Carnival cruise tips
As
we anticipated our second cruise, I had a sinking suspicion
that some
of the gloss would have worn off. After all, we were returning to
the cheapest cruise line in the industry --- Carnival. Surely it
couldn't be as good as we remembered? In many ways our second
cruise was actually better, in large part because of what we learned
last time.
We embarked with insider
knowledge --- the first lunch is the very best meal of the entire
cruise, but if you are carrying on all of your
luggage (and can't get in your stateroom for another hour or two) and
are befuddled by the huge mass of people, you won't enjoy it.
Instead, check all of your bags on the way in, and make sure you're one
of the first folks in line. That way you can board unencumbered
and pick the best tidbits from the buffet before the hoards
arrive. (Note to self for next year --- do
carry on a paperback to read once you've thoroughly enjoyed exploring
the ship, have been let into your cabin, but your bags have not yet
been delivered.) On the other end, though, there's no reason not
to carry off your luggage at the end of the cruise --- gets you on the
road faster and easier.
Speaking
of food, most of the dining selections lived up to our
expectations, but our new obsession with real food this year nixed a
few of our old favorites (like the soft serve ice cream and the
pizza.) On the other hand, we found more than enough newly
delicious foods to take their place --- for example, I fell in love
with sushi! (Read the day's capers carefully to learn when and
where sushi is available --- for us, it was in the buffet a couple of
times, and also downstairs at the sushi bar where you could watch your
chefs create real sushi before gulping the delicious raw fish down,
free of course.) Desserts were a bit more of a disappointment ---
except for the first day's lunch and the chocolate bar lunch on our
last
day at sea (both of which were gourmet), the cakes were clearly
from a mix and hardly worth eating. If you're looking for real
chocolate, snag some of the breakfast muffins and nibble on those later.
The fancy salads and
fresh pineapple, on the other hand, were so good I
took to heading to the salad bar first, filling three
quarters of my plate, then adding in a main course. The salads
are a bit reminiscent of my cucumber, tomato, and
basil salad, often
featuring French filet beans or 
garbanzos
and a simple, vinegary sauce
--- delicious! For other vegetably delights, brave the long lines
at the Mongolian wok when it's open and you can have a stir fry full
of snow peas, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and more created before your
very eyes.
Since the food on the
ship is so good, it's worth bringing a stash of ziplock
bags with you to take a few snacks on your shore excursions.
Although this is technically illegal, if you understand the point of
the rules, you can abide by the spirit if not the letter and prevent
agricultural pests from spreading across national boundaries by
bringing only cooked goods like those delicious chocolate muffins, a
hard-boiled egg, and a gob of bacon for your snack.
As
always, there were a few hangups that we'll prevent next time with a
little more careful planning. We left during a real cold snap,
and I actually wish I'd brought a second sweater and some long johns
with me --- it was too chilly to sit up on deck during parts of both
sea days. More important, though, we'll toe the line and let the
porter come in and tidy our room at least once a day. We're
extremely private people who don't like being waited on, so we just
slipped the "do not disturb" sign on the door once we got on the ship
and hung up our own towels...then were shocked to be rousted out of bed
two evenings later by security guards. Even though they didn't
mention this in any of the literature (which I read from cover to cover
while waiting for my bags to be delivered to the stateroom our first
afternoon), Carnival's policy is that someone has to come in your room
at least once a day, or you'll be faced with an embarrassing and
slightly scary nocturnal visit. I hate to admit it, but this
evidence of Big Brother nearly ruined my cruise, and did set me on edge
for an entire day. In fact, it's enough that we may
consider switching over to another cruise line, although chances are
everyone has these hidden policies.
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