poz222

Years ago CCL had Blantons... they stopped carrying which was a shame. Alchemy bar and steakhouse bar usually has best selection

Carnival stopped sponsoring them and got sick of people complaining to them about this or that (they do not want responsibility), not nixed. You can organize one if you wish. I participated in one last week on Valor and met some fun folks. It is fairly easy, just take the complainers in your group with a grain of salt and remind them participation is NOT Mandatory...

I order a spicy strawberry basil concoction (not on menu).. also like a Samoa cookie (caramel, toasted coconut and chocolate martini tastes like the Girl Scout Samoa cookie) .. and he make a key lime dream which tasted like an alcoholic version of the famous pie).

Perhaps not a legit “drinker” but a “legit” vacationer... I am frugal by nature so buying Cheers gives me the permission to order things I might pass on to save money, or get the top shelf stuff, AM Bloody Mary and an extra glass of wine in the MDR (I usually bring a glass I poured from the carry on bottle in the room and sip throughout dinner). So I figure it into my cruise cost and it turns it into an all inclusive vacation without me “calculating” everything. So I don’t necessarily worry about breaking even.

Alchemy Bar has a few (I know they have McCallens options) and Steakhouse bar (you do not have to dine there to access the bar) have best selections

Living in S. Florida there have been many times I work a half day then get on a Thurs or Friday short cruise... so I don’t usually arrive till about 2-2:30 ish... love just walking onboard, most of the masses have eaten and are settling into cabins so shorter food lines.. many times we are off first thing and I go to work to minimize vacation days while maximizing cruise days... and yes, we always pick a port to do a “Ship excursion day” where we stay onboard and really enjoy the amenities

In a HOT MINUTE! All Lido balcony cabins on conquest class ships have Panorama deck cabins above it, not public space... so no chair scraping... I LOVE the convenience of Lido deck... so IMO... heck yes

So when exchanging dollars to CUC, keep in mind it is pegged to the dollar ($1 = 1 CUC) HOWEVER, the exchange desk charges 10% service fee... so in reality you are only getting .80 per $. So keep that in mind for budgeting. If your excursions are booked through CCL then you are just budgeting for souviniers and maybe a mojito. A cocktail will cost around 3-6 CUC at the touristy places, cigars (decent) from $6- $15 depending on what you want (we are not cigar smokers so did not really look)... Souvenirs are all 2-$10 CUC (T-shirt’s, magnets, some handmade espresso cups, licence plate etc..) Rum, I got a 3 year for about $6 or $8 per bottle and a few different 7 year for about $12 - $20 ... I would recommend not over cashing money as you will lose another 3% when you change back . We spent about $60 a person.

If they cannot pop it better indoors than they do on Lido, they won't sell any.

Lido popcorn or styrofoam packing peanuts.... same same (but the styrofoam probably has a bit more “crunch”?

This is the most common cause, and those deck drains are not only in your cabin bathroom, but in many of the areas "behind the scenes" like the technical lockers where the pipes and wiring run, and these see almost no water and can dry out, and the hotel crew are typically not aware of where these are. Higher decks don't make any difference, it is the dryness of the AC air that causes the traps to dry out.

 

Not sure what you mean by "venting of the bilges", but bilges don't have vents, they are open to the engine room, and they definitely don't have anything in them that smells of sewage or gray water. Oil and water, yes, other wastes, no.

 

I believe the problem with the cove balconies is a vent from the waste water treatment plant.

Ahhh that is the Vent I was thinking of... for some reason bilges was all that came to mind...

Now.. speaking from a practical standpoint, CCL seems to be in a pickle jar of their own making regarding staff... At the behest of an extensive “shipboard labor study” by an outside consulting company, they dramatically cut back on number stewards and are actively trying to push the once a day cleaning to cover the increased workload... because of the pushback from seasoned cruisers they walked that back and because those “in the know” complained loudly, we still can get twice a day if we wish (that was a bit of a rollout debacle as well).

Now, with the exploding number of Platinum and Diamond guests AND the expansion of FTTF, they have created another labor deficit (compounded since the elimination of many steward positions). They have tried to combat this by eliminating turn down service on embarkation day... but the overload is just too much for the smaller staff...

I firmly believe this “error” was a “trial balloon” to see how far they could press the issue to relieve the overburdened staff... just like the original “some ships have the wrong cabin survey cards which were conveniently missing the “both” box instead of just AM or PM” excuse... this was them testing the waters for such cutbacks.

There is no doubt that the sheer number of cabins that must be done for “priority” guests is outpacing the ability of staff to do it... But management needs to know that they either need to do a full overhaul of the program and perks and risk enormous backlash, OR Hire back a few stewards... they could EASILY make up the additional costs in the increase in FTTF prices without taking things away from loyal passengers.

This is WHY it is important to discuss this and make them understand we as passenger DO NOTICE! And not just accept that a corporation has our best interests in mind!!!

Many times it is the drains getting dry. I try to make a habit to put a bit of water in each drain (the one in the bathroom floor is a common culprit as is the balcony... every day or so just in case. For some ships it is a design issue for venting of the bilges. I saw so e complaints from the Vista class that the starboard side coves midship have this venting issue and deck 3 or 4 aft on the Splendor. There are other ships that get random dry drain issues especially in cabins near housekeeping wet lockers...

Has anyone asked Shaq?

Hahahahaha.... Brilliant! Prolly get more accurate answers!

Hopefully this was not the last family reunion cruise..... lolol

Around two dozen Carnival Cruise Line passengers were removed from the Carnival Legend on Friday following a violent brawl that one onlooker described as a “bloodbath.”

The Carnival Legend was scheduled to dock in Melbourne on Saturday following a 10-day trip through the South Pacific, but was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Eden, New South Wales, where police unloaded the unruly passengers, 9 News Australia is reporting.

Witnesses say the fight broke out very early on Friday morning between a large extended family, guests and staff members, and grew to the point where fellow passengers were “truly scared for [their] safety.”

Several years I worked with a lady to help organize a local fan club cruise (170 cabins)... you NEED to get a good agen who will guide you through the perks. We earned points that we spent on cocktail party and had to organize for the band to play (we used the Lido stage one night) and used the rest of the points to get Band member and coordinator cabins etc... the “partial” charter is a misnomer as the ship will NOT customize an itinerary for the group, but they will block space... but you should NOT be the person trying to coordinate the payments and such on your own... let a non family member deal with the money and headaches. You will get a guest services groups coordinator onboard as a contact person for activities. My friend sailed with the group (they budgeted in a cabin for her into the points structure) so she handled all the onboard coordination... and she said it was CRAZY busy for,her...

Yes, my family tried the price guarantee, but Carnival said that they were not the exact same tour (one included a “jungle hike” and full cave so they denied the price difference. I’ve done Butts Up 3 Times, I did the cruise line once (I had trouble carrying my tube down the hill) so I much prefer Butts up... they are great.

I would normally say yes it's absolutely worth it. BUT since you said the GLORY i would pass. I've been to the steak house several times on other ships and the experience and food were phenomenal! This past february on the GLORY it was lackluster at best. Had surf and turf and the lobster was burnt. The filet was overcooked and they gave my wife a different menu than I had that didn't include all the desert options. Now on the Pride, Legend, Liberty and Dream it was to die for:cool::cool:. :cool:

I expierenced the SAME issue on the Glory in the steakhouse. We usually eat 2-3 Times per cruise I. The steakhouse (casino perk) but I was soooo disappointed in the food and service there. My meal on the Glory was really poorly cooked and my server was very rude. Thinking it was a “one off” night we went back later in the cruise and had a different server (who was more pleasant but very under trained ) but the food was not nearly up to the quality I am used to in the steakhouse. I’m thinking it is a Glory thing.. this was last November.

As far as “value” from a purely “money worth” yes, as far as “worth paying extra since other food is included” that is subjective. But I say give it a try and see. We also love Cucina (for $15) and JiJi’s as alternatives to the MDR experience. It’s a “value” for us as we love the experiences.

I love the ocean plaza layout on the Magic and I found the Glory to be kinda... meh... not bad but not memorable when I sailed in October.

They were enforcing the chair hog rules on the Magic last year, so I suppose like all of CCL rules, it is not consistent

Onion soup, beef carpaccio, seared tuna, braised short ribs, tom ka gai soup, seared sea bass, vegetable lasagna and bitter n blanc or creme brûlée

We have do this with the family and we always have to carry 2 key cards...

Helium per rules have to be stored in special lockers, thus they do not carry any onboard

The point is that CCL does not actually WANT to do them... so put them at Inconvenient Times, say nobody attends then cancel all together for lack of participation...

I will jump in before the cheater police jump in.... yes, it is done all the time, once onboard you can go to guest services (everyone must be present) and get a key card (it will be a separate card from the sign and sail so they will have to carry 2 cards) for whichever room they want to sleep in. Keep in mind, the new room must be able to accommodate 3 people...

Port authority is saying she will be arriving late (like 9 AM instead of 7:30) so you might consider delaying a bit...