mz-s

There are lots of reviews for these stops on here and all over the web. There's probably no right choice depending on what you want. Me, I'd pick HMC but I'd be happy with Princess Cays. Personally I'd rather go back to Nassau vs. Bimini. Each to their own.

Ben Lambert maybe?

It did used to be specifically called out as Maine lobster, you're correct. It would be such a travesty if Carnival is trying to sell those tough spiny lobsters in the steakhouse.

Airtags do not have GPS trackers in them. The technology is basically a giant database of, "the last time an iPhone was near this AirTag, it was here" Considering everyone puts their phone on airplane mode when they get on a cruise it is not surprising that your AirTag's location hasn't changed.

Been to all those stops several times and sailed out of Charleston many times.

The walk from the ship to the parking lot is not very long, but it is farther than it looks due to the fencing. I have never seen the fitness center on the Sunshine be crowded.

My TA says Carnival is their last choice for Alaska, mostly due to their limited itineraries. I am planning an Alaska cruise for next year. Haven’t decided the line yet. Disney is too expensive so maybe Celebrity or Princess.

I give my opinions, nowhere do I ever claim that they are gospel. This website is cruise critic, if you want lemmings blindly pledging their allegiance then read JH’s page.

I went on a Disney cruise. I didn't write a full review but the long and the short of it is this. If you like Disney you will love a Disney cruise and the extra cost is justified at every turn of the ship. Everything is a cut above - from the prime rib served in the dining room for lunch on embarkation day and crab legs on the buffet every day, to the fireworks at sea (the only cruise line that does it) on pirate's night. The shows are amazing. It's just a totally different experience than Carnival. The only thing in common is they are both cruises. If you don't like Disney you will appreciate the experience but you can get an equivalent cruise experience elsewhere without the Disney touches everywhere I think, likely on Celebrity or maybe Princess. I am going to call my TA to book another Disney cruise probably this week for later this year, and I have no CCL cruises in the pipeline right now, so I guess that says something. All cruise lines are more expensive than Carnival. Carnival seems to be in a race to the bottom, racing with themselves for some reason. So you have to put price out of your mind to some extent when you look beyond CCL. But you get what you pay for. Disney is a nonsmoking ship (except for one or two remote outdoor areas and they might allow cigar smoking in one of their posh lounges at night as well, not sure) with no casino subsidy so that explains a lot of the extra cost. Plus of course, Disney plays in its own sandbox when it comes to pricing. I loved not constantly smelling smoke on the ship - forgot what that was like sailing Carnival. If I ever sail Carnival again, it's likely because I'm on a free cruise offer from the Casino. We all want different things from our vacations. To me, Carnival is no longer a special vacation. Part of that may be me just burnt out of Carnival after having sailed on them 4x over the past year. I might be back. But right now, Carnival isn't aligning with what I want out of a vacation.

Yes and yes, I think they cut FTTF off 24 hours before sailaway. I'd recommend re-printing your boarding pass if you've already checked in, as your new boarding pass will show your priority status as a FTTF purchaser.

The piano bar is either ice cold or red hot on a cruise, rarely any in-between I've noticed.

I think they've already hit seaday brunch with the cutback knife. The menu is a shadow of its former self, and hours are reduced as well. But at least they brought back the ketchup soup.

Anything at the casino bar, including sodas etc.

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1540/~/carnival-spirit-(sp)-fact-sheet It is not listed on GoCCL (Carnival's travel agent website) yet.

I am platinum on Carnival, last sailed on CCL in September 2022. Sailed CCL 4x the 12 months before that. The name of this website is Cruise Critic. If you want to read nonstop cheerleading, please read JH's page.

Your boarding time is assigned to you and cannot be chosen. You can choose your port arrival time when you check in for your cruise 14 days out (16 if in a suite). If you are in a suite you will be among the first to board, assuming you arrive at the terminal early.

You should be able to do Facebook messenger calls, Facetime, maybe google voice, and probably even Skype and Zoom. The key is to be prepared with a few of these options as Carnival's wifi is very temperamental. Wifi calling with your cellular carrier is blocked and does not work on Carnival.

The key is you can't expect Carnival to give you the vacation you got 15 years ago, because you won't get it. You can still get that level of service from other lines (and no they are not 3x the price), but Carnival has cheapened their product in a race to the bottom where they are seemingly racing against themselves. Think of a 2023 Carnival cruise like staying at a La Quinta by the airport, eating at the Chili's across the street, and visiting the local world's largest ball of yarn exhibit and Indian casino and you'll be pretty close to their current product. The special touches of Carnival in the past, even the small extravagances like a free room service BLT - all gone.

Agreed, they have to process thousands of guests in just a few hours. It's not the time for experiments to see what you can get away with.

doubt it, a photo of your ID isn't valid to buy a lighter at Walmart so I don't see how it would be good enough to get you on a ship that visits a foreign country.

Every time I've seen them open a 12 pack for inspection, they open it carefully enough so they can tape it back closed.

Carnival shows what each plan is useful for on their page. https://www.carnival.com/internet-plans

Truly yes and the Carnival brand (thirsty frog I think) are okay .... they taste a little "floral" to me to try to describe it. Sort of like drinking potpourri. I do drink them from time to time in between old fashioneds but I usually get the Truly ones.

Why do you think "actively playing" doesn't apply to you? The entire point of the program is for you to spend more money playing while they're getting your drink.

the big lie is people saying you have to spend 3X carnivals prices to get an experience like carnival used to provide. Absolutely not true. Might be true if you compare another line’s brochure rate to a carnival casino rate maybe, but compare as similarly as you can and I’ve never seen it be 3X more.