madamerkf

20 hours ago, stingray310 said:

I believe the Half Moon Cay pier construction and additions have been either delayed or cancelled all together due to the pandemic. I think they decided to concentrate all funding towards Celebration Cay.  Hopefully they will reschedule the Half Moon Cay construction to a later date. Maybe someone else knows more, but that is what I heard.

I am thinking they will pull out of HMC for this new island and either abandon it or sell it to another line?

On 12/17/2023 at 8:24 PM, mleng said:

So sorry to hear.  That's winter cruising for you -- weather from week to week could be so different.

So I’ll end this story with the last messed up thing. We were on the second floor mid ship. Last morning we go to leave our cabin at about 7:44 am to go get breakfast before debark and the hallway is filled with a line of people the length of the ship with all their luggage looking to get off at the second floor gangway! I had to fight our way out of there and was told someone gained because it was so hot and long of a wait! Craziest thing I ever saw. So to recap:

1-first night stayed in NYC due to weather. No casino or stores. 
 

2- instead of changing ports where the seas were not so rough plowed through to get to half moon cat only to be told seas were too rough to tender ( hello.. I could have told them that)

3- two back to back blackouts where people got stuck in elevators 

4- coming into NYC at one am instead of the morning due to weather so casino, stores, and drink programs ended early. 
 

so I get that you cannot control the weather but I feel in this case they should have re-routed out of the horrific storm instead of going right through it. Just my opinion based on over 40 cruises where I have been re-routed more then once and just rolled with it. 
 

glad it’s over. Venezia chock full of other issues ( like lines an hour long for guys, pizza, and deli) all the time. I would think if they kept a portion of the buffet open another hour past all aboard it could have definitely eased congestion and wait times. And forget about getting a drink in the casino.. even when empty service was scant to non-existent. 

Aren’t they opening celebration island instead of building up half moon cay?

On 12/15/2023 at 8:12 PM, chengkp75 said:

Just because there is a pier there, would not assure docking.  Disney and RCI have docks at their private islands, but they are basically unprotected docks that protrude out into the sea, and depending on wind direction and speed, the ship cannot dock.

 

By law, there must be one light in each cabin that is on the emergency generator circuit as well as normal power.  This light would go out for less than a minute before coming back on under emergency power.  Typically, it is the bathroom light.

So the fun continues. Captain came over loudspeaker to say that due to the storm, the port authorities are closing the Hudson River channel from midnight to six pm tomorrow. So they are going at full speed and planning on docking at NYC at one am and debark should be as scheduled. However they are closing the casino and shutting down the cheers/bubbles program at about 11:30 pm to comply with the laws. So two of eight nights spent at NYC port. What a crazy trip!

9 hours ago, mleng said:

@madamerkf  Sorry to hear about your bad experience.  My family just got off Venezia on Dec 10.

 

What was the reason for not able to leave NYC until Monday morning?  Was it due to weather also?  

 

Half Moon Cay is our favorite stop in the Caribbean.  We almost always book a Carnival or Holland ship so that we can visit HMC.  I just wish they would invested in some infrastructure to build a real pier at HMC, so that they didn't have to do the tender and didn't have to be at the mercy of the weather.

Yes we stayed overnight at the port in NYC due to weather. It was pretty eerie as they pulled the gangway so you could not get off and the terminal was deserted but all lit up. 
 

People were disappointed in missing HMC but it is what it is. I heard they were developing a whole new island though?

So….

they still served dinner. We had anchored at half moon cay this morning but at about 8:30 am the captain came over the loudspeaker and said it was too dangerous to tender to the beach and we were just going to head home and that they will add activities to keep us busy. Many people are very sick but that’s the chance you take when you sail in the winter. The waves are really big and the boat is rocking side to side. The blackout was scary because I think people got stuck in the elevators. 
 

Will let you guys know happens 

Suprised no one has mentioned it yet. 
 

we have some awful seas tonight. Left Nassau at 3:30pm. About seven pm all of a sudden all the lights go out. Captain comes on loudspeaker and says don’t take the elevators. Lights come back on a little bit later only to go out again. 
 

Finally came on for good about 7:45 or so. Supposedly still going to our last port of HMC , but I don’t see how the tenders will be able to operate if the weather continues. 
 

From not being able to leave NYC until six am the day after embark to tonight’s blast jour it has been an interesting trip!

https://freestyletravelers.com/blog/carnival-mdr-updated-menus?fbclid=IwAR2_1YW-GSfcDJI7UwRlOmvuBjdi4UdzJJl0N1m6BDd8PlLqb4Fw31CVb5o_aem_AXt_TaGbmTcK1Ca64X7sJzpPwKUbUDp632HegpSFObookjaShxgzXJ-woynGYXeEA34

Going on Venezia December 10th eight day sailing. Does anyone know if the new MDR menu will be in effect?

It was an amazing deal!

@happycruiser220 are you in our Facebook group? 

I am on the following cruise.. 15 days..

Ooh thank you very much!!!

5 hours ago, terrirus said:

How do you get an upgrade?

 

Got a text from an “upgrade specialist” to call them. Called and left a message. Someone called me back an hour later with the offer. Ocean view 1st floor to Terrazza balcony on 7 for $700 for two people. Jumped on it 

Just got an incredible upgrade from an ocean view to Terrezza balcony on the Venezia. Room is 7503. Can anyone share pics/info about this room? Thank you!

So we are in the room now. By chance I checked behind the life jackets and found a full bottle of good champagne! 
 

so thanks to whoever left it:)

I just booked this today and was wondering the same thing. Any meet and greets scheduled?

I was on a six day cruise right before COVID hit and because of weather we could only go to Charleston which wasn’t even one of the original ports. Every passenger got 100% future cruise credit. So I guess it really depends on the individual cruise specifics. 

I have heard the earlier you apply the better your chances. 

No because they still grant medical exemptions for adults. 

It will say bubble tour. You are also not automatically going to be able to sail with them. You have to apply for and be given an exemption. All the kids programs are also closed. 

My understanding is that they have D/C the green eggs and ham breakfast, the parade, and any organized children’s activities for those under 12. They also have separate areas to eat in. In addition some ports will not allow anyone who is unvaccinated to leave the ship. Things seem to change by the minute. 

Did you have to stick it all the way up your nose? How long did it take to get the results? Did they charge you?

How would they know if you traveled internationally if someone chooses not to tell them?

I have a question about the testing method. Does any of the approved tests not use the “stick the swab up your nose till it comes out of your eyeballs” method? I hated that method, and have tremendous anxiety about having to do that type of test. Btw… I am fully vaccinated.