3Sisters

Another cruise line will be selling one of its fleet members! The Carnival Corporation-owned brand, Seabourn will be selling Seabourn Odyssey. At least the ship will be cruising expedition itineraries through the middle of next year. This ship will be in the hands of a Tokyo-based shipping company in August 2024. Is anyone booked on this ship? It may be one of the last opportunities to vacation in luxury onboard Seabourn Odyssey.

@CVB Hopefully you are able to reschedule a cruise onboard Marnier of the Seas. It's a great ship that actually underwent a refit in 2018 that cost $120 million! Apparently, April 6, 2023, will be the date it returns from dry dock. I hope this happens and other guests don't have to experience this very last-minute email that their anticipated cruise vacation is being canceled.

@LukeJ The luxury cruise line, Azamara, has options that cruise to Greece. I have been very interested in this cruise line because of its epic world cruise options! Recently, Azamara Quest was affected by some awful weather! The ship had to reroute its itinerary to stay safe from Cyclone Hale. Since the itinerary shifted, Azamara Quest visited a less-popular port, Timaru, instead. Has anyone traveled to Timaru before? This is actually the first time I learned about this port of call.

@KeithG I think Carnival Jubilee is going to be amazing. Have you considered booking its inaugural voyage?

As much as I love cruising, I'm not sure I would be cut out for the job! The job doesn't seem to have enough time off for my liking, but the obvious perk could certainly be traveling! I think if I ever worked on a ship I would prefer a smaller, more intimate crew and boat. A ship that traveled to several new-to-me destinations would likely make me reconsider.

@KeithG Maybe there is a shortage. I'm noticing random shortages everywhere, like eggs. Easter is right around the corner and I found a funny meme that said, due to the cost of eggs we will be painting potatoes instead of dying eggs this year. I didn't think it was such a bad idea! I love the idea of giving guests the choice. Opting in or out of the newsletter during the web check-in could reduce waste and the overhead cost of production. Was this your first time cruising on Carnival Vista?

@Carol Dean That's no fun! Crowds are oftentimes a good sign for the cruise industry. It means they are meeting their sales goals and financially recovering from the previous year's losses. I'm not thrilled about the staffing cutbacks, but I really hope it all begins to regulate itself. I'm sure it's not an effective long-term plan. Guests like yourself are going to likely notice diluted customer service.

@KeithG Thanks for the update! Everyone is so stoked about the return of the Fun Times newsletter. I wonder why it has been announced but not actively distributed yet. I thought someone mentioned that their cruise had it onboard. Maybe Carnival Vista needs to catch up! There could have been a potential printer issue too I guess.

@Fredkelk You sure know your stuff about traveling through the U.S.! I'm curious, what are some of your favorite spots to camp? I would love to take a month to explore the midwest in an RV. Do you know if you can park your RV in the traditional parking lots at the port? I'm sure there is outdoor parking at the port that could work.

@Cruiser99girl That's pretty awesome you were able to meet a horticulturalist onboard a Royal Caribbean Line ship! I wonder if the owl was provided with specialty foods onboard to sustain its existence. "Owlcatraz" was the best thing I have heard all day. I don't know if the owl deserves that sort of punishment but "owl" never really know.

@MaggieGirl323 That's such a bummer! I have experienced things like this before, and it's usually up to the entity's discretion whether to honor the listed price or not. I'm sure Royal Caribbean is not excited about this issue. I would imagine the price of Atlantis is pretty standardized and pricing is not up to the cruise line so maybe the line would be losing money due to this mistake. I hope you still get the opportunity to visit Atlantis and enjoy all of its beauty! What cruise ship will you be sailing on? The Bahamas has lots to offer so I hope you still make the most of your time there.

@FJB I totally agree with you there but prices have gone up everywhere. It depends on the cruise line but generally, you have to consume at least 7-10 of the included drinks per day in order to get your money's worth. I like the idea when the tip is included too it makes the process more simplified when I don't have to do math or sign a recipet.

@kefthecruiser Seaweed on beaches is no fun, especially if it harbors sea lice! I hope that the large ships chop it up really well and help dissipate the issue a bit. I don't think this is the worst of the problems Florida is facing right now, but I would truly hope that it helps lessen the formation of hurricanes! That would be a significant plus to this mass if that is the case. Also, the Atlantic coast isn't unfamiliar with seaweed, but it doesn't make for the best walk at the beach.

@happyday This is some good information on beverages onboard, and it explains the purpose of beverage packages and outlines them a bit for you. The prices have changed but the structure is relatively the same. https://www.cruisehive.com/drink-away-4-cruise-line-beverage-packages-explained/14983

@happyday Soda definitely won't be included in the traditional selection of onboard beverage offerings. Water and coffee are usually included but not bottled water. If you don't drink alcohol it's likely best to either purchase the non-alcohol package or simply pay per soda beverage consumed. @Woody14 I had about the same response! I usually only get the beverage packages for the purpose of consuming specialty coffee beverages and alcohol since I rarely consume soda. It can be a money saver if you use it enough.

@kefthecruiser You cracked me up too! I'm not sure if I could top your comedy here. I could add that I noticed that Carnival Cruise Line has some new beverage options. The cruise line partnered with Lyre's and it sounds like a great combo. I love that Lyre's uses only all-natural additives. I'm not prone to consuming much of anything artificially produced nowadays.

@Onboard This is such a thorough and wonderful cruise review! Your itinerary sounds exceptional. I appreciated all of the details you shared on this cruise experience. I definitely think air conditioning is absolutely a must, so it's such a bummer the ship is having issues with that. I agree that the drink package certainly sounds valuable for Ambience, especially if you typically consume quite a few of the covered beverages per day. Thanks for sharing all of this awesome feedback!

@Busia42 You can't go wrong with cruising to Alaska! Norwegian Jewel will be a great cruise ship too. I'm curious, which port of call will you stop at?

@FJB That's wonderful news! Were you able to stop at all of the scheduled ports of call? With Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas overbooking it makes me think grabbing travel insurance would have been a great choice while booking that cruise. That's a significant error on the cruise line's behalf. I'm sure they are dealing with some pretty furious cruise guests right now.

I'm very excited about Carnival Cruise Line's new port progress. Before we know it, CCL's new port will be open to cruise guests. This photograph makes the new port in Freeport, Bahamas seem so much more tangible. It's incredible to see all of the planning begin to unfold. https://www.cruisehive.com/photos-reveal-progress-at-carnival-cruise-lines-new-port/95608

I was just reading through this article. I never really realized all of the rich histories that Cunard Line has. This photo is truly an incredible piece of history. https://www.cruisehive.com/cunard-line-unveils-historical-photo-exhibition-from-past-100-years/95491

@Arie Gutman Thanks for sharing that information on Explorer of the Seas! I can't believe that Wonder of the Seas oversold for spring break this year. Have you cruised onboard Wonder of the Seas yet? I would imagine it has to be so packed with guests, especially if the ship is overbooked. It's the world's largest cruise ship. I highly doubt that any guests who were originally booked onboard Wonder of the Seas will want to transfer to Explorer of the Seas. The experience doesn't really compare to sailing on the world's largest cruise ship! I guess it's all a part of the spring break chaos.

@Jeff Erskine There is certainly so much history on the M V Brittanic. It looks like the ship was scrapped in 1961, long before my time. Thanks for sharing the reminder to celebrate this momentous occasion! Are you a WW2 Veteran? Have you cruised on any of Cunard's other ships since this occasion?

@pjs22I truly don't know if you will make that flight time without prior arrangements. You could request priority disembarkation, and this may give you the advantage to make it in time. Uber could work just fine for a family of five but it is going to be harder to come across for larger-sized cars. Uber also can take at least 30 mins for a car to be ready and available so arranging something ahead of time would be best. I recommend finding an airport shuttle service or transportation company that you can reserve to pick you up at 8:30 am at the port. Which cruise line are you cruising with? If you can get in the taxi to the airport by 8:30 am and arrive at the airport by 9:30 am you should be fine. It looks like about an hour from the cruise port to the airport. I would say you should go to guest services once onboard the ship and explain to them your situation to see if you and your family could be accommodated to have priority disembarkation. Realistically you would want to try and exit the ship close to 7 am, no later than 7:30 am and then potentially carry off your own luggage to save time. The megabus looks like your best option and will pick you up from the airport. I recommend just looking into that schedule and seeing if you can get him on the bus that day.

@ombud Starlink has changed the wifi service at sea! In my opinion, if you seriously needed wifi service for business or educational purposes, you need to invest in using the Starlink service. I have heard it's a significantly better and more reliable service onboard the cruise ships that have it. Although for leisure or more unimportant browsing the traditional service would probably do its job just fine. @lovetotravel104 Did you have the option to purchase Starlink onboard?