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Agreed that most folks would rather have cash back than the points. For me, however, I prefer the points, where I can usually get more than one cent per point value. For example, I am looking to book a flight to Hawaii from SFO next September. I want to fly first class if possible on this long five and half hour flight. AMEX points transfer to Hawaiian airlines at a 1:1 ratio, and that first class ticket costs 40,000 Hawaiian points. If I paid cash for the same ticket it would cost me $790, so that is a value of almost two cents per AMEX point. So I will combine my 17,500 points from this Princess offer with some other AMEX points I have to get that airline ticket. BTW, the offer on my AMEX Everyday Preferred card reads as follows: Get 17,500 additional Membership Rewards® points one-time by using your enrolled eligible Card to make a single purchase of $700 or more on cruise reservations booked online at princess.com, by calling 800-774-6237 or through a Princess Cruises travel advisor. Must be booked by 2/15/2024.

Quiz: If your TA won't apply the gift cards to pay for the cruise, you can always: A. Pay your onboard bill with them, or B. Get another TA/Book directly on Carnival's website. I know what my answer is. Whaddayathink?

I would be totally miserable if I limited my food intake to 2300 calories over a 48 hour span. For sure you will lose weight quickly if you can keep that up.

Not sure if you are saying Bourbon Street is better or worse than represented. I for one avoid Bourbon street like the plague. I love New Orleans ... but hang out mostly on Frenchmen Street instead of Bourbon. Will be on the Spirit next fall through the Panama Canal terminating in New Orleans. Can't wait!!

A ballet dancer who gains 36 pounds on vacation is soon out of work.

1. Carnival cruisers generally like to access their food onboard as soon as possible. I mean, we already paid for it, regardless of its perceived quality. 2. Some Carnival cruisers like to access the alcohol as soon as possible. I may or may not be in that category. 3. As someone already mentioned, many Carnival cruisers travel light, and/or check their luggage to their rooms, reducing the burden of hand baggage.

That's what she said.

Wow. Total suck. My wife and I have been AAA members for 40 years. Our past experiences (and yours) will keep me paying that annual membership fee.

Let me add my voice to the choir and thank you for this blog! Excellent photos and fresh commentary. I am now primed for my next cruise on the Discovery Princess at the end of this month followed immediately by a cruise on the Carnival Radiance. Those will, however, be quite a bit different than your Carnival/Cunard combo! And, oddly, both cruises will take me into the top tier status on the respective cruise lines. Unlimited free laundry! 🙂

If I were a betting man I would wager that a Carnival ship has more security personnel per capita than a Cunard ship. 😀 Although in my 26 Carnival cruises I have never actually observed any physical altercations.

This is so true. The omelets are cooked in some kind of oil that is a total turnoff. And what passes for eggs benedict sitting under a heat lamp? Hard pass. Soggy bacon and inedible scrambled eggs. Yuck. HAL and Princess have a decent biscuit and gravy combo . . . but Carnival doesn't even have that on offer any more. I am now reduced to eating fruit and cottage cheese at the breakfast buffet. OK, the fruit is good and is good for me. Sigh.

I've noticed this as well. I understand that it might happen on the first days of the cruise before everyone knows how to use the app. But I don't understand it several days into a cruise.

Doesn't Cunard segregate their main dining rooms into four different classes? That is, Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill, and Queens Grill?

If you are plat or diamond the crew will do your laundry for free. So you don't need the self serve washers and dryers.

Oh, the horror. The next time I get a Guy's burger I'm going to examine it closely, and if they haven't plated it well, I will hand it back.

Don't judge until you at least give it a try! Oh, and do you eat bread? Cookies? Sometimes they bake those on the show! And they even bake croissants, which I know you eat! This is my last post on the subject . . .

I always assumed the smoking side of the casino was busy because it was the only place on the inside of the ship where the smokers could smoke. Although I don't smoke, my mother did . . . so I can tolerate it reasonable well.

Its not the cakes. The charm is in the everyday people from all walks of British life and how they interact with each other and the judges and the two show hosts. I can't really explain it, you have to try it. Sort of like Gala night.

As you think John should try the Gala night, perhaps you should try the Great British Bake Off. Part of its charm is that it is the least competitive "competition" I have ever seen. There is no monetary prize, and the amateur bakers all help each other despite it being a competition. There are absolutely no losers on the show and no one is embarrassed -- in fact, they all hang out together after the show. I don't bake, and I barely cook . . . and I still enjoy the show. I watch it with the better half who is a superb baker. Of course, many folks have better things to do than watch any sort of television, and that is perfectly understandable. BTW, a few years ago there was an American version of the Great British Bake Off. No one liked the American version. Not even Californians. Why? Because, of course, the American producers tried to make it really competitive. 🙂

I eat a lot of French things, because, well, they are French. Reminds me of the Great British Baking Show (alias Bake Off) when Pru was sampling some patisserie and told Paul, "those French really know how to bake." Paul's response: "Yes, damn them."

Oh well. Thanks for the pic.

Maybe. But that could be a bridge too far for some of us Carnival cruisers.

Is the poker table gone or just moved somewhere? Pre Covid Carnival had the electronic table on almost every ship, but I wonder if they are moving away from that.

You know what I need. Well, maybe you don't. A picture of the Fun21 table. Hope springs eternal that they have jettisoned the automatic shuffler in the refresh. Odds of that? Yeah, nigh on zero.

This is very very wierd. There is a lot of angst against America right now in the Arab world, but Gibraltar is very, very English. Please keep us informed about the apparent denial of entry for American passport holders.