Carnival's Holiday
Western Caribbean
March 6-10, 2003
By
Frank Beckendorf, ACC DS
Owner of The World Over Travel
Agency
Chalmette,
LA
(suburb of
New Orleans)
When I approached a
local school in 2002 to do a fundraiser cruise, I mentioned that the
best deal would be on a ship built in 1985, 46,052 in tonnage and
holding 1,844 passengers. I promised them a sizeable donation and a
great time for all. Just kidding with the date built, tonnage and
passenger limit. Our final numbers included over 340 cruisers in 129
cabins. The chorus director wanted the third week of March because it
was Mardi Gras time and the school was closed most of the days. They
would later close the facility the other days.
As time went on, we
were asked to see about whether the school’s chorus could perform on
stage. The chorus had performed with high praise at: Disney World,
Silver Dollar City in Branson and several local scenarios. This came to fruition after
sending in a video tape confirming the quality of the kids’ work.
They would perform twice in Doc Holiday lounge and the other lounge,
whose name escapes me at the present.
The focus on
recruitment was, of course, the kids and their families. But, soon
others were calling to book the trip. Cruisers called from as far as a
hundred miles, or so. The youngest cruiser was six weeks and the
oldest, in the eighties. There were grandmothers, great-grandmothers,
uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. Several teachers booked as well as
a deacon and his wife.
When the day of
boarding arrived, no one could be found with a frown. Some of the
largest smiles I have ever seen were pasted on the faces. There were
mustaches curled up. Dimples. Wrinkled freckles, and so on.
My family and I
decided to take advantage of the cruise right from the beginning. Two
of our kids were in the chorus and the third, a sort of mascot. All
three-hundred-and-fifty of us arrived at the terminal eager to take on
an adventure of a lifetime. We had been on two cruises before, but
most of our customers had no idea what fun a cruise could provide.
Why, even some of the parents we didn’t know said hello.
Our particular
cabins were nice; although it was evident they had been used many
times before. The floors were worn and the walls in need of a
makeover. The bathrooms were clean but showing evidence of extensive
use. Most of this we expected. What we didn’t expect was the problem
with the plumbing in one of the cabins. Stopped up toilets can be
quite annoying and uncomfortable. But the ship’s maintenance
workers were on it quickly. Within minutes, it seemed, the
problem was solved. I learned later others had the same problem.
Our family was divided into two outside cabins, but only one room
experienced these problems.
The room stewards
provided superb service, like many of the others in earlier cruises.
The rooms were well maintained and kept. We carried a lot of luggage
which compromised space, but we adjusted nicely.
Our oldest child
experienced problems with motion sickness almost immediately and after
placing a patch behind her ear, was up and running in an hour. In
fact, all three were running about within minutes of boarding.
As far as the
overall condition of the ship, it was quite obvious that this was not
one of Carnival’s gems. It was old and faded. The noise levels were
higher than an earlier cruise on the Inspiration. Everywhere there was
old paint caked on earlier layers. Nothing new was evident as far as
the ship’s condition was obvious. But, this was not a real problem.
For the price, this was overlooked. What made up for all of this was
the service provided by the many employees. What we wanted, we got. When
we wanted, we got. What we asked was answered to our satisfaction.
Looking back on the
cruise, I know of a few who complained about the food. But they thought
they should have the same quality as Brennan’s and
Commanders
Palace
here in
New Orleans. The waiters knew what beverage I wanted on the second day and had
it on the table for the rest of the cruise upon arrival. Carnival is
famous for providing things no other line provides. The
Holiday
was no exception. One of the most evident plus was the usual 24 hour
ice cream, absent on NCL’s Dream. You wouldn’t believe how many
people like this. Really.
The entertainment
on the
Holiday
was superb. There’s bingo, horse racing, games and other events and
things like other ships, but the cruise director and his staff made
you come back for more. A lot of entertainment was indeed geared
towards kids which was terrific. And, yes the adult themed shows were
there. Carnival excels at entertainment, and the Holiday's was no exception.
Many of our
customers chose different shore tours, but a few of us decided to
relax on the beach in Playa del Carmen. This was nice as the adult
beverages were unlimited. No problem at all with the ice cubes. There
were games and contests for the kids on the beach and plenty of lounge
chairs, etc. It was inexpensive and worth it. Hot, but there was
nothing we could do about the sun. Our tour in Cozumel
was cancelled due to a problem with a tender’s engine.
Today, the ship is
scheduled to go to Mobile. This is probably a way of saying thank you for their help with the
Conquest. After the trip, I got several letters from customers who
sent Carnival their comments. Some were good. Some were bad. I think
the bad ones were a bit overplayed, but the good ones were quite
praiseworthy. My hope is that those who were on their first cruise did not
associate the ship’s condition with the many others out there that are new and better maintained. I do not blame Carnival for anything of
this nature. I believe they are doing the best that they can with an
old ship. No one should avoid this veteran ship, it’s still a gem.
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Photo
courtesy of Carnival
Cruise Line
