RoadTravelled

@3Sisters I agree totally that the current system is really confusing. The cynic in me says they do this intentionally in hopes you will double-tip. But who knows there might be some legitimate accounting reason for the way the do this. I have to say, I've never really understood how they do their accounting. When I look at our bill each cruise I have to just scratch my head. And, I took accounting in college! Bottom-line though is the pre-paid gratuities do go back to the waitstaff. But, to your point, it probably is a shared tip. Our last cruise we slipped our specific waitstaff a bit of cash (that brought the tip up to 20%) that they could put in their pocket. They were so appreciative.

@Kendall James-Vargas I'm not sure this place would be what you are looking for, but we have enjoyed the last couple of times we were in Cozumel, going to the Del Mar Latino Beach Club. The all-day pass is very reasonable and includes drinks and food and the use of the facilities, including wi-fi. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. It's a small club, so not crazy crowded and noisy like many of the beach clubs you see along the coast. It's an easy 15-20 minute walk from the port. It's a hang-out for locals as well, so you meet some interesting people without all of the crowds. It overlooks the water and cruise ships. On the down side, we noticed the last time that some of the facilities were showing some definite wear and tear, and for example the lounge cushions were not being very well kept cleaned from dirt, debris, and such. I think they were still struggling after the pandemic. But, for the price, it really can't be beat. We just brought big beach towels and covered up the chairs and it was fine for a nice quiet day. Get there when it opens if at all possible to get a good location. It may not work for a group though since they limit capacity. But, something to ponder. We enjoy it but your mileage may vary. 😉

@Cruising Caribbean We just completed a cruise on the CCL Venezia in September. We got towel animals every day just like always. We saved them as well and created our own "zoo" on the couch. On the last day the cabin attendant did a "heart" towel with a thank you note inside. I always have wondered who creates all of those animals. I assume it's somebody in housekeeping and then the attendants just distribute them? Don't really know.

The latest cruise ship to join the CCL fleet in December, Jubilee, will be the first in North America to offer guests the luxury of 5G mobile phone service. This industry-first initiative is a result of a collaboration with Wireless Maritime Service (WMS), a leading cellular provider. The cruise line has completed upgrades across its 25-ship fleet, installing the infrastructure needed for SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite service for internet access. So, this is definitely a step up in providing access to the outside world while onboard. Having said that though, we generally try to avoid the internet while onboard. After all, we are on vacation. But, typically we will buy a one-day access about in the middle of the cruise just to keep the emails from backing up too much. And, our recent cruise on the Venezia we felt the internet speed and reliability were excellent. Just like being at home really. While on land, we have started buying e-Sim cards for our phones from 3rd party companies that give you access to local foreign country providers for data. They are really cheap, easy to self-install, work great, and do come in really handy when trying to using Google maps for example to navigate an unfamiliar city. And, with VOIP apps you can even use that data to make calls (assuming the other party has the same app). And, now you'll be able to call from the ship on 5G? I don't know. At some point, is all that technology needed to enjoy your cruise? I guess if you are working it is great. But, I'm kind of conflicted about it. What do others do to keep in touch to the outside world? Do you buy the full internet package for the whole cruise? Or, do you disconnect from all of that?

@euroguy You are correct. John Heald mentioned the other day that the Firenze is still sailing under the Costa brand. During the dry dock conversion to CCL it will be adding the Fun Italian Style features including the specialty dining, etc. I would assume they would recreate the Il Viagio like on the Venezia. But, I'm guessing until the plans are more finalized and confirmed more, they wouldn't open bookings yet. It's still a long way out for you so you still have plenty of time. 😉 Interestingly enough, the official CCL deck plan looks identical to the Venezia, but note where the specialty restaurant Il Viagio is on the Venezia at deck 5 mid-ship, is labeled as "Fun to be Revealed" so maybe they will do something different there? Stay tuned.

@Kendall James-Vargas Terminal B (where we fly into) was completed at the beginning of 2022. It really is quite a well-designed and beautiful airport now — a far cry from the really bad predecessor. Here's a link to more info including a video.

@Kendall James-Vargas You are correct, it's a bit of a trick to get from LGA airport to the cruise terminal on the Hudson River. That's just one reason we decided to arrive a couple of days earlier to make sure we didn't miss the ship. We typically take a taxi from LGA (which is very easy and the new airport is quite impressive). It's about $50 + tip to get to mid-Manhattan and is a fairly easy ride. From mid-Manhattan it is not hard to catch either a taxi or ride-share to the terminal (Pier 88). Yes, it's a bit more complicated that say us driving from Dallas to the Galveston port. But, it's really not that bad and worth all of the effort to sail out of NYC harbor by the Statue of Liberty and the view of lower Manhattan!

@Kendall James-Vargas We were on the Venezia in September out of NYC. She is an incredible ship — really feels like an upgraded experience to her sister Vista-class ships. The interiors are beautiful with the use of lots of "wood" looks, marble-looking vanity tops in the bathrooms, glass shower doors, and great Venetian Carnival artwork throughout the ship. We also really enjoyed the new Il Viagio specialty restaurant featuring Italian food from the various regions and cultures of Italy. The MDR menu changes that featured Italian food mixed in with the standards was also a really welcome change. All-in-all, I highly recommend.

@Kendall James-Vargas I've fortunately never been the victim of credit card fraud. However, someone did open an account in my name and then never paid the bill causing my credit rating to plunge for awhile. It took me forever to get that unraveled. There seems to be no shortage of people who are bent on thinking up ways to cheat other people to serve their own greed and get something for free. But, like the recent art theft, it's really stupid to do this on a ship. Where are you going to go to escape? You are bound to get caught. Was it really worth it in the end?

And, here's yet another approach to living pretty much full-time on a cruise ship after retirement.

Wow, I agree. I have no idea why they thought this brazen theft would go unnoticed. It's not like CCL doesn't know every single person onboard at the time AND have their picture to compare with the security cameras. Pretty dumb. And, since this was a grand theft on the high seas, I'm guessing that's why the FBI got involved, meaning this could be a serious federal crime?

@3Sisters Yes, having the small plates definitely helped for sure. As I recall the cost of the Chef's Table was $80/person which includes the meal, wine pairings, and the tour of the galley. So, all-in-all, well worth it. You are correct. We usually choose the cruise based on the ports. But, in this case we wanted to see what the whole Costa/Carnival ships were like. And, we were quite pleased with that experience.

@cruise granny sj John Heald, CCL Brand Ambassador, on his page announced earlier this month that they are changing to a toiletry bag. He has a pic of it there. He indicated that some of the ships already have them and in the next couple of weeks they should be rolled out to the fleet. We sailed on the Venezia in mid-September and got the fanny pack. I wish I knew someone who wants 2 of these as we use day-packs instead. I thought of finding a first-time CCL cruiser (blue card) and offering it to them, but didn't know how to really approach that. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep them for now.

@SpaceCowboy9 This is a good question. As I read it, the intent is to be able to expand dock-side port facilities on a as-needed basis without incurring as much capital expense in infrastructure necessary for permanent piers. And, given that it's mobile, it could possibly move to another location if needed. The advantage over tendering is that that way of doing it is very slow to get thousands of people embarked or disembarked in a relatively short time frame. And, how would they get the thousands more luggage as well to the ship effectively? Tendering works when you are at a port and can leisurely come and go during the whole port stay. I just don't think it's very practical otherwise. Just my 2 cents.

@Kendall James-Vargas We just recently finished a cruise on the Venezia from NYC to Canada. She is a beautiful ship and it was a joy to experience the "Italian Style" fun. She's a big ship but not overly so. It has a real "upgrade" feel over the counterpart Vista class ships we have sailed. We especially enjoyed our meal at the specialty restaurant Il Viagio. Last year we did a transatlantic crossing that was 5 days at sea. It was quite relaxing and we always found a lot to do and really enjoyed the trip. I think the difference here is that is not what passengers signed-up for so the expectation was different. I imagine then that disappointment would kick in. But, if you just realize it is part of the cruising experience, and make the most of it, it will work. And, it looks like Carnival is doing the right thing with giving everyone generous OBC and FCC's. So, there's worse things in life.

@euroguy I would concur that a flight before noon would be unwise. In addition to the time to get to MCO from the port, I can tell you from experience that MCO can really get backed up at security. It's sometimes just crazy and other times not too bad. But, better to be there and have to wait at the gate than miss the flight all together.

@Cruising Caribbean No, never been employed by a cruise line — just a satisfied passenger.

Great news for Carnival and underscores what we've always experienced on our CCL cruises — the crew are all so professional, friendly, and the hardest working people that I've ever seen. In striking up conversations with them, you can just tell they love working at CCL and having the opportunities to support their families back home. So many of them I've talked to have made great careers with CCL, being there for many years.

A cautionary tale of things possibly to come in this type venture?

@RoyalBee These are all excellent questions and many of those that I had when reading these articles. The monthly fees quoted at this point (before actual deployment of the ship) you know are going to be higher when reality kicks in a couple of years later. And, they are only going to get higher. You can bet there will be "special assessments" made if these big capital expenditures that are not contemplated happen. These seem to have similar features to an HOA or even a time-share arrangement possibly with the sub-leasing component? So, one big question is if you decide to sell your unit, how will that work? What would be the market for that and do you own the rights to sell or otherwise get out of the arrangement?

@Cruising Caribbean Another great tip that we learned from our Carnival PVP is that if you are an AARP member (over 50), you can buy Carnival gift cards for a 10% discount. They offer a $100 gift card for $90 and a $500 gift card for $450. Once you get the e-Card in your email, you can apply it to virtually any CCL expenses for the cruise. We've used them to pay for the final cruise payment, specialty restaurant bookings, adding it to our onboard account, cruise cash, gifts to our family & friends who love CCL, etc. It's an instant 10% discount! They are somewhat buried in the AARP website under the Rewards | Redeem section. But, definitely worth the effort to find.

@Woody14 thanks for your confirmation. I also reached out to John Heald, CCL Brand Ambassador today. He also said the same thing that they know it's included. And, if you want to give extra, of course you can. So, I feel better now knowing that the servers are aware. Thanks again for posting.

I have a question regarding specialty dining on CCL. In order to insure that we always get the restaurants and times we want, we always pre-book those online before the cruise. As such, we are charged for the meal and in addition the 18% gratuity is added in the cost at that point as well. We notice though, that when we get the bill at the end of our meal, it shows the meal charge and then a credit in the same amount is applied yielding a total bill of zero. But, there is no mention of the 18% gratuity that we have already pre-paid. It always makes me very nervous to leave the gratuity line empty on the bill, even knowing that we have already paid it, and just sign the bill as requested. Does the incredible waitstaff know that a tip is already been paid? Is that pre-paid tip still distributed to them? I would never want them to think we aren't tipping them and their service was not appreciated — they are always such great servers. Our first time doing this several years ago, we forgot we had pre-paid this so added a tip on the bill. That of course meant we had actually paid it twice. I went to Guest Services this last cruise and inquired about it. They didn't really know exactly why it was done that way except to say that it had something to do with the fact the meal cost was pre-paid (and not charged onboard itself) and the bill was just reflecting that. Any thoughts to help me feel more comfortable about this?

@euroguy Well, nothing is guaranteed in life I guess. But, based on my experiences at MCO and again looking at the terminal maps online, the instructions on CCL I believe are right and make sense. That's where the buses for ground transportation are located below bag claim for Terminal B (and where we've always gone to pick up the Disney buses). And, the rental car desks are right there. One thing to keep in mind is that Terminal A and B are just on opposite ends of the same building. But, the only level that serves both sides is Level 3 which is the arrivals area. That's probably where a lot of the comments you are reading have the confusion coming in. More than likely the hotel shuttle will drop you off at arrivals since that is typically their goal (get people on their plane). So, after arriving at Terminal B, just then take the escalators down to Level I following the signs for rental cars and then to the Hertz desk per above instructions. Again, when you get close it's easy to spot the Carnival activity going on. I think you'll be just fine. I'm sure someone at the airport can direct you if necessary. Don't fret. Oh dear, now I'm on the hook for making sure you have a great experience at Rudi's! 😉 I do hope it doesn't disappoint. I'll be on pins and needles awaiting your review.

@euroguy Picking up the shuttle is really easy. We've done this many times including several where we arrived prior to the date of departure. On the date you are boarding the ship, just head from your hotel to the airport meeting point outlined on the website between 10am and 12pm. Meet the CCL staff (who will have signs and you'll see a sea of baggage carts with porters). Here's the section on CCL website that tells you where. Your name will be on their list so check-in with them. Make sure though to bring a copy of your purchase receipt just in case. Once they take your baggage, they will escort you in groups to where the buses are waiting. You board the buses and when you get to the port you'll pick up your baggage from the bus and then proceed to check-in as normal at the terminal. Does that help? UPON ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT After collecting luggage guests would proceed to one of the meeting points listed below. Once there, a representative will escort guests to the pier transportation. Transportation service is provided by Sunward Tours. Service is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. Should guests have questions regarding the transportation service, the transportation provider can be reached at the following contact number on the day of the sailing only: 386-866-0914. Orlando Airport: Level One Ground Transportation of Terminal B, inside against the wall next to Hertz car rental counter. Melbourne Airport: Within the ground transportation area. Guests who arrive prior to their sail date must return to the meeting location mentioned above on the day of the sailing no later than 12:00 PM.