Hernextdoor

thank you very much for that helpful response. Cheers

I just logged on to check in for Ovation of the seas boarding in Sydney on Wed and the earliest available slot was 3pm! I was wxpecting to be able to board earlier. How strict are they about enforcing those times? Also for some reason I have been assigned 5.30 MDR dining, which is ridiculously early. What happens if I just rock up at, say 7pm? I am travelling solo.

I understand the arguments against inaugural cruises, BUT if you work in a commercial kitchen and call yourself a chef you should be able to serve a boiled egg - doesn't matter whether you are sailing out of Brisbane, Barcelona or Bombay!

I am not surprised. I did the inaugural cruise 10 days ago and I will never set foot on a Carnival ship again. The food was an absolute disgrace. Two hour wait in the restaurant for a meal which arrived cold. Everything was dry, overcooked and unappetising. The buffet was pathetic in terms of choice as well as quality. On my last day I lost it with the catering officer and chef. I took 2 boiled ages from the breakfast buffet and when I peeled them and cut them open te yolks were green with a thick black ring around them. It was obvious that at the end of service they put the leftover eggs back in the fridge and then pull them out the next day and reheat them. Goodness knows how many times those eggs had been recycled. Even if they offered me a suit for free I wouldn't touch it. Avoid at all costs.