mz-s

It's so good to hear the Ecstasy still has the good food just like when she was homeported in Charleston. There aren't as many dining options on her compared to other ships, but what she has I thought were always excellent.

That might be true to get a passport (I can't remember to say for sure) but Carnival will accept a photocopy of a birth certificate no problem.

I think she prefers the ones from the MDR over the ones you get at pizza pirate but they're both good and probably very similar.

My wife usually orders the grilled salmon at least once every cruise. And believe it or not Carnival's caesar salad is her standard by which all others are measured. Shrimp cocktail is my go-to appetizer and the lasagna is really good too! And I love the brisket.

On embarkation day on Lido during lunch they serve funfetti cheesecake. It's very good. Beef tenderloin, bitter-n-blanc, and baked alaska in the MDR. I am not much of a sweets eater at home oddly enough! but I do love several of Carnival's desserts.

It lets me buy the plan for one person in the stateroom no problem, just check the one you want to buy it for.

It worked for me on the Sunshine in May. But that was the first time it worked for me without buying a package. It would only allow iMessage texts, no photos etc would go through.

I would say Elation either leaves the fleet before the 2023 drydock or it stays on through 2026. Not that it matters much for this discussion, the whole reason Elation and Paradise are still here is they are useful at smaller homeports that can't accommodate a ship the size of these Costa ships.

Facebook accounts are free...you can delete the account after the cruise. Even use a fake name if you want. There are other apps that work with the social plan, check Carnival's page on it. Cell carrier WiFi calling may or may not work (the general consensus is it will not work) and even if it does it will only work with the higher end plans which are significantly more expensive than the social plan.

The cheapest way to go would be to use the Social WiFi plan and use Facebook messenger to keep in touch. Or iMessage should work if you are both iPhone users. With the social wifi plan and facebook messenger, you should be able to make a facebook messenger voice call. I doubt it will have enough bandwith for a video call but you can try.

NA Beer is probably a judgement call since it falls under both categories - it is beer (meaning you can't bring it on) and non-alcoholic (meaning you can).

It's good to hear that Cheers now includes PYOB as it did not in the past. The last time I used the PYOB machine I got a somewhat tepid and foamy beer for pretty much the same price as I would have paid from the bar so I never used it again (I didn't have Cheers). Plus I paid a gratuity to pour my own beer. Frankly, I felt ripped off. I've noticed that the PYOB stations on some ships have been closed since COVID, but I haven't sailed on Panorama so can't say if that ship has opened theirs or not (or if the ship is even so equipped).

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Yep I saw that after it was too late to edit my post - thanks! 🙂

I would like to see it but even if they don't go that far I do expect some sort of distinct experience. Otherwise they would re-name the ships to Carnival like they have announced they're doing for the ship going to Australia.

I think we will see some sort of distinct experience but we'll see how it shakes out.

But distinctly not branded Carnival. They're not rebranding the ships, at least not initially. If they wanted to make this a Carnival experience they would change the name of the ships and renovate them. This is going to be different. These ships don't have water slides for one thing and Carnival likely isn't going to add them.

This is "Costa by Carnival" not Carnival Cruise Lines. This gives them the chance to try something else. Branson has enough money to keep Virgin Voyages going as long as he wants.

I'd personally like to see these ships try to be something like Virgin Voyages but with Carnival's experiences.

I am booked on back-to-back cruises. Will I be tested in between voyages? Unvaccinated guests will be tested on board in between voyages. From time to time, vaccinated guests may be tested in between voyages. Back-to-back guests traveling on another Carnival Cruise Line ship within one day of disembarking their first voyage should inform onboard Guest Services in advance so they can receive the required pre-travel COVID-19 test before they disembark. Guests must present their negative test results upon arrival at the cruise terminal for their next voyage. Back-to-back guests traveling on another Carnival Cruise Line ship within 2-7 days of when they disembark their first voyage should present proof of their previous cruise to the health screening staff at check-in so they can receive the required pre-travel COVID-19 test at the cruise terminal. The test will be offered on a complimentary basis to vaccinated guests and included in the US$60 (for guests ages 5-11) and $150 (for guests age 12 and older) testing and reporting fee assessed to unvaccinated guests. https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/covid-19-faqs

Carnival has a lot of older vessels in their fleet, they need as much newer tonnage as they can get to compete with. Evidently Carnival feels they can get more out of these ships in the USA vs. keeping them in Europe.

Reading Carnival's Liquor & Beverage policy, it would seem to me that you can bring on your own NA beer just like any other canned or carton drinks they allow. Does anyone have any first-hand experience with that?

Some hotels may still offer stay and cruise packages. Otherwise you can just ask the hotel if you can keep your car there and arrange a ride on your own. Or you can park in any of the downtown decks but I believe the daily rates in them are basically the same as the terminal. To me the terminal parking is worth it because it is secure. If you or anyone in your cruise party has a handicap placard then parking at the terminal is free provided they are in the car with their placard.

That's one thing I've always liked about Charleston - the parking is fenced (with barbed wire) and patrolled property. The worst I've heard of is a dead battery. This article also talks about the security guards hitting the gas instead of the brakes and damaging cars. Norfolk certainly has to tighten up their operations, they can be in high cotton in 2024 when the Charleston port closes but they've got to get these fundamentals battened down.

Sunshine as well - Jijis serves Mongolian Wok for lunch, included.