We were inspired by Samantha Brown's Carnival cruise so away we go! - Page 33 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Sounds like you had all had a nice last day together in the Bahamas! I went to the Atlantis about 8 years ago with my sister's for a 4 day trip but I wasn't all that impressed with it. I just thought the people that worked for the resort and the people on the island in general were not all that friendly. I'm glad you had a much nicer experience. Looking forward to your final thoughts. I've really enjoyed this TR!
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Great pictures from Atlantis and Nassau! Sorry it's all come to an end! Looking forward to your final thoughts!
Thanks I hate when these come to an end but I know there's another on the horizon Makes me feel better!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linnynad
HAHAHA, you described the "Not so lazy river" perfect. I forgot about scrapping the top of two of my toes until you mentioned your rub burns. Ahh.....still fun though!
Sad to see this trip coming to an end. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I think we are headed to Disney the same time, will you be starting a PTR? Would love to read along with that one as well.
Looking forward to your final thoughts, well, I mean I am, but I'm not
I'm glad you liked that description I thought you would! Yep my big toe was scraped and it hurt along with my thigh LOL But totally worth it right???
I sharing my trips and so glad you enjoyed it!
I just saw that!! we are heading to disney at the same time Its my birthday and looks like someone in your party's birthday?? when is their birthday? mine is Oct. 1st
I am doing a PTR so stay tuned I look foward to having you countdown with me!
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Atlantis looks so fun! Definitely need to get there someday! Looking forward to reading your final thoughts.
Thanks for reading along and final thoughts coming up now!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonaldGirl1
wow!!! That not so lazy river sounds like a ton of fun? Did you find yourself feeling like you were going to tip over alot? It seems like I would flip off as soon as I hit the waves!!! More please! I really enjoyed reading this tr as it's making me even more excited for our cruise on the Allure of the Seas, Royal Carribeans newest ship!!
IT was a TON OF FUN!! I did find that I thought we were going to tip over several times but I think that added to the excitement of it all
YAY!! we are in the talks of doing a Royal Carribbean Cruise too in about 7 months on the Freedom of the Seas. I think that's the name. We will probably put down a deposit in two weeks so we can countdown together Have you ever cruised before???
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Sounds like you had all had a nice last day together in the Bahamas! I went to the Atlantis about 8 years ago with my sister's for a 4 day trip but I wasn't all that impressed with it. I just thought the people that worked for the resort and the people on the island in general were not all that friendly. I'm glad you had a much nicer experience. Looking forward to your final thoughts. I've really enjoyed this TR!
I will say staff was not all that friendly at times.....and our last experience with the Bahamas were that the people in general were not friendly but we had few interactions with them this time and the staff left us alone for the most part
I am so glad it was worth the money we paid otherwise I wouldve been so upset!
Thanks for reading along and final thoughts coming now!
So, here is the part that is always sad...the goodbyes and the ending
I guess I will go down the list of what we thought of it all....
Driving down to Ft. Lauderdale.....
We have no problems with this drive. Its about 13 hours total for us and we switch out drivers since there are four of us. Driving allows for us to be in control of when we get there and what we bring. I will say that we were really impressed with the hotel we choose in Ft. Lauderdale. We kept their card in case we ever leave out of there again. It was very close to the port and very nice.
Staying over the night before the ship sets sail......
This allows for any emergencies and also allows for you to sleep in and feel rested before you board the ship. I woke up at my own leisure and then being nothing but 10 minutes from the port it allowed for us to buy anything we forgot and hop right on the ship making it for a very smooth departure day.
Carnival Cruise lines
We really like this cruise line. It truly is the FUN SHIP! There are always activities going on. Whether you are young or old, I think this ship offers alot to you on your sea days and at night. I think though you need to be somewhat into something always going on, although, I found peace and quiet when I wanted it to be that way.
The food on the ship
Breakfast....we loved ordering Room Service daily. It was free, it was good and it was more than enough!
Lunch.....the Lido offers a little bit for everyone. I can be picky and I always found exactly what I wanted. There was never a time that I felt hungry LOL If I didn't like it I would just throw it away and find something that I did like. They did offer healthy options too so it didn't feel like you had to eat junk the entire trip. I always took handfuls of fruit to my room and ate that at intervals along with yogurt
Dinner....I will say that our waiter made our dinners longer than they shouldve been but overall we did enjoy the food and ambience. The food was actually really good and some nights it was spectacular and over the top. We could always order as much as we wanted and however we wanted. That was helpful especially when Eric was sick
The nightly shows
Amazing!! really they were just spectacular! I always enjoy dancing and singing so if you dont like that you might not like the shows. Now, they did have comedians and magic shows that we opted out of but there was a big variety and the entertainment staff was spot on!
The ship's activities
Whatever you were seeking was offered. There was more than enough for children if you have that concern. We saw teens really bonding together and doing group activities. The children were always being led in groups and being entertained reguarly. If you don't have children, like us, you did not find that the kids were annoying. I will say that because this was a Spring Break cruise we did have more of a noise disturbance with teens/tweens running the halls at all hours. We actually had to step out into the hall and ask them to stop. Once this happened it never happened again.
We loved the piano bar and cigar bar and the sports bar, etc. Like I said, more than enough to keep you occupied.
The gym was great too along with the spa but these were things we became too busy for this trip
The Room
More than enough rooom!!! It was worth the splurge for the balcolny! We really enjoyed watching coming into port along with eating breakfast out there or having a night cap drink
My fave memory was sitting there in Puerto Rico at night with the cityscape lit up and just taking it all in
There was plenty of storage space for us and we found the staff to be overall just wonderful!!! ESPECIALLY attentive when Eric became sick!!!
The beds and bedding were comfortable and I had no gripes about that at all!
The TV was flat screen and the channels were just enough to watch while we were getting ready for dinner each night.
The Ports:
San Juan: We love this port. I am not really sure why we have grown to love it here but I think its the history of the old San Juan city and its such a easy walk off the ship into port where there are so many things to do. The rainforest hike we took last year on the last crusie was just amazing as well!
St. Thomas/St. John:
Another one of our fave stops! St. John is just amazing with the beaches being postcard perfect everytime. St. thomas is the same with its amazing views. I wouldn't say the shopping is all that great but we go for the beaches not the shopping here.
Antigua: Although a very poor island which is very obvious, we thought the history tour we booked along with the beach break was just completely worth the splurge. I would not reccommend going without a tour just because I am not sure it would be easy to nagivate otherwise. We did enjoy the touristy part that they have built at the port. I will also say that we did not find the locals to be overly friendly at all but, that did not hamper our trip :
It was a really fun and beautiful port!
Tortola/Virgin Gorda (the baths):
I will say that this was my fave stop this time! One of my fave memories that I will keep with me. Virgin Gorda/The Baths are just amazing I will take this same tour upon our return if we ever get back there!
Although crowded it was worth the trip! Tortola is just amazingly beautiful as well! Overall completely beautiful and worth it!
Bahamas/Atlantis Resort:
I am not a fan of Nassau. Having said that I find that Atlantis is one of the best things I have found on this particular port. It was worth the splurge of 125 a piece!! Seriuosly just to see it and do this one time is worth the money. It was so much fun to have access to everything(minus food). The water park is such fun if you enjoy this and I will say that Eric rated this high on his must do list again!
Days at Sea:
As you could read, we never felt that we were bored at sea days. We slept in, enjoyed the boat and its amenities. It was a full ship and sometimes you could tell that but we always managed to find a good deck chair and enjoyed the pools,etc. With so many activities and so many bars there was never a time where I felt like I was missing out what we paid for. There were also two new to DVD movies shown on the Big Screen by the pool which was really a lot of fun! We really liked having that option!
The Weather:
This was the latest we have gone on a cruise. It was the end of March first of April and on Easter. This really drove the price of the cruise up and also I think it made for much better weather overall.
We had SUPER HOT days and rained once briefly the whole trip for about 15 minutes. So, we were blessed with sunny sea days! And Sunny port days. This really made the water stand out in it's clarity!
Overall Thoughts:
This was our 2nd Carnival Cruise and both times we have really enjoyed this cruise line.
This was our FIRST 8 DAY CRUISE....totally worth that extra day!
The time of year was great but I think we will not book during Easter ever again if it can be avoided in that it messed with Family activities at home. Plus, later in March the prices go up along with more Spring Breakers and we were a little less thrilled with that.
Overall, we realllllllllllllly enjoyed this cruise. Despite the sickness that Eric experience it turned out to be a really awesome, memorable vacation. Eric hates he was so sick but you cannot foresee things of that nature and Carnival took great care of him for FREE!
We will definitely go Carnival again and the same ports!
What's next????!!!!???!!
As many of you know I lived with a newly converted Disney fan, since our trip this same time last year.
So, we find our selves right under 2 months to go on a countdown for my yearly birthday trip and F&WF trip this year!!!
Eric and I are going down for my birthday and the F&WF. ANNNNDDD if you want more details you will just have to look for my PTR that will be starting within a week or so
Thank you again, for following along and reading all about our wonderful trip! I really enjoyed sharing it with you guys.
BTW, we will be more than likely going in March, this time the first of March and this time we will be doing a Western Carribbean intinterary :OMG:
And for the FIRST time we will be more than likely trying out a ROYAL CARRIBBEN crusie line Details on that are coming together now and booking for that should be in a few weeks! So, look for that PTR in January
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Great wrap-up! I hope you like Royal Caribbean. I've been on them twice and I really enjoyed them a LOT. I can't wait to read your Disney PTR and TR and your next cruise PTR and TR!!! Between us, we'll be keeping these boards full for the next 8 months!!
Thanks for sharing your trip. I've only been on a Disney Cruise and the insight into the other cruise lines is great information as I want to try others.
I'm glad you liked that description I thought you would! Yep my big toe was scraped and it hurt along with my thigh LOL But totally worth it right???
I sharing my trips and so glad you enjoyed it!
I just saw that!! we are heading to disney at the same time Its my birthday and looks like someone in your party's birthday?? when is their birthday? mine is Oct. 1st
I am doing a PTR so stay tuned I look foward to having you countdown with me!
Great ending. !! I do love cruisig myself
Yes, my DD's birthday is the end of Oct and she will be 3 this year. So this will be our last "free" visit for her. I started a PTR but not a whole lot to post right now.
Looking forward to your's. Love having a countdown buddy!!!
Great finish, Crissy! Thanks to your TRs, I have a better idea what to expect when I take my first cruise! I really enjoyed reading about it and I can't wait for your WDW PTR!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Looking forward to your final thoughts! 
Makes me feel better!!
until you mentioned your rub burns. Ahh.....still fun though!
sharing my trips and so glad you enjoyed it! 
:
PassPorter Guide Author
Thanks for sharing your trip with us, it's been so much fun to read. 
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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