Joebucks

I'd agree Royal has the best perks. Ones that make the vacation more feasible. Too much of anything gets old after a while though. I mean, I hope I never get sick of cruising!

I didn't sail in the 90s, so I'm hypothesizing, but I'm going to say no. The brands that were here, have evolved into something different. Ie - Carnival and Royal went from luxury to mass market. Yet the "90s luxury" cruises still exist on different brands. For as much as people complain, the mass market cruises of today are the ones the consumers choose. Some people just expect to pick and choose all of the best parts of past, present, and future, with the lowest price ever. Then they're allowed to go online and share it because "well it's my opinion".

I'm one of the last people to whine and complain about things that go away. The removal of the casino bar is a terrible idea. That was always a very fun place to go at night.

The first domino fell a long time ago, and the rest will follow. For as much as people love to tote the "private business" line, most large businesses are identical (at least in the end) on "hot topics".

There was one time they skimped on my corned beef. You can always ask for more

Just curious, is there a specific "cutback" you're referring to?

There's definitely a few options. People like to pretend that other cruise lines have everything going all day. The deli is seriously underrated. I remember when they "changed it" and everyone cried of cutbacks. Since Carnival tries to "preassemble" the sandwiches, people associate it with prepackaged gas station food. I actually like the new menu better. It is quite good.

If you absolutely need to have Cheers, the best is a rate that "includes it". No, it isn't free. However, I've found it adds around $500-$600 on a 7 day for 2 people, which is almost half the normal cost.

Pretty much this. The internet has given rise to Karens to complain about everything. For me, anytime I hear someone talk about how terrible all of *anything* is, I stop reading. Food is a big one. "Everything was poor quality, inedible, etc." That's not to say you can't have a critical review. You absolutely can. Some people are just miserable people though.

If you're trying to predict rain and clouds, I agree, you'd never know. I'd be more inclined to think they are looking between hot and cold. Cold weather ports are a huge buzzkill for me. That first day you are looking to have a good time, and that chilly wind doesn't help. Ending your cruise is also a sad time, it feels like that is escalated when the cold returns the night before.

I liked the late night lido buffet every once in a while. So I guess it could say it "impacts me". Ever since I've started cruising, all I've heard is the increasing doom and gloom around food options. Yet, somehow, I've continued to find new options I enjoy. How about this, if I go on my next cruise, and my entire experience is ruined because of these changes, I will personally create a 10 page cutback thread. My favorite restaurant nearby still has a limited menu from pandemic. I don't prefer it. I don't cheerlead for it. However, I still like the restaurant. None of it is the end of the world. You can still get your fruit and coffee on the balcony too.

I always ate way more than I should have on Carnival cruises. Rarely had problems finding enough food. I am currently trying to plan a trip on my first Excel class cruise. I was wondering when I'm going to fit in Cucina, Chibang, Shaqs, and Street Eats on top of everything else I already enjoy. Dare I also say I may also be interested in trying Rudy's or Emeril's... Meanwhile, I am supposed to be mad that I can't get pizza at 5 am or that I can't hang a paper for a bagel in the morning. Like, imagine trying to explain this to a neutral party, unaware of cruising. To get the most sympathy, you'd probably say something like "they just keep removing everything" and the other person would nod in agreement. Then try to give these reasons and be taken seriously.

Multiple warrants have been issued for arrest. The pasta police are coming for you sickos.

There is nothing wrong with liking a different experience. It's just the constant obsession over "free, included, and nickels and dimes". It's exhausting.

The nickel-and-dime fear is overplayed. I was just pricing out some future cruises. Was thinking of the Carnival Celebration as it will be their newest ship at the time. It was $349 pp for an interior for a week. At the same time, I'd have to sit through some theories on how a $2000 pp cruise is better because "of nickels!" or some peace of mind nonsense. I probably wouldn't spend more than $500 on board and it would still be far cheaper than most vacations.

And now private companies will start dropping the vaccination requirement. I wonder if those touting "private companies can do what they want" will keep singing the same tune now?

Not showing up on my Hilton AMEX

OP bid for a discount on a room, and didn't get it. Now is just stuck in a lowly Jr Suite. Sure the communication gap is less than desired. However, it is far from deserving of empathy. Let's be real here. This is ridiculous. Having worked with retail and customers for many years, I can't even count how many times I had to argue with people around pending holds, charges, and returns. These things don't process immediately. Very rarely are people "charged" for the things they immediately create a fuss around. If it were me, and I did get charged, I am very certain it would be a non-issue. A simple email almost always fixes these problems. At first, I thought the OP lost all rooms. That would have been messed up.

I took a wager before I entered the thread that no one got SCREWED. I won, big.

This is how threads get created like "Celebrity prevented me from getting to my flight. Refuses to refund me for problems THEY caused"

My take on this usually makes a lot of people mad. Unless you are going to some really tiny port (like St Maarten that would get overly congested) I wouldn't concern myself with it. Most people really couldn't tell an actual difference in their experience if they didn't see another ship or so at port. Plus, your itinerary can change, another itinerary can change. It's a great way to set yourself up for disappointment for no reason. Otherwise, I would focus mostly on booking excursions you want to do that could potentially be sold out (which again, is often not an issue).

We did the Mexican Riviera cruise in January with a balcony. The port day at Cabo was awesome. Beautiful scenery, whales, dolphin. It was a great moment, and outstanding return to cruising for us. After that, we didn't really use it a ton. We paid $210 for the balcony upgrade. No chance I would pay $1000. There are free views all over the ship. $1000 is another cruise. Not worth a few steps here and there.

But can I get pizza at 5 AM?!

Not to be rude, but most people just need to drink more water. Limit the other stuff to when you really want it. While being on vacation and/or getting Cheers packages, people go overboard to "enjoy" themselves.

It's cute to think that you are somehow saving money through NCL.