rolloman

Amazing how a simple question with a simple answer turns into a wacky thread with all kind of theories. The unexpired yet soon to be expired passport to the Bahamas is perfectly fine. Period.

True story, on a quick cruise and stay to the Bahamas, my daughter has no passport and forgot her birth certificate. I happen to have a copy of her birth record. We went to the port and the port agent ranted and raved but ultimately accepted the document and we sailed. When we arrived, the Bahamas Customs agent didn't even flinch, same scenario on the way back to Florida. No issues. 

19 hours ago, jsglow said:

Is this her first regularly scheduled drydock (apart from the azipods repair a while back)? Remember, most of what goes on during a drydock isn't full fledged remodeling. It's all the behind the scenes 'safety and soundness' stuff as required by maritime law. I'd expect anything noticeable (besides the hull paint job) to be strictly revenue related. IF the IMAX goes, it's because it has been a loser for the company.

Built in 2016, wet dock in 2021. 

I am bumping this up as I too am curious to what is currently taking place. At this point, I am not sure why they are being so tight lipped about it?

12 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Not so. The largest shopping mall of the seas is 250,800 tons

Green does not look good on you.

The sticker shock does not come until after the cruise is over...then it is too late. 

17 hours ago, hurricane0226 said:

Hope it gets the Blue paint job on the front, we will be on it March 17th of this year.

Yes, it will get the sporty new paint job. However, it seems they are being tight lipped about what all exactly will be done during the current month it is out of service. 

It is currently in Dry Dock...will be nice and fresh when she comes back in service next month.

On 12/29/2023 at 6:56 PM, Jamman54 said:

Source please.

Lack of evidence is not evidence of its absence.

On 12/28/2023 at 9:19 PM, firefly333 said:

That would be my guess too. Add a level above diamond with more perks. Something worth attaining.

 

Rcl top level is 700 pts but even at that level there are extras. A free cruise every so many additional pts for one. 

Royal top level is 700 but there are several ways you can double up points per voyage when sailing them. However, Carnival is based on nights sailed only (no matter what cabin you are in) BIG difference. 

Since the ship goes immediately into dry dock upon your cruise ending it will be interesting to hear whether they start the prep for it during the voyage. I have been on similar situations and the pool deck had areas roped off with equipment and parts being stored as well as some venues shut down. Hopefully that is not the case.

I like to get to the ship early because "things happen" ...traffic issues, boarding issues...I have seen it all over the years. Besides, it is nice getting a fresh buffet instead of one which has been through a stampede.

This is good to hear. The backlog must be gone. I sent my daughters renewal around mid May and did not receive it back until end of August. 

21 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

It's not all BS. But stop kidding yourself. Royal is not losing money on comp cruises for gamblers. Might you get lucky and come out ahead for a period of time? Sure!  That's what lures everyone to gambling. This is no different than a casino in Vegas. If you think that gamblers are "beating the house" on a regular or consistent basis, you're just plain wrong.

The mistake you are making is you are equating Cruise comps to land based Vegas Comps. There is a lot more involved with a cruise comp versus land based. The cruise line needs to sail at capacity. They also need to fill their ships at certain levels in the months prior to sailing. For sake of discussion, let's say the ship needs to be filled 75% before sail at the 6 month mark. The closer to capacity the ship reaches this goal, the more they can charge for the remainder of the rooms left. Giving away a comped cruise allows them to meet their capacity level targets. Once onboard, of course the ship hopes you lose your shirt in the casino, however, they are also aware you most likely will leave tips for the crew, buy an excursion, eat at a specialty restaurant etc. All these examples make the comp provided to you a win for the cruise line versus the cabin sailing empty.  Your claim everyone is a liar who gambles on a cruise is basically an ignorant statement. Under the current casino program, there are plenty of disciplined gamblers who can make cruising more affordable with a comped cruise versus paying outright for it. It is simple math. Several have already given you examples. Personally, I go on a comped cruise with $500.00 to spend.  Mathematically, if I lose it all, I still am ahead. Last year, I went on 4 Carnival cruises and my yearly win loss statement from them showed I was up $26.00 for the year. Factor in the cost of those cruises with free drinks...I am good with it.

20 hours ago, mandyleighflies said:

 

 

We also always strip the bedding and clean up after ourselves to help make their jobs slightly easier. 
 

 

 

 

You probably make their jobs harder because now they have to insect the bed to understand why the bed was stripped lol.

It is called zero tolerance...this lady was made an example of... a clear message going forward for those who think the worst punishment they will get for "accidentally" or "accidentally on purpose" bringing it onboard. You now know the end result will be the walk of shame off the ship with a new travel itinerary.

On 5/17/2023 at 9:28 PM, mz-s said:

yes that’s how they do it on excel class ships because they don’t serve drinks during the party, just a glass of wine.

They give beer and wine lately on Mardi-Gras...and they actually said...you have two hands, take two drinks with you into the theater. They also allowed you to go back out and get more... However, they quickly shut down the drink table once the event starts.

I cruise this weekend and in a different forum someone was asking how closely they check bags...🤦‍♂️

23 hours ago, Indiansbaseball said:

Speaking of passports… I have a Magic cruise in March and I needed to renew mine. I mailed my renewal on October 17. No expedited processing but yes expedited shipping. They cashed my check on October 24th. I received my passport today. I’m in Ohio and it went to Philadelphia. 

October 17th of 2023? If so...that is nothing short of a miracle. We sent in for renewal back in May and did not get it until end of August. 

13 hours ago, PayneAS said:

The ones I've seen have been set up as events in the sailing group (on the website that cannot be named). 

The main benefit is that the organizer will be using their S&S card for the event and thus be benefiting from getting the casino points (and casino rates later).

The last sailing I was on had 142 people at $21 each. That's quite a few points for the organizer.

The group you speak of (142) is amazingly large for a cruise ship slot pull, however the amount of points won could easily have been less than the 1500 you sited. Fact is, most people who would run a slot pull are probably there on casino rates and getting free drinks anyways. The real risk to the slot organizer is if somebody hits a hand pay...then the organizer will be responsible for the tax. Yes, there are ways around that but not guaranteed. 

 It is supposed to be double points for onboard purchases and I have never, ever received those. I had called once upon a time and they said it is up to Carnival to note those purchases. Which does not make sense to me because the end of cruise charge is clearly coming from Carnival.

1 hour ago, PompeySailor said:

Can confirm 5:15 for us with a 5:30 in app

It saves all the lines and Q’s outside 

so the masses don’t all arrive at the same time 

A window eases the flow 😎

The first night is 5:30...your server will tell you at the dinner service to be there at 5:15 the rest of the cruise. I think they allot 15 extra minutes first night because they have to show everyone their seat. This is why the app says what it does.

On 10/17/2023 at 5:13 PM, kirtihk said:

Go at 4:30 pm

Going back a few years ago (pre-drink vouchers) it was not uncommon at peak times for the Concierge to ask everyone to take out their seapass card as he/she walked through the lounge. I am sure this will turn into another cat and mouse game until D are completely eliminated from the lounge as it will no longer be a perk for them. I find it amusing to read some comments about how they would never do that, it would cause an uproar. Well, they already did it once by kicking D+ out of the concierge lounge. It was swift and without warning lol...at least this time it looks like they are doing a semi-slow ramp up to elimination...

It used to be back in the day, while onboard, you could put your name on a list with the Diamond Concierge for a discounted cabana if they had not sold out.

As I said and with actually answering the posters question, from Florida, count on about 40 min for the ship to get in international waters. The casino is a good onboard indicator when this has actually occurred as there will be no overhead announcement indicating the ship is now in international waters. 

On 10/10/2023 at 2:04 PM, Iamthesea said:

Curious if anyone knows how long it takes to get out of the "state" waters when sailing out of Charleston, SC?  The local and state tax is 9%.  Not sure if there is another tax on drinks when on the cruise ship, but Charleston does charge a 5% tax on hard liquor drinks, I believe.   (I'll have to look at the prices of Carnival drinks to see how much a frozen Margarita is.)  Not terrible, but it depends on how many drinks my group can devour once we board ship and before we hit open waters.😁

Once they open the casino, start gulping. Believe me, they want that casino open as soon as possible so they won't dilly dally around once they pull the lines. For a ballpark figure, I would say count on about 40 minutes once the ship as pulled away from the pier.