Carnival Cruise Review

We were on-board for Carnival Panorama's naming ceremony and to welcome her to Long Beach. This is the first new ship to be homeported on the west coast in more than 20 years and so this is an exciting time for guys looking for an awesome ocean-going getaway without having to sacrifice by flying to Florida or sailing on an older ship. Carnival Panorama will be offering 6, 7 and 8-day cruises year-round from Long Beach to the Mexican Riviera.

 Carnival Sunshine has launched a schedule of four- to 11-day voyages from the Port of Charleston, South Carolina. The ship will become the newest ship to operate year-round cruises from that port. Charleston, SC is a great port that we love to visit and this offers some awesome options for guys looking to do a great golf mancation to the Bahamas on one of our favorite cruise ships.

Alaska is a land of incredible potential and a legacy of brave men seeing fortune and adventure here. Luckily, today we don't need to pack up a years worth of food and walk for thousands of miles through the wilderness to experience this. All we need to do is hop on a cruise ship and relax as we are pampered on board and seek adventure on shore. An Alaska cruisetour though is something that still needs research to make sure you select the right ship, ports, and activities that match what you and your friends are looking to do. Don't worry though, we've got some advice to help make it easy for you!

Last fall I had the chance to take an 8-day Southern Caribbean Cruise with Carnival as part of one of our #MenWhoBlog cruises. This was the first time I've had a chance to really enjoy a cruise with a bunch of my guy friends as well as my wife so it was a bit of a different experience. Similarly, this was the longest cruise I've taken to date - and while it has been completely overhauled a couple years ago I was a bit nervous that it would feel dated. Luckily all those fears were unfounded and we had an amazing time that confirmed my premise that a group of guys can have an amazing time sailing together for a Carnival Cruise Mancation!

Way south in the Caribbean Sea are a couple islands that don't get as much love as their northern sisters but for those willing to take the trek south, there's a world of awesome and unique things waiting for you. Last fall, we visited Bonaire during a port day on the Carnival Sunshine. Here's some of the cool things that await you on your next visit.

Earlier this month I spent eight days in the middle of the Caribbean Sea with some of my friends exploring Carnival Sunshine. This ship is literally packed with activities and entertainment in every nook and cranny, but one area that seemed to be consistently drawing us back for more is SportsSquare. During the course of the week, we gathered here to play (mini) golf, shoot pool, play chess, corn hole, basketball, dodgeball, and shuffleboard with one of the best views you can ever ask for of the ocean as it passed by 14 decks below us.

In less than a week I'll be getting on Carnival Sunshine along with a group of other male bloggers. Before any cruise though, I always love to do research to prepare but this one's a bit different since not only is it the "newest" ship in the Carnival fleet but it's an experiment of sorts with some new venues that aren't available on any other ship. Plus, while Heather is joining me on this trip as part of a romantic getaway, it's also a mancation at sea with some of my best friends.

So, stay tuned to our adventure using #MWBcarnival on Twitter and Instagram. We're setting sail on November 13 and headed to Aruba, Bonaire, and Grand Turk before heading back to Port Canaveral on Florida's "Space Coast".

OMG guys - I am a HUGE FAN of the Carnival Live program and it just keeps getting better. As you know, last year we joined Carnival for Styx, followed by Jewel and both were amazing experiences. Now, they are adding The Band Perry, BOSTON, Lionel Richie, and Heart to their already awesome lineup. that has included Journey, Styx, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, and Smokey Robinson earlier this year.

We've been waiting for this since the moment the ship was hinted at a couple years ago but now it's just a year away and Carnival just unveiled a ton of new details including the SkyRide - a pedal-powered attraction to take you around the top of the boat more than a 150 feet up in the air!

Most of you probably remember Jewel from the mid/late 90s - yeah, that’s Alaskan folk singer-songwriter and many of you probably even still are aware of her for some of her later music but what I didn't realize until this week was how utterly amazing she is in concert. Jewel is a true artist and that means you are going to see and hear things you weren't expecting such as yodeling, opera, and requests by the audience that were so obscure (even to her) that she had to flip through a book the size of an encyclopedia to get the lyrics.

In a market that is nearly saturated but at the same time working feverishly to expand its reach, the cruise lines are in a fight to find a way to fill their ships and bring in new cruisers. While other lines are building ever bigger boats with features unheard of at sea, Carnival decided to focus on entertainment and creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are surprisingly affordable. Earlier this month we had the opportunity to spend a week on the brand new Carnival Breeze and experience it for ourselves.

Unlike "themed cruises" the band isn't actually on the ship during the voyage, so that means that you can still have a "normal" cruise experience but on concert night things turn up a notch. On this cruise, we started in Miami followed by stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, and then during our stop at Cozumel, Mexico the band loaded their equipment on the ship and we stayed in port till about 1 a.m.

In our second interview of this series, we talk with Joyce Olivia, PR at Carnival Cruise Lines.

As you know, we are HUGE fans of Carnival and I think they are one of the top travel brands out there that really understands how social media and the travel industry have come together to extend the experience that most people will only be able to experience for a few days each year, into something that they plan, dream, and remember all year long.

While Caribbean cruising may be king, the west coast of Mexico also offers some exciting opportunities for fun as well. To explore these, we boarded the Carnival Miracle and set off on a seven-day journey with our review starting in Los Angeles (Long Beach) and included two days in Cabo San Lucas and Puerta Vallarta before heading home.

Over the past year, Heather and I have caught the cruising bug. It started out simply as a cheap way to get away for a few days without the distraction of email and mobile phones, but it has now become something that we actually enjoy.

As we have progressed from "let's just cruise" to "let's have a great time" there are a few things that we have wanted to try out but had been focused only on budget. When we booked on the Dream, we got the opportunity to upgrade our rooms to the Cloud 9 Spa deck...

Having cruised a few times in the Caribbean we wanted to do something new. A tour of New England and Maritime Canada, seemed like a great idea to explore a different area and show my wife some of the places I visited when I was younger. We had fun, the Carnival Glory is a great ship, but we learned a couple important things that will help guide us on future cruises 1) Sometimes the first trip on an itinerary is a bit rough 2) the "total cost" of a Caribbean cruise can be MUCH CHEAPER than other destinations 3) Sometimes you just need to be able to make your own fun when mother nature doesn't cooperate.

Next year (2013), Carnival is set to bring the Glory back to Boston, but with Funship 2.0 Upgrades, and hopefully our cruise helped both Carnival and the various ports iron out any kinks that we experienced.

Dining is a highlight of the Carnival vacation experience and the 130,000-ton Carnival Breeze will feature a huge array of culinary choices when it enters service June 3.

Two new offerings will include Bonsai Sushi, the line’s first full-service sushi restaurant, and an open-air barbecue venue called Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ.

What's better - new mega boats or the smaller, older ships like the Carnival Ecstasy? While I can't answer the first part, I can say that the Ecstasy is an extremely fine ship and was as clean and polished as the much newer Carnival Victory that we sailed on a few months ago. This trip was Heather and I's "test" to see if we "really liked cruising" and I have to say that the Ecstasy and her staff passed with flying colors - Heather and I even executed our "future cruise" deposit, so now we are committed to sailing again!

This cruise wasn't fancy, wasn't long, and wasn't expensive. It was however a perfect post holiday romantic retreat.

Cruising is one of the least tapped into mancation opportunities, but in reality to provides a great opportunity to party all day, see exciting sites, eat great food, and try things you maybe haven't tried in the past. We sailed on the Carnival Victory out of San Juan earlier this month and were absolutely impressed by what Carnival has to offer!

With steak every night on the menu, some of the best beaches in the world, a bar around every corner, a chance to explore a new local beer and rum each day, and the opportunity to watch sports outdoors on a giant screen while waiters bring drinks right to you... can life get any better?