sparks1093

Exactly, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

Under the mattress can be spent on other things. This is a good system for those who have good will power or who don't have unexpected things crop up. At least with the Cruise Cash you know that it will be there when you board your cruise.

I know for me it helps with budgeting and I only purchase this when we are within 30 days of the cruise, so it's not much of a loan. I also make sure that we don't buy more than we will use (and my wife doesn't understand the concept of "unused Cruise Cash" anyway).

I would expect that the cruise lines wouldn't want to incur the extra expense to procure the RV type toilet paper. I am glad that I don't have to buy too much of it myself.

It sounds like language remaining from COVID 19 and the large number of cancellations received that in turn were slowing things down. Sort of like the fuel surcharge language that is still present years after it was a concern.

Strictly speaking the gift cards aren't refundable either in that you cannot receive cash for any unused portion, you only receive another gift card in return. And while they do say that the Cruise Cash is not refundable I have read of at least one account where it was refunded.

Chances are fair that your luggage would be sent to the "naughty room" and you'd have to go there to retrieve it (if they had liquid in them, if they are empty you'd be ok). Again, this isn't something because of plastic but because all beverages (except wine) need to be in cans (AFAIK wine in a plastic bottle would be accepted).

Exactly. If you have a need to have a valid passport available that's certainly a consideration. We can't do spur of the moment trips right now. Our trips are planned out a year or more in advance. (Heck, even a trip up to Montreal is planned out at least a month beforehand, but then we can use our EDLs for that trip.) So waiting to renew isn't a big deal for us. As I often say, everyone's travel needs are different. 🙂

As stated by @ldubs it's a closed loop cruise. Since I have an EDL issued by the state of Vermont (yes, an EDL, not a REAL ID compliant license) that is all I need for the cruise. Since that's the only travel we have scheduled for the foreseeable future I have no qualms at all allowing it to expire and waiting to renew until we need them to travel.

Great minds think alike.

Ditto what @CruiserBruce said. There are drink calculators online that allow you to input how many drinks you would drink per day on a particular cruise line, and it will tell you whether or not you would save money. How many sea days you will have and how many port days (and how long you will be ashore) are also considerations. Typically, if you have 6 or 7 mixed drinks every day (this can be averaged out) then you will at least come close to breaking even with most packages. If you only drink beer you would need to drink more to break even. You also need to consider the drinking habits of your travel companion since many cruise lines require both adults in a cabin to purchase a package.

There is absolutely no sweat involved, at least not in my case. I already have what I need to board the cruise we are taking so in a worse case scenario (i.e. the passport isn't returned in time) my travel will still happen. Now, if I were planning an air trip to Europe it might be different, but there would still be no hurry. 3 months prior to the trip would be more than sufficient and 1 month wouldn't be out of the question for a renewal although that would be too close for my comfort.

Or some don't experience discomfort by waiting to renew.

A backpack with meds and documents and a few other things (including any allowed beverages if we are bringing them). All other bags get checked.

Yes and I'm also aware that it's wasted time since the US doesn't apply unused time to the new passport. It's not a huge deal but renewing it too early sticks in my craw. There's no stress at all, just something that needs to be done.

Just remind them that they need to be alert at all times to what is going on around them, but I agree that you've covered as many of the bases as you can. (I also reminded mine that wherever they went they were on video.)

Some people do dress up to match the theme, others don't. We went to the White Party on Mardi Gras so DW could do some dancing but neither of us wore white. The only one you list that I would have a hard time discerning what would be worn is the Backyard Bash, but since I am normally wearing shorts and a t-shirt onboard and that is what I'd be wearing for a Backyard Bash I'd probably look like I dressed for the event.

Probably not but all you lose by trying is the time you spend on hold.

At least at the luggage carousel one has the opportunity to find a place to sit and wait. 🙂 As to the OP our son recently applied for a passport for our last cruise (as did one of the families traveling with us) and they all received them in 30 days or less. As for renewals, we both need to renew ours later this year and we shall see. From what I've been reading I expect they will be processed quickly (which won't matter too much since we'll be sending them in with ample time).

I sailed on an aircraft carrier when I was in the Navy and swore I would never set to sea with that many people again. Well, we make our plans and hear God laughing. I never felt like we were sailing with almost 7,000 people (which is something like 3 times the number of folks living in my village). I suppose it would have been obvious during disembarkation but we had a shore excursion/airport transfer so even then it didn't feel crowded. I think you are absolutely correct- you will have a lot of time to enjoy all of the features on this beautiful ship.

Here you go @Mary229, these six threads should give you a fair idea of what it's like on Carnival now. They certainly aren't what they were 20 years ago, but they were making some changes before COVID and many post-COVID because of their debt load, etc. We've sailed Carnival since 2012 and yes, there have been changes but what hasn't changed is that Carnival still gives us a good return on our vacation dollar (which is all that is really important to us). Happy reading! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2977838-no-more-made-to-order-omelette/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2881202-cut-backs-i-noticed-on-breeze/#comment-63960570 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2962809-ccl-still-charging-for-3rd-or-more-entrees/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2933484-is-carnival-cruising-better-or-worse-since-the-restart/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2926808-should-we-give-carnival-another-try/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2923854-haven%E2%80%99t-cruises-in-years/#comment-65011986

I haven't seen such a thread, but they have added a new feature at the top of the forum that allows you to filter the threads you want to see (I know that you can select the particular cruise ship but my coffee deprived brain can't recall any others) so you can only see threads related to Mardi Gras. You could start your own thread but you will receive a good number of posts from folks who will decry all of the changes and cut backs that have happened in the past 20 years. I will try to find a couple of those threads for you and post them in this thread to help save you time.

While there is no requirement to bring the extra documentation it can't hurt to bring it, the check in folks typically just check the first and middle name and the DOB and make sure those match on the ID (which has been attested to by a check in agent and yes, I am extrapolating based on a limited sample size but the requirements are the same regardless of which person is checking you in).

Had them on Mardi Gras a couple of weeks ago. 🙂

Of course it can, which is why the main stream lines offer all of the add ons. Passengers then decide which items they want. A fare that includes specialty dining, for example, would do nothing for us because that's not something we pay for anyway so having it included in the fare would not be an enticement.