Summary of Carnival's policies for July & August sailings from John Heald

[Jamesatgsu]

On 6/27/2021 at 5:20 PM, Honolulu Blue said:

UPDATE #3:  I wanted to capture some changes that were made on Friday to sailings on the Horizon and Vista (but not the Breeze?) in Mr. Heald's own words:

 

I a so very sorry that for the first few cruises in July and August on Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista that we have decided that Camp Ocean will not be open and w are unable to entertain and provide the children with the usual fun that is such an important part of their cruise experience.

 

...

 

However, we have as of last night announced that Circle C and Club O2 will be open since these kids, ummmm, tennns, ummm young adults will be over 12 and will be vaccinated.

 

I am very sorry for any confusion and this again shows how this return to service is continuingly evolving and I must thank everyine for their patience.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

My opinion is this is a pretty big change to spring on cruisers at the last minute who already had to go through the hassle of applying for exemption(s).  Further discussion on this issue is being held here:  

 

While I think the decision is a reasonable one, it would piss me off if I was on those cruises with my 5 year old. I wouldn't cruise with her with no kids club. Really wouldn't want to take my 11 year old either.

[pe4all]

I actually also think this decision is a reasonable one - probably made after the 2 minors on RCCL tested positive for covid.  They don't want a covid spread going through the camps/clubs.  However, I do feel sorry for those parents thought the camps would be open.  They will now have to entertain/watch their children all day, which I am sure they weren't expecting.  Our kids (cruising since ages 4/7, they are now 30/33) never used the camps/clubs on a single cruise - but I am sure we were the exception to that.  

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, Jamesatgsu said:

While I think the decision is a reasonable one, it would piss me off if I was on those cruises with my 5 year old. I wouldn't cruise with her with no kids club. Really wouldn't want to take my 11 year old either.

I agree the decision makes sense. I also agree that it will piss off some parents. I do think that they should have anticipated that they would have to make this kind of decision and not waited until literally the last minute to do so.

[ray98]

The kids club decision makes perfect sense given the juveniles testing positive on RCCL.

[Honolulu Blue]

Dedicated threads for discussion of specific issues brought up yesterday:

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

Today's news from our favorite Brand Ambassador is that he won't be coming after all.  The U.S. has decided to tighten our borders to make us all a little safer. There's already a thread about it here: 

John Heald is stuck in the UK :( Will not be able to cruise :( - Carnival Cruise Lines - Cruise Critic Community

Edited July 1, 2021 by Honolulu Blue

[Honolulu Blue]

Small update from John's video from today:

 

• He said that he couldn't tell us the IMAX movies on the Horizon & Vista, but he did drop some not-too-subtle hints
• It looks like SHOWTIME! will be a part of the MDR experience
• He'll give some numbers on the Horizon tomorrow
• The big news for number geeks like me is the passenger counts and such for tomorrow's Vista sailing, which are covered in this thread:

 

[mpacker]

4 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Small update from John's video from today:

 

• He said that he couldn't tell us the IMAX movies on the Horizon & Vista, but he did drop some not-too-subtle hints

 

 

what were the not too subtle hints?   any chance it's top gun:maverick? 

 

damn.. just went and watched video... really was hoping it would be TG:M  .. but FF9 might just be as good

Edited July 2, 2021 by mpacker

[jperry2011]

Can't wait... Booked on the Mardi Gras first cruise gonna be a blast no matter what hoops the government is gonna make us jump through.

[Cruise Related]

14 minutes ago, mpacker said:

 

 

what were the not too subtle hints?   any chance it's top gun:maverick? 

 

damn.. just went and watched video... really was hoping it would be TG:M  .. but FF9 might just be as good

Man, watching Top Gun or the sequel would be pretty cool on a cruise. 

[reeinaz]

3 hours ago, Cruise Related said:

Man, watching Top Gun or the sequel would be pretty cool on a cruise. 

Watching Cruise on a cruise? I see what you did 😉

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, Cruise Related said:

Man, watching Top Gun or the sequel would be pretty cool on a cruise. 

I wonder if that is possible, or would it be a Mission Impossible?

[Cruise Related]

23 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I wonder if that is possible, or would it be a Mission Impossible?

If it were possible, it would be Legendary. I just hope it doesn’t Rain, Man. 

[Honolulu Blue]

The big news today, of course, is that Mr. Heald is on his way to Miami and the Horizon.  There's already a thread about it here:  John Heald flying to Miamai! - Carnival Cruise Lines - Cruise Critic Community

 

 

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

A couple of small items of interest from his various posts today.  Direct quotes from the man himself:

 

Stateroom Cleaning
I have had lots of you ask about if it is possible to have both morning and evening state room cleaning at the moment? The answer is that as part of our new health and safety protocols, we are now servicing staterooms once a day to limit access to your stateroom. Aside from our daily service, should you need anything else, the team is only a phone call away though. When this changes I will of course let you know and I must say a huge thank you for your understanding.

 

Bubble Tours
These are the excursions for those who did not or were not able to have the vaccine. With the exceptions only being Half Moon Cay and Princess Cay, these guests must take a “ Bubble Tour.” We have added some today for La Romana and Curacao and to those waiting for a response for their exemption request I do thank you for your patience and hope that we do indeed see you soon.

[wemjam]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

A couple of small items of interest from his various posts today.  Direct quotes from the man himself:

 

Stateroom Cleaning
I have had lots of you ask about if it is possible to have both morning and evening state room cleaning at the moment? The answer is that as part of our new health and safety protocols, we are now servicing staterooms once a day to limit access to your stateroom. Aside from our daily service, should you need anything else, the team is only a phone call away though. When this changes I will of course let you know and I must say a huge thank you for your understanding.

 

Bubble Tours
These are the excursions for those who did not or were not able to have the vaccine. With the exceptions only being Half Moon Cay and Princess Cay, these guests must take a “ Bubble Tour.” We have added some today for La Romana and Curacao and to those waiting for a response for their exemption request I do thank you for your patience and hope that we do indeed see you soon.

I have thought it a bit ridiculous to request room cleaning twice a day.  In my mind it just makes way too much work for the crew that is already working their tails off. 

 

We opt for evening cleaning so we can sleep in and get ready to move about as we wish without being disturbed.  In the evening when we go to dinner they do their magic and we come back to our turn downed bed and towel animal.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

27 minutes ago, wemjam said:

I have thought it a bit ridiculous to request room cleaning twice a day.  In my mind it just makes way too much work for the crew that is already working their tails off. 

...

 

Over the years they've made stateroom attendants (cabin stewards) responsible for more and more staterooms. Same thing in the dining room - in order to see how far they can stretch them. With once daily cabin service, I'm sure they realized that the same cleaning duo can take care of several more cabins (just a hunch), and even well after COVID is a thing of the past - there's likely no going back.

 

We appreciated twice daily service while it lasted - at least on those days when we were out early enough to get it cleaned in the AM. It's nice coming back from dinner/evening and having everything taken care of.

 

Tom

[DGNewton]

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Over the years they've made stateroom attendants (cabin stewards) responsible for more and more staterooms. Same thing in the dining room - in order to see how far they can stretch them. With once daily cabin service, I'm sure they realized that the same cleaning duo can take care of several more cabins (just a hunch), and even well after COVID is a thing of the past - there's likely no going back.

 

We appreciated twice daily service while it lasted - at least on those days when we were out early enough to get it cleaned in the AM. It's nice coming back from dinner/evening and having everything taken care of.

 

Tom

We always liked to have the room serviced twice a day, while it was a small task just to have fresh ice and towels.  Not needing a cleaning, we would provide a tip up front in the beginning of the cruise and at the end to help accommodate for the effort.

 

Just saying this is a personal preference for the quest and i have no problem paying an upharge if needed.

 

It is just my DH and I and we pick up after ourselves too.

 

Let the cruise be what it is, pleasure and you pay for service and benefits.

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, DGNewton said:

...

 

It is just my DH and I and we pick up after ourselves too.

 

...

 

 

Agreed.

 

When our sons and their friends used to cruise with us, we made it clear that getting in there just once a day was adequate (and we tipped extra for them too... as they had their work cut out for them)!

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

According to John - looks like we might finally be able to see some video from the Mardi Gras, but we'll have to wait a couple more weeks (from the book of faces):

 

Mardi Gras is home again in Port Canaveral. I don’t think I’ve been so excited to see a new ship as I am Mardi Gras. I will join her on 25 July in Miami and then bring her back to Port Canaveral and be filming everything she has to offer, and that’s a lot.

 

Tom

[lobster1313]

7 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Bubble Tours
These are the excursions for those who did not or were not able to have the vaccine. With the exceptions only being Half Moon Cay and Princess Cay, these guests must take a “ Bubble Tour.” We have added some today for La Romana and Curacao and to those waiting for a response for their exemption request I do thank you for your patience and hope that we do indeed see you soon.

Finally more bubble tours but the website is down. They now just need to add one for Aruba.

[TNcruising02]

5 hours ago, wemjam said:

I have thought it a bit ridiculous to request room cleaning twice a day.  In my mind it just makes way too much work for the crew that is already working their tails off. 

 

We opt for evening cleaning so we can sleep in and get ready to move about as we wish without being disturbed.  In the evening when we go to dinner they do their magic and we come back to our turn downed bed and towel animal.

We only need our cabin cleaned once a day.  They sure do work hard and I can easily keep the cabin tidy after they clean it in the morning. When we stay at hotels, we don't ask for two cleanings. 

[jimbo5544]

26 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

According to John - looks like we might finally be able to see some video from the Mardi Gras, but we'll have to wait a couple more weeks (from the book of faces):

 

Mardi Gras is home again in Port Canaveral. I don’t think I’ve been so excited to see a new ship as I am Mardi Gras. I will join her on 25 July in Miami and then bring her back to Port Canaveral and be filming everything she has to offer, and that’s a lot.

 

Tom

That would be excellent

[maryann2]

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

We only need our cabin cleaned once a day.  They sure do work hard and I can easily keep the cabin tidy after they clean it in the morning. When we stay at hotels, we don't ask for two cleanings. 

I agree. I also tell them I don't need a towel animal.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, maryann2 said:

I agree. I also tell them I don't need a towel animal.

 

I NEED TOWEL ANIMALS !!  lol

 

I used to enjoy getting the crappy tasting chocolates on our pillows in the evening too!