DallasGuy75219

More misinformation on this thread. If this was the case, cruise lines wouldn't allow American passengers without passports off the ship in Mexico or Canada. Nor would they recommend you leave your passport on the ship and take only a photo ID and your ship card/medallion ashore, as they do especially in ports prone to thieves and pickpockets. The reality is that law enforcement in and around these port cities know some cruise passengers are there (for the day) legally without passports, know that the cruiselines have already checked their documents, and accept a photo ID and ship card/medallion as documentation that you are there legally as a cruise passenger for the day.

☝️This!☝️ Free drinks in the casino + 5 free drink vouchers is practically a free drink package, at least with the way I spend my time on a cruise.

Princess certainly can have its own requirements that are stricter than the federal government requirements. Perfect example is that Princess requires everyone in a travel party to have a passport when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).

And those people are generally experienced cruisers familiar with the documentation requirements, not to mention that Princess sends additional notifications that passports are required for these itineraries.

REAL IDs aren't required for air travel until May 7, 2025.

The port agents are more than familiar with people cruising with birth certificates and photo IDs. They're considered acceptable identification for closed loop cruises out of the US, which represent probably 98% of Princess cruises out of the US. Where port agents may become confused is for round-trip US cruises that go to non-WHTI countries that require passports (like partial Panama Canal transits) and with people with non-standard citizenship or residency status (like permanent residents). But if people weren't born in the US and are here legally, they should have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a Certificate of Naturalization (both substitute for a birth certificate) or a passport already. Their documentation issues with port agents usually relate to not having the right visas or other additional documentation (like green cards fir permanent residents). For 98% of US citizens on Princess cruises out of the US, the only concern with not cruising with a birth certificate is having to fly back from a foreign country in an emergency. And even that is not insurmountable; it will just take additional time and effort with the nearest US embassy or consulate to get temporary travel documents.

"My cousin's barber's brother said they saw on Facebook that...." Please don't post misinformation if you dont know what you're talking about. This was a specific type of Hawaii driver license (not all Hawaii licenses), and Florida dropped the restriction in 2023. https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/visiting-florida-faqs/sb1718/

I almost included those. I gave them away or left in my cabin after the cruise, but apparently some people actually liked them.

My post was about Carnival Corporation, not Carnival Cruise Line. My point was that Carnival Corporation should care about incentivizing VIFP members who are over Carnival Cruise Line to branch out to other Carnival Corporation brands rather than competing brands.

It's the same for all categories. If there are available cabins that sleep 3 or 4, they won't show up online for someone trying to book a cabin for 2.

And the only gifts he has left to bestow on you are luggage tags and koozies.

You completely missed the point. Carnival Corporation is leaving money on the table by not incentivizing VIFP members who want to move up to a higher class of cruise line to go to, example, Princess or Holland. Without some incentive, all other things equal, that member is just as likely to try Celebrity or Virgin. The major hotel brands get this. If I'm a Bonvoy member who usually stays at Fairfield Inns but am looking for a better experience, being able to keep some Bonvoy benefits at for example a Marriott encourages me to stay in the Marriott hotel portfolio vs. going, for example, to a Hilton.

Carnival changed to ordering everything at once several years ago. At that point Royal Caribbean had already been doing it. If you tell them you're not sure if you'll be hungry for dessert or just politely ask to order separately, they'll probably accommodate you.

And what mass market line isn't?

If you do it that way, you lose any other benefits of the casino offer if the offer you booked under is expired or sold out and you don't have another valid casino offer to rebook under. And after final payment you can no longer rebook under a different casino offer without penalty.

Definitely Miami. But it's not so much the number of ships in port as the number of one-way itineraries, particularly (1) repositioning cruises at the beginning and end of the Alaska season and (2) the weekly one-way cruises between Vancouver and Alaska.

Because Alaska's economy is much more dependent on tourism dollars from cruisers vs. Hawaii. How many nonstop flights from the continental US (or from anywhere for that matter) are there to Alaska as compared to Hawaii? And how many cruises with Hawaii itineraries vs. Alaska?

I saw similar on Princess... someone dropped the serving spoon or tongs on the floor then put it back in the dish🙄 I told someone and they replace the whole pan of food.

The problem is Princess cheerleaders justifying or defending Princess' boneheaded and passenger-unfriendly decisions (i.e., "well if you had read that Diamond Princess press release, you would have known...").

Still not a PVSA violation. PVSA applies to voyages on a single ship, not the whole cruise line. Not mention they would have debarked in one port and embarked in another. Changing ports and/or changing ships "breaks" any potential PVSA-violating (single) voyage, because it creates two distinct voyages. Whoever told @Cruise Raider this was a PVSA violation was wrong to begin with.

🙄🙄🙄 Clearly OP meant no notice to people who already had reservations for Sterling Steakhouse. I hope you don't seriously expect someone who made a reservation in advance to go scouring the internet for a press release (with Sapphire tangentially mentioned, at that) just in case Princess happened to change the type of restaurant before their sailing.

If you want a whole cake, you will need to order and pay for it yourself. Carnival no longer provides those for free. If you're happy being sung to with a candle in a piece of dessert, just let your MDR waiter know its your birthday and they can take care of that.

I think they prefer that 2 people using their Plus package dining credits not take up 4 casual dining seatings.

That second elegant night menu isn't correct. First and second elegant night menus should look similar to this... The menus may vary slightly over time and from ship to ship (this one doesn't have prime rib the first elegant night) but the two elegant nights are definitely different menus.

The "dining" is limited to crudités, a charcuterie board, and truffles. They can be purchased a la carte or as prix fixe menu with one of each. The prix fixe menu is considered a casual dining "meal" if you have the Plus or Premier package.