The minute I stepped onboard I knew I was back on Carnival. It wasn't the decor, it was the smell. You see, Carnival ships have a certain smell and they have had this smell ever since I can remember. It's a great smell, one that instantly reminds me I am on a ship. It must be combination of their air conditioning, cleaning supplies, maybe even a little stale cigarette smoke, and who knows what else. It's very hard to explain, but the same smell just doesn't exist on other ships, only Carnival.

Anyone that knows me knows I am not a fan of the Conquest Class, and I'm still not. It's a poor layout and the ship seemed very crowded, even though many passengers had not boarded yet. The outdoor decks are wonderful and all teak, but the pools are so tiny and not very inviting looking. I was able to view a variety of cabins and they were all pleasant enough. Carnival has kept the peach walls and red carpet for many, many years now. None the less they are spacious and functional.

Ok, now for the best part. Lunch in the dining room was absolutely superb! I mean better than what I have experienced on Silversea and Princess Grill on Cunard. Service was top notch too. We started with a delicious appetizer of shrimp and salmon with fruit, then a spicy spaghetti dish, followed by perfect beef tornados that were like butter. They came with a wonderful pumpkin/cinnamon souffle and crisp vegetables. Finally a chocolate extravaganza for desert. A mini chocolate souffle along with raspberry sorbet and a flourless chocolate slice of something.

The wine poured freely and overall I could not have asked for a better lunch. I was just so impressed.

So am I rushing to book my next Carnival Cruise? Well no. I still didn't like the ship very much. It was typical Carnival which means rather dark and the whole ship feels kind of like a nightclub. The passengers? Well lets just say many were not folks you would see on Silversea or even Royal Caribbean for that matter. This is truly mass-market, but I will say one thing they will be well served and fed extremely well on CARNIVAL FREEDOM.

Ernie

Ernie

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Originally posted by LaLa:
I would hate to be in the same port as Oasis without being on the Oasis.

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You have heard of penis envy? How about ship envy! LOL Of course it's almost double the price of CARNIVAL FREEDOM, but I think well worth it.

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Originally posted by eroller:

You have heard of penis envy? How about ship envy! LOL Of course it's almost double the price of CARNIVAL FREEDOM, but I think well worth it.

Ernie

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Originally posted by GregD:

But Ernie, I completely know what you mean by the smell. I am surprised that it is only CCL ships that have that. I just kinda thought it was all ships. Interesting to know.

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I'm glad I'm not the only one that recognizes this distinct "Carnival smell". Again, nothing bad and in fact I like it, but I don't smell it on any other line. When we approached the boarding door of CARNIVAL FREEDOM and the cold air was blowing out of the lobby onto the deck, I could instantly smell it and many memories came rushing into my head.

Older ships (like REGAL EMPRESS) also have a unique smell, but that is not what I'm talking about with Carnival. This smell is different, and even Carnival's newer ships (like FREEDOM) have this unique odor.

Ernie

[ 07-18-2010: Message edited by: eroller ]

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Originally posted by eroller:
[QB]
Ok, now for the best part. Lunch in the dining room was absolutely superb! I mean better than what I have experienced on Silversea and Princess Grill on Cunard. Service was top notch too. We started with a delicious appetizer of shrimp and salmon with fruit, then a spicy spaghetti dish, followed by perfect beef tornados that were like butter. They came with a wonderful pumpkin/cinnamon souffle and crisp vegetables. Finally a chocolate extravaganza for desert. A mini chocolate souffle along with raspberry sorbet and a flourless chocolate slice of something.

The wine poured freely and overall I could not have asked for a better lunch. I was just so impressed.

Ernie

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Originally posted by Frank X. Prudent:

My recent dining experience on the CARNIVAL IMAGINATION certainly did not compare to your experience. The word that I would use to describe the food during my family's June four night sailing is "pedestrian." Come to think of it, that word can be applied to other aspects of the cruise too.

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I have pretty much always enjoyed the food on Carnival (in the dining rooms), but I have to admit this lunch may not have been typical. The dining room was closed except for our particular group, and there was a special menu printed. Perhaps the food was actually from the speciality steakhouse restaurant? I don't know. I do know it's one of the best main dining room shipboard meals I have experienced. The steak was as good as anything I have had at Ruth Chris or Morton's and it was prepared perfectly. We had an excellent wait staff and never had to wait for anything.

I did just have a friend return from CARNIVAL FASCINATION out of Jacksonville. She mentioned she lost five pounds and felt the food was pretty much inedible. She looked at me like I was crazy when I spoke of how great my meal was on CARNIVAL FREEDOM.

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Originally posted by eroller:

I have pretty much always enjoyed the food on Carnival (in the dining rooms), but I have to admit this lunch may not have been typical. The dining room was closed except for our particular group, and there was a special menu printed. Perhaps the food was actually from the speciality steakhouse restaurant? I don't know. I do know it's one of the best main dining room shipboard meals I have experienced. The steak was as good as anything I have had at Ruth Chris or Morton's and it was prepared perfectly. We had an excellent wait staff and never had to wait for anything.

I did just have a friend return from CARNIVAL FASCINATION out of Jacksonville. She mentioned she lost five pounds and felt the food was pretty much inedible. She looked at me like I was crazy when I spoke of how great my meal was on CARNIVAL FREEDOM.

Ernie

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Yes,Ernie, I think that your stellar luncheon experience clearly was a special event for your group. What you described comes closer to what was served at dinner, and certainly not lunch. Tornedos of beef were not to be found on our brief trip, but the warm chocolate cake was a daily standard. Our waiter was good, but not excellent. He never once served the appetizer, soup, and salad in their proper order. Although he was really doing two jobs, as our busser was mostly AWOL during the cruise.

It was 10 years since I was last on the, what was then just IMAGINATION, and I have no great desire to return. Next year's family trip I think I will lobby for RCI again. The ironic thing is I pushed for Carnival this year, as I was hoping for better food than we had last year on MONARCH OF THE SEA.

[ 07-19-2010: Message edited by: Frank X. Prudent ]

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Originally posted by Frank X. Prudent:

It was 10 years since I was last on the, what was then just IMAGINATION, and I have no great desire to return. Next year's family trip I think I will lobby for RCI again. The ironic thing is I pushed for Carnival this year, as I was hoping for better food than we had last year on MONARCH OF THE SEA.

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Frank,
I wonder if perhaps the food on the slightly longer Carnival cruises (7-day +) is somewhat better? All my Carnival cruises have pretty much been 7-days or longer, and on newer ships. The food has been very good on all of them. So far, the food complaints I'm hearing are on the older Fantasy Class, and on shorter cruises. I have no idea if there is any merit to this theory, it's just a thought.

Generally my experience has been that things are just not as nice or well organized on the shorter cruises when compared to 7-days or longer. Also the ships tend to be the oldest in the fleet as well. There is usually more wear and tear as embarking and disembarking thousands of passengers plus luggage every few days really takes its toll.

I'm sailing on NORWEGIAN SKY this Friday for a short 3-day cruise. I'm not expecting the food or service to be superb. I just don't think the crew is as invested in the effort because they know you are only there for three days. I always set my expectations a bit lower on a short cruise. The exception was Disney, where the waiter called us by name from the first night and everything was superb.

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Originally posted by Frank X. Prudent:

I witnessed a hapless room steward for an inside four berth room on the CARNIVAL IMAGINATION being quized by one of the room's occupants where the roll-away bed goes. The steward was duly informed that the reservations office booked the room for five people. Just imagine making up that room.

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Yes, something I don't like about Carnival. They will literally stick a roll-away bed in just about any cabin, then store it in the corridor during the day. Carnival also seems to have more room service trays laying around corridors than I have seen on any other cruise line.

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Originally posted by eroller:

You have heard of penis envy? How about ship envy! LOL Of course it's almost double the price of CARNIVAL FREEDOM, but I think well worth it.

Ernie

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Originally posted by shipcafe:

Between this quote and the comment on Nautica's "nightlife" photo on a different thread, you've got me LMAO today!

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I'm glad I could bring a smile to your face! :-)