cruisingguy007

I'd hardly call it realistic, I think the drills that they do during port days are actual drills and preparedness training, not so much muster. The crew could just as easily practice the same way of old without herding passengers, it's only the herding of passengers that is a difference and that was already a hot mess with people taking forever to show up or not showing up at all. Hardly a substitute for an emergency but I guess there is some benefit to practice soft herding. If they want to simulate a real emergency, sound an alarm and offer passengers five free drinks for the first 200 passengers to each muster station. Then you'd have more hard realistic stampede response during an emergency lol. From a passenger perspective there is no practical difference but I can see the herding practice being viewed as a tangible benefit for the crew, and by extension the passengers.

From the Carnival website they make it sound like it will have all the same eateries as any of the other ships with the Italian flair of the ship. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts they put a Guys in, as well as the other core food expectations; maybe even a big chicken too. The space should be the same as other vista class ships (roughly).

It's essentially the same from a passenger standpoint, you still have to go to your muster station. It's not like the old way was anymore in-depth from a passenger perspective. It's not like we actually went through an emergency drill or anything. You herded in, sit around waiting, watch the short demo and then herd out. If anything, the new way makes people pay attention more. What safety benefits (from the passenger perspective) were there with the old system vs the new? It isn't like we practice getting into lifeboats or anything, it essentially the same from the passenger experience.

Feel free to check with chengkp75 before you have an opinion. I appreciate being able to have mine. I like it the way it is and didn't need all the snark, I'm a passenger, not a seafarer, he could have provided his insight without snark and smartassery. Have a great day!

Water slide video below. Not sure on kids club though.

I sure hope not, the old way was so inconvenient, people are always late/missing, people talking and it sucks being jammed in herd style. The new way is so much better, it's the your time dining of muster, no one wants to stand around in the hallways waiting on dinner and no one wants to be herded into crowds for muster. It's a terrible idea.

Seems like a free upgrade IMO, much nicer ship! I'd be stoked, especially with previous sailings under the belt, trying something new for the same cost is pretty awesome.

It's the longer cruises that Princess takes. It makes sense when you have folks on for long cruises, stopping at multiple ports, high passenger counts and being in close quarters for so long; odds go up dramatically. Most folks also spend much more time inside on longer cruises, in many instances in very close venues like shows and such. Stick to shorter cruises, warmer itineraries where you can spend more time outside and avoid shows/comedy where people are surrounding you laughing, drinking, talking and coughing. Shorter cruises seem to have way less problems, going on a long cruise is inherently multitudes of risk higher. Anyone really concerned about covid should stick to shorter cruises to mitigate risk or choose another vacation to even further reduce the risk.

The interest rate hikes, while painful, are already working and driving down prices. Lots of things have been dropping from pork bellies and wholesale used car prices to sundries and houses. I'm seeing it already. Certainly there are some trying to prolong the pain and gouge as long as possible but the market will find a equilibrium through market forces and competition. Folks (like many "major economist") complain about inflation and then complain about interest rate hikes in the same breath. It takes time, it's not a light switch. Fundamentals work, even when some work/bet against the fundamentals. There are also the bitter doomsayers who are upset at the outcome and project their negativity. Get ready for the santa clause rally, the new years rally and then the spring and summer rally! You heard it here first. 😉

It isn't too late, I think it was prudent to wait for the election results. I'd feel much more confidant now that a major recession will be avoided or minimized and the economic recovery will happen at a much faster clip. Things are certainly looking up, covid deaths are down and cruising seems to be 100% back. They have the best chance and conditions moving forward. It doesn't mean things won't turn down again but the long term outlook looks pretty good now IMO as the stars have aligned. People have cut back on stuff but are still spending on experiences and cruising certainly falls into that category!

Indeed. I think most of this is a visceral reaction to a culmination of cutbacks and changes. This is a pretty normal reaction actually, most folks with have a conniption fit when they feel something has been taken away or to changes they don't approve of (myself included). Upon further reflection, these cutbacks and changes should be seen as they are, careful scalpel (titration) work vs chopping. Most of these won't affect my cruising experience when I really think about it and cuts have to come from somewhere, better to trim fat than meat. Some are irritating, like the removal of bottles from the fun shops, 50% off happy hour and reducing brunch hours. Even some of these aren't so bad if you got a great rate or caught a sale, it's easier to justify paying for cheers, up-charge dining or paying for room service, etc., when you have a nice discounted rate already. I feel many will still find Carnival a good value in many cases, when they do the math anyways, some will try other lines and end up coming back also. In the end, cooler heads will prevail and most will end up realizing that they don't really miss these cutbacks/changes as much as they thought they would, they were just more irritated with the thought of them than the actual efficacy on their actual overall cruise experience.

Those who book grand suites do have access to the havana area. "Exclusive Access to the Havana Pool Area Guests in Grand Suites on board the Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama and Carnival Vista may take advantage of our exclusive Havana experience, which features a beautiful lanai, pool and hot tub spa. To utilize the amenities, guests must be 12 years of age or older. Suite guests will receive wristbands, delivered to their stateroom to wear when taking advantage of the exclusive daytime and nighttime access to the outdoor Havana area." https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3593/~/suite-amenities-and-perks

I'll be trying out a family harbor suite with 5 of us in January. We are also apprehensive and second guessing the decision, but at the time it seemed like a smart move to book two cruises vs two cabins on one cruise with the special sale promotion. Actually, we have a Thanksgiving cruise next year in the same category so we will get to experience it twice no matter what since the rates have gone up so much that rebooking doesn't make sense (fiscally). My fingers are crossed also 😅.

I'd argue the opposite, too many bought the bottles and were bringing their per drink prices down and saving on additional tips per drink. Removing this is an effort to increase both the per drink prices and the additional per drink tipping. The bottles were cheaper per drink than even cheers (lowest price per being $8ish IF you max out), even though they were limited to two bottles per room and thus a few drinks per day per person over a week cruise but enough for many who don't want cheers but also don't want to pay $12-$15+ per drink a-la-carte. It's a money grab, pure and simple, by removing a middle tier between a-la-carte and cheers.

Starboard but would have no problem on a port side either, starboard just helps me keep my bearings better for some reason, seems to work out best (view wise) on cruises I'm likely to take and it's the smoking side.

It had to be, it was essentially cheers light if you will, cheers is a 105 drinks over seven days, divided by 22 (number of shots in a liter) and that is 4.77 bottles, considering each bottle was going for between $130-$150 (after fees/tax), it's still very profitable, even though each cabin was limited to two bottles. Personally, I don't think they will completely recover this revenue through individual drink sales and/or cheers conversions. Will some? Sure, but certainly not all. People will simply drink less on board, smuggle, drink more in ports ect, basically mitigate as best as possible. There are many many people who see cheers as a complete rip-off and those same folks will balk at paying $14-15 per drink also. Can't say I blame them, I don't drink at restaurants/bars anymore either, too rich for my blood these days. I've pre-purchased cheers for my next cruise but even I'm considering cancelling it and just going without because It's hard to stomach the costs, this from someone who could easily max out on most days and bring the average cost down to $8 after cheers/auto grats/additional delivery grats. $1200 for two is not a small chunk of change. Some folks cruise for less than that 'all in'.

Yes, you should be well away from it, I don't know of any schools going that late in 2024, usually Easter is the latest.

You'll care as soon as you see the new cruise prices without drinkers and gamblers!

I noticed they seemed different on Miracle but I couldn't be sure, they looked the same as before. What I did notice was that there were a lot of small pieces so I made the best of it and tossed some chili on top with some grilled onions and spicy peppers and used a fork and it was tasty. If I run into frozen fries on a cruise I'll probably do the same thing again. I eat frozen fries at home and other restaurants on occasion (except for In-and-out, always fresh) and can still enjoy them. It won't ruin my trip and I'll be back for seconds lol.

Well said!

Why is it condescending? Just because you don't like it? It's still the truth. I think you're just being sensitive and looking to be offended. None was intended.

I can see that, nicer and bigger digs is a big one (lets face it, the cabins are tiny on cruise ships) plus huge pools, manicured grounds, water sports right at resort and beach pretty much round the clock. You can also do all the same excursions much cheaper. There is also the Air-BnB/VBRO route and the rates in Mexico at any of the port stop tourist destinations are significantly discounted if you stay longer. I looked at some over the summer and we could have stayed for 3-weeks to a month for the all-in costs of some previous 7-day cruises in some nice condos with nice pools/bars. You can also work from there and the kids can do travel studies. I think some folks will just outgrow cruising organically. My kids love it so it's still our top choice but I'm too big for any of the attractions onboard and even many of the excursion offerings, so it's mostly a drink, eat and relax vacation for me lol.

Good point, beer drinkers are usually the the most vocal when it comes to cheers since some folks drink regular or even light beers and it's easy to crush 15 in a whole day/night, especially just sitting on your arse and relaxing and basically doing nothing. Wine is acquired, you like it or you don't and most won't switch to that "just because". I just don't see this being a big issue.

You don't like the result of your choice but you still have one nonetheless. Every choice has consequences, expecting the same outcome regardless of choice is simply wishful thinking.