Cruise, J.D.

I understand what you are saying, and I don't look forward to a lesser experience, but maybe it is a quest for survival, considering the debt they had to take on during the pandemic lockdowns. We want the industry to survive, right?

Thanks for the report. The staffing issues are worrisome. Outside of a few isolated experiences over the years, I've always enjoyed the friendliness of Carnival employees.

Yeah, I'm not sure what you expect them to do. The mitigation measures would be closing and/or restricting venues and requiring masks. I would not want venues restricted and/or closed and enforced mask wearing all over the ship on my cruise. I just assume I'm going to get exposed to Covid when in public places with other people. It's been that way for 2 years now.

Based on my experiences, yes to your questions re: your husband. Technically, he should wear a "dress shirt" on elegant night according to the dress code, but it's not strictly enforced.

Extra tipping is completely up to you. Our practice is to tip the room steward extra if we request extra things or the room steward provides extra service (ice requests, extra towels, etc.). There is an auto 18% gratuity added to drink orders. Again, we tip extra depending on the circumstances and service provided.

Thank you for your report. Did you happen to notice if snorkel equipment was available to rent there or nearby?

I've looked into this as well. There are a few options: Luggage Hero (spots throughout Miami), Luggage Lounge (South Beach), and the airport. The airport rates looked high to me, but it has the convenience of being where you have to go anyways.

I'd look into a bag you can attach to your carry on if you need extra room.

I would just consider using the airport. Dealing with the luggage and multiple stops (restaurant, liquor store) before heading to the cruise terminal seems like a lot of hassle.

The cruise lines fought hard for the closed-loop cruise exception. The original proposed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative rule would have required a passport. It's not hard to figure out why they wanted the exception. It would significantly add to the cost of a cruise. For example, think about the cost of passports for a family of 4 going on a cheap 5 day cruise. It doesn't make sense. The exception keeps the cruise lines on comparable footing versus domestic land-based vacations.

You can also skip to the part in which you choose your arrival time at the terminal, do that, close out and go to bed, and then finish at your leisure.

They did for us in December on the Glory. We went to Guest Services and were escorted by elevator to the debark area. I'm pretty sure absent other instructions you go to Guest Services first.

That was the old system. You could avoid the 15 drink limit of Cheers by paying out-of-pocket. As far as I know, there was no limit on purchased rounds (other than being cutoff due to behavior). People would do this for themselves, but also to buy rounds for others. Which leads me to the question: How do they handle buying a round for friends under the current system?

Just curious, how do they count a bottle of wine? I thought in the past it didn't count towards a drink total.

We were there on the Glory at the same time as the Mardi Gras and there were literally no beach chairs available when we got to the beach by late morning. I couldn't believe how crowded it was. We finally found a spot at a picnic table at the end of beach area.

Try this thread. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2841843-lodging-ideas-in-miami/

Cucina is still open on sea days for lunch.

Yeah, it's pretty common in land-based casinos. But like I said, I've only seen it once on a Carnival ship, and that was in 2009 on the Glory. Just curious, when did you see it on the Sunshine?

My knowledge of Carnival: BJ $6 min, 6:5, CSM $25, 3:2 (reported, not seen myself) Craps $5 min (don't know about the odds limits)

Do you mean electronic/video blackjack? I've seen it one time a long time ago, but not recently.

Resort for a Day offers day passes for Aruba. Aruba All Inclusive Resort Day Pass & Shore Excursions (resortforaday.com) Aruba also has a good public bus system that will get you to the beaches. The bus terminal is near the cruise terminal. Aruba Bus Schedule - Bus Map & Bus Routes | Aruba.com We will be there in late June and are planning on going to Arashi Beach.

Thank you for the great review!

Emeril's looks so good! I can't believe all the reports that it is not busy. Enjoying your review!

I don't think you have a reservation. When you make the reservation it is added to your shopping cart and then you must proceed to checkout and pay for the reservation.

Your pictures are great! Enjoying your review.