3Sisters

@Seaawgs That's so exciting! Have you cruised with any other fleet members or Edge Series ships? A country boy menu sounds delicious too! I think Celebrity Cruises should consider that actually. I believe others would enjoy this style too. Biscuits and gravy would be a great addition! I looked into this maiden voyage itinerary and all interior and ocean-view staterooms are already sold out. I anticipate you will be cruising on a very full ship. Out of all the stops on this itinerary, my favorite is St. Thomas. The beaches are the best! Have you visited there before?

Celebrity Cruises new ship, Celebrity Ascent, will be providing guests with new culinary options onboard. Celebrity Ascent is set to begin cruising on November 2023, now with some awesome new beverage and dining experiences! The new seven-course plant-based menu sounds delicious. I'm intrigued to try it and I don't even eat a plant-based diet. Is anyone booked on Celebrity Ascent yet?

One thing is for sure, being a captain holds so much responsibility. Technically the captain is responsible for the safety of everyone onboard, and if anything goes wrong it falls on that person's shoulders. I wouldn't want that responsibility. The captain could have been rushing to dock because the itinerary was behind schedule and then this happens. I can't imagine having to maneuver this massive ship in moving water.... It takes many different people to dock such a massive vessel like this.

Yes, buying expensive clothing is not necessary. Good quality is a must, but name brands don't really matter. I prefer to sacrifice name-brand items for a cruise experience. To be honest the cost of an expensive, luxury purse or bracelet is the same as a week-long vacation. I have started to ask my husband for cruise vacation gifts instead of high-end fashion. I will stick with my generic t-shirt and bring it on my cruise for irreplaceable memories!

@Maggie Mae Marentette This is a good thought. I'm not sure CCL is the line for this. There are other great adult-only cruise lines that better fit this cruising experience. I see the value in a more peaceful, simplified cruising style, but I think this is a big ask for Carnival Cruise Line. What you described attracts a certain demographic, whereas CCL is geared towards attracting everyone with its fun ships. Have you been on an adult-only ship before? You may find exactly what you are looking for cruising with another line!

Not all the info has been released yet but here is the Cruise Hive article associated with the photo. https://www.cruisehive.com/passengers-captured-sitting-on-cruise-ship-balcony-railings/107486 This article shows more recent incidents of young children/adults making poor choices onboard cruise ships. This is an awful way to risk your life and a lifetime of cruising because it 100% breaks the safety rules of all cruise ships.

RCL cruise guests were spotted sitting on the balcony railing with their feet dangling over the edge. I'm terrified just looking at this photo. It appears to be one of Royal Caribbean's Radiance-class ships. These passengers are seemingly young adults or children. This is just so unsafe and not smart at all! Have you seen anything like this before off of your cruise balcony? I wouldn't dare!

I have confirmed from a friend that just got back from a Disney cruise that it is indeed a magical cruise experience. So, she probably would be unphased by this specialty restaurant price increase. If anything, the onboard restaurants will be booked out because of how amazing the Disney Cruise Line experience is. I guess I need to get on one of these ships and see for myself. That's an interesting way to have a Disney+ membership, via a bank! I'm so curious about Disney World in Europe. Does it have the same four parks of Epcot, Animal Kingdom, MGM, and Magic Kingdom?

@FJB I love that wine! This is the life! I'm glad you are back on the boards catching up. Your posts are always a good time. Also, it looks like you live in paradise. It's very sunny and you have the great outdoors in the shade. With some of these recent high temps in the US, shade is most necessary in the middle of the day. Even in the pool, I have been getting so hot this summer!

@FJB CCL suspended the search of the overboard passenger too. My heart goes out to Jaylen Hill (only 30 years old) and family. Apparently, he jumped from the CCL ship. This is so tragic. Should cruise lines be doing mental health checks for guests? I just hate seeing these stories on the news. I wish there was a way to stop these situations from occurring.

@FJB I love how you can feel like you can be yourself on these boards! I enjoy reading your posts and getting a laugh out of many. As long as no one is mean and abrasive to others, I think the diversity in opinions makes for a better forum! I am not the type to bow to our government and believe everything we are told. That's one of the reasons I enjoy these boards. I don't have to filter my feedback, and I can be myself.

@FJB I actually think that's such a smart idea! From a wife's perspective, doing special things like that definitely earn some serious bonus points. I haven't heard of a "Christmas market cruise." Is this just the traditional Christmas itinerary with a special meal and decor or is there more to this themed cruise? It sounds like a win-win. You get to cruise (ultimate vacation) and your wife gets to celebrate Christmas on a ship with a super relaxed husband! Does Viking have a Christmas itinerary that interests you?

@FJB That's very true! Hopefully @Leisa Slensby gives us an update! It sounds like a very upsetting situation but an update would be nice. Fraudulent charges should be handled onboard before you get off the ship, after that you can't really go retroactive. The cruise lines aren't interested in handling matters of the past.

@FJB It's so cool that your daughter was able to do a 2 week Viking River Cruise this month! These cruise ships are so VERY different from the major cruise lines. The major cruise lines offer a vast amount of amenities, especially for someone younger like herself. The areas she is visiting sound very amazing. So even if the ship isn't the best, the destinations totally are! You have a vast history of cruising. I would say, take a Viking River Cruise only for the destinations you visit and the itinerary. Don't take this cruise for the ship because it likely won't compare to some of the great ones you have been on!

@FJB I really agree with this statement. Most cruise lines are not able to be in tune with everyone's emotions and feelings; in fact sometimes they come off as cold-hearted. I wish it wasn't so, but an intimate experience can really only be found with an intimate cruise line or specialty cruise experience. If you are willing to pay for the top-notch staterooms and experiences, then you will receive top notch care.

@Ed sims It's a bummer that your cruise had to divert away from the Faroes. At the same time, I see the value in what you are saying. It does sound like this diversion and many others, will have a significant environmental impact on the Faroes. It was certainly the best PR move. Where will you reroute to? Hopefully, you will get to see another surprise port of call!

@Random person Do you have any additional updates from your family? Based on this message, it sounds like CCL is properly covering the guests' costs for this mishap. I'm glad Carnival Cruise Line is offering to cover the airfare and hotel/food as well. That is very generous of the cruise line. I don't think many cruise lines are that generous actually. I hope by now your family was able to make it on a flight back!

@Seaawgs That's definitely not the best scenario. I like the idea of giving the cash directly to the crew, without the crew having to deduct any taxes or report it to the cruise line. It's nice to just make a little extra something to have and use at your leisure without having it come out of your paycheck. To me, tipping extra cash is such a better reward for the crew. Now that my wheels are spinning, having the cruise line filter and manage the gratuities received is not the most beneficial to the crew. I wonder what is the preferred method of receiving tips from a crew members perspective. I think I would tip more cash than the mandatory gratuities cruise lines enforce today. What do you think @LukeJ? This envelope method could possibly keep the crew incentivized to provide the best customer service possible and actually find it worthwhile to do so.

@Woody14 I agree that eventually, all CCL ships are going to offer this new menu. @Lvb I would keep an eye on any updates. My guess is Carnival Pride will end up getting the new menu. Check out this viral video clip about the enchiladas served onboard. They don't look too appealing. Needless to say, CCL is getting some heat for the quality of that dish. Hopefully, the other options are of higher quality than these enchiladas! It's possible CCL offers this trial menu on some ships and keeps the good and tosses the bad, creating a whole new menu fleetwide. That would make the most sense. From this article, these enchiladas aren't going to make it to the final menu rollout.

@LukeJ I like your idea of all speaking up on this topic! Bottled water can be convenient but it's not environmentally friendly. With all the claims and attempts cruise lines are making to become more eco-friendly, this should be one area that is enhanced. If cruise lines have done away with straws, why not steer clear of plastic bottles? Now I'm thinking about bottled alcohol. That may be a tricky one to get rid of. I doubt guests will go for draft-only beers.

@rindybar MSC Yacht Club should certainly be providing you with conditioner, and if for whatever odd reason it isn't in your room, just ask your butler for it! The brand provided should be the MSC Spa brand, smelling delicious. Regular, non-spa brand body wash and shampoo are provided to all guests in the shower, but your experience will include top-of-the-line products. I hope you get the opportunity to spend time in the thermal suites!

@Delmar Sam I like your tenacity and how on top of it you are. I agree that you should make your frustrations known. Unfortunately, I encounter robotic customer service agents far too often. I don't enjoy talking to customer service agents because it oftentimes feels like I'm talking to a wall. I really hope the cruise line follows through with its advertised ports of call. After all of the time and energy you are putting into this, I really hope it pays off for you. Otherwise, I think you will be more than furious and disappointed at the cruise line's efforts, or should I say, lack of effort.

@Random person Oh no, I'm sorry your family is having to go through all of this during their cruise vacation! That is so stressful. Do they have a flight out today or will they need to stay on the ship overnight? Is the cruise line allowing guests to stay onboard until their flight departure time? I hope the cruise line isn't having guests evacuate the ship with nowhere to go.

@kefthecruiser Thanks for the history of tipping while cruising! I don't remember cruising with this tipping style, but I was still a child in 1999. I really appreciate your perspective actually. I prefer to tip for excellent service, and I don't like "not knowing" where my tipping is going. I love to tip and go above and beyond for those who went above and beyond for me. Maybe if the cruise lines pay their employees just a little bit more, then utilizing this optional tipping method could be better for the crew. It depends on the person how much they will tip. People like myself would tip greatly, others possibly not so much. I see the value in this system.

@LukeJ Do you think optional gratuities would be beneficial? I happen to disagree with that. I believe that if gratuities weren't mandatory most guests wouldn't tip. I would totally tip, but I don't think that the majority would do the same.