Joebucks

I find a lot of "environmental issues" to be a bit over-the-top. With that said, I completely understand why we shouldn't be putting things in the ocean that don't belong. I absolutely hate that. This brings up the age-old topic of what I miss most. When people would book the line with the experience they wanted instead of complaining the cheaper one doesn't have all of the "small touch" bells and whistles.

I have never heard of a hotel that allows you to store your car there for a week, for free. Most hotels in Fort Lauderdale don't even give free parking when you're staying there.

Quest is actually fun. Virgin's attempt to be over-the-top sexually promiscuous is not fun.

One of the least effective tactics is to find a date and think you know secrets about when the price will drop. You could be right, you could be wrong. The best way to save money, is to just book the cruise with the cheapest price.

As we saw with COVID, a lot can change, quickly. What we thought we knew, changed overnight. There's a lot of economic indicators out there that suggest the money gravy train is tightening up. It will be real interesting to see what happens.

What in the world makes people think Carnival would build "smaller" ships anytime soon? Is it your personal preference that trumps all, or is it some reverse-engineered scenario to weep for smaller ports? The Spirit class isn't going way. However, you can enjoy its layout all you want, it makes no sense to build another. The Conquest class can do almost anything the Spirit can, in most places. They will reposition those as newer ships take their place today. I'm certain you're overconfident that this will overrun their other lines. Even if it becomes a problem, it's an excellent one to have. Too many customers are looking to purchase more expensive products. Who is having this problem and trying to get rid of it? Might there be growing pains? Sure. However, any loyalty program that gets people to spend more, has reached the intent of a loyalty program. If I was a betting man, I'd throw big money down on this being the future. It just makes sense with the growth of cruising and implementation of a dock. It wont be 8000 people laying on the beach in the experience you know today. It will probably get some Celebration Key/Coco Cay treatment where the island is developed more, and inland, you have amusement parks, shopping, bungalows, restaurants, etc. Of course, this will cause people to become fuming mad, because those trees and everything no one is using inland, will ruin the experience once gone. Because I remember "the way it used to be."

This is interesting. Personally, I've never had an issue getting any dining option I wanted. They may say full, but something usually opens up or whatnot. If this can save me a trip from going to the Maitre D, I may give it a try. I've tried them all and nothing is better (for me) than 6 pm.

Who in the world cares who is first to do something? I swear, people are obsessed with everything that doesn't matter. All I care is the experience and the value I'm getting. I could care less if you are 1st or 20th to do it.

Yes, but also, I've never had to do this if I asked on the first day. People lose their minds because they need to have workers in their room more often because that's the way it has always been. I've never had an issue getting anything I need. If anything is important to you, ask for it on the first day.

Much ado about nothing. Supply chains constantly "quietly" change. I do prefer the fresh-cut. However, it is seriously not the end of the world if they aren't. Bonus answer: I'm better off if fries are less delicious, so I eat less of them. They are one of the unhealthiest things you can eat.

Going anti-internet is such an area of pride for many people. It used to be about $6 a day so I could read articles while in the sun or have someone contact me, seemed worth it. Not the end of the world. Now at almost $20 a day, I reconsider.

I mean, I doubt many people were really that fooled in the first place. The price you pay hasn't changed You just feel like fees are gone, but they aren't. So that really soothes people. But hey, if this puts every cruise line on a level-playing field, I'll take it.

I'm generally not one to complain about the cruise food. However, ham and cheese as your only meat option, is very tacky. It's fine to not have the unlimited topping customization. Just give a few better choices.

Do yourself a favor and don't visit this thread again. Otherwise, you will "notice" things you might not have noticed on your own.

I'm generally not one to poo poo on ports. I have a great time at every port. Even Nassau where some people just find so much misery. However, going to the same ports that also require a ton of extra money, planning, and time, isn't always the most attractive option. Even less so with Freeport where you get dumped off where there's nothing to do. It's a nice option to venture off from the "cookie cutter area," but not always to be forced. However, I don't see myself getting sick of places HMC anytime soon. I've been to far less impressive beaches, many more times in my life, and I still enjoy them. I agree that a relaxing day at the beach is hugely underrated. Replacing Freeport/Nassau with Celebration Key is a huge value proposition to get me taking more 4 day/total cruises. Even more so if it's on an Excel class at a reasonable price.