Honolulu Blue

UPDATE: It looks like Yorktown won't be a cruise ship stop for Princess or anyone, at least in the near future. Source: Princess Cruise Line cancels controversial Yorktown cruise stop | 13newsnow.com

As promised, The 80s Cruise sent me an email with additional details on the 2025 sailing. Here are the most relevant notes: Bookings start Wednesday, February 7 at 11 AM EST, with tokens being sent out a half hour before. I'll set my alarm clock. ⏰ Full drink packages remain included in the price Price increases after March 7 from $500 to $1000 per person Bookings made pre cruise are refundable through March 14. This is a small change from last year when refunds were only offered until the second day of the cruise. Additional booking fees remain at $350 per person, and $400 for suites Since we're changing ships, no one can reserve their previous cabin, though suites have priority for booking another suite Single tax remains 50% I don't see any single occupancy cabins Reserved seats remain at 400 per show time I didn't see any deposit information; it was $400 last year that wasn't billed until we were on the ship For my cabin this year, I paid $3050 total. Next year's cabin, for one in the same class (4V) will set me back $3370, for an increase of just over 10%. Ouch! But they've got their hooks in me now. I'm very likely to book, so stay tuned for those details. 🤴

True, but the weather over weeks, months, and years IS climate... and now we're on that slippery slope.

At first, I was going to disagree with you - after all, what could be LESS controversial than the weather? Then I thought of two of my least favorite phrases of the past two decades - "global warming" and "climate change". Both of those have become co-opted by various movements such that they've become political. So many symbols, things, and words have become politically charged these days. I find it a little sad and frustrating.

I'm glad you got that info. I'm bracing for a substantial increase for '25 based on what I've seen other music charters do for their late '24 and '25 cruises.

OP was talking about the mystery game. @Essiesmom was discussing the old newsletter. I was answering HER, not the OP.

You mean like this?

Thanks everyone. It seems the answer is "rare" but not "unprecedented". I'll add it to my cruise story repertoire to impress the n00bs and fill in dead space among cruising veterans.

I hope this is true, because I've been Platinum for several years and never heard of such a perk.

I'm shocked that you didn't get an email on this. 😮 But it doesn't matter too much. You might want to take a brief look at your spam folder.

Noted. Thanks. 👍 It'll be a race between TEC and R&R.

And one more thing... The 80s Cruise finally confirmed some details about their cruise in 2025. I'll do a screen capture of it since I don't want to miss any details: This mostly confirms what was speculated on the Web, so a point in their favor! I do find it interesting that our stops are completely different than the ones on Star Trek the week before. Perhaps there's more people traveling on both than I expect, and they want to keep them all on their toes? I kind of like the stops. I still haven't been to Nassau after TEC aborted their try there two years ago. I'll be there on the McDonald LaBelle Cruise in April, but perhaps there's more to Nassau that won't be satisfied by that trip? It's possible. I've been to San Juan half a dozen times as an embarkation port, but only twice as a port stop - and one of those times I didn't get off the ship. So I definitely have some unfinished business there. And I've never been to Labadee - or indeed anywhere in Haiti. I've heard it's mostly a beach/water sports/amusement park stop, which is mostlly not of interest. Perhaps things will have settled down enough that they will let us go into the countryside and explore. I think I'd like that better. This has turned out to be a very busy day!

As I was going through the options on my charter cruise on the Summit, I found this for $25 each: As a little background, I actually had a roulette lesson when I was on the Millennium back in November 2022. It wasn't as formal as this one seemed to be. It also didn't cost me anything. I basically went up to the table and bought some chips with my own money while the dealer explained what was going on and probably slowed things down for my benefit. A few other players joined in, but I don't think it was a "lesson" for them as much as straight up gambling. BTW, I won a few bucks and left. All my lessons should be so lucrative. 🤑 I can't recall seeing this before, but it's been a little while since I was last on a Celebrity ship - almost exactly a year. When did this first appear? Has anyone tried this option? If so, what was it like? Thanks in advance for your perspectives.

One more thing crossed my e-mail today... I was finally notified that the Rock and Romance Cruise was finally available at Celebrity's Web site. That meant I could check in, pick a boarding time, purchase excursions, etc. A few notes on this process: I picked an 11:30-12 arrival time, which was the earliest available to me. It should work, since I plan to be in town the night before The excursion lists look like they need some work. First, they list excursions for Key West on day 2. I'm pretty sure we're going to be out at sea and NOT stopping in Key West, unless I somehow missed a change in itinerary. Second, day 4 lists excursions for Nassau and not Aruba. Premium WiFi access is $29/day for a package for 1 device at a time, and $52/day for 2. Not bad by Celebrity standards, but I think I can survive a few days without WiFi. Both Aruba and Curacao have some spots where I can access the Net for free. Perhaps I can sneak away from the music to find time to catch up with the world. In the casino section, I didn't see the return of bonus freeplay/chips, but I did see this under "Private Gaming Lessons": There are some definite gotchas here - those who buy this would be at the mercy of the schedules onboard in order to get their lessons; the chips must be bet and can't be cashed for its face value; no contra betting on Roulette (e.g., Red and Black on the same spin); only two purchases per person per cruise. I think it's an interesting offer by Celebrity, but I'm not interested enough to purchase this.

A couple of small notes: I booked shuttles both ways from Orlando to the port for The 80s Cruise. $30 each way through GoPort. I took a second look at the Doobie Brothers tour. It looks like the Noblesville, IN stop will work best for me. There are still plenty of premium seats available there. I didn't pull the trigger yet, but I could at any time. Still waiting patiently for some big announcements - like the tentative schedules for both TEC and R&R, booking details for the 2025 editions of R&R and TEC, and lineups for R&R. I don't expect TEC to announce anyone in their 2025 lineup before the cruise; a big show and production is kind of their thing.

I was on the Magic in November, and I just got off sister ship the Dream a few days ago. I had a great time on both. Both ships were in good shape with decent food and excellent crew. I did threads on both at the time of their sailings; search around here and you'll find them. The Horizon remains my favorite Carnival ship and the Vista is a sister to her. But I was last on the Ho in 2019 and much could have changed in that time. You should be happy with whatever choice you make. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing this. I'm a little surprised Princess would want to go into the whole tipping thing with people who are NOT their employees. Do they also have guidelines for the cruise terminal porters, shuttle drivers, and/or flight attendants? Without going too far in the weeds on this, I usually tip more than this guideline on my cruise line excursions.

I just stopped in Cartagena on a cruise last week (not on Celebrity). i didn't get off the ship for three reasons - 1) I'd been there twice before, 2) it was sauna-like hot when we were there, and 3) flashbacks from encounters with pesky vendors. They do have a nice zoo in the port area; this shot is from a previous visit. I found the areas I visited in Cartagena safe enough. I was on ship excursions both times. You should be fine. Enjoy your visit! P.S. Why does Cartagena get visited so much? Location, location, location. It happens to be a convenient distance away from the ABC islands and the Panama Canal. Santa Marta isn't as well developed (I don't think) and is less developed as a tourist experience. Barranquilla has a definite commercial and industrial focus and doesn't have Cartagena's history.

Thank you so much! I'm definitely happy for the commentary from @firefly333, @satxdiver, and others.

I actually did not know the exact split of platinum and diamonds on this cruise. On my last Journeys cruise on the Breeze back in 2020, we had 400 diamonds with 1600 platinum.

Thanks for the pictures from Cartagena. The birds are pretty, but I decided that not going into a 100+ heat index was the right decision for me. And thank you for sharing your excursion experience in Limon. Did you meet in the main theater? We did. It's possible I saw you there and didn't know it. Its also possible that we were at the same banana plantation. I saw similar things to what you dud. I was offered a free banana also, though a small one. I sampled the cacao nibs with ginger at one of my stops. Not bad, but I preferred the ones with caramel. Though the ones with ginger might have come in handy when those seas got rough...

French is a Romance language that comes from Latin, so I think it would serve you well. I'm sorry you were disappointed with your Diamond lunch. I suppose I'll eventually get there on Carnival, though probably not any time soon. I'm always interested in hearing about benefits that higher status individuals get. Call me a snob, but I'm cool on pizza with fewer than two toppings. Perhaps I'm reminded of my college days when that was all I could afford?

I'm glad she gave you a good time. One never knows why any particular performer doesn't like our music cruises. Maybe they don't like cruising or are afraid of it? Maybe us cruisers have a bad reputation? Maybe they can't fit it into their schedule? Who knows? Perhaps a request to StarVista Live will put the wheels into motion and you can get her on a future sailing.

All right, time for what we've all been waiting for - a summary of my experience. These are the many items I give a thumbs up to (not in any particular order): · Journeys cruises in general - horse races, expanded menu, expanded days, exotic ports... I see little not to like. · Side room of the MDR - if they promised to put me here whenever I asked, I'd dine at the MDR more often. I liked the more intimate experience early. · Beating the weather to arrive 2 days early - Sometimes I make good decisions in my life. This was one of the better ones. · The La Quinta nearest IAH - It had everything I could have wanted (continental breakfast, free shuttle to the airport, near some decent food options, room not terrible, OK price) · The excursions – to Montego Bay, Panama City, and more rural parts of Costa Rica · Food @ the buffet, Guy’s, BlueIguana, MDR - I'd say it was good or better everywhere, all the time. But then again, you now know how much of a foodie I am not · Local food – jerk chicken in MoBay, Cacao nibs and starfruit · Billy and Elton trivia and generous cruisers · The medallion and the trophy - I've never won both on the same cruise before. And I liked the new medallion better than the old · 80s Pop to the Max - Best music ever surrounded by some talented dancers and singers. Typical Playlist show, but it hit me right in the heart. · Horse races - Hard to explain but fun to watch · Our 8+ comedians with 20+ shows with many different times, formats, and locations · The “secret” trough dining on 11 - It's just as good as on the Conquest class ships I've been on. As the ships fill up, this could become important to know about · Sports betting via kiosk and app - Easy peasy · Tyler Meehan, our CD - I liked him a lot. He's my favorite current Carnival CD, though not by a lot over any of the others. · The map - Made it easy to follow along and to tell others where I've been and where I'm going · Room service delivery - Always decently quick with hot/cold food. Princess should take notes. · The lack of sales flyers - I only missed Park West a little bit · The Wave morning shows - Always entertaining. Tyler runs a good show. · Casino Wizard blackjack – is this the best machine in the house? I could argue that it is. · Casino kiosk – both bill breaking and player bank cashout worked great and are nice to have · Laundry service - always returned to me refreshed in 30 hours or fewer · Renaissance Mall, Aruba – a Starbucks and steady Internet, two casinos nearby, lots of pretty scenery · Paper newsletters (most of the time) - the first two days worried me, but they did the right thing for most of the cruise · Walking around Curacao · Sharing with CC members - thank you everyone! Unfortunately, there were some things I had to give thumbs down to: · The weather (sometimes) - the wind caused us some rough seas at times and rough going in ports at other times. It was REALLY hot in Cartagena. We got episodic rain showers in Limon. And there was that little storm midway through the Gulf as we were making out way home... · Being confined to quarters - probably necessary, but not very nice · Shuttle to Galveston from IAH - being made to wait nearly 3 hours for a bus to the port was bitterly disappointing · The lack of FB access by Web - small thing, but Josh, Mark, and Elon should really figure out what to do about this · 7 AM stop in Limon - Limon was great. I just wish I didn't have to get ready so early in order to explore it. · The self-debark shuffle - Carnival seems to have far more people who try to self-disembark than other cruise lines. Some of them really shouldn't be self-disembarking, IMHO. This is a bit of a problem. That's all folks. Thank you all so very much for reading and commenting! I don't have any Carnival cruises currently scheduled, but I'm eyeing one for late 2025. We'll see if I pull the trigger on that one.

Fussy eaters aren't quite the same as foodies, but they're close. How is your French? True foodies can pronounce even the most common foods in perfect French. 😛 I grabbed about the same quantity of those pseudo-eggs at the trough - a spoonful or maybe a little less, depending on my appetite and mood.