Carnival Cruise Information??

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travel guy

Carnival built 8 identical ships in the mid 1990s; the Ecstacy Fantasy, Sensation, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration, Elation and Paradise. They are all in the mid-to-large category at 70,000+ tons and carrying 2000+ passengers. Although they all have absolutely identical deck plans, the interior decor varies from ship to ship. However, if you've been on one of them, you'll feel like you know all of them well and feel very much at home.

Since you didn't mention which ship you're sailing on, I'll tell you that I took my whole family on the Imagination last year - 8 cabins - it was their yearly presents all rolled-up into one. We went out of Tampa for 5 nights and had a great cruise.

The Imagination was very well taken care of - nothing seemed to be wearing out or in need of replacement. She only has about 20 cabins with balconys, and those are only in the suites, but even with her age, we found nothing lacking. The buffet gets crowded, but other than that I had no complaints. The food was OK - not great. The entertainment was the best of any ship I have been on - and we cruise at least twice a year, so that's a big endorsement. The bars and night clubs were a lot of fun - especially those on the Promenade Deck.

Cozumel is almost always included on a Western Caribbean cruise. Your options for your day in Cozumel are almost endless - there are about 60 shore excursions that are offered by Carnival - or you can just stroll the main shopping area downtown along the waterfront for some excellent bargans. I was there in October and got a beautiful pair of cowboy boots. They were marked $480 - I got them for $100 after "negotiating" with the shop owner. Lots of fun.

Grand Cayman is usually another port for Western Caribbean cruises. I've been here about 1/2 dozen times on cruises. My suggestion here is to do anything water related - scuba, snorkel, sail. . . in the morning. Then stroll around the waterfront shops by the pier in the afternoon - great jewelry shops here with really good pricing.

I have copied the link for you, below, for all Carnival shore excursions.

By the way, you may not know that Carnival has the largest standard cabins of any cruise line - 185 sq. ft. compared to 155 - 175 on others.

Carnival delivered what it promised and we enjoyed our cruise, and I hope you do too!

Bon voyage!

soccerknocker199

well it depends on where you are going one thing i loved was ziplinning threw the rainforest in roatan honduras if your ship stops there. that was awesome. in grand cayman we just went snorkeling out on the seas. and belize and coasta maya we jus went out on are own bu8t try and go see the aztec ruins. or maybe it was the mayans

glock509

try cruisecritic.com. i am going on my first carnival cruise this month and this site has a lot of info.we are stoping at costa maya and cozumel.a 5 day cruise on the fantasy out of new orleans.

Casual Traveler

I've never been on a Carnival Cruise, but I've been on a cruise to the western caribbean (Belize, Cozumel, and Guatemala). The only thing I would have to recommend is from Cozumel. The "Passion Island" tour is fantastic. I guess it would depend on your age and how much you like the beach/water. This island has nothing but white sand beaches, hammocks, restrooms, and a place to eat. All the food and beer you can eat and drink. It's one of the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. As for Guatemala or Belize, the Mayan ruins would be a nice excursion.

RzrLens

I've been to the western carribean twice before, but I think excursions tend to be a personal preference rather than 'this is the only good one'. Snorkeling is always a hit, no matter where you go and I would recommend it. Check out cruisecritic.com... they have great reviews on specific ships and ports, and people post there about which excursions they like best. Also, cruisemates.com has good message boards with specific ports of call info as well as specifics about the cruiselines.Hope this helps-- have fun!

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