Joebucks

Most onboard purchases and anything above an interior room is a waste of money. Especially alcohol packages. I don't want to share a dinner table with strangers I may not mesh with for 7 nights. The constant complaining and obsession over what is "free" and what has a "fee" is incredibly annoying. Look at your bottom line. I hate formal nights. A ruse to sell photos. I hate any kind of dressing up on a cruise. All casual and comfortable wear for me. I don't care for too many sea days. The first one is a great time. The second one is enjoyable too. After that, it loses its luster. If the weather is bad, the day is ruined. Cigar smoking is highly underrated. It's one of my sleeper favorites to enjoy on on the high seas. I wish cigar lounges were more of a thing. Early, fixed, dining is the superior option. I love having my table ready, my same staff is ready to serve me, and I'm free to enjoy the rest of my night by 7:30-8

I have been getting that itch to try the Chef's Table. I've heard many good things about it. Otherwise, we really don't spend large amounts.

Honestly, whether or not this is the right answer, I try to limit late night eating and drinking alcohol 24/7, two things this forum can't get enough of. Those will destroy me.

Honestly, most of the year is just fine. However, a lot of people tend to gravitate towards summer, spring break, and holidays, as that is when they and their family have time off. Avoid those times. April-May was always one of my favorite times. Sept-Oct was pretty good too as long as you can get past the hurricane situation.

Black Friday deals are overrated. Cruise lines aren't giving everything away because it is Thanksgiving. However, that's also not to say good deals can't be had. Cruises can go way up or way down, depending on the demand. If there is a particular one you are watching, you do run the risk of it going up in price.

I always get a chuckle at the use of "lug" and "schlep" on this forum when people refer to bringing things that they may or may not need. Equating it to climbing a mountain with a full-grown person on their back. As with anything people may pack, bring it if you need, leave it if you don't. I usually had my work laptop with me. Not using it more than the night before or first day of the cruise to wrap up some last minute things.

I hope they do. I can understand why they don't. Imagine being the person who is constantly being chewed out by entitled jerks who felt their lounger should be reserved for 4 hours. Can you think of a worse job? The only reason I think it might be any different now is from the larger ships, sailing at full capacity. Carnival knows how limited the space is, and dedicated plenty of space to other things. To make the model work, they are going to have to patrol this.

Out of all of the things that have never happened, this one has never happened the most. I might believe this if you mean drinks being delivered by floating servers. Other than that, you're reaching here. The "floating mall" concept is a brilliant model. Sure there are pros and cons, but the pros win. People say that they hate it because they don't know how to handle change. Yet, the Fantasy classes could never sell for premium rates as there wasn't enough to keep people entertained with them. People want stuff to do. Period. That's not the say the model has been rolled out perfectly though. People may see flaws and blame the entire model, when I don't think that is fair. No one is saying this French Quarter needs to be removed from Mardi Gras. They just want things to flow better on the ship. Ratios are such an overrated topic. They could have one giant bar on the ship with the best ratio, is that really what people want? The real problem is popular venues that are proportionately sized, which Carnival has a hard time getting right. It honestly doesn't matter to me the size of the ship as long as lido, theater, punchliner, dining rooms, etc are the appropriate size for their capacity. I completely agree with you on things like speedway. These were designed by corporate to be ways to capture new revenue streams. Yet they take up a lot of space, that probably could have been utilized better elsewhere. While I am not a "ship within a ship" type of person, I get the appeal. Some people don't want to go to a "premium" line for some more relaxing accommodations. To have the privacy of a private pool, bar, or whatnot when you want it, along with the vast entertainment options when you want it, is a great value proposition. As long as they don't start sticking amenities in there only that we reasonably expect, what's the difference? Otherwise, the hate is typical classism that we've all been conditioned for.

Throughout life, insurance is a massive loss for 99%+ of society. We pay thousands a year on auto, health, home, life, electronics, vacation, etc. Then the one time you have a $2000 claim in 5-10 years, you think it was such a lifesaver. Most people would be far better off taking that money they spend, investing, and self-insuring. The thought of people being responsible for their own savings or issues is basically hate speech in today's victim world. Most people have no idea what they are buying or what they need. They see insurance and think it is a complete refund for your slightest inconvenience. Some do not cover pre-existing conditions. Some also have COVID restrictions. Buying for CFAR is probably the biggest waste. Most of those will get you 75% back of non-refundable fees. So think of paying hundreds to get back 60-65% of your cruise. But still, I get it. There are scenarios that are high-risk. A healthy 30 year going to the Bahamas for a weekend is not the same as a 70-year-old with chronic health conditions going on a 28-day world cruise. Medical and air evac are the things that could bankrupt you. Catastrophic and unusual loss is what insurance should be for. Some people may already have international medical insurance and not know it. There are annual plans that could make more sense if you travel often. There are credit cards that cover some of these things too. Then as you also see in the OP, some companies are just god-awful to deal with. Some are non-responsive. Some will do everything they can to find an exclusion. It's hilarious that people relate all of this to "peace of mind", regurgitating marketing for a process that is an overall joke.

Pretty standard for "inclusive" thinking. $1100 is hands-down better than $1000+$100. "Fees" are one of the most annoying parts of vacation discussion. Things have costs. Just because you paid "one price" doesn't mean you saved money. It could, it could also mean you overpaid, as many do.

While you certainly know more about this than I do, I just have a hard time understanding it. The process works that people in charge of safety have no training in the event of an emergency? They rely on learning when the passengers do, through the loud and garbled sound? With the "transition" to the new muster drill process, there is currently no process in place to train the crew? That doesn't pass the smell test.

As someone who rarely pays for anything "expedited," Precheck is completely worth the $85 for a 4 year membership. If you're going to buy it, I'd pay the $15 more for Global Entry. Having it when you need it is great, and it's also another backup ID in case of emergency. Even better, if you travel often, get a premium credit card that will include both of these benefits. Precheck is starting to get a little busier in some places though. I think it is underpriced. It should move to $150+ With that said, CLEAR is still a colossal waste IMO. It's $189 per year to have a marginally better check-in at most airports and maybe save you 15 minutes at the busiest ones. If you have the American Express Platinum, it will include it, and I would do it then. Otherwise, I would stay far away from CLEAR. The benefits vs value of precheck are sufficient for me.

I will also miss the printed guides. The best comparison I can give is to getting the Sears catalogs. You would look forward to having the chance to get it and see what exciting things are available. Today, you spoil it all whenever you want on your phone and search for whatever you're looking for. I will also miss traditional dining when it is gone. It's too hectic making different reservations each night, waiting in lines for a table, and then possibly being forced to sit next to people you don't mesh with. Whereas in the MDR, I walk right to my table, and my wait staff generally can provide better service when it is the same crew. I chuckle at the muster drill one. People ask for it to go away, then want it back. If you're concerned about safety, there is no shortage of safety info. People weren't learning anything in the traditional drill.

One of many reasons to stay away from drink packages and AIs. While people obsess over "free, unlimited, and included" drinks most don't realize how weak the pours are. The staff are almost always taught to control their pours to watch costs. Drinking infinite sugars and little alcohol is not getting your monies' worth, no matter how much you think you broke the system. I stick to the in room bottle and ensure my pour is heavy.

The Fascination Southern Caribbean was one of my favorites. It's also nice to be able to walk in when a comedy show starts and get a seat, vs having to wait in line 30 minutes.

After countless other days getting omelets, buffet, and burritos, it's another nice option. The steak and eggs was always my go-to. I'm sad to see the filet go. I would have been fine with a sirloin or flat iron. That strip loin is terrible.

Drink straight liquor with ice. Could save you hundreds of grams of sugars.

Some experienced cruisers love to snub their noses at these shorter cruises. I did the Valor cruise a few years ago, and it was a great energy! A day is New Orleans was fun. When they played the Saints game on the lido deck, that was definitely a good time. Enjoy!

There are pros and cons. There is so much these beautiful islands have to offer. To truly experience all of it, I would say you need 3+ weeks. That just isn't feasible for most people due to cost, distance, and time. We did 8 days on land between Kauai and Oahu. I absolutely loved every second of it. We were able to do quite of few things that would have been difficult on a cruise. Although, in that 8 days, we did not experience Maui or the big island. 5 days on land certainly doesn't have a huge advantage over 6 cruise days to Hawaii. Many cruises have 5 solid days in port and may hit Kauai, Oahu, Kona, Hilo, and Maui. Which it looks like this cruise does. It gives you at least 10 hours in port. Some 14, one overnight. That is very difficult and costly to hit those otherwise. Having your room travel when you sleep is a nice way to get around these islands. Plus, there are additional days on the cruise as well. I'd pick the cruise. If it ends up being a place you love, you can always go back.

It's honestly not confusing. Check the times. They are also listed in the app.

I usually book interior. My last two (this year and next year) were offered to hop to a balcony for $200ish for a 7 day cruise. I took both.

This is for NCL, so maybe for "luxury" it could be used for Haven. Otherwise, that would be such a minuscule market. If you're closer to the $1000 mark for your cruise, I'd disagree that a TA is going to get you more. If it was a "five figure" booking, I agree, you'd likely be looking at more. I received a $150 AMEX offer off of $500 or more on Carnival. Judging from past TA interaction for some of these affordable cruises, the $150 was far and away higher than what they would have given me. There are so many data points marketing looks at these days. An automated offer such as this is not likely looking into the big spenders. AMEX has their own cruise program to target those clients and provide a more personalized service. This is a way to hit the mass market.

I understand the nuts and bolts of what is "different". The outcome is essentially the same. The goal of this offer is not to give their users $350 for booking an NCL cruise just because. The goal of this offer is to sell cruises, the same as what the TA is. They are obviously going this because it is profitable. I think of this as an automation of the sale of the good, without having to use the labor of a TA. Some people go to a TA not because they need help, but because they want a better offer. This does that.

Technically, AMEX is the "Travel Agency" here. The big credit card companies are really trying to become TAs as they want that commission. It's a great way to grow their business as they have the affluent shoppers in their pocket, and can send them offers directly.

lol social distancing