mz-s

I've never paid attention to the brand of ketchup restaurants offer. Are there strong opinions about ketchup brands? I know people will come to blows over their preferred brand of soda.

I basically wear pajamas 24/7 on Carnival and sometimes I feel overdressed.

What is more likely is the new VIFP program will be so useless nobody will pay attention to it anymore. Carnival has proven they don't need an appealing rewards program to fill their ships, they just have to cut prices and the quality of the product.

I laugh when people on here stress over if their "dressy" (whatever that means) shorts are acceptable...the reality is they'll feel overdressed when they actually get on the cruise if their clothes cover their thighs and clavicles.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1167/~/cloud-9-spa discusses the benefits of booking a spa cabin - only you can decide if it's worth the money for you. I have never heard of the spa offering comps or discounted fares like the casino does for example. I don't think that's a thing.

On all the ships I've been on, the saunas are free to access - you don't need a spa pass or a spa cabin.

I have never been colder or hotter on a ship than I was on Ecstasy - on the same floor but different cruises. So it just depends on the location and how they've set the temperature for the zone you're in.

Yes you can. And you do not have to buy alcohol with the P&D free drink. I often just order a Diet Pepsi. My wife gets a mimosa but like you said I don't want alcohol in the AM.

Not many cruises have half or more of the guests P&D.

You can wear whatever you want. They'll probably only say something if you try to wear beachwear, but even then you'd probably be fine because I see lots of bathing suits in the Lido buffet these days and nothing is done about it.

No, the VIFP program is entirely separate from your cruise ticket and they could do away with the VIFP program tomorrow in its entirety and you would have no recourse.

No, it was never the last sea day brunch until recently. I don't know exactly when it changed.

The cruise lines want more new cruisers, because new cruisers don't know what cruising used to be like with actual service and food that was better than Denny's.

You can look at menus here - specifically the Texas welcome menu: https://www.saintgregtravel.com/menus/

If you think this is brilliant, hold your hat because it's about to get even brilliant-er!

The Gold drink was originally a consolation given to them when they were removed from the past guest party. That is why it has less restrictions. The sea day brunch drink is given to P&D's in addition to the past guest party. Of course now that the past guest party is a shadow of its former self maybe it's time to eliminate it altogether. A free mimosa, a Wish.com fanny pack, and a few "bags" of free laundry aren't moving the needle.

Also new is the seaday brunch drink is only good on the last day of the cruise. What a joke. Why even have the perk at that point? How much does a bloody mary or mimosa actually cost them that they have to further restrict it. They should be ashamed.

Do they make as much as the casino operating as normal though? I guess that's the question.

That's a shame, while $25 didn't go far it was fun to have.

At a minimum they owe you a notification that they changed your cabin, and a refund of the difference in fare at the time of booking. Yes they can change your cabin selection at any time for any reason but they shouldn't be able to do it with no notification or compensation for the difference if a downgrade. As many of us learned during COVID though - Carnival's customer service when anything is out of the ordinary is extraordinarily frustrating.

It can be assigned any time between when you book the cruise and the time you arrive at the pier. Generally, 2-4 weeks is a good average as @jsglow said.

If you mean booking with a TA - you won't get a cheaper rate by doing that, but you can get some extras like the TA will pay your tips or give you a small onboard credit or something. Better than nothing.

Careful, I said that on here a few months ago and some people acted like I kicked their dog. Which I'm used to that on the Carnival board but still.

Nothing is normal anymore after 2020. This is the "new normal" Enjoy? You need to book much further out than 3 months if you want good deals.

This is not changing any time soon if ever.