3Sisters

@Paulette This sounds like a fluke incident. I really hope the cruise line makes up for this change in itinerary tenfold. What other itinerary options will Princess Cruises offer you? It was pretty trusting of you to be willing to switch out your itinerary. I hope the cruise line values that flexibility and makes it up in your next booking. Maybe cruise guests aren't as flexible as you were. 

In a way I see your point, that extra taxation comes from a "greedy" perspective, but on the other hand I see the added value for the local people. This of course is objective and depends on how much of this taxation will actually go into bettering the standards and systems for its native residents versus pouring all of this income into better options for tourists. It can be intimidating to purchase anything in the Bahamas now due to the extra tax guests will need to pay. Prices are always inflated for travelers anyways so this heightened-cost perspective is not uncommon. I'm not sure about the taxation on MSC Cruises' private island, but I would imagine it may be able to dodge these additional taxation laws since it basically governs itself. 

@Mr.Bill Calling the cruise line would be a reassuring thing to do. I do believe that the medical staff would be able to handle a catheter replacement with ease. It sounds like you will have plenty of cushion with a newer catheter in place. The likelihood of complications is likely pretty rare. I would be more concerned if you were traveling away from medical care, but thankfully cruise ships have a great team to help with any necessity guests may have. It's a bummer you have to cruise with it, but I'm glad to hear you are still going to get on board and have a great vacation. It's all about perspective! 

@Seaawgs That's good to know. I guess you prefer to benefit from booking with this Celebrity Cruise package because it automatically includes the basic options. Then, you pay a slight upcharge for the premium beverage package. I guess there is a small incentive to upgrade prior to embarkation. It's so nice to hear that you are willing to essentially pay more by purchasing onboard with a hard-working crew member. I love this mentality. It means to me that you are able and interested to connect with the crew onboard. To me, connecting with the crew members is a huge bonus to cruising. I enjoy tipping extra for the members that work hard to take care of me during my vacation. 

@Renee28 Hi, do you have an upcoming cruise you are looking forward to onboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship? 

@kefthecruiser I like your more engineered-focused jargon. clearly, my more basic, everyday lingo doesn't include as many of those concepts, which is why I chose the term "sleeker." In my mind, sleeker is slimmer, a more aerodynamic sort of configuration. From what you are saying, I'm gathering that the cruise ship hull design is selected based on a combination of depth, width, and length that will properly accommodate the amount of volume/density necessary for the ship. 

I'm glad that the weight distribution onboard wouldn't create any sort of extreme tilt. That's some intricate design work. Thanks for the history of coal transport. It was an interesting perspective and a thought-provoking read. 

I think you are likely correct. This is a sneaky money-making strategy. I prefer a more blatant and honest approach. I usually do better with that, and I get pretty frustrated when cruise lines try to push upselling while onboard. When I'm casually meandering the ship, I don't want to be constantly harassed. Here and there, I'm fine with it, but I don't enjoy the constant push for sales onboard.

I do find it hard to believe that this VAT makes sense. I did some research on Spain's Value Added Tax, and I found there are lower rates for certain things related to travel and food/beverage consumption that would actually lower the traditional 21% VAT to a rate between 4-10%. The way @J441 received this taxation seems wrong. 

@Seaawgs Are you able to pre-purchase the beverage package and the update once onboard and just pay the difference? That doesn't sound half bad and it's certainly rewarding for the crew constantly selling the package all day. Does purchasing this upgrade onboard offer you some sort of onboard spending perk, like earning additional loyalty points? Is that why you typically wait to upgrade your package onboard? That's a good strategy, I haven't heard of it before, never leave "animal" on my plate. My husband wouldn't let any of my family members do that. He's all about protein! 

@euroguy What is a meca iCal issue? I'm unaware of much of the logistics behind cruising, but I am certainly curious! If this has anything to do with calibration, I would think Carnival Panorama could handle that with corporate. As we all know, time is money. I truly hope this issue isn't posing a threat in any way to the safety and security of cruise guests. If there was a safety issue, I would imagine that this issue would need to be addressed immediately. Maybe if there isn't a sense of urgency for repair, it's secure enough. At least I too, would like to look at this news with a glass-half-full perspective. If you have any updates on the topic please share so I can follow along. 

TikTok is definitely not going to influence my decision-making because I don't have this social media platform! If I had to guess, I think that cruising is dominating due to the diversity of options and the low, all-inclusive price point. Maybe this is why so many cruise ships are filling up and booking out quickly even though the prices are becoming more and more inflated. 

@Barbara Davis Carnival Cruise Line definitly allows for solo cruise guests to cruise onboard! I agree that the cost normally about doubles when cruising with a single guest onboard CCL. I do realize that in order to optimize monetary gain, Carnival Cruise Line has staterooms that accommodate a maximum capacity of four guests. Thinking from the cruise line's perspective, I agree that creating staterooms that can accommodate more guests is overall most beneficial. Would you be opposed to cruising with another line? There are many other lines with better options for solo cruise guests. I also know that @euroguy may have some insight here.

@Seaawgs That's so true! Waste can be relative to cost, to some degree. I guess it all depends on the circumstance truly. I'm not quite sure if you usually purchase the Premium beverage package onboard, but I do agree that most purchasers are looking for quality over quantity. I would make the casual assumption that the basic beverage package purchasers are more likely to purchase quantity over quality. Would you agree?

I think that cruise lines are making the tough decision to either increase the cost of certain dining options or reduce the options in the MDR to both turn over a larger profit margin and reduce food waste. 

Well, I agree with your wife then! Shopping is definitely relaxing, especially with a drink in hand. It's certainly one of my guilty pleasures. I'm most interested in the malt whiskeys and cigars! A shop like that would make for some great Father's Day gifts.

@Pianoman I'm bummed you had such an upsetting dining experience onboard this Holland America Line ship. I agree that the $35/person upcharge warrants a great experience! I'm also hopeful that the updated menu will be enhanced to become more likable for guests. The customer service should have definitely been better than "rude and dismissive."

@Bill The cruise line has significantly been increasing its pp upcharge for Canaletto! I didn't really how the prices have gone up so much, but I can't say that I'm surprised either. Pasta is definitely an Italian staple! 

@Jeffrey I too would appreciate some additional information here. This seems quite vague. How is Carnival Panorama operating under false pretenses? Why are you supposed to be receiving compensation? 

@Woody14 I'm right there with you! 

@Woody14 I agree that a 5-person stateroom would likely need to be booked by calling customer service. The representative would be able to give you some good answers here. 

@mcnattsteve1960You can't go wrong with Carnival Cruise Line. The line has a really appealing style for everyone; it's truly inclusive for all. There is something for everyone onboard. What is your favorite CCL ship? You must have a pretty awesome loyalty status with the line! 

@CARDRIVERCAROL What was your preferred port of call if this clearly wasn't your favorite? I personally haven't been to Skagen, but I have heard good things. It's supposed to be a more quaint, smaller port of call. Were you able to do any sort of excursion while you were there? Why wouldn't you recommend this port of call? I would appreciate it if you could expand on this a bit more.

@kefthecruiser Based on this statement on buoyancy, the larger ships actually sink deeper into the water. The vessel has to potentially have a different, sleeker (slim) design than the smaller boats. I wonder if the boat's depth has to shift depending on the ship's tonnage. That would make sense to me. The larger ships weigh more, and at the same time have to accommodate more people/things, and the overall weight increases substantially.

I'm sure total weight distribution is super important too. Can you imagine how the ship would potentially shift if all of the cabins and guests were on one 1/3 of either end of the ship? I would imagine either the front or back end would tilt. Based on your engineering knowledge, does this principle have truth?

@kefthecruiser Thanks for all the great information! I love how knowledgeable you are in terms of hurricane info. You really know your stuff! I had no idea that homeowners insurance does not cover storm surge damage. However, it does make sense that flood insurance would cover any storm surge damage. If you are located in a flood zone in Florida, you must have flood insurance coverage. I love booking cruises at that time of the year as well. The prices are great, but you definitely run the risk of itinerary changes!

@euroguy This was definitely a bummer situation! Cruise captains need to have the proper knowledge to make better judgment calls. It's always better to play it safe than to be sorry. 

I have always been curious how pools are designed onboard cruise ships from how the ship stays float with so much water weight onboard to how the ship's piping system is designed. Royal Caribbean Line just revealed its latest pool design onboard Icon of the Seas. Icon of the Seas will have 62% more water surface areas onboard than any other ship at sea, offering at least 7 differing pools. The ship will offer a swim-up bar called Swim and Tonic onboard! This mega-ship will also have the biggest waterpark to be constructed on a cruise ship, Category 6 waterpark. Engineers must have thought long and hard about making this ship a reality! 

I don't enjoy the use of paper straws but it's definitely nice to offer, at least for the kids or anyone who might need it. Although I prefer a straw while drinking cold drinks, it's not the end of the world if I don't have one. I think the perk of more paper straws is that they are biodegradable versus forever-lasting plastic. Thankfully if I ever overorder, I know my husband will finish it off. My husband will always clear off my plate, and it definitely can work in my favor. I agree though; there is no need for food waste, especially when there are still parts of our work battling access to food and water daily. How privileged we are to have access to cruising! 

I thought the same thing! It's super ironic that this perpetrator actually worked as a cyber security officer for the city, especially for that long. This guy worked for the city for 20 years! That's a long time, and I'm sure many coworkers didn't see that coming. It's so upsetting to think about this because I think it happens all too often and goes unnoticed more than we would like to believe. I'm glad he was caught, and I hope many victims come forward with a good testimony to keep this perpetrator from endangering more people!

@Woody14 I love how you created a cruise line class that entails waterslides, hairy chests, and belly flop contests. Do you think RCL is more "upscale?" I find them so comparable and both lines tend to have a pretty "alive" evening crowd. I haven't cruised with Celebrity Cruises, so I'm interested to hear your opinion on the nightlife options. Do you think CCL has a more wild nightlife scene than Celebrity Cruises? I enjoy MSC Cruises' diversity for sure. Out of all of the cruise lines I have cruised with MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises have the most well-rounded guests from around the globe.

Celebrity Cruises just released pretty cool video footage of a medical evacuation onboard Celebrity Eclipse. Do you know why helicopters can't land on cruise ships?

@Vic I hope you are enjoying your cruise! I'm glad you have such a positive attitude toward the itinerary updates. I love that Princess Cruises has done such an exceptional job at keeping guests informed and in the loop. It shows how much the line cares for its guests. The line values guests so much that it diligently tried so hard to get cruisers to Skagen after all. I'm glad you will be able to stop there! Let us know how the port of call was.

Deck 6 of MSC Euribia is going to feature the largest shopping center onboard a cruise ship. This Luxury Plaza onboard MSC Euribia will offer a grande shopping experience from cigars and malt whiskies to sustainably produced and eco-friendly products, aligning with MSC Cruise's sustainability commitments. From smartwatches to cell phones, the MSC Euribia Luxury Plaza will also offer the most Samsung products in the entire fleet. This is going to be one ship where you can shop till you drop!