Moviela

I am always concerned with safety. I thought the previous drills of dragging everyone out on deck to stand in the sun for an extended period whilst everyone aboard was rounded up was not contributing to the message of safety. I do think groups in theaters to demonstrate life vest and reporting places was helpful. The current system has reduced the full demonstration and instructions to scan-n-go. They show you a life vest and ask "any questions?" My favorite line is "This is a whistle. You may use it to attract attention. If you blow harder it will be louder." I feel a combination of the video on the ship and a live demo of the life vest WITH the chance to try it on should be offered. I feel also extra instruction should be offered to passengers with mobility issues, like where to leave the scooter when called to muster. Persons with children should demonstrate the ability to properly put the vest on their kids. I hope all the safety instruction is a waste of time, and never has to be used, but it an investment in a good future.

Mardi Gras has a few high limit machines with $100 pulls. Combo machines $5-15-50-100, your choice. Single payline. I did not play them. The machines were tighter than before the disaster. Indian casinos are looser, and off'strip in Vegas seem to be the most generous.

No. I know of no one who was made to stay aboard, and I did not hear an announcement about it. There was a not on the app to have your Vac cards with you. As I said no one asked for anything except sign and sail card to return to the ship.

I rather like the interiors of the public areas of Luminosa. Classic Italian styling. I think the reason the ship was moved to Carnival brand is the increase in Alaska and Australia routes. There is also the recession and inflation in Europe affecting leisure dollars. They did do some cabin rehab. I understand each state room received a brand new 2022 shower curtain.🚿

Your PVP can link any B2B cruise for you, even if you book the two a year apart. If you have the same room on both cruises you don't need to pack. If you are changing rooms, pack all bags and alert your steward. They will move everything to the new room. You must leave the ship with your passport and the B2B crew. They will escort the group to the terminal to be processed by customs. Now you simply stand in front of an Ipad and smile. 5 seconds later you head back to the ship and be the first aboard. If you wish to visit the port you can use a reboarding pass to return later. Have your ID and sign and sail card (the new one)

I sail with drinks everywhere so water is free for me, but I see huge price hikes from beverage suppliers, almost on the same day. A 12 pack of water that was $3.99 in Publix is now $7.99. Sodas have also gone way up. In CA a 12 pack of soda is over $9 with tax and deposit. Here is a tip, bring an aluminum insulated container and fill it at the bar or even in your room. The sink water is fine to drink.

LNG is readily available on the West Coast. There is a bi-directional train 15 miles North of Ensenada that is capable of unloading and filling ships. Ensenada is a popular stopping point for cruise ships, anyhow. In Port Canaveral there is no train. The Mardi Gras is refueled by a barge, and I assume Miami will service Celebration in the same manner. The barge was built in Wisconsin and gets the LNG from Elba Island, GA.

For Carnival Horizon, we received a glass key chain with the name laser etched inside the block of glass. On Panorama we received a replica ships coin.

Mardi Gras and forward. Mardi Gras also has cobra heads in the bars. Rumor was Red Frog had Coke in the Cobra because many people could not stand the taste of Rum & Pepsi.

My offers for drinks everywhere are for me an a companion on Elite cruises, but drinks everywhere on Jackpot deals and Plan now, Pay Later are drinks everywhere only for the person receiving the offer. However, my PVP uses the same offers my wife has so we both get drinks everywhere and some trunk money. We took one cruise not being aware of that, and had to be passing one card to "pay" for drinks. I wish they would not make so many different offers, and especially ones that hold out a perk to one pax, but none for the other.

I wish they would level with passengers when a port change is necessary. I was in San Juan two weeks ago on Mardi Gras. I did not notice any problems with the port, or ashore. We traveled out of the city sight seeing and did not see any trouble there. Seemed business as usual. Could be they are doing some work on the port, or the piers are needed to deliver infrastructure supplies, or there is too many ships to handle all the passengers, or Nassau made a financial contribution to get a large ship.

If you are at Disney World, you can go to the Crazy Cone Self Service laundry on site. Plenty of machines to do everything at once. Once and done, sail away with clean clothes.

None of the tickets have a name on them, anyone can use them.

I was in Grand Turk two weeks ago. No one asked us anything going ashore or returning. They do check your sign and sail card when entering the pier on the return. No one was wearing a mask. I took a cab to the "town" and had a nice chat with some locals.

One of the food and beverage managers on Miracle said he was promised new floors and carpet in the dining rooms. She is my next ship for our annual Hawaii cruise in November. Our recent trip to AK on Miracle did not seem to have any mechanical issues. Needs a little paint outside, but I did not see any serious cosmetic issues.

I ordered linguini on Mardi Gras last week. I got one clam in the shell, and 7 empty shells. Another item they call clam chowder is actually potato chowder with a clam waived over the pot while cooking. The free lobster on the first elegant night is limited to four per person. I had to order four because where I am from the ones served are called crawdads. I still see plates full of food being sent to the digester. I feel if you cannot nearly clean the plate don't order it.

I miss the blueberry pancakes. They hit the spot. and you didn't need to get there before noon. If you arrive after 11:30 they pull a face.

I am enjoying your review and photos. Mind if I join you on Tuesday? I am going to Miami the long way too. I am sorry you are getting pushback from the steward. They do work hard, but I found if you speak nicely and show some verbal reinforcement they will take care of you. Do not hesitate to call if you have any special request, like towels or ice. I am also shocked you accepted cold sirloin. There is not a waiter on the floor that would want to eat cold steak himself, and would be happy to replace it with a hot fresh plate. Keep up the good work.

Producing live stage shows are not as easy to do compared to 50 years ago when the music was live, lighting was done by a man with a dozen levers, and there were maybe 4 mics. Now you need a conductor to rehearse the band, record the entire musical component and turn it over to the audio chief. He mixes the music opening and ducking the sound depending on the voice actors and singers. Then the lighting designers have to block and set lights for each moment, and record the lighting cues so they execute in sync with the recorded band. Each of those people are very expensive, as is the director and hoofer wrangler. Then the cast needs to work with the recorded portions of the show. They learn the cues and where to dance. Only then can they step on stage. On the ship the technical director pushes a button and music, mics, & lights start. The cast comes to life and spends the next 30 to 45 minutes acting their little hearts outs. To keep it within budget they need the same show in many theaters for an extended time.

I would like to reflect on the filet on the old sea day menu as "Steak and Eggs." I enjoyed this the first time on Imagination in 2016. It was tender and delicious. I ordered a second one at the same seating. Later, the quality was still good, but not prime beef. On board Horizon in Europe, the filet might as well been marked "Neoprene" because it was tough to chew. At the restart I found the filet to be tough and with little flavor, even though properly cooked medium-rare to my liking. With the change to sirloin the flavor is much improved and only slightly less tender than the best of the filet. I see no reason to change my menu choice to chicken as the beef is most acceptable. I do know that currently food service suppliers are struggling to provide enough filet mignon to our four star eateries, and the price is higher than ever. The quality is not as good at prime and choice grades.

I will be the cruise of the year for Carnival. The ship looks beautiful. I am booked and looking forward to five ports in Japan. I figured since I have always wanted to see the Barrier Reef, why not stay aboard and do that. Just today I book a third cruise on Luminosa going to New Caledonia. A bucket list place for me. Nice trip. I will board once in Seattle, unpack, and live the life for 44 days before packing and flying back to the USA.

I find it helps to be a winner too. I never play enough to get noticed even by a bar tender. I did find my name on a list of people carrying 5K off the ship. After that I am getting cruises with drinks everywhere and my only expense is port fees and taxes plus the auto gratuities. I have no proof, but I believe the amount of time spent in the casino is also a measure that contributes to the score.

I was on Miracle in August and did not notice any operational problems. Speed was actually quite fast. We made all ports on time. One port was skipped due to medical emergency. The reason for the change might be port congestion, or unexpected port maintenance.

I've been at sea 7 times since March. My biggest worry is the Covid test, and greatest pleasure is the appreciation shown by the crew. Sure there are cut backs, shorter hours, sea day brunch menu changes, and some extended waits for service in the MDR. They are really nothing worthy of a complaint. The food has been great, the comedy funny, the production shows are college style, but still good. Bar service is a bit better, and bar tenders have some entertaining chatter. Embark, debark has been sensational. In San Francisco leaving my cabin to entering the Bay Bridge was 15 minutes! I know getting people is hard. My group was 130 people. Now it's 80.

A tiny one on deck 2 aft. It replaces a bar. They also ditched the cigar lounge. Smoking indoors is not allowed in Australia.