Kendall James-Vargas

@euroguy I have a feeling you will make it on all of CCL's ships. Is that a goal of yours? I have been to Canada but not cruised there yet! After visiting Canada, I know I want to return. I loved everything about it and wish I stayed longer. You have been to quite a few destinations! I'm pretty certain you will be visiting even more post-retirement when you have more flexibility for travel. I am loving the new CCL private island details. It's so exciting!

I'm so thankful this was a successful rescue! The Symphony of the Seas crew is well equipped and trained in emergency situations like this. Carnival Jubilee's crew just rescued a couple of kayakers stranded out at sea. That was another incredible save! I love reading a breaking cruise news article with a positive outcome.

@LukeJ There are so many great cruises out of Southampton. Both are great ports, but I have yet to get there. It's something I will do in the future. The farther away the port is the more I will have to save to get there, but I most definitely want to explore there. I don't mind the extra stops as much as I mind the car atmosphere. To be fair, it's not fun to be int he car for more than a few hours. I also don't allow tablets in my car because one of my children gets car sick so that doesn't help. A tablet in the car could absolutely help with the "Are we there yet's?" Celebrity Cruises has some great Southampton options, but I will need to save up before I commit to an itinerary! Have you cruised with Celebrity Cruises before?

@Zebby The Bahamas is a wonderful cruise destination! The travel advisories I'm seeing are still pretty mild, but if you visit there I would only book an excursion with with CCL. If you explore the Bahamas with a CCL excursion and stay with your group, your safety is basically guaranteed. If you plan to explore the area on your own, I would proceed with caution. If CCL is still stopping there and offing excursions, you can assume it's safe to stop and travel there, particularly with a booked excursion. @KeithG You and I think alike! It's worth it to book en excursion through the line, especially your first visit at a port. It's convenient, hassle-free, and safe! The nominal extra price is way worth it.

@LukeJ I like your perspective. I always tell my kids to try new things, but I don't want to try new things sometimes. Crickets/grasshoppers are a good example of this. There is just no way that crunch is as good as the crunch of a potato chip. I guess my kids could look at a brussel sprout and feel the same way. I was invited to a hot pot experience for the first time next month. I hope they don't have dancing squid on the menu. I would be tempted to order it for the photographs but refuse to actually eat it! After this conversation, it would be hard to not order it!

@LukeJ It sounds like we have similar cruise interests. I'm also a train lover, and the one you are describing sounds like a must see. Since I travel with my family, it's even harder to imagine how many time I would hear "I have to pee" and "Are we there yet?" At least during this stage in my life, driving like that is out of the question. I would like to cruise north next instead of south, so a Canadian route is in my future, but I wouldn't drive to the port. Do you typically cruise out of the UK?

@Marylovescruising I love cruising to Cozumel! I'm sure you will have a grand trip. Let us know you enjoy Carnival Celebration! Also, I would like to add I think @euroguy would be an awesome cruise buddy! He knows his CCL stuff for sure. Have you cruised on board Carnival Celebration in the past @euroguy? It's a lovely Excel-class ship. Mardi Gras will likely be a pretty similar experience!

@LukeJ If you need the service, the price is well worth it. If you don't need (really need) wifi during your cruise, you should opt out. I don't find the price sensible unless you are generating income from the service and need it. If you need wifi, having faster service is worth it because productivity time is money. You are working faster and hence making more during the your working timeframe. I find it hard to assume that such a faster service would come at a cheaper or even same price point. What I really want to know is, if the Starlink wifi being emitted all across the ship is excessive to guests. When I'm home, I turn off my wifi and bluetooth ect. before bed to reduce the amount of signal my family is exposed to during our rest hours. The fast Starlink service has to come with increased radioactivity.

@FJB Bamboo underwear would be very breathable but maybe become tattered too quickly. Some bamboo products I have purchased are very thin and they don't hold up in the drier. It's best to hang dry, but most people don't have the time for that. I wish that bamboo products were thicker. The ones I have encountered are too thin, like you mentioned. If the bamboo clothing is thicker, more durable, I think I would purchase them more often. It's hard to beat good, thick woven cotton. That's like the feel of your Jockey t-shirts. Polyester bubbles up in the wash, and pretty much anything that isn't thick cotton or denim get holes over time. My kids get holes in their pants like once a week! I would take a bamboo scarf? A bamboo (dare I say) mask could be breathable, not that I want to have to sport one of those again.

@FJB Most cruise lines requires all same-cabin guests to have the same beverage package. I find it a bit unfair, especially if one person drinks alcohol and the other one does not. The cost of the drink packages ends up coming close to the price of the per person cruise fare, and that often deters me from pulling the trigger on it. You just have to budget your drinks accordingly to make sure you are ready for the end of cruise statement. Drinking on a cruise ship adds up in general, but if you drink off-ship it helps balances out the cost a bit. I'm like a 2 glasses of wine an evening, 2 bottles of water per day, and a cappuccino in the morning type of gal. I just wouldn't meet the per day price threshold. I would be wasting money to buy the drink package for myself. My husband usually has very ambitious goals of getting his money's worth out of the drink package but by day three he typically slows down. The pay as you go strategy is a great option. It can be a money saver too. The key is factoring in those added gratuities. The gratuities are usually added when you purchase the drink package.

@LDWS I see your frustration about the Starlink prices. The service is better, but it of course is coming at us at a price. I try to avoid the wifi connection during my cruise when possible. It's an extra expense that just takes me away from the relaxation of my cruise experience. I'm not a big Moscato fan either. It's my least favorite wine actually. Prosecco is a standard offering that's fine out by the pool, but again, not my favorite. The install price for the service costs a bit of overhead too. It's just something to consider with the overall prices the lines are throwing at guests. Will you still continue to cruise with Princess Cruises despite these increases?

@euroguy I'm glad it gave you a good laugh. It gave me a good visual too. Mardi Gras is going to be a good time, but I do think you will enjoy Carnival Firenze more. Do you enjoy avoiding the buffet for the most part? When the crowds are so big on larger-capacity ships I prefer to avoid the buffets when possible. When possible I prefer dining the MDR for breakfast too. Everything is as fresh as can be, and I don't have to wait in line to get my food! Do you agree? I have been on a few large ships. Recently I cruised on MSC Seascape. It has a guest capacity of 5,632. The jacuzzis and pools can get quite crowded, and I prefer to enjoy them on port days. Guests would all sneak off and I would enjoy the peacefulness of an almost empty ship. Just avoiding the peak times of any location during the day worked better for me. The shows and entertainment were phenomenal and the evening events were great. The more the merrier for the nightlife. Those are some of the perks of sailing on a large ship.

@LukeJ I want to do something about it! I particularly want to move back to a tropical paradise, away from the cold atmosphere. You are right about taking action though. If it's something I want, I have to make plans to make it happen on my own. Sometimes I feel at a loss when I feel bound to my husband's work location! We have to be where the money is, but hopefully, we can change that in the coming years. For now, tropical cruising is my escape! It doesn't get better than a week's cruise in a tropical paradise. I soak it all in!

@Woody14 You and your wife sound like very adventurous cruisers! I love the idea of saving money and powering your own bike. It's such an eco-friendly way to get around too! Most guests typically go everywhere via car even at the ports. It seems everything is motorized nowadays! Wouldn't it be cool if you could bring your bike onboard your cruise and take it along with you at every port? I haven't seen anyone do that before, so I would imagine doing that is off-limits. The bike would surely take up a lot of cabin space.

@Zebby I would not recommend cruising to the Bahamas in August due to hurricane season. Septemeber, October, and November would be great months for traveling to the Bahamas. I recommend avoiding November due to the prices going up as the holidays approach, but September and October should offer some pretty good rates. Are you looking to book a Carnival Cruise Line itinerary? Which embarkation ports are you looking into?

@euroguy As someone who is very accustomed to embarking on basic or lower-level loyalty status, I'm used to long lines and very simple treatment. I have yet to be treated like a VIP customer, and I'm fine with that. Since I'm usually all over the board with my cruises, I don't particularly expect any priority services. Soon enough I will likely enjoy all of the perks you are mentioning above just by cruising more and more each year. I didn't realize how different the embarkation process is per port based on your loyalty status. I assumed that each port offered a relatively equal experience. I almost always check my bags by the drop-off area so I don't have to lug them around. The stateroom luggage drop-off system is amazing. It saves so much hassle and is worth every penny to tip the attendants well too.

@Daniel S That's really unfortunate and I would be very upset to be let down like that. Thanks for sharing that information as a gentle reminder for all. @Woody14 Of course it says if on the FAQ's page, but as you mentioned, who reads that? I actually do typically read that, but it's an easy way to get burned. One little bit of misinformation can completely mess up your expected loyalty rewards earnings!

@euroguy You are on the money! September would be perfect, avoiding hurricane season but also doing those colder months. I have not cruised out of either of those ports, but I have been eyeing them both. I see a Carnival Venezia has a cool itinerary out of NY from September 7-14 that visits Nova Scotia, but you are likely thinking into 2025. https://www.carnival.com/itinerary/7-day-canada-and-new-england-cruise/manhattan/venezia/7-days/cn0/?itinportcode=nyc&military=N&pastGuest=N&senior=N&numGuests=2&evsel=&hideSailingEvents=true&locality=1&currency=USD&sailDate=09072024&roomType=IS There is also an epic 14-day Carnival Pride itinerary out of Baltimore to Canada/Greenland, but I would imagine that itinerary may be too much time off of work. Those are itineraries I have been looking into for a change of scenery.

If you watch the latest footage for this cruise drama, you will likely catch on to the fact that it's very theatrical. I'm usually very open-minded to varying opinions but this one seems to have gone too far. It's really all about the views @FJB. https://www.cruisehive.com/why-the-ultimate-world-cruise-is-getting-out-of-hand-on-tiktok/121391 It goes to show how easy it is to get negative publicity out there. Let's just hope the other guests onboard are feeling this same way. A 9-month world cruise is supposed to be really amazing, not the way it's currently being depicted online!

@LukeJ The wet and cold weather is the worst. It gets deep in your bones! I'm in a dry cold right now, and I have to use a large humidifier in my home to get by this time of year. My skin, eyes, and throat become so parched; it's brutal. Frost is the worst to get out of your car. I do not like ice chipping, but I do like the idea of a Caribbean Christmas; being in tropical paradise sounds lovely when you are trapped inside a snow globe. I will be back in tropical paradise next month. I'm counting down the days!

@Clay31 I haven't heard of any other cruise lines doing this. I'm used to going to the theatre for a show every night of the cruise itinerary. That's a pretty big cutback for NCL. How long is your itinerary? Maybe more options will come about once the embarkation date approaches. What ship will you be on? I can't believe you only have one theatre option. I'm hoping this is just a glitch! How many options did you have on your last cruise? Which cruise lines have you enjoyed in the past? NCL has been doing a significant amount of cutbacks and changes lately. At least NCL's American Dinner will become a completely complementary location soon! That's a nice addition considering the cutbacks.

@MzCoop2you Happy 50th birthday! Cruising is the best way to celebrate such a momentous occasion. My husband usually prefers to lay around on vacation (although I don't let him), and the best advice I can give is for you to have your own fun! Carnival Pride is a lovely ship with so many amenities to choose from. I also recommend you try all of the free dining options onboard. Your husband still has to eat! From Bluelaguna Cantina to Guys Burger Joint, there are some really delicious dining spots onboard. From casino to life Hasbro entertainment, I believe you will have lots of fun on this itinerary. Attend some of the meet-ups and take a dance class if you choose. Your birthday onboard Carnival Pride will be grand.

@LukeJ Customer service is definitely not the same as it once was. This is partially due to those who are just rude and unrealistic to the customer service teams. Some guests really aren't kind to customer service and the industry has become hardened from a lot of negative backlash from rude guests. If I have a real issue onboard my cruise, I wait in the very long customer service line to ask for help correcting the issue. When I'm waiting in line always overhear so many irate guests complaining about the most ridiculous things! For instance, guests will hold up the line asking for refunds and reimbursements because there is never a pool lounger available. Guests will argue and refuse to pay the gratuities due to never finding an open table near the buffet. Those instances are what make the customer service teams pretty numb. They really deal with some absurd guests that can be truly entitled. As much as I feel sad customer service has declined, guests have almost done it to themselves.

That's a great question! I'm all about reusable water bottles. With the proper filtration system, the cruise lines could really capitalize on this system. A stainless steel or glass bottle would be the best option. The cruise line could charge an unlimited water refill price or offer an incentive to use a pre-purchased, stainless steel water bottle onboard. The idea is guests are paying a slight premium for an unlimited, purified water supply while reducing waste. Water bottles for purchase do not align with the industry goals of reducing emissions by 2050. Eventually, I don't foresee plastic water bottles as an option onboard cruise ships. Many islands, like Ocean Cay, offer metal-only waters included in the beverage packages. Ocean Cay is a marine reserve which may be why it's taking a lead on becoming more sustainable by reducing plastics.

@euroguy That is a lot of people! Although, I'm not as concerned about the safety of the ship. RCL is such a reputable cruise line; I'm certain that the ship has been thoroughly tested to ensure the safety and security of all guests onboard. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of overly crowded cruise ships. One of the only perks of masked cruising was the ships sailing at 50% capacity. I did enjoy the ships being less full. The elevators are another huge problem with larger cruise ships. I prefer to walk when possible, but it's not always possible! I'm not a fan of feeling squished while in the elevator. I'm also not a fan of waiting in super long lines at the buffet. I often opt to dine in the MDR or at the off times to avoid the chaos, scoring a better table too! A moving walkway is a great thought to get the crowds moving! I would love to see a conveyor belt for the people at the buffet too. That would keep the people moving along! I don't see RCL going any smaller with its ships, but you never know! I'm more inclined to cruise on a smaller-scale ship, but Icon of the Seas is a beauty. I'm sure there are endless entertainment opportunities for every age group. That's what's most attractive about the ship!