Question:
John, I dug out the announcement and the amounts add up to $9.75 per guest/per day. They break it down into: Stateroom Services $3.50/day Dining Team Service $5.50/day Alternate Dining services and incentives to dining service staff $0.75/day. They did not explain how the incentive service worked. They did state that the amount is entirely discretionary and can be adjusted up or down up till 12 Midnight the last night of the cruise. So for two guests on a 7 day cruise, that would be a $135 charge. That’s about ballpark for what we usually tip if you add up the different tips for Maitre D’, Headwaiter, Waiter, Busboy and Cabin Steward. I forgot how much we paid to prepay our tips, but it seemed to be in the $150 range. I may be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a cruise line afloat (maybe Disney) that pays their staff a base wage. This probably represents better working conditions and predictable income for these poor souls. They work 12-15 hours a day and go 4-5 months without seeing their families. Compared to what you would tip a waitperson in a good restaurant for two hours work , IMHO it’s a deal. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Paul, What is standard tipping for two on a seven-day Carnival cruise. My wife and I have signed up for a seven-day cruise on the Carnival Conquest sailing from New Orleans the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 5. We just got back from a HAL Amsterdam cruise where tipping was optional. We did leave tips, but had no guidance on what was expected. For example, I slipped our cabin steward $40, but had no idea as to what I should have given him. After reading what you wrote about the Carnival Pride, I am having second thoughts about cruising on the Carnival Conquest. Might be much better off taking that new HAL "Z" ship out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. John John
Response:
Paul, What is standard tipping for two on a seven-day Carnival cruise. My wife and I have signed up for a seven-day cruise on the Carnival Conquest sailing from New Orleans the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 5. We just got back from a HAL Amsterdam cruise where tipping was optional. We did leave tips, but had no guidance on what was expected. For example, I slipped our cabin steward $40, but had no idea as to what I should have given him. After reading what you wrote about the Carnival Pride, I am having second thoughts about cruising on the Carnival Conquest. Might be much better off taking that new HAL "Z" ship out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. John John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space
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Response:
We booked it through the Excursion Desk on the chip. Transportation and a meal at a local restaurant (Cheers) was provided. The tour bus guide is also your cave guide. Our guide was quite an expert on local flora and fauna. I think it was about $65-70 per person. My wife and I agree it was one of the best shore excursions we’ve done to date. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for the review. Calling at Belize when we sail on the Norwegian Sun. Did you book the trip on your own – you mention taking a bus – or did you take a ship’s tour? Can you remember the cost? Sounded fun! Tracey Thanks for the good review!
Response:
I doubt the boat would routinely stop. Palms were almost certainly crossed with silver. I hadn’t heard about the other incident. The only one I was familiar with was about two years ago on the Elation. Two guests hired a small boat to take them out to Los Arcos at the tip of Baja. It capsized and several were drowned, including two Carnival passengers. This was not an authorized tour and was discussed by the Cruise Director openly at the time of our cruise, which was a couple of weeks later. I did note that the usual warnings denying responsibility for injury and the status of the tours as independent contractors were displayed more prominently than usual on the informational handout. I was surprised that we were not asked to sign waivers for the Cave Tubing Tour. So many of the things that we do on vacation outside the US would NEVER happen stateside. Can you imagine what the liability insurance premiums would be in a South Florida Cave Tubing Tour? Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Excelent review. It is good to know what they do if you miss the boat. Bet it cost those two a few thousand pretty pennys for the service <G. This is one of the better arguments for taking the ships organized shore tours. You mentioned someone said that a Carnival passenger died a month ago on a shore tour when a rock fell and crushed him on a cave tubing expedition. The incident happened in Xcaret on a Carnival arranged shore tour about two years ago. NBC news ran a story on it about six to eight weeks ago. The widow of the man was not happy with Carnival over the situation and is suing Carnival and the tour operator. The case was scheduled for trial, but I haven’t heard what happened with the case. If anyone knows what happened we all would like to know. Tom Smith
Response:
How long was the ship docked at Key West for your visit? Dave in Dallas "Don’t wait until the next emergency – Pray TODAY because God is waiting to hear from you"
Response:
As I recall, it was 10 AM to 6 PM. They use a US Navy Dock, which will not allow civilian pedestrians, so you have to take a free tram ride into town. There was surprisingly quick exit down the gangway…not a tortured line twisting up three stairwells. The tram ride took about five minutes and dropped you off at the base of Duvall Street. Pretty much anything you wanted to see was walking distance from there. You then got back on the free tram to get back on the boat. The last tram left at 5 PM, Had to be on the ship by 5:30 and we sailed at 6PM. Sloppy Joe’s was already loud and crowded by 2PM. The Pride can cover over 450 miles a day. They have a new pod propulsion system that did a comfortable 17-22 knots with VERY little sensation of motion. Got us into port early and on the way quickly. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How long was the ship docked at Key West for your visit? Dave in Dallas "Don’t wait until the next emergency – Pray TODAY because God is waiting to hear from you"
Response:
Dale, We are sailng with MCG on November 2 on the Pride. Why not join us.? SUNNY<……has never cruised with a group but is sure lookng forward to this one
Response:
Thanks for the review. Calling at Belize when we sail on the Norwegian Sun. Did you book the trip on your own – you mention taking a bus – or did you take a ship’s tour? Can you remember the cost? Sounded fun! Tracey
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for the good review!
Response:
Excelent review. It is good to know what they do if you miss the boat. Bet it cost those two a few thousand pretty pennys for the service <G. This is one of the better arguments for taking the ships organized shore tours. You mentioned someone said that a Carnival passenger died a month ago on a shore tour when a rock fell and crushed him on a cave tubing expedition. The incident happened in Xcaret on a Carnival arranged shore tour about two years ago. NBC news ran a story on it about six to eight weeks ago. The widow of the man was not happy with Carnival over the situation and is suing Carnival and the tour operator. The case was scheduled for trial, but I haven’t heard what happened with the case. If anyone knows what happened we all would like to know. Tom Smith
Response:
I tried to reply to the email address on this post, but it bounced. Please email me regarding your review. Thank you, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space Center Tour to kill time till our flight AND get off the boat early. I hadn’t been there in over 10 years and it was actually a very good experience. We got to take a bus right up to the launch tower. Well, that’s long enough. Bottom line is we had a great time. We will probably go back to Key West for a few days…perhaps Cozumel…at some future outing. Carnival made a very big point of trying to "exceed our expectations" as though they were still wincing from the public statement of their CEO that was discussed on this newsgroup.
… read more »
Response:
Thanks for the good review!
Response:
Hey, great review! I loved it! I loved it so much I think I want to take that cruise. Many thanks, Dale – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation)……<snipped
Response:
My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space Center Tour to kill time till our flight AND get off the boat early. I hadn’t been there in over 10 years and it was actually a very good experience. We got to take a bus right up to the launch tower. Well, that’s long enough. Bottom line is we had a great time. We will probably go back to Key West for a few days…perhaps Cozumel…at some future outing. Carnival made a very big point of trying to "exceed our expectations" as though they were still wincing from the public statement of their CEO that was discussed on this newsgroup. But we will go back to Carnival again, as long as they do a good job and go where we want to go. Paul & Gail
Response:
My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space Center Tour to kill time till our flight AND get off the boat early. I hadn’t been there in over 10 years and it was actually a very good experience. We got to take a bus right up to the launch tower. Well, that’s long enough. Bottom line is we had a great time. We will probably go back to Key West for a few days…perhaps Cozumel…at some future outing. Carnival made a very big point of trying to "exceed our expectations" as though they were still wincing from the public statement of their CEO that was discussed on this newsgroup. But we will go back to Carnival again, as long as they do a good job and go where we want to go. Paul & Gail
Response:
Thanks for the good review!
Response:
Hey, great review! I loved it! I loved it so much I think I want to take that cruise. Many thanks, Dale – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation)……<snipped
Response:
How long was the ship docked at Key West for your visit? Dave in Dallas "Don’t wait until the next emergency – Pray TODAY because God is waiting to hear from you"
Response:
As I recall, it was 10 AM to 6 PM. They use a US Navy Dock, which will not allow civilian pedestrians, so you have to take a free tram ride into town. There was surprisingly quick exit down the gangway…not a tortured line twisting up three stairwells. The tram ride took about five minutes and dropped you off at the base of Duvall Street. Pretty much anything you wanted to see was walking distance from there. You then got back on the free tram to get back on the boat. The last tram left at 5 PM, Had to be on the ship by 5:30 and we sailed at 6PM. Sloppy Joe’s was already loud and crowded by 2PM. The Pride can cover over 450 miles a day. They have a new pod propulsion system that did a comfortable 17-22 knots with VERY little sensation of motion. Got us into port early and on the way quickly. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How long was the ship docked at Key West for your visit? Dave in Dallas "Don’t wait until the next emergency – Pray TODAY because God is waiting to hear from you"
Response:
Dale, We are sailng with MCG on November 2 on the Pride. Why not join us.? SUNNY<……has never cruised with a group but is sure lookng forward to this one
Response:
Thanks for the review. Calling at Belize when we sail on the Norwegian Sun. Did you book the trip on your own – you mention taking a bus – or did you take a ship’s tour? Can you remember the cost? Sounded fun! Tracey
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for the good review!
Response:
Excelent review. It is good to know what they do if you miss the boat. Bet it cost those two a few thousand pretty pennys for the service <G. This is one of the better arguments for taking the ships organized shore tours. You mentioned someone said that a Carnival passenger died a month ago on a shore tour when a rock fell and crushed him on a cave tubing expedition. The incident happened in Xcaret on a Carnival arranged shore tour about two years ago. NBC news ran a story on it about six to eight weeks ago. The widow of the man was not happy with Carnival over the situation and is suing Carnival and the tour operator. The case was scheduled for trial, but I haven’t heard what happened with the case. If anyone knows what happened we all would like to know. Tom Smith
Response:
I tried to reply to the email address on this post, but it bounced. Please email me regarding your review. Thank you, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space Center Tour to kill time till our flight AND get off the boat early. I hadn’t been there in over 10 years and it was actually a very good experience. We got to take a bus right up to the launch tower. Well, that’s long enough. Bottom line is we had a great time. We will probably go back to Key West for a few days…perhaps Cozumel…at some future outing. Carnival made a very big point of trying to "exceed our expectations" as though they were still wincing from the public statement of their CEO that was discussed on this newsgroup.
… read more »
Response:
I doubt the boat would routinely stop. Palms were almost certainly crossed with silver. I hadn’t heard about the other incident. The only one I was familiar with was about two years ago on the Elation. Two guests hired a small boat to take them out to Los Arcos at the tip of Baja. It capsized and several were drowned, including two Carnival passengers. This was not an authorized tour and was discussed by the Cruise Director openly at the time of our cruise, which was a couple of weeks later. I did note that the usual warnings denying responsibility for injury and the status of the tours as independent contractors were displayed more prominently than usual on the informational handout. I was surprised that we were not asked to sign waivers for the Cave Tubing Tour. So many of the things that we do on vacation outside the US would NEVER happen stateside. Can you imagine what the liability insurance premiums would be in a South Florida Cave Tubing Tour? Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Excelent review. It is good to know what they do if you miss the boat. Bet it cost those two a few thousand pretty pennys for the service <G. This is one of the better arguments for taking the ships organized shore tours. You mentioned someone said that a Carnival passenger died a month ago on a shore tour when a rock fell and crushed him on a cave tubing expedition. The incident happened in Xcaret on a Carnival arranged shore tour about two years ago. NBC news ran a story on it about six to eight weeks ago. The widow of the man was not happy with Carnival over the situation and is suing Carnival and the tour operator. The case was scheduled for trial, but I haven’t heard what happened with the case. If anyone knows what happened we all would like to know. Tom Smith
Response:
We booked it through the Excursion Desk on the chip. Transportation and a meal at a local restaurant (Cheers) was provided. The tour bus guide is also your cave guide. Our guide was quite an expert on local flora and fauna. I think it was about $65-70 per person. My wife and I agree it was one of the best shore excursions we’ve done to date. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for the review. Calling at Belize when we sail on the Norwegian Sun. Did you book the trip on your own – you mention taking a bus – or did you take a ship’s tour? Can you remember the cost? Sounded fun! Tracey Thanks for the good review!
Response:
Paul, What is standard tipping for two on a seven-day Carnival cruise. My wife and I have signed up for a seven-day cruise on the Carnival Conquest sailing from New Orleans the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 5. We just got back from a HAL Amsterdam cruise where tipping was optional. We did leave tips, but had no guidance on what was expected. For example, I slipped our cabin steward $40, but had no idea as to what I should have given him. After reading what you wrote about the Carnival Pride, I am having second thoughts about cruising on the Carnival Conquest. Might be much better off taking that new HAL "Z" ship out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. John John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just returned from the 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Pride. This was our tenth cruise and our fourth on Carnival (past nods to the Inspiration, Destiny and Elation). We chose the cruise for it’s itinerary. Of the stops in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso, we have only been to Cozumel before. We booked thru AAA Travel about two months in advance. We did the air booking and insurance with them as well and saved a few dollars. Got a TBA with guaranteed balcony. We kept a comfortable 6 hour separation between arrival/embarkation and disembarkation/departure. We prepaid our gratuities ( a mistake – see below) and purchased Transport tickets from Carnival for the to and fro between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Travel was fairly smooth. The long lines at airport security seem to have disappeared and we were pleased to find that Dulles (Wash DC) and Orlando airports recommended only a one hour pre-flight arrival time. We moved our own bags to the transport buses. The bags were taken directly off the bus by Carnival handlers and placed in bins for immediate security clearance and transport to the ship. We were not allowed to leave the bus till this was done. Nobody was told about this before the bus left. This caused a few tense moments for several travelers who left their tickets and passports in carry-ons in the busbays. Eventually they were allowed to retrieve them. We then had to listen to a rather unabashed request (more of a demand) for tips by the baggage foreman who then stood with his hand out while we left the bus. I don’t mind tipping the porters, but they don’t usually make such an issue of it. Pretty tacky, IMHO. Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. The new Port Canaveral Terminal is nicely air conditioned and the lines moves along. We were on board in about 40 minutes and in our cabin by 12:30. The Pride is a new ship. The decor is Renaissance/Baroque. I wouldn’t call it tasteful. Several huge enlarged prints of plump, Rubinesque naked women, tigers and horses decorated the walls, elevator doors and cabin gangways. The atrium is smallish for a Carnival ship of this size and dominated by a ruby glass skylight that is an extension of the trademark Carnival smokestack. The layout of the dining areas, Casino, Theatre and shops is quite similar to the Destiny Class ships. The top of the atrium is dominated by David’s, the alternative dining restaurant. Except for the 12 foot statue of Michelangelo’s David in the middle of the restaurant, David’s was quite tasteful. Looked like bad lawn statuary to me. Our stateroom was spacious with ample closets and was amidships and 10 feet from the elevator. The balcony was comfortable and had two lounge chairs. Bath was new and nicely appointed. You could get in the shower without touching the sides. I’m not sure the TBA helped much…although the position of the stateroom was very convenient. I spoke to another TBA couple who were upgraded from an inside to an ocean view. The beds were firm….very firm…..they were ROCKS. Once on board, we found that Carnival has changed it’s tipping policy to a minimum daily charge against your account for the cabin steward and waiter/busboy. You have the option of telling the Purser to increase or decrease the amount, which was industry standard. They claim you have "one hundred percent control". Had I known this, I would not have prepaid the gratuities prior to the cruise. One can argue the pros and cons of this…but we dread standing in line at the Purser and handing out gobs of cash, Halloweenlike, to everyone on the last night of the cruise. I looked for and did not see any decline in service as a result of this policy. The overall quality of the service was excellent. I can live with this policy…it made the whole issue of tipping transparent. The ship held 2500 of which 750 were children. I didn’t see a lot of kids underfoot all week…a seeming tribute to Camp Carnival. There was a lot of space aboard. I always felt a bit crowded on the Destiny, but not on the Pride. The pools were a bit smallish, but otherwise it is a very well designed vessel. The Theatre (The Taj Mahal) was very large, very comfortable, very few obstructed seats, horribly decorated (Elvis would have loved it) and there was never a problem getting seats to the shows. Bar service was fairly quick and professional. The Casino was large and had a nice selection of slots and tables with a large bar and live entertainment. Large Gym & Spa. My wife had her hair done twice in the Hairdresser’s and was pleased. Food was good to very good in the dining room and excellent at David’s. We tend to avoid Lido Deck since our kids are grown and no longer cruising with us, so 95% of our meals were in the dining room. The wine list was respectable. Vegetables and salads were fresh. Lobster was particularly good. Beef was variable. I had a Applebee’s quality steak one night, very good Beef Wellington another, and a fantastic NY Strip at David’s. The DR meals were, on the whole, industry standard or a little better. David’s was probably the best meal I have ever had on a cruise ship. The "nominal" charge for the alternative dining was $25 per person. In this case, it was worth it. Very few dinner jackets on Formal night. I realize cruising is now a mainstream event, but I’d hate to see true formal nights disappear, as they seem to be doing. I realize it’s not the Queen Mary, but one can only take so much body piercing, tattoos and baseball caps on backwards before looking elsewhere for a more comfortable venue. Entertainment was a bit below what I had expected from Carnival. The house Reggae band was very good, but every number sounded the same. There were two guitarists accompanied by a Band-in-a-box in the lounges. One was fair, the other was quite good. The house rock band was terrible. The Main Lounge entertainment was very spotty. There were 4 (yeah, that’s FOUR!) comedians on various nights, all offering Family (evening) and R Rated (midnight) routines. A good magician (David Copperfield type with tattoos), a good juggler, a very good Motown oldies singer and two production numbers. The dancers were pretty good, but the lead singers were pure vanilla…a Michael Bolton wannabe and a plump girl who couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket and looked frightening in hot pants. I would expect this on RCI or Princess…I expected better in the entertainment department from Carnival. Key West was the first stop. We spent the day walking around the city and hit all the highlights on Duvall Street. You don’t need an organized tour here. We may go back for a few days some other time…it’s a fun place. Belize was next. Very Caribbean atmosphere for a Central American country. The usual abject poverty amidst great beauty. There is NOTHING to do in Belize City. There are no good beaches. We took a bus inland a bit and did the Cave Tubing and Rainforest Exploration. We had a blast! You will need good waterproof shoes and sunscreen and bug repellant. Basically you carry a huge innertube about 45 minutes into the rainforest and launch yourself into this beautiful river that runs into a cavern. You get a miner’s lamp strapped around you neck. The interior of the caves is remarkable, especially from the perspective of one floating in an underground river. Another guest told us later that a Carnival passenger was killed by a falling rock just a month earlier…but I have NOT been able to confirm that anywhere else. I’d recommend this for any active person. Non swimmers can do it…but it could be a little scary. Cozumel next. We snorkeled in the morning (beautifully clear water, not much in the way of fish or coral). The catamaran then brought us to a very nice beach. Open bar, but $7 hamburgers on the beach. A nice day. The water is so clear here that I could actually see the stabilizers of the Pride from my balcony. Progreso is a new port. Not much to do there…the tours all go 1-2 hours inland to the city of Merida or various Mayan ruins. We went to Chichan-Itza. This was spectacular, although we got caught in an afternoon thundershower. On the way back, our tour bus was held up in traffic and they had to hold the boat for about 15 minutes and then got underway as soon as we arrived. We were about 2-3 miles from port when the ship came to a sudden stop. In the distance, we could see a tug boat rapidly approaching the Pride. By the time they pulled alongside, there were several hundred people looking over their balconies or siderails. Some old fellow in a bad Hawaiian shirt and his wife were pulled out of the hold of the tug and escorted on to a gangway accompanied by hoots and hollers and applause from everyone on board. I would have loved to know how much he tipped that boat captain. Says something about striking out on your own. Back at Port Canaveral, we signed up for a Kennedy Space
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John, I dug out the announcement and the amounts add up to $9.75 per guest/per day. They break it down into: Stateroom Services $3.50/day Dining Team Service $5.50/day Alternate Dining services and incentives to dining service staff $0.75/day. They did not explain how the incentive service worked. They did state that the amount is entirely discretionary and can be adjusted up or down up till 12 Midnight the last night of the cruise. So for two guests on a 7 day cruise, that would be a $135 charge. That’s about ballpark for what we usually tip if you add up the different tips for Maitre D’, Headwaiter, Waiter, Busboy and Cabin Steward. I forgot how much we paid to prepay our tips, but it seemed to be in the $150 range. I may be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a cruise line afloat (maybe Disney) that pays their staff a base wage. This probably represents better working conditions and predictable income for these poor souls. They work 12-15 hours a day and go 4-5 months without seeing their families. Compared to what you would tip a waitperson in a good restaurant for two hours work , IMHO it’s a deal. Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Paul, What is standard tipping for two on a seven-day Carnival cruise. My wife and I have signed up for a seven-day cruise on the Carnival Conquest sailing from New Orleans the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 5. We just got back from a HAL Amsterdam cruise where tipping was optional. We did leave tips, but had no guidance on what was expected. For example, I slipped our cabin steward $40, but had no idea as to what I should have given him. After reading what you wrote about the Carnival Pride, I am having second thoughts about cruising on the Carnival Conquest. Might be much better off taking that new HAL "Z" ship out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28. John John
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Susan in Austin – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok… How about a poll to get back to talking cruises. If you could spend 1 week on ANY ship (only caveat is that it has to be sailing today – no QM2’s or "not-yet-complete" newbuilds allowed) which would it be? Regardless of the itinerary or cost. Which ship do you want to go on? Me? Paul Gaugin, with Crystal Harmony/Symphony a close 2nd. –Tom