cmichael1221

You beat me to the point about the OBC. With so much of it floating around these days, I'd bet a lot of it goes to merchandise, for people who don't drink/gamble/etc.

I saw his post - that's what I was getting at... It needs enforced with no exceptions, for my reasons listed above! 🙂 I definitely do not think it has anything to do with Carnival losing any money in the casino, like people continue to insist!!

This is exactly why I don't understand why people are mad about the group "only playing for $1" or whatever the amount was... How does Carnival say that is okay, but then tell another group that wants to play for $10 or $100 that their amount is not okay? Or tell someone who wants to play poker/blackjack/Pai Gao/craps/etc. that their dice/card game for money isn't okay, but the group next to them playing Left Right Center for money can continue doing what they're doing... This is one of those that needs to be all or nothing and should be enforced as such.

I just add my offers every couple of days, so a long list to add never builds up - and the off chance I miss one and then miss free $$ or points!

Go to any bar in any major city and Carnival's prices look really good!

I think they're always available now and they're E-gift cards now, they're not mailed any longer. You can also find deal to join AARP. Chase often has cashback offers on their cards and check the shopping portals, they usually have offers... I just made $2 on renewing my membership! 🙂

After 3 sailings on Mardi Gras and 3 sailings on Celebrations, we're having a hard time going back to the smaller ships, with all the new options for food and drinks on the Excel class ships... We always do a basic balcony cabin, but spend minimal time in there - outside of sleeping, so the Havana options wouldn't have an impact. I didn't notice much of a difference in terms of crowds between Mardi Gras/Celebration and Horizon/Vista.

I feel like there are some people on these ships who have never used any elevators in their lives, let alone "smart elevators"! 🙂

If you have Chase cards, check your offers - you'll often find one for AARP. I got $8 back from Chase and then another $6 back from Rakuten, so ended making $2 on the membership, before I even bought any gift cards! 🙂

Check AMEX/Chase offers & shopping portals - might be able to stack to save a few extra $$ or get some points/miles as well. Usually gift cards are excluded in the shopping portals, but sometimes they'll work. But they'll almost certainly work if you have an AMEX or Chase offer...

No - sorry - I meant the rotational dining on Disney - a whole different experience, so it's easier to deal with for us.

Awesome - thank you!! Exactly what I was looking for!

Agreed - we really liked the new menu items in the MDR on Celebration in December, especially he Emeril-inspired dishes. We had been avoiding the MDR, gave it a try once so see how things were and decided to keep going back!

As mentioned below - on Celebration several other restaurants are included with YTD - so make sure to look into those if you're interested in venturing outside the dining room.

Good point! I couldn't imagine going back to a set dining time on Carnival! We have on Disney, but it's a whole different experience, so you can't really compare.

We're coming up on our 7th on an Excel class next month and I'm begin to wonder why they even bother with assigned dining on that class?? With so many options, I have a feeling they get a lot of complaints once people get on board with assigned dining times and realize they don't have as much flexibility to eat in the specialty restaurants that are included. I guess I'm thankful it makes it easier for those of us who are prepared though! 🙂

Based on this announcement today - all but certain it's going somewhere in Florida and puts more weight behind the theory of the older Mardi Gras moving to shorter sailings to bring more people to Celebration Key... ======= MIAMI, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, today announced plans for a $100 million pier extension that will double the arrival capacity of Celebration Key™, Carnival Cruise Line's new exclusive destination scheduled to open on Grand Bahama island in the summer of 2025. In addition to the two berths slated to be complete by 2025, the expansion will add two more berths, with all four capable of handling up to Carnival's largest Excel class ships when complete in 2026.

I think it makes sense... After several cruise on Mardi Gras & Celebration, it's hard to go back to the smaller ships will fewer amenities. But, there's still a strong desire for some shorter sailings! Also - Mardi Gras will be 6 or 7 years old by the time this new ship sails and the LNG infrastructure is already there in PC/Miami.

I'd guess a second out of PC or Miami and Mardi Gras or Celebration picks up some of the shorter cruises, especially with Celebration Key opening and its ability to have two Excel ships at the same time. They'll want to keep that as busy as possible - some shorter cruises on the bigger ships would solve that problem...

I know it's not your question - but if you have a credit card - you should use it for things like this - never tie up your actual money for travel. Much easier to dispute any issues if it's a credit card!

20+ cruises and we've always done Cheers. We get a bottle of water with every drink, a specialty coffee or two each day, etc. Also - on the newer ships like Mardi Gras, Celebration & Jubilee, you can certainly get your money's worth much easier, with so many different bars offering the higher priced specialty drinks...

Nice to see a fellow Chicagoan with a very similar drinking schedule! 🙂

And there's always the risk of a missed port that could mess up the entire plan, even with Carnival's blessing...

I vaguely remember seeing this on and off the past year too (I think). I'll pay attention on Jubilee next month too and see how things are listed...

Yup, well aware! My question was about the port, not the ship.