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Thank you for your replies, it is much appreciated.

2 minutes ago, Mighty Joe said:

Was on Sky transatlantic 9 - 25 March... Wifi ok, pretty fast.

Even without wifi connection but just using the free Medallion Net, could send and receive "text-only" WhatsApp, SMS. Could also use Google search but could not click the links. Even apps were automatically updated since we could get into Google App store.

Thank you! So you connected to Medallion yet but didn't use wifi for browsing?

Hi all,

I was on the March 19 sailing of the Sun Princess RT Rome and my wifi experience was fine. It was robust enough for me to work remotely and make wifi calls when I needed to. Speeds were slightly better on port days (when everyone else was off the ship.)

I'm booked on the westbound transatlantic on Sept. 23 and I was hoping to hear from others what the current transatlantic wifi situation is now that (I believe) all the ships are on StarLink. My 2022 eastbound transatlantic on the Regal was a wifi disaster - literally no service for almost the entire journey starting a day or two out of Fort Lauderdale. I did a 2023 eastbound on Holland American which had similar terrible service.

If TA wifi is still an issue, I can't take this cruise. I have to work while away. (But I'd so much rather work from the beautiful Sun Princess!)

Would you mind sharing your recent transatlantic wifi experience (fall 2023 or spring 2024)? I think the Sky just did a crossing and the Regal is coming up in a few days.

Thanks so much!

So Monday it is! As much as it stinks to have plans go awry, Carnival's handling of this (as someone already in Europe still hoping to sail) has been excellent.

Thanks again to Jimbo and Joanne for keeping us informed. 

I am one of the 7/21 cruiser "cooling my heels" in London right now. I've booked a hotel for Friday and Saturday and starting tomorrow I'm going to enjoy my $100 dining per diem. I wish we had heard something today from Carnival. Thank you Joanne G. for your updates!

I think the sailings on the sister ships was always a long-shot. Everything was pretty booked up to begin. FWIW, it's possible that I booked the very last cabin available on the 7/21 sailing before everything went south. So it's a full, full sailing.

I am an eternal optimist, so with the information of "several days" it is not impossible for the ship to be repaired by Saturday and be in Dover by Sunday. (It might be later in the day...but they could make it.)

Cruise lines can make astonishingly fast repairs once they determine the problem. And Kiel is a giant shipyard with lots of resources. They want this ship back in service. A 7 day sailing half full is better than paying all that compensation and getting nothing (onboard spend, casino, spa, etc.)

I think Carnival knows exactly when the part will get there and how long it will take to install, but I think it probably needs to be inspected and cleared before sailing. (I'm thinking of the Virgin ship that struck the pier in Miami and was repaired and inspected and sailing that evening.) Again, they have every incentive to make this happen as quickly as possible.

So I'm going to enjoy my favorite London restaurants, Wagamama and Busaba and Nandos, and hope for the best. 🙂

On 5/17/2023 at 8:53 AM, Crew News said:

As a current passenger on this cruise, I can report that all self-serve is cancelled and the Lido Market serving lines are encased in Saran Wrap to prevent passengers from touching food items. From the first day, passengers are served at the Beverage Station. 

 

Unfortunately, there are no handwashing facilities in the Lido Market.rather Purell stations with crew members encouraging passengers to have a squirt.  Many  passengers have reverted back to wearing masks to protect themselves from this contact virus. 

 

Other than the Captain's announcements to wash our hands often , I have heard little passenger conversation on the subject and /or the proliferation of cases.

 

I remember passing by a room on my first day at sea and hearing the occupant apologizing  to her Room Steward for vomiting all over the room. 

On 5/18/2023 at 6:50 AM, ValleyPop said:

 

Currently onboard. Extensive cleaning yesterday. No longer permitted to have sugar dispensers on tables, but salt and pepper dispensers are okay to use?  That makes no sense to me. 
And yes there are sinks at the Lido, but only two per side. 

 

There are actually 8 sinks in the Lido marketplace, two at each entrance forward and aft on both sides. I was onboard May 6-20 and I'm still here for May 20-27. There's someone reminding everyone to wash hands at all four entrances and there's never been a wait of more than perhaps a minute to do so.

I've asked a few crew how many were sick - three diferrent staff told me "about 40 cabins." Take that with a grain of salt. I'm glad to have not gotten ill. The minor annoyances with the protocols are much preferable to getting sick. It's part of life and part of travel. They've handled it well and it hasn't made my cruise less enjoyable. Keep your hands clean and away from your face. Think before touching surfaces or grabbing something in the buffet. If you're careful you can mitigate this stuff. Have five seconds of patience for the staff to hand you the sugar or cream or to pour you some water.

12 hours ago, jelayne said:

When I look at the things missing that you used to see every night it made me think well if I were eating dinner there I might have 1 or 2 of them but I wouldn’t be eating eating chicken, fish, carved to meat and baked pasta in the same meal. 

I'm not either. In saying none of these choices were available at all.

I was on Reflection on 12/21 and Beyond on 1/3. Reflection was mostly as before and Beyond was halfway to what I'm seeing now. Again, I think it's heading to a slightly bleaker place as they work through stores. I don't expect they will have half a dozen cheeses on the dinner buffet once they work through what they have. They already dropped the entire spread of hummus and olives and what I kind of considered to be "filler" stations to pump up the look of the buffet. Some will be more upset about that than I am.

Certain crew and staff are entitled to eat at the buffet in the evening - I feel for these folks. 

10 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

 

Have you been on Oceania.  Pre-COVID I though their dinner buffets were amazing.

No, except the more mass market lines I've only done Azamara and Windstar. Small buffets but incredible quality. I'd like to try Oceania for sure. 

Another OV report thread. Here's one for a Millennium-class ship. I cruise solo a lot, so end up there most nights for dinner. I'm not going to go hungry but I'm sad for these cuts. 

Here's what they've had the first two nights:

Salad bar
Self service caesar salad station (no chicken)
Meat and cheese station (nice selection of cheeses...and sliced turkey, lol, and bologna last night)
Stir fry station
Pizza
Indian cuisine
German theme hot dishes with schnitzel (night 2, don't remember night 1, sorry)
Pasta station
Desserts

Things I'm used to seeing every night on every cruise I've ever been on in my entire life:

Some kind of baked chicken
Some kind of baked fish
Carving station
A least one hot green veggie

A baked pasta dish of some kind

They'll still grill some meats for you but on this sailing on this ship, at least, you need to ask your server what meats they have and then they place the order and get them for you. I've found these grilled meats to be brown-greasy, like ordering a pork chop at the Waffle House. I still eat them, haha. 

Reduced staff in OV. No drink waiters that I saw. Of course the bar is right out back.

I've been on all three classes over the past 3 weeks and it's gotten a little grimmer each time. I think they're still working through the stores on some of this. 

I spoke with the guy in the big chef hat who was speaking to (possibly) his boss. They acknowledged the deliberate cuts, said "the world is changing,"  and suggested I go to the MDR.

An employee was clicking people in on her hand-counter. 

Like I said, I'm sad to see these changes. Some cruise lines do super bare-bones dinner buffets and it looks like Celebrity is heading there. It's a highlight of my solo cruise day and it's just kinda blah now. 

FWIW if I was choosing cruises just for the dinner buffet (I'm not) it would be Holland America. 
 

Standard disclaimer, times changes, cruise lines change, don't sail if you don't like it, cruising is still so cheap, etc.  Maybe if I say it for you it will save some time. 😀

5 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

And maybe...*just maybe* you can contact Princess about disembarking at the port before Southampton.  I know a couple who did that recently (another cruise line.)

Princess has a system in place to handle this. It's called an itinerary deviation request. Your travel agent can fill out a form online and submit it for you, and you'll hear back in a week or so to see if your request is approved. They almost always are. Or call Princess if you're booked direct. I'm using this service to go on a 14 day cruise I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise and just skipping the last night. Now if the ship skips that port she could have a problem...but everything short of canceling all plans and showing up three days early carries a little risk.

Did anyone get a specific casino offer other than free play delivered to their stateroom on the last night of the cruise? I usually get a specific offer - i.e. free veranda and a list of cruises. This time I got a note with typos telling me to visit HollandAmericaplayersclub.com within 30 days. That site does not function. And no phone number to contact them.

Looking forward to your input!

Did anyone get a specific casino offer other than free play delivered to their stateroom on the last night of the cruise? I usually get a specific offer - i.e. free veranda and a list of cruises. This time I got a note with typos telling me to visit HollandAmericaplayersclub.com within 30 days. That site does not function. And no phone number to contact them.

Looking forward to your input!