jsglow

7 days is always better than 6. And both are big, big ships. Also, if your wife is challenged by movement on ships of this size (both Mardi Gras and Vista), then cruising isn't really for you guys as a family. Nothing personal in that comment. Some folks are more prone to motion and nobody should have to endure. Enjoy!

This is so difficult to answer because we don't know you and your family. Are you a new cruiser? Are you a 'latest gadget' family? Are the ports more important to you than the ship? The only way is to experience all this for yourself and form preferences over time. Both choices will be good. Enjoy your cruise.

Spot on. Every ship sails 'full' every time. The operative question is how much discounting is required. Everyone gets all the info they need simply by examining the per day fare. New Orleans lagged significantly behind other ports when it was trying to fill Dream on a weekly basis. Carnival responded with a smaller ship with fewer berths thus firming the price. Note how other lines are strictly seasonal there. New York is facing a similar problem today and no one should be surprised that Venezia is being relocated in future winters. It's really quite simple economics. And since I'm an economist......

I think the way to look at any market @jimbo5544 is to see the pricing they are able to command. Winter cruising on the Venezia out of NYC was cheap this year for off peak weeks. And they responded by pulling the ship in future winters. European cruises have commanded a premium price on a per day basis. They are perhaps not to the level of Jubilee launch prices but still pretty darn good. And you'll note that Carnival has used pretty much the same model for 3-4 straight years over there; send a Spirit for a nice dry dock and then run a varied set of itineraries from Dover, Rome and Barcelona, with minor differences year over year. Bottom line. It's clearly working.

I don't know the price but one, it absolutely can be done and, two, it is available for both Premium and Value. I'm less certain about Social. My son in law needed to do this for some important medical communication back home on a recent cruise.

Nailed it. Carnival pulled Dream out simply because they couldn't sell Dream. Now the market may have changed but you'll see a Dream or a Vista reassigned to New Orleans long before you ever see an Excel there.

Nope. August 10th. It's her repo after the Dover season on the way to Rome for her autumn Med season.

Great choice. Our first Alaskan was an Emerald Deck obstructed OV on a one-way Golden Princess. We paid $349pp gratuities included. It felt like we were stealing. Our second was Royal Princess where we were moved from an Obs OV to an Obs Balc because of a ship change. I don't recall the exact price but I do know that it was 1/3 what a regular Balc cost. We used that coin to tack on the 6 day land portion, or at least part of it.

On Miracle? From London to Rome? See ya there.

Just to add. They may have actually set up a table. Nothing illegal about that. Some folks might actually utilize it. The difference is that security was not authorized to compel usage. I believe our CD Frankie even spoke on the topic when pressed. Our liquor went right through the scanner. We retrieved it like it was a pair of sunglasses or a hat. It had nothing to do with 'lax enforcement'. Of course it's NOT going to be removed from the cruise contract. And I'm not going to go looking for some paperwork to satisfy you. But there are provisions of all contracts that are 100% unenforceable in certain jurisdictions. That makes them null and void locally. I'd guess that's the legal reality in this case. Simply accept that you are in error.

I hope it went well @Texaslady22. I know if I was on the panel I'd be voting YES if only to have a like-minded individual to swap stories around the coffee pot with. Enjoy your cruise.

Blerk, I believe you are incorrect. My recollection is that Carnival is prohibited from enforcing that policy by local regulations. The topic actually came up onboard. They would if they could.

Not to go off topic @ninjacat123 but what's your route? We did the 12 day Iceland followed by the 9 day British Isles. Our only repeat ports were Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) and Belfast. Both were worthy of a second visit. Great cruises.

You absolutely CAN. We brought a nice Irish Whiskey and later a good bottle of Scotch onboard for consumption in our cabin last summer on our 21 day Iceland/UK B2B.

We are huge obstructed OV fans for Alaska and I'd consider an Inside, as necessary. We would never pay for a balcony. Others insist on one, and pay upwards of 3-4 times more. I'd rather go more often and go on top decks to see the scenery.

The App is just for onboard. It is not a substitute for the web site. The only thing it does prior to boarding is provide a countdown clock. Just make sure you have it downloaded before you arrive at the ship.

I do set time. Easier for me! I hear ya. I think lots of folks read that and said to themselves 'not that I've ever heard about'. Enjoy your cruise.

I'm wondering if @sgttami meant 'early seating during YTD'. I'm not aware of any circumstances where one could guarantee a 'Table for 2 during Fixed' prior to the cruise. The only possible exception I could think of might be a Special Needs situation. @Daruma, YTD is going to work perfectly for you. Just be careful not to adjust your App to 'Seated with Others'. Luckily, the default isn't set up like that. And a quick hint. Check-in right at 5:30. If you try at 6p you'll likely have to wait until that first wave clears. In those cases, we often wait until after 6:30 and get seated by 7p. And we always do a Table for 2 via YTD.

I guess you don't consider Holland America to be a major line. Perhaps we're just talking past each other; not trying to argue. I'll concede this: RCCL, Carnival, NCL, and MSC specifically are likely to fully evolve into mega ship vacation companies designed to take the masses from Florida/Texas to..... essentially nowhere...... within the next 30 years. If you made me guess, I'd think the market will actually segment into 3-4 broad categories here in the USA with cross-over, of course. - mass market, 'vacation' mega liners (RCCL, NCL, etc.) - 'medium' upper middle class distant port ships (HAL's Pinnacle class; perhaps Celebrity) - luxury small ship cruising (Seabourn, Oceania, Viking) - specialty (everything from Star Clippers to American Cruise Lines) There's demand in all those categories. Somebody will fill it.

Piece of cake OP. Obviously can't be 'official' for lifeboat reasons but I'd be shocked if your steward couldn't help you out with an extra blanket and pillow for that 1-2 nights. Heck, drunks pass out in the wrong cabin on every cruise I'd wager.

They will always exist. As I've said before, you simply don't get to Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) on an Icon Class. Literally can't happen. Similarly, you won't be visiting Antarctica or even the lesser developed islands of the Caribbean. And let's not mention the major ports that will certainly limit the 'megas' by law. Cruising will segment itself into 'different' industries. And there will always be a significant market for travel, not 'Disney alternative'.

I've not been to Greenland but I would suggest you'll have your best opportunity for all of that in Alaska. Our experience is with Iceland and that's about geothermal/fault line features, waterfalls, tundra, and tiny fishing villages.

We're fans of the Mediterranean Inn just off Mercer. We've never stayed their pre-cruise but did stay there 2-3 times when our son lived in Queen Anne in the days prior to moving further north and having a spare bedroom.

WHAT? Your reputation is permanently ruined!!!!! 😉

It's way more the same than different @MistyRo76. As indicated above, it skews a bit older but I would say not as much as a Journeys or a European cruise does. For all intents, the onboard offerings will be the same; albeit regionally appropriate. Said another way, a Jamaican steel drum guy on Lido would just feel weird. What I don't know is if Carnival engages a naturalist. Their lectures are always great. And enjoy my favorite Alaskan hobby. You know how watching dock runners can be entertaining? Well we northerners (and by the way, you 'barely' qualify!) enjoy watching the Floridians with their 'matchy matchy' winter coats they bought just for the trip. 😆