RoadTravelled

@euroguy I would say the atmosphere was relaxed and not "stuffy" at all. Yes, people were dressed for a fine dining experience and as mentioned the setting included white tablecloths, upscale flatware and china, etc. that you don't get in the MDR. The food of course is more formally presented. But, that just made the experience feel more special. The staff and people who sat around us were very relaxed and easily struck up conversations. I find, as in all areas of life, if you want people engaged, ask open-ended questions. People generally like to talk about themselves. LOL Have you ever eaten in any of the other Specialty restaurants on CCL ships, like the steak house? If so, it's really no different, just seafood instead of steaks.

@euroguy I don't believe Luggage Valet is available through Carnival at MCO. RCL used to do that but I see on their current website that Orlando is no longer listed. It was probably too expensive to maintain post-COVID since the port was not providing this service (like they do in Seattle). As @Cruising Caribbean indicated, if it were me I would book the Carnival shuttle bus given the distance to the airport (about 45 mins. away). That makes renting a car or taking a taxi or ride share not very feasible or practical. We've used it several times and it is so convenient and cost-effective. And, you are sure to get on the ship that way. I always recommend that you never schedule a flight before noon on the day of disembarkation. It's just too risky. And, I can tell you from my experiences at MCO that the airport TSA lines are usually not very efficient and can get really backed up. That's especially true in the mornings when you have all of the Disney crowds leaving from the WDW vacations. And, the Brightline train from Miami to MCO just began operations a couple of weeks ago that adds even more traffic into the airport. Bottomline, take an afternoon flight and take the Carnival shuttle. It will save you a lot of anxiety in my view.

@euroguy I wholly agree with you about the shows. We are somewhat of theatre snobs, so have never been impressed with the shows on Carnival. Like you, we have always said they just seem to think yelling and screaming is somehow a measure of talent. Actually it just hides the fact that they don't have the chops to sing it properly. It gets really old fast and we have skipped or left many a show. HOWEVER, I have to say our just completed cruise on the Venezia has us really thinking that whoever is in charge of the productions now has really upped their game. The shows had actual live and talented musicians playing with the show, great choreography, talented dancers, lavish costumes, AND the singers actually sang with some really great arrangements. The Broadway show was definitely worth seeing especially. The shows on the Celebration were also quite creative and well done (at least what we could see of them). So, if that is a measure of where Carnival is heading, I think there is hope. I'm thinking if you travel solo and make a reservation for one, they will just seat you at a 2-top table (see pic above for the tables along the curve wall with one chair and banquette seating. That's where we sat and the tables are so close that we actually struck up great conversations with the tables to our left and right. It's kind of the best of both worlds. If you want to eat in peace you can, or you can meet your "neighbors" and have a great evening. And, we always have great conversations with the incredible waitstaff as well. I wouldn't pass it up if I were you for the reason of solo travel. Just my 2-cents.

@euroguy We've not sailed on the Mardi Gras. However, we did do the inaugural crossing of the Celebration, her sister ship, last November. We loved the ship. It's beautifully designed with so many options in food and entertainment. Her style is very sophisticated, modern, and aesthetically appealing. You are right though. It is HUGE! I think I counted one day over 24 places to eat on the ship! It's even divided into "zones" to keep track of where you are. But, after a number of days you do get it figured out as it's very easy to navigate from forward to aft and it's good to have so many options at your disposal. Even with so many passengers, it never really felt crowded as the ship's size absorbs the crowds well. As a fish lover, you must try Rudi's Seagrill (see pic below), one of the Specialty restaurants. Who knows, maybe you'll get a casino voucher and get a comp meal? The food is top-notch and the service impeccable. And, it's so nice to be able to have dinner with tablecloths again. 😉 Just makes for a special dinner. The only really negative aspect we found was the main stage that is set on one side of the ship in what is usually the atrium area. This space at night turns into the show productions with seating in suspended balconies around the upper areas of the lobby as well as on the floor. The issue is that there is just not enough seating available. And, the sight-lines are horrible in most of them. So, what happens is people stake out their seats for them and their family an hour or more ahead of the shows and the people who arrive a bit before showtime have no place to sit. And, the fact that the area also still functions as an atrium (open to the shops, coffee shop, sushi bar, etc.) creates distractions and unwanted noise to be able to enjoy the show. We watched standing from the side-lines most nights and then gave up after awhile. Maybe they have this issue solved by the time you go. A nice idea on paper — just doesn't work in practice. Bottomline, I'd sail on any of these XL class ships anytime. You will have a grand trip I predict.

@euroguy "October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February." — Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894. See some things really never change!

As @kefthecruiser rightly says, if you are into individual stocks, you have to be in it for the long-term — one day or even one week does not make a trend. Look to the overall arc over time. This stock is a day trader's dream. They are banking on big swings and volatility which is how they make their money. We are looking for long term gains and cruise benefits (OBC for each cruise)...two different motivations. You only are "taking a bath" as a stockholder, as @Tootie expresses it, if you sell the stock lower than you paid for it. Until then, it's just money on paper and not real. Same thing with gains. Today's market was volatile across many segments, partly due to the uncertain government shut-down effects. Remember, the stock market reacts under only 2 basic principles — fear and greed. Today was a fear day.

@3Sisters As you know, the Venezia was a past Costa ship. So, I'm sure it was very similar to your experiences on Costa. The Chef's meal was a lot of food for sure. But, they were generally small portions and all very tasty. By the last meat course though I was getting really full. I was told by the woman seated next to me that they always eat a very light breakfast and no lunch on the day they do this. Smart! We have visited Canada many times in the past on land. But, this was our first Canadian cruise. The ports were not really that exciting compared to our Baltic, European, and Alaska cruises. However, it was still a great cruise just by being on the ship and enjoying all it had to offer. Yes, we generally eat at the MDR each night unless we have a specialty dinner planned that night (steakhouse, seafood restaurant, chef's table, etc.) And, on sea days we always do breakfast in the MDR Sea Day Brunch as well. It just makes for a more relaxed and nicer time.

@3Sisters We had a great time on the Venezia. She is a real beauty with all of the Italian flair and touches. It's a Vista-class ship so we were already quite familiar with the layout. And, it's one of our favorite class of ships. The food was quite good with the special Italian-slanted menus. We did the Chef's Table for the very first time and it was just over-the-top exceptional - a reception and 9-course dinner with wine all for a little under $100/person. And, it was done in the galley kitchen so they gave us a tour and introduced us to all of the head chefs. There are a total of 182 chefs onboard the ship! Amazing. No, we weren't affected by the embarkation loyalty suspension. We are Platinum and walked through the "Priority" line. From stepping out of the Lyft ride at the dock until we put our feet on the ship was a total of 30 minutes! Super easy. The thing to remember about this news article is that this only happens on "Journey" cruises (the longer ones). The reason is quite simple. On these type cruises the ratio of Platinum and Diamond guests is quite high - probably over 75% or more. So, if every one is priority then no one is priority for boarding. It just doesn't work. This has been this way for a long time. I don't know why they keep stirring the pot with articles like this. Every other loyalty benefit still exists. AND, P&D guests get to choose their check-in times 2 days before everyone else. So, you still are getting that benefit as well to get there when you want to. We did have this affect us last November when we did a 15-day transatlantic. Again, it was a "Journey" cruise. No big deal. My main benefit I care about is the free laundry service! LOL

@3Sisters We just disembarked from the Venezia this morning. We bought internet for only 1 sea day. The rest of the trip we could use our domestic plan at the ports to catch up as needed. The cost for the "Value" plan was $22 for 24 hours. The signal was strong, reliable, and fast and we had no problem at all using it.

@euroguy Thanks for all of the good comments. As others have mentioned, this subject always brings up a wide array of opinions. One thing that should also enter into the discussion is the fact that there are many people who work on the ship who are not CCL staff or crew. And, thus they don't participate in the usual CCL gratuities that are added as part of the overall cruise. For example, all of the staff in the gift stores are actually employees of 3rd party concessionaires. I'm not totally positive, but I believe the spa staff fall into this category as well. I certainly agree with you though that simply ringing up a purchase isn't really worthy of a tip. But, I've had some salesman really go above and beyond in helping me choose particular items, and even in one case, sized my watch band to fit my wrist. Anyway, complicated subject, but just thought I'd throw this bit in the mix.

Further clarification on the text messaging: Call CCL Customer Service at 888-227-6482 and have them add it to your booking if you didn't do this when you did your online check-in process. That will send an automatic message to you to reply back to finalize the setup. The number I gave earlier apparently is for only unsubscribing. Sorry for the confusion caused.

@jcordle Yes, it will definitely be a waiting game and a complicated decision on CCL's part as to any itinerary changes needed. Current conditions seem to suggest a really nice day on Saturday for boarding (assuming the ship has no problem getting back into NYC terminal that morning from Grand Turk due to the storm's impacts). The forecast right now appears that the storm will be on a track just ahead of our scheduled route. But, who knows. Stay tuned. Make sure, if you haven't already done so, to opt-in to the CCL text messaging alert system. Text your booking number to 278473 and respond accordingly. I find that is somewhat faster notice usually than the emails that will follow. Also, if you follow on [that other site] John Heald's page, he is good about keeping up with changes and letting us know also. We are headed out tomorrow to spend a few days enjoying NYC. So, at least we'll get that far. 😉 Good luck to everyone and hope to see you on board on Saturday sailing out of the beautiful harbor by Lady Liberty!

@jryka After traveling all over Europe over the years, my constant advice is that you should always pay with your credit card whenever possible. And, you should select to pay in the local currency (euro's in this case). That way you get the best rates. Do check though with your credit card holder to see what foreign exchange fees they charge. Some charge nothing and others a small fee. Taxi's in Lisbon I'm pretty sure will accept credit cards. That's pretty standard I would think in a modern, touristy place like Lisbon. @Cruising Caribbean Here's some more info about taxi's and ride-sharing as well. Then, if you do need a bit of cash, the best route is to use an ATM at a big international bank. I've had great luck with Deutsche bank ATM's that give great exchange rates and very small transaction fees. Just check the back of your ATM card and match the system icons with those on the ATM machine to see if they are accepted there. Of course, be sure to advise your bank that you are traveling out of the country so they can not block the transaction. The ATM's have an option to show everything in English, so watch for that as well. And, feel free to cancel the transaction if it doesn't tell you up-front what the exchange rate is.

@Kendall James-Vargas The OBC is determined simply based on the number of days of your cruise. Click here to learn more about the details. We've never used the FAX process. Based on my long career in the corporate world, I shy away from that. I know first-hand how those FAX's can sit unattended and pages getting lost in the process as paper is shuffled around the office. The email approach is much more reliable and quicker and easier to track. And, it seems that was exactly the experience of @Mr.Bill (see his updated post) as once he emailed he got approved in 2 days, just like we were. It's a great benefit! We've already recouped our initial investment back and the price appreciation of the stock is just continuing to make money. Win-win!

@Kendall James-Vargas Actually, the process is quite simple — a quick email and a couple of days later it's posted to your cruise. The general rule of thumb is to wait until about 3-4 weeks prior to the cruise to send your request. They prioritize it faster that way and it doesn't get lost. We've never had a problem in getting this done. The disclaimer about the 1-week prior response is just I think to manage expectations. Hopefully @Mr.Bill will hear back soon as well. Good luck and enjoy your cruise with your new found OBC!

@Mr.Bill We just sent in a request for our upcoming Venezia cruise to get our OBC through this program. We used the email approach (shareholders@carnival.com) with the required information and document showing ownership as an attachment. Two days later we got confirmation that the OBC had been applied to our booking. Easy, peasy! You might go that route instead of the FAX process.

@euroguy Yes, the port of Seattle provides this complimentary service — called Port Valet. Click here for more details. We didn't use it because we were staying in Seattle for another couple of days. But, it looks like a great service to not have to deal with hauling your bags around. If you use it, would love to hear about your experience. Notice that Carnival requires you sign-up on the ship at guest services rather than using the online form.

@euroguy Victoria is a lovely city with much to explore IF you are there for some time. We've really enjoyed our vacations there. The issue with this port on the Alaska itinerary is that you arrive late at night and are only there a couple of hours really. So, little is happening or open, and you have no time to waste if you get off the ship (many people on our ship just stayed on the ship). For example, I found this nice website that outlines a great day in Victoria, including walking from the cruise port to the inner Harbor. But, again, that's just not possible with this stop. In other words, lower your expectations here and just realize this is a perfunctory stop to meet maritime law. Go back to Victoria when you can explore for several days.

@euroguy Yes, as I recall, we did line up outside under a long canopy affair. We gave our bags to the porters while standing there (and tipped them of course) so at least we didn't have to drag them around much. SEA-TAC airport is about a 30-45 min. trip to the pier, depending on traffic. I'm not sure how a cost of an Uber compares, but the Carnival shuttle is $34.99 one way which seems reasonable, if that is an option you'd consider. The stop in Victoria is done in order to meet US Maritime law requirements (Passenger Vessel Services Act). The PVSA requires that cruises on foreign-flagged ships (which of course is all of Carnival ships) can not start and end in US ports without stopping during the itinerary in a foreign country. The ocean cruise port is not near anything to do in Victoria. We took a taxi to the downtown area and walked around the lovely harbor, explored the Empress Hotel a bit, then popped into the Irish Times Pub which was delightful. Then took a taxi back to the cruise port. All in all we spent just a few hours and reboarded the ship in plenty of time for departure.

@euroguy We did that cruise last May. The cruise terminal is actually north of Seattle proper at Pier 91, Smith Cove. It's kind of an industrial area that's not that easy to reach if you are driving due to how it's wedged into the space between railroads and highways (easy to miss exits, etc.). Once at the port though it's pretty straightforward with various lanes marked for different types of transportation. And, the flow seems to be pretty good to get people where they need to be. The terminal itself is pretty standard stuff — nothing fancy but gets the job done. We actually decided to take the Carnival shuttle from the airport to make it easier rather than having my relatives try to drive there. That worked out great and was well organized and hassle free. Have a great trip. We had a fantastic voyage with just spectacular scenery and of course the Carnival crew on the Splendor was exceptional as always. I will also tell you, if you don't already know, that the route takes you into the Pacific after you leave Seattle area instead of the Inside Passage (Vancouver departures as I understand it take the Inside Passage route). And, thus, can be a bit rough that first Sea Day. But, from there it's really smooth sailing!

@Michael and @Kendall James-Vargas On our recent trip to Italy I used the Airalo eSim card. It was very cheap, easy to install, and worked flawlessly throughout our trip. They have local country, regional, and global plans. You probably could buy the Europe Regional eSim card that covers 39 countries, including those around your destinations. An eSim for 30 days with 5GB data coverage for example only costs $20 as an example. Like AT&T, my carrier Verizon wanted to charge me $15/day to provide coverage. So, after only 2 days in this case you are ahead on the Airalo plan. A few things to keep in mind though. This is only for data, no voice or text coverage. But, we used WhatsApp which can do phone calls and text over data to communicate when necessary to each other or 3rd parties (like people at home in the US). To use eSim cards you must have a fairly modern smart phone that is unlocked from your carrier (AT&T in your case). Check out the list of eligible phones on Airalo's site. You also need to manage your use somewhat. The app gives you a good indication of where you are at all times. In the 3 weeks we were in Italy, I only used 3GB of the 5GB plan by using Wi-Fi wherever possible (like in the hotel rooms, restaurants, etc) and judiciously using data when out and about like for Google Maps. Hope that helps and have a fun trip!

@Mr.Bill This is indeed very interesting. My first thought was that this has to do with how the Mardi Gras and Celebration handle their Your Time Dining (YTD) seating. On both of these ships (or at least when we were on them), the YTD seating starts in the MDR designated for YTD. But, as guests arrive beyond that room's capacity, they move them to Cucina and Chibang. That's why you can't reserve those 2 restaurants until later that evening (after 9pm I think?). This situation though seems different. I think @Cruising Caribbean is probably on to something that it may be linked to your loyalty status or your cabin type and/or some special promotion going on at this point. Definitely reach out to Carnival to get more info and inquire whether reservations or other confirmation is needed and the logistics.

Carnival has recently addressed this issue among others with updated security measures as noted in this article. They seem to be getting really serious, but of course, the key will always be how it is enforced. I agree with the prior comments, I think when you see this activity, it's best to report it to security (or have someone call security). They are the staff trained to deal with this and have the authority to enforce it. Housekeeping, cabin attendants, waiters, etc. are trained in keeping the passengers happy and having fun. So, it's really unlikely they are going to jump in and cause a confrontation. It's also, as mentioned, a function of the port and length of cruise. The shorter cruises, out of some ports, seem to attract the heavy party people who will try to push this boundary in my experience.

@Cruising Caribbean Just a quick look on Carnival's site and I spotted 11 different European cruise itineraries that were less than 10 days — some from Dover, Barcelona, and Rome. Check them out and see what might work for you. Cool milestone for RCL. Speaking of such, Carnival just announced that they had passed the 100 millionth passenger this past week sailing with them. Pretty impressive as well.

@Woody14 Here is a great article with video done by Christine Duffy, Carnival's President which outlines the anticipated changes they will make. Looks like this will be a really great ship to sail. We are on it in September out of NYC headed to Canada. Really looking forward to seeing the finished product.