Honolulu Blue

I mentioned Guy's in one of my other posts above. Also, I don't recall seeing things like short ribs or prime rib on either Princess' dinner buffet or room service offering. They're probably available in the MDR and/or specialty restaurants, but I dodged those on my previous trips.

I believe @Super27was referring to the fact that most room service on CARNIVAL wasn't free anymore. Princess room service was mostly free on my two cruises with them. I don't know about weeping... I liked the grill burgers on Princess (both direct and through room service), but Guy's is in its own class, IMHO.

Thanks for sharing. I also have a cruise in November, but I haven't received this e-mail yet.

I've done 14 Carnival cruises pre-pandemic and two Princess cruises post-pandemic. Princess is all right, but I miss the Carnival crowd, some of its food, and its emphasis on FUN. But with what you're looking for, I think Princess would be a good fit for you, IMHO. Be sure to check out the thread that @LACruiser88linked in the post above. I was on the Majestic in April (though probably a different sailing than yours). I was never bored, though I tend to bring a lot of my own entertainment (books, videos, games). I'll agree that the crowd was... um... a little too laid back for my taste at times. And I didn't go to any of the production shows or see any of the music acts in the atrium, etc.

I like the printed newsletter. As others have mentioned, it's a great souvenir and sometimes it's easier to refer to it than whatever electronic device I'm using. I'll miss it if and when it goes.

I've done two cruises on Celebrity since the restart (one charter) and two on Princess (one themed cruise). I have two planned on Celebrity (including another charter) and one on Princess (another themed cruise). My opinions, worth about what you paid for them: Celebrity's food is better, but Princess isn't bad I've found Celebrity's buffet to be as straightforward an experience as possible, given protocols. Princess' buffet can be annoying at times. Celebrity's room service is decently fast, and the menu is solid. Princess' menu is more extensive and can be delivered quickly Celebrity's base Internet access is painfully slow, and the upgrade is expensive. I've found Princess to be far faster (YMMV - there are reports it doesn't work as well in certain locations) and not horribly expensive, especially with status. I found myself bumping into crowds much more on Princess The Celebrity app is fine, not too ambitious. Princess' Medallion is VERY ambitious. When it works, it's wonderful. But sometimes it doesn't work. I'll call it a tie. The decor on both in the rooms and the common areas is nice. I'll also call this one a tie. All my cabins on both lines had more space and storage than I could use. Another tie. I mostly ignored the entertainment on both, with some exceptions I'll explain below I really like the idea of Princess' themed cruises. It helps that I'm an 80s child. The one I went on was very nice with its tribute bands and trivia. Also nice was the fact that I didn't have to pay a bonus for it. I have another one scheduled for next April and wish I could go on more of them. One of my Celebrity cruises was a music-themed charter. That one I DID pay extra for. Overall, I like Celebrity better, but both lines have plenty of good things about them.

At least once I booked under a state discount (Michigan; I guess at that time they were looking for Michiganders, for whatever reason). And several times I've booked discounted rates based on my status with the cruise line (i.e., past cruises). It's random - especially the state discounts) - so I find it's always worth the few seconds it takes to tell them about my state/ID#/age.

Yes, this is indeed how markets work. BTW, if you really believe your favorite cruise line is heading for reorg, then you should dump your shares right now and short it to zero. P.S. I don't think Virgin Voyages is publicly held, so there's no easy way to buy it (or short it). I could be wrong. Disney IS publicly held, but the cruise line is a small part of their total operations.

OK, let's structure this as a bet: BY DECEMBER 31, 2023, WILL CARNIVAL CORPORATION, ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP, OR NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE HOLDINGS DECLARE BANKRUPTCY? YES +100 NO +100 I think the "NO" bet here would be the easiest money I'll ever make (talk to me privately if you want to be on the losing end 😛). Even at +200/-200, the no side is where you want to be, IMHO. I think there's maybe a 10-20% chance that any of them go busto by then. I'll briefly explain why: All the big, publicly held cruise lines are more or less in the same boat (pun not intended) - highly levered, running close to breakeven on a cash flow basis, holding lots of cash COVID-19 restrictions that have depressed passenger loads are almost gone Other than the cash on hand, the most valuable asset the cruise lines hold are the ships. And we all know how much they're worth when they have to be scrapped. I think their ability to borrow more $$$ or issue more shares isn't completely exhausted. At some interest rate, there are institutions that will buy anything. Note that I'm not saying that the cruise line stocks or bonds are a good bet. Both are highly speculative. But I think the best way out for the cruise lines is to generate as much cash as possible and not worry too much about their bonds or their share price.

From Carnival's FAQs: LAUNDRY SERVICE Self-Service Launderettes Self-service launderettes are located on staterooms decks. There are 2 or 3 washers, 2 or 3 dryers, and 1 iron and ironing board in each launderette. The cost is $3.50 USD per washer load and $3.50 USD per dryer load. For your convenience, if you have not packed your own, each launderette has a vending machine that dispenses small boxes of detergent and water softener at $2.00 USD per box. On most ships, the machines are operated using your Sail & Sign card for payment. On the following ships, only coins are accepted to operate the machine; change can be obtained at the Guest Service Desk, if needed: Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise. Self-Service Launderettes are featured on most ships with the exception of the following: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee and Mardi Gras do not have washers and dryers but have ironing rooms on several stateroom decks as well as Valet Laundry service. Carnival Luminosa does not have washers, dryers nor ironing rooms but does offer Valet Laundry service.

I've heard the "f bomb" on one of my Princess cruises. Just before the show in main theater one night, a member of the mask police angrily confronted an unmasked patron. Nasty words were said by both sides. This one could have easily degenerated into a brawl, but it didn't, and the parties settled down just before the start of the show. The show, a comedian, might have used the "f bomb" a time or two himself, but never mind. 😄 This was on the Regal Princess, a 5-day sailing at the end of November2021. Masks were mandatory in most indoor places at the time - including the main theater. There were signs and occasional announcements noting this.

The UDC sent an e-mail to me with some sweet news - KC and the Sunshine Band will be performing for us again this year! It can hardly be called a disco cruise without the leaders of the disco movement, IMHO. They put on a great show last year, and I'm looking forward to doing it all again. There are some twists this time. They'll be performing on our day 2, while we're in Key West. It's going to be in an amphitheater on land not too far from the ship. Obviously, all the guests on the cruise are invited, but will they sell tickets to anyone else? The e-mail is silent on this. There's only going to be one performance, at 1 PM. I know that's going to be early for some of my fellow party animals, but I like it just fine. I just wonder if there will be separate main theater concerts that day. It would almost be unfair to, say, Taylor Dayne, to have her follow up just a few hours after what will be a spectacular show.

UPDATE: I didn't make it. ☹️ It was a combination of bad weather and car trouble. Oh well. Life goes on, and so will my musical adventures.

I can't say that I have... not my generation. But I looked it up. It does look interesting. Thanks for sharing.

As others have said, it all depends on the definition of "rough seas". If by "rough" you mean "can feel the motion of the ocean in the cabin", "tough to walk normally", "promenade deck closed", "barf bags placed all over public areas", and/or "can see the waves pass over my window", then I've had rough seas on many of my cruises - if not a majority of them. But I've never been in the places with the toughest reputations, and I've never been close to a hurricane, so by the old salts' standards of "rough seas", I can't say that I've been in any.

While you're waiting for other replies that might help you more, let me tell you about the experience I had at the Miami International Hotel, inside the airport. TL,DR: small and dated rooms, not-so-hot service, can be expensive, but might meet your needs.

Thanks for the review. Both the muffin and the biscuit are $5 (plus 18% gratuity) now, which fits the theme of Carnival's great room service redo. P.S. Thanks to those that pointed out the chicken wings are not a new addition. I apologize for the misinformation.

You're not imagining things. Quoting from Carnival's e-mail announcing the room service (emphasis mine): We have been carefully watching guest patterns since our restart in July 2021, including food and dining preferences. As a result, we are updating our room service menu to add more options on an à la carte basis, while maintaining a complimentary breakfast offering each morning. These changes are consistent with trends across the industry, and also provide us opportunities to continue to work toward meeting our various sustainability goals, including food, water and energy reduction, while still giving our guests the option of 24/7 room service if they so choose.Effective with all cruises departing on or after October 1, 2022, we will be rolling out the expanded room service menu across our fleet. In addition to the complimentary breakfast selections, we will be adding choices which reflect what we believe will meet more guest preferences.

John Heald mentioned liking the chicken wings in his post. I think those are new. I'm too lazy to refer to my pre-pandemic RS menus (if I have them lying around somewhere), so I can't point out item by item what other items are new.

At the request of @ShakyBeef, I'm posting the thread I started with the new room service menus as announced by Brand Ambassador John Heald this morning:

UPDATE: Mr. Heald posted the new room service menu this morning. TL,DR: Continental breakfast still free (with some for-cost items remaining), everything else on the RS menu comes with a price tag, some items increased in price. I'm not sure how aggressively our masters are policing FB links these days, but Mr. Heald's post is there at his usual site (you might have to scroll down a bit for it). Also, I started a new thread with the menus on it:

As promised, Mr. Heald revealed the new room service menu that will be implemented fleetwide October 1. As expected, the continental breakfast remains complimentary. Also as expected, everything else on the menu has a price tag attached to it. Some prices are up from what I remember them to be pre-pandemic (e.g., philly cheesesteak sandwich up to $7 from $5, cookies up to $3 from $2/free). I'll attach the pictures of the menu that Mr. Heald so kindly provided:

UPDATE: I got my new bivalent booster on Friday. So far I haven't had any symptoms - not even a sore arm. I should note that I got the Pfizer dose this time around; my other three shots were from Moderna.

IMHO, flying in either Wednesday night or Thursday morning should be all right with no advantage to either. Your flights will all stay well away from Ian, and Miami will likely have seen the worst of it by Wednesday evening. Enjoy your cruise!

I'm subscribed to La Lido Loca (Tony) and Sharon at Sea. I haven't heard about any group activities for either of them for this cruise, but I haven't been checking too hard. This cruise is only a few months away and, IMHO, it's not too early to plan group activities. I suggest contacting your vlogger(s) of interest directly to see if they have anything planned. It might kick up some activity.