mz-s

True, launching a boat in Nassau or doing the e-muster process we have now is nothing like an actual emergency...I pray this e-muster is never put to the test, but eventually it will be and frankly I think it will be found wanting to say the least...

no dedicated gallery, they will set up the art in the limelight lounge for the auctions generally.

I see what you mean. I'd like to think crew will be better equipped when the inevitable happens because they do so many drills. How often have we seen crew launch a life boat while docked in Nassau etc.

Only priority guests should be in the cabin corridors until rooms are ready. So no, not everybody can drop off luggage early. Most likely nobody is going to stop you if you drop off your luggage even if you’re not priority. It’s up to each individual guest’s morality.

I do love the convenience of the current e-muster process but I can't help but wonder that you're right and we are a disaster away from realizing it all too well.

There is no solution to it, it's just a weakness in the system. There are always going to be people like that and it's just how it is. The solution is to move to a model like Virgin Voyages where there is no need to tip or pay gratuities at all.

A mandatory gratuity isn't a gratuity, it's a service charge or a tax. And those have to be disclosed in the booking process (like the port fees and taxes) which makes the cruise more expensive, so that's why these things are broken out as optional gratuities in the cruise industry with most lines.

I imagine that midship is much different than aft or forward on deck 1, you're far enough away from the thrusters you shouldn't hear much. And of course each deck you go up the less and less chance you'll hear/feel anything at all. I typically prefer to stay on decks closer to the casino and Lido so I'm less elevator-dependent as well, but when I'm booking last-minute or just want to be on the ship and don't really care where I stay, I'm OK with staying on deck 1.

I stayed in one of the last rooms on deck 1 of Sunshine, as far aft as you can go - I think I was in room 1630 or something like that if you want to look it up on the deck plan. The noise from the engines wasn't too bad really. And I didn't notice any really bad vibration either. The only issue was the thrusters and ropes when docking. That was quite loud and jarring, but only lasted for a few minutes during each docking/undocking operation. The bad thing is docking was typically done fairly early in the morning, so it was a free alarm clock. All things considered I'd stay on deck 1 again, but only if the room was considerably cheaper than other options, or if it was a last minute booking and I didn't really have another choice (which was the case when I stayed on deck 1 on Sunshine).

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

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I doubt these things will ever be delivered to us automatically again.

plenty of ways to shank somebody on a Carnival cruise without needing to use a wine opener

cruise director's jobs these days are to be insufferable I think. to that end they're all doing a great job it seems.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. That is investment advice but it applies in many aspects of life...

I would hope that's next.

doesn't really matter how well behaved the kids may be, they're not allowed in the aft pool or hot tubs. Carnival has a major struggle with adult behavior, as we are all well aware. Not particularly relevant to this discussion however.

I'd rather be on Celebration and go to San Juan, St. Thomas, and Amber Cove.

looks like you can easily take the logo patch off if you want...

yes they are fairly stingy with the premium liquors...if you want a premium drink made strong, you'd want to go on a ship with an Alchemy bar. Sadly Paradise is one of the few ships without an Alchemy for some reason. FWIW they use such a strong mixer with margaritas for example, there is no reason to get premium liquor. Just get the well liquor, it will taste pretty much the same. It's not like Carnival uses the bottom shelf plastic bottle liquor from the liquor store. Their "well" tequila is still pretty good.

yes and you only get 1 shot in a patron margarita for example...

As I understand it, the main casino still has smoking and nonsmoking sections as always. It's just that they've taken previously underutilized space and made it a fully nonsmoking casino, and gone the extra mile and outfitted it with a bar, cashier, etc. The Magic also has similar, I'm excited to try it out when I board Magic over Labor Day later on this year.

It's a good time for all of us to think about the things that we usually take on cruises. My wife always cruises with cuticle scissors, would they be allowed? etc. As you said being able to board with something and actually having it allowed are two different matters. Thank you for the reminder.

I predict we will never need our COVID 19 vaccine cards again. I am prepared to eat my hat if I am proven wrong.

Hope you have a great time @BarbieGee I know you have been looking forwards to this cruise for a long time.