Out of Iowa

Perhaps the next time you are in Britain, you can take your boys (just the right age) for an eerie, late night Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London? The website for Historic Royal Palaces has the details. The atmosphere is spectacular...and your boys will remember the items on display and the tales they heard on the guided tour this year.

Shrimp cocktail (daily); crab cake; several of the fish/shrimp dishes; the best beef dishes; Grand Marnier souffle; strawberry (peach, others) chilled soups. Many of the appetizers are delicious and I light up when I see them on the menu, too.

I've only tried WCMC once. Didn't do anything for me, and I'm a chocoholic. Haven't ordered it since. Bring on the Grand Marnier souffle! The room-service chocolate cake from days gone by was excellent. Creme brulee is excellent. There are other tasty options in the MDR that I've enjoyed over the years - and hope to enjoy again.

The best costume I saw on my only Halloween cruise was a guy who had a curved shaped board, painted Army green, dressed in military attire. He'd walk in, drop the board on the ground and stand on it in a military pose - like the old plastic Army-men figurines from generations ago. A group did the characters from Wizard of Oz, there were the couples from The Flintstones, other creative costumes - but, for me, nobody outdid the Green Army Man.

I purchased a water-tolerant, cheap watch with clock hands on its face that is easy to change the time with one button twisting. I use it for travel on cruises, beach days and travel to Europe. It is convenient and more valuable (to me) than any fancy watch for these uses.

mrplows, were the paper menus presented in the black menu holders/covers, or are they truly disposable paper menus handed to each person (and then, presumably) recycled?

I wish I could specify an exact time....coffee/hot chocolate is available early but, in my experience (exclusively pre-covid), it always seemed to take ages for the buffet to open with even the most basic options, and even longer for "real food" to materialize. When I do rise early, I can leave the cabin quietly to allow others to sleep. I've found it is nice to grab a cup of hot chocolate and choose any table outside to quietly watch the water go by, the land draw nearer or look at the water, waves and sky. Occasionally, I've met some other early-riser and enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

I think their IT department is doing something....now voyages through June 2025 are showing as bookable. Sorry to alarm anyone.

I'd like to book a cruise for Fall 2025. Occasionally, I check to see whether future availability for some/any/all ships has been populated on Carnival's US website. Today, I noticed something quite alarming to me: only availability through September 2023 is showing. Previously, there had been 2024 options, even some early months in 2025. Now - nothing for those dates. As a hopeful returning passenger (who is now ready to cruise post-Covid) and stockholder, should I be extremely concerned?

I have used a lanyard for years. After my employer switched to lanyards, I wanted a some "freedom" on my vacation so I switched to the coiled bracelet version for my Sign n Sail card....either way, for a woman who prefers dresses (and so few have pockets), these solutions are great for me. I've encouraged family members, also, to adopt lanyards/wrist ones by providing them inside the cruise terminal as we wait to board. Nobody has declined my offer yet.

If you aren't a buyer of artistic works on land, at home....why would a person on a vacation start spending money on something they know nothing/little about? It doesn't take most people long to figure out what Park West is (and is not). As for the others, as PT Barnum is often quoted...."there is one born every minute...

Ask questions about the location of the ship's anchor's location on that specific ship. If it is near the anchor, it can be very noisy, early in the morning, my daughters observed on Carnival Glory. However, they really liked the room's set-up and the windows. They would choose that cabin again.

Carnival could inexpensively create a "retro" ad with some of Kathy Lee Gifford's old - and very catchy, if grammatically incorrect - song interwoven with all the features of today's onboard Carnival fun. Credit to Princess for embracing their Love Boat connection.

We didn't find a need for a cheap shower curtain to create a changing space - the closet doors, when opened, make a space that is suitable as long as the person showering continues to shower and doesn't pop out of the bathroom unexpectedly.

This morning on TV, I saw a TV ad for Carnival Cruises. While it said they were at a Carnival destination, it showed three generations of a family jumping off a dock into the water together. Unless you were paying close attention, these fun people could have been leaping into any of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. [John Heald, if you are reading this, you can substitute "Cleveland, Ohio" for the reference to Minnesota.] Come on, Carnival....who's got the fun? Get a better TV ad: one that shows shipboard activities, the netted basketball court, Serenity deck, Hasbro game shows, main dining room dancing, Guy's Burgers, a family playing mini-golf with the sea in the background, the string lights on an open deck at nighttime, a deck party, movies under the stars...the gorgeous churning water behind the ship's wake, dolphins beside the ship, leaving SouthBeach behind in Miami... At least let creativity show that the fun happens onboard a Carnival ship.

I've been on several cruises as a family of four. We booked interior rooms exclusively. My biggest tip is to request two twin beds on the floor level (with the drop-down bunks immediately above them). You won't believe the floor space this frees up! Another bonus from this sacrifice is the daytime presence of two "sofas" for when there are people chilling out in the room. It may take a time or two to adjust to not hitting your head on the metal of the drop-down bunk, however...use caution. Enjoy making the memories...

Tour participants must be wearing shorts or pants. I learned the hard way that a dress/skirt is not allowed. Women/Scots, pack accordingly.

Excited for when you will both be dancing the Single-Digit dance 🙂

I admit - for the first time, yesterday I peeked at the cost of an NCCL Alaska cruise from Seattle in the shoulder season. $3,000 for two of us in an interior - including airfare from our little local airport and a wishlist that would impress others but doesn't do all that much for me: grats included (I always prepay them on CCL), free internet, free drinks (we only enjoy 1-2 drinks per cruise), free upscale dining (never been there, the MDR is always sufficient for us) and excursion credits....and now Justafem on this board reports that CCL has removed the watermelon from the Mexican place on Lido? Good watermelon is hard to find in the Midwest most of the year....I always savored Carnival's watermelon. NCCL works out to be just $150 per person, all-in...that is very, very inviting.

I would love to see this ad running on commercial TV...you did a very nice job. I hope Carnival sees it - and sends you their appreciation. Well done!

Thank you for sharing. Your viewpoints reinforce what SIL and her hubby thought: they did Princess in Alaska (for some reason) and said Alaska was great but no reason for them to choose Princess again.

I can handle these changes. However, Carnival will need to re-write some of the CDs' "patter" about 24-hour free ice cream as the consolation prize at various games and insist the comedians do the same with their jokes about all-day/all-night ice cream availability.

Maybe there should be a signal diners in the MDR could use to indicate they want 60-minute-or-less service or prefer a leisurely, 90+ minute meal? The frustrations we've had in the MDR always revolve around too-slow service. Using a signal could help us get a quicker meal while not "rushing" BlerkOne and friends. The signal could be where the diners place the bud-vase, for example. Akin to turning coffee mugs upside down if you don't want a waiter to fill your coffee cup at a diner.

Enjoy your Single Digit Dance, the remaining anticipation and the cruise ahead of you....how exciting. How fun. Bon Voyage!

Look for the same medication (25 mg) in a "generic" bottle of 100 tablets (around $7) or 200 tables ($10) at WalMart or other pharmacies. Rx behind-the-ear patches, ginger, green apples, wrist bands, etc. don't work for me. The medicine in Bonine works great. Be sure to take a dose the morning of your cruise, before boarding. [I had the injection from the doctor onboard during a TransAtlantic crossing decades ago....it knocks you out for a day or more. Thankfully, far better options exist today.]