RollingMeadows

It's hit or miss for me. Sometimes I get the credit without a hitch and sometimes it's a complete mess. I never got my OBC on my last cruise, but that was a statement problem on my part. So, it was a miss. My next cruise I got the approval within 24 hours.

On our last 7-day cruise DH and I each had a carry on. I carried mine on and he chose to turn his over to the porter. On my next solo cruise, another 7-day, I'll again have a carry-on and a slouch bag for my wallet, passport and so forth. The slouch bag doubles as my poolside bag. I bring either a black skirt or a little black dress to wear on elegant night. I don't dress up or wear make-up or spend an hour on my hair anymore, but I do dress respectfully and wear my nicer earrings. I got tired of dragging the kitchen sink with me. I started packing lighter and lighter and now I'm a minimalist. No regrets.

Was there weather? I know they'll close the ramp if there's lightening in the area. Otherwise, that was a heck of a union break!

I tried two browsers and can't see the photos. I can see the first couple from the pier, but not the rest. I love that the Guy's crew tried to make veggie burgers. These folks try so hard for us all and God love 'em. I also Joey was great! I didn't realize Lee Mason went to the Mardi Gras, but I just did like his replacement. Enjoying your review, if not the photos (😪), and look forward to more.

The last CT I attended there was a large family group took up most of the space at the table. At first I was annoyed at their family chatter, but I kind of forced myself to just have fun and delight in their delight. It worked, I started to talk to the mom and dad and learned so much about their family and home town. I had to change me instead of them. It turned out OK.

What you experienced is not new or surprising. The cheapest fare always comes with a risk and cruisers eventually figure this out. I know I did. 🙂

https://profcruise.com/new-carnival-menus-updated-may-2022/

I was on the Panorama a couple of weeks ago. This was after the menu changes. We had Tea Time on sea days and steak and eggs on the brunch menu. No Cantina burger, though. *crying*

I'm changing my answer. 🙂 I'm 21 sea days from diamond. We've quit going to the platinum party and I don't know that we'd make an effort to attend every diamond party. Might be that the diamond parties are much nicer and if that's the case I'm sure it's something we both look forward to attending. On the flip side, I can see cutting back on these benefits on the short and cheap cruises. This is what I mean when I say I don't cruise for the benefits, though I sure like some of them. The laundry comes to mind. It seems the ONLY additional benefit of any meaning for diamonds, other than the initial benefits of a free dinner and upgrade, would be the nicer cocktail party. I don't drink, but if the party is a step up, that's something I'd learn to appreciate pretty quickly.

We've been on the Miracle and the Panorama over the past year. My expectations of the line of dropped quite a bit, but that doesn't mean I dislike the line. It means I like it even more since I pack less and more casually. I'll be back on the Panorama in August for another solo trip. I don't cruise for benefits, which is probably why we like to cruise other lines so much.

If I were active duty, my home port would be Long Beach and my assigned ship would be the Panorama. It's not perfect, but it's Carnival and it's good enough for me. We'll be in the pack of passengers waiting to board as you get off. We even have the exact same room as last time, so maybe the steward will still be there and assigned to us. If he is, we're so unmemorable he'll have no memory of it. 🤭 I've had cruises from heck and it sounds like this one was such a cruise for you. Hang in. I hope it gets better.