I think for an Alaskan cruise, it's SO important to choose the right cruise line. I found Princess to be absolutely fantastic for the Alaska itineraries - they always have local experts etc onboard, and give you a complete cultural immersion!
I couldn’t agree more. For Alaska cruises there are two lines that have the “product” all buttoned up. Princess and HAL. Among my friends and coworkers, those that cruised Alaska first on any other line have always been disappointed. If they try again and choose Princess or HAL, different outcome. YMMV.
Just came back from an Alaskan cruise, went on Holland America, highly recommend them, going on a 10 day Caribbean cruise in January, on Holland America again !!
I’m on this lame boat right now. This isn’t a Carnival ship. If this happens to be your first Carnival cruise I doubt you’d come back to this live. The crew is great and that’s about it.
Now what in the Carnival is going on here??? Why the heck did they threaten you about your dancing? One of my many favorite things on your channel is to watch you dance. This is supposed to be the fun ship. You weren't hurting anyone and I am sure you were entertaining everyone around you. You definitely deserve an apology from the top. Keep up the hard work and I am sending my love from Ft. Lauderdale.😊
Ya that was quite silly for them to stop you from dancing. Hopefully getting in trouble for dancing was just an issue with that employee and a one off thing
No one really knows what happened . It wasn't filmed , he sounds like he was offended because they didn't agree with his dancing . Maybe someone complained . No one will ever know. There are two sides to every story . I learned that I take everything with a grain of salt when it comes to what's said on UA-cam . It's all theatrics for clicks and views.
One thing that surprises me the most is that the cruise lines should understand how powerful UA-camr's voices are. I totally appreciate your honest reviews. Unless Carnival makes some changes, I will choose a different company to cruise to Alaska with.
with you on that take. The various UA-camr's both positive and negative have convinced me that carnival is NOT for me. That though is the beauty of cruising, everyone can find their own little niche where they feel the most comfortable and familiar.
I'm a carnival guy but this is ridiculous to go through given all that money you spent. I understand how some things can happen but that's too much money to have to have such lil things to happen.
yeah, I'm shocked about the heater, toilet, etc.. that balcony did look a little aged. rust and all. But you did say it was a refurbed ship. Didnt know there were refurbed ships.
This ship did not receive a full refurbishment like the other two Costa ships. This ship received the bare minimum refurbishment like maintenance and they change the branding from Costa to Carnival. With that said, you have to give your honest opinions good bad or ugly. So I don’t understand why people get mad. I’m just happy you didn’t call us Carnival fans Carnies. Ohh I would be mad too if I paid that amount of money for that….
yeah, well, they also re-flagged her to Bahamas, which means Italy will not be inspecting the ship anymore. So as a Navy veteran I expect maintenance to go down. Look at what happened with American Cruise Lines, for example. They use US Flag ships, which means the US Coast Guard boards their ships and inspects them, and will sometimes bring federal agents aboard to ensure compliance with federal law. Apparently the FDA detected an issue and had informed ACL, and they didn't fix it, so they got a warning letter. Presumably by now the issue has been fixed....but the point is, the FDA was escorted board by the US Coast Guard, because she was a US Flag ship. The reason Carnival flags ships in the Bahamas is that no one will inspect the ship, and won't hold them to high standards. There are lots of cruise lines, some owned by Carnival, that flag their ships in powerful countries with strong Naval forces, such as Italy, France, Norway, the Netherlands and Great Britain. You always should look up the vessel and check what flag she is under, by putting "[vessel name] vessel flag" into Google, without the quotes. You will get a web site that tells you her flag. The ITF is a union for maritime personnel and they have a "shit list", try to avoid the flags on their list. 🙂 www.itfglobal.org/en/sector/seafarers/flags-of-convenience
As a former Alaskan I wanted to explain another reason for things being so expensive. These tourists areas are only open seasonally May to September. So operators have to make a years profit in 5 months. You still have carry costs even when not operating in the off season
Makes a lot of sense. Plus US wages and fees. In addition supply/demand. A place like Cozumel is seeing like a 100k people a week just from cruises. I am booked up next summer and so excited.
Carnival prices are also jacked up so they get a cut. I booked directly with the helicopter company and only paid $400 for a flight and 3 hr glacier trek
I have been waiting for your review! We spent $3400 for a cruise on the Luminosa the first sailing to Alaska during the first week of May. THE worst carnival experience EVER, and we LOVE Carnival. The food was cold (the only way to get anything hot was to order an omelet). Our toilet was hit or miss when attempting to flush. The thermastat in our cabin didn't work either. Our first port, Juneau, was a nightmare trying to get all of the people off. Two lines and one gangway made for long lines and they didn't try to accommodate those that had early morning excursions. We arrived in Victoria at 8:15pm and the back on board was at 11:30pm (we didn't even bother to get off the ship knowing that most everything was already closed). All of the lines for food on the Lido deck were RIDICULOUS! The hamburger and taco/burrito places did not come close to Carnival's Guy's or Blue Iguana. Long waits for the Main Dining Room. They would immediately go on an hour and half wait when they opened in the morning. Most of the machines in the gym didn't work. I could go on and on. We were excited to go on this first sailing for the Luminosa to Alaska, expecting to see a totally refurbished ship. Like you, we feel like we got totally robbed on this cruise. I would not recommend this ship to anyone planning a cruise to Alaska.
We are currently booked on this ship for Alaska in August 2024 but after several videos pointing out these limitations and downfalls we are now looking at rebooking with Celebrity and having a different and better experience (we are Platinum on Carnival and the only cruise line we’ve ever been on)
@@robincarley7323. We took Celebrity Summit to Alaska several years ago and LOVED everything about it. It spoiled us for any other cruise line except for Viking. Have fun and rebook your cruise line!
I so admire how refreshingly honest and concise Jay is with his cruise reviews.. whilst all the time retaining politeness. I just love these vlogs.. 👏👍
You have saved me a ton of money. I was going to book an Alaskan cruise with that exact ship, but not anymore. I hope Carnival sees this video, because I’ve only ever cruised with them! I think I’m going with Royal or Norwegian for Alaska.
I’m doing the same itinerary to Alaska this summer but on the Carnival spirit - looks like a bit of a different ship but exact same itinerary and doesn’t go to Glacier bay. All this I’ve learned after booking it of course 😆 Princess go to Glacier bay as far as I know!
The luminosa lives in Brisbane for the season , we tend to get all the old ships down here, so our opinion of this ship is its lovely.. Went on it a couple of weeks ago and am going on it again at Easter. Love the food options , the ship, although quirky was clean, well maintained and nice, and quiet.. Crew were fabulous and not much to moan about.. if you are used to newer ships, I understand how you feel.. but she is a lovely ship. Thanks for your vlog. Cheers..
We also had a great recent cruise on the Luminosa . But I think price played a huge part . The cruises we have are considerably cheaper so I don’t expect as much . For $4k per person for a week , I think I’d want more too .
I’m thankful this wasn’t click bait; thank you that the title matches the content. If everything was fantastic, then let the thumbnail say so. And vice versa. I really do love that you are real. Thank you for this vid, J.
It was great meeting you on the Luminosa and we chatted for a bit about the disappointing feelings we were all having. The spa was not great either. Actual Mold in the hydrotherapy pool area, yuck! The food was not appetizing and disappointing as well. I love Carnival and if I would have known ahead of time that this ship was not as it was hyped up to be, I would have not booked it for us. Thank you for your honest review and we love all of your info! Keep up the great work!
I sailed on the Luminosa in April for the transpacific from Australia to Seattle. I 110% agree with everything you said. The ship did not live up to the hype. I’m glad I made the trip and really enjoyed the ports but the ship itself was mediocre.
Jay, I’m stuck on the night club incident. My thoughts: ask “What rule am I breaking?” You stated it was safe and a friendly dance off. This needs to be brought to the attention of the Security Director. I don’t know if it was race or not, safety or not, preventing others from dancing or not, whatever the reason. Thanks for the pure sincere review Jay! Safe travels young man!
I know right! That really doesn't sit well with me at all 😟! I always enjoy Jay's dancing ❤, but that right there as he says "Really grinds my gears!" Definitely needs to talk to someone about that 🤔.
It grinds my gears too, but I have to laugh imagining this big dumb security guy, being so frightened by Jay’s amazing dance moves that he shuts him down! 😂 Jay was definitely the better man in the moment by letting it go, but this sounds like something out of Footloose!
Great review, thank you. When we looked into Alaska my travel agent said Alaska -> Princess even though were loyal RCCL cruisers. She was correct. We're doing Alaska again on Princess later this summer.
I love Carnival! I watched your review right after you had posted it and again today. Alaska is a favorite vacation and I booked the Luminosa for the upcoming holiday. SPIRIT class ships are so perfect for so many reasons. The large windows and plenty of open deck space set them apart. It also helps me to look past what others see as shortcomings. I can't wait to explore!
Oh no Jay, I have been hearing horrible stories and I sure hope and pray these kinks are being resolved before next year around this time; I’m already booked for this ship. Carnival you have a year to get it together!!! Please don’t disappoint us, especially with toilets that may and may not flush or with heat system that’s not steadily working, OMG!!!! You know I did notice how empty that 555 Steak house was, I was confused why your food took so long, now I know, short staffed. Thanks for your review, I really take your review seriously, 100%! What ….they thought of kicking you off for something you, a prior cruise employee that, knows the rules probably better than that guy, and you has breakdance 100’s of times, jumped in the pool with clothes on, all in fun, and never an issue 😳😳😳 What the Carnival really went on??? Thanks for sharing
I am so glad you got the chance for the helicopter/dog sled excursion! It was a dream for my hub and I to do a Disney cruise to Alaska and do that excursion. We both loved huskies and always watched the Iditarod race each year. Sadly my hub passed in 2014, but our son was willing to take the trip with me in 2015. While that excursion was wicked expensive, we knew we were doing it as much for hub's memory as for us. But I wanted to let you know, which is a HUGE SURPRISE to me, that excursion was the same price you paid!! From 2015 to 2023 to still only pay basically $699 for that helicopter/husky sled ride, is SUCH a surprise! Did they have any pups while you were there, that you got to see and play with, a bit as well?
Hey Jay! It is the pvsa act of 1886 that requires the international stop for foreign flagged vessels. The jones act applies to goods on and maintenance of ships. Love your videos!
I am normally team carnival. In May I booked this same cruise for next May. After seeing your video, watching videos on Royals Alaska cruises and checking cruise specials I’ve cancelled my cruise with carnival and booked ovation of the sea for my Alaska cruise. I got a better room for 300 cheaper and the drink pay was buy one get one free. Thanks for all you do. My hubby and I love you and Lauren. Your videos make us think outside the box when choosing exciting vacation spots. Be blessed The Fondo family!!!!
So sorry this trip was disappointing. But what information you were able to provide!!! Would love to see you break dancing. You are so fascinating and such a professional. You a talker? nah .......Better future trips. Be safe and healthy. Peace to one and all.✌️😇
We just got back from an Alaska cruise in quantum of the seas. It was cheaper than your carnival cruise on a much newer ship. We had complaints about the food, but I'd have to say it was a better experience than what you had. We were on the royal ship wishing we had done carnival instead. Now I'm thinking we had the best of the two
OMG!!!! We just finished our Alaskan Cruise on the Crown Princess this week! It’s so cool to seeing some of your Alaskan experience. Anytime we were in port I’d always look at the other ships and wonder what the passenger experience was like . I’m sorry security tried to dim your light on the dance floor.
It's really sad that they only gave you 4 hours at night at the best port on the cruise. I think for the amount you paid, they really should be giving you much longer port days, even if it means reducing the number of ports visited. It's worth noting that you can get poutine at almost any Burger King in Canada, regardless of which side of the country you're in. If you're in any major city (Victoria included), you should be able to find some decent poutine shops (Burger King is fast food, so you get what you get) if you're willing to look around.
I was on Celebrity Reflection last January and am going on the Apex for a family reunion in March. It was wonderful and I met some great people. I really enjoyed Celebrity too. Not one complaint out of our 12 people cruising.
@@lizkotchek928 Same here...Food always great, I sail in Aqua Class and the food in Blu is Fantastic...The biggest improvement with Celebrity were the Shows at night, they were great on the Edge...The service wonderful...no complaints since 1990.
@@butalina We loved being Aqua Class and eating in Blu also. Cool you are an Army Combat Medic. I am 56 and had to retire from being an RN due to having MS.
@@lizkotchek928 Iam retired as well... Aqua Class is worth it only on the M and S class ships....I would never do Aqua Class on the Edge Class ships...the 4 main dining rooms are a great option...
I was on the sailing with Jay. I have cruised on Carnival 11 times and I have to agree with Jay’s review of this ship. Alaska is awesome, the ship did not take away from my cruise but it definitely did not add to it. I will definitely cruise Carnival again but not on this ship.
Same here. We just got off as well. I agree with all comments made about the Luminosa. We booked through a casino offer so it was less than 1k for 2 in a balcony stateroom. Had I paid 4k I would be furious! Alaska is amazing and I would definitely go back but not on the Luminosa.
Glad you are honest. Years ago we sailed Carnival (hated it) sailed Royal (loved it), in April we thought we would give Carnival another try, sailed on the Celebration. We were right the first time and won’t be sailing Carnival, already booked on RC Oasis of the Sea for our next cruise.
@@randomname9758 The ship is fine but we prefer Royal Caribbean. The passengers on Carnival seem to be a more partying, drinking, loud group than what we prefer. If you don’t mind that it will probably be ok. Whatever cruise line you choose have a good cruise.
I've been watching you now for a week or two as I recover from a broken foot. All this travel seems like so much fun, I could maybe do it for a year. But I don't know how you do it, year after year after year, how do you not get exhausted and burnt out? We appreciate the videos! So much hard work. Thank you
We booked this cruise several months ago and have read many reviews. This is a very honest review and I understand what he is saying. I have seen many other reviews where the reviewer had a great experience. Here's crossing my fingers and hoping we experience something in the middle. Alas a non- functioning commode will raise my blood pressure.
I'm so happy to hear your opinion and welcome it. I'm going on a cruise to Alaska and will be on that ship, so all of the information about the ship and excursions are wanted and very welcomed. Thanks!
If you want a smaller and cultural experience, I'd recommend Alaskan Dream Cruises and their 9-day cruise from Sitka to Ketchikan. It's fully in Alaska (no passport required) and stops in small towns as well as Juneau to showcase the Alaska Native experience. It has a max of 49 passengers. It's not as fancy at the big ships with activities, pools, or shows but it was relaxing. At only 180', it can get into smaller areas. There were three meals a day and the food was top notch.
thank you for the honest opinion. I love doing carnival but would have been very disappointed to have paid what you did and had that experience. Glad I opted for Spirit instead of Luminosa
We are booked on the Luminosa in August. Hoping to make the best of our 1st Alaskan cruise. Thanks for your videos very informative. We are in Victoria fro 12-8pm so that’s something to look forward too. There’s 22 of us so hopefully we can make our own nightlife experience without being kicked out, lol.
We took an Alaska cruise on this ship last summer and had the best time! I think maybe my expectations were managed because I researched the heck out of this cruise and I have say we certainly didn't pay nearly what you paid but that may have been because we sailed later in the season. I agree that after seeing what Firenze and Venezia look like, Luminosa needs some help. I did hear they did a quick turn around butt more upgrades are supposed to be done in future. We also had a similar tender port in Juneau, but we had a later departure time so the ship was able to dock in the afternoon so we didn't have to tender back. Maybe Luminosa got it's act together later in the season. Love your videos. Keep it up.
My husband and I took this exact cruise on its first trip in Alaska, May 5, I thought were just experiencing the “newness” of this ship with Carnival. HOWEVER, we had the exact same thoughts as you!! The toilet issue was a big mess, many restrooms in common areas were not working either! Disappointed, but still had a blast! Thanks for your review…
Thank you Jay for your honesty!!! I love your content. I'm going on an Alaskan cruise with ovation of the seas in September!! I'm glad I didn't choose carnival!!
I just got back from an Alaskan cruise 4 days ago (Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas) and although any day at sea is better than a day at home, it was my worst cruise ever (I’ve taken almost 30 cruises). I’ve never been overly concerned about the hygiene of a ship, but I was this time. In fact, one morning when I pulled out the pants I had put on the bathroom shelf there was a cockroach as long as my pinky finger on my pants. I am terrified of those things. Also, they had plumbing issues and for a few hours of one day the water out of our bathroom sink was black. I was not comfortable using that water to brush my teeth for the rest of the cruise. The food options were lacking. There were a few times when I had a hard time finding something I really liked at the buffet. And if we wanted anything to eat beyond standard meal times, we were totally out of luck- no pizza and you can’t even get to the ice cream, which is not self serve. They make it for you and it’s part of the buffet so it’s closed down after lunch. I actually bought some chips and candy bar at one of the ports so we would have something to snack on if we get hungry. The new main dining room menus are not great, but I did enjoy the three days we went to the specialty restaurants. The entertainment was very, very lacking. In fact, I told a friend a couple nights I was actually bored. They only had one comedian on the ship and he wasn’t great. A couple of nights there was nothing going on in the main theater and what we did see was like a high school talent show. The last time I went to Alaska we cruised with Carnival on the Miracle and things were much better than this and I’ve cruised Royal Caribbean quite a few other times and it’s always been great. I suppose things really vary greatly ship to ship but this was a total miss for Royal Caribbean just as it seems your Carnival cruise was as well. I think if going forward I should ever cruise to Alaska again I will definitely go with Holland America or Princess.
❤️❤️HOLY SMOKES. What you paid for one to Alaska, we, 2 of us went on a Celebrity Alaska cruise. Sure it was a small group of 8 of us but still. Carnival is being stupid in their prices. ✌🏼
I appreciate your honesty - and you are clear to say, this is my opinion, so why should anyone get upset. You show the receipts and everything to prove you actually partake in the events you cover. Keep them coming - We appreciate !! Also, the crowd was hyping you up not sure why the staff had a problem with you dancing
We’re going on the RC Ovation to Alaska closed loop from Seattle. Now I understand why we are going to Victoria and the port time is 5pm-10pm. I used to love Carnival and would still sail but have become more of a fan of RC in the past few years. I appreciate your honest opinions on all of the cruise lines .
Good news 196k views makes good money for you. One of your most viewed videos beyond people falling off ships so at least this one didn’t involve drowning. We understand that you have a space and this video filled it well.
In 2016 I sailed on the Costa Mediterranea and my cabin looked EXACTLY like the one you showed us. How they can claim that your ship was upgraded and refurbished is beyond me. What an outrageous price for an old ship.
Jay, dont know you all that well, but little I do, you've always seemed fair and impartial. Actually a carnival promoter. So I appreciate the feedback. We live in the San Francisco area and love doing the 10 day trip to Alaska from here. It's always on a smaller, older princess ship but we still have fun! Yet I am drawn to the ships with more to do. Your excursions looked amazing!!!!
Jay! I'm new to your channel. I'm compelled to watch them whenever they pop up. This VLOG and the other comments are shaping up my mind about not booking an Alaskan Cruise. And i love Carnival. I sure hope someone from CCL is reading these responses. ❤
Jay, I know we sail later in the season, but we paid $2950 for 3 of us in the cabin directly above the one you were in. For us going into this sailing we knew what was supposed to be lacking compared to the normal "2.0" Carnival outfit, but much of those things missing are things we do not generally use. Just thinking that in 16 Cruises with CCL we have never even used the pool or hot tubs. Maybe we are too boring to sail CCL. LOL Hope the experience on the Costa by Carnival experience turns out better.
Well, this is unfortunate to hear. My wife and I wanted to do an Alaskan cruise for our first (or maybe second) cruise... we both have aversions that we're working on getting over to do this. The experience you had was rough, but we appreciate you telling it like it is!
Make sure you do a smaller ship. They are able to get in more places. In my recent experience, I would not suggest an older princess ship. The food was just not very good. For me, food is important to the experience.
The Carnival Venezia looks like a MUCH better ship than the Luminosa. The Venezia is a much newer ship, and even though it's a Vista Class ship, there are some differences than the traditional Vista Class ships in Carnival's fleet. I am almost positive you'll have a better experience on the Venezia and I'm looking forward to your take on it because I'm planning on cruising on her as soon as I can.
I think Carnival needs to move Firenze to Seattle seasonally. Clearly the demand is there if they can charge $4K for Luminosa sailings. Luminosa can do summers in Long Beach (in place of Firenze) or move to the Caribbean.
@@vamoscruceros that sounds like a good idea. The Firenze is a beautiful ship as well. It's more modern, has more amenities and it's bigger than the Luminosa. I mean if Carnival is charging that much for an Alaskan cruise, the ship should be worth that cost, which the Firenze would be.
I just got off the carnival panorama going to Mexico. I’m a solo traveler so right off I got the single supplement which means you pay twice as much. I wanted a balcony and it added up real quick. But beyond the booking charges the I felt like every time I turned around I was shelling out for something. I prepaid tips but it seemed like I double tipped a lot! It was my last carnival cruise. Other cruise lines have special rooms for solo travelers and special rates. I’ve got 2 cruises booked where I’m in the studios. NCL.
I have been on Holland, Royal and Carnival. I felt the same about Carnival, like I was always paying extra for something. I barely opened my wallet on Royal or Holland.
Carnival has lost their minds. And I’m saying this as a platinum cruiser. My recent cruise on them was a disaster, for some of the same reasons. I like to call it putting lipstick on a pig. But paying that much for Alaska is nuts. I’m book in a solo balcony on Royal next year for $1,600. Carnival, wake up!
I agree..the traditional cruise lines really have lost their minds. We snagged a Viking River cruise for two that INCLUDES international flights for around 5K. Needless to say, I think we are going to stick with this if Viking continues these "free airfare" deals.
The Inside Passage is the most beautiful place on earth. Unfortunately, on the ship, unless you buy an expensive cabin with a balcony, you will have a hard time seeing it. I was on Royal Princess. There was no observation deck, at least none that I could find. The pool was outside as were the hot tubs. Some days it was too cold to get into the hot tubs. It was not easy finding a place to watch scenery. The bars and shops were against the windows. I'm not interested in entertainment or gambling. If entertainment pertained to Alaska I would be interested. Maybe some Native dancers and performers. I want to relax and watch scenery and curl up with a good book. In one deck there were chairs but not where I could see outside. The bands were loud and they didn't play music pertaining to Alaska. There were some comfortable chairs by the windows but the shades were pulled down. Even outside there weren't many places outside to see scenery. The bulkheads were high and obstructed views. I supposed people don't go on cruises to see scenery and would rather party and gamble, but I can do that ashore.
WE met on the same 14 day inaugural Carnival Celebration cruise from Southampton England to Miami FL. I was the passenger with no luggage (British Airlines never delivered in route). Thank you for your honest reviews of the ships and cruise lines.
I love the idea of chaotic Jay break dancing till he’s officially given the boot 😂 Too bad you guys hardly got to see Victoria. Only a few hours seems like a scam.
It was sooo tempting! One thing you will not get me to stop doing is dancing! Yeah it sucked. I’m surprised that they even said over the intercom that it was a “Jones Act” Stop😂
That's a lot for a 7 day cruise, and an Alaskan cruise at that. I'm a little biased because I'm not a fan of Alaskan cruises. I know it's not cold all the time, but I just prefer a tropical climate. I can also tell it didn't seem like it had the Carnival feel that I've come to love. Wow, Jay sorry it wasn't a better experience for you though. I'm sure your next one will easily be better than this one. 😊👍
As someone who lives in Brisbane where the ship is based for the other half of the year, I cant help but agree with a lot of this. Luminosa is the first and only Carnival ship we have ever been on, we mainly have stuck to RCL and Princess etc in the past. I dont think she is a good representative of what I understand the brand to be and we were very excited to try a new brand and ultimately disappointed as also expected a "refurbishment" it would have been better to call it at best a rebranding, where they just put carnival stickers over where it used to say Costa. The decor is very out there, but you sort of get used to it I guess but the ship feels a lot older and more worn than its age with many things needing repair, the pool areas etc are especially poor for the summer months and the food is at best average especially what they call the buffet which is real school canteen vibes. Overall its what you make of it and we had fun on our trip and it was an ok price I guess, but I can totally understand given how much you paid how much worse that must make it. Four of us are off to Alaska (albeit in Sept) on the Majestic Princess for 10 nights with 5 stops and Glacier Bay for about a thousand dollars less than you paid and whilst I havent been on the Majestic, Im pretty sure it will be a lot better value.
PLEASE, I highly recommend Holland America or Princess. YES, I have sailed to Alaska 5 times, and, due to a accident, had to cancel my cruise on HAL this past week. I wish everyone happy cruising........but NOT on Carnival. Hedge your bets folks!
Wow! Amazing review of what we found out the hard way! We have taken many Carnival cruises and eventually learned our lesson! Lies and Deceit! Beware!!
My wife and I are cruising from San Francisco to Alaska in August. We had a choice of the Ruby Princess or the Carnival Miracle. We chose the Ruby. It sounds like we chose wisely. I've. been on 31 cruises. From what Jay described, this Carnival cruise sounded worse than any of them.
My first cruise ever will be to Mexico on RC, I've heard and seen on UA-cam horrir stories of Carnival. I guess this video just proves the negative news, and yes, $4K is A LOT even for an Alaskan cruise.
Jay I have been waiting for this review every since you first announced you were going. A LOT of platinum and diamond cruisers have been saying NOT to cruise this ship because the way the buffet is set up is horrific. I'm platinum and can't see myself avoiding a ship just because of the buffet! 😂 but then some diamond cruisers that I know pretty well and who are normally take it with a grain of salt about these things told me the way the line is set up.. in the midst of the traveling aisles... is pretty bad. I still can't picture in my mind what they mean. But then I said oh well, Jay is going, so I will get to see the set up then and he will explain what is wrong about it. But it's not even a blip on your list 😮 so now I'm totally confused on what has so many long time carnival cruisers so upset about this ship's buffet area! If you do happen to have some extra footage of it that you didn't post please do. I would love to see what is the deal. Thanks!
I TOTALLY AGREE!! The Luminous is a different kind of ship. Even the crew is different on this ship. They seemed unhappy. The food was ok. The comedy club is small. I'm a Carnival fan. This ship isn't worth going to Alaska on.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW MY VLOG CHANNEL JTHENOMAD⚓️ youtube.com/@jthenomad8093
Hey Jake can you email me back I want to know how the guy doing that got eaten by shark at Bahamas
@@alexishubbard8410 Are you a troll? That kid is dead.
Your hair is perfect for your face. Makes you look very handsome.
@@pthesmith Thank You!
@@alexishubbard8410 That Kid Is Decease 😢
I dont think there's another cruise content creator who is as open and honest as Jay. He's simply the best. Keep up the great work.👏🏾
Seriously… Thank you for this
@The Shiplife No, thank you and congratulations on your success!
I totally agree! Jay is kind and always gives a fair & true review!
Agreed
Nothing better than telling the professional dancer to stop dancing and hyping up the fun. Hahahahaha
I think for an Alaskan cruise, it's SO important to choose the right cruise line. I found Princess to be absolutely fantastic for the Alaska itineraries - they always have local experts etc onboard, and give you a complete cultural immersion!
I couldn’t agree more. For Alaska cruises there are two lines that have the “product” all buttoned up. Princess and HAL. Among my friends and coworkers, those that cruised Alaska first on any other line have always been disappointed. If they try again and choose Princess or HAL, different outcome. YMMV.
Just came back from an Alaskan cruise, went on Holland America, highly recommend them, going on a 10 day Caribbean cruise in January, on Holland America again !!
Celerity has guest speakers on Alaska cruises as well. Every day was a different wildlife topic or local culture.
I agree. Princess knows Alaska, I know technically it's the same company, but, before P&O acquired Carnival Princess was doing Alaska.
Went to Alaska on Celebrity. LOVED every minute of it. I would recommend Celebrity over any Carnival product any day of the week.
I’m on this lame boat right now. This isn’t a Carnival ship. If this happens to be your first Carnival cruise I doubt you’d come back to this live. The crew is great and that’s about it.
hang in there dude!
Love your channel
What a baby.
Why? I was not impressed with Carnival to the bahamas
I don’t like Carnival Cruise line. After my 🚢, I now understand why it is called “CARNIVAL”. The name says it all.
Now what in the Carnival is going on here??? Why the heck did they threaten you about your dancing? One of my many favorite things on your channel is to watch you dance. This is supposed to be the fun ship. You weren't hurting anyone and I am sure you were entertaining everyone around you. You definitely deserve an apology from the top. Keep up the hard work and I am sending my love from Ft. Lauderdale.😊
Ya that was quite silly for them to stop you from dancing. Hopefully getting in trouble for dancing was just an issue with that employee and a one off thing
Who gets in trouble for dancing?!
@@Dabeachguy Especially in a club!!
@@NEEKS_ On a dance floor!
No one really knows what happened . It wasn't filmed , he sounds like he was offended because they didn't agree with his dancing . Maybe someone complained . No one will ever know. There are two sides to every story . I learned that I take everything with a grain of salt when it comes to what's said on UA-cam . It's all theatrics for clicks and views.
Security just was mad because he can't BREAK DANCE😂😂😂❤
One thing that surprises me the most is that the cruise lines should understand how powerful UA-camr's voices are. I totally appreciate your honest reviews. Unless Carnival makes some changes, I will choose a different company to cruise to Alaska with.
with you on that take. The various UA-camr's both positive and negative have convinced me that carnival is NOT for me. That though is the beauty of cruising, everyone can find their own little niche where they feel the most comfortable and familiar.
I'm a carnival guy but this is ridiculous to go through given all that money you spent. I understand how some things can happen but that's too much money to have to have such lil things to happen.
That is a sucky Victoria stop bummer.
Tired, worn out. I felt like I was on a Jenny Craig cruise. Omg the portions teeny weeny.
The blue rinse crowds that's what they are set up for.
Glaciers more like a dirty ice cube
yeah, I'm shocked about the heater, toilet, etc.. that balcony did look a little aged. rust and all. But you did say it was a refurbed ship. Didnt know there were refurbed ships.
This ship did not receive a full refurbishment like the other two Costa ships. This ship received the bare minimum refurbishment like maintenance and they change the branding from Costa to Carnival. With that said, you have to give your honest opinions good bad or ugly. So I don’t understand why people get mad. I’m just happy you didn’t call us Carnival fans Carnies. Ohh I would be mad too if I paid that amount of money for that….
yeah, well, they also re-flagged her to Bahamas, which means Italy will not be inspecting the ship anymore. So as a Navy veteran I expect maintenance to go down.
Look at what happened with American Cruise Lines, for example. They use US Flag ships, which means the US Coast Guard boards their ships and inspects them, and will sometimes bring federal agents aboard to ensure compliance with federal law. Apparently the FDA detected an issue and had informed ACL, and they didn't fix it, so they got a warning letter. Presumably by now the issue has been fixed....but the point is, the FDA was escorted board by the US Coast Guard, because she was a US Flag ship.
The reason Carnival flags ships in the Bahamas is that no one will inspect the ship, and won't hold them to high standards.
There are lots of cruise lines, some owned by Carnival, that flag their ships in powerful countries with strong Naval forces, such as Italy, France, Norway, the Netherlands and Great Britain. You always should look up the vessel and check what flag she is under, by putting "[vessel name] vessel flag" into Google, without the quotes. You will get a web site that tells you her flag.
The ITF is a union for maritime personnel and they have a "shit list", try to avoid the flags on their list. 🙂
www.itfglobal.org/en/sector/seafarers/flags-of-convenience
As a former Alaskan I wanted to explain another reason for things being so expensive. These tourists areas are only open seasonally May to September. So operators have to make a years profit in 5 months. You still have carry costs even when not operating in the off season
Makes a lot of sense. Plus US wages and fees. In addition supply/demand. A place like Cozumel is seeing like a 100k people a week just from cruises. I am booked up next summer and so excited.
Carnival prices are also jacked up so they get a cut. I booked directly with the helicopter company and only paid $400 for a flight and 3 hr glacier trek
The security guy clearly had a bad case of the green-eyed monster! That was truly spectacular breakdancing! Really interesting vid.. 👍
I have been waiting for your review! We spent $3400 for a cruise on the Luminosa the first sailing to Alaska during the first week of May. THE worst carnival experience EVER, and we LOVE Carnival. The food was cold (the only way to get anything hot was to order an omelet). Our toilet was hit or miss when attempting to flush. The thermastat in our cabin didn't work either. Our first port, Juneau, was a nightmare trying to get all of the people off. Two lines and one gangway made for long lines and they didn't try to accommodate those that had early morning excursions. We arrived in Victoria at 8:15pm and the back on board was at 11:30pm (we didn't even bother to get off the ship knowing that most everything was already closed). All of the lines for food on the Lido deck were RIDICULOUS! The hamburger and taco/burrito places did not come close to Carnival's Guy's or Blue Iguana. Long waits for the Main Dining Room. They would immediately go on an hour and half wait when they opened in the morning. Most of the machines in the gym didn't work. I could go on and on. We were excited to go on this first sailing for the Luminosa to Alaska, expecting to see a totally refurbished ship. Like you, we feel like we got totally robbed on this cruise. I would not recommend this ship to anyone planning a cruise to Alaska.
Was on this cruise last week…and I agree! Glad it wasn’t just me! The short time I’m Victoria was also super annoying… 😩
We are currently booked on this ship for Alaska in August 2024 but after several videos pointing out these limitations and downfalls we are now looking at rebooking with Celebrity and having a different and better experience (we are Platinum on Carnival and the only cruise line we’ve ever been on)
@@robincarley7323. We took Celebrity Summit to Alaska several years ago and LOVED everything about it. It spoiled us for any other cruise line except for Viking. Have fun and rebook your cruise line!
I so admire how refreshingly honest and concise Jay is with his cruise reviews.. whilst all the time retaining politeness. I just love these vlogs.. 👏👍
You have saved me a ton of money. I was going to book an Alaskan cruise with that exact ship, but not anymore. I hope Carnival sees this video, because I’ve only ever cruised with them! I think I’m going with Royal or Norwegian for Alaska.
I’m doing the same itinerary to Alaska this summer but on the Carnival spirit - looks like a bit of a different ship but exact same itinerary and doesn’t go to Glacier bay. All this I’ve learned after booking it of course 😆 Princess go to Glacier bay as far as I know!
The luminosa lives in Brisbane for the season , we tend to get all the old ships down here, so our opinion of this ship is its lovely..
Went on it a couple of weeks ago and am going on it again at Easter.
Love the food options , the ship, although quirky was clean, well maintained and nice, and quiet..
Crew were fabulous and not much to moan about.. if you are used to newer ships, I understand how you feel.. but she is a lovely ship.
Thanks for your vlog. Cheers..
We also had a great recent cruise on the Luminosa . But I think price played a huge part . The cruises we have are considerably cheaper so I don’t expect as much . For $4k per person for a week , I think I’d want more too .
I’m thankful this wasn’t click bait; thank you that the title matches the content. If everything was fantastic, then let the thumbnail say so.
And vice versa.
I really do love that you are real.
Thank you for this vid, J.
It was great meeting you on the Luminosa and we chatted for a bit about the disappointing feelings we were all having. The spa was not great either. Actual
Mold in the hydrotherapy pool area, yuck! The food was not appetizing and disappointing as well. I love Carnival and if I would have known ahead of time that this ship was not as it was hyped up to be, I would have not booked it for us. Thank you for your honest review and we love all of your info! Keep up the great work!
So Luminosa was not good after all?
I sailed on the Luminosa in April for the transpacific from Australia to Seattle. I 110% agree with everything you said. The ship did not live up to the hype. I’m glad I made the trip and really enjoyed the ports but the ship itself was mediocre.
15:52 can’t wait to see the Venezia! I’m sailing on Carnival Venezia in August up to Canada 🇨🇦
Jay, I’m stuck on the night club incident. My thoughts: ask “What rule am I breaking?” You stated it was safe and a friendly dance off. This needs to be brought to the attention of the Security Director. I don’t know if it was race or not, safety or not, preventing others from dancing or not, whatever the reason. Thanks for the pure sincere review Jay! Safe travels young man!
I know right! That really doesn't sit well with me at all 😟! I always enjoy Jay's dancing ❤, but that right there as he says "Really grinds my gears!" Definitely needs to talk to someone about that 🤔.
It grinds my gears too, but I have to laugh imagining this big dumb security guy, being so frightened by Jay’s amazing dance moves that he shuts him down! 😂 Jay was definitely the better man in the moment by letting it go, but this sounds like something out of Footloose!
Gangsters having a dance-off. Not in Alaskan waters.
@@TD-ce5ru I’m as white as an Alaskan winter, but can appreciate talent and support freedom all day.
Glad you got to review this ship.
Great review, thank you. When we looked into Alaska my travel agent said Alaska -> Princess even though were loyal RCCL cruisers. She was correct. We're doing Alaska again on Princess later this summer.
I love Carnival! I watched your review right after you had posted it and again today. Alaska is a favorite vacation and I booked the Luminosa for the upcoming holiday. SPIRIT class ships are so perfect for so many reasons. The large windows and plenty of open deck space set them apart. It also helps me to look past what others see as shortcomings. I can't wait to explore!
Aye man you spittin facts this video! I sincerely hope Carnival makes it right.
Keep up the Good Work J!!! I love the 100% Truth!!!❤
So very thankful for this review!!! I’m currently researching an Alaska cruise. This ship got cut from the running
So well-spoken love this video
Been on one carnival cruise. That was enough. Royal and Princess for me. Might even try NCL and Holland America next.
Whewwww u kept it so real with this one. I thought Luminosa was a new-ish ship and also thought I missed out on it. I didn't!!! 😂😂😂
Oh no Jay, I have been hearing horrible stories and I sure hope and pray these kinks are being resolved before next year around this time; I’m already booked for this ship. Carnival you have a year to get it together!!! Please don’t disappoint us, especially with toilets that may and may not flush or with heat system that’s not steadily working, OMG!!!! You know I did notice how empty that 555 Steak house was, I was confused why your food took so long, now I know, short staffed. Thanks for your review, I really take your review seriously, 100%! What ….they thought of kicking you off for something you, a prior cruise employee that, knows the rules probably better than that guy, and you has breakdance 100’s of times, jumped in the pool with clothes on, all in fun, and never an issue 😳😳😳 What the Carnival really went on??? Thanks for sharing
Great review and Great Dancing bro
I am so glad you got the chance for the helicopter/dog sled excursion! It was a dream for my hub and I to do a Disney cruise to Alaska and do that excursion. We both loved huskies and always watched the Iditarod race each year. Sadly my hub passed in 2014, but our son was willing to take the trip with me in 2015. While that excursion was wicked expensive, we knew we were doing it as much for hub's memory as for us. But I wanted to let you know, which is a HUGE SURPRISE to me, that excursion was the same price you paid!! From 2015 to 2023 to still only pay basically $699 for that helicopter/husky sled ride, is SUCH a surprise! Did they have any pups while you were there, that you got to see and play with, a bit as well?
Hey Jay! It is the pvsa act of 1886 that requires the international stop for foreign flagged vessels. The jones act applies to goods on and maintenance of ships. Love your videos!
I am normally team carnival. In May I booked this same cruise for next May. After seeing your video, watching videos on Royals Alaska cruises and checking cruise specials I’ve cancelled my cruise with carnival and booked ovation of the sea for my Alaska cruise. I got a better room for 300 cheaper and the drink pay was buy one get one free. Thanks for all you do. My hubby and I love you and Lauren. Your videos make us think outside the box when choosing exciting vacation spots. Be blessed The Fondo family!!!!
So sorry this trip was disappointing. But what information you were able to provide!!! Would love to see you break dancing. You are so fascinating and such a professional. You a
talker? nah .......Better future trips. Be safe and healthy. Peace to one and all.✌️😇
We just got back from an Alaska cruise in quantum of the seas. It was cheaper than your carnival cruise on a much newer ship. We had complaints about the food, but I'd have to say it was a better experience than what you had. We were on the royal ship wishing we had done carnival instead. Now I'm thinking we had the best of the two
I personally appreciate the honesty. That is one of the reasons that I watch your videos. So let the hater, hate. Have a good one Jay.
OMG!!!! We just finished our Alaskan Cruise on the Crown Princess this week! It’s so cool to seeing some of your Alaskan experience. Anytime we were in port I’d always look at the other ships and wonder what the passenger experience was like . I’m sorry security tried to dim your light on the dance floor.
oh hey that’s me at 12:09 !!! i’m the girl w the short brown hair, the pink bag and the blue and red jacket :)) that line was absolutely DREADFUL
You are getting closer to Seabourn territory
Love your show
Eric
Thank you for a direct and honest review.
It's really sad that they only gave you 4 hours at night at the best port on the cruise. I think for the amount you paid, they really should be giving you much longer port days, even if it means reducing the number of ports visited.
It's worth noting that you can get poutine at almost any Burger King in Canada, regardless of which side of the country you're in. If you're in any major city (Victoria included), you should be able to find some decent poutine shops (Burger King is fast food, so you get what you get) if you're willing to look around.
You do a fantastic job of critiquing cruises. You're not only descriptive but entertaining as well! Keep up great work!
I did a Celebrity Cruise and loved it. That ship is decorated like it was the 70's.
I was on Celebrity Reflection last January and am going on the Apex for a family reunion in March. It was wonderful and I met some great people. I really enjoyed Celebrity too. Not one complaint out of our 12 people cruising.
@@lizkotchek928 Same here...Food always great, I sail in Aqua Class and the food in Blu is Fantastic...The biggest improvement with Celebrity were the Shows at night, they were great on the Edge...The service wonderful...no complaints since 1990.
@@butalina We loved being Aqua Class and eating in Blu also. Cool you are an Army Combat Medic. I am 56 and had to retire from being an RN due to having MS.
@@lizkotchek928 Iam retired as well...
Aqua Class is worth it only on the M and S class ships....I would never do Aqua Class on the Edge Class ships...the 4 main dining rooms are a great option...
@@butalina Which of the 4 restaurants did you like the best? We are not doing Aqua Class when we go in March.
Thanks for being so honest with all you told us! Geez no pizza pirate or Guy’s burgers, that’s terrible!
I was on the sailing with Jay. I have cruised on Carnival 11 times and I have to agree with Jay’s review of this ship. Alaska is awesome, the ship did not take away from my cruise but it definitely did not add to it. I will definitely cruise Carnival again but not on this ship.
Same here. We just got off as well. I agree with all comments made about the Luminosa. We booked through a casino offer so it was less than 1k for 2 in a balcony stateroom. Had I paid 4k I would be furious! Alaska is amazing and I would definitely go back but not on the Luminosa.
We cruised to Alaska on Holland America and it was wonderful.
Glad you are honest. Years ago we sailed Carnival (hated it) sailed Royal (loved it), in April we thought we would give Carnival another try, sailed on the Celebration. We were right the first time and won’t be sailing Carnival, already booked on RC Oasis of the Sea for our next cruise.
What's wrong with the Celebration ? I'm thinking about it for my first Carnival cruise this August.
What's wrong with Celebration ? I was thinking about it for my first Carnival Cruise this coming August.
@@randomname9758 The ship is fine but we prefer Royal Caribbean. The passengers on Carnival seem to be a more partying, drinking, loud group than what we prefer.
If you don’t mind that it will probably be ok.
Whatever cruise line you choose have a good cruise.
I've been watching you now for a week or two as I recover from a broken foot. All this travel seems like so much fun, I could maybe do it for a year. But I don't know how you do it, year after year after year, how do you not get exhausted and burnt out? We appreciate the videos! So much hard work. Thank you
I hope Carnival sees this video. All the cruise lines need an honest critique.
Appreciate your honest content love seeing your different experiences ❤ keep up the hard work
We booked this cruise several months ago and have read many reviews. This is a very honest review and I understand what he is saying. I have seen many other reviews where the reviewer had a great experience. Here's crossing my fingers and hoping we experience something in the middle. Alas a non- functioning commode will raise my blood pressure.
I'm so happy to hear your opinion and welcome it. I'm going on a cruise to Alaska and will be on that ship, so all of the information about the ship and excursions are wanted and very welcomed. Thanks!
Smoke's poutine is🔥
If you want a smaller and cultural experience, I'd recommend Alaskan Dream Cruises and their 9-day cruise from Sitka to Ketchikan. It's fully in Alaska (no passport required) and stops in small towns as well as Juneau to showcase the Alaska Native experience. It has a max of 49 passengers. It's not as fancy at the big ships with activities, pools, or shows but it was relaxing. At only 180', it can get into smaller areas. There were three meals a day and the food was top notch.
thank you for the honest opinion. I love doing carnival but would have been very disappointed to have paid what you did and had that experience. Glad I opted for Spirit instead of Luminosa
We are taking the a family cruise on the Spirit on July 11th. The Luminosa does look disappointing.
We are booked on the Luminosa in August. Hoping to make the best of our 1st Alaskan cruise. Thanks for your videos very informative. We are in Victoria fro 12-8pm so that’s something to look forward too. There’s 22 of us so hopefully we can make our own nightlife experience without being kicked out, lol.
We took an Alaska cruise on this ship last summer and had the best time! I think maybe my expectations were managed because I researched the heck out of this cruise and I have say we certainly didn't pay nearly what you paid but that may have been because we sailed later in the season. I agree that after seeing what Firenze and Venezia look like, Luminosa needs some help. I did hear they did a quick turn around butt more upgrades are supposed to be done in future. We also had a similar tender port in Juneau, but we had a later departure time so the ship was able to dock in the afternoon so we didn't have to tender back. Maybe Luminosa got it's act together later in the season. Love your videos. Keep it up.
My husband and I took this exact cruise on its first trip in Alaska, May 5, I thought were just experiencing the “newness” of this ship with Carnival. HOWEVER, we had the exact same thoughts as you!! The toilet issue was a big mess, many restrooms in common areas were not working either! Disappointed, but still had a blast! Thanks for your review…
Thank you Jay for your honesty!!! I love your content. I'm going on an Alaskan cruise with ovation of the seas in September!! I'm glad I didn't choose carnival!!
Nice review! Thank you... 👍
This ship is like the town in footloose. No dancing allowed around here!!!!!😂
They should rename this ship “The Bomont”. (That was I town name, i had to look it up)
Thank you, Jay for your always honest reviews! I appreciate you!❤
I just got back from an Alaskan cruise 4 days ago (Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas) and although any day at sea is better than a day at home, it was my worst cruise ever (I’ve taken almost 30 cruises). I’ve never been overly concerned about the hygiene of a ship, but I was this time. In fact, one morning when I pulled out the pants I had put on the bathroom shelf there was a cockroach as long as my pinky finger on my pants. I am terrified of those things. Also, they had plumbing issues and for a few hours of one day the water out of our bathroom sink was black. I was not comfortable using that water to brush my teeth for the rest of the cruise. The food options were lacking. There were a few times when I had a hard time finding something I really liked at the buffet. And if we wanted anything to eat beyond standard meal times, we were totally out of luck- no pizza and you can’t even get to the ice cream, which is not self serve. They make it for you and it’s part of the buffet so it’s closed down after lunch. I actually bought some chips and candy bar at one of the ports so we would have something to snack on if we get hungry. The new main dining room menus are not great, but I did enjoy the three days we went to the specialty restaurants. The entertainment was very, very lacking. In fact, I told a friend a couple nights I was actually bored. They only had one comedian on the ship and he wasn’t great. A couple of nights there was nothing going on in the main theater and what we did see was like a high school talent show. The last time I went to Alaska we cruised with Carnival on the Miracle and things
were much better than this and I’ve cruised Royal Caribbean quite a few other times and it’s always been great. I suppose things really vary greatly ship to ship but this was a total miss for Royal Caribbean just as it seems your Carnival cruise was as well. I think if going forward I should ever cruise to Alaska again I will definitely go with Holland America or Princess.
You got got on the pricing, Their prices are super high this summer.
❤️❤️HOLY SMOKES. What you paid for one to Alaska, we, 2 of us went on a Celebrity Alaska cruise. Sure it was a small group of 8 of us but still. Carnival is being stupid in their prices. ✌🏼
Solo passengers have to pay for both passengers in a cabin minus the port fees!
@@butalina He did travel solo on this particular cruise.
I appreciate your honesty - and you are clear to say, this is my opinion, so why should anyone get upset. You show the receipts and everything to prove you actually partake in the events you cover. Keep them coming - We appreciate !! Also, the crowd was hyping you up not sure why the staff had a problem with you dancing
We’re going on the RC Ovation to Alaska closed loop from Seattle. Now I understand why we are going to Victoria and the port time is 5pm-10pm. I used to love Carnival and would still sail but have become more of a fan of RC in the past few years. I appreciate your honest opinions on all of the cruise lines .
Good news 196k views makes good money for you. One of your most viewed videos beyond people falling off ships so at least this one didn’t involve drowning. We understand that you have a space and this video filled it well.
In 2016 I sailed on the Costa Mediterranea and my cabin looked EXACTLY like the one you showed us. How they can claim that your ship was upgraded and refurbished is beyond me. What an outrageous price for an old ship.
Jay, dont know you all that well, but little I do, you've always seemed fair and impartial. Actually a carnival promoter. So I appreciate the feedback. We live in the San Francisco area and love doing the 10 day trip to Alaska from here. It's always on a smaller, older princess ship but we still have fun! Yet I am drawn to the ships with more to do. Your excursions looked amazing!!!!
It was the Alaska license plate in the background for me
Jay! I'm new to your channel. I'm compelled to watch them whenever they pop up. This VLOG and the other comments are shaping up my mind about not booking an Alaskan Cruise. And i love Carnival. I sure hope someone from CCL is reading these responses. ❤
Jay, I know we sail later in the season, but we paid $2950 for 3 of us in the cabin directly above the one you were in. For us going into this sailing we knew what was supposed to be lacking compared to the normal "2.0" Carnival outfit, but much of those things missing are things we do not generally use. Just thinking that in 16 Cruises with CCL we have never even used the pool or hot tubs. Maybe we are too boring to sail CCL. LOL Hope the experience on the Costa by Carnival experience turns out better.
Love your honesty! ❤
Well, this is unfortunate to hear. My wife and I wanted to do an Alaskan cruise for our first (or maybe second) cruise... we both have aversions that we're working on getting over to do this. The experience you had was rough, but we appreciate you telling it like it is!
Carnival Spirit and Carnival Miracle also do alaska cruises if you don’t wanna go on Carnival Luminosa
Make sure you do a smaller ship. They are able to get in more places. In my recent experience, I would not suggest an older princess ship. The food was just not very good. For me, food is important to the experience.
Great honest review!
The Carnival Venezia looks like a MUCH better ship than the Luminosa. The Venezia is a much newer ship, and even though it's a Vista Class ship, there are some differences than the traditional Vista Class ships in Carnival's fleet. I am almost positive you'll have a better experience on the Venezia and I'm looking forward to your take on it because I'm planning on cruising on her as soon as I can.
I think Carnival needs to move Firenze to Seattle seasonally. Clearly the demand is there if they can charge $4K for Luminosa sailings. Luminosa can do summers in Long Beach (in place of Firenze) or move to the Caribbean.
@@vamoscruceros that sounds like a good idea. The Firenze is a beautiful ship as well. It's more modern, has more amenities and it's bigger than the Luminosa. I mean if Carnival is charging that much for an Alaskan cruise, the ship should be worth that cost, which the Firenze would be.
@@vamoscruceros I think they never send a larger class to Alaska right？ So I do not really think Frienze can replace Luminosa.
good to know! we may be going on that late next year!
I’m going on Carnival Venezia from NY in August! I’m really excited. I haven’t been on a Carnival cruise since 2019.
I appreciate your videos I would never take an Alaska cruise If It’s not warm with blue water and palm trees it’s not a vacation to me
I just got off the carnival panorama going to Mexico. I’m a solo traveler so right off I got the single supplement which means you pay twice as much. I wanted a balcony and it added up real quick. But beyond the booking charges the I felt like every time I turned around I was shelling out for something. I prepaid tips but it seemed like I double tipped a lot! It was my last carnival cruise. Other cruise lines have special rooms for solo travelers and special rates. I’ve got 2 cruises booked where I’m in the studios. NCL.
I have been on Holland, Royal and Carnival. I felt the same about Carnival, like I was always paying extra for something. I barely opened my wallet on Royal or Holland.
Love how excited you were about the timbits. I live in Michigan so we have 4 timmy hos locally. The honey dip are definitely the best ones.
Carnival has lost their minds. And I’m saying this as a platinum cruiser. My recent cruise on them was a disaster, for some of the same reasons. I like to call it putting lipstick on a pig. But paying that much for Alaska is nuts. I’m book in a solo balcony on Royal next year for $1,600. Carnival, wake up!
The balcony solo staterooms on Royal are great and well priced. The only problem is you need to book early as the cabins are limited
I agree..the traditional cruise lines really have lost their minds. We snagged a Viking River cruise for two that INCLUDES international flights for around 5K. Needless to say, I think we are going to stick with this if Viking continues these "free airfare" deals.
I really love your thorough and thoughtful sharing of your expertise.
The Inside Passage is the most beautiful place on earth. Unfortunately, on the ship, unless you buy an expensive cabin with a balcony, you will have a hard time seeing it. I was on Royal Princess. There was no observation deck, at least none that I could find. The pool was outside as were the hot tubs. Some days it was too cold to get into the hot tubs. It was not easy finding a place to watch scenery. The bars and shops were against the windows. I'm not interested in entertainment or gambling. If entertainment pertained to Alaska I would be interested. Maybe some Native dancers and performers. I want to relax and watch scenery and curl up with a good book. In one deck there were chairs but not where I could see outside. The bands were loud and they didn't play music pertaining to Alaska. There were some comfortable chairs by the windows but the shades were pulled down. Even outside there weren't many places outside to see scenery. The bulkheads were high and obstructed views. I supposed people don't go on cruises to see scenery and would rather party and gamble, but I can do that ashore.
WE met on the same 14 day inaugural Carnival Celebration cruise from Southampton England to Miami FL. I was the passenger with no luggage (British Airlines never delivered in route). Thank you for your honest reviews of the ships and cruise lines.
I love the idea of chaotic Jay break dancing till he’s officially given the boot 😂
Too bad you guys hardly got to see Victoria. Only a few hours seems like a scam.
It was sooo tempting! One thing you will not get me to stop doing is dancing!
Yeah it sucked. I’m surprised that they even said over the intercom that it was a “Jones Act” Stop😂
They didn’t want you guys to break dance. Cause you are making them look bad. Being more entertaining then anything on the ship 😂
That's a lot for a 7 day cruise, and an Alaskan cruise at that. I'm a little biased because I'm not a fan of Alaskan cruises. I know it's not cold all the time, but I just prefer a tropical climate. I can also tell it didn't seem like it had the Carnival feel that I've come to love. Wow, Jay sorry it wasn't a better experience for you though. I'm sure your next one will easily be better than this one. 😊👍
Thank you for your review. I’m so glad I waited on booking an Alaska cruise.
As someone who lives in Brisbane where the ship is based for the other half of the year, I cant help but agree with a lot of this. Luminosa is the first and only Carnival ship we have ever been on, we mainly have stuck to RCL and Princess etc in the past. I dont think she is a good representative of what I understand the brand to be and we were very excited to try a new brand and ultimately disappointed as also expected a "refurbishment" it would have been better to call it at best a rebranding, where they just put carnival stickers over where it used to say Costa. The decor is very out there, but you sort of get used to it I guess but the ship feels a lot older and more worn than its age with many things needing repair, the pool areas etc are especially poor for the summer months and the food is at best average especially what they call the buffet which is real school canteen vibes. Overall its what you make of it and we had fun on our trip and it was an ok price I guess, but I can totally understand given how much you paid how much worse that must make it. Four of us are off to Alaska (albeit in Sept) on the Majestic Princess for 10 nights with 5 stops and Glacier Bay for about a thousand dollars less than you paid and whilst I havent been on the Majestic, Im pretty sure it will be a lot better value.
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I’m never going in a cruise but yet I keep coming back to your channel lol. Good content brother
PLEASE, I highly recommend Holland America or Princess. YES, I have sailed to Alaska 5 times, and, due to a accident, had to cancel my cruise on HAL this past week. I wish everyone happy cruising........but NOT on Carnival. Hedge your bets folks!
Wow! Amazing review of what we found out the hard way! We have taken many Carnival cruises and eventually learned our lesson! Lies and Deceit! Beware!!
My wife and I are cruising from San Francisco to Alaska in August. We had a choice of the Ruby Princess or the Carnival Miracle. We chose the Ruby. It sounds like we chose wisely. I've. been on 31 cruises. From what Jay described, this Carnival cruise sounded worse than any of them.
The Miracle is a beautiful ship.
Venezia is beautiful. Hopefully that cruise will be way better!
There’s not a doubt in my mind. I know it will be
Sorry for your experience! Per usual, you always made the best of it! Stay encouraged 🙏🏾✊🏽🙏🏾
My first cruise ever will be to Mexico on RC, I've heard and seen on UA-cam horrir stories of Carnival. I guess this video just proves the negative news, and yes, $4K is A LOT even for an Alaskan cruise.
Jay I have been waiting for this review every since you first announced you were going. A LOT of platinum and diamond cruisers have been saying NOT to cruise this ship because the way the buffet is set up is horrific. I'm platinum and can't see myself avoiding a ship just because of the buffet! 😂 but then some diamond cruisers that I know pretty well and who are normally take it with a grain of salt about these things told me the way the line is set up.. in the midst of the traveling aisles... is pretty bad. I still can't picture in my mind what they mean. But then I said oh well, Jay is going, so I will get to see the set up then and he will explain what is wrong about it. But it's not even a blip on your list 😮 so now I'm totally confused on what has so many long time carnival cruisers so upset about this ship's buffet area! If you do happen to have some extra footage of it that you didn't post please do. I would love to see what is the deal. Thanks!
I saw you in Juneau on my way to Mt Roberts tram in front of the Tracy Crab Shack. I was sailing with HAL and we were in port from 1-10pm.
I TOTALLY AGREE!! The Luminous is a different kind of ship. Even the crew is different on this ship. They seemed unhappy. The food was ok. The comedy club is small. I'm a Carnival fan. This ship isn't worth going to Alaska on.