kefthecruiser

@Kendall James-Vargas All excellent points, you have an engineer's curiosity. (That's a compliment from this retired engineer.) The system is certainly relying on the ship's paint layer to be strongly bonded to the steel hull and the area to be relatively flat.

Calling all you techies - I found this on the Internet and believe it is what @Cornelis is referencing. cavotec.com/moormaster It uses vacuum pads along the ship's length to hold the ship in place. Very interesting to this engineer, think massive automated & sophisticated suction cups! No more mooring lines.

It's been over twenty years since I've been to Hawaii. The flora and fauna are outstanding. It is truly a tropical paradise, in the middle of nowhere. The economy is heavily reliant on tourism, though some locals are less welcoming than others. Oahu, where Honolulu is, is the most populous and thus most developed island. It of course has Waikiki Beach, but for me, Pearl Harbor is not to be missed. Now that the Battleship Missouri is now on display there, I need to go back. In contrast, the Big Island was rather rural at the time. It's outstanding feature is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If the park is open and you get to the top, looking into the caldera is impressive. We stayed in Maui just outside of Lahaina. I think the resort was spared but is currently being used for temporary housing for displaced locals. I won't dwell on Lahaina since it's all gone. I remember there was much more to Maui, including a jungle road that took us to remote black sand beaches. Where to start for a first timer? Tough question, I'm told Kauai is the most romantic. One really needs to research and find what is important to you. They all have beaches, surfing, resorts, golfing, deep sea fishing, land tours, helicopter tours, etc. A cruise ship stop hardly covers it. Website Directions Save

Hawaii has 5 islands with ports that accomodate cruise ships: Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Maui (2 ports), and Hawaii aka the Big Island (2 ports). Only the port at Lahaina, Maui is closed, as is the surrounding area, due to the firestorm. Each island is unique and beautiful. I have personally been to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island; staying on the islands rather than via cruise ship. For more info, try this: https://www.gohawaii.com/trip-planning/transportation/cruises

@euroguy Spot on, especially your first point. I would add that the current system, in my view, rewards mediocrity as group members all receive the same 'tips' from this program. Only direct cash tippers, like you and many others (me too), make a difference to the crew. @Marilyn While this gets kicked around every now and then, the consensus is that the individual keeps directly received tips. This is in the Carnival forum but the tipping discussion is not unique to CCL.

@pandha You do have the option to 'adjust' the amount (up or down, even to zero) by going to Guest Services. Before you 'abandon the Carnival ship', just note that all the mainline cruise lines have similar policies.

Based on current forecasts, there should be no significant impact to San Francisco and points north.The bigger question is, if you are not local, can you get to San Francisco?

@3Sisters Yes - Jubilee, Celebration and Holiday were all the same class of ship and so are hard to differentiate from a distance. I cruised the Jubilee from Tampa in 2002. I would say the simple reason ships get scrapped is there is no one willing to buy and use it for any purpose. Overtime the ship wears out, becomes obsolete and/or is too expensive to operate.

only if you imbibe in vast quantities on a daily basis and your liver is up to it. (assuming alcoholic drink package)

Unfortunately, none of us here have a crystal ball that works. If your heart is set on stopping at Maui, it likely will not happen. Princess will most likely stop at a different port, thus keeping the number of port days the same. If it's something you don't like, well..., you can cancel; refunds per your cruise contract cancellation clause or travel insurance policy. (BTW - all cruise lines reserve the right to change the itinerary at any time, even during the cruise, as spelled out in the cruise contract.) Good luck

"Bozzo is the current Capt of the Vista? Too damn funny!" Yep, That's what the article said!

Overheard on the Bridge: 1st Mate - Now we know what that big red button on the control panel, with the letters S T O P, does. 2nd Mate - you can tell Captain Bozzo (Seriously the captain is Bozzo, I can't make this up.)

Typically, if a cruise line cancels a cruise, the cruise line reimburses your payments. Weather cancellations are rather rare, more likely to have an arrival / departure delay or rerouting to different ports, etc..., with perhaps a partial reimbursement. If you decide to cancel, your refund is per the terms of the cruise contract, or travel insurance policy you might have. I'll speculate here that your concern is hurricanes. There is another post under Ports of Call titled "Hurricane Season Begins" that might be helpful.

My guess - it was the Sky Princess which Princess Cruise Lines had from 1988 - 2000. She sailed for 3 other cruise lines and was scrapped in 2013.

I can narrow it down to one of three - Jubilee, Celebration, or Holiday. I once sailed the Jubilee. All have been scrapped.

@FJB Here! Here! I'm with you. I have no interest in cruising in a super-sized bird cage. What next? Tied to a tether line in port so you don't fall off the pier going ashore? People need to get back to being responsible.

With all due respect and having cruised both, Carnival does have a cruise line for "the older crowd". It's called, wait for it, ........................................... Holland America

Count me as envious - sounds like a cruise to remember, sure beats my trips to Nassau and Bimini! So, no, I'm not much help with hotel recommendations. Enjoy & safe travels

Crazy. Hopefully, the ship was docked. It does look like both are holding on to something as well. 'White Shoes' is holding (?) an overhead beam, while 'Black Shoes' left arm holds the balcony partition. Still, not really smart. Why are more and more people doing such dumb things?

Why yes, I am Carnival VIFP Platinum and could take advantage of FTTF. In my case I've developed my very own ALTTF. I target boarding between 1:30 to 2:00pm (where is everybody?) where I get individualized, personalized service throughout the boarding process, can go directly to my cabin for my bag drop, and finally make it to Guy Fierro's for that classic All American meal - cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. Yummie. I then join the throngs (and yes some with thongs who really shouldn't) on Lido for the sail away party. If the timing is right, several FTTF people lounging poolside are almost a nice crispy red skin color. What a life! (ALTTF - Almost Last To The Fun)

@3Sisters "Back in the Day" (always wanted to use that phrase) when I first started cruising (1999), gratuities were optional though highly encouraged with suggested amounts. Each cabin had a set of envelopes, labelled by recipient title - cabin steward, assistant cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter, etc.. to insert your cash. There were 5 or 6 envelopes as I recall and blanks were available to write in a crew member, beyond the basic ones. The day before disembarkation, you would hand the envelope directly to the crew member. I suppose there were people who did not tip, I did not always tip if service was mediocre. Now, the cruise line collects, administers, and then doles it out to crew. Passengers do not know who gets what. I don't remember when the system changed. Which system is truly tipping for excellent service? Which system is a service fee?

@Arh Is this your cruise? https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-clarifies-large-number-of-tender-ports/105344 Hope that helps. NCL blames the change on the reservation system having the wrong information, for what it's worth. "What are the chances of getting recourse?" Well, really close to ZERO, unless you purchase some type of travel insurance that covers missing cruise ports. All the cruise line typically reimburses are the missed port fees. The cruise line contract allows the cruise line great flexibility in changing the cruise, to the point, as in your experience, it is no longer the cruise you bought, without compensation to the customer. However, some cruise lines do take the extra step of compensation when things go wrong. The Ruby Princess is one example as is the recent Port Miami boating accident that closed the port to Carnival, MSC and NCL for half a day. I'd say in your case, NCL has done all they plan to do. Good Luck

Patience - I looked around as well for updates, nothing obvious out there. I'm certain it's active and one day he will have his day in court. Among all the rights the accused have here in the USA is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. (I'm not an attorney, I watch Law & Order. lol) The defense is given time to develop their case. I'd love to hear the defense, though I suspect this case will be plea bargained, which the judge needs to approve. Lynch mobs have been out of style for some time now. @PaulB I'm not sure about where you live, but security cameras blanket public areas around here - highways, streets, malls, stores, hallways, etc.. and yes, even cruise ships. Private areas like hotel rooms and bathrooms are of course off limits, which I think is your and @3Sisters concern, me too. @3Sisters Yes cruising is my go-to to relax

@Cruising Caribbean On Celebrity, I've only cruised on the Infinity (twice) last year while it was home ported at Port Everglades. It's an older ship but most everything was in excellent shape. The second cruise, I had a great deal and went Aqua Class, a level with it's own dining room / restaurant. While it was a nice perk, it wasn't worth paying much extra for (in my view). I'd rather go to a specialty restaurant a couple of times, then MDR or casual dining the other nights. I plan to use Celebrity more in the future, along with Princess and Holland America. Stil do some short Carnival cruises from Florida, just for quick getaways. Being a retired solo passenger. I've moved away from RCL and NCL. I'm thinking one Disney cruise will be in my future since my daughter is a big Disney fan and her family will go once the grandsons are old enough to remember!

If you are asking about the stockholder onboard credit, you need to apply for it for each cruise and show your ownership via a brokerage account statement. For more info: https://www.carnivalcorp.com/shareholder-information/shareholder-benefit