RoadTravelled

@Kendall James-Vargas, I think in the end, choosing a cabin, is more subjective and personal than terribly formulaic. Everyone has different expectations, needs, and preferences. It's really not a one-size-fits-all decision. Having said that, there are some definite criteria you should at least think about when selecting I would propose. These are some of the considerations we make when choosing what is on the deck below and above you that might cause noise issues? how close are you to elevators, stairs, and other high-traffic areas like laundry rooms? Being at the aft or forward areas for example limit traffic and are generally more quiet check the deck plans and determine if the cabin is a "connecting" cabin — meaning it has a door that can open to the adjacent cabin for families or large groups to go back-and-forth. This door creates a poorer sound barrier than a solid wall. what view, if any do you want to have? will you actually use a balcony or do you spend most of your time out of the cabin? do you mind "obstructed views" if it means a cheaper price? how close do you want to be to the MDR or to the Lido deck or to the entertainment areas or to the spa, etc? how close do you want to be to the areas that are used to disembark the ships at port (generally deck 0 or so) to get a quick start in the mornings? are you subject to motion sickness? Lower decks, mid-ship are best to help with that. and of course the big one, what is your cruise budget and how do you want to spend it? Do you want to allocate a large part to the cabin or spend it doing other things like excursions, casino, drinks, specialty dining, etc? Just a few random thoughts that we use to pick. Hope that helps.

@Kendall James-Vargas, we have used ginger root tablets to counter seasickness for years. I'm highly susceptible to motion sickness and this really does help in all but the extreme cases. And, the beauty if is that since it is a natural ingredient, there are none of the drowsiness and other side-effects that bonine and dramamine pose. Take 2 as you board the ship, then once each morning and you are good to go. In all of our cruises, it's only not worked twice when we had really bad storms and high seas — and virtually everyone, including crew were sick.

You are correct. If you hit the Platinum at any time during a cruise, you are awarded that status for the whole cruise. The challenge though was that some of their systems still kept showing up as Gold for us because they are "populated" prior to us getting on board. In other words, you have to actually start the cruise to trigger this benefit. Then they kind of have to back-track a lot of stuff. For example, when we got to the room our Sail & Sign card was Gold instead of Platinum. It was an easy fix to have it switched at Guest Services. But, just be aware that you need to check to make sure you are getting the right benefits (pin, early boarding, laundry service, etc.). Be sure to get the card switched though as presenting it during the cruise makes a difference.

We bought 100 shares just prior to our TA cruise on the Carnival Celebration last November, 14 days from Southampton to Miami. Cost was around $700 at the very low stock price of the time. We received, after submitting our request about 3 weeks prior, a $250 OBC for the cabin. So, in essence, thus far at that point we were only out-of-pocket net about $450. And, the stock is now worth as of Friday about $1,050 — another $350 profit gain. So, for us it was a no-brainer deal. We hope to use this again on the next upcoming cruise. Of course, stock is very volatile and risky, so who knows. But, definitely worth a consider.

It's also dependent on when customs and port authorities give the "all clear" to disembark as to when passengers can start off the ship, regardless of when the ship actually arrives. As a rule of thumb for me, I never book a local flight out before noon just to be safe. Carnival recommends allowing no less than 5 hours after ship arrival. You should also consider the Express Debark process if at all possible. But, again, if you are going through customs, passport check, etc. even if you are off the ship early you might not get out of the terminal for awhile.

@Kendall James-Vargas Yes, the Golden Jubilee lounge area (next to the bar) has live piano music during the evening which is quite nice. It's a great break from the noise and loud music that pervades much of the rest of the ship. Attached is the pool area in question one night on our voyage — so peaceful and practically empty. Of course this was on the TA voyage which might not reflect how it is currently being used on Caribbean cruises with much warmer weather. But, still a very nice area.

@Emrys We were very impressed with many areas of the Carnival Celebration. It's definitely a thoughtfully designed, and sophisticated ship that ups the game for Carnival. One highlight for me was the Golden Jubilee bar area which executes the theme beautifully and is fun exploring all of the former relics of past ships (check-out the QRC on the wall for details). I also enjoyed the Patio Pool area in the Summer Landing zone on deck 8 aft. It's very relaxing with great furniture, views of the ship's wake, and was usually much less crowded than the other pools throughout the ship. It's especially nice at night with the lighting effects of the pool area and the ship itself. .

We've eaten there multiple times and always find it satisfying and typical Italian food in a well-themed venue. On our last cruise aboard the maiden voyage of the Carnival Celebration we also tried for the first time the new Rudi's Seagrill. By far we both agreed that it is now our favorite specialty restaurant. Excellent food, well presented, superior service, and beautiful room all add to a very wonderful experience not to be missed.

Based on what I've researched and discussions with various crew, I would be skeptical that a lead MDR waiter made only $700/mo. That might be what he makes in tips though. After all he does have an incentive to make you want to tip him? My understanding is that bar and waitstaff positions are highly coveted on the ship as they get loads of tips — both pre-paid, automatic gratuities applied at the end, and individual tips along the way. I would suspect that it's more likely that an experienced lead waiter makes in the neighborhood of $1,500 - $2,000/mo. Also, it's very important to note when talking about income for crew, that Carnival provides them housing, food, transportation, laundry, uniforms, medical, internet, etc. that for the most part does not come out of their pocket, like would be the case for a land-based waiter. So, let's say that for a land-based waiter those type expenses amount to a conservative 60% of their income. So, that makes the ship waiter's income in comparison to be between $2,500 - $3,333/mo. This represents a very healthy income that they can use to support both themselves and their families back in their home country (where spending power generally is even more powerful with these dollars).

Lisbon is a wonderful city, full of incredible history, architecture, lively street life, great food, the famous azulejos Portuguese tiles, and picturesque views. It sounds like you've got the primary areas all covered. I will tell you from experience though, that if you try to do all of the points of interest you've outlined, you won't have time in an overnight stay. Lisbon covers a very large area, and the public transport (the famous trams) are crowded and a haven for pick-pockets. And, the queues are long in the most popular spots. For example the Jeronimos Monastery in Belem, we waited in line for almost 2 hours, but it is definitely a must see. As to the Santa Justa Lift, we skipped this going up the hill as again the line was way too long. You can walk up a switch-back road that is fairly easy to do, and get to the top of the hill much quicker. Then take the lift back down as almost no one does that and you can just walk on. The big highlight for me (in that same area) is the Igreja de São Roque which is the most over-the-top, stunning church you will ever see (and we've seen a lot of them). Not to be missed. Have a great time.

We will be on the Carnival Celebration's maiden voyage next week (the sister ship to Mardi Gras). We have Early Dining assigned (6:00pm) and we had no problem reserving the 555 Fahrenheit Steak House and Rudi's Sea Grill at 6:00pm and 5:30pm respectively. I think what you might be hearing is the process they use as over-flow for YTD. As you may see on the deck plans, the ships only have one large MDR instead of the typical two. There is a smaller dining room on the port side used for YTD but it is not big enough if everyone shows up (considering there are 5,000 people on board). So, as I understand it, they use Chibang Restaurant and Cucino de Capitano as the reserve overflow. So, I think there is a "hold" on these venues until after a certain time to insure they can accommodate everyone. Then those 2 venues are released for the night. My totally educated guess is that they did this because I see in so many of my cruises the MDR's half-full most nights. So, it's a lot of wasted, valuable real-estate not getting maximum use. It seems they are trying a different approach on these ships that probably is still be tweaked. I'll know more I guess once on board and observe first-hand. Make sense? Hope that helps.

I don't really think fuel cost is the issue. As the announcement said, it was due to "operational issues" which could be most anything. As @DeanneB mentioned, there are many other Carnival cruises going to San Juan in the month of Jan, 2023 — a total of 6 itineraries covering 8 different departure dates based on a quick search I just did. These include among others, both the Carnival Celebration (the brand new flag ship debuting in a couple of weeks) as well as the Mardi Gras. Both are the XL class and LNG powered. I'm thinking more to the point is port logistics being the cause of the re-shuffling. As a side note, for the whole year of 2023, Carnival has 19 cruise itineraries that include San Juan covering 61 different departure dates. And, again, these include both the Celebration and Mardi Gras. So, I think saying that they don't do Eastern Caribbean sailings or include their flag ships is a real mischaracterization. There's bound to be an option out there for you. So, @Lillian Ortiz while change is indeed hard, it's part of cruising. Rather than cursing the fact, contact your TA, or PVP at Carnival, or Carnival directly, and work to make the change happen for the best outcome. Flexibility is key here.

I would be interested to see how this compares with other cruise lines. Doing just a quick search of the liquor policies on some of the mainline cruise companies, I can't find any that allow pre-purchasing of liquor. All of them forbid you from bringing on liquor (including liquor which has been the practice for years). Only wine & champagne, limited to one bottle at 750ml is allowed, which is consistent again with Carnival. Anything else bought (in port or in the onboard shops) is held until disembarkation and not allowed to be consumed. So, it seems to me that Carnival's position is both the responsible thing to do to avoid incidents that affect the safety of the crew and other passengers, and is very comparable to industry standard. In addition, it seems to "close the loophole" that pre-purchasing allowedd. But, I could be wrong as I've only cruised Carnival. I know that taking away something you used to have is frustrating. But, sometimes, as @DeanneB has said, the actions of a few sometimes cause change to happen that is necessary.

This program has not returned since the restart. Priority boarding for Platinum and Diamond guests is currently being handled by way of allowing those guests to check-in and select their boarding time 48-hours prior to the rest of the passengers. Some ports have started implementing also priority boarding lanes for Platinum, Diamond and Suite guests depending I guess on their own port operations abilities. Ports from my experience have a mixed bag of enforcing the boarding times, but always ask the staff before just getting in the back of the line. We are told that priority boarding and the other prior perks aligned with that are still being discussed to return at a future date. Time will tell. Have a great time on the Celebration. We are on the TA in November.

According to the latest update from Carnival on the effects of the hurricane, this cruise has been cancelled since the port is currently closed to incoming marine traffic. You should have gotten an email about refund and FCC details.

The last 2 cruises we used the official parking lots of the port and parked in the Economy Lot B (which is surface parking-no cover). Click here to learn more including prices based on number of days. They do offer covered parking right next to the terminal so it's easy to walk but of course it is more expensive. The economy lots have a shuttle service to the terminal once you park your car that was very efficient and easy. All lots seem very secure and monitored. The only issue we had though was returning from the cruise. With so many passengers leaving the ship all at once, the line to get back on the shuttle was very long and took us almost an hour to get back to our car. The park & walk lots fill up fast so reserve as soon as you can.

You can pre-pay your gratuities up to the sail date. Click here for more information on Carnival's website. The relevant section reads: Gratuities can be added at the time of booking or anytime up to the sail date. Guests who booked directly with Carnival may add their pre-paid gratuities on Carnival.com. If a guest booked with a travel agent, they may contact their travel professional to add pre-paid gratuities to their booking. Prepaid gratuities are reflected in the 'Miscellaneous Charge' field on the confirmation and in the guest's E-Documents. We usually pre-pay just so that's one less thing to worry about. The exception is if we are planning to use OBC for at least a portion of this. You can't pre-pay using OBC. So, in that case, we wait and let it be added automatically the next-to-last day on the cruise account. You can check your account (folio) balance at any time on the HUB app, self-serve kiosks on the ship, or at Guest Services.

So, according to comments I saw by John Heald, Carnival's brand ambassador, VeriFly is working on getting this changed. But, it's up to them as they own the app. Carnival doesn't — they are just one of many of VeriFly's customers. I imagine with all of the ever-changing rules and protocols going on in the travel industry as a whole, it's hard to keep up with all of the programming required. To be honest, the last 2 cruises we took, we just did the old manual paperwork review. It took all of 5 minutes for the check-in person to verify we had everything in order for the health check, vaccination card, and passport ID. The VeriFly guests were in the same exact line we were in and then we all proceeded from there together through the remaining process. So, truthfully, we didn't see that having VeriFly, in the grand scheme, really was that useful or time-saving. Just something else to keep up with and have on your phone. But, your mileage may vary.

We just got off of the Valor from NOLA. Carnival has a program called Menu Mate. I noticed the person who managed this at the Lido deck restaurant was near the aft area next to the desserts at a little podium near the stairs that go up to the BBQ section. Talk to them and/or the senior dining staff in the MDR. Click here to learn more about his program.

Our go to in Cozumel is the Del Mar Latino Beach Club. It is an all-inclusive all-adults only venue that limits capacity to 30 people each day. The staff are very friendly and professional. It's a short walk from the Puerta Maya cruise port and it faces the cruise ships so provides a great view of the port activity (submarine ride, diving expeditions, scuba diving, boat tours, etc.) We were just there again a couple of weeks ago and met several couples who live in Cozumel — this is the place that they come to in order to relax! It's a good value with food and drinks all included (see menu).

We just finished a Carnival cruise out of NOLA that as far as I could tell was pretty sold-out. This was our 3rd cruise post-pandemic, and we noticed a vast improvement in service times and food quality. The waitstaff was outstanding (really up to the standards Carnival has had on previous trips) and we had really delicious food each night in the MDR. The staff were so efficient — we were in and out in just about 1 hour. And, each night they had different selections on the menu to choose. The Lido deck had a lot of people but very few lines. I don't think we waited in any line longer than about 5 minutes. It appears they are indeed getting this labor and supply shortage pretty resolved. I can't complain at all as we had a great cruise and saw no "bumps" in Carnival's execution.

The reason for the stop in Victoria, Canada is because of the requirements of the Passenger Vessel Services Act. You can find a good article about this by clicking here. Bottom-line, since the ship is foreign-flagged, it must make a stop in a foreign country before returning to a US port or be heavily fined. In May, we did an Alaska round-trip from Seattle cruise and stopped here. We were delayed getting into port so only had about 3 hours to visit. We still got off and did a quick view of the city at night and went to a great Irish pub and then rushed back to the ship. Not ideal but we made the most of it.

We were below the dining room on a recent cruise and there was no problem. We did hear just a little bit of noise early in the morning while someone would roll a cart back and forth across the floor above us, presumably some type of food prep. But, it was short-lived and not at all a big issue. I would think being above should be fine.

The testing requirement for 5-days or less on Carnival is for Bermuda stops, not Bahamas. You can access their full protocols by clicking here. It's an ever moving target, so best to go to this website a couple of weeks prior to your departure to make sure you have the latest updates.

You can refer to Carnival's official protocols by clicking here. It is an ever moving target, so my recommendation is to always check a couple of weeks prior to your departure to insure you have the latest information on your particular cruise.