Joebucks

Personally, checking a website a couple of times is worth $94 to me. It would take a lot of people quite a few hours of work to make that.

Sales on drink packages or wifi by themselves, I'd say your chances are slim and none. Bundle offers for purchasing the fare and drinks together, saving some money overall, you have a better chance.

As much as I am against travel insurance, I say medjet is actually something of value. Especially if you are up in age, in poorer physical condition, etc. Those who have an American Express Platinum also have coverage for medical evac no matter how you purchased the vacation. Other cards have similar coverage if you purchase the cruise with the card.

Thanks for the review and sharing the menus. It has been difficult to find them for deco and miami slice. I am really excited for those, especially the deli. I want everything on the deco menu. With all of the lunch options onboard, I don't know how I am going to fit all of this in. For those who haven't had a sandwich on cuban bread, you are missing out.

I have been to Jiji and Steakhouse. Jiji was very good and relatively inexpensive for a different type of meal. I didn't hate the Steakhouse, but I didn't love it. Especially not at $96 a couple. I think in general, that steakhouses are a scam. Sure I enjoy going to one every so often for a special treat. More often than not, that $125+ bill wasn't worth it. I am also not a dessert person. So the "3 course" thing doesn't do it for me. I'm hoping to try 3 new things on my Celebration cruise, but I doubt I'll hit them all. Now with the awful strip loin in the MDR, I will likely finally have a reason to order the steakhouse selection surf and turf for $23. I also want to do bonsai for a quick snack one night. Finally, since cucina is included, I have to give it a shot too. I want that chicken parm.

Wanting a mass market price with everything included. Sounds pretty standard to what a lot of cruisers want, but that unicorn can be hard to find. The trap over "all-inclusive" can get you lost. Some lines have it. Some cost more than others. Some lines may offer it, but some people will have extreme FOMO because some restaurants may not be covered. Never mind that the overall options may be plenty. Some lines do dining packages, which may or may not be unlimited. I'd take some of the tips you get as ideas to play around and see what interests you. Don't take them as gospel. If you're looking for the secret line that gives you free steak, lobster, and top shelf liquor for under $1000pp, you may be disappointed.

I've seen people boast about how light they travel. Only to have a backpack and carry-on stuffed to the gills with almost as much stuff as they normally would have had. Maybe a shirt less and no toiletries.

Big profit for Carnival. It is a good idea for them to bring it back. There's no way I'm paying $150 for these things.

I disagree with those who say 6 day is not a good crowd. Even though it's a tad overblown, you are more likely to encounter the rowdy crowd enjoying a long 3-4 night weekend cruise. 6 is no different than 8.

Welcome to most bars across the world. I never trust the bartenders to know how to make a drink that's not on their menu, unless they are mixologists. Alchemy is your best bet to get a bartender that knows how to make stuff.

I disagree. I believe these are game-changers. For me at least. As much as I've enjoyed sailing Carnival, the ships were mostly the same and the experience was losing its magic. Even the Vista class didn't feel THAT much different than Dream and Conquest class. Between the extra zones, new atrium, new lunch and included dinner, it feels to me like a rejuvenated brand. There are many that hate change. They will find a new amenity or two they don't care for, and condemn the entire ship. Meanwhile, there's plenty of new stuff people are absolutely loving.

I recently returned from a 4 night in Cancun. Cancun is one of the most notorious "AI" land vacations as travelers think they are getting everything for free. When in reality, most people are just overpaying as they don't realize Mexico has low cost of food and drink, and maybe a bit of fear for some scared to leave the resort. Either way "it's convenient," whether or not you want to scarf down a bunch of coffees and froo froo drinks. Most people who found out I didn't do an AI just couldn't believe the horror. I didn't spend much more than $650 for the entire trip, if I even spent that much. I mean everything, flight, hotel, food, Coco Bongo, and drinks. Every corner has shops with beers for $1. Authentic tacos are also everywhere and around $5 for 3. If you prefer one experience over another, there's nothing wrong with that. There comes a point where paying 2-3x more as some sort of money savings isn't really a savings, regardless of how you feel. My bills aren't paid or investments growing because I tricked my vacation into being a single payment. It's still about the money spent. As much as I enjoy drinking, I've come to realize it is the center of thousands of dollars of bills, especially on vacation. Sure you can trick the system, trick your mind, trick whatever, but you're going to pay. Cocktails are the biggest profit in the food and drink business. Sure I enjoy some here and there. I don't need them all day, every day. I don't need to post pay or pre pay hundreds of thousands for them. The sooner I realized that, the more relaxed I became.

You haven't given us enough info. What kind of vacation are you looking for? Is the drive going to be 5 hours now or 16? Either way, I would lean heavily towards Mardi Gras. Especially with kids at that age, it is easier for them to get bored. Mardi Gras will make that harder.

We decided against the ship sponsored tour as it was "4 hours," leaving at time we didn't want to wait around for. The problem with those is you're on their time, not yours. Maybe you want to stay longer, maybe you don't. I know the trip to St John can seem intimidating, which leads people to the excursion, but it's not so bad to do on your own. There's nothing special about finding taxis and the ferry. And yes, it is 100% worth it. Definitely go.

Maybe "wealthy" isn't the right word. Maybe it is. I didn't mean to associate it like a Beverly Hills. Although, I believe the point still stands. At the very least, you could agree that they are well to do. Maine is a popular place for vacation homes, retirement, boating, etc. It's a beautiful place that avoids a lot of the hustle and bustle of the big cities and big tourism. Perhaps you as a retiree there could agree. I spent quite a bit of time on the East Coast these past two years. With a week in Ogunquit a few months ago. Data is also a good indicator, but doesn't tell the whole story. A property on the water can be 20x a house a mile inland. Median doesn't tell those stories. There's also data that isn't counted. Those are also numbers from 2016-2020. A lot has happened since.

This is why my bag never leaves my sight (when possible). Happened to me through Jetblue. Be thankful that it was at the end of vacation, not the beginning. I'm sure it will be found. Also funny when you praise Royal and hate on Carnival because of a simple mistake, when in reality, it could have been the same employee both times.

I think this is lots of good advice. People will do all sorts of things that are dangerous in port. ATV, scuba, waterfall tours, etc. Just be careful. Wear the appropriate attire. Don't go nuts on things you aren't familiar with. Accidents can still happen though. Obviously, not everyone can travel with a big CC limit. However, it's at least important to understand what's what. The whole "just get the insurance" leaves a lot of people with false hope.

https://www.movoto.com/bar-harbor-me/ Go ahead and look at the prices of properties for sale. You must not have ever been to New England cities near the shore. Those homes cannot be afforded on $68k household salaries.

Actually, it very much is they hate the individuals. Let's be honest, a cruise ship can bring many undesirable people that would otherwise never come to that city. I like how there's always two reasons behind this (sometimes three with "environment"). Usually it's "they don't spend anything" or "they overwhelm the city". So I guess they're all just standing in the street, bringing the cities' operations to a halt. The 1000 passenger limit is ensuring only the elite ships can come, with the customers with the most money. Think of the kind of citizens in these small, beach, towns. They are usually wealthy, and love the exclusivity of the town. They don't want you there. I'd like to see if you're still singing that same tune as populations continue to grow while more cities decide they don't want tourists. I mean, if given the choice, who WANTS tourism besides shops and restaurants? Cruise companies have a big problem to solve if this keeps happening. Fortunately for them, places like the Caribbean and Bahamas rely on tourism to survive. American towns are full of money and influence to keep you all out.

It's pretty exciting to me to have some new drink menus. As much as I love Alchemy, that same menu loses its magic after so many visits. Is there a menu for latitudes too? If I remember correctly, it's supposed to have different drinks from around the world?

Everyone's a humanitarian and job economist when "saving" cashier jobs. Aka the jobs that most businesses are struggling to fill anymore. This view only comes from a mild perturbance from having to "scan your own groceries". Personally, I absolutely love the self-checkout. I can get in and out in a minute or two. Meanwhile, the cashier lines will take forever as it almost never fails to be behind someone with a full cart, has questions about everything and its price, can't get their payment ready, etc. Saving 15 minutes in a line is easily worth me putting something in a bag in 2.

Curious what they ordered. I've heard lots of mixed things about Chibang. The biggest consensus seems to be that the Mexican side is awful, but the Chinese side is pretty good.

Unfortunately, when you are on the MG, you do not have the option to jump to a small ship if you want to see a show. I really don't understand why Carnival can't get the comedy club size right. While I like the bigger ships better, comedy certainly was a much better experience in the smaller ships. Carnival just needs to move it to the main theater, and be done with it.

I for one, welcome the use of tech in replacing lots of manual tasks (but not all). Making reservations or placing orders through an app, with a confirmation sent to you, has been infinitely more reliable that calling a number. Where you may wait on hold, one person may not understand the other, the order isn't saved. Leaves more room for error. "Who did you speak to? Oh you don't know?" It's also more convenient to digitally store and condense paperwork. Some people really get worked up about a lot of nothing.

I don't claim to be an expert on this. However, lots of people blame the water. I haven't seen any evidence of that. Most Google searches indicate it is related to dehydration and/or lack of activity As stated by the University of Michigan, “heat causes the blood vessels to expand (dilate), so body fluid moves into the hands or legs by gravity.”