kefthecruiser

@Judith austin Perhaps we all need to take a breath here. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are distinctly different countries with little in common. Yes, they are both on the island of Hispaniola and have a common border, however, even in 'normal' times there is limited travel between counties. The DR maintains a border patrol. People write about 'levels'. The only levels I know are the travel advisories issued by the US Department of State https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ SO, Haiti is 'Level 4 - Do Not Travel' and the DR is 'Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution'. (To finish out the levels, Level 1 is 'Exercise Normal Precaution'; Level 3 is 'Reconsider Travel'.) For fun, I looked up some other cruising paradises. Coming in as Level 2 are Cozumel, Costa Maya, Bahamas, and Belize. Level 3 includes Jamaica and Honduras. Certainly, not all-inclusive; use the link to check any country. You won't find Puerto Rico or St Thomas listed (they are not foreign countries).

@Cruising Caribbean I did laugh about this article, I guess there's something I'm missing! I've had periods where I went on multiple cruises from FL ports, doing bookings last minute at low prices, in a year. But, I procrastinate. Those last minute bookings just don't exist now - too much demand and too high prices. I need to start planning further ahead. Well, maybe I'll start tomorrow.

Woohoo! Who knew? https://www.cruisehive.com/new-findings-reveal-the-best-cruise-destinations/126599 Maybe I should check it out, Oh wait, I live there. I did chuckle that they highlight the distance to Orlando (Orlando is closer to Port Canaveral); and not something like our fabulous Gulf Coast beaches! Just needed to gloat a little today....

@3Sisters Your liver thanks you. BTW - I drink to enjoy, not to compete with or outlast anyone else. We all have our own limits and need to respect them.

@euroguy I don't disagree with the travel warnings about Haiti, DR, and Jamaica. However, the Mahogany Bay Port I'm familiar with is on the island of Roatan, Honduras. Is there also one in Jamaica? BTW - Honduras is not all that stellar of a country either. I think this comes from 'Hill Street Blues' - Be Careful Out There!

@jeana I'd say @RoadTravelled covered "the waterfront" for you. I do believe you get some charges refunded, perhaps someone else who is knowledgeable on that can reply. I hope you were able to salvage something of a vacation here in the Tampa Bay area. As a long term resident, I can confidently state this area is a tourist destination all by itself, with the Pinellas beaches ranking high on many lists, Too many other things to do to list here ..... Seems to me your original flights back are tomorrow, so safe travels.

Not to sound paranoid, but I also wouldn't put much faith in a security force manned by locals. There's also no "fence" to keep the gangs from coming by boat / raft / canoe, etc.. Seems to me the prudent choice for RCI is to divert away from Labadee until things stabilize.

@LukeJ Exactly! I doubt many towns are pining away to be the next Nassau or Cozumel. I believe we will continue to see a trend among destinations restricting cruise ships in some way.

First there were smartphones and I've forgotten how to use my camera and cd player. Then there were smart TVs and I have trouble finding my local news station among the hundreds of channels. Now there are smart elevators that we all need to be retrained on how to use. All this smartie tech just makes me feel dumb!

Plan on taking a taxi between ships. There is about 4 miles between the two docks. MG uses CT3 dock and Vista will be at CT6 dock, basically the two extremes of Port Canaveral. As I recall, it's not practical to walk it (no sidewalks). Unless, of course, you can somehow get Carnival to take you.

Bow Wow. I once called and asked if I could bring my support pet Fluffy on my cruise and they said NO, no pythons. I was heartbroken... On a more serious note, the cruise lines should charge for each pet as a passenger, including the daily gratuities fee. Each pet gets a bag of dry food per week.

@FJB I agree. My 2 cents @PaulB, is this. Yes, Key West, ‘the Conch Republic’ is a Caribbean Island, however it is part of the USA and connected to the rest of Florida by a 4 lane, divided highway. It’s a 3-hour drive from Miami (Been there, done that). The average home price exceeds $1 million and average income exceeds $100,000. More tourists arrive by plane or car (and stay longer) than cruise ship passengers. How many Caribbean Islands come close to all that? In 2020, CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) released a report on visitor impacts to Key West. Interesting information included: over one million of the 3 million visitors arrived by cruise ship. Cruise visitors spent $73 million of the $1.2 billion total for all visitors. So, a third of the total visitors spent 6%. Hmmm A typical cruiser likely gets off the ship, walks around Duval Street, stops at Sloppy Joe’s Bar for a few drinks, takes the ‘trolley’ or ‘tour train’ around the island, buys some lunch and gets back on the ship where the food is free and the drink package available. Is Key West dependent on 6% of their tourist revenue? Nope Will I speculate what the governor will decide? Nope, that’s politics involving one of his big donors…

It's safe to say this mega monstrosity is someone's photoshopping exercise of a nightmare. @Cruising Caribbean You are absolutely correct, this 'design' would tip over, unless there is a rather deep keel, making it completely impractical to dock anywhere. As long as we are 'crystal balling' the future, @Kendall James-Vargas you are way too conservative. I say go double the ICON Class with 15,200 guests! They can name it "Village of the Seas". Even today, weld two ICON Class ships together side by side, add some connecting passageways, and create the world's largest catamaran. Woohoo! Someday, there will be a practical upper limit. Technology is not the limit here.

@FJB Well my friend, I'm sorry to say the last coal burning, ash spewing cruise liners have sailed into the sunset. Oil burning ships are lining up to follow.

@Kendall James-Vargas So, don't get me wrong - I completely endorse innovations that lower the carbon footprint. You raise the point about why are shore power facilities going forward if not cost effective? Simply stated, industrial nations have decreed its use to lower pollution levels at the ports. It is to transfer the emissions, which may or may not be lower, to the local utility facility. Government regulation at work! True lowering of the carbon footprint that cruise lines have control over is to utilize lower carbon content or future, no carbon, content fuels. LNG is the lowest carbon content fossil fuel and there is a trend toward this fuel; methanol would be a second choice. Changing to either LNG or methanol increases the ship cost due to greater complexity and size of the fuel handling and storage systems. There is quite a bit of R&D going on today with producing and using hydrogen (no carbon!) as a fuel of choice. When burned, it produces water vapor. Hydrogen has many challenges to overcome before it becomes a viable fuel source. And then there's nuclear... not worth discussing! It's all about tradeoffs and costs, all the cheap options are gone. Oh well, where's that drink package when I need it?

@Kendall James-Vargas I just gotta comment here. Any / all 'for profit' business will always go to the low cost option. Today, shore power is always more expensive than ship power. The industry goal is not to become emission free, it is to be net zero emissions by 2050. Use of shore power does not always lower emissions, it just relocates the air emission source from the ship to the power plant. And, a final point, most of a ship air emissions occurs as the ship travels from port to port. What are people willing to pay for? I dunno, but I'll bet most cruisers care more about their drink package than where the electricity is coming from. just my 2 cents

This looks like a solution in search of a problem. Given the lack of info, seems to me the shipyard is looking for ways to build barges that when lashed together create a floating platform. Hard to believe this would be cost effective.

@Cruising Caribbean My longest cruise was a 15 day Panama Canal trip on HAL. While we had 6 sea days, there were no more than 2 in a row. I also had a 14 day transAtlantic trip on Princess that had 7 sea days in a row once they cancelled a stop in the Azores. Definitely needed to get off the ship after that! Like, how much trivia / bingo / slots can you play and / or see the same comic again? Speaking of trivia, I'm not good at Name that Tune. Classic movie trivia - now that's where I shine. "Rosebud", "There's no place like home", "Frankly, my dear I don't give a damn" are movie quotes most everyone gets. But how many people know - "I coulda been a contender"? ANS: Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and finally - Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront

@3Sisters Excellent point about health insurance. If you are retired and with a Medicare program, Medicare coverage is limited to the USA. I think most commercial insurance, such as through an employer, is similar. So, one can purchase travel insurance. However, if you plan to return to the USA after some time, you need to keep your Medicare insurance in force or pay significant penalties to reenlist. What kind of medical care is onboard is a whole different issue... probably similar to land based ER would be my guess.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here. Regardless of the financials (though highly important), I have two main concerns that would keep me from 'living at sea'. First, if you look at extended voyage world cruises today, there are A LOT of sea days. Gotta get old after awhile. (Reminds me of that old ditty "We joined the Navy to see the world, and what did we see? We saw the sea." by Fred Astaire) Secondly a cruise ship is a self contained, floating island and cannot possibly have all the conveniences, selections and comforts of a land based home. I'd rather take separate, shorter cruises to ports I want to visit. We all have different preferences.

Wow, must have been a pipe break. It hasn't happened to me, yet. I especially like the picture of the three guys - one on the ladder and one next to him, both looking at the guy in the raincoat! Raincoat guy has to be a supervisor, who else would take the time to find his raincoat during an emergency?

This is just so not a guy thing! For the ladies, of course. For me it's shave, shampoo, & shower - done for the day and ready for anything. Repeat daily.

@Bob L Why, it's obviously to keep all the young'uns off of those naughty websites. Don't you think they already know your DOB from your passport? Perhaps the ship Guest Services can answer. SO little is private anymore.

@CiCi I found your itinerary and it looks like a great cruise. Given all the volatility in Israel and the Gaza Strip, it's a safe bet that NCL will not stop at nearby Israel and perhaps Egyptian ports. I'm sure NCL, and all affected cruise lines, are constantly watching the region's events and are working on alternate plans. Hopefully, this current conflict will soon be resolved.

Well, it’s every CEO’s job to report that everything is rosy. Yes, CCL had an outstanding quarter by all counts. However, one day doesn’t make a trend, so come Monday the stock may be up, flat or down. I believe what spooked the market today is that CCL forecast (revenue and income) for next quarter is much lower than this quarter. The Markets just don’t like downward forecasts. The debt load is still horrendous. I personally am no longer invested in CCL stock. It you’re in it for the long term, sit tight. If volatility troubles you, get out of individual stocks.