ProgRockCruiser

49 minutes ago, dlphn501 said:

This is the stupidest thing I've ever read.  I get it's a prohibited item on board.  But as someone else mentioned, so are scissors.  How many people have small scissors in their bag on the daily and don't even think about it?  Maybe she has an Rx for it.  And if she does it's even more stupid.  "Yes, you may bring Oxy on board no problem, but please leave your pain relieving gummy bears at home" *eye roll*

 

Before people come at me, I am adding that I know most people don't have an Rx for it and just try to sneak it on.  But many people do.  Also adding that I am none of these people, but I do still have an opinion.

Scissors are banned because they are (in theory) a weapon, not because they are illegal in a potential port of call.  I can buy scissors in the ports, I can buy scissors in Florida, and DC, and Seattle.  I just can't/shouldn't bring them aboard.  They'll confiscate them, not toss you from the ship for possessing them because they aren't illegal.

CBD is not allowed because (Carnival says) it is banned in one or more potential ports of call, and/or the International Maritime Law topic that @chengkp75 says would apply even if legal everywhere else (unless/until the IMO moved to align, if a valid reason to do so).

And I bet the response from the woman involved wasn't just a polite "oh, I'm sorry, I got them at the drug store/grocery" (which might have gotten her a similarly polite "ok, don't bring them again, go on your way and board" response), instead she was probably ornery, claimed her special privileges, and Got What She Deserved.  xref dorks in FL who recently got arrested while claiming Sovereign Citizen status.  Being middle-aged does not bring wisdom to all.

25 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

I know some people enjoy the libraries but honestly, it's becoming an antiquated space. Most people use their phone or a Kindle or other tablet device to read. It's much easier to download 100 books on your device to read. I bet it's been 30 years since I've been into a library on land, yet alone a ship. 

You can still reserve the room space and call it a "reading room" that happens to come pre-populated with a variety of books for those that don't have an e-reading device. The intent is met for those that bring their own device, and for those that don't there may be something to browse through.

I don't like reading on tablets, etc - I will read on my desktop, but mostly information-gathering-wise, like here in forums or Wikis etc.  So I still buy physical books, preferably hardcovers that will last (vs mass market pulp paperback that may not last decades) - call me a relic, call me what you will, say I'm old fashioned say I'm over the hill...

Friends of ours were on a cruise to Alaska recently (Viking - yes, $$$$$).  In that ship's library were a bunch of cool books, and either they could buy some of them on board or they ordered after returning (not sure), but either way they grabbed me a cool book that I got for my birthday.  Random inspiration is cool.

Another anecdote, this time land-based: while on a trip in New Zealand a bunch of years ago, my wife and I stayed at a hotel (County Hotel, Napier, North Island) where the center section of a floor of the building (not huge, mind you, maybe four rooms equivalent?) was converted into a library with complimentary port to imbibe.  Now that's my kind of library.  One day we'll return, hopefully...

1 hour ago, jsglow said:

I don't have a nice picture or anything but we got an upgrade offer yesterday to move from our nice Oceanview cabin on an upcoming two week Journey to a Balcony. Great, I'll take a look-see.

 

A MERE $1388! That's just short of what we paid per person when we booked this thing back during the early days of the restart. How fast did I click NO do ya think! 😳

Ouch.  Basically, you'd pay about 50% more for that balcony vs the OV.  The original going rate for Balcony vs OV when doing a booking seems to be about a 15% to 25% differential.  50% more to upgrade is an awful offer.

But I also think the days of getting an upgrade from OV to balcony for $50 or $100 is long gone...

11 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 Just caught my mistake (I was rushing typing, my answer) The Ohlo Real ID DL would NOT be enough to get you on a closed loop cruise.  You would still need your US gov't issued birth certificate.  

Apologies for the typo - I try to be better than that!  ;  )

You can "report" your own post and ask an Admin to fix it, so that it doesn't confuse future readers of this thread.

5 minutes ago, asalligo said:

Our favorite activity when any downtime on a ship is cards and we thought we had brought more than one deck and found we had none when on the Pride this year, so I said they used to give away free decks of cards, let's go get one. Nope, no free cards anymore.

I believe JH noted that while GS doesn't give the card decks away any more, you can get them at the Casino.  

54 minutes ago, bar1068 said:

As for Magic, we sailed on Magic in November 2021. Probably what we were most disappointed in were the bartenders. They simply were not good, could not make drinks the way we prefer and have had them made at other Alchemy bars.

OK, that's understandable - the Alchemy bartenders are half the experience!

54 minutes ago, bar1068 said:

Just to add, We recently sailed on the Celebration and Mardi Gras....While we did visit the Alchemy bar often on both those ships, we were disappointed with the location of Alchemy on those ships as well. Way way way to noisy and busy. While we found  the bartenders to be of the same expertise as others, the open area where Alchemy is located jammed next to the LimeLight lounge and next to an "major walkway" that led to the Steakhouse and Aft dining room. Plus overly loud music from the bars one deck below. We actually enjoyed the Golden Jubilee and Brass Magnolia bars on those ships more.

Indeed, we found the exact same thing (on Mardi Gras - not been on Celebration, but same floor plan).  We hung out at Brass Magnolia most nights, just once or twice at Alchemy IIRC.

20 hours ago, Indiansbaseball said:

Speaking of passports… I have a Magic cruise in March and I needed to renew mine. I mailed my renewal on October 17. No expedited processing but yes expedited shipping. They cashed my check on October 24th. I received my passport today. I’m in Ohio and it went to Philadelphia. 

Out of curiosity (gosh I use that phrase a lot), do you have (or have you ever had) a security clearance?  It appears folks that are already, um, "known" to the USG (in a positive manner) are much faster in turning around passports presumably because there is no/minimal background checking required.  Mine got renewed and received back in about 2 weeks (I did pay for expedited everything), and another poster also experienced a similar turn-around recently - we're both cleared.  (At least, that's what we both say... 😉 )

21 hours ago, rizkeeper said:

4 dayssssss.....4 daysssssss, I booked the cruise about 95 days ago...I don't know how you guys wait 9-10-12+ months for a cruise...I'd go nuts!! 

Heh, well, at one time we had four future cruises booked, but the "next one" was always about 6 months away.  Our next cruise will be about 12 months after the last, and was booked just over a year ago, I think.  Ugh, I'm terrible with memory and um, that other thing, what is it now?  Oh yeah, memory!

2 hours ago, bar1068 said:

Vista....Better Alchemy bar

Out of curiosity (because we're on Vista soon enough): How is Vista's Alchemy Bar better in your opinion?  I quite like the Alchemy on Breeze/Magic.  Although I feel Sunshine's and Liberty's are the best location and positioning-wise.

24 minutes ago, Luckysll said:

John Heald just announced that the Dec 9 and Dec 16 cruises have also been canceled.

Yeah, he said they are taking her to Portland, and the reason for the additional cancellations is they need more time because the bridge is indeed causing the removal of the whale tail.  So Astoria (remove whale tail) -> Dry Dock (fix azipod?) -> Astoria (install whale tail).

Ouch - sympathies to those impacted.

The last few cruises my wife and I have tried to enjoy the libraries, where available, but often have found them "closed for a private event" ("Friends of..." or Chef's Table) more often than not.

We had previously enjoyed popping in there for a bit of quiet time, maybe looking at playing a board game, but obviously that isn't something the vox populi want.

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

On 11/11/2023 at 12:43 PM, jsglow said:

But TSA doesn't have any right to stop us on the street.

1 hour ago, aborgman said:

They do if you live within 100 miles of the border.

TSA isn't stop-and-searching within 100 miles of the border, CBP is.  Nonetheless, it is "the USG" in one shape or form.

1 hour ago, aborgman said:

 

I'd guess about 99% of violence on board is attributable to the drug alcohol.

Sure, but the original topic was "drug dogs searching for illegal drugs" i.e. pot.

17 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

We will be sailing on the Breeze in a few days. Would there be any perks associated with booking a future cruise while on it?

The "book another cruise" desk is no longer on board.  So there is zero incentive to try to book anything on a current sailing just because you're sailing.   

I think they haven't had those for a long while, like 8 or 9 years, maybe more?

On 11/11/2023 at 11:01 AM, mz-s said:

That's a cute little saying but it's far from the reality of the situation of course. Marijuana today is much more potent than the stuff Cheech and Chong paraded.

Perhaps, but in all honesty I've never seen anyone who is high on MJ attempt to start a fight, but I've seen lots of alcohol-fueled incidents.  So cute-quote or not, my experience is that MJ users are simply not nearly as prone to violent outbursts as drinkers.

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

But given how out of control the drug problem has been on Carnival lately, and the violence and all that often goes hand-in-hand with drug use

Out of curiosity, what violence on board can you attribute to drug use?  And Are you referring to pot or some other type of drugs?

The only violence I see associated with pot is the gangs attempting to control distribution, and they are losing those battles in the states where MJ use is being legalized.

As the stereotype goes:

With alcohol, fights break out.

With MJ, folk-hippy bands break out.

21 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

We cruised the end of October a few ago.  Bohemian Rhapsody was to be shown on the big screen one might.  I was so excited because I hadn't seen it yet. But it was during the World Series so that is what was on the screen.  They were also playing the WS on all the TVs in the Red Frog Pub.  I was so disappointed.  They showed the WS every night.

Yeah, the Sports Fans have really pushed their agenda on the rest of the pax with their constant whinging about "why can't I watch my Blue Sox / Buckin' Broncos / NY Pets play in the finals/semis/whenever I demand?!" stuff.  You booked the cruise knowing the games would be played then.   I don't mind the games being on the various bar TVs, but I think the Lido big screen should be reserved for the movies.

40 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Describe wrong for me.  They can do whatever they want.  They can select every person or 1 in 10 or everyone with red hair or everyone that have a blue back pack.  

Well, no.  They can do pure random, every nth person, or they can do selection based on resemblance to known suspect or other "feature" (like blue backpack), or they can do it based on your exact history.  But they can't legally do it because you have brown skin, or dreads, or tattoos, or even red hair.  That is profiling and is considered illegal search and seizure.

Of course, it is still done for those reasons, but no-one will admit it.

12 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

Why would they wait just for the heck of it?  I'm sure there are things going on behind the scenes that the great unwashed have no access to. It would only be to Carnival's benefit to make the decision/announcement ASAP.

It is very possible they waited, even knowing the full extent of the impact, because they needed to establish an actual plan for return to service, vs just saying "we're gonna cancel a couple of sailings but might need to cancel more later because we don't have a plan yet."

I.e. one set of bad news a couple of days later vs two sets of bad news over the course of a week or so.

35 minutes ago, Zuluboudreaux said:

Where is deck 13 located on the ships?

Nowhere on Carnival. Most hotels don't have that floor either.  Humans are weird that way.

Mr. Heald posted December's movies:

Here are the Lido Deck Big Screen movies for December.

Oppenheimer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Mutant Yak Mayhem 
Grand Turismo 
Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
A Christmas Carol
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Love Actually 
The Polar Express 

Cheers

Hey @Chief93, got any more updates?  I missed this thread when first posted, so wasn't there to cheer you on and encourage more feedback about your cruise!

Hey, we're cruising on Vista not too long after you!  Please provide a quick review if you can when you return...or a detailed one of you have the energy!  Very curious about what she's like "now" vs some of the older reviews.

Oh, I should also note that on our most recent cruises at least one of the "secret deck" areas has been blocked off for crew use.

The deck "number" is not the key factor per se, it is where it is relative to the rest of the ship, i.e. typically the decks with cabins in the fwd section between the Promenade deck and the Bridge - decks 6 & 7 on Magic & Radiance, for example.  Also deck 10 (lido) & 11 on Magic/Breeze/etc. Maybe deck 10 on Radiance?  Just browsing deck plans pseudo-randomly.  Elation & Paradise don't have them.

On the XL ships it might be deck 8?  (Pretty sure I would have checked that out when we sailed on Mardi Gras - can't remember off hand.)

On 11/7/2023 at 2:20 PM, ColeThornton said:

If people know about them are they really "secret"?    😉

It is a fairly obvious mis-nomer.  Should have been called "low-traffic not-well-known forward deck areas", but that is a bit more of a mouthful.  Maybe "out of the way decks"?

On 11/7/2023 at 6:54 PM, n6uqqq said:

Some of these decks have been converted to premium view staterooms. Other than the interesting name of "secret" these decks really don't have much appeal imho. They are very windy while at sea and no deck chairs etc probably due to same wind. 

We like to visit them at least once or twice per cruise because we like to stand at the railing looking forward, wind in our hair, drinks in hand, with minimal crowd, and the other possible locations aboard are usually the Serenity area (on some ships) or other busy public areas that often have high glass window-railings.  Also good spots for viewing arrivals into ports.