ableman
First Mate
WI
Joined 04/2018
10
Cruises7
Reviews127
Helpful VotesLove cruising.
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Past cruises
February 2024 - 8 Night Bahamas (Mobile Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Spirit
Lets just say it was different
This was a cruise of "firsts". First time we cruised for more than 7 days. First time we drove to the cruise port (from WI.). First time we embarked out of Mobile, AL. First time we embarked in 47 degree weather with wind & rain. First time we had bad weather and rough seas for the first 2+ days. First time I got queasy on a cruise (slightly). First time we had a port of call cancelled on us (Bimini). First time I was on a cruise with 4 sea days. First time my wife needed a wheelchair for debarkation (and I should have also reserved one for embarkation).
Don't get me wrong. We had a good time, with pleasant experiences, a few laughs, and some nice memories. It's just that it was the first time ever...... that I wasn't sad or sorry when it ended.
February 2023 - 6 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Spirit
Found A Ship That Suits Us.
I would say that overall we must have liked it, for we already booked another cruise on the Spirit for next year.
February 2023 - 11 Night South Pacific (Brisbane Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Spirit
Found A Ship That Suits Us.
I would say that overall we must have liked it, for we already booked another cruise on the Spirit for next year.
March 2022 - 6 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Magic
Back on the high seas (finally)
We had a great time that took over two years of waiting for, and as usual flew by way too quickly. We spent our time relaxing, and was not in a rush to experience everything the ship had to offer. It was a very nice return to cruising for us and, as usual, we are looking forward to our next one.
March 2019 - 4 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Independence of the Seas
Nice Spring Break Getaway
Good spring break getaway with our high school age daughter. Not the best cruise we have taken, but it was a thousand times better that being at home.
March 2018 - 3 Night Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Norwegian Sky
Nice Getaway for my wife and I
My wife and I had put our daughter on a plane to visit her sister. Since we had some free time we decided to fly down to FL , jump on a ship and get some sun and relaxation. So 30 minutes after we put her on a flight to NY, we jumped on a flight to FL. It was a last minute booking and everything worked out fine.
February 2015 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Disney Wonder
Another great Disney Cruise
This was our second Disney cruise, which we booked while on our first Disney cruise. As previously stated, it was a great experience. I wanted to book another while on board, but financial constraints (Disney is expensive) and the fact that our daughter was ageing out of the "magical" Disney mystique, we decided to wait & look to the more mainstream lines like Carnival or RCL.
March 2014 - 3 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Disney Magic
Disney is truly awesome
It was our first cruise with my daughter. We celebrated her 12th birthday. We only booked a 3 day cruise because we weren't sure we would like it. Well, we must have liked it because we booked another cruise for the following year while on board.
Disney Magic
Sail date: March 14, 2014
It was our first cruise with my daughter. We celebrated her 12th birthday. We only booked a 3 day cruise because we weren't sure we would like it. Well, we must have liked it because we booked another cruise for the following year while on board.
Disney Wonder
Sail date: February 20, 2015
This was our second Disney cruise, which we booked while on our first Disney cruise. As previously stated, it was a great experience. I wanted to book another while on board, but financial constraints (Disney is expensive) and the fact that our daughter was ageing out of the "magical" Disney mystique, we decided to wait & look to the more mainstream lines like Carnival or RCL.
Carnival Magic
Sail date: March 06, 2022
Back on the high seas (finally)
We had a great time that took over two years of waiting for, and as usual flew by way too quickly. We spent our time relaxing, and was not in a rush to experience everything the ship had to offer. It was a very nice return to cruising for us and, as usual, we are looking forward to our next one.
Norwegian Sky
Sail date: March 23, 2018
Nice Getaway for my wife and I
My wife and I had put our daughter on a plane to visit her sister. Since we had some free time we decided to fly down to FL , jump on a ship and get some sun and relaxation. So 30 minutes after we put her on a flight to NY, we jumped on a flight to FL. It was a last minute booking and everything worked out fine.
Carnival Spirit
Sail date: February 17, 2024
Lets just say it was different
This was a cruise of "firsts". First time we cruised for more than 7 days. First time we drove to the cruise port (from WI.). First time we embarked out of Mobile, AL. First time we embarked in 47 degree weather with wind & rain. First time we had bad weather and rough seas for the first 2+ days. First time I got queasy on a cruise (slightly). First time we had a port of call cancelled on us (Bimini). First time I was on a cruise with 4 sea days. First time my wife needed a wheelchair for debarkation (and I should have also reserved one for embarkation).
Don't get me wrong. We had a good time, with pleasant experiences, a few laughs, and some nice memories. It's just that it was the first time ever...... that I wasn't sad or sorry when it ended.
Independence of the Seas
Sail date: March 14, 2019
Good spring break getaway with our high school age daughter. Not the best cruise we have taken, but it was a thousand times better that being at home.
Carnival Spirit
Sail date: February 19, 2023
I would say that overall we must have liked it, for we already booked another cruise on the Spirit for next year.
Cruise tips
Been there, done that. Many time. Nice looking new port building though, as least from what I could see from our balcony.
Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)
Nice beach, good infrastructure.
Just walked around the port area and bought a few gifts for the people back home that were looking in on our cat while we were gone. Typical port area that after we left it was boxed up and shipped to our next stop
We did not visit this port because it was the only island I wanted to see on this cruise. The cruising gods knew this and hit us with very strong winds and high seas, making it impossible to dock. Seriously though, the waves were nasty, so it was the right decision to skip that stop.
The port was OK. I won't say I'd sail out of there again, but I also won't say that I wouldn't.
Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
Nice beach, although I would have liked it better if there were only one ship in port. We had to share the beach with the Vista that day, and it got pretty crowded.
OK, this may be unfair. We did a shore excursion visiting Mayan ruins with "lunch". I won't go into excruciatingly long detail, for I don't want to expend that kind of time. We were suppose to meet in port at 9AM (ships time) There were [3] CCL ships in port (Spirit, Vista, Dream). It was extreemly windy and the ships were moored at least 6-7 miles offshore. The tender boats took 25 minutes to get from the ship to the docks. The ships time did not match the local time. All that insured a perfect storm of causing everything to be 2 hours late. While the tour itself was interesting and informative, getting there (and back) was no fun at all, and it put a taint on the whole experience. In fairness, I would give it another star had we not experienced all the delays.
Flew into Ft Lauderdale the day beofore. Had a horrible ride from Ft Lauderdale to Miami due to accidents that snarled their freeway system.
Been here a couple times before. Just decide not to leave the ship. Another valuable lesson learned
Carnival Spirit
Look folks, this is one of Carnivals smaller and older ships. If you're young and want to have a lot of nightlife variety, or if you have kids and want them to have a different onboard thrill every day, then this ship may disappoint you.
Meh. To me, Grand Turk cruise port looked like a just a speck of land that a cruise line dumped some money in to create a "destination". Other than that, it didn't do much for me. We did not go any further than the port area. If we visit it again, I'll take a bus tour to see what else it has to offer, and what kind of life the locals have on the island.
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic
From what I could see, the DR is a beautiful, vibrant country. My daughter and her companion did a beach horseback ride and said it was great.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Nice beach, decent bbq. Good all around experience. Due to my wife's ambulatory issues, I'm not a big fan of tender boats, but we took a later one which wasn't as crowded.
Carnival Magic
This was the largest ship we've sailed on. As usual, I booked a cabin mid-ship, figuring it was an equal distance walk to just about everything. However, my wife has bad knees, and the walk to the aft elevators to take in the buffet was still very long (and painful) for her. If one has ambulatory issues and they like to use the buffet, I recommend booking a cabin in the aft of the ship of this size (or larger) just to cut down on the walking.
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas
Norwegian's private island. Nice beach day.
Nassau is nice as long as you don't stray too far off the beaten path. It was Easter Sunday, so we went to St Francis Xavier Cathedral for Easter Mass. The Catholics in Nassau are very devout. If there are 10 verses to a hymn, they'll sing all 10. We went to the 11:00 mass because we couldn't get off the ship in time for the 8:30 mass. We got there about 10:45, and the 8:30 mass was just concluding. It was a beautiful Easter service and a great experience. The cathedral is located across the street from the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. We wanted to stop in the gallery for a tour, but we were pressed for time. Since it wasn't far, we walked back to the cruise port from the Cathedral.
Flew in the day of embarkation
Norwegian Sky
It's an older, smaller ship. Great for a quiet getaway, but if you're into a "megaship" with lots of venues and activities you may be bored.
The port area was nice, but once you got outside it looked a bit "sketchy". We did a beach day at a beach/waterpark. It was a weird experience, for the sand at the oceans edge was like walking in quicksand. We never experienced that before. My wife has bad knees, so she really struggled getting in and out of the ocean. The food they offered was good if you ordered it from their pay menu. The buffet they included in the excursion's price was only so-so.
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Flew in the day of the cruise.
Independence of the Seas
Be prepared to take the stairs, especially if you only need to go up or down one or two deck levels. You'll save a lot of time.
Castaway Cay (Disney Private Island)
Great, just like my last review.
Very nice island. We visited a turtle hatchery. Very fun and informative.
Flew in the day of the cruise
Disney Wonder
As I said before, go for more than 3 days. This was a 5 day cruise and it hwas STILL too short
We have been there before and only stay in the port area
Castaway Cay (Disney Private Island)
Beach day.... great island with plenty of beach. They say they have 5000 beach chairs on the island. Although I did not count them, I believe it.
We flew in the day of the cruise.
Disney Magic
Try to book more than a 3-day cruise.
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