Joebucks

Maybe I'm a little biased because burgers and tacos are amongst my favorite foods. Getting great quality ones, complementary, and right there at the lido, just far and away does it for me. Happy as a clam. Not that I didn't find anything good in the windjammer, but I didn't particularly enjoy having the venture into the buffet for my only option.

Absolutely. Maybe that "free drink" can also offer a 10% or so Cheers discount. Perhaps they could stimulate people to use their "perks" to buy more. Also, free drinks in the casino are usually only good in the casino, right? It wouldn't hurt to be able to get one outside of it.

Honestly, my question may be broad and not what they are looking for. I just want to hear what the future looks like. What might change, what to expect, etc.

As with anything, it's about the math and assessing your true needs. There is no "better" in every scenario. Personally, I do neither. My credit card includes travel insurances and my employer health insurance has international coverage. It would be silly for me to buy insurance for CFAR, (which I have never needed) to be insuring 50-75% of my trip.

I found the MDR and Buffet to be "about equal" for lunch and dinner. Some some trade-offs here and there, and splitting some hairs to draw a line in the sand. Carnival's Sea Day Brunch selection is vastly superior to Royal MDR breakfast. Complementary "Deli" on Royal is like 4 rotating, pre-made, light options, compared to the heft of the Carnival Deli. I found the Pizza to be higher quality on Carnival. Royal's pizza screamed of pre-made. Carnival has garlic, cheese, oregano, red pepper flake, and chili oil to put on it. Royal has tobasco, cheese, and oregano in the tiniest containers I've ever seen. My Royal ship was a Voyager class and didn't have any extra non-specialty venues than what was listed above. Some of the larger ships do. However, Carnival's ships all do. Having Guy's, Blue Iguana, Deli, etc. it wasn't even fair. The burgers in the windjammer were awful, dry, buffet burgers. Same with the breakfast burrito in the MDR vs a make your own, delicious burrito from BI. I couldn't even get a taco at all. Not that there would have been a good option. I'm not going to sit here and say "everything was inedible and terrible." However, like you stated for the price difference, it certainly wasn't a more premium experience, it wasn't even equal. There were many times where we found ourselves wishing we were on Carnival as there were no other options open than the pizza (in the middle of the day).

For all of its faults, I find it harder to select non-Excel classes in the future. There is so much more to do, see, and eat. It doesn't get boring. We spend a lot of time in Serenity, and absolutely loved Excel's Serenity.

The price, the amenities, the people, the vibe. It's a value and experience that is tough to beat.

They were all there for priority boarding and ensured everyone was aware

Marketing is a powerful tool. There are people out there who will choose to spend $5000 with a company because of a $200 "free item." Even if the next company was $4000 and charged the $200, WHO WANTS TO BE NICKLE AND DIMED?!

I just recently returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise. I can unequivocally say that the food was way better on Carnival.

Definition of first-world problems

It would be interesting if they do count onboard spend. Today, most gamblers "only gamble like $200 total" and get free cruises and drinks. I bet the algorithm will be off again where all of these people will hold the top-tier titanium diamond++.

I am almost always against multiple luggages on a trip. However, over a month, in multiple climates? I would bring two, even if that's just a normal sized and a carry-on. Even if you try to wear the same things and/or get them washed, that's a lot of different things you still need to have. The $29.99 surely won't be a savings over more luggage. Especially when you consider you'll be doing it more than once. If they're going to charge $8 to wash jeans, you're not going to get a whole suitcase in for $30.

I had a friend who was obsessed with finding an "adults only" cruise because they didn't want to be around kids and assumed every line that allowed them would be like Disney Land. When really talking about what they wanted, it seemed like Celebrity was the best fit.

I've had this discussion a bunch of times with people around what is best, land or sea trips. As with anything in life, there is rarely a "best" for every scenario. Hawaii and Mediterranean are often the topics of discussion. Everyone loves to share why their choices are the best. However, much context is often ignored. As with anything, it depends on the scenario, and what you are looking for. Land trips are great if you want to explore every nook and cranny of every city you encounter. However, you will absolutely spend more of your day traveling by car, plane, train etc., if you want to visit multiple cities. As you posted with your example, no one is going to be able to accomplish as much at those ports by doing a land trip. The majority of people are going to be able to do most of what they want to do in 8 hours at a port, while traveling to the next while they sleep. Let's be real, most people aren't doing "stuff" for 10-12 hours a day on vacation. Day for day, I find it hard to believe that the average person is really getting that much more of an experience on a land trip vs those on a cruise. Now if you want to compare 14 days on land to 7 days at sea, yes, there is a bigger difference.

Drawing lines in the sand about specific topics just because is all the rage on the internet. I cruise because I enjoy the overall experience at a reasonable price.

Or could also...... be blocking access to a hallway for those with scooters!

Crack down on scooters or crack down on giant obstructions in the hallway? Either way, this will not go over well.

This is the whole world. Rules and laws are turning into polite asks. To enforce them is fascist.

I know the popular thing to say online is everyone only cruises tiny ships that explore the wilderness with a machete. Hell, one of my most fond cruises was the South Caribbean out of PR, aboard the Fascination. It was also one of the most boring as the night life doesn't have half as much to do. I think it's a big assumption too that more smaller ships would open up more exotic itineraries. Frankly, I think this new model rejuvenates the short cruises for me. Sometimes, short cruises are nice as an extra option when you can't always sail 7+ days. Personally, I enjoy a nice beach day. Having to go to ports like Cozumel, Nassau, and Freeport can be annoying when you have to pay all of this money and waste all of this time for taxis, beach entry, etc. If I can get on an Excel class, with all of its amenities, and have a beach within walking distance, that's a great option for me. I am not a new cruiser either. Those other longer itineraries aren't going away. Celebration Key is not a bad thing. It's a new option.

I wouldn't spend the $1200 even if we didn't have DOU. What is also silly is spending "$500" to "trick" yourself that you have a mini all-inclusive package.

I think it's hard to draw any line in the sand of where 4000 people may or may not be. I doubt they all have the same plans.

I actually did not care for Shaq's fries. Their chicken on the other hand. What a game-changer.

While this is good insight, I wonder what the precedent is behind 4000 escaped inmates. Surely, they aren't all in plain sight in Haiti, just waiting around?

I loathe 3+ people in rooms and pulldown beds. Unfortunately, I did just that on an older Royal Caribbean ship. The pulldown is worst when you're up there and are up earlier and/or have to use the bathroom. It's so much noise. On my previous Carnival cruises, the couch flipped over into a bed. This was vastly supervisor.