dandeck

Thanks for the informative review! I doubt anyone is surprised about unaccompanied kids on a ship out of NYC. Wife & I are diamond, closing in on 50 cruises each. We are waiting until this ship starts sailing out of Cape Canaveral before we try her. NYC?! No friggin way. Again, Thanks for confirming our suspicions! (-:

Yep! The cycle of cruise life! (-: Wife & I came aboard this morning for 5 weeks! Enjoyed all you guys & gals posts so much I joined / started following The Tribe as of a couple weeks ago.

11.5% sales tax in SJ

Used to be Dooney & Bourke handbags outlet store there in Old San Juan. My wife was crushed when it closed probably 5 - 6 yra ago?

Enjoying ur posts! Quick question please. Does this terminal (F?) have a separate entrance / line for Diamond? Thanks!

11 - 11:15 is the norm.

Been on a lot of cruises. Most of them Carnival. If the weather is not perfect, I'd suggest no earlier than 10am. If the weather is nice, earlier is fine, but ya may be outside for a while.

Hello! Last few cruises out of Miami have either been quick to the ship or a nightmare! (-: Heading out on Celebration this time in a couple weeks. How are Sundays there? To Celebration specifically if ya been? Seems like we've always embarked on Saturdays in the past. Normally not a problem. Last time a wreck in the tunnel and it was shut down. A friggin nightmare! After an hour, got luggage and walked rest of the way! LOL Anyway, Sundays OK if no wrecks...? Thanks and happy sailing!!

What a fantastic posting! Wife & I are boarding for a few weeks on the 21st and your review has answered so many questions for us! Thank you guys very much!

Bingo! A repeat "dissatisfied" passenger??! LOL

The guidelines are spelled out in no uncertain terms. By booking you are agreeing to those terms. Now, if something goes completely off the rails, then adjust accordingly. However, barring that, the deal was spelled out in plain English. The gratuities are simply part of the cost of the cruise and the folks working on board are counting on them. Again, if there's a serious lack of service by someone, address it accordingly. Other than that, you knew full well what was expected. I'll add that in 40 Carnival cruises to date, some with kids as well, I've never felt the need to reduce any gratuities. Since the cabin Stewart is our main contact, I normally give them an extra $10 a week. As a beer drinker, an extra $1 for a bucket. I've had in depth discussions with the guys on the ships. They need the $ and really appreciate any extra. Not to mention they will find you like a heat seeking missile with your drinks! (-:

Wife & I will be on Celebration for 5 weeks soon. Have read every page of your review and it is the best one I have ever had the pleasure of reading!! Thank you for taking the time to do it!! Have a great rest of your cruise!

That's the $ amt you knew when booking. Therefore, you should not tamper with that. If you want to tip someone special / extra, do it. Wife & I have been Diamond for last couple of yrs now. We rarely eat in the MDR. Just don't find it convenient, too time consuming... however, the folks working there are counting on that $$ and it's not their decision we ate at the buffets instead. The preset / auto gratuities are the bare minimum. We tip on drinks, give the room Stewart an extra $10 or so per week (we normally do B2B's) in addition to the auto $$. Oh, and we may have our room cleaned 2 times @ week. Most days we simply swap out some clean towels, wash rags...

Your comment didn't age well. Almost every ship in every line has now. Not to mention ESPN has a long term contract with the ACL (American Cornhole League for those who don't get out much! LOL) Several lines even cater to leagues now with cruises organized around tournaments on board. Bottom line is NO, I wasn't kidding. Fastest growing sport in the US with a strong movement to make an Olympic sport. I assume you are still playing for butter. LOL BTW, never do your own stock picking. You obviously can't see a winner. (-: