AV8rix

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I quote myself only because almost immediately after I wrote this I received a new survey from HAL.  It seems HAL is asking this very question and quite a few questions about how to make it easier for me to book my cruises directly on the website with no assistance 

Of course I can book my cruises directly on the website (anyone can) but my PCC has always taken good care of me so I want him to get his commission.  Of course, I'm one of the fortunate ones.  I've had the same PCC for 14 years and he knows my preferences well.  Hope I'm too old to cruise before he retires but if I lose him, I'll probably do it via the website or a TA or something.

Ewww!  This will DEFINITELY affect Alaska cruises.  We're very often barely 12 miles out, even during the night between lower Alaska ports.  Might as well not even open the casinos at all on the Alaska itineraries if this bill passes.

On 4/25/2024 at 6:08 AM, spunks said:

my issue with Princess ( and I have almost 700 nights on Princess) is that NOBODY associated with Princess can/will tell you what level points you need to accumulate to get anything comped. For years I went from Pit boss to casino host to casino manager to casino website to phoning the casino.....whew! I never got any kind of answer. Offers might come, but there was never any explanation as to why.

 

We had a 27 day comped cruise with VIP booked that we cancelled because we thought it was a waste of our Casino dollars to spend on Princess. RCCL on the other hand publishes a list of what you will receive at every level of play. That list is posted right at the host desk and cashier cage. 

That's because Princess and HAL (my line) are operated by the Ocean Players Club, a subsidiary of CCL (Carnival corporate). 

NCL and their lines (Casinos at Sea) and RCCI and their lines (Casino Royale) corporate are transparent.  I've never sailed on either of them but I have looked at their casino web sites. They openly list their tiers for anyone to see.  Now go to the Ocean Players Club site.  No such listings.  Their tier structure is completely opaque.  It's really aggravating! 

Doubly aggravating for me because I'm a blackjack player.  Folks who play slots tell me that at least you can see your points being accrued when you access your casino account when you sit down to play a machine. Not so at the tables.

Sorry about the late reply.  I rarely look at the casino subforum.

End of rant.

Had to pop in here today to wish Jacqui @kazu happy birthday and to echo everyone else's hopes and prayers that this coming year will be a healing one for you.

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I never saw the point to it either- for me, adding a few live musicians to a canned background track, or the recorded track for the “missing” instruments added nothing to the track, and meant that Adagio didn’t perform that night.

 

And also for me, the advent of LCS was a negative in that there was less classical music, much of it was in the afternoon, and it was the same performance repeated at each performance on a given day. When Adagio was in Explorers Lounge it was 2-4 sets of different music each night. Big difference.

Absolutely right on ALL counts!!!  And before we had Adagio strings we had Rosario strings, same afternoon/evening schedules in Explorers Lounge.  Now ALL GONE!

2 minutes ago, KruisinKath said:

Even if there are, umbrellas are not a great idea for Alaska ports. If it’s raining, it’s probably also windy so umbrellas won’t be much use.  Add the throngs of people in port and umbrellas can be a hazard. A good rain coat with a hood and maybe even a baseball cap, will serve you much better…

This ⬆️.  Ya beat me to it 😉😉😉

2 hours ago, rodndonna said:

We book the lowest inside GTY - so no downward options available! Everthing is an upgrade from that "N' category inside (don't think anyone is actually ever assigned those cabins) 😊

You are correct in your statement "don't think anyone is actually ever assigned....".  I'm solo -- so have to pay the supplement.  Therefore, to save money have been booking interior gtys on HAL for 14 years!  Have NEVER gotten one of the "N" category because they are ALWAYS assigned to contract entertainers, comped clergymen or other comped folks, etc.

Burger and fries at Dive In, eat at table by windows at midship pool or aft (seaview) pool.

13 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

Here's some insights from 2016...

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/carnival-cruise-line-plan-threatens-miami-jobs/

 

"Capgemini stated to the fired Americans at a town hall meeting that Capgemini was outsourcing the work to India because that was the only way it could provide the IT services to Carnival at the rate paid to them by the company," Blackwell said.

 

Carnival denied the workers were being fired. Instead they were "transitioned" into the new company, Capgemini, said Roger Frizzell, a senior vice president and Chief Communications Officer for Carnival.

 

Frizzell stressed these moves were being done to improve performance and not to save money...  Will those efficiencies result in Capgemini moving those IT jobs to lower wage workers in foreign countries? Frizzell responded, "No, I am not aware of any such plans."

 

Ta da! 😛

Yeah, but they weren't transitioned, were they?  The CCL IT folks were umm, "transitioned" to Capgemini just long enough (about 6 mos or so) to teach the offshore coders their jobs, then were jettisoned.

<sigh>  It's me again.  I have to post this EVERY time there's a thread about the ABYSMAL CCL (corporate, not only HAL) IT issues:

In late 2016 Carnival corporate outsourced IT to Capgemini, a firm based in France but uses  personnel in India to do the actual coding and maintenance. 

Just google keywords "Carnival Capgemini outsourcing" and read all about it. 

16 hours ago, TwoNavySalts said:

@sambamama

 

Have you looked at Regent Seven Seas by googling “Regent Seven Seas single cruising supplements?” Right now they have some 0% supplement cruises. You have to keep a good eye on the website. They are all-inclusive and may not be your cup of tea, but we have always enjoyed our RSS cruises and not having to think about this or that package. We have built up our loyalty nights with them, and at the point in our lives where one of us may be cruising solo, if it’s me, I would happily choose RSS. 
 

 

 

 

I can't do any of the luxury-class lines because I don't drink alcohol except for an occasional glass of wine with dinner if I'm dining with friends.  So not interested in underwriting the bar tabs of others. Otherwise I'd really like to check out some of those lines because I have noticed that most of them have reduced or sometimes zero solo supplement.

@nonstopcruz1  I too have been thinking about switching to Azamara for all of the reasons that you have put forth, PARTICULARLY the small ships -- which we used to have with HAL.  Only thing stopping me is that I'll be 5* on HAL probably before the end of the year and I think I'm just too old to start at the bottom rung of a new loyalty program.

BTW, some of our old-time HAL regulars have indeed switched to Azamara and sing their praises of that line.

29 minutes ago, sambamama said:

I can't make plans for at least 6 months in advance or more because of my job.  Right now I am booked for vacations through mid- 2025.  I look, and pretty much most all the cruises I see have supplements of 80% or more, and usually 100%.  That is really depressing, and at that price point, I am much better off booking a land tour, or putting together my own land package.  I am 4 star on HAL with over 200 sea days, and just about every cruise there now has a 100 single supplement.

 

I don't think the cruise industry is looking to cater to singles at all any more.  Or if they are, they expect us to pay 75% or more supplement, and I won't do that.  I don't have to pay that for a hotel.  And at least on HAL, they are charging much, much more, and taking away lots of what there was before.  The MDR is now closed on all port days.  Classical music is now gone.  Many long time favorites are gone from the MDR-fruit soups, many fish choices, lots of breads, more dessert choices.  The bread choice at the buffet is gone.  Candied ginger and the yum yum man is gone.  Hot appetizers in the cocktail lounges, or even nuts are gone. Half the pool lounges (at least on my last cruise) at the main pool are gone, which is a real problem when the weather is bad.  The cabin stewards are supposed to clean up to 24 cabins a day.  You get chocolates on your pillow only on formal nights.  Really?? The little chocolates are that expensive???  What exactly am I paying for???

Solo 4-star also and agree almost 100% (see my last paragraph) with your comments.  In addition to missing the Yum Yum Man chiming us into dinner, classical music, nightly pillow chocolates, chilled soups, etc,  I really miss the terrific crew show that they used to stage!

Can't really understand about the classical music thing.  OK, so they ended the contract with Lincoln Center.  But that was a very new thing anyway.  In the past, we ALWAYS had classical music in the Explorers Lounge with Adagio strings, Rosario strings, etc.

And back onto the solo thing -- would never book one of those new expensive solo staterooms on the Pinnacle-class ships.  They're small, down in the bilge, and up in the bow just aft of the anchor and hawser winch spaces.  For just a bit more I can be in a roomier interior or OV in a much more desirable location. 

But I don't really think it's an "industry" issue -- just a HAL issue.  I'd chew ground glass before I'd ever sail on NCL or RCCL but they apparently have solo staterooms that are in desirable locations, not just stuffed into the bow as an afterthought.

Sorry you are finding Kdam this way, @Niagarawine.  I'm finished with the Pinnacle-class ships (expand my signature).  I've posted this before and I'll repeat here.  If I were asked to characterize the Pinnacle-class ships using only one word, I'd reply:

***LOUD***

Don't know what the problem is with the MDR acoustics on those ships but I have found it impossible to converse with tablemates in that venue. 

I try to play blackjack in the afternoons only on sea days.  If I MUST be in the casino in the evening hours I obtain ear plugs from Guest Services, as the noise from the Music Walk one deck below makes it impossible to chat with the dealers/hosts in the casino.  Apparently Guest Services are used to being asked for ear plugs because, as soon as you ask, they pour a bunch of ear plugs into an envelope and hand it to you.  They NEVER look surprised at the request.

Food quality has definitely deteriorated.  But I don't know if this is due to staffing problems post pandemic. Just seems worse on the Pinnacle-class ships.  JMO.

3 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

Stockperks has been saying since December that they will have a desktop computer version ready "in the very near future."

Yeah, and I've been waiting for that to happen ever since then.  I just don't use my phone for anything but phone/text and necessary travel-related apps like Navigator, airline boarding passes, Amtrak, etc.

Thanks for your response. 

On 5/6/2024 at 11:42 AM, C 2 C said:

I booked our May Volendam back to back cruise three hours ago and I already have approval for our stock credit.

I sent the email the old way, wasted an hour trying to get the phone app and downloads with a suggestion that we might get approval within a week.

Love the old way!!

Seriously?  You were actually able to do it the old way?  I sent mine in via email as I ususally do, and received the following response:

Do not reply to this email as replies to this auto-response will not be received.

We appreciate your request for onboard credit as part of the Carnival Corporation & plc Shareholder Benefit Program. To enhance your experience, Carnival Corporation has partnered with Stockperks to implement a more automated and streamlined process for onboard credit requests. Stockperks is a secure app-based marketplace connecting public companies with their retail investors.
Carnival Corporation, in collaboration with Stockperks, ensures compliance with global regulatory requirements, prioritizing information security. Your privacy and data are of utmost importance and Stockperks uses end-to-end encryption to safeguard all communications and personal data.
For a swift and secure confirmation of your Carnival Corporation & plc stock ownership, we recommend entering via brokerage connection. Stockperks does not access or keep your login credentials and does not sell users’ personal information. Your details are utilized to verify eligibility for the onboard credit benefit.
Please download the Stockperks app through App Store or Google Play. You can apply for your onboard credit through the Stockperks app once you have created a user profile. When creating your Stockperks account, there's no need to use the same credentials as your brokerage account.

Please visit www.stockperks.com/carnivalcorp for full program details.

Should you have any questions about the process on the Stockperks app, please contact carnivalcorp@stockperks.com for assistance. Stockperks Customer Service hours of operation are Monday – Friday, 8am to 6pm US Eastern Standard/Daylight Time.
We appreciate your continued support as a Carnival Corporation shareholder and look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Or did you mean that you ended up having to do it with StockPerks? TIA for a response....or a response from anyone who was able to do it successfully through email.

3 hours ago, kazu said:

I THINK I have figured out where I left off…

 

dinner in the MDR a few short nights ago:

 

 

 

We both started with the Beet & Steak Tartare.  Mine (the pic) was about double the size of Deb’s and way too much to eat.  I did my best thought 😉 

 

 

 

 

!!!WOW!!!

First time I've EVER seen steak tartare in the MDR!!  I've always had to pay extra for it since it's generally only available in PG or Rudi's <-- where they actually put a quail egg on top.  I'll watch for that MDR offering in the future.  Thanks!

Thanks for a great "live from", Jacqui.  Hope that some day we will sail together again.  BTW, that's great to know about being able to use the Mariner drink cards for something other than a "Mariner cocktail".  I don't really like mixed drinks so I always give my cards to friends.  But nice to know that it can be used for a glass of wine.  So thanks for that too.  Safe travel home.  Bet Ivan will be overjoyed when you arrive.

On 5/1/2024 at 3:06 PM, kazu said:

Look what arrived today.

 

 

 

Does this mean there has been too much time spent in the casino?  😂 

Y'know, I really like when the casino sends the selection you are showing or sometimes the selection of the after-dinner treats of the PG.  But I HATE the platter of the six chocolate-dipped strawberries.  JMO, but they are too messy to eat.  I always give those to my housekeeping stewards. But that's just me.

I can't stand the tactics of the Steiner group (the folks that run the spa concession on many lines).  After the first massage many years ago I started telling the person AS I ENTERED THE ROOM that I'm there to relax and that I DO NOT intend to purchase any extras.  If they kept their mouths shut I would tip, otherwise no.  But then it just got to be tedious (you shouldn't have to do that routine all the time) so, like Jacqui, I just completely quit patronizing Steiner.

1 hour ago, Archipelago said:

Thanks ..yes I have a table for 8 booked 

 and will consider trivia etc. Thank You 

Also be sure to attend the solo lunches held on 1 or more sea days of every cruise (in my experience).  Watch for it on the daily program, they will always publish it.

Following

Ooops, might have been mistaken with my post #11, @Lovewandering.  The OVs that have been updated all have the glass showers, because I've booked a lot of those.  And I think that goes for the few verandahs also.  But I might be wrong there.  If I were you I'd check with my PCC to make certain if I were thinking about booking one of those.  That is, if your PCC is one of the "old" pre-covid ones (mine is), not one of the new hires.

2 hours ago, Eric from San Diego said:

Sorry to read the email.  Be aware that not only will there be blockages in the dining room, but they will close the theater, crows nest and various bars and lounges for private events.   Plus all the people in the group will only talk to each other and mostly ignore everyone else. 

 

Affinity groups is one of the reasons I prefer cruises 14 days or more because they sually don't have these groups.   

Ya beat me to it, Eric!  That's exactly what I would have posted and it's TRUE!  So I, too, don't book short cruises (unless I can't help it and they're fillers between longer B2B2Bs) and I also follow the excellent thread authored by @VMax1700 that keeps track of most groups/charters/drydocks. 

23 hours ago, crystalspin said:

The asterisk indicates ONLY a shower (i.e. no tub), not that it has a glass door.

Nope, the verandahs before the update have NEVER had showers, only tubs.  The only verandahs on the Vista, R-class and Signature ships that you see with the * symbol are the few forward and aft ones that have been updated, with their tubs removed and the glass showers installed.  Have you ever booked one of those?  I have, so that's how I KNOW!