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The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!


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^It depends on the ship and homeport, but usually the longer the voyage the better on Carnival.  If you've never cruised before Carnival can be a good 'starter' company and then you can see what some of the others offer.  If you hate it, don't blame cruising, try another line first!

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28 minutes ago, mikeykaise said:

My gf and I are looking at a Carnival cruise for 5 days to Mexico, should I be wary of Carnival or is it pretty decent? This will be my first ever cruise.

I used to work for Carnival.  Book with Royal Caribbean.

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I'm just going into the Carnival trip next year as being at Walmart for 5 days and an open mind. I'm more excited about actually getting a passport and traveling out of country going to Mahogany Bay and Cozumel and then back to Tampa. It'll be all sorts of interesting.

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19 minutes ago, mikeykaise said:

I'm just going into the Carnival trip next year as being at Walmart for 5 days and an open mind. I'm more excited about actually getting a passport and traveling out of country going to Mahogany Bay and Cozumel and then back to Tampa. It'll be all sorts of interesting.

The 5-7 day Carnival cruises are actually pretty fun.  You are usually on the better boats and it's mostly families.  It's the 3-4 day booze cruises on Carnival that you want to avoid.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Woo hoo! Just booked a 2023 cruise on the Mardi Gras, so can try the new coaster. Got a deal for $210 a person (one more going), $200 on board credit and free drinks at casino. I’ve read the new ship is just as nice as mco or royal Caribbean.

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Last month it was announced that Margaritaville would be launching a new cruise line Margaritaville at Sea, starting with their first ship, the Margaritaville Paradise. This ship will offer two and three night starting on April 30th with sailings out of the Port of Palm Beach Florida. The ship is being refitted after previously serving as Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's Grand Classica. 

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https://blog.margaritaville.com/2021/12/margaritaville-sets-sail-with-margaritaville-at-sea/

Today, Margaritaville announces Margaritaville at Sea, an offshore resort experience. The first cruise ship, Margaritaville Paradise, will offer the fun, escapism, and state of mind synonymous with the global lifestyle brand.

“To me, the only thing better than being on a beach by the ocean, is to be on the ocean. Now you can follow in our wake,” said singer, songwriter and best-selling author, Jimmy Buffett.

Departing on her first passenger sailing on April 30 from the Port of Palm Beach Florida to Grand Bahama Island, Margaritaville Paradise will include 10 passenger decks and 658 cabins in various stateroom categories. Following a multi-million investment and refurbishment, the ship’s cabins and common spaces will feature Margaritaville’s signature casual-luxe design with subtle nautical details and colors influenced by the surrounding sea, sand, and sky.

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“Margaritaville at Sea will be a new, exciting, and fun way for guests to escape and vacation in Margaritaville,” said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville. “From oceans to lakes, Margaritaville has an organic tie to the water and with Margaritaville at Sea, we’re able to put our iconic lifestyle, resort experiences, and elevated service directly on the sea. We look forward to seeing guests on, and in, Paradise.”

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Margaritaville Paradise, formerly Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s flagship vessel, Grand Classica, will feature gourmet food and beverage options, including JWB Prime Steak & Seafood, Frank and Lola’s Pizzeria, Port of Indecision Buffet, LandShark Sports Bar, and Margaritaville Coffee & Pastry Shop as well as the Euphoria Lounge, Sunset Bar, and 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar. Additionally, the ship will offer onboard leisure activities and entertainment, including the Par-A-Dice Casino, a Stars on the Water Theater, St. Somewhere Spa, Fins Up! Fitness Center, pools, a retail shop, and more. The ship was built at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard and entered service as a pioneer ship. She has opened many new markets and frontiers during her lifetime, so it is fitting that Margaritaville Paradise will again be a pioneer for Margaritaville at Sea.

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“We’re excited about this new partnership as we launch Margaritaville at Sea out of the Port of Palm Beach. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and are appreciative of our loyal customers and trade partners who have stood by us through so much. We’re excited about this next phase of our evolution, rebranding as Margaritaville at Sea. The collaborative concept will add a different dimension to the cruising industry, appealing to a new audience of travelers,” added Oneil Khosa, CEO of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, who will serve as CEO of Margaritaville at Sea. “Margaritaville at Sea will provide guests with Margaritaville’s authentic culture, entertainment, and food en route to a beautiful destination in Grand Bahama Island. The experience will be complemented by an unmatched, personalized approach to guest service from start to finish via valet service and exclusive cruise terminals for smoother embarkation and disembarkation. It’s the perfect partnership in paradise.”

For more information or to book, visit margaritavilleatsea.com.

About Margaritaville at Sea

Margaritaville at Sea is a floating island vacation at sea that brings together the brand’s iconic hospitality and resort experiences with the ability to escape and see the world. The inaugural ship, Margaritaville Paradise, features 658 casual-luxe cabins with nautical details and colors influenced by the sea, sand, and sky. Amenities include several dining venues, pools, entertainment programming, retail stores, a St. Somewhere Spa, Fins Up! Fitness Center, and more. In addition to Margaritaville at Sea, Margaritaville features over 25 hotels and resorts, two gaming properties, RV resorts, and over 60 food and beverage venues – as well as real estate communities, vacation clubs, and consumer lifestyle products. To learn about Margaritaville at Sea, visit margaritavilleatsea.com.

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I saw this in the news a few weeks back. It looks like for now all of the cruises are 2 night trips which is a bit limited but I like the idea of a Friday to Sunday option for a nice short little weekend trip. Will be interesting to see some reports of the ship and the whole experience after they start operating in April. I know some people are crazy about Buffet and the Margaritaville brand so I'm sure this thing will be successful.

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.... and those first posted packages (2-3 days?) sounds like what Carnival would offer.

With the usual resulting awful (drunken;uncool) cruises, for those who care about responsibility and such stuff. 🤮

I will wait, until they offer (at least) a 5-8 day cruise, for consideration. 🛳️

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  • 8 months later...

Anyone here happen to have any previous experiences with a cruise being effected by a hurricane? We're supposed to leave on a 3 day Royal Caribbean out of Port Canaveral this Friday which is pretty much when this storm is supposed to be making it's way through the state. It's still too early to tell how much of the weather will hit Canaveral and when but do cruises ever have a delayed departure? Would this Friday-Monday sailing ever turn into a Saturday-Tuesday sailing or something? I doubt the sailing would get outright cancelled but does that ever happen?

 

It seems like all the "official information" on the website is pretty vague and I'm sure there won't be an official announcement on anything until the last possible minute so just curious if anyone has had an experience like this in the past.

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Follow James Van Fleet on twitter, he's the official RCCL weather guy.  They won't change your cruise to Saturday-Tuesday cause then that affects two cruises. They would shorten or cancel yours.  I assume this is Mariner? It will probably sit in the Bahamas and see what the storm does before they decide if they're going to bring it back Friday or push a day.

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1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

Follow James Van Fleet on twitter, he's the official RCCL weather guy.  They won't change your cruise to Saturday-Tuesday cause then that affects two cruises. They would shorten or cancel yours.  I assume this is Mariner? It will probably sit in the Bahamas and see what the storm does before they decide if they're going to bring it back Friday or push a day.

Thanks, that's a good tip to follow him. Yes we're sailing on Independence of the Seas, I never thought about it just staying in port in the Bahamas on Friday if necessary but that makes sense. We're local and have travel insurance so I'm not really that worried about what happens either way, was just looking forward to a little weekend getaway lol.

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^

Independence of the Seas: Friday, September 30, 2022 sailing from Port Canaveral

We are closely and continuously monitoring Hurricane Ian to understand if the storm will impact your boarding day. At this time, there are no changes to your sailing. Should we need to make any changes to ensure our guests’ safety and comfort, we will contact booked guests and travel advisors immediately and no later than September 28 at 8:00 PM EDT.

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Yeah, still no official updates on my sailing but sounds like they'll make an announcement about it tonight by 8pm. I'm optimistic because it says Mariner is now scheduled to leave Friday (We're sailing  Independence, also scheduled to leave Friday), but Disney has already cancelled their 3 day cruise this weekend out of Canaveral that was scheduled to leave Friday. So who knows at this point.

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So this seems a good place to ask since a lot of people do cruises here.

My wife and I really want to try a cruise. We keep getting ads offering $300 cruises from Singapore and it always says the boat Spectrum of the Sea. We aren't really too knowledgeable on the difference between boats but for our 7 year old, the pool would be the main draw and the slides look a bit lacking compared to some others. We have some friends have told us that if we are going to do a once in a lifetime cruise, it shouldn't be from Singapore. That we'll have a good time and be treated nice but despite the cheap ticket price that we are definitely not the target audience, cruises from that area are after  Chinese and business families with deep pockets. E.g. some examples we've heard are cruises designing those boats with less activity areas or restaurants, only one small pool for the children to use etc to have bigger casinos or other places for the high-end clients. Thoughts? Our other plan is to do one perhaps on the end of the once in a life time Florida trip we keep saying we will do or when we visit family in England.

Also just because my wife is curious, and we're from Korea where tipping doesn't exist, is 18% gratuity on everything normal for all cruises or is that again because of the clients they are after?

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^Spectrum is a nice ship but cruising in Asia is VERY different from the rest of the world. If you're looking for that stereotypical cruise experience for your first time then I would absolutely jump on one after a Florida trip!  Then if you like it, grab a cheap asian cruise once back home as an easier getaway. And yes, gratuities are added to all purchases onboard as well as a standard tip amount to select positions on the ship like your cabin steward, waiter, etc. 

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9 hours ago, Hilltopper39 said:

Yeah, still no official updates on my sailing but sounds like they'll make an announcement about it tonight by 8pm. I'm optimistic because it says Mariner is now scheduled to leave Friday (We're sailing  Independence, also scheduled to leave Friday), but Disney has already cancelled their 3 day cruise this weekend out of Canaveral that was scheduled to leave Friday. So who knows at this point.

I think you're going to cancel. =(

Looks like Port Canaveral is going to close until at least Friday afternoon which won't really give them time to turn the ship around. 

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1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

Hey a two day cruise with a bunch of onboard credit is better than no cruise!!!

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/notices/travel-updates

Yes! It’s not the best case scenario but if they’re gonna give us a bunch of credits to come on board for 2 days we’ll just hang out and drink and eat and watch football, which is what we would normally do anyways, so why not? Maybe we’ll get a room upgrade. 

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19 hours ago, Hilltopper39 said:

Yes! It’s not the best case scenario but if they’re gonna give us a bunch of credits to come on board for 2 days we’ll just hang out and drink and eat and watch football, which is what we would normally do anyways, so why not? Maybe we’ll get a room upgrade. 

Report back with how it goes!

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