disneyfan1313

I always thought of soft serve as the "poor mans" ice cream. Perhaps society as a whole is getting a better appreciation for higher quality foods? Note - this does not apply to Dole Whip - that is the ice cream of the gods!

Thanks Big Mike for brining us a report of a very unique place! Thats what keeps me reading the road show!

^ If you consider that the space where the brew tanks are could also be used as a "tour" of the brewery perhaps it isn't so bad. I think it would be a great fit for some of the larger ships!

AllenA07 - Thanks for your very good comparison. I do have to disagree a bit with the 3day vs 7 day - the clientelle on an RCCL 3 day is a little more "party" than a 7 day...but it is a definite difference between that an the Carnival 3 day crowd. Can't comment about the RCCL/Universal package, but I do have to ask what RCCL cruises and time frame you are looking at? When I have compared the two the price difference is usually 30-50$pp on a 3-4 day cruise and $100pp on a 7 day cruise. Is it a peak time that you are looking at?

This is a bit of a crazy story...but as always... only on Carnival!!! Article HERE from the Miami Herald.

That was such a fun cruise!! We skipped out on the ATVs but it was great to see how much fun you guys had!!

^ I did my donations early on but decided to throw another $5 your way since you have been so great about mentioning this on Facebook! Hope you make your goal soon!!!!

Wow! That looks awesome and quite possibly (dare I say it...) pretty intense! Love coasters with mist or water elements even when it messes up POV.

Awesome TR Chuck! I really have to find a way to get to Dollywood one of these days. I just wish it wasn't in the middle of nowhere!

^ Hahahaha! It's funny you mention the pizza near Pompeii in your video - that is also where we had some of the worst pizza in all of Italy. Most was amazing!

Wow! Thanks Big Mike! I didn't know that there was another credit in my own back yard!

^Agreed about the thieves. It was the only place in all of Italy that we felt unsafe. That combined with a bus tour driver that almost killed us twice... I would skip Naples if I went again. LOL

From the "Oh Carnival" files and for those of you who still don't feel that Carnival and Costa are one in the same... A judge today essentially put a "lien" on the Carnival Triumph in Galveston because of a 10mil lawsuit that is pending due to passenger death from Costa. Heres the article... So it looks like they have come to some sort of temporary agreement and the ship should be able to sail very soon... heres the crazy part - the US Marshal service put signs on the ship saying it was seized!

^ So excited for you guys! If you need any advice on getting to Cittavechia from Rome let me know. The train is super easy to do and will save you a ton of cash. Also if you want to do Pompeii on your naples day, it is easy enough to do on your own without a shore excursion. The large tour groups in Pompeii looked MISERABLE and its a short train ride also.

This is AWESOME that TPR is a part of this. I just donated $5 each to the first 5 people who signed up! Just think of what a difference we can make if each TPR member makes one donation!

^ Welcome to TPR and thanks for posting! I beg of you to not let your cruise on the Ecstasy ruin you for cruising forever... as they say - "It gets better". Not only is Carnival the bottom of the barrel of major lines - you sailed on the bottom of the barrel of its ships. I urge you to try an RCCL cruise - even a cheap 3 or 4 day one for a contrasting experience. I have a feeling you will not only change your mind, but love it!

^ Right - but that doesn't matter. The ship is flagged in the Costa name and the media are all referencing it as a Costa ship. The damage is done and the average person doesn't know or care that it was chartered...just that it was a "Costa" ship.

All I have to say is... "Oh, Carnival.....". I would be shocked if Costa isn't sold off or absorbed within 6 months after these issues. The brand is essentially tarnished at this point.

Woah - wait... what? Please tell me you have photos of this!!!!!!!!

^^ Actually yes, there was a track record. Carnival has had a bizarrely large number of instances of accidents in port recently - most minor, but it does show a "cultural" issue that you don't see with the other line and/or companies. Then we can talk about the fires both on carnival and princess and the accident that killed crew members on Costa the other year. You just don't really see these issues as consistently (if ever) on the other lines.

Pretty impressive photo of the atrium 1/2 submerged.

It is an amazing salad! Each ship does it a little differently but it is generally in the main dining room lunch on sea days. Enjoy and make sure you give us a full trip report when you get back!

I think the important thing to remember about the S. Florida area is there are *no* major or even minor theme parks. Heck, even FECs aren't really up to the standards that we see in other parts of the country. There are a million and one theories on why that is but I think adding the hurricane and perhaps a few other small rides to the Miami Zoo is a good step in the right direction. It is never going to be WDW but it could be a decent player for tourist dollars in the area.

We really just need all these companies to get together and decide on ONE technology/communications protocol and make it universally adaptable. All it would take is all the major banks to put it on all new cards and then all the big box retailers would adapt their POSs to accept it, etc.

^ That was horrible. It made my tongue numb and my throat and chest burn. NOT COOL.. Awesomely random update. I really do have to make it to Dollywood at some point in my life.