Honolulu Blue

My two cents, worth even less than usual since it looks like the decision has already been made: I like all the cruises you picked, but I like the 6-day the least. GT is all right for what it is - mostly for beaches and watersports. I expect Celebration Key to be similar, with more amusement-park-like attractions. I've been to Amber Cove once (not on Carnival). It wasn't half bad. The port area has some little things to do, and the jungle around the DR promises some fun if you're into that sort of thing. I like Bonaire even though I don't snorkel. I do like "A" and "C" better and consider them two of the best islands to visit in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten is another favorite. I like San Juan. St. Thomas is all right. I've never been to HMC and I suspect I wouldn't much care for it. I did the Hawaii thing as a one-way trip from Vancouver for 11 days several years ago. Fun place. I'd like to go back sometime. The round trip makes the flight home easier, but it pushes up the price of the cruise and demands that I bring more entertainment along to fill in the gaps on all those sea days.

The short version of the R&R summary video is already up: I didn't see me or @George C. It's possible I missed one or the other of us. The concert footage went by quickly, but I'm pretty sure I was at that Cara Lee concert, and I think I was at that Lez Zeppelin show. The others I'm not so sure about; I think they preferred late concerts in this video. I always like watching these videos hoping to see myself or people I know. This year's TEC should have one out soon. I expect it to be longer than this, likely in the neighborhood of 4 minutes. And I expect a much longer summary video of R&R to come out in a few weeks or months. That one will be 30+ minutes. SPOILER ALERT: No one from SVL interviewed me on this cruise, so you won't be hearing any soundbites from me. Sorry this went a little longer than expected. These videos bring out some memories and thoughts.

It was the same for me here in Michigan, except I think I could do any number of deferrals (what they officially call extensions here) had I had valid excuses.

So, your district bought your vacation excuse too, eh? I suppose it's standard for most jurisdictions around the country. I'm glad you enjoyed my story about jury duty this week. Perhaps it might be a lesson to you, or perhaps wherever you are are either more organized or less than where I happen to be. I thought things moved rather efficiently and that it wasn't too painful. Just another thing I've done in my life. It wasn't terrible, but I hope I don't have to hurry back. I saw that Retromania Live link a couple of days ago. Since you brought it up, I might as well take a bit of time to discuss it. The lineup has a whole bunch of performers who have performed at TEC, or will be performing next year. Night Ranger was there in 2022, Lou Gramm last year, Stephen Pearcy this year, and Quiet Riot next year. In addition, Jesus Jones will be doing the Real Real Real thing on The 90s Cruise next year. And don't forget about KC and the Sunshine Band - they were on my UDCs in '22 and '23. I'm holding out hope he'll make it next year. There's lots of good stuff here. I'm tempted, but this is the weekend I plan to be in Columbus to swoon over Paula and catch a couple of other performers of less note.

Thanks for your comments as always, @NinS. On your last sentence, perhaps I can give some guidance. I was on a different music charter cruise last year hosted by a different company. We stopped at Key West and had a key performer do a land concert there. The concert location was about a mile from where we docked. We were offered free shuttles to the concert and back, though these were not required. The show didn't cost anything extra and we had our own section (the concert was available to the public, and they were seated separate from us). My guess is, if you're on this cruise, you'll be able to attend Mr. Carter's concert for free. I hope they provide ways to get there for free, because cabin prices for this cruise are expensive enough, IMHO. 🤑

I'm sorry for your experience out of San Juan. I was the one that said the kids are better behaved when sailing from there. I'll stand behind that. I've sailed from there half a dozen times and that's what I found. I realize everyone's experience is different. Perhaps I was just lucky. As for awkward experiences in the MDR, I would be thrilled if no one talked to me at meal time, whatever the reason. Again, I know I'm unusual that way and I apologize that you didn't get the MDR experience you wanted.

I find it interesting that Serenade is your favorite ship, because that is the next Royal ship I will be on early next year. It's a charter that's not going to Alaska. Perhaps I'll find some of the things that.impressed.you?

My opinion is that they are short on ships - both the new ones and ships in general. I think we all understand why all those Fantasy class ships were sold a few years ago, but everyone underestimated how rapidly and strongly the cruise industry came back from its shutdown. I think if they had some if those ships back, Carnival would put them to good, profitable use. Journeys cruises to and from San Juan... I did one from SJ some years ago that did a one way trip to Galveston, stopping at several ports along the way. I actually did the.trip the opposite way the previous year, but that one didn't count as a Journeys cruise because the concept had not been invented yet.

I think the newest ships are always going to get the weeklong runs up and down the Caribbean and Bahamas that are Carnival's staple. They might switch one to 5-4-5 day runs mostly in the Bahamas, or even 4-3-4-3 quick runs to private destinations (with Nassau every once in a while). My opinion is that Carnival dumped their very best itinerary - the Eastern Caribbean sailings out of sunny San Juan. I'm sure they had their reasons. 🤑 Other standout itineraries Carnival has remaining are (IMHO): The 14-day cruises that visit 7 or 8 ports that leave from Florida All the longer cruises that go deep into the Southern Caribbean (Cartagena, Panama, Costa Rica) The 8-day cruise that goes to two of the ABCs and two other ports 7-day Western Caribbean cruises that go to four ports from Florida. These used to be a Carnival staple but are becoming scarce - look it up if you dare. I did an 11-day cruise on Carnival several years ago that went between Vancouver and Honolulu, with some island stops in between. Mine had an overnight in Honolulu; there were other runs about that time that lasted 10 days and didn't have the overnight. I can't imagine running a cruise either way in 7 days or less; it takes 5 sea days just to get between Hawaii and BC.

All right, I'll play along, like I did last year: Mr. Sommer, when are the Broadway shows that were axed last year by NCL due to be replaced? Or will they ever be replaced?? Mr. Vago, in your view, how are the plans for MSC world domination going? Mr. Liberty, is your long-term goal the narrowing of the differences between cruising on Celebrity and cruising on Royal Caribbean? Mr. Liberty, when is construction due to start on Perfect Day at Lelepa? Mr. Weinstein, when is construction due to start on the dock at Half Moon Cay?

Thank you kindly. 😀 BTW, I was not asked to report today and will not have to report tomorrow. Jury duty for me seems to be done. Who knows when I'll get called again?

I have done some cruises on Princess and monitor the board here. All their ships have Starlink now, which helps. Most of the past complaints were about the Medallion app, which has been replaced. The speed is usually good, by cruise ship standards.

Assembling some perfect experiences on Carnival cruises: Breakfast at the trough that includes bacon. A no bacon day already takes the shine off perfection, IMHO. Arriving into port no earlier than 8 AM. Earlier stops are not good for me, I've found. On sea days, a Morning Show that's filled with prizes and easy-to-answer questions Music trivia with selections that seem to come straight off my playlist. Music trivia from the 80s and 90s seems to be my jam. If you see me approaching, beware. 😈 (Journeys cruises only) Horse racing. I think this is fun to watch, even though I've never laid a bet down. But then, I like horse races on land. (Journeys cruises only) The social media lecture. It's always interesting to see the lecturer's spin on this - from building a better blog, to being an intermediate FB user, to social media security... these always seem to be unique from cruise to cruise Ribs ribs ribs - Short ribs, prime rib, or BBQ ribs for dinner (wherever) is always a winner with me Winning a few bucks on those games of chance Coming back from wherever I've been to find the room perfectly cleaned and made up

I liked reading all these posts. Keep it up! I'll split this into two posts - one with a near perfect experience I had on a charter cruise that WAS NOT on Carnival, and one a combination of perfect experiences I've had on Carnival. OK, about that near perfect day on that charter cruise: Breakfast at the trough that's elevated from Carnival standards Hanging out somewhere quiet doing whatever Watching a concert by the pool stage around 10 More hanging around or retreating to the cabin Watching another concert either in the main theater or by the pool around noon or 1 PM Power nap if I have time Watching yet another concert by the pool either at 2 or 4 PM Sneaking in a simple dinner of a burger and fries. This part would be perfect if it were Guy's, but it's not. This wasn't a Carnival cruise, remember? A final concert in the main theater (or watching the main theater feed from my room) pumping out some more hot tunes from my youth

Two options if your persuasion skills are low (like mine): As @navybankerteacher said, 5g should be available soon after you arrive on disembarkation day, with free WiFi available at the airport. Not free, but on my last Celebrity cruise, I was offered 1 hour of Premium Internet at $25 and 24 hours for $50. An hour seems like plenty to just check in for a flight, but maybe you can find some use for the extra 23 hours.

Nothing to do with music, but I'd like to report on my experience with jury duty this morning. I reported to my appointed building. Yours truly and about 45 others were asked to report to a holding area where we were given instructions and general guidance about what was about to happen. An hour later, our judge, prosecutor, defense lawyer, and defendant (yes, it was a criminal case) showed up on the screen. Fourteen numbers were pulled, which made up the initial jury box. They got to go to the courtroom. Ten more numbers were pulled to be backups. They had separate seating in the courtroom. Many questions were asked by the judge, prosecutor, and defense lawyer. Some of the answers were disqualifying on the spot. Some of the potential jurors were excused by both lawyers based on their answers and other things. They ran out of backups and dug for 10 more. I was in this group of 10, having dodged the first two groups. So I got to go to the courtroom and watch the proceedings live. Still more questions were asked and one more person was picked from the backup pool to sit on the potential jury. It happened to be the guy sitting next to me. More questions and finally the lawyers on both sides decided they had enough jury strikes and found a 14-man lineup they could live with. For me, this ended jury duty for the day. I was told to call them and not to wait for a call from them. A little birdie told me that with what happened today and Friday being an off day for us (Good Friday), that it would be unlikely I would be called for another round of this this week. We shall see. I apologize for telling this story. I promise I'll have some more music and cruise related content soon. In the meantime, how about a picture of Jason Scheff of Generation Radio? I'd sure like to see him and his new band sometime - even if I have to suffer through a few Rascal Flatts songs to do so.

I would choose a full Journeys cruise over a B2B any day of the week. Not that a B2B is bad (I hope to get on one eventually), but they do have some cons - turnaround day(s), same ol' ports, same ol' menus, similar entertainment, more kids, and a possibly rowdier crowd. I've done 7 Journeys cruises since Christine signed off on them several years ago. I generally agree with most of the pros and cons my colleagues have listed. The Journeys cruise @firefly333 described above was my last Journeys cruise, one we shared (though we didn't meet onboard). My story is considerably different than her story. I wrote about what happened to me in my live thread linked below. Give it a look if you've got some hours to spare. 🙂

More small notes: According to an Internet rumor, the UDC is about 80% sold out. I got the news by text, e-mail, and phone message - I have to report for jury duty tomorrow morning. I have the usual mixed emotions on this. We'll see what happens on the morrow.

I was recently on the Summit which had an adults-only sailing. I can't recall if it was 18+ or 21+. This was a charter sailing and the age limit was set by the chartering company. The Summit is a popular ship to be chartered and many, if not most, charters are adults only. I have no opinion on whether Celebrity should designate more routes or entire ships as adults only.

I've done seven of them. They're a lot of fun and offer plenty of everything else I want in a cruise.

To be brief: * As others have mentioned, Carnival is all about FUN. They have lots of fun activities onboard (IMHO) and attract passengers who like to have fun. * The Journeys cruises Carnival offers really are different from what other cruise lines offer and are especially attractive to me.

Quickie notes; apologies for any duplication: San Juan, PR: More Latinos, fewer kids, better behaved kids, somewhat better dressed, more dance classes, nightclub venues more crowded, ship busier late night Galveston, TX: Lots of Texans, friendlier, more open, more country music I haven't found anything notable about any of the Florida ports, San Pedro, or Vancouver.

Take 'em to the brig. If that doesn't scare the kids and set expectations for the parents, then they're both beyond hope.

Early June might be all right, since some school districts are still working until then. Late August is probably safer, for reasons mentioned by other posters.

Sadly, yes. I was recently on a themed cruise that was HUGE into decorated cabin doors (they even had a contest awarding $$$ to the winners). I heard multiple reports on their FB page that the decorations of others had been damaged, vandalized, stolen, or destroyed. 🤬