Sif

So I don't have kids myself, but I was a 13 year old on a cruise once. I would say that if you don't feel the need to worry about her at home, you shouldn't worry about her on a cruise. I did a 4-day on Carnival Triumph back in 2005 and pretty much was allowed to roam freely. Now that the Carnival Hub app has the chat capability, it's even easier. Just tell your daughter to text you every hour or so to check in and let you know where she is at the moment and you'll be just fine.

I normally eat at the MDR rather than the buffet, but some buffets I found to be pretty good. Plus sometimes I like to have a couple bites of 10 different things rather than a larger portion of one or two things. It's quicker and more convenient than the MDR if you have somewhere you need to be, and on Carnival there are good options like the sweet spot (cakes) and deli located in the buffet area.

2 hours ago, scrimpQUEEN said:

 22 months old

Two. Your child will be two.

Question: What "better service" are people expecting that they will get from a cabin steward? An extra towel animal or something? The bedsheets can only be tucked in so tightly.

I guess I just don't understand what special advantage people are worried about others getting, because in my opinion the room is either cleaned or it isn't. It's not like a steward is going to place a gold bar under your pillow if you tip on the first day.

I usually don't tip up front, except to give the cabin steward the bottle of wine that we get for eating at the steakhouse on night 1. I haven't pre-payed gratuities yet on a cruise and have always received exceptional service.

On 11/13/2019 at 6:19 AM, lbruce401 said:

Ok so what’s the joke?

Oh the poor gen X, the poor ‘what about me attitude’. Can’t work, read or spell 🙄

thank god it’s an ADULT ship 😁

and you cant drink in US when under 21 👌🏻

Us Aussies vote and drink at 18. 

Oh come on, it was clear to everyone that it wasn't that serious, there's no need to be so sensitive.

Re: "Adult ship" gen X are age 39 at the youngest, and millennials are age 23 at the youngest, seems like just the demographic VV is shooting for.

14 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 Reminds me of a bride I heard complaining at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica, she wanted a refund because it rained for 30 minutes most afternoons.

On my recent cruise I heard a woman say "they'd better be handling out refunds" because the aft elevators were out of service for an hour.

I've done Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with a tentative future booking on Norwegian. I'd say if you really, really like Celebrity and don't mind the smaller space, you can save money by booking an inside stateroom and it might encourage you to explore more and get the most out of the ship since you'll be more inclined to spend time outside of the room.

At the top of my cruise bucket list is Alaska. We live on the east coast and have driven rather than flown to all of the cruises we've taken—right now it just isn't in the cards to have all the normal cruise expenses plus flights to Seattle or Vancouver. Hopefully after some career advancement we will be able to do it!

"Big corporations are hypocritical about environmental so don't praise them when they do something right," and "if you aren't doing everything you can to eliminate waste in every area of your life then you might as well dump a bunch of straws in a landfill" don't exactly hold up as well-reasoned, logical arguments in my view.

I don't think anyone is saying that people who use single-use straws are the devil, just that it's a really, *really* strange hill to die on.

I think sugar, metal, and paper straws are all viable options. Single-use plastics are an enormous problem for the environment and obviously the problem is much bigger than just disposable straws. But hopefully more and more companies moving away from plastic straws will be the first of many campaigns to reduce single-use plastics in other areas of life.

I think some of the sensitivity over straws comes from not understanding that no one is saying that paper straws are singlehandedly the solution to polluted oceans. Obviously they aren't—but they are a contributor, and one that can easily be replaced with more environmentally-friendly options. So it makes no sense to me to dig one's heels in. And that vocal monitory who goes as far as to film themselves dumping packs of straws into lakes because they believe they're "sticking it to The Man" does nothing to help.

I packed a hoodie just in case and ended up not needing it, but it didn't create any problems since I was able to fit everything I needed for 8 days in a carry-on. Unless you're extremely pressed for space in your luggage, a hoodie won't hurt.

Ah, I would never carry something in my bra that I expect other people to touch. Sorry but as a former cashier and frequent unwilling recipient of sweaty boob money, I have to say: Please don't.

Honestly, I threw fashion to the wind and bought a fanny pack and never looked back. Sure it's not the sleekest accessory, but it's unbeatable when it comes to practicality. Also super useful for keeping phones and sunglasses secure on roller coasters without having to rent a locker. On more formal occasions I would just carry my sign and sail card in a crossbody bag.

I got an edible straw with my milkshake on the Horizon this past week and I thought it was pretty neat! They have a pretty neutral flavor which didn't bother me. The very top of the straw where it touches your lips falls apart after a few minutes, but I was sipping my drink and letting it sit in the cupholder for the duration of a Q&A session and I never ran out of straw or had it get to the point where it was too short to treat it like a normal straw.

I'm sure people will hem and haw about how single-use straws are literally the most important thing in the world to them, but the edible and paper straws are really no hardship and eventually people will adjust when it becomes the new normal. We only have one planet, so it's a small price to pay to take a step in the right direction of environmentalism.

An extra tip sounds great, a candy bar not so much. Looking back on my days in the food service industry, I think if I got a candy bar with a tip I'd think "Uh, thanks. I'm an adult by the way." I probably wouldn't even eat it because to be honest, if someone is weird enough to tip me with a candy bar, they might be weird enough to have tampered with it. Probably paranoid, but that's just me.

The best "extra" tip that you can give aside from cash is a 5-star review.

Looking at their marking it seems like they're targeting mid- to older millennials, so around ages 28-38. Specifically people who haven't been on a cruise before but have the means to do one.

Definitely book if you've done your research and it interests you; not being in the target demographic isn't the same thing as being unwelcome. I think the 'demographic' issues mostly come from much older/more conservative people who clutch their pearls over the drag brunches/tattoo parlor/etc. instead of just...booking something else that suits them more.

I read that the Skyride on Horizon was closed for maintenance recently, but haven't heard anything either way about whether it's still closed or not. Does anyone know if it's opened back up?

I saw that they also make non-alcoholic mixed drinks at the Alchemy Bar. Has anyone tried one?

The steakhouse is one of the things I'm looking forward to most on my upcoming cruise! I tried it once before when we sailed on Carnival Magic and I had the best steak I ever had there...sadly, it was my boyfriend's steak, the spice-rubbed ribeye, and I only got to have one bite. Mine was delicious too, but that ribeye was something else. I've been fantasizing about ordering it for myself this time around, but the new addition of the wagyu is *very* tempting. We might just have to go twice this year.

On 10/25/2019 at 9:28 AM, Forchunut1 said:

On my very first cruise in 2002 out of NOLA, on the last sea day there was a young man (I don't know which politically correct term to use anymore) who was dressed in a long sequin dress, wearing a perfectly coiffed wig and gorgeous make-up, looking absolutely fabulous and selling Tupperware on the Lido Deck by the pool.  🙂  Security didn't seem to mind...   That set my expectations for future cruises.  🤣

I wonder if it was Dixie Longate? I saw her show in Charlotte a couple of months ago; although I can't support the pyramid scheme/MLM business model the show itself was pretty funny. 

I think the one constant on all cruises has been that the little desserts at the buffet always look better than they taste. I keep trying, though!

I have really enjoyed the MDR food on both Carnival and RCL. I think the worst thing I had in a MDR was the lamb shank on RCL, it just wasn't for me. I usually really love the port-themed options on Carnival and I'll usually get at least the appetizer if not the entree.

We enjoyed all of the specialty dining that we tried on Oasis of the Seas. My favorite was the steakhouse and we went back again for lunch because we enjoyed it so much. Least favorite food-wise was probably Sabor, but it ended up being the best conversation-wise.

I'm really looking forward to trying the Seafood Shack on my upcoming Carnival Horizon cruise, that and Guy's Burgers which I already know I love.

I picked inside guaranty for my first cruise and ended up with a cabin that was fine in every respect except that it was nearly all the way to the stern of the ship, so it was a pretty long walk to get back most nights. At this point I probably would not do guaranty again unless the savings were significant, which they seldom are. Being able to pick a room mid-ship near the elevators was worth every penny on my next cruise, and it's probably going to be the plan going forward.

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Right, but Tijuana didn't have ferry bombings like Cozumel did.

Yeah but nobody died or was seriously injured in the bombing, so I don't see how that would contribute to the homicide rate either.

Not saying that the bombing wasn't bad, it obviously was, but even the news articles that talk about the bombing mention that that area of Mexico has a much lower violent crime rate than the rest of the country.

I'm thinking of going a little less dressy for the formal nights this year, so I bought a new top to wear with some black slacks. I like buying new clothes for the cruise, even if it's just a couple of shirts...often, I will be packing for the cruise and I just won't be able to find every piece of clothing I was looking for!

I've been on five cruises (a pittance by this board's standards, I'm sure) and haven't had a repeat, although I've been on the Disney Magic and the Carnival Magic 😅

I think if I was going to do a repeat ship it would be Oasis of the Seas. But I see so many cool new ships coming out every year that it's impossible to think of repeating one yet.