking with the same cruise line...even the same ship..

I also had a very bad experience on the Celebrity Zenith with a smoke
saturated room that had to have its walls washed down twice and STILL had a
slight odor. ( I have a very keen sense of smell, so it was most unpleasant
and gave me frequent headaches). The curtains and rugs still retained the
cigar/cigarette odor. There was blood on the linens; with the blanket edges
and sheets tattered and nail polish stains on the already dirty carpeting.
(Sounds like a two bit run down motel, doesn't it? vbg That was my very
first experience with Celebrity, but it did not stop me from booking six
more cruises with Celebrity which I enjoyed immensely, especially the
Constellation.

I do not bear ill will for long periods of time because of something that is
unfavorable to me...as a very good friend of mine always says, "I'm not
buying the ship, just staying on it for a week or two!" (Hi Erm!) I also
believe in giving second chances and don't harbor grudges. Life is not
perfect and one can always find something not to one's liking...the main
thing is to enjoy all the good things about the cruise or ship to the
fullest.

I do not care for the singing and dancing after dinner either, so we often
leave before dessert and enjoy it in the buffet instead if we don't care to
participate...I used to love to do that but the novelty has sort of worn off
after many cruises.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your experiences on Carnival and keep cruising!

--Jean

Tom K wrote:

Most here have heard these stories a dozen times before, but at least it
offers perspective on how our own styles influence our thoughts regarding
various cruise lines.

Tom, the only issue I have with Carnival is all the smoking and I know
that is also a health issue for you. If it weren't for that I would drag
you on a Carnival cruise so you could see how they have changed since
your 'ONE', very short cruise with them a very long time ago. If they
ever did anything about the smoke, I would cruise with them again and
would bet you would also enjoy Carnival.

sue

Jean O'Boyle wrote:

I do not care for the singing and dancing after dinner either, so we often
leave before dessert and enjoy it in the buffet instead if we don't care to
participate...I used to love to do that but the novelty has sort of worn off
after many cruises.

Jean, you are so right about the singing waiters. When we started
cruising it was fun to watch, but after awhile it just became boring.
The other issue with the singing waiters is that it delays your getting
your dessert and coffee, they can't serve you while they are busy
entertaining. I have to say that on the Granduer, our waiter managed to
bring us dessert while the sings was in progress.

sue

On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:20:06 -0800, Ray Goldenberg
wrote:

On Wed, 3 Feb 2010 18:08:12 -0500, "Tom K"
wrote:

Now THAT was something I was impressed with... but I'm not impressed with
singing and dancing waiters.

Hi Tom,

I agree with you. Singing and dancing waiters are a major turn off
for you and I. We do agree on many of the same cruise points.


I'm thinking it has alot to do with the age bracket as well.

On Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:31:43 -0600, Stu wrote:


I'm thinking it has alot to do with the age bracket as well.

Hi Stu,

Since you do not know how old Tom or I, or my clients are, why would
you say that?
--
Ray Goldenberg 800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
Lighthouse Travel http://www.lighthousetravel.com
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lighthousetravl
Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ray.goldenberg

In article , Tom K
wrote:

Would I ever go on Carnival again? I guess you should never say never...
but at this point, I can see no reason to.


I also have been on one Carnival cruise. I did not like the smokey
ship, the decor, the pool deck and I despised the singing waiters.
Ditto that stupid booth in the dining room. On the other hand the food
was great. Also the ship was not dirty.

But I do see a reason to go on Carnival. Our Viking group is doing the
Valor this year. While I don't care for Carnival and would not normally
book it there are things more important than not liking a cruise line.


To me there are just so many better options than Carnival, at least
for me. Particularly in this economy when you can get a Celebrity
sailing for about the same price as a Carnival sailing.

The prices for Carnival sailings are not generally the same as
Celebrity. Celebrity prices are higher and they seem to be going up for
the newer Solstice class ships. The good Celebrity prices are on older
fleets.

--
Charles

In article , Stu
wrote:

At late dinner the crew put on a huge show every night, it was always
something different. They had most of the dining room up dancing and
singing, this when most were having desserts and coffee so it didn't
interfere while eating.

I don't like that. Particularly every night. One night like on Royal
Caribbean or HAL is more than enough. And on the Carnival cruise I was
on the Maitre'D divided the dining room into teams and had a game going
all week. I don't want that in the dining room either.

--
Charles