kevin_p

I’m on Allure now and the Park Cafe had the roast beef sandwich on day 1 for sure.  Haven’t stopped by since then, though.  
 

The ice show was modified due to some of the performers being quarantined, but they still did what they could…mostly solo or duet acts and then short q&a session with each of the performers.  They still had 7 skaters.  Mamma Mia is supposedly going to be performed starting tonight, but we’ll see if that’s modified too.  
 

Solarium Bistro appears to be for breakfast only.  Samba is closed.  Other than that, it seems to be mostly normal.  We were told around 2800 guests on board.  It’s great to have no lines anywhere and be able to get a seat at the music venues in the evening.  The comedians were great!  Especially Paul Palisoul!

The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that most of the staff seems woefully untrained at their position.  Bartenders don’t know the signature drinks of their venue, many crew not knowing directions around the ship or whom to ask for help with relatively simple questions, etc.  I assume it’s because many of them are likely from other ships and are having to fill gaps from crew who are quarantined.  The crew has been very polite and eager to help, but just doesn’t seem to have the knowledge I would expect in normal times.

Thanks for posting live while on the ship.  My wife and I will be on the Allure next week.  

I know you have the drink/dining packages, but have you seen any onboard discounts being offered for the specialty dining venues to try to get more people?

44 minutes ago, Cammyho said:

 

I'm booked in September on the Mardi Gras with a 2 year old and this is the only thing I'm worried about. What was the offer they sent you if you don't mind me asking?

I have been checking and still haven’t seen any offer that looks like it is related to that email.  I called and tried to see if they would honor our rate for this cruise on any of the same cruise itineraries for next summer, and even after getting transferred to the resolution team and then to the executive resolution team, they wouldn’t budge.  “The rate you see online is the rate we can offer.”  None were less than double the price we paid for this one.   They had zero info on how the exceptions were processed other than saying it was a different department.  No onboard credit to roll over our funds to a future cruise either.  

He did say that we had until July 21st to decide whether to cancel or not and still get a full refund for our 3 rooms, but that conflicts with what we have in writing saying that today is the deadline.  When I asked him to send me an email confirming the 21st as the deadline, he wouldn’t even do that.
 

A total waste of 2 hours and 40 minutes on the phone.  

This is what we received last Friday notifying us an exemption wouldn’t be available for our 10 year old. 

I’m just curious, has anyone actually received an exemption for their kids’ vaccine requirement due to being under 12?

I responded to the original email within an hour to request an exemption due to age ineligibility, and despite being platinum VIFP and with a group of 7 people (3 cabins), our 10 year old son was denied.  When I finally spoke to someone at Carnival, they said all the exemptions had been granted already.  I haven’t been able to find anyone who has actually received the exemption yet, so I thought I would check here.  
 

Has anyone had any luck?  Any idea if it’s first come, first served or is status considered?  
 

I need some help decided between two itineraries on Azamara Journey in May of this year...one that is mostly the French Riviera and one that focuses on the Iberian coast. My wife and I are mid 30s, very active, and definitely want to take a cruise that starts or ends in Barcelona. We have cruised the eastern Mediterranean, but never the western.

Option 1, Rome-Barcelona, Monaco Grand Prix, 8 nights, no sea days

Ports:

Rome- been there several times and enjoy it, but not a must

Livorno - We would love to see Florence

Cannes overnight

Ajaccio Corsica

Monte Carlo/Monaco overnight - this is the weekend of the big F1 Monaco Grand Prix race. We aren't big race fans, but recognize the cultural significance and history of the race and would enjoy experiencing it once.

Barcelona - a must-see, but would be included on either itinerary.

Option 2, Barcelona-Lisbon, 9 nights, no sea days

Ports:

Barcelona

Alcudia Majorca

Valencia

Alicante

Cartagena

Gibraltar

Cadiz

Portomao

Lisbon overnight - A must-see for us. Even if we take the first itinerary we would likely fly to Lisbon for 2-3 days after visiting Barcelona.

We have never been to Spain other than connecting through Madrid airport, so #2 would be a great way to check out the Iberian coastal cities, but since we don't know a lot about the cities other than Barcelona and Lisbon, I'm concerned it might be a bit one-dimensional. Is there enough difference between each of the cities to enjoy so many Spanish coastal ports?

What are your thoughts regarding these ports/itineraries?

Thanks!

Just to follow up on my original question in case anyone else is wondering, using airport check-in allows you to bypass the staggered check-in time and go straight into the terminal through the priority line. For boarding, airport check in is called after Plat/Diamond/Suite, FTTF and special assistance guests, but before any of the numbered groups. We're on Glory now, and during embarkation, we arrived at the port at 1045, were through security in about 10 minutes, but they didn't start boarding anyone until about 1145. Airport check-in guests were allowed to board by noon.

Hope this helps!

I'm arriving at MIA airport at 9am, but the earliest boarding time I could get is 1230pm. If I use the check-in counter at the airport to get my Sail and Sign card, will I still have to wait a few hours to get into the terminal at the Port of Miami?

If I still have to wait, could I drop off my luggage with the porters early and then take an Uber somewhere to kill a few hours? Any recommendations on what to do to pass the time?

I spent the last 5+ years working in sub-Saharan Africa, and I (along with the vast majority of long-term expats there) absolutely do NOT recommend taking Malaria "prevention" pills. They don't prevent malaria. The aim is to make the symptoms less-severe. The worst malaria cases I saw were expats who took doxycycline or Malarone and it masked their symptoms until the malaria became very severe. It can also lead to false negative tests. Those who didn't take any preventative meds would recognize malaria immediately, start a 3 day regimen of Coartem, and be better within 12-24 hours. If the Coartem didn't help within the first day, you know it's a different variety of malaria and you should go to a clinic/hospital for IV meds.

The chances of contracting malaria during the daytime is very low anyway (malaria-transmitting mosquitos are primarily active at dawn/dusk), and considering you'll just be there for one day, it's minuscule. If you do have any symptoms, just make sure to tell the doctor where you've traveled so they consider tropical diseases. Most won't if you don't tell them where you've been.