mz-s

People have a multitude of reasons for waiting at guest services, and if they want to do it to remove gratuities then that is their right as long as Carnival calls the corporate subsidy "gratuities" and allows its removal. I personally do not buy into the emotional blackmail that accompanies the ever-increasing burden of tipping culture. I tip what I feel is appropriate for the service I receive. Not triggered at all here. Carnival's standard of service is so far below what it was just a few years ago I think the gratuity/service equilibrium is in need of correction, personally. And so when I sail, I correct it for my folio.

Read post 183.

That's a shame, the cakes used to be good.

And bacon, if you're cruising Carnival and eating at the buffet.

I agree but some on here act like it's tantamount to a tire fire.

Well there's a 50% chance on any given day, yeah? Better odds than any game in the casino.

It doesn't really matter why they were eliminated; the point is they're gone and without going on "bacation" first. Godspeed, sauteed mushrooms!

Back in the days of plenty some folks would order 5 or more lobster tails on elegant evening. I think the $5 charge was instituted for folks like that more than anything.

Congratulations?

That's just what they call it in the POS system, it's still Drinks on Us Everywhere in marketing materials. But maybe they plan on introducing more tiers of the DOU program in the future and this is the first step of that, we'll see.

The dining room does not serve lunch, only port day breakfast, sea day brunch, and dinner.

Still gone, not coming back from what I can tell sadly. I loved the mushrooms too.

No. You can get a "pig patty" (strips of bacon arranged into a patty) on your burger at the counter. Bacon bits and mushrooms are gone from the toppings bar.

the toppings bar is stocked as @hurricane0226 mentioned. If you want an onion ring or bacon on your burger you have to order it that way at the counter, those items aren't at the toppings bar.

you can probably get something of equal or greater quality for a few bucks on Temu or AlliExpress.

Everyone is all gung-ho to go until it comes time to pay. Too late now but never book rooms for other people. Give them the number for your travel agent or PVP and let them book their own room. It sounds like you won't end up with a refund or future cruise credit because the penalties for canceling will eat all the money you put down.

People didn't like Sierra Mist, so they reformulated it and changed the name to Starry. It's still not a replacement for 7 Up or Sprite in most people's opinions.

I think it depends on the ship and probably even the sailing. They served Sprite on a few cruises I was on in 2021/2022. But ever since Starry came out, that's all I've seen. YMMV

There will probably be fewer kids on an ABC cruise in the first place. As far as which is better it depends on what you value the most in your vacation. I would choose Celebrity for one reason - the casinos and all interiors are non-smoking. The rest of my feelings on the current state of Carnival's product are well-documented here, and there are many reasons why I'd prefer Celebrity over Carnival - but that one reason alone would push it over the mark for me personally. Everything seems cheaper on Carnival because it is. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Chat feature was released around the same time as the current wifi plans alongside the Hub app. It has always cost $5 per person for the duration of the cruise. It may have been free when it first released for a short period of time (like a beta test so to speak), I can't say for sure.

That's definitely the way to go. The price is very high.

Carnival has a deal with Art of Teas now, that's why they stopped carrying the other brands more than anything.

People are fed up with "tipping culture" and I really hope we are near the end of it.

I have spoken at length about the disgusting food I ate on my last Carnival cruise. It was so bad I knew people would accuse me of hyperbole. I am sorry that you realized it was the truth too late.

The special touches on Carnival are all gone. It may just be me but the overall vibe on Carnival is completely different than it was when I started cruising.