Swiminn6

Haha this was the probably the BIGGEST mistake this man will ever make! This give's me second thoughts Can't wait for your TR on your Dubai-India cruise!!

Well finally! I know I will probably get slammed for saying this but I am kind of excited for this! I've always wanted to walk down that grand staircase. I had always thought that if I had the money, I would build a replica only...as a museum/hotel.

Wow this looks awesome! I am actually doing a report on the United Arab Emirates for International Business in school. Very neat country and I am in the middle of researching the capital (city this is located in) and I might have to include this! Elissa, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't shorts looked at negatively? I was just surprised at the shorts on the concept art!

I really hope Universal Studios builds a park here like they had previously planned. I really want to go to Dubai and a Universal park will suffice a plane ticket there on a tight budget! Hope they don't build a Carnival Elissa!

I really hope no one puts a roller coaster on a ship! I've been on the Dream and I have to say the slides were pretty fun. It was the only pool water that was fresh on the ship. The slides did hurt on the way down though. They have also announced a little (or rather large) sports complex. They are going to add a ropes course, mini golf, plank that extends 8 ft. over the ship, 3-story rock climbing wall, basketball court, and I swear I saw a zip line in the announcement.

Well Robb, I know you have said that new ships are becoming more and more like floating theme parks! (And I am sure everyone on here will agree when I say that I think it's awesome!!!) Looks like NCL's newest ship will be a future TPR Cruise! Edit: Forgot if you guys wanted a link to the article or not,link. I personally think this is super awesome! I am glad that someone is finally venturing into a more full blown "water park." I have always wondered why RCCL hasn't put any major slides on a ship like this. It's a smart move for NCL because kids will see it docked at a port and be like "mommy, I want to go on that ship!" And it's even a smart move for adults like us that will go on mainly because of this! Like I said before, wish RCCL would have put a slide or two on the Oasis Class ships (although it may have looked odd.) So I really hope they will become competitive with the other major lines that are starting to do this. Maybe not something as big as this but it would be really cool to see how RCCL would make a "water park" area on Project Sunshine! Also, even though this picture looks amazing, I would have liked to have seen a little more variety. (ex. a bowl slide like on EPIC) Concept Art

Same here!! It was cool to see what was possible with a ship that big but you can only go so big! I can't wait to see how and what RCCL will do with the newest technology on a medium size ship (and what they will introduce that will be new to the industry, I'm sure they have something up their sleeve)

^Oh yeah! It's the small things that make a huge difference! Didn't they also add a Starbucks to Allure that wasn't originally on Oasis? I can't wait to hear more details about the Project Sunshine class of ships! RCCL is just so innovative (just like Apple ) and I can only imagine what they have in store. So far all we know is the type of propulsion I want some concept art!!!

It's amazing to look back at that and think that it's all just a pile of dirt right now! It wasn't even that long ago!

Yeah I didn't really know, I just remember hearing they made changes on Allure because it wasn't very lively on Oasis. I just spent like an hour looking at your photo tr from feb. for like the 4th time and it makes me sooo excited! I want one of those salads, churros, doughnuts, ahh! I need to get on this ship!

I have ate at one a long time ago but I don't remember it. I think RCCL is making this move because last I heard, they were hoping that the Boardwalk would be more of a nightlife hotspot than it turned out to be. I bet it will help them achieve that goal! (If this is still an issue) My family's next cruise is on Allure but not until 2013. I can't wait!!

I'm not sure if it has been posted or not but I heard a rumor that Ritas Cantina on Allure of the Seas in being swapped out for Margaritaville. Edit: link, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=33440772

But that's a terrible way to operate a company! We went on this ship to see what the level of service and guest satisfaction that Carnival offers. We didn't want to spend a lot of money to get terrible service. We just recently cruised on Jewel of the Seas, which does shorter cheaper trips for the same price as the Carnival Ecstasy. That ship and crew maintained the same expected level of quality as Royal Caribbean's top of the line ships. Sure, the amenities weren't the same, but the level of guest satisfaction is equal. If Royal Caribbean can pull off doing a $300, 4-day cruise with great service, high quality food, and a top level of guest satisfaction, there is simply no excuse why Carnival, or any other cruise line shouldn't be able to do this same. I'm not wrong am I? We gave Carnival a chance, and they completely impressed us with their ability to blow right past all preconceived notions and establish all new lows in Guest Service and Satisfaction. I will never sail them again, and I would not recommend anyone else does either. If you're a fan of Wal-Mart clientele and Golden Corral quality food, knock yourself out! (literally!) --Robb "We are doing the Allure again in 2013!" Alvey Heck no! You're totally right, Carnival sucks! I don't even know if they are comparable to Wal-Mart lol! Maybe K-Mart! It's too bad they have these ships still, I mean really, that picture of the stairwell you posted is such a disgrace to their company! I'll take a RCCL ship any day!

What a disgusting ship! How did you guys survive?! Now I would never go on that ship for free. But why would you go on one of their oldest, ugliest ships out there? Your bound to get that terrible service on that piece of junk! Should've tried a dream class ship if you dared to enter a Carnival ship. They are the only Carnival ships I'll ever even think about going on. When's the TPR cruise on Allure of the Seas again?!

^^I'm so sorry I didn't respond earlier, I don't check this website everyday! But heres the webcam link, http://www.giglionews.it/2010022440919/webcam/isola-del-giglio/webcam-giglio-porto-panoramica.html The majority of there daytime is when were sleeping on the east coast but you can still check out the action when you wake up in the morning because it would be late afternoon there.

^Can't believe it. I kept checking the webcam and it didn't look like anything was being done. Hopefully they get it all out ASAP because it seems like rough seas here are very common for this time of year. I'm glad we got this news since this whole accident has gone quiet lately.

Ahh! Now your in Kuala Lumpur!! Jealous...again! I had just watched a movie with the Petronas in it! Oh and a House Hunters episode and one of the houses had a view of it! xD Let me guess where your going next...Maybe Phuket to relax! Edit..Are you at the National Zoo of Malaysia?

I am soooo jealous!! I've followed the building of Sentosa for years! I hope we will see a full trip report soon! xD Ah well, maybe it will be worth waiting for by the time i'll actually get the chance to go! Oh yeah, I had absolutely no clue where you were going until we got the USS pictures!

What...? If I lost my clothes in a cabin that's underwater, how would I have sold my clothes? Lol!! What I was saying is, as a high school student, I don't need extravagant clothing. $2,000 to $3,000 would certainly suffice buying a new wardrobe to replace what I lost (considering you didn't take your whole closet with you). I'm not buying my clothes at Lacoste here! Yeah that is very true. And I know, trust me! My parent's would put it towards college or my savings account.

If this means to every SINGLE passenger, then couples got a good deal! They would almost be getting $30,000! But if it were per stateroom, then it depends on the person. (Wording is kind of tricky, can anyone clarify?) From my perspective (as junior in high school), $14,500 would be awesome for me! (Notice how they said even kids were being compensated, imagine a 5 year old getting that amount of money ) That could get me a really decent car & buy back my clothes! But for parents and adults, this could be underwhelming depending on what they brought. Especially since adults usually carry large wads of cash on cruises! EDIT: Never mind, just read that the money is per person. So if you think about it, if you were traveling in a group of 3, you get $43,500!

Salvage operations are starting to begin. It sounds like extracting the fuel is going to be hard! Well at least in my opinion, what do you think?

Haha WOW! Only 30% off. I don't even feel bad for Costa anymore. They deserve everything there going to get and then some.. EDIT: Did anyone get this? They found another body raising the death toll to 13.

Robb, yeah comparing carnival to Disney was not what I was going for, it was what you said (when you'd rather go on the Disney Dream). Have you been on a Carnival Ship? I used to feel the same exact way...until I went. Btw I'm not sticking up for Carnival because I think they are horrible, Im sticking up for the Dream class. And I am a rccl fan, like you guys are. Robb, I know your the owner of TPR! I wasn't trying to "disrespect" you. How else would I have said that? This discussion between us is annoying and I want it to end because I don't want to be your enemy, I was just saying what i did to the people who are accusing Carnival of sucking when they have never been on a cruise let alone a Carnival ship. Remember I am agreeing with you on everything except this class of ships. Sorry, again I don't want to be your enemy, I have always dreamed of coming along on a TPR trip and meeting you and Elissa.

^^^^Valid points but online reviews are very biased. The Dream (Carnival or Disney) both have 1 star and 5 star ratings. People go on some ships with a closed mind taking into account the negatives they have read. Go in optimistic and you might have a great cruise. I stopped reading reviews a long time ago. Disney Dream, I don't agree and think the food on Disney was great! (Get my point there?) Most others talk about how crowded some areas are and how the ships essentially have nothing to do for the young adults whether they are 19 or 23. My point is not to argue, but I am just saying be optimistic! Not everyone is going to have a great cruise and they will write all about it. In fact if you go on Cruise Critic, the Carnival version is only 5% less liked by members than Disney's. (Just comparing these two since you mentioned them). Every line markets to different people, does that make them the bad guys? (At least Carnival is making obvious attempts to market to a broader audience with it's upcoming Carnival Breeze!) Sorry Robb, I just wanted to get how I feel out there. Also on the Concordia subject, Also, they mentioned some things that I never immediately thought of! What a mess. Think about all of that, the hydraulics, food, soaps, sewage... The list goes on. Hopefully crews can start taking the fuel out soon.

Carnival ships are horrible EXCEPT the Dream Class. Seriously try the Dream class before you say everything about Carnival sucks. I wouldn't go on any other class of there ships. I said it before, my family is RCCL fans but our Carnival Dream cruise was enjoyable. As for the captain, he's an idiot! Now he was saying he "tripped" into a lifeboat. LOL. What next? He should stop while he's at it before he digs himself too deep of a hole...If he already hasn't.