jetsfan58

17 hours ago, M&A said:

But they have.  P&O is a Carnival line and have lifted the pre-cruise testing for sailings.  So what is the difference between P&O sailing out of the UK to European ports and the Carnival Pride sailing out of UK ports?

Everybody is looking at the Carnival Corporation as a whole. One entity will not eliminate the fact that number one needs to get this situation right. It's tough being number one but to remain there you have very little margin of error. The World is looking at Carnival not P&O.

3 minutes ago, TheSeagoer said:

The agency updated its website on Monday with a notice that read, “As of July 18, 2022, CDC’s Covid-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect and this page will no longer be updated.”

I totally understand the announcement and all points thereafter. To me the CDC is saying that we have completed our mission of alerting and trying to keep everyone safe. They realize that new Virus strains are appearing each day. They also are totally behind the success of the Industry.

They are also saying "It's now in your Court". You (Cruise Industry) are sailing solo in your future decisions; you will either do what's right for the future of the Cruise Industry or you will choose to do what's right for the current moment?   

7 minutes ago, TheSeagoer said:

CDC dropped the requirements, so why continue?

CDC only suggest. They don't mandate.

I personally haven't seen the cruise leave anyone behind during the initial boarding process. We have actually waited for passengers (some of them were first time cruisers, Platinum and Diamond) who were delayed and contacted the ship. We left about an hour late that day. 

Doesn't matter when you board just learn to enjoy the voyage!!! 

10 minutes ago, TheSeagoer said:

Every other business has dropped it so why only cruises?

Because traditionally Cruise Company's have not been on the "Bail Out" list. They are mandated to fend for themselves. Now when and if they get the "Old Chrysler Bail Out Dollars" their eagerness to rush things might increase. 

You are missing the point that there are no like personalities. Each Cruise Director has a special talent that differentiates them from their counterparts. 

We have had many fabulous Carnival Cruise Directors who went out of their way to make sure we had a great cruise. Your day will come!

7 minutes ago, KendallGator said:

 

I do believe vaccines make us safer. Those should be kept for the time being. I'm having trouble understanding how testing three days before boarding makes us safer when after testing I'm allowed to hop on a plane, go to a ballgame, tour the city of departure and then go into the ship without another test. If this step really made us safer, I would have a different thought process. I'm under no illusion my chances of catching COVID or the flu when on a ship for 7 days is very high. I'm counting on my overall health and vaccination status makes me safer. If I were unhealthy or at an old age, I would not attend a ballgame with 90,000 other people. 

Thanks for the great points made. I have family members that are Medical professionals. They are all still wondering how family members that never venture out of their homes (even to check the mail) can be diagnosed with Covid? So your point is well taken.   

The underlying issue is that we are rarely on a flight for 5 to 7 days at a time. Cruising provides a very high probability of Covid spreading rapidly; just by the mere fact that we are all in close proximity/quarters for a much longer and extended timeframe.   

The 72 hour testing period does not guarantee safety but it does guarantee at that particular time anyone showing symptoms will not be able to board. We haven't discussed this in a while but what about the cruisers that are trying to buy fake covid vaccine cards? Carnival will not lift the mandates until all possibilities have been discussed.   

1 hour ago, KendallGator said:

They are BLEEDING money. They had to dilute their shares to raise an emergency $1 billion. The wait and see if over. If they wait to see if travelers will go elsewhere, and they have and will continue to do so, they will go out of business. We are past optics. I understand trying to err on the side of safety. If you can really tell me having 3,000 people test three days before boarding only to hop in sealed metal tubes to fly into port means anything, then I would love to hear your side. Never has this industry been on the verge of bankruptcy then now. It's time to act or your staff will be looking for new jobs in a different industry.

I certainly hear and get your points. This process can't be rushed. Cash is still king and we know how hard that entity is to garner and maintain. 

The industry will probably not withstand another 2 year shut down. I would much rather wait on a viable solution that rush to keep my passengers from jumping ship to other cruise lines. We all know that this situation is very serious. We also know that there are many factors that should be considered. I just don't think that rushing to keep your customer base "happy but possibly less safe" is the correct strategy.    

I truly hope that I am way off base here. I just think that Carnival has many potential outcomes to ponder; and that will take some time.

3 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Although you don't anticipate this happening, you're saying Carnival would abandon their total focus on pax and crew safety if revenue begins to fall due to pax choosing a different line?  Doesn't sound totally focused to me.

No. I am saying that traditionally the number one Cruise Line or top ranked Corporate organizations would lead in the nuisance process. Neither Carnival or Royal wants another Covid shutdown. Therefore they both will wait to see the interim outcomes of these competitors.

Carnival could probably announce the lifting of the mandate tomorrow. However the issue remains how to keep us all safe and what mandates need to be kept in place? These are not rogue company's. They have much more at stake than these smaller cruise entities.

It will certainly be a welcomed sight to see the mandate lifted. I just don't foresee it happening very soon. Hopefully I am wrong!    

We just drink the wine we like with each meal. Keep life simple! 

Can't speak for the Carnival Pride sailing in Europe but it was one of our favorite ships when it sailed from Baltimore USA!

We switched from the formalized 6:00 PM early seating to the more traditional anytime dining because family members all have different dining preferences. Those with small children preferred the early seating, the family millennials preferred the later seating and the remaining members had no preference.  

So we all compromised (try to get 20 to 30 cruisers to do that task) and now we eat when we eat!

We discovered on our last Cruise that they do serve fresh Arepas corn and cheese cakes!

The total focus remains stayed on passenger and crew safety. The only way Carnival will eliminate the pre cruise testing is that if their revenue starts to decrease due to passengers switching to Virgin, etc. 

Because of the value added pricing for Carnival I really don't predict that happening. Carnival and Royal are still playing the wait and see game. If Virgin and these other lines have a reported "massive Covid breakout" then that will again shut down their Cruises. Nobody wants to see that happen again. 

Be patient and continue to get tested so we can all continue to enjoy our Carnival Cruise passion!  

Have cruised on the Carnival Ecstasy but not out of Mobile. I personally go to the deli and order a sandwich. It seems to always be less crowded even though you have the adjacent buffet crowd. I am not a big fan of Guys or the Blue Iguana so I can't speak to those venues.    

I try and not be selfish and allow the stewards to complete their jobs. How would we feel if someone abruptly just entered your office while you were on a teleconference? Same scenario here.

Let's just learn to be patient and allow these hard working individuals to complete their assignments.     

Be careful as it appears that the self debarkation is taking longer and longer. Last Cruise we got off at 10:30 AM

49 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

I wasn't particularly interested in Alaska, either.  But I decided that I really needed to start going to some new places.  I mean, I love the Caribbean, but I don't need to sail there 3-4 times a year.

 

I want to see some of the rest of the world.  And Alaska was absolutely beautiful.  We had fantastic weather on the first leg (warm and sunny for most of the cruise).  The second week was cooler with a little rain.  Yes, it was pretty cold out on the decks, but the scenery was just incredible.  I'm very glad I went.  Of course, it helped that I went on "free" casino offers.

 

HAL has been sailing to Alaska for 75 years.  That's 25 years longer than Carnival has been in existence.

 

And, no, not everyone on HAL is over 80.  Yes, the demographic is different from Carnival.  I'm OK with that.  I don't need FUN FUN FUN shoved down my throat.  I've never needed that.  Some of us cruise to relax.  I always manage to find plenty to keep me entertained.  As I already posted, the live music on HAL is top-notch.  The BB Kings bands are The Best live bands.

 

Non-smoking casino is a huge YES for me.  But there were times when the casino was very quiet.  Again, that's fine by me.   I'm not in the casino to party!

I still have visions of cruising in warmer weather all year round. My vision of Alaska is cruising with a Coat, socks, sweaters and long pants. After being in Corporate America for decades the flipflops and shorts are just fine with me.

Maybe one day Alaska will call and I will answer. Just no plans for that part of Cruising any time soon.  

Not being insensitive here but the rooms are ready when they are ready. Please give the room stewards and their crew time to thoroughly sanitize and clean the rooms. Helps protect us all.  

Our status should have nothing to do with the rooms being ready. They should be ready when the Head of Room Services says so. 

Slow down folks and just enjoy the Journey!

Very nice time of year to Carnival Cruise. We cruised several times during the week before Christmas. Many festivities and they gave away Christmas trinkets to all passengers. 

Sailed Royal Caribbean once and have never returned. I will continue my decades plus of Carnival enjoyment. I keep hearing about these Alaska but that one is not on the bucket list.   

20 minutes ago, Drazil65 said:

Thank you very much to all of you with the must-have balconies - you are a reason why we can sometimes get our insides and oceanviews so cheap

 

LOL.. Our pleasure, glad we can help (and you're welcome)!  

Don't forget to mention that the money savings also adds up to many more inside Carnival cruises! 

In the big scheme of things Carnival provides staggered arrival and boarding times for order, process and civility reasons. Whatever time our boarding passes have that is the time we always arrive. 

We are all leaving the Port at the same time, they packed enough Guys Burgers for everyone and we will all arrive back at the Port at the same time.  

Slow Down and Enjoy the Voyage!  

4 hours ago, jsglow said:

I find the 'balcony' answer interesting.  No wonder the older Fantasy class ships have to go away.  Sunshine class and Spirit class completely changed that dynamic for what appears to be a very large cruising segment.  My guess is they'll be around for many years.

 

We're in the minority, I suppose.  The price differential between an OV and a Balc needs to be very skinny for us to upgrade.  Sure I like a Balc.  But not enough usually to pay for it. Sometime we should try an Inside again but the extra space of the OV seemingly makes a big difference to us. Sail on.

We solved the issue many years ago; we are inside only and love the money savings!

Be aware that the system sometimes gets so overloaded with everyone jockeying at midnight to get the check-in completed. I have had relatives who have had to reboot and restart several times before completing the process.

Just giving you a valuable heads up!