lazydayz

I must say I preferred the old way, when they gave us envelopes and let us decide who to tip and how much. While at first the auto tips made it easier, they kept slipping in more people who the tips were going to. When I go on vacation, I expect to tip servers, bartenders, housekeepers, and valet, but not every person who happens to work there. What happened to the employer's responsibility to pay their staff a decent wage? In effect, Carnival and other cruise lines have shifted that responsibility to us. And yes, I understand, the customers are the ones ultimately funding the payment of salaries, but I think the cruise lines who don't include tips are just trying to fool us into thinking their fares are lower. I go along with the newer system, but do think it is unfair. So on top of the auto tips, we add extra for the room steward and others who have actually served us well.

I think the Liberty is a good family choice for a short cruise. We took our three grands last year and it was the first time in about 10 cruises we actually enjoyed the Main dining room. The food was good and the service fantastic. We had already booked the steakhouse for the last night as it was hubby’s birthday, but we would have been happy to return to the MDR. Our grands are 13 to 22 now so no recent experience with the kids club.

The gifts aren't of any real value to me - maybe $100 total. Think beach towels, sun care kit, playing cards and oversized dice, fruit basket, etc. The real value is parking ($150), wi-fi (about $180 since it is for 2), excursion ($150 x 2), the liquor and mixers (I don't know, if you bought on the ship for your room $200+), so you are getting close to $1,000. But there is also the intangible that you are part of the Elite group and get to participate in the all of the drawings. If you take the other deal, you will be excluded from a bunch of things. There is no difference in Platinum benefits that awarded as part of the Elite cruise, so there is a definite benefit to priority embarkation, debarkation, and the priority line at Guest Services. For me, I pick Elite if it is available (even though I am Platinum and closing in on Diamond). It is a superior experience to just being a player in the casino who is granted comps once or twice a cruise.

I haven't found the lines to be too long (Guy's Burgers gets massive lines), but they move quickly at both Shaq's and Guys. Just don't go at noon. For breakfast, I have gone at 9:00 and been the only customer.

We offer wine, fruit, etc. from the ship that we have received as gifts. More often than not, steward is happy to have them. Also, tip in cash and that is always accepted and appreciated.

Great idea!

Cuchina, Guys Pig and Anchor, and Chibang are all included. And Rudi’s is worth the extra cost.

It doesn’t sound like you were charged a single supplement. You got what you paid for, with the bonus of having the cabin to yourself. You don’t owe your companion anything, other than the taxes and fees that Carnival returned to you. Terrible she didn’t get to go, but it’s her insurance issue, not yours.

We were there last summer and it didn’t feel sketchy at all. I would imagine a taxi from the pier would be less than $10. The problem might be finding a cab that wants to do that short route.

That’s so exciting. Can’t wait for your review.

I would go with the Silhouette. Beautiful ship, and would probably spring got the concierge balcony. Does that get you priority boarding? I know it got us a nice footrest for the balcony.

Too funny. I got it too and thought, did I forget a cruise. 😂

When I had to cancel my mom from a two-person room, our insurance covered her full rate (but not taxes and fees, since those are reimbursed from Carnival). I did not have to pay a single supplement. OP, if your friend paid you for the taxes and fees, you should return those to your friend. But other than that, you don't owe your friend any compensation. The rest is between her and her insurance carrier.

Unfortunately, the person with insurance needs to cancel before the cruise. When in this situation, it is best to make the first call to the insurance carrier and follow their advice step by step.

Ok, so you insulted me. While we are of retirement age, we are not retired and never eat dinner before 7:00 p.m.

I would go for Horizon. Longer cruise and nice size ship. And I love the Southern Caribbean ports. But take that with a grain of salt - two of my booked cruises are on the Celebration. We have done the Mardi Gras four times and loved it. But we are big ship people and have been to the ports many times. Now we tend to choose cruises based on the ship or the itinerary. Our other booked cruises are on the Pride, but those are special ones - one in Europe and a repositioning one that gets us to many of the lesser-visited Caribbean ports. I really think you can't go wrong with either the Horizon or the Celebration. Both have a lot to offer.

Hope the weather improves for the rest of your cruise.

We have T-Mobile and don’t use it on the ship. Almost all of the ports are included in their plan so texts are free. I thinks calls are 20 cents per minute. While on the ship, we use the Carnival Wi-Fi. Given out phone plan is $30 per month per line, we are happy with it.

On our Panama Canal cruise, we had a glee club and a dance club. Toward the end of the cruise, we were part of the entertainment. It was good fun and a great way to meet other people. We also had two professional ballroom dancers onboard who taught several classes. There was lots of trivia and even some arts and crafts. Very few children onboard and they were typically with their parents. We always commented when we saw people under 40, not to them, of course.

It depends. How much were you charged for the third person, excluding taxes and fees? If it was minimal, I would just go the no show route. That way nothing changes, and whomever paid the taxes and fees will get those refunded automatically. If what you paid was meaningful, you can always call and ask the hypothetical question, and see what they say. If you like the answer, go for it. If not, don’t do anything. Sorry to hear about your MIL passing.

and much less likely to have an accidental flashing. LOL

So glad you are onboard and made some money off your free play. Congrats

Love Carnival’s German Chocolate Cake. Good luck with getting everything done in time for your next adventure. Color me jealous.

i think it is just the timing. I bet by 1:00, all will be clear. Hang in there and enjoy your cruise!

Glad you and your family had a great cruise. We enjoy the MG and are eagerly awaiting our turn on the Celebration.