That was my recollection as well. We cruised on the Liberty over July 4th in 2012, and I think we were their first Diamond guests (they rolled out the red carpet for us on that sailing). It was my 50th birthday and 50th Carnival cruise to boot!
Can't speak to the minimums, but the bar was removed from the casino, and the "free drinks" (unless it's "free drinks everywhere") are only for active players.
Tom
Thoughts on GS # 17200? Looks significantly larger than others. When I go to book, it always auto-suggests the one next to it (17202) - various dates, though it's an accessible cabin. When I go down the list to find 17200, it's LAST. Does it not typically give what's considered the better cabin as the first option?
Tom
I'd imagine that the 3 night Indy sailing before (or after) your 4 nighter probably had a different vibe. I've seen that on 3/4 sailings on Carnival. The shorter weekend component is a little more of a party crowd. The 4 night cruise, since those people would need to miss most of a conventional work week, tends to be more like what you'd experience on a 7 night cruise.
Tom
Just make sure you're sitting down!
I'll check out the GS fare, but I suspect the prices will continue the trend that's been occurring since ~'21 or so... to the moon.
Tom
Still, they're chipping away at even it...
I think the hours have been trimmed back a tad, and I know that they dropped Gravlax from the menu (pretty much the only thing that interested me).
I miss the "old" breakfast in the morning (even w/limited choices) and an actual lunch at, lunch. I realize that times change!
Tom
I have not been on a Spirit class ship in easily 15 years. I've become less tolerant of second hand smoke with the passage of time. Obviously, I don't want to find myself in an uncomfortable situation. I'm guessing, as I said, that the sheer (limited) size of the casino precludes them from having distinct sections of smoking/non-smoking.
Tom