ontheweb

Our experience of no one wanting to share a table was in 2012, well before Covid.

Score one for humans interacting with other humans. And not all phone calls are hold forever; not every business is a cruise line. 🤣

Not a solo as I cruise with DW, but I totally understand what you wrote about finding a shared table. Our last NCL cruise was on the Epic in the Western Mediterranean 10 years ago. On the first night at dinner, we were asked do you want a table for 2 or to share a table. We replied that we would share as we have often enjoyed meeting others at dinner. And then after we were seated, we waited, and waited, and waited. We finally realized no one else seemed to want to share, and then said we would do a table for 2. After we booked an NCL cruise again (the Prima next summer), I posted and asked if this was typical. The overwhelming majority of posters wrote basically why would I ever want to share a table with strangers.

And be sure to block out your customer # for the brokerage.

The two posts immediately after yours (#23 & #24) seem to contradict you. They say they were contacted after booking and received benefits or were made aware of new offers.

As for your last question of whether it will be discontinued, the Carnival Board of Directors routinely approve it. In fact, the last time they did make one change, they approved it for 2 years instead of 1. It is a marketing tool that costs them very little so there is really no advantage to them to not extend it.

I don't remember the exact cost, but I am sure it was under $100 per person, The Bob Marley Bus in Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Of course it helps to be a fan of Bob Marley's music. There was an excellent tour guide giving information on the bus. And of course the music on the bus was fantastic. And the ride was exciting as the road is only one lane with hairpin turns with the driver beeping his horn as he entered every twist in the road to warn anyone coming the other way that here comes a bus. (We were told the tour never had had an accident.) And when reaching our destination there was live music as well as the Bob Marley House. And you get to see a part of Jamaica that those who only go just off the ship or not off at all never see. And you get to meet the friendly people of Jamaica.

If it was a cruise you wanted at a price you liked, that sounds like a win/win outcome for both the cruise line and its caller and you.

Nice to see a post that is the opposite of "doom and gloom".

Unfortunately, before it gets to his ears, it will go through some bean counters who will say "take the money and run".

Pre-covid, it was a wonderful investment. Not only was there the OBC, but also it went up in value and paid a dividend that at one point they doubled.

👍 Yay, that is good.

I truly enjoy your stories. Our one cruise out of Seattle was in 2010 on Princess. Is it possible we met?

Yes, having all the needed bills for the tipping envelopes used to be a pain in the you know what. We have also been right at the borderline for insurance costs. Putting the tips on the fare versus having them added to our cruise card would have got us into the next category and a higher insurance premium.

Yes, on the rise, but it still has a long way to go before reaching the level many of us bought it at.

Have you ever thought of writing a book? You seem to have a boatload (pun intended) of these kinds of stories.

It is NOT a lifeboat drill; it is a MUSTER drill. There are all kinds of reasons that there could be an actual call to muster without needing lifeboats. For instance, there was a call to muster on the Star Princess when they had their balcony fires. Or there have been calls to muster when there have been reports of possibly a passenger overboard as the muster procedure accounts for counting passengers. A need to use the actual lifeboats is very rare.

It looks that way because it is.

And the follow up was probably them suing Walgreens!

Many complain how quiet HAL is, so maybe it would be right for you given your requirements.

And I am sure it was even less fun for the passengers and security. 😢

And in a "when will they ever learn" moment, they keep building larger and larger ships.

You can read about it here. Key West Doesn’t Want Your Big Cruise Ships - Outside Online

Opinions are one thing, but they become something quite different when they are expressed as facts instead of as an opinion.

I believe that that is what they have said. The only thing that might stop it is if there is a massive negative reaction to it from cruisers on the Prima.