sparks1093

It's not the adding 3 different items that slows the process down, it's the prep of all of the items and having them available- it takes time to prep everything (which means someone has to do it) and it costs money to have all of the different items available. I can definitely see a bean counter saying "we can save 2 staff hours a day by limiting the number of options, that's 730 staff hours per year, per ship" etc. If I want an omelet going forward it is likely to be a veggie omelet with an order of ham and sausage on the side.

I suspect running the check itself is easy enough, but the reliability of the result is in question as Cheng points out above.

It is only one step in a process but listening to your kid (and your gut) is just as important.

Background checks are far from perfect, as we all know, but the most important thing is the management controls that are in place. The are the policies, procedures and practices that make it difficult for the wrong doing to occur. And since humans are involved this is not perfect, either.

I believe so, but Security might open the box, so if you do that have tape available to close it back up.

They can be out of the box, but they need to be in a carryon.

Yes, I am aware that much of what comes from a specialty restaurant is made in the same kitchens for the most part, but they do offer different items and your post is about having variety. Thank you for the attempt at a passive aggressive insult but yes, I do have a simple palate and simple taste. Makes life, simpler😉. In any event it sounds like a world cruise would fail you in the food department and if it is really that important it might be best to just skip it. And since there are no food related threads on the world cruise section maybe you should start one (and you might have already, since this will probably get moved there).

A lot of variables here, most importantly where one is flying from. For our upcoming trip we have to fly to Orlando and the difference between the major airports near us is in the hundreds, with the least expensive airport being in Canada. The difference is drastic enough that one family that is traveling with us will be getting passports just for that flight and they will still save a lot of money. (And even flying out of Montreal costs around $500 each round trip.)

Isn't that what you do at home? Most cruise ships offer quite a bit of variety in the way of specialty restaurants, etc. which helps break up any boredom that might set in.

We tried a booking with Celebrity but it was cancelled due to a homeport and we subsequently booked CCL. We've cruised with them since 2012 and while there have been changes those changes haven't degraded the experience for us.

Only some old timers feel there's been a degradation. Many don't feel there has been. Changes, sure, but not a degradation. Our cruise on Glory was fantastic and none of the changes had an adverse impact on that. (Same goes for our two Legend cruises as well.)

No, they aren't a charity, but their financial situation is still of concern to me- if they go belly up while I have a cruise booked with them I probably lose my money. Their financial situation also lets me understand why certain things are done. Another thing to keep in mind is that Carnival isn't the only cruise line making these types of changes- go to any cruise line forum and you'll see very similar complaints. They still offer me a good value for my vacation dollar and to me that is all that matters to me.

They may or may not lose repeat customers but as long as they are sailing full it's all the same to them. Whenever I've looked at an AI it's always come out more than a cruise but it may be the dates I'm choosing.

Too late to edit but in looking at airfare any savings on the cruise would disappear in paying more for flights. Oh well.

As with anything else I've read mixed reviews and when I've been in the market to book haven't found a cruise with them that was the same or cheaper. Carnival still meets my needs so I have no qualms booking with them at all. (I will book cruises with other cruise lines if the price is right, which means equal to or less than a comparable Carnival cruise.) ETA: So I looked at those three options for Feb of 2025, which is when we have another cruise booked with Carnival. First, none of those companies cruise out of the US which means I would have to fly to a Caribbean Island to take the cruise. Second, of the two I was able to do a faux booking for (MSC and Costa) MSC was less because it included the drink package, but Costa was more. A lot would depend on how much the airfare was to those islands but we'll see.

You mean the total cost of the trip, total cost of the cruise is $3000. What you pay over and above the cost of the cruise is entirely within your control and what you pay over and above the cruise fare has nothing to do with your cruise experience.

It certainly can be normal, especially this close to sailing. The summary page only has to show what the least expensive cabin is in the lowest category.

It's the way markets have always worked. All that really matters is am I receiving a good value for my vacation dollar. Until that answer is no I'll continue to sail with them.

There are 4 choices, there is a Spanish omelet hiding under the Eggs Any Style section.

I suspect this will soon be a topic for JH to discuss.

4 choices of omelets is enough for us, although I usually choose the steak and eggs for brunch. (If I wanted an omelet I'd probably order the veggie with a side of ham.)

Well, the OP did ask for opinions.

The thing to remember about pickpockets- they don't pick blindly. They know exactly what their target is before they swoop in. They know this from observing their marks. If you carry your passport and don't flash it around they'll have no idea where it is and won't target it. As I understand it most passports are stolen because they are kept with other valuables, such as in a purse or camera bag.

It could be anything, including the brand of food that is used by the ship. There is a reason that there are so many varieties of items at the grocery store.

OP, as the comments indicate a lot depends on where you are sailing to. We leave our passports in our cabin safe unless a local requirement exists for us to carry them, mostly because we carry a bunch of stuff with us ashore and having one less thing to carry is a good thing. We typically sail to the Bahamas or in the Caribbean and since our cruises are closed loop as defined by the government we've even cruised without passports. There is no right or wrong answer other than do what you are comfortable doing, it's a personal decision (unless of course it is actually required).