staceyglow

This. I don't know why people don't talk about this more. I bet that the same people who gripe about the cutbacks and the upcharges would lose their minds if Carnival said, "We're bringing back everything you miss about the good old days - but we are going to raise our prices 250%. Also, no more specialty restaurants, no more water parks, and no more balconies".

I am pretty sure Elaine's point was that in her experience, that was not typical. Nor has it been mine, after taking 10+ cruises post-Covid. Do some people dress "inappropriately" in the MDR? Sure. But 45%? No way. Under 5%. Just curious - where did you embark and how long was the cruise?

They have Club O2 and Circle C for the older kids.

Absolutely. We do it all the time.

Based on my experience last summer, it's not about the length of the ride itself. It's the wait to get on the ride. We skipped it and took the mule ride instead. We didn't have a shore excursion though, so time didn't matter.

To me, that's like saying I have never worn a bicycle helmet and, so far, have never had an accident involving head trauma. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a wise thing to do. You have simply been fortunate. My BIL booked a cruise leaving out of Miami last year out of Nashville, which is a reasonably short flight. His flight was delayed and although it eventually landed before sail away, he could not make it to the ship on time. He didn't have trip insurance. He ended up taking a beach vacation in Florida that probably cost double on top of what he paid for his cruise.

I promise you that if they grant your request, it WILL be an inconvenience. They may do it, but it will make their job harder. I know that the waitstaff and kitchen staff work very hard, and I would never ask them for something that is not regularly offered on that night. Like in many other circumstances, just because you CAN do it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it,

Etsy might be worth a try as well

Sure if you really want to be a "Cruising Karen". 😆

I got a relatively large photo album as a Platinum gift several cruises ago because they were out of the regular gift. We ended up just leaving it on the ship because it was too big to fit in my luggage. I only do carry-ons when I cruise and every square inch of packing space was already spoken for.

I use Squaremouth.com They have a good search engine, so you have tons of choices. They also have a free advocate service that will help you if you need to file a claim I got stuck in Europe last year because I tested positive for Covid and I wasn't allowed to get onto the plain back to the United States. I submitted my very organized, complete claim within a week of getting back, and got no determination for over 2 months. I contacted the agency, and the check was cut within a week.

Are you talking about the sushi with the raw fish? Most pediatricians will tell you that kids under 5 shouldn't eat it because their immune systems are developed enough to handle the potential bacteria.

There is only one answer to this question. They charge more for those cabins because people are willing to pay more for those cabins.

Just got back from a 5-day out of Miami. There were plenty of the folks that people have used coded language to complain about and there were no problems at all. No smell of weed, no fights, no unruly teens. I have been on over 20 cruises with Carnival of all lengths, itineraries, and home ports, and have never seen many of the issues people claim happen on every Carnival cruise.

If the excursion is offered, it will be on the shore excursions list. It may be added later, but I don't think you should rely on that.

I am not a casino person, and I know my PVP has casino clients.

We were on a Journeys cruise a couple of months ago that had thousands of Platinum and Diamond passengers, including many, many elderly folks. We had one death onboard and an ambulance met the ship at a port of call at least twice. If you are going to have that many old people gathered in one place, that's going to happen.

You can't check in for YTD or Sea Day Brunch with a paper Fun Times. IMO it's all about the advertising for the shops, the spa, and shore excursions.

For those of you complaining about the "same old ports", where exactly do you expect Carnival to go from Galveston? The ships can only go so fast, and there are only so many ports they can visit in that time.

Kids don't know that certain foods are "kid" foods or "adult" foods unless they get cues from other people. My kids ate fish, broccoli, peas, whatever we ate, and they never knew they weren't supposed to like it. They ate off the adult menu every night in the MDR. I remember one cruise we sat next to a set of parents who asked the servers to bring thair daughter a plate of buttered noodles every night, and that was all she ate for the entire 8 days. My kids were astonished that parents would actually do that, and actually expressed some concern about her nutritional health.

Why do you even need the sticker? The information that the S&S card is tied to a cheers package is stored in the computer.

More like the entire month of March. It depends on the school district/university. They all have their own calendars.

Same with the Sunrise this week.

So in other words, staffing issues have nothing to do with the pay. You are supporting my point, then.

A cruise is actually a great place to introduce new foods to kids. There is a big variety, and if they don't happen to care for it, no big deal. They can get something else.