Aaawe thank you. Glad you got some good info from us. Hopefully you liked the Viva. We would definitely love to try the Aqua. I think more for the relaxation and less feeling of work lol Hopefully you get to see BeetleJuice. Come back and let us know how you like Viva.

I hope you're able to get a chance to jump on board the ship. Entertainment every day and night. You'll have a blast. Keep traveling. Ride the waves of life and never stop enjoying the view.

@@souperflyone6362 Def looking forward to Carnival’s new massive ship line up to compete with Icon of the Seas. If they can only up their food game. Lights out.

Life is crazy, man. Ride the waves of life and enjoy the view.

The Joy is def a well balanced ship. We always liked the Atrium style for entertainment and O'Sheehans/Local setup. The Breakaway class ships are well rounded, that's why we like cruising on them. Food seems to be really good on all of the newer NCL ships. Have you tried the Getaway or any other Breakaway ship?

Aaaawe much appreciated. We're so behind though : (

If the food was better... : )

NCL broke my heart, man. I'd like to go on another Prima or Viva cruise again and just sail as a regular Joe. No recording. No worrying about content. Just ride the waves and see where it takes me. I think it's for those who love food and entertainment. Great bars. Luxury. Get pampered. Then I'll see if it's really worth it as an older person who's starting to wind down. It's cuttin' close : )

Whoooaah that's a long trip. Def come back and share your experience for that itinerary. Hope it's super awesome. I hope there will be a lot to do as well. I don't want to be a Debbie downer

I have no idea what you're talking about. I (Gil) don't mind if someone points out something that may not be right or we missed. I welcome that, because it helps us as well as the viewers get the best info possible. For people like you though... I don't tolerate the idiocy. I don't know if you're just a miserable person, but to be a keyboard pirate is something that separates us. Maybe you took something we said mistakenly? I have no clue because you never explained yourself. Very unfortunate. You're the 2nd person out of the many responses to say something insulting. I guess those are good odds. Happy sailing, dude.

Check 10:10 where we clearly say that depending on how the ship is docked, you can go to Ocean Boulevard because it's the only ship that wraps around with a view. Just revisited your comment and decided to watch the entire video.

Ooooh believe you me we felt the same. If you're looking to just relax and chill without eating some exquisite food at a reasonable price, then this is the ship. That's our take on it. I give it a 2.5 Palm Trees. We just got back from Paris last night so I am def behind on the videos/reviews for the Meraviglia. Thanks for the comment though. Much appreciated.

I think that having Kyndall Fire as our Cruise Director was the icing on the cake. The new style of having the atrium shows PLUS the theater is a cool thing. Pretty good setup. As for the NCL Breakaway Class & Breakaway Class Plus, they are def more well rounded. Plus the food is def a tad better than Carnival. As I get older, I may still swing back to that NCL ship : ) But the ICON... that's another story. Icon of the Seas is top notch when it comes to the food, entertainment and activities. Then again you'd have to donate an organ for a week.

I think that IF we don't drink much, then all good. How can we not drink much on the Mardi Gras though? The different types of bars/drinks is something that the Excel class ships are tops on. It would be more expensive if we don't get the drink package. We had. the Cheers package, so it came out to about $150 per person. On Norwegian, it's the same deal. $150 per person BUT you can get 2 drinks at once or make it a double. All depends on how you roll, I think. Sometimes Carnival doesn't even give a cheers package that's part of a deal. You'd have to be lucky with getting one. I tried recently.

@@downtovacay I agree! It defiantly can be more expensive. We make the decision on the Cheers package based on how many sea days, how long we plan on being off the boat, and excursions. We are taking a 7 day in September and have opted not to get Cheers. I think we may regret it. But we will see! Happy cruising!

@@jamieallen4011 You may regret it Haaaaa All depends on how much you want to drink.You're going to see all of the different type of bars and go "Oooooh I wanna try this Abra Cadabra at the Fortune Teller." Then that $13 a drink catches up to ya and before you know it you've spent more than $50 in the hour haaaa Oh please stop by and let us know how that cruise goes and what you spent : ) We opted out of the drink package for our upcoming NCL Getaway cruise in Greece.

We're always excited to see people take some much needed vacation time. Hopefully you've been able to kinda see what you get. The earlier the better. I'm sure you're excited. What's cool is going on the cruise line app and just seeing what awaits.

@downtovacay Thank you. I enjoyed the video

@@ericajohnson7121 Much appreciated. Was it in line of how you like review videos or just travel videos to be? We try to keep it more loose than scripted. Still working on finely tuning : )

Ooooh wow first time cruising? You're gonna be in for a sailing. Some people prefer smaller ships because of feeling overwhelmed. Hopefully you'll be super chill and go all out. If there's anything you're curious about and want some info, don't hesitate to give us a shout.

@downtovacay yeah 7 day cruise 🛳 😎. And thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing more of you guys 😃

Also, going Thanksgiving week.

@@TheLifeOfTiff94 We've been so busy and I've been behind on my videos. No bueno : ( We actually went to Paris for the olympics this past week and now in Greece for Mediterranean cruise on the NCL Getaway tomorrow. I will try and do some editing this week on the cruise. Hope all is well on ur end. Your Nov cruise can't come soon enough.

@@mikebryan4728 Ooooh Thanksgiving week? I have wanted to do a holiday cruise like Xmas and/or Thanksgiving to see how the atmosphere is. We've done a new year cruise back in 2019/20 and it was sooooo cool ringing in the new year. Def an experience. Def let us know how that cruise turns out. #downtovacay

Oooooh that is def a smart move. I def would have been super bothered with them charging us.

Haaaaa We're nearly Walking Dead then because we actually prefer the food and luxury vibe on NCL. Mardi Gras was super fun though. Just didn't like eating fast food all the time since it was their best food option.

I think all of em are rip offs indeed. Thats why I haven't been kicked out the house.

Tis true. Venues are smaller. We have yet to go into Syd's haaaaa Maybe one day if we get there an hour earlier and we bring a mobile seat

The Local IS the spot. Every time we're on an NCL ship it's either The Local or O'Sheehans for late night chicken wings and sweets. Talk about gaining that xtra 5lbs. Truth be told we barely go into the Cavern. I know... how can we review if we don't go in there. The Q is def the spot. I do prefer Guy's Pig & Anchor on the Carnival Excel class ships like the Mardi Gras. The Getaway is going to be in NYC come 2025 summer sailings to Bermuda. Another solid ship. We'll be on it this August in Greece.

We hope you have a super cool time. We had one of the best... if anything THE BEST Cruise Directors on a sailing. Too bad she'll be on the Jubilee, I think. Drop us a line when u get back. Let us know how your time was.

I (Gil) never think I'm fun haaaa I'm so much of an introvert I don't even know how I've been able to do this. Don't forget to check us out on IG as well. I put up new things here and there. Just started Memorable Vacay Mondays where people share what their most memorable vacation is with us. Our IG profile is @official_downtovacay

The complimentary food isn't bad at all. Chi Bang was ok. Wasn't great, but it sure beats paying for it as a "Specialty Restaurant". Cucina Del Capitano was decent. The better foods were finger foods like Shaq's Big Chicken and Guy's Burger Joint. We don't always want finger foods. We have gone on other cruise lines/ships where the complimentary food is amazing like NCL Prima & Viva as well as recently the Icon of the Seas. You may love it more than us and/or the menus or cooks have changed. It all depends to be honest. Pig & Anchor is also complimentary during the afternoons and some options at night. Are you planning on the Mardi Gras?

@@downtovacay we were looking at a sept sail date w a large group. But the only cruises we have been on are Disney cruises. Thank you so much for your response. Your videos are actually super helpful. 👏🏼

@@PilatesbyGina Aaaah the Disney cruise. We're not sold on shelling out Icon of the Seas money for only 4-5 night cruises. Waiting til our grandson gets a little older BUT that is on our bucket list. We've seen the behind the scenes of the Disney Wish and were in awe. We like to keep our videos normal and not really scripted. We're all over the place half the time haaaa. Glad we could shed some light. We have some travels this summer and more videos pushing out.

@@downtovacay oh gosh I agree!! We would never go on Disney just to go, (unless it was our job & money was no object) but our kids were younger at the time. We started when our youngest was 5! We went four times. It was bananas start to finish-they kids loved it and we did too. Their private Cay is amazing. But as the kids are now older teens, we want to avoid Disney bc 🥴cha-CHING😂😂 We gotta pay for college soon. 🤦🏻‍♀️But look, Icon of the Seas is looking good to me rn, I am gonna find some of your other videos on cruising-they have helped my husband and I so much w the Mardi Gras. Better than our TA😝Thanks so much for sharing such amazing videos. They really are helpful!!!

@@PilatesbyGina Here is a link to the Icon video section. kzbin.info/aero/PL8jgtwd2PsykkjnC_TEgQ01OKptWMl2u0 We're working on a couple of Icon videos as well. Reviews are subjective. What may be good for one is not good for the other. So we think it's important for everyone to look at other reviews as well. We appreciate the views. If there's anything we missed from what you've experienced, give us a shout. Always interested in how your vacays go.

2 more months. I'm sure you're super excited. Should be awesome. Still a top for me. We sailed on the Icon of the Seas back in April and you could take 2.5 Mardi Gras cruises for the price of 1 Icon cruise and still have a great time. All depends on your budget and what you're looking to do. #downtovacay : )

Just seeing this message. Tis true. Caviar was a symbol of wealth. to be honest it's not a delicacy that we feel we have to go out there and get because it's sooooo gooood. Nah. So you booked the Empire Supper Club or Icon itself? Either way you should have a blast. Entertainment 5 Palm Trees. Food 5 Palm Trees. Have you checked out our Icon Review? You'll see our take on it. Expensive though. Let us know what your experience was like afterwards. #downtovacay

Last time I checked, or at least tried, I clocked it around 24 mph. That was during the speed boost. I didn't get to see if it goes at the known top speed of 30mph. You'd def have to do the "Track to yourself" to get the higher seeds.

@@downtovacay Ehh, and now in 'Km/h'? Because I only use metric systems and don't live in the US

@@newforcemedia Aaah ok. I think it’s 37 or 38 km/h. We Americans and our MPH.

@@downtovacay Ah, okay. Wouldn't it be an idea for the US to switch to Metric like everyone else in the world?

@@newforcemedia Or Europe switched to US metrics haaaaa

She's stubborn haaaaaa

Nope. The Junior balconies are in 16210 & 16215 on that deck. We were right next to one though in 16208. Those cabins usually sell out with the quickness since it has the sofa section as its own space. Typical cabin though.

Much appreciated. We try to keep it real and down to earth without sounding like a script. We don't do scripts haaaa Be sure to check out our other videos if you're going on the Mardi Gras, NCL Prima, Virgin Voyages and Icon of the Seas. Still adding weekly. Cruising IS the best.

Thanks for that. What I will most likely do is a refresh of the video so that it's easier to hear. For this video I messed up on the audio file to rush it out. Never will I ever.

Oh my Larry, Carnival is gonna love you haaa Hopefully 200 people will have the best time of their lives. #downtovacay : )

Honestly no other line has better complimentary options

The specialty restaurants? We ate at Guys Pig & Anchor one night. That partially counts, right haaaa For us, it isn't really just about the specialty restaurants. We actually factor the complimentary mostly. In comparison to Virgin, NCL and Royal Caribbean's newest ships, the Mardi Gras' complimentary food was sub par. These are what we felt. The food itself wasn't bad at all. It's just that we wanted better options than finger foods like chicken or burgers. Know what I mean? The complimentary food on NCL Prima and Viva are solid. The complimentary food on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady was really good as well. The tops... the creme de la creme at this time is Icon of the Seas. The complimentary food was by far the best of the best. You should check out our Hits and Misses for the other cruise ships we've been on. Reviewing these cruises is subjective. What was good or bad for us may have not been for others. Marid Gras for us was really fun. Best fun we've had so far, even against the biggest ship in the ocean. Can't wait to see the other Excel ships from Carnival.

Girlfriend, you made me go look for our statement haaaa That's cool, because we have it. $153.38 for our meals and a Pepsi. No extras like cocktails or wines. Just the meal options. I created a page with the image of our statement on our site just for you. downtovacay.com/hooked There you will see our statement with Hooked highlighted. No reason for us to lie about something like that, as reviews for cruising and dining is subjective. You may have a great experience in the same place that I didn't. What we share is authentic. Even when we gave the review we gave the overall food experience on Icon 5 Palm Trees. We're not like many who have 1 issue and drop ratings down because of it. Either way, we brought the receipts. Will you now remove your thumbs down and give us a thumbs up? FYI We were sitting at our day bed in the Hideaway when a person came up to us asking if we'd like to eat at Chops or Hooked. I should have chosen Chops Grille. Still saying that til this day.

I hope you were able to come back and look at the response and the proof.

SUPER glad you had a good time at least. We went on the Icon of the Seas. Best buffet out of any ship we've been on. 3x as much money as the Mardi Gras though. Carnival is coming out with 2 more Excel class ships, so most likely we'll be going on one of those in the coming years.

Maaaaan I had no clue what I could handle... Until I had 2 glasses of Moet and I was concentrating on my words. Both meals for the $400 + Taxes/Gratuities.

You can go on 2 Mardi Gras trips for the price of 1 Icon. It's crazy. Mardi Gras was def my top pic. Having that awesome Cruise Director was the icing on the cake. Would have been top notch if they had better food than finger foods. Only so many burgers and fried chicken I can take. Carnival as 2 more ships coming out. Curious to see what they add. #downtovacay

@@downtovacay Did you try the street cart area and the seafood?

@@mojocollectibles5721 Def. Minute 6:20 in this video. It was good. Street Eats reminds us of the Aqua Dome Market on the Icon of the Seas. Only difference is that Street Eats changes its menu per day.

Much appreciated. You're gonna be shocked when I tell you what we use to record. We use our iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max plus a GoPro 11. I was using a Sony a7 II, but didn't want to lug it all around. Too much equipment lol I wanna save my back. When we go on an Alaska cruise April 25, I'll take my a7. Amazing photos for that one.

Tryin to convince my wife for next year : ) Either the Aqua or the Celebrity Xcel. Both Luxury ships. Only thing I'm curious about is that Basketball Lounge or what ever it is.

Same Here! 9/1/25 :)

Not once did we ever get into that pool. We didn't even hang out at the pool. Too crowded. Too small. Our spot was Deck 8. Ocean Boulevard. At least they have 3 pools in total. We hung out more on OB than lido. I don't see a major change with the lido pool on Aqua. it's pretty much the same.

Two totally different style ships. What separates them is def the price. You could take a Mardi Gras and Celebration or Jubilee cruise for the price of 1 Icon cruise. That's the difference. You'll be entertained on the Icon beyond belief. Food is great. Just no real quiet relaxing all adult area space for us. Nothing but kids. Complimentary food is solid. Like I shared in that long "What's your fav cruise?" post, the Mardi Gras has a well balanced ship. You can get so much for so little in comparison to the Icon. As great as the Icon is, the price of it will be the deciding factor for many. One and Done

@@downtovacay see that’s our struggle. We basically got the Icon balcony for the same price as we paid for the Mardi Gras. Felt it was very reasonable. But come to find out it was a crazy sale and half price. Lookin forward to the Mardi Gras next week and see how it gore

@@ArizonaMMJ IF you can get what you want at a lower price then go for it. I was able to lock in the Icon Oceanview Balcony at $3800 for 2. I got the Mardi Gras Balcony for $2800. When I priced the Icon next year from April thru July it was about $6200. No way Jose.

@@downtovacay yea we basically paid the same for both. $1200 balcony on each pp. So i was ok with it. I actually thought it was a bit much for the MG but its our first Carnival so I figured it should be a good one

Oh man that's such a tough question. We've gone on quite a few and they were all different in terms of style and theme. I can understand why anyone would be nervous about a Carnival cruise, but it goes with any cruise line. We did the ALL adult (Virgin Voyages), and it was a lack of really fun activities for us. Adult parties which was cool. Good food selections. 1 small pool. NCL Prima & VIVA had great food. Decent activities. Go Kart raceway. Great shows. Ocean Boulevard for quiet spaces while looking at the ocean. Small venues for the amount of people. Luxury. Carnival Mardi Gras had ok food, lots of entertainment, Roller Coaster, Great bars, basketball court, Serenity for adults. Almost in the perfect range. ICON of The Seas was just overwhelmingly good. But more of a One and Done for us. Too much money. We could go on 2 1/2 Carnival XL Class cruises for the price of one Icon/Star of the Seas Cruise. We're working on the FULL ICON Review. Already tired just thinking about it. But if I had a choice it would be a VIVA & Mardi Gras cruise. I have yet to go on the Wonder or Oasis ships. I said too much lol

@@downtovacay thanks for the feedback!

Windjammer Royal Caribbean buffet is really good. You can't beat their private Coco Cay Island either.

@@tonyawilson1415 Hands down the best buffet on a ship we ever had.

@downtovacay yes it is I enjoyed it to the fullest. I only went to main dining once. I don't knowbif Carnival will top that for me. That pizza place on board freedom of the seas that stats open to wee hours was a hit. The private island Coco Cay doesn't miss either. Love Royal Carribbean although the drink package is expensive but it allowed me to try drinks at my leisure. Sip and Sit it down, repeat if I wanted to try something else 🤣

Oh man the love lol

That's going to be a heck of a bday/anniv cruise. Def one of the better options to have some fun. That's exciting. We'd love to see the anniversary pics : ) We're looking to do our 10 yr wedding anniversary gathering on the Carnival Venezia. All about the content : )

I think it's a "one and done" for us. More for the experience. I think overall the Icon of the Seas is a 1 time cruise. Overwhelming great, but for the price... nopers. Too much. We can take 2-3 cruises on a new Carnival ship for the price of 1 Icon or Star of the Seas cruise.

Booked! We had $300 OBC that helped, this credit was for opening an RCI credit card and paying off $1000 in charges within a year...great deal, see the ship's ambassador.

@@downtovacay Unfortunately, we did Jubilee in April and hated it! Our interior cabin on Icon only cost us $2800 for 2 including insurance and gratuities, but I booked over 1.5 years ago the night she became available.

@@commonsense246 Aaaah man what happened on the Jubilee? Did you see Kyndal Fire? I think she was on it or just went on vacay.

Nov 2025? Oh man I'm wishing that was sooner for ya. Was such a good cruise for that week. As for Pig & Anchor, it is free during lunches. There's a cost for late night. Guessing it's because of the live band playing at night and the tvs with the games.etc. Unless they changed it recently like they did Chibang, it still costs after Lunch. Solid spot to go to though.