BlerkOne

Will be interesting, because all Carnival can do is estimate the port taxes and fees. They can't control them. Or any possible fuel surcharges in the future. It seems like much ado about nothing for cruises. Only first time cruisers night not know about port taxes etc.

except for embarkation day...

You can cancel for any reason. The normal cancellation penalties would apply and the insurance would reimburse for those. The rest Princess would refund to the the source of payments. If you used gift cards, they would put the money back on the gift cards. Your only loss would be the cost of the insurance.

I have not taken the tour, but YouTube has at least a couple of videos on what must be the same tour.

If having an open mind makes me a cheerleader, guilty

Too easy.

Thank you. Pictures certainly clear some things up. Looks good to me

I didn't notice any chaos in the pictures. Or lines. I think likely there is a learning curve on something that just started. There certainly seems to be resentment by some on the change, perhaps coupled with the propulsion issues. The Lido location is the same as what the steakhouse had, common kitchen and all Personally, I like the looks of the menu and am looking forward to trying.

Sharing a kitchen makes sense, don't ya think? But that is much different than sharing a buffet line.

I doubt the sides and salads are at the same buffet the common people use.

no problem checking in at 11pm my time.

I think it is possible. Installing Starlink doesn't upgrade the rest of the ship infrastructure - number of access points, etc. I have found speeds can vary greatly moving around a ship.

Starlink is on all the ships https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carnival-corporation-rolls-out-spacexs-innovative-starlink

Get it up to 8 cabins and get group rates and perks via the Carnival Groups Department.

Not on the recent Glory Transatlantic.

https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-announces-enhancements-for-next-ship-in-dry-dock/131927

Yes, I noticed that thread but haven't read everything. Sapphire is the ship scheduled for Antarctica cruises starting in December. A little concerning, but I can't do much about that. But a cruiser has to eat... 🙂

is says coming soon... Any menus out there from Diamond? It’s dining with a side of excitement at the all-new Churrascaria Brazilian Grill. Quality meats boasting bold South American flavors are cooked to perfection in the tasty tradition of grilling churrasco style. Then our servers present these flavorful cuts on vertical skewers — and hand-carve them right onto your plate. Filet mignon, barbecued pork ribs, leg of lamb ... enjoy them all. Connect, sip Brazilian-inspired cocktails and get ready for a meal you’ll savor. Available on Diamond Princess® and coming soon to Sapphire Princess®

I think there might be a special guest, but no fanfare associated. I know there was nothing after the recent Carnival Glory dry dock.

or maybe call the Diamond Desk...

One time we had one made FOR the matre d' (his assistant was the co-conspirator in this case) (it wasn't his birthday or probably the right age).

Tell the maitre d' what kind of cake you want and offer to pay for it. Something that will make the other cruisers jealous. We've done that before.

If you don't like sea days, you might as well do a land vacation.

Bingo. I have yet to go on any cruise ship and experience a bad cruise.

Plans have been modified but looks like something is going to happen. Don't want to jinx it. But coming soon.