3Sisters

@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! 

Honestly, Sky Princess is such a lovely ship, and even if guests had to miss a stop, I don't think it would ruin this overall cruise itinerary. Apparently, the Sky Suites onboard happen to have some of the largest balconies at sea featuring amazing views of the ocean. Sky Princess also has the only jazz theatre at sea. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but the ship definitely has all of the bells and whistles! 

@VLH Thanks for the feedback! Water coming down the walls sounds bizarre. Maybe there was a minor leak in need of repair, but since you weren't able to see it, that's a good sign. I agree that MSC Seaside is beautiful, I'm glad you felt the same. Unfortunately, any protein, especially fish, can get this way when under heating lamps for a while. Proteins can get tough when overcooked or overheated.

What was your preferred spot for coffee onboard? I absolutely loved the Venchi shop onboard! The cappuccinos were exquisite, and so was the gelato.

MSC Cruises is very environmentally friendly; its Ocean Cay marine reserve and sustainability efforts go above and beyond in comparison to many cruise lines. In fact, MSC Cruises just sailed its first-ever net-zero emissions cruise. I appreciate this review. It says a lot about your priorities and how much you care about the environment! 

@Emrys Thanks for the heads up! I would imagine guests onboard Sky Princess may be a bit disappointed, but Princess Cruises really did a good job at facilitating a comparable port of call. Stopping in Zeenrugge, Belgium will be a nice, but unexpected, shift. At least guests still get the opportunity to get off the ship and explore somewhere new. 

@FJB I haven't cruised out of the port of Baltimore before! I'm curious to hear about cruise line options, airline and parking accessibility, and standard ports of call for Baltimore departing itineraries. 

@kefthecruiser I agree that the traffic in these areas can be wild, particularly in Port Miami. When traveling to Miami, particularly the port, give yourself an extra hour. The traffic is absolutely horrid almost all of the time, even in the middle of the night it can be trafficky. I agree, I prefer to cruise out of Port Canaveral than Miami, but Port Everglades is really great too because of the diversity in itinerary options. Port Everglades can be more congested than Port Canaveral. They are all close together so sometimes cruising out of the port with the best price and itinerary you are looking for is the way to go! 

@Clive73 I didn't realize the cruise line has been operating at 103% occupancy. That's excellent news for NCL. I think 100 pounds in a future cruise credit is pretty fair. It may not be the perfect reimbursement, but at least it's something. It shows guests that Norwegian Cruise Line values them. The demand for cruising is certainly on the rise, aside from the poor customer service, it seems like NCL is still performing pretty well. Were you affected by this shift in alcohol service? 

@Jim Lamb That's awesome. Probably a really nice crowd to perform for. Nothing like performing for vacationers who are relaxed and in a great mood. Then again, if you have a family at home, it's even better to be able to go home to them every night. Also, eating out all of the time doesn't compare to a nice homecooked meal! 

MSC Cruises will be cruising its first zero-emissions voyage. In fact, this will be the first-ever net zero greenhouse gas emissions sailing in the history of the industry. MSC Euribia will leave the shipyard in France on June 3, embarking on his historical voyage. I'm very excited to see the uproar in excitement over this major achievement. I think this is the beginning of a true industry shift. Do you agree?

All the cruise lines are beginning to invest in reducing food waste. Carnival Cruise Line invested over half a million in this mission, purchasing serval food digesters and parts. Believe it or not, all the food wasted onboard from things like guest leftovers used to, and may continue to, be discarded into the ocean! This causes big environmental concerns. Reducing the amount of waste by limiting guests in some way or another is much better than sending more scraps into the ocean unnecessarily. Let's think bigger picture. If you aren't satisfied with the offering in the MDR, go to the limitless buffet. Consider what you put on your plate and how you order, it's not necessary to waste. As intelligent human beings, we can be more strategic than that.

@John Lauterbach That would be a hard-to-fill request, but I agree that 2-4 drinks a day would be a luxury. At that point, I doubt any of the platinum and above guests would purchase the drink package. Considering Carnival Cruise Line is trying to recoup its losses, I highly doubt this suggestion will be taken into consideration at the bottom line. Most other cruise loyalty programs don't offer such a hefty amount of "free drinks." When I cruised MSC Cruises in years past, one of their stateroom tier options included 12 drink tickets! It was the best but the line has since taken that perk away. Also on day two of that cruise I found out I was pregnant, so that was a literal "buzz kill."

I agree that 1 drink per week cruise is pretty lame, but maybe CCL will meet guests in the middle. Even if Carnival Cruise Line just upped the offering to 1 free drink per day, that would be a great improvement. I'm anxious to see what the line ends up doing and how loyal guests respond to the impacting changes.

@thecruisegirl I'm not sure if Carnival Cruise Line offers this but I think they do offer price matching if the prices go down. I say that booking it now, where the prices currently are, is the safest bet. Prices are all on the rise, and I don't foresee them going down at all. That's just what I have noticed lately anyways. 

Also, you should totally do more asking on public forums! First of all, posting on the boards is fun and you get so many different perspectives and insights, and secondly sharing commentary with like-minded cruise lovers is such a treat. I enjoy sharing my experiences with novice cruisers, having my questions answered by super-experienced cruisers, and occasionally playing devil's advocate to spike up a healthy debate! 

@euroguy That is great advice. Take the offer while you can! 

@Woody14 This is more great advice. Sometimes just booking to save your spot can be beneficial. You can likely cancel or change it as needed, but at least you know you were able to pick everything out the way you would prefer it and save your spot ahead of time. 

@euroguy As sweet as the photo was, I'm not sure I would be the one kissing the camel, especially now that I have confirmation it could potentially spit in my face. I know people get really into their horses, but since I haven't spent much time around horses, I also don't think you would find me kissing a horse either. What a great memory though!

Tiger King was so very sad but also had some very hilariously absurd scenes. It felt so abnormal and surreal that watching it totally had me perplexed. I couldn't relate to the lifestyle at all and the drama and secrecy had me questioning so many aspects of the film! Let's just say, it was a great way to occupy my time during the shutdown.

I can't believe you actually wished the tigers were larger! Especially after watching Tiger King. Those things are carnivorous! You must live on the edge from time to time. I will enjoy watching the thrill from afar, these on-the-edge adventures have me on the edge of my seat!

@Jim Lamb That's my favorite combo, but the piano and singing combo comes in close second place. I guess guitar and singing are more versatile from rock classics to coffee shop mellow music. I always assume the piano/singing combo is more like a more jazzy, relaxing style. Very cool you are able to perform that often; you must be pretty good! Have you performed as a solo musician on a cruise ship before? 

@Lorrie I would hope by now Carnival Panorama already has its Starlink all set up. At the beginning of this year, Carnival Corporation announced it will be rolling out the Starlink internet service across all of its brands. https://www.cruisehive.com/spacexs-starlink-rolls-out-across-carnival-cruise-brands/92632

I would imagine all of the Carnival-owned ships should begin offering the service pretty soon! Have you used Starlink onboard another CCL ship before? I'm curious to see if any other Carnival ships are actively offering the service as of now.

@CM Cruising Wow, this is such a shame. I'm sure this was so upsetting for almost everyone onboard. I believe the cruise line is going to get nonstop complaints about this.

@euroguy These photos are amazing!  I love the colors and the clarity. I couldn't help but smile at the one with you and the camel kissing! Do they spit like llamas? If so, you took a serious risk. This looks like a nice camel anyways. The photo with the cub reminded me of the wild movie that came out called Tiger King. Have you heard of this movie? You were brave to experience all of these animals so up close. The dolphin would probably be the extent of my adventure. What a cool thing to say you did in your lifetime though! 

@CruzerfrVA You should be fine with taking an Uber or Lyft. It's the most convenient and safe option that comes around throughout the day at your convenience. If you get there with enough time, traveling with the shuttle is also a great idea and would probably be most affordable. I would say the taxi ride has to be cheaper than cruise terminal parking, but I try to avoid parking at the terminal if possible due to the high cost associated. 

@euroguy I love all of these super interesting strategies! I think that should be your next move actually, writing a book on slot machines. You may have to secretly publish yourself so the slot machine owners don't come after you! I didn't realize that you aren't able to earn as many player points while playing card games. That's good to know if I decide to start building some rapport in the cruise casinos. 

Based on your degrees, I would say you give expert legal advice! I do agree that your brain is certainly strategically wired to be able to formulate these very effective casino strategies! It takes a deep thinker to get to your skill level! If you contact the right person, maybe it's possible other cruise lines will take notice of your player skills. Have you explored your skills in Vegas? I have a friend that's constantly getting free stays there due to his casino game. 

@J441 That's a good thought. I wonder if this VAT can be avoided. Customer service reps often have no idea about all of these minute details. Sometimes they just pull an answer from their behind to appease the customer on the line and move on to the next call. From what the rep told you, it seems unavoidable, but based on the nature of the tax, it would make sense that purchases in international waters would avoid this VAT. The percentage is almost a joke to me, 21% is just way too high.

I think that's likely what happened. It's much easier to capture the perpetrator when there are plenty of onboard security cameras in an enclosed space; he couldn't hide. In a public atmosphere with no security cameras, the perpetrator could have planted a camera anywhere and received all the images without getting caught. I'm just thankful that the perpetrator was caught! That's I guess the highlight of a very wrongful circumstance. Now that the FBI is involved, he's completely exposed, even his name.

@J441 You just gotta love how the cruise line explicitly states the charge is for Spain's Value Added Tax, and then when you call the line says nevermind it's not that, and furthermore you have to pay it on everything. Sounds like a scam of a tax to me. Don't you think? 

@euroguy You didn't mention poker was your game of choice, but another reason to consider Virgin Voyages would be its recently added poker venue onboard Scarlet Lady. I wish CCL could spread the word to Virgin Voyages about your casino skills and maybe the line would host you onboard at a discounted rate! I'm sure you would absolutely kill it playing poker at this new venue. 

Port Miami has officially had its "busiest day ever" as it hosted over 67,000 cruise passengers on April 9, 2023. Known as the cruise capital of the world, Port Miami has seen some serious competition lately from Port Canaveral. Port Canaveral has recently begun overshadowing PortMiami, as it became the world's busiest passenger cruise port in February of this year. For those of you who have cruised out of either of these ports, which is your favorite and why?