Frank Urias

Age: 42
Occupation: Medical
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Celebration
Sailing Date: March 25th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Like many I was a first time cruiser, the best tip I can give from the start is to read other's reviews, you will find many great tips.

We took the 5 day cruise out of Galveston, flying into Houston Hobby from Austin. Carnival has a shuttle for $60/pp roundtrip but be forewarned, they wait until they have a full bus/van before they depart so even though you may arrive early, you may find yourself waiting on others. We took Galveston Limo instead, $40/pp roundtrip, nice van and we left within 30 min of arrival.

The terminal itself is on the ship channel just a block or two from the Strand entertainment district if you have some time to kill. There are plenty of porters waiting to take your luggage and they do a wonderful job of getting them processed. Be sure and take a small carryon with a change of clothes though because it could be a while before your bags are delivered to your cabin. Don't forget to tip, the average is $1-2 per bag.

We arrived at about 12:30 for a 4p sailing time and the boarding process was already in full swing. This is one of the areas I really have to compliment Carnival on. Even though the lines were long, we were processed and onboard in about 30min. Security has been greatly increased although most is for show rather than actual effectiveness, you will receive your sail and sign card, room key, sail and sign picture (everyone is tracked leaving and returning to the ship at ports of call) and of course, the first of many pictures. Even though the literature states no outside alcohol allowed, I did not see anyone checked, nor did anyone say anything about the bottle I brought on board. I believe the rule is "be discrete about it".

This being my first cruise I have no basis of comparison, however I found the ship to be old but in generally good shape, the carpets and walls carry stains and scrapes, there is a musty smell to both the hallways and cabins, but everything is clean and pretty well cared for. The decor is "early vegas". We had an outside cabin on the Upper deck which was nicer than I expected, very roomy for 2 put you do have to push 2 twin beds together. There was plenty of storage space and the bathroom was fine. Try to pack light (we brought 1 rolling carryon each and it was plenty). Most of the time is spent in shorts/t-shirts/swim suits. We did bring clothes for the formal night but only about 50% of the passengers actually dressed up so you will not be out of place.

The weather was dismal upon departure, rainy and cool, but there is something really neat about sailing for the first time so it did not matter. Lunch (mainly burgers, pizza) was being served on the Lido deck and drinks were already being pushed. Drinking is a big part of the entertainment offered! Each day a specialty drink is offered, some are quite good but the run about $6.50 (don’t forget a 15% tip is already added). You can have it refilled at the bar for $2.50 or have it in a regular glass for $4. I thought drink prices were reasonable. Be sure and get a "fountain card" from any bar for $25 for unlimited soft drinks ($2.50 each).

The ship left on time in moderate weather with little motion evident, fortunately the weather was fantastic the rest of the trip. We did not take anything for motion sickness.

We explored the ship which is easy to navigate with the exception of getting to the 2 main dining rooms, you have to go up 1 deck and then come back down. The "shopping mall" is actually one store and is loaded with trinkets, t-shirts and the like. There is also a small salon, tuxedo rental, duty free store and jewelry store. All are quite small. The majority of the ship is centered around the hallways on each side with small bars, a club or two, a disco, the casino and show rooms fore and aft.

I do not want to get bogged down in details but want to get to the good/bad.

Meals are plentiful but range from fair to good...but not great. We were initially scheduled for the late seating (8P) but changed after the first night to the early (6P), this left us more time for entertainment.

Each day a copy of "Carnival Capers" is delivered which lists the days events. I was surprised throughout the cruise at the lack of activities, especially since everyone seemed to rant and rave on how much there was to do. Our first "fun day at sea" found us mainly reading/sunning/drinking by the pool. By the way, the pools is filled daily with seawater so it they are salty and cold. Activities that first day included bingo, a gambling tournament, a putting contest, seminars on various precious stones and shopping and even a discussion on cellulite. The rest of the itinerary was the various meals being served and when. It seemed to be the last full day at sea where there were more worthwhile activities (galley tour, ice carving demo, hairy man contest, not so newly wed game and line dancing lessons). We took in 2 of the shows which I would describe as mildly entertaining, "vegas style" they are not. The karaoke lounge was good but pretty much taken over by teens after the first night (to which there were many). The disco never really got going and we sat in the piano bar for an hour before dinner and never heard anyone on the play. On the other hand, the small jazz band and piano player outside the casino area were both very good.

You also get a chance to buy some of the many pictures taken and even though they are on the pricey side, the quality on several was excellent.

The ports were the best, I have been to Cozumel several times and promptly rented a car and toured several beaches, San Gervasio, shopping and yes, we skipped our dinner onboard and elected to eat at one of the many great restaurants on the Island. There is a large market in town but your best buys are outside along the road around the island. By the way, very few go to the windward side, it is beautiful with a beach bar/club about every 5 miles. You get a full day there and it is wonderful. Tip: research the excursions, you can save yourself a lot of money (i.e., snorkeling to Chankanaab park is $39/pp, a taxi is $5-6, entrance is $10, snorkel rental is $5). Almost all of the beaches on the leeward side have gear for rent and many tour companies are waiting at the dock with the same tours at lower prices.

The next day was spent at Playa del Carmen, I say that instead of the official listing of Calica which is a dock carved literally into the middle of a working gravel pit, do not expect a beach or scenic view, all that awaits you there are taxis to take you elsewhere and a small group of locals selling their wares. We took a cab to Xcaret which is very pretty, very big and very expensive ($50/pp and almost nothing is included, 2 drinks cost us $14 and despite my protests in Spanish, our change was in pesos). While it is enjoyable (and the snorkeling in the lagoon is very good), you may feel that you have not gotten your monies worth due to the lack of time. We then went to Playa del Carmen for lunch, more beach time and serious shopping. Over all the buys are better there than in Cozumel.

The parts I enjoyed most about my trip:

There is just something about being on a cruise, we spent hours just relaxing and looking at the ocean.
The port stops.
The service may not always be overly friendly but is always attentive.
The experience is that of being in a fair to good hotel that takes you places.

On the negative side:

The cabin needs serious sound proofing, you could hear everything in ours, I even heard what I thought was our neighbors drop a tooth paste cap in their bathroom and you certainly hear the multitude of kids running up and down the hall.
The entertainment is ok but not great, the same with the food.

So would I do it again, sure! Don't get me wrong, we had a good time, maybe we were expecting more, but we learned that we would plan our next cruise based on the number of port calls and would try another ship.

Frank

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