alyssamma

Menu from the diner...

Ok, went to deck 8 and found out the deal...for this cruise and the last one, because of "high volume", whatever that means...on sea days they are the same as the MDR. And when I ate there it was a sea day. On the other days they are the American Diner. Furthermore, they are aware they don't show up in the app (which is why I couldn't find them) and they've talked to IT about it (lol, sure that will be fixed REAL soon) The menu looks good ..all day breakfast, wings, burgers etc. And they are open during the day for lunch I'm going to try and do dinner there tomorrow. Wow...I didn't think things could be this confusing, but obviously they are.

You are on the ship now? Have you eaten on deck 8 for dinner and gotten a different menu? I mean actually eaten there and not just seen a menu. I'm going to go up there tonight before dinner and see what they are serving...

Interesting...wonder if it is just a lunch thing? Can you see if they've had a different dinner?

For this cruise, all 3 decks...6, 7, 8, all serve the normal MDR food Edit: Just spoke to guest services...was told they sometimes have the American diner and sometimes don't. I can say every night on this cruise there was no deck 8 dining option in the app. I can also say I got 4 different answers from guest services about how tendering would work in Santorini and none of them matched the actual reality of what happened. So my advice, get on the ship and see what experience you have lol

I also thought this was the case. However, at least on this sailing, it isn't so. It is definitely confusing...here is what it says for deck 6. Note in the app it only has decks 6 and 7... no mention of 8. You can see it says fixed time, but also says walk ins welcome. Below that is what the app shows...only decks 6 and 7. I found 8 when exploring the ship. I could swear I read somewhere that it had a different menu but I ate there for dinner and it was the normal MDR menu.

It's possible because things are so new they are in flux. It's also possible they only have a set number...say half...of their capacity with fixed dining times so can handle walk ins.

So...this was my understanding but it is not how it works. I've eaten on 8 and the menu is the exact same. Also, as mentioned, the wait is very minor...we normally eat around 730.

My wife said there was soup...but only one kind...and she doesn't remember the type unfortunately

You mean for dinner? No...but I did for lunch one day.

So, it is a little confusing. They do the Arena (basically the theater), the Piazza (the atrium) and Live (right next to the atrium). Shows in Live are USUALLY 2x per day at 7 and 9 and in the Arena at 8 and 10. But things switch. For example, the woman last night in the arena is tonight in the Piazza. And some production shows are in the Piazza (they have things that come down from the ceiling). And they do game shows all night in both Live and the Piazza. It's actually a mess in Live because people are rushing in for one show right as the previous show ends because there is no gap.

Another thing I forgot to mention...laundry is free. But there are only 2 machines on each deck so it can be crowded.

Yes, you can eat on 6 without assigned dining times.

So ..deck 6 is listed that way, but that is the only deck that has separate lines for reservation and no reservation. It's a little confusing

Oh, one other thing since it is asked so many times. I took 100 in non-refundable OBC, played blackjack for a few hands and cashed out 85 with zero problems.

There are 3 decks to the MDR. The first night we tried deck 6 and the lines were long. We went to deck 7 and got in relatively quickly (maybe 10min). Last night we tried Deck 8 at about 720. We waited maybe 15min total, but 10min of those were because no one was manning the station to seat people. My advice is, if there is a line on one deck, just go to one of the other decks. But even on our first night and deck 6, the line seemed to move quickly.

The good: cabin is simply amazing. We have an inside (only other time had a cabin class lower than balcony was a couple of times in MSC Yacht Club). I was worried because the dimensions are small, but this is one of the best cabins I've ever been in. Shower and bathroom are (cruise) spacious, lots of closet and other storage space, a zillion hangers, and really nice touches. For example, when you get up from bed a small night light comes on under the nightstand and in the bathroom. The look of the ship is stunning. Nice colors, very pretty. Staff is mostly very nice and friendly. The few shows I have seen were good. Not the best, but I'd say a solid B+ The average: Food is hit or miss. Nothing has been bad, but tends towards average instead of great. Cruise director. Eh. A little annoying to me, but ymmv. Regardless, I'd say she's in the middle of CDs I've experienced. The bad: the layout is simply the worst I've ever seen. It's so bad I could never sail this ship again. Princess Live, where they have comedy and enrichment shows is completely open, so not only do you hear the crowds walking by, but you also very clearly hear whatever is going on in the central atrium part of the ship. Which leads to... The Piazza. Great to look at, but three levels with limited chairs means every show they have there requires people to stand. There are about 3x as many people standing as sitting. Lastly, I hate that they funnel you through the shops or casino to get to the important parts of the ship.

@FlorenceItaly love the handle. It's funny because I am heading there right now. On my way to the airport... Stopping in Holland for a few days but will be in Florence on Monday.

So, deposits are back to $3500 for the cruise I booked. The price is the exact same. To me, this was a great deal.

So what you just gave is an example of why this is all a pretty meaningless discussion 🙂 With or without "sales" "reduced deposits", etc., prices fluctuate. The real test would be what was the price Tuesday and what was the price Wednesday. But even then, some prices will go up and others down...

For my personal experience, the price was the same on 2/2 when I originally looked at this cruise. The only difference now is I paid $2 instead of $3500 to hold it. I have no intention of cancelling the cruise. I also plan to rebook/refare if the price drops.

This is a correct, but misleading. The distinction being made by @mz-s is the same distinction that Carnival makes. Carriers do this too. For example, I can be anywhere in the world, connected to wifi, and call anywhere else in the world on WhatsApp for free. However, if I am on that *same* wifi network and make a wifi carrier call, it will be free if I call the USA, but will cost me if I call another country. So, yes, the underlying protocols are the same, but the way they are used is different. The OP here clearly meant carrier based wifi calling. That appears to be blocked now (always?) by Carnival. Other types of wifi calling are not.

This distinction is correct...

I still believe I have...but maybe it was a while ago. Looking through CC shows some people who've had success.

I said I've made wifi *and* WhatsApp calling. Edited: Maybe I'm mistaken, lol. But I could have sworn I did it...looking at other posts here it does seem to be blocked, so I have to be misremembering...