EngIceDave

Mine are equal for both pax. The cruises are "free" but you have to make a $100 deposit that's refunded as onboard credit. Both wife and I are $100 each, plus tax, tag, title, fees and gratuities

Thanks, it's my pleasure. Keeps my ADHD OCD ABCDEFGHIJK issues busy. Hi, maybe I'll meet you and your wife in the casino.

Status Matching https://www.carnival.com/Registration/Promotions/casino-funmatch.aspx/

Never abandon your waitress.....never If you move, you watch for her/him and and grab 'em, let them know you move. That's generous. I usually start with $5 and go down to $1-$2 after that. What bugs me and people don't think about, your burning a few dollars every minute and you can't drop a dollar or two to the waitress? ***** Bro? I have seen folks in high limit rooms playing $5 and $10+ slots only tip a dollar or nothing at all...think about how sh!++y that looks. Tip well, be nice, smile and even make conversation. Ask them how their day has been. See how much service improves Anyone remember The Golden Rule?

Only if it being a premier cruse forces me away from the casino, but I prefer early mornings anyway

You did, you got that letter. I leave Sunday and we have the Miami Marathon to maneuver through, when did we find out? Today we got a letter

Bring a small pad of post-it notes and at the end of a meal, write "Thank you" and sign it. :)

She's for sale https://www.moranyachts.com/luxury-yachts/kismet/?yacht-type=luxury-yachts-for-sale and there's ample dockage and provisioning for her at your new Fisher Island place. BTW, had I won that billion, I'd get a place there too.....

What the heck is FTX Arena?? LOL

I am leaving Sunday as well, here's how I see it. I know a little of Miami. They're asking runners and spectators to park down on the beach and they'll shuttle everyone back and forth, that eliminates traffic issues. The races does not go into the port or tunnel or highways, only surface streets and the McArthur Causeway (One one the ship channel) and Venetian Causeway (No problem) If you stay on the highway (I-395) and then into tunnel, I do not believe it'll really be a problem. Race map

I hate saying it, but if there was a way around it, people would be cheating their butts off. The "how to" would be on here, and tons would be trying it out

A smile, being nice and a healthy cash tip early on will help with improved service.

Gamera, Pirates....what are you doing to my ship, man??

It's a premier cruise? Had no idea, just took a good offer

Gamera attacked?

I imagine there's a lot of band haul out to do

"Haven't cruised in almost 15 years -- will I be disappointed?" Depends on you and your attitude. I'm a pretty high strung guy desperately trying to be better about it....But I know that with my cruise starting Sunday there will be several things that will happen no matter what Someone will do something incredibly stupid in my presence. Always happens. Many times, it's an employee. Someone will make up some stupid rule that will inconvenience no one but me. They hate me. At least two dishes will be inedible. It happens in mass production kitchens. Shouldn't but it does. Trust me, Chef Flay ain't back there cooking your order from scratch. This is "Chilis at Sea" unless you go to the specialties and that still isn't Joël Robuchon or Guy Savoy. It's good chain steakhouse, think Ruth Chris and I believe I'm being generous. Cabins are fine and they all look the same when your eyes are closed. It's what you make of it, attitude and expectations is everything

Oh, you can watch all 24 hours of the race on Peacock

LIIVE FROM CELEBRATION 1/29 Getting a jump start on this... Hi, I’m Dave. I am a lowly VIFP Gold, but a degenerate gambler, so I booked this cruise about 3 months ago (last minute?), because we got to get out. Been a crazy last couple years, but the last year has been bad. I mention all this because it will be relevant to my (our) fun and comfort. You see, I had a knee replacement about 3 months ago….my Third. You read that right, third. Yes, same knee. My first was Nov 2021 and 6 months later we learned it was infected, one in a hundred. Infection requires removing the infected knee replacement, installing a temporary knee joint and pump you full of antibiotics (which gave me pneumonia, BTW) and then once clear of any possible infections, open you up again to install the third and final knee. So I have been somewhat sidelined for more than a year physically and my strength and stamina is now slowly coming back, but any career in professional stair climbing is out of the question. We’re in a balcony on 14 Fwd Portside. First time on an ExceI. I do like leaving Miami on the port side in order to see Venetian Causeway, Palm, Hibiscus and Star Islands, the ferry to Fisher Island and the crowds on the beaches to watch the parade of ships. We both have free beverages throughout the ship, yet neither of us drink alcohol. My wife might have one drink the whole cruise, otherwise she drinks water. I prefer soda and am totally cool with Pepsi products. I do plan to try out and experiment with some non-alcohol mixology when I can or can remember. We live in the Daytona area, hour North of Port Canaveral. We will be driving down the morning of, and it’s scheduled in the Waze to take 3.5 hours. Check in is 11:30am, so we’ll leave about 8am and get there right as our time comes up. Going to park at PortMiami. We have a walking food tour in San Juan - https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/san-juan/old-san-juan-walk-mojito--mofongo-experience-427032 - This will be a test for the leg, I think. My daughter turned me on to food tours in SJ a few years back when she and I went on a Cruise (MSC Divina) and it really was a good time. Wife and I now do them regularly at almost every city we visit. Great way to learn and understand a culture is through their food, didn’t you watch Anthony Bourdain? I also have two cooking classes scheduled, pizza making and cake decorating. I love cooking, hate baking (Yes, two different things. Bakers are crazy) but I'm taking the cake decorating to learn better piping skills, I hope. Give you an idea in advance of my writing style and past trips, here’s our trip on Horizon a year ago, shortly after restrictions were lifted. You can find others if you search, I have an MSC cruise to Havana somewhere in the MSC forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2799994-live-on-horizon-94 I am a Miami/South Florida native. Family has been here since the 50’s. So as mentioned above, I enjoy going out in Miami to see the islands, how the homes have changed and more. Many of you many not know or realize, but Chalk’s Airways used to take off and land on that same channel the ships are in, called Government Cut. Their airbase was on Watson Island where Parrot Jungle now is (From S. Miami). Goodyear Blimp used to also airbase there many many years ago. It's Miami Marathon weekend! I did a 10K in downtown once and we did go into the port and right by the CCL HQ in there. This was before the tunnel and running that bridge sucked. Looks like we’re departing during the Miami Marathon. Shouldn’t be too much trouble, I hope. It’s cool the NFL Division Championships will be on departure day. I’ll get y’all some pics and info on how they handle it, if at all. Tomorrow going to spend the day watching auto racing at Daytona Speedway, as it is Rolex 24 weekend. I plan to go in the morning, walk the grid, see some friends, watch the start and hand for a while. I'll drop some photos, because as far as I'm concerned, my vacation starts tomorrow at the speedway. Some photos from my visit on Sunday during qualifying. I hope y'all will follow along and enjoy my stupid humor or lack thereof.

Daytona is blowing up....get in while you can That crazy Margaritaville place has a long waiting list.

If you're on the port side on departure, you'll see the ferry and dock to go over there. There is no bridge. Ferry only. Used to be they had a clear water "shower" you drove through as you exited to wash any salt off your fancy car.

So you could stream TV? Glad it worked and I love that show, glad it's back. Best part (maybe) is we live in Daytona, so I can pick out some areas of Daytona and Volusia County. Were you able to stream regularly?

Fisher Island is the most expensive zip code in the US

January 27, 2023 Dear Carnival Guest, PortMiami officials have informed us that the city will be hosting the Miami Marathon on the day of your embarkation. As a result, there will be numerous street closures and heavier than normal traffic in and around the city.  Since this could impact your commute to the port, we encourage you plan ample travel time to ensure prompt arrival within your pre-selected arrival appointment.  If you purchased Carnival's transfer services, please note that our transfer times may also be impacted. We are working closely with our transportation provider to offset any potential delays.  All guests must be on board the ship no later than 3:00 PM (ET) or they will not be permitted to sail.  We can't wait to welcome you aboard for a FUN and memorable cruise vacation. See you soon! Sincerely, Colleen Oliverio VP, Guest Services - Contact Centers

I remember having a casino specific card at one point, one different than the room key.