notscb

This, 100%. Especially in the days of electronic processing. Businesses shouldn't get a pass for holding on to people's due refunds.

This is the most anti-consumer perspective I've ever read on these boards and I honestly can't believe what I'm reading. You pay for a service and you cancel that service that claims it's refundable- businesses have a responsibility to refund their customers in a timely fashion. 3 weeks isn't exactly timely, nor is it unreasonable to complain about waiting three weeks for a refund.

Send one of their maintenance crew to fix it. I'm not sure why you wouldn't report the shower door issue, especially when it's the kind of issue the shipboard maintenance crew are there to deal with and likely have a lot of experience handling.

If it's Deon, Deon was on the Radiance up through May and is a pretty entertaining CD overall.

They're really being strategic about this- they absolutely needed the adults only area on the island, plus now that Celebrity will be docking there (+$$ to RCL Group), the added space is also needed. 10/10 on RCL groups' part on this one.

There are big group tables on the Lido deck at the very aft of the ship that you can arrange and are often not very busy. You could even pull one or two of them off to the side and it would be private enough I think.

The only draw back that I've experienced with a cove is that in bad weather, sometimes the spray from the ocean leaves salt residue all over the balcony which makes it very unpleasant to use until it's cleaned. Otherwise, I think it's an amazing option and offers a really unique view, plus some private shade depending on time of day/direction traveling.

Thank you for sharing with us! I've been wanting to take a Cruise on the Elation or Paradise before they are sold for scrap. These older ships just have a charming look to them, IMO. How did they do serving 14 of you at dinner? Were you all at the same table?

As someone else mentioned, trying a different browser can help. Also, disable any ad-blocking add-on's/extensions.

... That's kind of what I'm saying. It may just not be beneficial for everyone, or you specifically, depending on your unique situation on vacation. For others of us, at the right price, it's a good value in the right circumstance.

There what is?

You're not really "missing" anything- It's really just about the circumstance you find yourself in as to whether or not it's valuable to you. When I went solo on Freedom, being able to drop off my carry-on to a valet, be one of the first folks on the ship, eat a great lunch and meet new people right away and have premium wifi (which I would have paid for anyway) made it worth it. As someone who has done tender ports on other lines, I wish I would have gotten their version of this as well. It's all in your personal needs when planning and going on vacation, although I don't get the hostility about The Key on these boards.

I guess i'm wondering what conclusions you're hoping people draw based on the commonalities you point out...

I cannot tell you how it felt to hold my breath until the page loaded from the forum homepage, just to feel the relief and joy to see you say this right off the bat! I had a great time on the Radiance in May and am really eager to get back onboard, even for the same itinerary. It sounds like you made the best of your cruise (even with some cancellations). Was Carnival helpful at all with rebooking you for a different excursion in Ensenada? FWIW, I don't remember ever really seeing the Italian place open when I was onboard- it was always really empty and when walking by on deck I think I saw people in there eating one night.

According to Carnival's FAQ, >a valid, unexpired government-issued photo I.D. for all guests 16 years of age or older >Also acceptable for cruise travel (for cruises that begin and end in a U.S port), U.S. citizens can show proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate issued by a government agency and accompanied by government-issued photo identification. I've never heard of a "lifetime" ID being issued by any state, even non-drivers ID's usually expire. I'd have your sister-in-law double check what they have before heading on your vacation.

I hate to say this, but in your two examples given you're flying from major citiy-> major city on what is considered an ULCC airline with less of a route network than the majors. If i were in Chicago and going to FLL (or anywhere, really), I'd definitely fly a mainline direct. The mainlines also have a more robust network and rescheduling options than Southwest. I agree with you that flying in the day before is overall a better option, but not everyone is in a position to do that.

Not surprised, but this looks really cool. I've always wondered why they don't do golf off of the ship with those bio-degradable fish food golf balls. I'm sure they don't want people thinking they can just throw anything overboard, but I love the creativity of the skeet style activities.

Excuse me, but I really need you to expand on this- I need details- and I also might need Carnival to bring this back.

Having been on Carnival and RCL in the past year- the overall feeling on Carnival's ships seems more relaxed/laid back and the party atmosphere is the priority. The cruise directors like to say that "the party doesn't stop, it just moves to another place." In reality, the two lines are more similar than they are different. The "fun" is always what you make of it.

The priority tendering is the point of FTTF for me when we cruise on the Panorama in December. I'm not waking up at 6am to get a ticket when I could just get priority, anyway. After my last cruise, I'll never show up at 11am again. When I arrived at 1/1:30pm, I walked straight through and onto the ship in 10 minutes. It was such a good experience that I'm making that my new normal.

I would 100% do the excursions and chef's table, as that's an experience in and of itself. It's a good opportunity to try an excursion you otherwise wouldn't, too!

Give it a few years and the Utopia and next Icon class launching for the pricing to change and become much, much more reasonable.

The crew do it at night after the pools close so they can clean the deck. Almost every night.

Right, but both of those packages covered drinks, it just depended on where you were on the ship. It's still drinks. The OP is complaining about not getting the same deal and is planning on borrowing from their friends package without paying for or having it included in their fare. In your case, you both had drinks already included (just in different ways).

It sounds like he's talking more about food quality for value, plus adding in paid options which are usually better quality overall. I also agree that Carnival's extra options such as Guys and Shaq's are some of the best food I've had on a cruise.