SRQbeachgirl

Covid is now endemic and will likely always be with us, just like flu, norovirus, and many others. This is now a case of individual risk assessment which everyone must make for themselves. The vast majority will likely deem the risk acceptable and take few, if any, precautions. For those who find this unacceptable, they will have to determine whether taking extra precautions themselves is enough mitigation. If not, being on a cruise ship with thousands of other people may no longer be a viable vacation option.

You have the stats to back that up? If this wasn't affecting Carnival's bottom line, then Weinstien wouldn't be making comments like this: https://www.thestreet.com/travel/royal-caribbean-carnival-have-bad-pricing-news-for-cruise-fans

I never said I was embarrassed, and I am very open about what cruise line I'm sailing with. I have two Carnival cruises booked right now, but we have also recently branched out to Celebrity. That's money that could go to Carnival, but now won't. But you missed the point - companies can live or die by their reputation and Carnival has been fighting this battle for too long with no appreciable improvement. If all they're looking for is those blue card cruisers, then carry on. But that debt they owe is massive, and they're going to need more than a couple of decent earnings reports to get out of it.

I've been cruising Carnival since 1992 and I'm a stockholder as well, and I prefer to see them price their cruises so they're not leaking money like a sieve and constantly being bashed in the media for the outrageous behavior of some of their guests. I would like Carnival to be financially solvent for decades to come. I get it that some people don't care about the future of the company beyond their next cruise date, but when you tell people you're going on a Carnival cruise and they look at you like you've just lost your mind, that's not a good thing.

Thanks for sharing that beautiful view! I was going to go out to the beach this morning to get my own Vitamin-Sea, but the wind is coming from the northwest and red tide is bad. ☹️

It seems that a larger and larger percentage of people are jerks these days, whether it's while driving, at the grocery store, restaurant, or any other normal everyday place. These people don't seem to have been raised with any sense of manners, social etiquette, or empathy for others and they don't suddenly grow these social skills when they get on a cruise ship. Unfortunately, Carnival attracts an oversized proportion of the socially-inept thanks to the price point compared to other cruise lines. That's one reason statements by Carnival leadership have been made recently regarding the need to raise prices. When they say Carnival has become too much of a value they're not just talking about dollars they might be losing--they're also talking about the clientele they're attracting and the problems they cause. I realize being on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale does not equal social ineptitude, but when these groups can go on a cruise for the same or less than it would cost them for a week crammed into a condo in Pensacola or Destin, then it's time for the cruise line to consider a price adjustment.

Don't worry, Celebrity still has Carnival's buffet beat by a long, long shot. But if you're looking for all-day, no-extra-fee burgers (good ones), tacos and burritos (fish, chicken, and beef), juicy chicken fingers (Shaq's sauce...mmmmm), pizza, or barbeque...well, you'll only find it on one of those lines and it ain't Celebrity. (The daytime food options was the one thing I missed when sailing on Celebrity).

Certainly not, because if we were we would at least be able to get filet and/or lobster every night in the MDR (it's an extra charge, but at least it's available). Unless it's an Elegant Night, then we could get two filets or lobster tails at no charge (and only $5 each for more).

By dropping off a route and schedule, it sounds like OP was expecting the F&B Manager to arrange staff schedules so there would be enough extra staff to take care of all those people. Of course, that means F&B Manager would have to pull staff from somewhere else (thus leaving another venue short-staffed) and/or expect some staff to work extra hours. Oh, and do all this extra scheduling and shuffling for free. Gosh, I can't imagine why the F&B Manager wasn't jumping for joy over the proposal.

Weather should be pretty much the same. Now the number of kids/teens/college students...totally different story since mid March is ground zero in Spring Break territory.

We do not get AI or the alcohol package (DH will drink, at most, one or two drinks all week). Most of the drinks I had were $11 with the occasional glass of wine at $16. We did get the Zero Proof package for the sodas, coffees, teas, etc. I think the total alcohol bill for the week on our last cruise was less than $200.

That would take a really long extension cord.

Oh thank heavens! I thought it was just me. I can log in, but can't access my cruises. Now, if they've deleted my VIP cabana reservation at Mahogany Bay, they're gonna have some splainin' to do!

Wait, was swimsuit lady actually in the MDR on elegant night??? Because that's a whole new level of inappropriate, even for Carnival.

Very reasonable per person charge, IMO. We love the beach cabanas there. They were sold out when we booked our upcoming cruise, but I stalked the Carnival website and snagged one someone cancelled right at final payment due date.

While the 2021 sandwich is obviously quite, um...substantial, when I look at these I realize the only one I would have any hope of actually fitting into my mouth is the 2023 one. The top one I'd have to disect with a knife and fork, defeating the whole purpose of a sandwich. Still definitely a cutback in product, but one I could live with since I'm okay with the pictured meat-to-bread ratio..

As another poster stated, you're already overrun with kids, but at least they're your kids. Cruise during spring break or summer on any of the big three main lines (Carnival, Royal, NCL) and you're also going to be overrun by everyone else's kids. So choosing a ship with the most activities to keep kids (yours and all the others) occupied will be crucial. As others have suggested, one of Royal's Oasis class would be a good choice if the kids want lots of water-based activities. Depending on when you are planning this, the new Icon might be ready, which is being called a water park at sea. Whatever you do, choose wisely, my friend.

We only book online. Having lived through the era when you had no choice but to book through a TA, I like having total control over our booking. Not to mention being burned years ago by a TA who closed their doors, but not before taking our money and not bothering to pay the tour company.

In 1992 my parents gifted me and DH and 7-day cruise on the Carnival Holiday. They had been on several cruises and thought we would enjoy it. We definitely did! We went on two more before starting a family and then life kept us much closer to home for vacations for many years, but we moved to the beach to satisfy our love for the sea. Finally got around to cruising again years later and don't plan to ever give it up!

Or in our case... Spend the last evening as though it's any other evening. Don't bother putting luggage outside our cabin door. Get back to the cabin around midnight after some late-night pizza and spend about 30 minutes packing our two roll-on bags. Get a good night's sleep and wake up around 8am. Take quick showers, throw the rest of our stuff in our bags, skip the Lido breakfast, and disembark with our bags at our leisure. Walk to the parking garage, collect our car, and head to the nearest Cracker Barrel for an actual decent breakfast, then drive one to three hours (depending on the port) and be home by lunch. And typically, have dinner at one of our favorite beachfront restaurants just to prolong the vacation feeling before having to think about work on Monday. Yet another reason we moved to Florida.

We often heard the same thing over the years - we'd talk about what a great time we have on cruises and people would say they went on one years ago and hated it because it was boring. They're surprised to hear about all the entertainment now compared to then. They used to just have the nightly show, a nightclub, maybe a piano bar and sometimes a deck party or live music in a couple of venues. Only a couple of bars open at night. No movies under the stars, no multiple comedy shows, no multiple bars with different themes and music options... I'll take the newer ships and offerings over what we had 25 or 30 years ago.

If I'm carrying my phone around I use a phone case with a cross-body strap and a credit card case stuck to the back of the cell phone case. If not, I use a scrunchie-type wristlet that has a clasp (if the card has a hole punched in it).

What a great Idea! Let's find out, shall we? 😁 *runs off to start a thread*

In contrast to the hot topic thread about the things cruisers miss about Ye Carnival of Olde, I'm starting this thread to highlight some of the things that are gone and cruisers are so glad they were tossed overboard. Or maybe just additions that have been made that make your cruising so much more special in these new-fangled, modern times. I'll start... I don't miss my DH turning green and being out of action due to the combination of smaller ships, less effective stabilizers, and rough seas. I don't miss the only water slide on the ship dumping into the only pool on the ship, meaning that every adult and kid on the ship was competing for the same postage stamp-sized space on sea days. I don't miss being forced to eat in the dining room at a set time with a table full of people I don't know (or don't even share the same language with). I don't miss the only options for late-night dining being hot dogs and hamburgers of questionable origin. I don't miss sweltering in the heat for muster station. I love that the newer ships have glass shower stalls instead of clingy shower curtains that get way too friendly. I love the variety of food available all day and being able to choose different dining venues at night. I love that there are so many options for entertainment, activities, and venues (or just places and opportunities to do nothing at all). I love that there is a ship, itinerary, and cruise length for everyone.

I'm the opposite - not a fan. I had always read such great things and then I booked one on the Mardi Gras. It was so hot with no shade or breeze that we couldn't enjoy the space at all. I guess it would be great for an Alaska cruise, but definitely will not be booking one again for the Caribbean.