barkdanger
Second Mate
Maryland
Joined 01/2017
22
Cruises9
Reviews84
Helpful VotesUpcoming cruises
Past cruises
March 2024 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Norfolk Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Legend
Overall another good Carnival Cruise
Overall I had a blast. This was my 3rd solo cruise, and met a lot of wonderful people.
February 2024 - 4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Liberty
January 2024 - 4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Liberty of the Seas
August 2023 - 6 Night Bermuda (Norfolk Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Magic
Great first time solo cruise!
Overall, a great ship and first time solo cruise trip!
May 2023 - 5 Night Bahamas (Jacksonville Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Elation
Unfortunately a "Mediocre" Cruise
Overall an “ok” cruise vacation- but staff service was lacking which did hinder my cruise vacation experience this time around. I will continue to cruise with Carnival.
January 2023 - 6 Night Bahamas (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Legend
September 2022 - 5 Night Bahamas (Jacksonville Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Elation
June 2022 - 4 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Sunshine
Decent 4 Day Cruise
Overall not a perfect cruise, but a nice 4 day getaway nonetheless. I most likely will not sail on Carnival Sunshine again do to the passenger to space ratio, since public spaces were reduced to add more cabins to the ship. I will most likely not sail during peak cruise summer months again either.
March 2022 - 7 Night Bahamas (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Legend
Great cruise!
I was able to book this cruise for a total of $270 including fare, tips, and taxes. I was very happy with this cruise. Good weather and I had a fun time. No complaints!
December 2021 - 7 Night Bahamas (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Legend
Carnival Legend
Carnival Legend is a great ship! Not too small and not too big! I never waited in a line more then 5 minutes for food and always found a seat in the main theater! Being a Marylander, it was easy to get to the port in Baltimore (only a 2 hour drive from the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.) Will definitely take another cruise on Carnival Legend. (But next time I will upgrade to a balcony cabin with the extra cost.)
January 2020 - 4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Liberty
April 2019 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Independence of the Seas
August 2018 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Sensation
Over all the cruise was wonderful. The staff onboard were very polite. The ship is well maintained for its age. The playlist production players on the Sensation have been by far the most well song vocalists and dancers I’ve seen on any Carnival Cruise. They seem to really enjoy preforming and ooze charisma!
My only negative about this cruise was my first impression of Ocho Rios. Upon walking off the pier, you are haggled by locals trying to sell you a ride, item, etc. Even when politely declining their offers, they still continued to push themselves on you. Also, other locals will hide out right off port or resort property and try to lore you to them. I had one man hide under a walking bridge trying to sell me drugs mostly in the form of Pot. Our next port of call was Grand Cayman, it was a refreshing contrast to Ocho Rios, and were not haggled once. I look forward to returning to Grand Cayman one day!
For the price we paid for this 5 day cruise, it was worth every penny.
January 2018 - 9 Night Southeast Coast & Bahamas (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Grandeur of the Seas
The 1/2/2018 Grandeur of the Seas cruise out of Baltimore has been less than satisfactory. Multiple passengers have fallen sick due to sanitary reasons and the ships rudder broke while at sea, and had to make an emergency stop in Port Canaveral, where all passengers had to leave the ship. While I know RCI has no say in how US customs works in different ports, RCI did failed to mention to the guests that we would have to wait off the ship for nearly 2 hours while the ship was cleared.
This rudder issue has delayed our disembarkation back in Baltimore by 2 days.
While I would enjoy the extra days, being on a ship that has an outbreak of sickness, doesn’t sound like a vacation. To combat the spread of sickness, all the food is tightly managed and handed to you, even at the buffet, causing massive lines and backups. We were even advised not to shake the crews hands.
As a past cruiser, I know this isn’t the norm, however at the prices RCI charges, and with no compensation to guest, this is unacceptable and certainly wasn’t what I had in mind when we booked.
July 2017 - 4 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Victory
CARNIVAL VICTORY
4 NIGHT CRUISE
KEY WEST & COZUMEL
Pros: This was my 4th Carnival cruise. Twice on the Pride, and once on the Fantasy. The Victory hands down has the politest staff of any Carnival ship I've sailed. The staff I encountered remembered me by name. It was very personable. (Considering there were 3,000 other passengers on board.) The shows in the Caribbean lounge were top notch, and ran for roughly an hour in length, which surprised me. The cabins were remodeled and the decor is very pleasing and modern. The ship is maintained very well. Cruise fare was reasonable. (Make sure to constantly recheck carnival.com for they will price guaranty lower fares. I was able to mange a $329 during the peaks of summer and over the July 4th holiday.)
Cons: The ship lacks the waterworks areas of the Fantasy and Pride. Also it lacks a wrap around outdoor promenade to stroll on like the Pride has. The lido buffet lines are always long. Wait time was usually 10 minutes to get a plate. Dinning room was hit or miss with service times. The sea day fun times line up was lacking entertainment and things to do. The ships layout is confusing at times because you can not walk the length of the ship. Make sure to see what floors you can walk through before taking the elevators. Not enough time in Key West. Roughly 5 hours.
Side note: Miami cruise port is a breeze to get through compared to the Port Of Baltimore. However, I was thrown off by the way they distribute the sail and sign cards. On embarkation day, your sail and sign cards are placed in your cabins mailbox. The cabins aren't ready until 1:30pm. It's a little cumbersome to have to use your boarding passes in order to buy items before 1:30pm. Then you have to have your sail and sign card at the muster drill. Very tedious just to receive card when needed. Over all this cruise was amazing for the price I paid.
January 2017 - 4 Night Bahamas (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Enchantment of the Seas
December 2016 - 7 Night Bahamas & Florida (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Pride
July 2016 - 4 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Fantasy
December 2015 - 7 Night Bahamas & Florida (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Pride
Carnival Legend
Sail date: March 31, 2024
Overall another good Carnival Cruise
Overall I had a blast. This was my 3rd solo cruise, and met a lot of wonderful people.
Carnival Sunshine
Sail date: June 30, 2022
Overall not a perfect cruise, but a nice 4 day getaway nonetheless. I most likely will not sail on Carnival Sunshine again do to the passenger to space ratio, since public spaces were reduced to add more cabins to the ship. I will most likely not sail during peak cruise summer months again either.
Carnival Legend
Sail date: March 13, 2022
I was able to book this cruise for a total of $270 including fare, tips, and taxes. I was very happy with this cruise. Good weather and I had a fun time. No complaints!
Carnival Elation
Sail date: May 15, 2023
Unfortunately a "Mediocre" Cruise
Overall an “ok” cruise vacation- but staff service was lacking which did hinder my cruise vacation experience this time around. I will continue to cruise with Carnival.
Carnival Magic
Sail date: August 27, 2023
Overall, a great ship and first time solo cruise trip!
Carnival Legend
Sail date: December 05, 2021
Carnival Legend is a great ship! Not too small and not too big! I never waited in a line more then 5 minutes for food and always found a seat in the main theater! Being a Marylander, it was easy to get to the port in Baltimore (only a 2 hour drive from the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.) Will definitely take another cruise on Carnival Legend. (But next time I will upgrade to a balcony cabin with the extra cost.)
Grandeur of the Seas
Sail date: January 02, 2018
The 1/2/2018 Grandeur of the Seas cruise out of Baltimore has been less than satisfactory. Multiple passengers have fallen sick due to sanitary reasons and the ships rudder broke while at sea, and had to make an emergency stop in Port Canaveral, where all passengers had to leave the ship. While I know RCI has no say in how US customs works in different ports, RCI did failed to mention to the guests that we would have to wait off the ship for nearly 2 hours while the ship was cleared.
This rudder issue has delayed our disembarkation back in Baltimore by 2 days.
While I would enjoy the extra days, being on a ship that has an outbreak of sickness, doesn’t sound like a vacation. To combat the spread of sickness, all the food is tightly managed and handed to you, even at the buffet, causing massive lines and backups. We were even advised not to shake the crews hands.
As a past cruiser, I know this isn’t the norm, however at the prices RCI charges, and with no compensation to guest, this is unacceptable and certainly wasn’t what I had in mind when we booked.
Carnival Sensation
Sail date: August 27, 2018
Over all the cruise was wonderful. The staff onboard were very polite. The ship is well maintained for its age. The playlist production players on the Sensation have been by far the most well song vocalists and dancers I’ve seen on any Carnival Cruise. They seem to really enjoy preforming and ooze charisma!
My only negative about this cruise was my first impression of Ocho Rios. Upon walking off the pier, you are haggled by locals trying to sell you a ride, item, etc. Even when politely declining their offers, they still continued to push themselves on you. Also, other locals will hide out right off port or resort property and try to lore you to them. I had one man hide under a walking bridge trying to sell me drugs mostly in the form of Pot. Our next port of call was Grand Cayman, it was a refreshing contrast to Ocho Rios, and were not haggled once. I look forward to returning to Grand Cayman one day!
For the price we paid for this 5 day cruise, it was worth every penny.
Carnival Victory
Sail date: July 03, 2017
CARNIVAL VICTORY
4 NIGHT CRUISE
KEY WEST & COZUMEL
Pros: This was my 4th Carnival cruise. Twice on the Pride, and once on the Fantasy. The Victory hands down has the politest staff of any Carnival ship I've sailed. The staff I encountered remembered me by name. It was very personable. (Considering there were 3,000 other passengers on board.) The shows in the Caribbean lounge were top notch, and ran for roughly an hour in length, which surprised me. The cabins were remodeled and the decor is very pleasing and modern. The ship is maintained very well. Cruise fare was reasonable. (Make sure to constantly recheck carnival.com for they will price guaranty lower fares. I was able to mange a $329 during the peaks of summer and over the July 4th holiday.)
Cons: The ship lacks the waterworks areas of the Fantasy and Pride. Also it lacks a wrap around outdoor promenade to stroll on like the Pride has. The lido buffet lines are always long. Wait time was usually 10 minutes to get a plate. Dinning room was hit or miss with service times. The sea day fun times line up was lacking entertainment and things to do. The ships layout is confusing at times because you can not walk the length of the ship. Make sure to see what floors you can walk through before taking the elevators. Not enough time in Key West. Roughly 5 hours.
Side note: Miami cruise port is a breeze to get through compared to the Port Of Baltimore. However, I was thrown off by the way they distribute the sail and sign cards. On embarkation day, your sail and sign cards are placed in your cabins mailbox. The cabins aren't ready until 1:30pm. It's a little cumbersome to have to use your boarding passes in order to buy items before 1:30pm. Then you have to have your sail and sign card at the muster drill. Very tedious just to receive card when needed. Over all this cruise was amazing for the price I paid.
Cruise tips
Norfolk is current a seasonal summer cruise port. There are some issues with parking, porting, etc. I imagine these issues will be corrected once it is a year round port in 2025.
Carnival Magic
It’s a “newer” Carnival ship, but not the newest, so expect some wear and tear, and not all the bells and whistles as a newer ship. But do some research beforehand, and you will have an amazing cruise.
Carnival Elation
It is a smaller ship, with less amenities. Peak hours in common areas such as the pool deck and casino can become very crowded. Overall a “ok” cruise vacation- but staff service was lacking which did hinder my cruise vacation this time around. I will continue to cruise with Carnival.
Bimini is my new favorite port in The Bahamas. It’s a newer port, and has a more laid back feel compared to other ports. There was no haggling or hustle and bustle. It is a very small island. The beaches were beautiful. I did purchase an excursion to Resorts World which granted me access to the hotels pool and beach area. The beach area was amazing! The pool was in walking distance to the ocean. I bounced between the two. Clean restrooms and changing areas.
Charleston is a charming city.
Carnival Legend
Remember it’s a 22 year old ship, so don’t expect all the bells and whistles of newer ships.
If you live in Maryland, Baltimore is the easiest cruise port to sail from. From the Eastern Shore (Where I live), nothing beats a two hour drive to take a cruise! Baltimore City however….well it’s Baltimore.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)
Been there two times before, but stayed on the ship this time to take advantage of a less crowded ship.
It’s….Freeport. If you been there you know exactly what that means. It’s a senior frogs type of day if you stay at the port, which I did. Grand Bahama Island is beautiful if you leave the port area.
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