drsel

She doesn't *need to*, but she wants to work so hard, because it gives her self satisfaction and fulfillment

Thanks. She is planning to miss/waste the first cruise and fly to Sydney alone to join me for the 2nd Cruise.

Okay so it's a little complicated. these 2 Carnival Cruises were booked in 2019 along with a Princess cruise from Brisbane. Both Carnival & Princess cancelled all 3 cruises due to covid. And all 3 were rescheduled for 2022. And then (only) Princess again cancelled 2022 and offered a lift and shift of the same itinerary to Mar 2023. So we had to also change the 2 Carnival Cruises to just before the Princess cruise in Mar 2023, because we can't visit Australia twice in 2022 & 2023. And then Princess again cancelled 2023 and offered a lift and shift to April 2024 with 5 nights extra thrown in for free. So we again had to transfer the 2 Carnival Cruises to March 2024, just before The Princess cruise left Brisbane to go to Tokyo. It had to be in Mar 2024, else the holiday would be too long But Carnival had a deadline for using the FCCs on cancelled Cruises and that deadline was October 2022.

I feel sorry for her because she works so hard for her money, (it's takes a lot of effort to stir the marzipan and a lot of skill for the artistic decoration) ; while I prefer to make money work for me.

The giant online Travel agents earn 10-16% commission only on the commissionable basic Cruise fare, excluding port fees and taxes. The exact amount depends on their volumes. They usually give the customer 6 to 10% of this commission as a discount or onboard credit. 10% discount or onboard credit would be given to customers booking the most expensive cabins while 6% would be for an inside cabin. So I recommend a travel agent who will give you 6 to 10% discount or on board credit out of the commission received as well as provide free cancellation and free changes to your Cruise

I am sure they will be quite okay to eat, because Christmas marzipan has lasted more than a month anyway inside the fridge; but she doesn't want them to sweat when taken out of the fridge. Easter falls during the second Cruise. See accepts orders only 20 days prior to Easter

It's only a matter of 12 days before Easter, not 6 weeks

I didn't realise that it was clashing with Easter. Many years ago we holidayed during Easter, but at that time she used to get orders only for Christmas sweets. So almost all of December we are at home for the main Christmas season

Actually her business is growing. 2 years back it was mainly Christmas sweets. Easter orders only increased this year 2023, so she expects even more orders in 2024. Since last Christmas she told me not to put any ads on WhatsApp groups anymore, because she has enough orders and limited capacity

This is what she would never do. she does not want to lose her customers to another competitor

We all need to enjoy life to the fullest BEFORE we run out of good health or time, both of which are inevitable and a certainty

Actually her mother is an expert at making marzipan and taught her everything. Her mother is available to make marzipan, but is unable to write the fine wordings and decoration which is so important for presentation. She also hires three maids to assist her, but they are not able to manage without her.

She says that she will fly alone to Sydney and join me for the second Cruise 8 days later, but 4 days before Easter. She says she can manage to deliver the marzipan orders 4 days before Easter, but not 12 days before Easter. But I would love her to be with me for both the cruises, because it will be boring to Cruise alone (1st cruise) and also a waste of her cruise ticket + $80 penalty

Yes my agent and I had a 3 way conference call with a Carnival manager. All FCCs had to be utilised /applied to any Cruise booked by December 2022 and sailing before Mar 31, 2024. Hence, in Dec 2022 I booked this Cruise in March 2024 which was the last month for using FCCs .

Good point ☝️ it is not so much the income, but the importance of giving the freshest products to her customers. If they are not fresh, it would harm her business and reputation. She gets a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction by being in demand for cake and sweet orders for Christmas and Easter, because she makes the best sweets with less sugar and more nuts

Princess is excellent, if available

You will certainly enjoy both cruises. if I were you I would try to do both of them after spending so much on airfare. however if you don't have the time, then I would choose the one which is easier on the pocket. Royal Caribbean Navigator is better than both, but unfortunately it's not available. You don't need to pay for the Carnival cheers package These alcoholic packages are more profitable for the cruise line

She couriers the orders or the customers come and pickup. She says she can't deliver marzipan eggs, bunnies etc 12 days prior to Easter because her customers need to gift them to family and friends on Easter Sunday itself. Hence they will not be fresh after 12 days, and she will ruin her reputation and goodwill

Believe me that Norwegian Cruise is going to cost you a lot more than you can imagine, with all the forced gratuities on FREE perks. I prefer Carnival because it's the ultimate fun and party ship with non stop entertainment and plenty of free activities Carnivals pricing is also simple and straight forward. They don't fool you with free perks, which are actually not free but included in the cruise fare. And then charge ridiculous amount of gratuity for the same free perks. Also don't forget the nickel and dime culture of Norwegian

We have booked a Carnival cruise from Sydney just before Easter 2024, sailing 8 months from now. I am in a strange dilemma. My wife cannot come because she needs to accept paid orders from her regular customers to make marzipan Easter eggs, bunnies, etc (I know it sounds like a silly reason to miss a cruise booked 2 years ago, using FCCs of 2 previous cruises cancelled due to Covid) If I transfer this Cruise booking to any other date, I will lose the on board credit of 900 Australian dollars and the FCCs used expire on 31st March 2024 anyway. If I sail alone and inform Carnival right now 8 months in advance, Carnival will charge a $80 penalty and reduce the taxes and Port fees of $118 for the second person so net net I will have to pay 38 dollars less if I travel alone. What do you think ? Do you have any suggestions how to convince my wife to deliver marzipan Easter eggs and bunnies *12 days prior to Easter* or should I sail alone, waste her cruise ticket and allow her to deliver the orders on Easter Sunday itself ? Thanks for responding to a rather unusual query

All these included perks only complicates the analysis and calculation, when deciding which Cruise to choose from among thousands. A budget traveller would be well adviced to seek a cruise line which offers the basic Cruise only fare. He can then choose to pay extra for anything else he may require. And not be forced into paying for things he does not really need

Always choose the sailaway price or no perks option

Is there a table to show the relationship between the amount of money played, the time played and the points / onboard credit received. How much is required to be played in a slot machine using your room card, in order to get $100, $200 etc onboard credit? Does onboard credit received depend on the amount of money played or the amount of money won or the amount of money lost or the time played or? Thanks 👍

Is there a table to show the relationship between the amount of money played, the time played and the points / onboard credit received. How much is required to be played in a slot machine using your room card, in order to get $100, $200, etc onboard credit? Does onboard credit received depend on the amount of money played or the amount of money won or the amount of money lost or the time played or? Thanks 👍

You are absolutely right. This site shows the price per day including taxes and Port fees. It is very versatile with plenty of filters and customisation available