Kendall James-Vargas

@kefthecruiser I'm glad you mentioned this! It's so important to respect others and to respect yourself. At some point in life you outgrow trying to keep up with others and focus on what is best for you. I also feel this way about cruising with others! I know what I like when it comes to cruising and I'm not willing to sacrifice my cruising experience for others. I have done this in the past! Doing what others want and compromising for the greater good during your entire vacation is just not ideal to me anymore. I love to cruise with others and often do my own things because it's what is best for me! Waiting around for others of staying up late to compromise isn't ideal when I'm really just looking for a restful and peaceful cruise experience. Don't get me wrong, cruising for a bachelorette party/wedding/extended family/friends is fun, but it's nothing like cruising for myself.

@LukeJ Safety is surely important. I would not want to travel in any capacity if I felt unsafe while doing it. The local public transit where I live does not feel safe to me. In fact, I will intentionally avoid the local tram at all costs when alone, although it can be pretty practical when in the city. Staying at a hotel aa cruise is more convenient for everyone, particularly if that hotel provides a shuttle to the port and extended-stay parking options. I too enjoy cruising out of familiar ports. I'm fine cruising on the same ship over and over, especially if I have enjoyed the experience in the past. Peace of mind is important. It makes for a more relaxing experience all around. Which ships have you been cruising on lately? I have found myself on many of MSC Cruises' Seaside-class ships. Those include MSC Seaside, MSC Seashore, MSC Seascape, and MSC Seaview. I have been on all except MSC Seaview! These ships have an exceptionally priced stateroom for five guests that suits my family so well.

@LukeJ If you are a social person, working at an onboard shop is a great job! If you are social and high energy, an activities coordinator could be a great position but you have to be very high-energy. I love the activities coordinators that are constantly smiling and moving, clapping their hands. I could never do that all day thought. My social battery would run low pretty quickly. Did you enjoy owning your own business? I have been hesitant to do it because it's a 24/7 responsibility. I have always enjoyed showing up, doing an excellent job, and then not feeling the constant pressure to go back to working because I'm the sole proprietor. It's a heavy load. Selling something you love is key! If you don't love what you sell, it will reflect in your performance. The fake it till you make it mentality can only last for so long.

@havingfun Mocktails are excellent! Everyone loves a good mocktail, even if you enjoy drinking alcohol. It's nice to switch it up every once in a while. I love the sour, tart mocktails so I enjoy less sweet and more tropical! CCL has some awesome Miami-inspired drinks onboard Carnival Celebration that could be easily be made into a dreamy tropical mocktail. Anything with real fruit purees like mango and passionfruit and lime or citrus juice is the best base for a poolside mocktail in my opinion. Ginger and juice is a great one, and you can order ginger beer as the base for pretty much any mocktail. Lemonade with muddle mint and ginger beer is another fun option. Adding bitters to your mocktails elevates the experience. A CCL skilled bartender can create a mocktail of your dreams if you just tell them what you like!

@DMG I understand both perspectives. An adults-only area should be adults-only. I also think the timeframe that Celebrity Cruises chose is reasonable, since 5-7pm aren't very popular hours for the pool. I mostly agree with @FJB. I believe Celebrity Cruises is trying to attract everyone, and make the line just as kid friendly as many of its other competitors. I have yet to experience the solarium when kids were welcome, and I would imagine many guests don't even use that time to intentionally bring their children there. During this 5-7pm window, do many kids actually show up to swim there?

@LukeJ I prefer to travel other ways instead of car. The car trips get annoying because you have to be bound to your seat and seatbelt the whole time. It seems like you have explored many areas of France and know the country very well! When you cruise do you typically cruise out of Southampton? I have never considered traveling to St. Malo, but now that you have spoken so highly of it, I would absolutely love to explore it. I learn more and more each day about regions around the world that I never even thought to explore. Thanks for broadening my horizons! When you cruise do you typically drive to the port or do you ferry or take a train? Parking at the port can be tedious and costly, so if you have another option it could be best!

@KeithG I would be too, but I would need to learn the tips and tricks. I'm seriously tired of borrowing snorkel gear and it tasting/reeking of pine sol. Have you experienced that before? Every time I have borrowed/rented gear it always has an awful chemical fragrance that makes me not even want to use it. That alone should have deterred me and led me to purchase my own. I guess I just don't use it enough. I only use it when I'm cruising. Do you use your gear other times of the year? Do you expect the prices at Celebration Key to be unreasonable? I would imagine Celebration Key's prices may be a bit higher than Half Moon Cay. After all, everything will be new and exciting! I know some of the amenities will likely be worth the extra bump anyhow. Do you use an oxygen tank when you dive? I'm more of a vested surface snorkeler. I'm like turtle/manatee style, and you are more like dolphin/stingray style. I would love to get on your level, but packing your fins is a whole other level of snorkeling I haven't dabbled in. I would also imagine you are likely in better shape than I am!

This is such a tragic experience! I can't imagine having this happen on my cruise vacation, but this must have been a very rare and extreme circumstance. This video clip shows how the passenger was evacuated from Disney Fantasy with the onboard doctor accompanying her. I haven't seen any updates on the status of this guest or the infant, but I will continue to search any updates that may surface.

@LukeJ That's such a simple drive over! There are so many things to do in France that are unique to that area. It makes traveling there an adventure since it has so much to offer! An all night affair sounds very trying. That's bizarre that an all night sailing is an hour. Is the "all night" crossing a cheaper option than the day crossing? I wouldn't have a problem with a night crossing if it was a money saver! When you get to France you do typically use public transit? The turning the engine off and letting us drift to France instead made me laugh.

@Stan Biffard Thanks for sharing that change. Will these changes impact your decision to continue on with this itinerary? Have you cruised to any of these destinations before? I would still think this is an incredible cruise despite this change! Princess Cruises is a great cruise line choice fur such an epic itinerary. @Woody14 You make a good point. That could be a major (and possibly only) factor impacting this itinerary change.

@LukeJ That's so horrible! This story is getting me more and more frustrated. I can't imagine how you must have felt in the moment. I think I would feel overwhelmed. Taking legal action is not for the faint of heart. I happen to avoid it at all costs (because it does cost) and take my losses. Those wages were something you rightfully deserved and you shouldn't have had to fight for them! Honestly, it's too much of a hassle and it's too costly. The point is to receive the payment you earned but it often will end up costing more in legal fees than receiving what you should have. It's such a shame. I wish it wasn't so. What is so crazy to me about the restaurant business is that employees are treated this way (and I have experienced this first hand) and then a guest comes and slips and falls on the floor, suing for half a million dollars and wins. It just baffles me! How does that make sense? I don't think it does.

@LukeJ How far is France from your hometown? I would totally drive to France if it was feasible! I haven't had the chance to go yet because it's a very long and expensive flight to make it happen. Is the food in France worth the hype? I love a good croissant, but I have heard the portion sizes aren't up to par with the hefty US diet. I would rather eat a smaller portion of high quality goods. My husband, on the other hand, needs a full plate of food to be satisfied. I think school off every 6-7 weeks is pretty standard, but I thought maybe with the snow and road hazards there would be more unexpected days off for students. When I used to live in Florida the schools would take off for hurricanes or hurricane-like events. There were extra spare days the school system saved for such events. Obviously, snow days weren't a thing in Florida.

@KeithG It's awesome you bring your own snorkel gear! I would like to get my own gear and bring it along while I cruise. It's such a great idea. What did you think of CCL's beach area in Roatan? It sounds like a no brainer, not crowded and free are two great selling points. That's a smart idea to wait until the hype of Celebration Key dies down. I expect it to be so awesome and popular. I'm not going to lie; I'm all into the hype! When seaweed is around, it's almost impossible to avoid it. I was so bummed seeing all the seaweed because I have always had such lovely beach experiences in Cozumel. I wish there was a way to predict the amount of seaweed on the shore. If I would have known beforehand I probably would have planned another type of excursion. I can imagine that made snorkeling pretty trying! Do you wear a vest when you snorkel so you don't to work too hard? I always use a vest so I can just float around like a turtle, relaxing the whole time.

@LukeJ I'm sad to hear about your injury and how your workplace handled it so poorly. When things like that happen I find it so unjust. Were you able to get any government assistance during that timeframe? You certainly deserved it considering you got injured on the job! Different chefs all the time is a real thing because it's an unfair workplace. I don't find many restaurants consistent, and that's a shame. I will go back for a certain food item and it won't taste the same as the last time I enjoyed it so much!

@Balmy Jones RCL would absorb any additional port fees it would incur for rerouting its advertised itinerary. One thing the cruise line won't do is credit your account if the port fees were lower, but RCL does an excellent job of offering OCC and/or FCC to guests for the change of plans. Those credits typically surpass that port fee difference making it all very fair. Not all cruise lines offer such incentives, but RCL is very good about properly compensating guests.

@Miss Lizzie You must be very excited for your upcoming Disney Fantasy cruise! It sounds like you may be getting married onboard this itinerary, which is even more exciting. I have seen some informative blogs on this, but I haven't experienced it myself. Hair styles should be anywhere from $60 plus depending on the style, and makeup application typically runs about $75 per person. Personally, I would round up when giving an estimate to your bridesmaids saying it will be about $200 per person for both hair and makeup. This price would likely have tip included and give your bridesmaids time to save/prepare for the occasion. Do you plan to get married on the ship or at Castaway Cay? Castaway Cay typically charges extra service charges on top of the figures I listed above.

@howiefrommaui Facial recognition is a great tool that helps us all stay safe (and in line) onboard our cruises. I agree that thieves should be held accountable for their actions and banned from cruising due to breaking the rules. It's very upsetting that guests think this is a good strategy to get free drinking water onboard. This water bottle tampering can potentially cause harm to other future cruisers and it is quite infuriating to watch.

@KeithG That means you must have loved your last cabin! I love that you were able to get the exact same one for one of those itineraries. The itineraries seem similar, but if you enjoy the ship and those destinations it's perfect for you. What do you typically do when you are in Roatan and Cozumel? When in Cozumel I have always gone to a beach club with all the amenities and it's very convenient. The last time I went the beaches were infiltrated with seaweed! Did you experience that on your recent cruise? I still got in the ocean but it was a nuisance. I preferred kayaking over swimming that time around. RCL actually announced it's new beach club in Cozumel, Royal Beach Club!

@LukeJ The bonuses are a huge perk on salaried positions! My husband also provides exceptions healthcare for our family alongside retirement benefit packages. He also gets stock options that have really benefited my family when we needed to pull out some cash for unexpected circumstances. Some salary jobs can provide a cushion on incentives including disability insurance, but if you are working in an industry that will run you to the ground all of those perks still aren't good enough. I wish the hospitality industry had better perks, but it's horrid hours with lots of physical labor involved. You must be very understanding of those in crew members onboard your cruises in the same line of work. The burn out is real!

@KeithG Since I'm not a mega ship-lover, I was very curious if Carnival Jubilee would be a ship you enjoyed, but it sounds so well done! CCCL does know what it's doing in terms of attracting/serving various guests with various interests. I'm also very surprised to read it never felt crowded! For a newer ship, still working out it's kinks, I didn't expect to read such a review. It seems you really enjoyed you cruise onboard Carnival Jubilee and are anticipating your next cruises onboard the ship! Will your upcoming cruises on the ship be differing itineraries/staterooms than your previous sailing?

@LukeJ I love the idea of cruise lines become more environmentally friendly. I would be happier if cruise lines offered stainless steel straws for purchase on the ship, particularly by the bar. If you don't have one already, stainless steel straws are easy to bring along the only annoying part is cleaning them. It's not that hard to do it's just annoying, but I prefer it over cardboard straws. Silicone straws are easy too! Since I'm pretty much a wine/water-only drinker, the straw issue doesn't really impact me. I typically bring my own reusable water bottle along, and you won't catch me drinking my wine with a straw. In the future I would expect more interactive ways to enter your stateroom such as facial recognition onboard. Paying with your face will likely happen as well. There won't even be a need to bring along your room key or even a bracelet in the future.

@FJB I absolutely love snorkeling, not scuba diving, particularly when the water is calm and clear. Where are you thinking of snorkeling on your upcoming cruise? If you are cruising the Caribbean, the snorkeling destinations are endless but some are better than others. It's always better to choose a spot where there aren't too many waves and the water is calm, like a bathtub.

@KeithG That's awesome! It must have been a blast watching it on the big screen out by the pool. I wish you got the chance to see Gwen Stefani's performance. I love her voice so much. Many of her songs are iconic and bring me back to those younger years of my life. I'm glad CCL was able to make the departure stand out amongst other departures. I would love to hear more about Carnival Jubilee! Do you plan to go back again soon? How does it compare to any other CCL fleet members you have cruised on?

@LukeJ Salary jobs are a toss up for me! It really depends on the the field of work. For instance, my husband has a salary job and really benefits from it, primarily due to the benefits he receives. He is able to work less than 40 hours a week (for the most part) with a very flexible style schedule. He can take much of his calls out and about and has some flexibility to travel while working remotely which is a huge perk. Since my husband travels with work, our children and I will often tag along, staying in nice hotels and enjoying those amenities if we can find reasonable flight tickets. Typically we backpack and fly with very cheap airlines in order to afford tagging along. In the restaurant industry the hours are rough. My mom just quit a job as a restaurant manager because the hours weren't sustainable. I don't think anyone with a salary job should be subject to over 60 hours a week. The hourly rate usually come out to be better than salary at that point. Like you mentioned, there are no such things of breaks when you are on salary. You work around the clock with no break because you don't get to clock in and out.

@LukeJ I'm thinking that's the only way to do it! You really need rain boots, but you don't want to wear rain boots every where you go. That can be son uncomfortable! Have you lived in the UK your whole life? Have you considered living elsewhere? I can only imagine seasonal depression is very trying there. I was worried about that when moving to a snowy state but thankfully it's sunny most of the week even when it does snow here which makes the winter season tolerable. How long does the winter season/climates last for you guys?