Cruising Caribbean

@DeanLand Thanks for the update and the positivity you have. It clearly was a letdown to stop there, but it seems Cabo Rojo has lots of potential and opportunity for growth, but right now it's not ready. I prefer the historical, established ports with lots of culture and scenery. The "fantasy ports" as you describe them aren't my favorites, but as you said, cruising in general is amazing. You have to appreciate every moment you have during your cruise, even if there are some flaws. I try to take it all with a grain of salt. For every one thing that's bad, there are always nine more things that make up for it. For me cruising has always been one of the most enjoyable and relaxing vacations I could asks for. I'm glad you were able to make the most of your cruise despite this unfinished port. 

@Balmy Jones That must have been so epic! It's quite rare to see it all happen in real life. I haven't seen anyone hit the jackpot before. Maybe that's why I don't play very often, because I don't think it's even possible. I doubt it's worth the gamble! This photo is work 1,000 words. You look so happy, and I'm so glad you were able to document such an experience. I'm assuming you are a blackjack person. Is that your favorite casino game? 

@Kirk Gillespie That's a wild situation! With insurance, you should have totally been able to change your sail date. I'm also curious, just as @Woody14, when is you r embarkation date? If it's within 48 hours that could make a huge difference. I'm sorry about you being ill, and I think it's very respectable that you chose to keep away from others while you are contagious. Will you be cruising regardless? I'm hopeful by the time you get on your itinerary you will no longer be contagious to others! That could be a big problem if it circled around your upcoming cruise. If you choose to cruise on your original itinerary, what precautions do you plan to take?

@FJB I think you are right about that. There is potential that all food/drinks onboard could actually be charged to all guests. There would be no such thing as "included" or "complimentary." This type of cruising wouldn't be for me. In fact the cruise line that begins this trend will likely get loads of backlash. I love the convenience of cruising. The pay one price, get the basics idea is perfectly simplified and practical for the average vacationer. If cruising becomes more complicated than this, I will begin looking to vacation in other ways. The cruise lifestyle is for me but not if it becomes overly complicated. 

Hopefully the guest and baby are both doing alright. This much have been such a traumatic experience, but DCL handled the situation so well! In fact, DCL does most things right, and I have been tempted to begin cruising with the line. I have been hesitant for so long due to pricing, but I'm thinking the extra expenditure will actually end up being worth it. 

Disney's private island is looking so cool! Lookout Cay will be welcoming guests this June and I'm really excited about it. I'm tempted to book a cruise to this Bahamian island and check it out! I think it's going to have some epic features, unlike any other private island options to date. Some of those unique features will surely be Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

@Woody14 No apologies for being Canadian! I love Canadians. Yes, you are correct, minimum wage is the lowest amount you can get paid per hour legally. The minimum wage doesn't apply to the waiters/waitresses because they are assumably making more due to tipping. A server will make something much lower and then receive tips on top of that to make up the difference. Typically in the US, this ends up being a good deal because you get good tips to compensate for that lower hourly wage. The idea is the tips have you actually making well above the typical minimum. I think all wages should be livable amounts. That just makes sense. You can't work a 40-50 hour work week to discover you aren't making ends meet to at least pay for a small rent and minimal necessities. Everyone should be able to at least get the essentials. We all deserve a minimal lifestyle if we work hard/diligently and play by the rules. Don't you agree? 

That's a big group of refugees! Carnival Paradise saved the day a lot. It's turning into a rescue ship. I think the ship really knows what it's doing to make such good timing like that and stay on track. It almost seems unfair that CCL has to use its resources to do such a task. Do you think the cruise line gets any kickbacks for doing such charitable work? I understanding saving others is extremely important, but why does is continuously fall on the lap of cruises lines? 

@kefthecruiser I have an idea. What if you put all of you VIFP "junque" into your new VIFP tote and store it in the attic? Yes, you will have to store it, but at least you won't have to dust it! I have contemplated living in an RV, but I have too much "junque" I would have to bring along. It may be a good idea when I'm retired. Clearly I love traveling by ship or car (I definitely prefer cruise ship), so exploring the world while living my day-to-day would be so ideal. Needless to say, if I lived in an RV, all of the "junque" would have to go.

@LukeJ Every country does things so differently! Some countries I travel to have excellent public transit options, and others don't have good systems at all. If I'm new to the area, I always opt to rent a car if I'm staying for more than 24 hours. If I'm staying for less than that, I will just taxi to wherever I need to go in the day light. Taxing at night (particularly if I don't speak the native language) is pretty intimidating.

How could you be charged for the amount of rooms in your home? That is insane! How do they even know how many rooms you have in your home? If you add a bedroom and don't tell the city, will you be subject to a penalty? I'm blown away by this. It sounds so controlling! 

@georgie I'm so glad you had a wonderful cruise experience on MSC Seaside. I cruised on MSC Seaside when it first started welcoming guest aboard, and I absolutely loved it. I have only had the opportunity to cruise on it for 7-nights, but I would absolutely do it again! You must be a talented writer if you received such a gift! A replica of MSC Seaside and a thank you letter from the captain is huge! Most people can't say they have received that from a captain before, but then again, I don't think most people write poems about their cruise! I would love to read your poem. Do you typically write poems about your cruise experiences? What did you think of MSC Cruises as a first-timer with the line? Would you cruise with the line again?

@RoadTravelled You know your stuff! Thanks for sharing those extra shareholder benefit details. I have been itching to become a shareholder for this very purpose. It's very impressive you have already been able to recoup the money you have spend on buying 100 shares. I think you nailed it on the head; the shareholder benefit can't be combined with any other reduced-rate offers. 

I'm not surprised the fax situation is not used like it was in the past. Faxes aren't as commonly used anymore. It's so much easier for the cruise companies to track the shareholder benefit through the app. It's a simplified "paper trail", just without the actual paper. We live in a digitized world today! Keep us posted if this ends up working out for your 2025 cruise!

@Whistleblower2024 It's unfortunate an outbreak like this occurred. Unfortunately, viruses like this spread all too quickly. Were you cruising on either of these itineraries mentioned? I'm surprised the ship would have ran out of tests onboard. I'm more curious to learn about how this situation affected you? Did you become ill at some point? RCL is known to be a very clean ship. I would be very surprised with the bed linens weren't being properly sanitized, particularly if there was an alleged increase in sickness onboard. 

@jstockard Did you get to the bottom of this charge? It seems pretty strange. 

@kardut That sounds so scam-like! It's almost hard to believe the charge came from RCL. You really never know, and you can't trust anyone nowadays. Even if the company is safe, there can always be a bad seed that doesn't follow protocol. Eventually, if this happens, the company eventually finds out. The only way this could all work itself out is through customers calling out the "cruise line" for fraudulent charges. I'm glad your card company was able to help you dispute it. That possibly could be true! Let's just hope these "mistakes" are taken care of and don't occur again. RCL is known to be a reputable company that wouldn't let things like this slide. 

@havingfun All of those Alchemy Bar drinks will be good ones to try! I second that bitters in a mocktail can taste delicious. Which CCL ship will you be cruising on? On my last cruise I tried a tonic for the first time, and it was delicious. Anything with tonic would make a great mocktail too. Cranberry or pineapple juice with seltzer water and a splash of lime is my traditional non-alcoholic go-to drink. Any bartender can make you that! 

@Madeline mascari I'm so sorry you had such a sickness onboard your past cruise vacation. It sounds like you were sick for most of your cruise! Did you feel the Brilliance of the Sea's crew handled the situation well? I'm sure you were so grateful to have the medical team onboard. I'm assuming this didn't happen due to something you caught onboard. Easily spread viruses can wipe out a cruise ship pretty easily due to so many guests all circling in small areas. Recently a 32-night Sapphire Princess cruise to Hawaii had a viral outbreak. Unfortunately many became ill on this long itinerary to such beautiful destinations! I would be so bummed if I became ill on such an epic itinerary! 

@Mrs H It's unfortunate you had an experience like this! If you are cruising with a family-friendly line like RCL, you can expect to see lots off this. It's not uncommon. I don't think il behaved children are pleasant, and it's unfortunate so many children are unruly today. I have many observations as to why children in this day and age are particularly unsatisfied and unruly, but that is beside the point. If circumstances like this are a deal breaker for your cruise experience, you should try another cruise line that is geared towards older adults or adults-only cruises. There are many other cruise lines that you will enjoy that don't come with this crowd. Every parent/child is different, and you can't expect all children to be well behaved or parents to respond appropriately to poor behaviors. That would be an unrealistic expectation. 

As @Jim Lamb stated, CCL isn't any better. You have to realize these are kid-friendly cruise lines, and most of its ships are designed/geared towards children. It would be better to try another cruise line like HAL, Princess Cruises, or Virgin Voyages and see how it compares. 

@LukeJ I'm not sure if I would be open to all jobs on a ship. I would potentially be willing to work at the specialty restaurants. Those seem more slow paced than the included dining options like the buffets and MDRs. I would potentially work in the casino too. I wouldn't want to bartend. I also wouldn't want to have to clean anything onboard because I would feel like I'm spinning circles. Entertaining would be a rough job too. A dancer would be something entertaining! I would rather work at guest services than have to dance on stage. 

@euroguy I'm glad you chimed in here. You seem to drop your priority bags all the time at the port without issue. I also love that your stateroom is always available once you hop aboard. That's something most guests don't get the opportunity to have. Do you typically get your bags delivered to your stateroom quicker than most? The last cruise I was on we barley got our luggage by dinnertime. My husband's suitcase didn't even come in time and he had to wear what he had on to the MDR that evening. 

@Miss Lizzie I appreciate your willingness to pass along the info! I will keep my eye out for the pricing. I hope your wedding ends up turning out fantastically magical. Disney Cruise Line knowns how to make everything so special. You chose the right cruise line for your occasion! 

@Disgruntled consumer I have heard this on several occasions! It seems so scam like. The timing is usually very calculated with NCL. If I were to cruise with NCL, I would not recommend booking my airfare through the line. I likely will not be cruising with NCL due to the issues I see other guests having such as constant changes in itineraries and things like you mentioned. What ships/itineraries will you be cruising this summer? I will be very interested to see if the line is able to follow through with its advertised itineraries. I wish it wasn't the case but the line seems to lack consistency across the board. I'm sad you had this experience, and I hope your upcoming NCL itineraries aren't the same.

@LukeJ That's right! Cruising seems to be more popular than ever, and it's almost like everyone is catching on to my favorite vacation ever. The hosing prices/cost of living is getting out of control in the US too. Unemployment was an an all time high not long ago because in some cases it was almost more lucrative to be unemployed and collect unemployment than it was to go to work. The food prices are affecting the hospitality trade, and less people can afford eating out. If you are eating out you are looking for low cost, fast food style options that aren't good for your body. I try to cook most all meals at home and go out for a special occasion about once a month unless on vacation. At home I cook organic, grass-fed meats for the most part and it's so expensive. It would be cheaper to eat out, but the quality of the food would be far lesser than that of what I provide at home. If I'm hosting guests, I can't afford to feed everyone the organic meats/food items so I typically have to buy the regular products in order to feel financially comfortable enough to host. I love hosting; typically I host a few times a month. Since I'm feeding a large group I will buy the regular meats and fruits/veggies in bulk and not think twice about it. I would rather be able to host and sacrifice food quality than go out and spend way more on an even more processed meal.

@FJB They go by fast! Also the good excursions always end up booking up so quickly. I have noticed the longer I wait to book an excursion through the cruise line, the less desirable options I have to pick from!

@euroguy I feel very similarly. Out of all the changes Carnival Corporation would possibly make, I just don't think the loyalty match will end up being one of those. The levels per cruise line are so unique, not very similar to one another, so trying to find a perfect match is almost impossible. You did a great job breaking everything down. This loyalty match, cross over thing wouldn't be the most lucrative decision for each cruise line. If you haven't been loyal to all of the lines, maybe you don't deserve to get those loyalty incentives.

@Miss Lizzie That's always the best way! Let the bridesmaids decide what they want. Since the ceremony is on the ship those rates should be pretty standard, but please share any additional info you get on those prices. I'm sure many other brides would be curious to hear the price options. This is such a perfect way to get married for two Naval veterans! It couldn't be more magical than choosing a Disney Cruise Line ship either. To me, if you are cruising for your wedding, you should celebrate on the ship, otherwise you can just choose a destination wedding. There is something so peaceful about getting married on an open body of water. I don't think there is anything like it. It's a honeymoon and wedding all wrapped in one! 

@euroguy Free play money is what I was talking about! It gets you in the casino showing off you skills every itinerary I'm sure. I can imagine with the free drinks everything just goes by too quickly! What is your drink of choice in the casino? Do you have a typical time of day you prefer to play? I would only be able play with a glass of wine in the evening, otherwise I would likely choose the pool lounger instead. I like that strategy! It could potentially work if you if you opted out of playing rigorously one cruise, and then the line would lure you back with an unbeatable offer. That may be your key to a suite "sweet" offer. I wish there was someone to ask who has tried that method before. I wouldn't want you to get less offers for playing less; that's the alternative!