JT1962

I did mine again, but they never asked for it. Chilkoot emailed me a few days before I left and said they needed my passport information to provide to Canada. I believe the ArriveCAN information is linked to your passport, so they probably saw where I had done it originally.

I was on this tour the first week of May and there were only 7 on the tour, even with 2 ships in port. I think there are several reasons people are canceling or not booking: 1. Many had the bus / train combo booked and may have decided to do the roundtrip train instead of the Yukon bus. 2. Many are confused / frustrated about the use of ArriveCAN and don’t want to deal with it a second time. 3. Some don’t care for long bus tours and think it will be repetitive on the return and they will be board (I was not). 4. Some still think they need another Covid test, as mentioned. I would highly encourage anyone considering the Yukon Bus Tour to book it. There is a little bit of extra to do with ArriveCAN, but it’s fairly simple and the trip is excellent.

They usually have good information. I’m sure things are still being discussed and it’s possible Carnival is working to see if they can leave later on Monday rather than losing the whole day.

Your sailing will now leave Tuesday and be shortened by one day. https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-freedom-to-undergo-dry-dock-another-carnival-cruise-ship-to-assist/72827

Your best alternative is probably Mardi Gras for 7 nights leaving the same day. You would probably still need to change return flights, unless you were staying a couple of days after the cruise. Maybe a trip to Disney World, Universal Studios or Sea World is a good alternative if you can’t change flights easily.

Years ago I saw a sign in a local business that said “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” That is very true. If you get a free or cheap cruise, but the quality is not there, you don’t remember the great deal you got, just the bad experience.

I’m sure Carnival will make an announcement and notify those affected as soon as they know. I would be making alternative plans.

I believe the VeriFLY app uses UTC/GMT, so 7:00 PM CDT is Midnight UTC/GMT. It may actually let you enter it at 7:00 PM CDT, but I would wait. You don’t want to get to the pier and be denied over a 5 hour difference.

Did you check under “View My To Do List”? That is where it showed up for my May 2 cruise.

It seems that staffing and supply chain issues, along with increased fuel costs (and predicted shortages), are the biggest issues for cruise lines going forward. They are needing to get passenger counts as high as possible to recover from being shutdown for 2 years, but are struggling to provide the level of service and onboard experience people expect. If someone has a bad experience on a cruise (or anything else), they tend to only remember they did not enjoy it, not the great deal they may have gotten on the price. The onboard experience now will affect the cruise line for years to come.

It’s not just MSC that has IT issues, although they definitely have them. I was on Carnival a few weeks ago to Alaska and got several incorrect emails prior to the cruise, a “Hope you enjoyed your cruise” email 2 days before it departed and 3 Customer Satisfaction Survey emails since returning home. I think all lines are struggling with staffing issues now and probably have fewer people with less experience working.

If the staffing and supply line issues continue, I can see other smaller non-traditional ports (Norfolk, Jacksonville, Mobile, etc.) lose their home port status as well. It seems much easier to move a ship to a larger port where there is already staff and logistics contracts in place than to try to continue to maintain those in a port with only 1-2 departures per week.

Yes, that is why ships are still sailing with positive cases onboard. It’s not a big issue anymore.

I generally try to book directly with the vendors when possible, but I’ve had good success with Viator, TripAdvisor, ShoreExcursioneer, Shore Excursions Group and others. I booked two tours with Viator on my recent Alaska trip (one in Seattle and one in Juneau), and both were excellent.

When I was there the first week of May, there were tour booths at the dock booking several types of tours, but you are probably better off to book in advance. The 18 person tour is still much better than the larger boats used by most ship excursions. I booked the Whale Watch & Mendenhall Glacier Combo tour with Juneau Whale Watch and was very satisfied. There were only 22 on our tour (the boat probably holds 30 - 35), and there were no issues with everyone getting a good viewing spot on the front, back or top deck. They also allow you extended time at the glacier vs other companies, with a return bus running every 30 minutes so you can choose when to return to the ship. https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-juneau-whale-watching-combo-tour/

It is unlikely that they will change an itinerary just because of level 3. They were still sailing to islands with level 4 previously. The cruise lines or CDC don’t seem to be too concerned with Covid levels anymore, with 95% of cruise ships sailing from the US currently having positive Covid cases onboard. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

Carnival canceled many excursions on my May 2 cruise on Carnival Splendor cruise. They said the vendors they used were having issues getting enough employees and some supply issues, just like many businesses around the country. The best option is to book independent excursions. Most people who booked independently had no issues with cancellations. The independent excursions also tend to be less crowded, last longer and are usually cheaper than those offered through the ship.

Interesting. I thought the breakfast at the buffet on Splendor on May 2 was fine. The made to order omelets were excellent, the ham, hashbrown rounds, grits, bagels and French toast were good as well.

I’m a proud member of PETA - People Eating Tasty Animals.

If I had to guess, it’s about cost at this point more than supply issues. My local grocery store had issues with keeping bacon in stock six months or more ago, but that has not been a problem in a while. Of course the price went up 50% or more now. Carnival probably saw how much money they saved by only serving bacon every other day when there was a shortage in decided to just keep the policy in place.

On my early May cruise, bacon was only available every other day and was on the back of the buffet where it had to be served by an employee. Ham was out for self service the first few days, but also moved to only be served by an employee half way through the cruise. All other items were self-serve, so it seemed obvious they were trying to limit the amount served. They also had bacon below the counter at the omelette station so you had to ask for it specifically, but it was available ever day, if you knew to ask. All other ingredient options were on display.

I had the same issue in January. Customer service said to just register once you board the ship at one of the kiosk. It was very easy and quick.

Embassy Suites Downtown / Convention Center. Near the pier, the Channelside area, aquarium, free TECO trolley to Ybor City with a stop directly in front of the hotel, etc. Depending on your pier, you can take the TECO trolley or a short Uber / Lyft / Cab ride.

I would seriously consider canceling any excursions you have booked through Carnival and book independently. Multiple excursions were canceled by Carnival on my early May cruise. Those who booked independently had better results.

Your thoughts are exactly what I would do. Stingray City in Grand Cayman (we like Captain Marvin’s) and the VIP Dolphin swim with Dolphin Discovery at Chakanaab in Cozumel. Chankanaab offers a lot to do once you finish your dolphin swim - snorkeling, pool, sea lion show, restaurant, etc.