Joebucks

End of thread. I can't begin to comprehend negative people that always find a problem. There can be diarrhea in my room when I board. Let's go ahead and find a solution so I don't have to deal with diarrhea. I'm still going to have a great vacation. I don't know that I quite agree with the "top" advice of bringing more money. Maybe it's because I don't gamble. Traveling on a plane, staying in a hotel, staying in your cabin, going to a port. Lots of avenues to lose money or have it stolen, and it happens. I'm really only spending cash at taxis and very rarely, a vendor or whatnot. Credit card acceptance isn't that rare by cruise ports and nothing else on the cruise requires cash.

All I know is my brother's, roommate's, cousin went on a cruise a few months ago, and the cabin was huge. I expect to get the square footage I PAID for. I went on such a cruise around 2018. It was my favorite itinerary ever. However, this one would not start a cruise in reverse after. It did pick up and drop off people in Barbados mid-cruise. I found that to be interesting.

I truly wonder how many cruisers keep an excel spreadsheet of "horror room numbers" to avoid.

Another successful loyalty thread. Spending $2500-$5000 on a vacation and get the most fired up about a $10 benefit, and a gambling civil war.

You're on to something here. People like the idea of cabanas, but they don't want to pay $2,000 extra. Instead, cruisers are absolutely obsessed over getting free stuff. Have a few rooms or whatnot, mark them up $2,500, and include "free cabana access." They will be sold out for a year.

Personally, I don't care if a ship has 1,000, 8,000, or 50,000 people. As long as it's designed to reasonably handle them. My last Carnival cruise was on the Celebration, and that was my favorite Carnival ship so far. There were so many more amenities, the Serenity was beautiful, the food and drink choices were vast. It was a great time. We never felt bored or that it was too crowded. I feared the lines because that is what the internet taught me. There were a few tweaks that could be made to areas like comedy clubs and the new atrium. Overall, it was no worse. I'm not here to worry about problems that may or may not be overblown. As the world's population grows, unfortunately there are more people everywhere. People have no qualms about going to Vegas, Europe, Florida, or wherever else, where there might be tens of thousands of people in your vicinity, causing crowds and whatnot. We continue to live in the past about nostalgia and a bar that was set then. If you prefer that, fine. However, it's really not the end of the world the way people make it sound. Carnival doesn't need to design smaller ships. They have plenty of brands that cater to all of the needs everyone asks for. We all know that the new, large, ships will practically sell out every time. There is demand. Opinions don't change that. With that said, there are concerns as everything continues to grow in size: - Ports of Call: Unfortunately, as I said, space is limited, but crowds don't care. If you're going to expect exploration in the wilderness, with a machete, you might be disappointed. Some ports are only going to continue to get more crowded. I've said it before, I welcome things like Celebration Key with open arms. Sometimes, it's just nice to have a beautiful beach day that doesn't require you to buy expensive taxis and food. Plus, more options for those who so choose. However, looking to 2033 (which is a ways off) the current port situation will not work with all of the destinations we have today. There are going to need to be more options. - Embarkation/Debarkation Ports: The boarding process on ships is great. Significantly better than even 5 years ago. I laugh at needing to buy a priority package for this. With that said, getting to and from some of the ports is getting to be too much. The Port of Miami is already a traffic disaster. It will only get worse. They need to figure out some sort of train or other system to transport people. - Venues: Please please please heavily consider the flow of popular areas. If you want me to jump on the anti-crowd bandwagon, this is it. I can't stand when it becomes impossible to get into things. Like having to be at a comedy club a half hour in advance to get a seat. I don't know if they need to put multiple theaters in, but this is the kind of stuff that truly matters to most people. Not ratios. Not how many people are here compared to how many people were in 1990. Flow.

You can really do whatever you want, as long as you're carrying them. They might get inspected, but it's no big deal. I used to think I wanted to find ways to carry on as many as possible. In reality, I've found we're generally good with a 6 pack or so.

I just don't understand cruising in the summer. (Dodges flaming brick of "THAT'S THE ONLY TIME WE CAN GO!") It's too hot, too crowded, and too expensive. I'd much rather stay up north in the summer. I prefer cruising in the Spring and Fall, but winter is acceptable too.

Haven't been to Progreso, but was recently at Costa Maya. I really enjoyed it. The port is your standard cruise port. Shopping, bars, and even a pool, etc. We went over to Mahahual Beach. I want to say it was a $4 taxi each way. It was a small beach town. Beautiful beach, taco cart vendors, a lot more small business overall. I look forward to going back.

There are also uncertainties in the economy as a whole. For them to even reference, could instill fear in their model. Plus, reintroducing a dividend, and potentially having to pull it back again, would likely cause way more damage to the stock vs their current "position of improved strength."

I don't care if Michael Jackson himself came back to life and sang on stage there. I'm not sailing Virgin to save on Wifi costs.

Sure there may be challenges. However, I think we are reading too much into this. It doesn't need to be all or nothing. It doesn't need to be an exact 1:1. It doesn't need to be all brands. No, "undesirable" Carnival cruisers aren't going to overrun Princess. Most lines have your general theme of base line, next level, next level, top, etc. Just give something.

What are the difficult barriers to overcome?

Well, the point was to sail Virgin, so I don't have to pay for wifi. The absolute cheapest Virgin cruise this year is $1368 for an inside cabin to do a 4 day cruise to Key West and Bimini. These conversations always turn into "well the wifi and grats are included." Then when it's still more expensive, I have to learn about the value and the food. I still don't think it's that much of a fringe opinion that my social media internet was $6-$7 not that long ago, and now it's excessively priced.

As with any choice in life, there are pros and cons. Many people love to draw their line in the sand, and that is that. With all things considered, I think it is a smart move for Carnival to do this. No, not just because I base the decision off of my entitlement of being at the center of the universe. I think it is a great way for them to retain and upsell customers, something companies always want to do. Eventually, sailing the same brand dozens of times, can get old to many people. Instead of letting them venture off to the competition, entice them to stay in house on a more expensive brand.

Just because this decade likes to "feel" like paying more for free stuff is a better deal, I'd rather not limit my itinerary, ship, and duration choices, in honor of paying more to escape a "fee."

Eh, I'm not usually one to complain about fees or entitlements. However, the price I pay to get internet on a cruise ship in 2024 is borderline excessive. To spend hundreds a week or go without internet seems a bit off.

Great, a much higher price with negligible speed improvement. Just what I wanted.

I've always said that people would rather pay more in a "single price," than god forbid having a clear, mandatory, or even optional "fee." This story only reinforces that point. I can't remember too many announcements that have seen so much universal praise, especially on something with such little substance. Just "feels" that everything is even more "single price." There's always a trade-off, no matter how many unicorns you've seen. I'm guessing some people will be scared off by the "higher price" when comparing. Many people lack the capacity to look at the bottom line or big picture. It's all about those initial feels. In lighter news, I'm hoping this will deter the price-sensitive cruisers that bring down the experience for everyone, before it encourages them to book more.

Great, just what we need. Another misconception to discuss all over the internet, in perpetuity. "I messaged my PVP to tell them I'm not cruising. Why haven't I received a $100 balcony offer?! Is this discrimination?!"

A dinner or two together as somewhat "mandatory" would be reasonable. To expect it every day, is unreasonable.

I agree that Royal has better benefits and the amount of "included" drinks in that scenario would be sufficient for me, without a drink package. With that said, passing off a suite on Royal Caribbean as a sort of savings is where you lose me.

We've done it a few times, and it was overall enjoyable. Most of the time, we don't travel in a group. When we do, there's a few things I stand by: - Do not stay in the same room, when possible. I absolutely loathe cramming a bunch of people in one room. For any of its perceived benefits, it's overall less enjoyable. - Not having to commit to the same plans. We'll do a few things together. However, this is what we're doing. You can come if you want. You can do something else if you want. Plan the important stuff in advance and communicate early.

How many vacationers boast about all of the amazing investments they've made on rooms, food, and beverage?

Breaking news: vacation gift shops are not cheaper than internet retail