 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:16 am | 1st Post |
|
Hello all. Here is the first installment of my review of our cruise on the Spirit:
We booked this cruise a year ago. DW and I sailed the Sapphire Princess November 2005 and then decided we needed to take DDs on a cruise the following year. Therefore, upon our return, we booked the Carnival Spirit for this November because it was a different itinerary from the traditional Mexican Riviera (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas) we had just traveled, so we would get to see new ports (Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihjuatenejo, and Manzanillo) and either way, it would be a new experience for DDs. I know, you do not book cruises because of itinerary, but hurricanes rarely, if ever occur on the West Coast of Mexico, so we should be okay, right?!? We found out how wrong that assumption was. This is a review of our cruise on the Spirit with the modified itinerary, courtesy of Hurricane Sergio.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
We packed up the SUV and left the house at 10:00 AM. After stops for lunch and a gas station to fill up, we arrived in San Diego about 4:00 PM. We hit very little traffic driving through LA, Orange County, and San Diego, which was amazing. From I-5 in downtown San Diego, we could see over at the pier that the Monarch of the Sea was in town for the day. We got to the Best Western Bayside Inn and checked in. They have a snooze and cruise deal that allowed us to leave the car parked while we were gone.
After unloading, we walked down to the pier, took pictures of the Monarch, and watched her sail away. DW and I are sailing her on the 3-day itinerary in March for my birthday weekend. We then walked over to Anthony’s on the pier for a seafood dinner. When we got back to the room, we were watching the news and across the bottom of the screen, we saw that Hurricane Sergio was building off the coast of Acapulco. You have got to be kidding!!! We switched to The Weather Channel and confirmed the bad news.
Wednesday, November 15 - Embarkation Day
I awoke at 5:15 AM and looked out the window of our 14th story room and it was very foggy, but I could see that the Spirit had not docked yet, so I went back to bed. At 7:15, I awakened to my oldest daughter saying, “Dad, that ship is huge!” I got up, looked out, and there she was. The Spirit looked so much bigger than the Monarch looked in the same spot the day before. The fog burned off quickly. We got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast and then over to Rite Aid for a few things DW forgot to pack. Then, we walked down to the pier to see the ship and take some pictures.
After returning to the room to pack and check out, we left on the shuttle about 11:40 and were at the port in 10 minutes, gave the porter our bags, and walked in as they were calling for Zone 4 to board. We were handed a slip for Zone 10. The line moved quickly, we got our Sail and Sign cards and confirmed the news reports with a letter that read, “…..We also want to provide you some information about our itinerary. We are closely monitoring Hurricane Sergio, which is currently located 300 miles to the southwest of Acapulco. Unfortunately, due to the forecasted path of this storm, we will revise our itinerary for this cruise as follows: San Diego, at sea, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, at sea, Ensenada, at sea Day, San Diego.” We were disappointed since DW and I did the same itinerary last year (except for Ensenada, which we are going to in March), and have the same itinerary booked again on the Vision of the Seas Thanksgiving Week 2007.
Now for you contract quoters, I know what my contract says. Please note that I said we were disappointed, not angry. There is a big difference between the two! I realize Carnival and Captain Giorgio Pagano have no control over the weather. The disappointment lasted all of 5 minutes and while we waited for our zone to be called, DW and I began to plan what we would do in each port since we were just there a year ago and loved the trip and ports. BTW, we also just spent a week in Puerto Vallarta in June at our timeshare, so we are very familiar with PV. Zone 10 was called and we were walking onto the ship at 12:45.
There was a previous announcement that the rooms would not be ready until 1:30, so we headed up to the Lido for lunch. After lunch, we took our carry ons to the room and dropped them off. We met our steward Agung from Thailand and his assistant Iwayan from Indonesia. Both seemed liked nice guys, and that proved to be true. Then, we were off to grab our first DOTD, which was the Funship Special, and then explore the ship with our DDs. They were so excited to be onboard. While walking around, I saw men working on the waterslide and asked if it would be completed soon. One of them replied that they hoped to have it done by the end of the cruise. The girls crossed their fingers. We then went to the dining room to see where our table was. They had us stuck against the back wall in the Napoleon Room. I went to the maitre d’ and politely asked to be moved to the main dining room. He quickly found a nice table for 4 in a great location and I thanked him. After more exploring and a few DOTDs for mom and dad, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner.
We had early seating, so we missed the sail away. By the time we sailed, it was dark anyway. At dinner, we met our awesome wait staff, Manuel from the Philippines, our headwaiter and Winarni, from Indonesia, the assistant. I had New York steak that night, which was delicious. After dinner, we went to the Camp Carnival Orientation, went exploring some more, and then went to the welcome aboard show called Showtime!, hosted by Cruise Director Shawn Bussey. Earlier in the day, DW mentioned that Shawn’s name looked familiar, and when we saw her, we remembered that she was the CD on our cruise on the Paradise, almost 3 years ago. After the show, it was off to the room because the girls (all 3) were tired. They went to bed and I went walking around the ship. I was surprised how quiet things were at midnight, but assumed it was because it was the first night and people were tired.
Stay tuned, more to follow.....
Last edited on Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:25 am by Family Man
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
nhrich
Charter Member

| Joined: | Thu Jun 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Windham, NH |
| Posts: | 4933 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 12:05 pm | 2nd Post |
|
| So far, so good. Thanks for posting, and I'm looking forward to the rest of your review.
____________________ Rich, ACC
Carefree Vacations
http://www.carefree-vacations.net
|
BAMA X 2
Teeny Bopper

| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | Deep Dixie |
| Posts: | 9451 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 03:43 pm | 3rd Post |
|
| Nice job so far! Keep em comming.
____________________ Island Time Travel
http://www.islandtt.com
|
Atlantacruise
Frequent Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 04:17 pm | 4th Post |
|
Keep it coming please, I want to do a Mexican Riviera one day. Did you see Sammy in Cabo? The Red Rocker!
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 08:09 pm | 5th Post |
|
Atlantacruise wrote: Keep it coming please, I want to do a Mexican Riviera one day. Did you see Sammy in Cabo? The Red Rocker!
Nope, just his photos all over the wall. There were also several photos of Van Halen.
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
goodml
Charter Member

| Joined: | Mon Jun 19th, 2006 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Posts: | 2168 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 08:47 pm | 6th Post |
|
| Great so far! Keep it coming.:D
____________________ ML
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:24 pm | 7th Post |
|
Here is the second installment:
Thursday, November 16 – Day at Sea
We slept in and then went to breakfast in the main dining room. This was the only day we did so, since we saw that everything on the menu was also at the La Playa Grille on the Lido Deck. We had good food and great service. Then, the DDs were off to their first day at Camp Carnival. They were a little hesitant at first, but stayed with a little coaxing. DW went shopping while I went to the golf-putting tourney, where I did not do so well. I met up with her later and we went to pick the girls up for lunch. Those girls that were a little hesitant to stay started rattling off all of the things they were going to do that afternoon and wanted to make sure they could go. That gave me my first chance to tell them “I told you so!” We all had hamburgers or hot dogs that day and Carnival does a good job with them. We allowed the girls to have sign-in/out privileges at Camp Carnival so they could participate in activities like the scavenger hunts. BTW, oldest DD lost her Sign and Sail card running around during the scavenger hunt, but she had no charging privileges on it. The card was easily replaced with a trip to the purser’s desk. They were off to Camp Carnival and DW and I went to the Fantail Bar and had a DOTD, which was a Yellow Bird. This was where we met up with our roll call at 2:00. It was nice to meet people we had communicated with for several months and visited for over 2 hours. One topic of conversation was what everyone was going to do since the itinerary changed (We gave several suggestions for Puerto Vallarta since we had just spent a week there in June). We would see most all of them and had several conversations numerous times throughout the cruise.
This was the night for the Captain’s Cocktail Party. We went and had a nice time. This was also the first formal night, which meant lobster!!! After meeting the girls the night before, Manuel and Winarni had Carnival Coloring/Activity Books set out for them with a kid’s menu attached. I told the girls they were NOT ordering off the kid’s menu the entire cruise, but were going to order from the adult menu and try new things. They did not fight me too much on that. As I was finishing my lobster tail, Manuel walked up and said he had an extra one and asked if I wanted it? Duh, yeah! For dessert, we had our first chocolate melting cake. Wow, that stuff is good! The show that night was Standing Room Only and then there was a midnight R rated comedy show with Tom McGillen. The show as okay and Tom was funny.
Friday, November 17 – Mazatlan
Up and out to breakfast. This was our first port day and we had no specific plans. If I had known we were going to Mazatlan before the cruise, I would have booked with Randi’s Happy Horses. I have heard many great things about her and the girls would love to go horseback riding. Alas, we will do her tour next Thanksgiving when we are in on the Vision of the Seas. We disembarked and took the shuttle out of the pier area. Mazatlan is a working commercial port and has quite a bit of traffic. They do not let you just walk from the ship to the gate.
We decided we would do a city tour since last year, we did the Sierra Madre tour and did not get to see much of the city itself. As we walked out, there was a woman from the Trolley Tour offering tours of the city on an air-conditioned trolley car. I asked how much and she quoted me $30 per person, but if I had a coupon, it would be $25 and DDs went free. I countered at $20 for DW and me, she asked her supervisor and got approval, and “swore me to secrecy.” Considering a similar 3 hour tour booked through Carnival would have been $35 each for 4 ($140), versus the $40 I paid for DW and me, I thought I got a pretty good deal for 5 hours. We toured Old Mazatlan, saw the high divers, and toured and shopped in the Golden Zone. We had margaritas, Pacificos, tacos, fresh shrimp cocktail, and nachos at a little place called Margaritas. Back to the room to shower. It was late and we missed our dinner in the dining room, so we went to the La Playa Grill, which was okay for a buffet. Then DDs went to Camp Carnival and DW and I went to watch Karaoke. The show that night was Hypnomania with Chuck Milligan, but we skipped it.
Saturday, November 18 – Puerto Vallarta
DW and I love PV, so this was our favorite port. This was our third time there in a year, so we knew our way around. We got off the ship and out to the main street to get a $6 yellow cab to our timeshare, Sheraton Buganvilias. The white vans at the port are much more expensive. As we walked through the resort, we saw our friend Eddy, the Activities Director. He asked, “Back so soon?” We explained why we were there, to show the girls the property and hang out at the awesome pools, and he asked if we needed towels and took us over to the towel shack to get us four. We hung out for a few hours, returned our towels, said goodbye to Eddy, and left for one of our favorite restaurants/bars, Pipi’s for margaritas and lunch. They serve margaritas in huge margarita glasses and made-to-order guacamole right in front of you. It is outstanding!
After lunch and margaritas, we walked down to the Malecon for some shopping and sight seeing. Since the girls got to shop, the last stop was for dad for 2 x 1 beers and 3 shots of tequila (Herradura Añejo, 1800 Añejo, and Tres Generaciones Añejo). Then back to the ship for showers and dinner. That night, I had Beef Wellington and Mahi Mahi. We went to look at our pictures and saw some friends and missed the show called Comedy Variety Showtime, starring Fred Anderson. Later, we went to watch Karaoke.
Sunday, November 19 – Cabo San Lucas
We had no specific plans, so took the tender to the pier in Cabo and walked around town awhile. After shopping for some souvenirs, The girls got bored and my youngest DD was not feeling well. DW took them back to the ship, they put their swimsuits on, and hung out at the pool. I stayed and had lunch; four tacos and a beer for $6. Then I went to Cabo Wabo to take some pictures. It was pretty dead there. Later I walked over to El Arch and Anchor for some beers and watched football. Then, back to the ship where I found them at the pool. I took some more pictures around the ship and of Cabo from the ship. Showers and then off to dinner. I had lobster bisque, a western egg roll, filet mignon, and key lime pie. The girls went to Camp Carnival while DD and I went to Singin’ with the Big Band, starring Ned Rifken. After the show, we made sure the girls were in the room in bed and then went to listen to Karaoke with Danny.
The final entry will be posted a little later.....
Last edited on Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:26 pm by Family Man
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
BAMA X 2
Teeny Bopper

| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | Deep Dixie |
| Posts: | 9451 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:31 pm | 8th Post |
|
I gotta know!!!!
Cocktails, beers, and a non stop feeding frenzy!
Family mans weight pre cruise VS weight post cruise!:popcorn:
____________________ Island Time Travel
http://www.islandtt.com
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:50 pm | 9th Post |
|
I probably gained 5 pounds. Fortunately, when you are 6' 3", 230 pounds, 5 pounds is not really that noticeable.  
I do notice it in the waist of my pants though. 
Last edited on Mon Nov 27th, 2006 09:53 pm by Family Man
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
hstrybuf
Founders

| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 21061 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 12:33 am | 10th Post |
|
| Sounds good Tim! Keep it coming! :D
____________________ Deb
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 06:59 pm | 11th Post |
|
| Thanks Deb. I'll post the rest later today.
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Tue Nov 28th, 2006 11:28 pm | 12th Post |
|
Here is the final section:
Monday, November 20 – Day at Sea
I got up, showered, and ran up for a quick bite before the ping-pong tournament. I had not played in years, but won my first 2 games handily and ended up in the championship game. Could I actually win my first Ship on a Stick? Nope, I wound up losing a close one to the guy I beat my first game and walked away with a medal as runner up. Then, down to the pool for a day in the sun with DW while DDs were at Camp Carnival. That night was the second formal night and the Return Guest party. I enjoyed Rum Punches while DW discovered Melon Balls, her new favorite drink. They offered 10 raffle tickets for the price of 5 to return guests that night. The raffle was for a free cruise with the drawing the last night. We bought 10 tickets. Then, off to dinner where I had Chateaubriand and Giant Tiger Shrimp. The beef was great, but I did not care for the shrimp. Then the girls went to Camp Carnival while DW and I went to High Spirits, starring The Carnival Spirit Dancers. After the show, as we were walking around, we heard what sounded like a foghorn. We looked out the window and there was pea soup fog. Very weird.
Tuesday, November 21 – Ensenada
When they changed the itinerary, I have no idea why they added Ensenada. We were originally suppose to have 4 sea days (which I love), but ended up with only 3 because of Ensenada. I guess they thought they were doing us a favor. NOT!!! This forced us north sooner and away from the warm weather. Ensenada was warm, but not as warm as Cabo. Anyway, I had not been to Ensenada and it had been 20 years for DW. Now we know where to go and what to do when we return on the Monarch of the Seas in March. We actually had a fun day. Again, we had no specific plans. We were going to just take a van into town and look around a little, but while on the bus, they announced we could take the tour out to La Boufadora to see the Blow Hole for $15/adult and $12/child. This was considerably less than the ship excursion and was with the same tour company and busses Carnival contracted. We did it and had fun. There were several shops set up there and the shopping was better at La Boufadora than in town. While there, we had $1 tacos and 2 x $3 beers. When we got back to town, we went to Mango Mango’s for a free drink through the tour company, then across the street to see Papa’s and Beers, then down the street to see Hussong’s. We were surprised at how slow things were. I guess since this was not one of the shorter party cruises, everyone was a little more subdued.
We went back to the ship to get ready for dinner. The girls wanted to go to the children’s formal dinner at La Playa Grill, so DW and I had our table to ourselves. During dinner, some friends we met Monday at the pool came by our table to ask us if we wanted to go back into town after dinner for a drink (we were in Ensenada until midnight). Their daughters were at Camp Carnival too. We ended up going back to Papa’s and Beers for a drink, then to Hussong’s, and finally to Taqueria Los Amigos where Carl and I had a Dos X and a shot of Don Julio Reposado. Subsequently, back to the ship to make sure the girls got to bed and then off to The Comedy Magic of Cameron and The Incredible Comedy of Marc Ryan. Both shows were good and later Marc did a late night R rated show that was funny.
Wednesday, November 22 – Day at Sea
After breakfast, I entered another ping-pong contest, this time for team points (BTW, I think the colors game is stupid). I was the only representative for the Blue Team. I was tired and did not do so well this time. We spent the rest of the day walking around the ship, seeing friends, picking out more pictures, and getting change for extra tips that night. My family went to a “How To” show with Cameron the magician, while I got the tip envelopes ready for everyone. Then, off to dinner, where we tipped the maitre d’, said farewell and tipped extra to Manuel (who we found out was leaving the next day to go over to the Paradise out of Long Beach because his mother lived in LB) and Winarni. DDs went to the farewell party at the disco while DW and I went back to pack. On the way to the room, we saw Agung and Iwayan and said goodbye, thanked them for a great job, and tipped them extra too.
We then went to pick up the girls and go to get seats for the Carnival Legends show. Right before the show, they had 2 drawings: 1) for the free cruise-we did not win and 2) for those who turned in their comment cards that night in the theater, they had a drawing for a package that included a free Carnival bathrobe and one of the dark blue Carnival pool towels. Guess what? I won the package!!! After the show, we went back to the room to finish packing and put the luggage out by midnight.
Thursday, November 23 - Disembarkation
They started calling colors/decks at 8:30 AM. At 9:20, I went down and asked Jason, the Assistant Cruise Director if they were going in order by floors. If so , we would be last because we were on Riviera Deck. He pointed to a line on the right and said if we had everything with us and were ready to leave, we could get in that line. We were off the ship and had our luggage within 10 minutes! This was the quickest I ever made it through Customs. The Customs Agent jokingly asked my youngest daughter if she was bringing back any live animals like a horse. She looked at him, smiled, and shook her head no. We walked out to where we were to pick up the hotel shuttle and there was a long line and no order to it. I realized it would take forever, so suggested to the family that we walk the 6 blocks back to the hotel, which was not very popular, but they did it. BTW, no taxi would take us because they said they could not fit our luggage and us. After we got to the car, loaded up, and were pulling out, our friends were just pulling up in the shuttle. They would have been well in front of us in line had we waited. I am glad we walked. After being stuck on the freeway for 45 minutes because of an accident, it was wide open after and we made it home in a little over 6 hours. I actually expected more traffic than there was on Thanksgiving.
Some random general observations and closing thoughts
We had a great time on this cruise! After some brief initial disappointment because of repeating the same itinerary so soon, we quickly got over it and had an awesome time. Our girls are now hooked and cannot wait for their next cruise Thanksgiving Week 2007 on the Vision of the Seas. On that cruise, they will have their own room directly across the hall from DW and me. It will be better for all of our sanity and the extra bathroom will be a nice bonus.
We started taking ginger capsules 3 days before the cruise and continued throughout and no one even got close to being nauseous. We are now big believers in ginger.
There were many families with younger children on this cruise. (There were also quite a few people over 55.) The director of Camp Carnival announced at the orientation that there were 350 kids just up through age 11. That said, we never once saw out of control or obnoxious kids. Quite frankly, I was pleasantly surprised.
Maybe it was a result of so many families, but the stereotype of Carnival being a party ship certainly was not true on this cruise. I never once saw anyone staggering around drunk or running back to the ship drunk before it left. In fact, at least 3 of the 4 ports, we actually left early because everyone was already onboard. I commented to DW that there were more people drunk and staggering last year on the Sapphire Princess than there were on the Spirit.
The colors game…..why?!?! It is dumb and they never even announce who finally won. I do not get the point system, nor did I give a rip where our team stood. Whatever…..
The ship was well kept and clean. I cannot tell you if the carpets had many dirty spots because I did not walk around staring at the floor.
For the most part, the smokers stayed in their area and the non-smokers stayed in theirs. I never personally experienced major problems with smoke and did not observe anyone else having noticeable problems either.
Yes, there were several people wearing jeans in the dining room at dinner every night (except formal nights). No, I did not care, nor did it ruin my dinner.
We did not experience any chair hogging at the pools, nor did we observe a shortage of deck chairs in “prime places.”
DW and I felt the daily activities during days at sea lacked variety and excitement. There weren’t too many to choose from each day. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that the change in itinerary and reduction of one day at sea may have thrown some things off. On the Sapphire Princess last year, our dilemma was deciding which activity to choose from the many available.
I had read such wonderful things about Spirit class ships and now have to agree. It was easy to learn and get around. Great layout except waiting in line for the burger grill forces you to stand in front of the doors into and out of the La Playa Grille. That does not make much sense to me.
I regret not taking a water taxi over to Los Arcos in Cabo San Lucas. I did not think about it in time and by the time I realized, it was too late. Next time……
The dining room food was good and occasionally excellent. Service was always great. The La Playa Grill food was generally very good for a buffet. We loved the variety and the layout/flow was outstanding. The 24-hour pizza was generally quite good. I had a couple of midnight runs to the pizza bar. It was always consistent and fresh. We also enjoyed the 24-hour soft-serve ice cream. Bar service and drinks were great. The bussers (bus boys, cleaning attendants, whatever they are called) on the Lido and Pool Deck could have been a little friendlier. Many would look down to avoid having to make eye contact and conversation. I would say hello anyway. Except the last morning, we never had a problem finding a table when eating at La Playa Grille.
The entertainment was normally good to excellent. The shows/dancers/singers were good, not excellent. Some of the shows were a little corny. The comedians were excellent with both the early shows, as well as, the late R rated shows.
DDs really enjoyed Camp Carnival. It appeared to me to be well organized and the counselors seemed to enjoy their work.
Drinks of the Day
Wednesday – Funship Special
Thursday – Yellow Bird
Friday – Caribbean Breeze
Saturday – Acapulco Sunrise
Sunday – Mexican Mama
Monday – Blue Margarita
Tuesday – Ultimate Suntan
Wednesday – Goombay Smash
While we definitely enjoyed our second Carnival cruise, we are anxious to try Royal Caribbean next year.
We hope to do this cruise again some day with the correct itinerary. We would like to see the different ports.
If I left out anything you were interested in or if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I have all of the Capers and Camp Carnival schedule for 9-11 and 12-14 year olds.
Last edited on Tue Nov 28th, 2006 11:34 pm by Family Man
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
hstrybuf
Founders

| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 21061 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 12:14 am | 13th Post |
|
| Thanks Tim! I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise even with an altered intinerary. I too love the Spirit class ships. Our recent experience on the Miracle was much the same as yours and that's a good thing!
____________________ Deb
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
|
Catnip
Charter Member

back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 03:08 am | 14th Post |
|
Tim,
What an excellent review!!!!!!!!! 5-thumbs up!!!!!!
It sounds like ya'll had a super time! Way to go!!!!!!
____________________ 33 previous cruises..
Next up: Celebrity Solstice 1-09/Jewel of the Seas 3-09/ QM 2 11-09/ Queen Victoria 1/10
**Triangles Are For Losers!**
When only cops have guns, it's called a "police state"
|
BAMA X 2
Teeny Bopper

| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | Deep Dixie |
| Posts: | 9451 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 02:29 pm | 15th Post |
|
| Nice review. We will be on the Fantasy in a few weeks. What were the age splits at Camp Carnival?
____________________ Island Time Travel
http://www.islandtt.com
|
nhrich
Charter Member

| Joined: | Thu Jun 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Windham, NH |
| Posts: | 4933 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 02:31 pm | 16th Post |
|
| Great job Tim. Thanks!
____________________ Rich, ACC
Carefree Vacations
http://www.carefree-vacations.net
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 06:08 pm | 17th Post |
|
BAMA X 2 wrote: Nice review. We will be on the Fantasy in a few weeks. What were the age splits at Camp Carnival?
I know there was something for the younger ones, but I just don't know what it was. I know there was something for 6-8, 9-11, and 12-14. There was also something for 15-17, but not as much. My DDs were both in the 9-11 group. The director allowed my oldest daughter (13) to participate with the 9-11 group. She is a special needs child and has the physical, emotional and mental capacity of about a 9 year old. In fact, at least a half a dozen times on the cruise alone, people asked us if our daughters (13 and 10) were twins. We get that all the time at home.
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
BAMA X 2
Teeny Bopper

| Joined: | Mon Jun 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | Deep Dixie |
| Posts: | 9451 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 06:13 pm | 18th Post |
|
| We have 12 and 13! Looks like they will be in the same group. Pray for the CC workers.
____________________ Island Time Travel
http://www.islandtt.com
|
Family Man
Super Cruiser

back to top
|
Posted: Wed Nov 29th, 2006 06:30 pm | 19th Post |
|
Thanks everyone. It was a fun time, but we look forward to trying RCI next year. As of right now, DW and I overall enjoyed the Sapphire Princess cruise the most of the cruises we have taken. Don't worry friends, that DOES NOT mean I am morphing into a Princess Cheerleader! Like all of the rest of the lines, contrary to what some may tell you, princess has faults too. 
Its all good!!!
____________________ Tim
Cruise Planners/American Express
Future:
Celebrity Infinity to Alaska 5/22/09
RCI Mariner OTS 6/21/09
? to Canada/New England 9/09
Past:
6 RCI, 1 Princess, 2 Carnival & 1 NCL
|
 Current time is 06:03 am | |
|
|
 |
|