ScottsSweetie

7 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

These are not being allowed on board.

3 hours ago, Joe817 said:

That's  what my wife drinks, and was planning to take a bottle on board on our Dream cruise last Sept. 26, but alas someone DID try to take it on board just before our sailing and they announced that it was confiscated at port check in. So we didn't even attempt it. 

I'm curious as to how they (security) knew what you were bringing. We put our wine in our carry-on suitcase, which of course goes through the x-ray machine where they can see the bottles. We have never been asked to open the suitcase and show the bottles. These bottles are the same shapes - are they now asking to open suitcases and look at the bottles?

2 hours ago, DrSea said:

. . . 

Morale of the story: Let people look down on you. Who cares? You have to give consent to allow others to make you feel bad about yourself. So don't give it to them. And so what if you live in a trailer? What's so terrible about living a trailer?

I will certainly not feel bad about who I am - I was really just trying to make a point. I have no problem owning the fact that I am a Carnival cruiser. And while I don't happen to live in a trailer, there is absolutely nothing wrong with living in one. But the people on this thread calling them "trailer trash" don't agree with us.

Dare I tell anyone on Princess that I am a Carnival cruiser? Wonder what they will be thinking. "I better stay away from that couple - they'll probably start a fight."  "I wonder how big their trailer is." "I wonder how they could afford Princess."

The smug is palpable. I'm so hoping I haven't made a mistake in booking Princess.

On 10/26/2022 at 10:25 AM, BlerkOne said:

Who else allows cruisers to pre-order bottles?

Princess offers bottles for sale at quite a reasonable price. And for those of us who don't drink enough to break even on a package and don't need internet, it's appreciated.

Everyone thinks the drink packages are the bomb, but for a lot of us they just aren't a great deal.

38 minutes ago, Kay S said:

 . . .

 

There's a tinge of financial snobbery is this, too, IMO.  The Target shoppers looking down on the WalMart shoppers without looking up to see who is looking down on them.

Perfectly stated. 

5 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

Except that Carnival needs every penny at this point.  The dispensers are a capital expenditure (albeit small), and the easier they make it to fill your own bottle the less water (which they just doubled the price by the case) people buy. 

 

Again, Carnival caring about the environment only when it's in their financial interest.

I understand the convenience of water bottles on the ship - I've purchased them in the past. I also purchase them from time to time at home to keep on hand.

But, let's be honest here - people upset about not being able to buy plastic bottles of water aren't all that "caring about the environment". Water bottle dispensers (like in the airport) would be amazing. In this case, if Carnival only cares about the environment "only when it's in their financial interest", then I would posit that Carnival's passengers only care about the environment when it's convenient. And please refer to my first paragraph when I state that I also purchase bottled water from time to time. You can't slam Carnival for not caring when their passengers are like-minded, in my opinion.

Some interesting responses here. I will never understand why people have such strong opinions on cruise lines they have never sailed. In my humble opinion, if you don't have personal experience with Carnival you should not be responding to this type of question.

I am the opposite of the OP. I have 24 cruises on Carnival, and several others on other lines. I've sailed from 3 to 8 day cruises out of 9 different ports. I have yet to see a fight. I will be going on my first Princess cruise Thanksgiving week. I've heard a lot of things about Princess, both good and bad, over my cruising years. I will reserve judgement until experiencing it for myself.

Editing to add: I've just read the thread concerning the white and gold party, wherein people are noting that a 10:30 start time is just too late for them. I guess that leaves more room for us young people (although at 60 I've not referred to myself as young in quite a while). This would be an example of a MAJOR difference in Princess & Carnival.

8 hours ago, da_v said:

From a quick search it seems that the steakhouse is still less than other lines (not sure on quality as I have only sailed Carnival) but its a good experience. 

 

I don't think I have ever ordered 2 entree's yet alone wanting 3, having a charge almost seems reasonable. 

 

The hours on the ice cream stations seems to be a little restrictive. I can understand over night but 11am starts seem late. Maybe 10-1 would be a better time frame but that is just me being picky... 

I'm researching my first Princess Cruise for Thanksgiving weekend. The Crown Grill (steakhouse) is $29/pp.

I gave Carnival two chances on their steakhouse - both were disappointing. They won't fool me again.

I just have to say that this is the wonkiest, most non-user friendly app that I have ever tried to use.

When I downloaded it yesterday, the android app store reflected 2956 reviews with a 1.6 out of a 5 star rating. I believe I concur with the majority of the reviewers.

Where in the app will these activities show up?

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

I can tell you on our last riviera cruise, I did see a chap wearing shorts turned away on one formal nite.  I did my first round of research, watching videos people put up on formal nite.

We don't do shorts in the DR even on non-formal nights, so that won't be an issue for us. Will be interesting, just as a personal anecdote, to see how compliance / enforcement compares to Carnival.😏

It would seem, from your comments, that formal evenings have morphed on Princess in a way very similar to Carnival.

Thanks to all of you for your replies!!

4 minutes ago, c-boy said:

celebrating anything ?

Nothing other than being blessed to go on another cruise! 

When we cruise this time of year (anytime between October & Christmas), we always call it our Birthday/Christmas cruise. My birthday is October, DH is December and this is considered our birthday celebrations and our Christmas gifts to each other. So, a celebration only in our minds! 

We are booking our first Princess cruise to Mexican Riviera (platinum status on Carnival + other lines cruised also).

I'm wondering what the formal situation is on Princess for the 2 formal nights on our 7 day cruise. On Carnival, when they actually had formal evenings it seemed as if the first formal night was more formal (long gowns and suits) than the 2nd one (cocktail dresses or nice slacks). Is there a particular vibe on Princess for these two different evenings?

Also, while I did a search on this topic and didn't really find an answer to that, I did find several threads that included comments like "I don't pack formal wear anymore"; "I bring leggings for formal evenings"; and other like things. I have read the definition on the Princess website but I would like to know what the facts are in real life.

Also, I had previously read or heard that on formal evenings the dress code is enforced all over the ship (shows and other venues). True or false??

Hmmm. In that release, under the others already available section, they didn't mention the Farmhouse Ale, which is my favorite. Hope that doesn't mean it's going away.

7 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

. . . And why hasn't anyone complained about the lack of dessert choices in the MDR?  There are the standbys of warm chocolate melting cake, ice cream and cheese plate.  And then the rotating ones are one sugar free option and only one regular option instead of at least three or four back in the day.

I agree - this has been a little disappointing.

7 hours ago, breadandbutter said:

Carnival just keeps lowering the standards and quality of food. I'm ditching them, I've had enough. When I go on a cruise I like to have a good choice of quality (and tasty) food, not Golden Corral!

I say good luck to you, then. We have never been impressed with the food on Royal or Norwegian. In particular the dessert offerings on both lines have been disappointing (not with choice but with flavor). I will say that Norwegian's buffet is slightly better than Carnival's, but there are so many other options on Carnival that it makes that a wash.

16 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

MDR has real breakfast unless that's another cutback.  You want filet mignon, bacon, eggs your style, a bunch of Italian and Spanish egg stuff like fritatas (sp)?  You got it plus much more.  Plus the OJ in MDR at breakfast is surprisingly very, very good.

 

Yes, of course I know that. This was in regards to room service (a "full breakfast" on the balcony).

On 8/2/2022 at 5:58 PM, Elaine5715 said:

There is a difference in cases where COVID resolved without Paxlovid and one where Paxlovid was used. Paxlovid seemingly represses the virus, it does not kill the virus so testing positive after a course of Paxlovid means you are still sick and infectious not immune.  

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/30/health/paxlovid-rebound-contagious-study-wellness/index.html

But this caveat is not listed under Carnival's procedures, so . . . 

13 hours ago, asalligo said:

Just read this article and I think this may be the straw that breaks the camels back for me. So many cutbacks over the years and I know that most people here are rabid about cruising and will not stop over these changes, but I think this is it for me. Several of my favorite activities on the ship are gone now. Sea day afternoon tea, Midnight Chocolate Buffet, Quest, a real breakfast on my balcony. A good late night meal. Just too much of the experience eroded at this point combined with an amazing experience we had this year at XCaret. 

The midnight chocolate buffet has been gone for years, and I have never known a "real breakfast" (I'm assuming you mean more than continental) to be available on Carnival.

I've sailed 4 times since the restart and every single roll call has been completely dead. No idea why it's so different these days.

38 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

 

I'm sure there's more to this story.  I wouldn't be surprised if Charleston tried to negotiate a contract extension with Carnival, but at rate & terms Carnival wouldn't agree to, and thus it opted to proceed without Carnival.

Perhaps. But the "old money" establishment in Charleston was never happy with the cruising industry being there. Many establishments downtown had fliers on their windows stating such. And since I'm such an empathetic person I made them happy by not entering their establishment. My "new money" talks, too.

• Maybe check this place out

https://seattleexpress.com/

I got my "Welcome Back - we miss you already" email today.

I don't get on the ship until Thursday. 😏

I've never had trouble taking things like granola bars / pre-packaged crackers. I bring these items from home if I know we are having an extra long excursion or if we are going to be doing a lot of walking and away from the ship for hours. Not sure where you will fill up that refillable water bottle, though. Access to potable water may be very limited in some areas.

36 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Just as passenger covid cases are up, so are crew covid cases. While the visa issue is real, the crew shortage is amplified by crew illness.

Yes, no doubt this is a contributor.