keels81

Are we on the same cruise? On my VIP tour today, we were told it was at "capacity" at 87 percent with guests and comp'd talent/guests and it definitely feels crowded everywhere. Dinner takes 2+ hours, regardless of restaurants, if you aren't right there at opening with an opening time reservation. Gunbae tonight took us 3.5 hours (we sat down at 6:15 and left a little after 9:45, missing most of the Scarlet Night fun). They've run out of dishes and glassware every night to the point where bar service slows to a halt so they can handwash glassware to serve people. Last night at The Wake, they were using servers from The Galley to help expedite plate delivery and it so much of a disaster. I've never seen so much piled up plates of food/used dishes before and I've cruised Carnival and Royal, with dinners in their MDR. It's definitely not as fun if you aren't a Mega RockStar/RockStar. Also, guests are treating the staff like straight-up trash, so they're not enjoying this cruise.

I was on the Carnival Celebration at the same time (we saw y'all in San Juan!) and it was borderline miserable until we got back into the old Bahamas channel on our sea days back to Miami. On the excursion thing, on the Celebration almost every excursion involving snorkeling in Amber Cove and San Juan was canceled the night we left Miami (Sunday), and many things involving the south side of St. Maarten were also canceled. We had a private (non-cruise excursion) and we were only able to go to the north side of the island to snorkel and sightsee because the chop was so bad. Watching planes at Maho, we'd have to reset about every 3-4 minutes because the waves were so strong we'd be all the way back by the Sunset Beach Bar. Can't speak to St. Croix since we didn't port there, but you weren't alone in having excursions canceled in San Juan. Don't know if it was weather or short on staffing as they still recover from hurricane damage, etc., but I was also surprised at how many ships were in port that day.

This is the way.

He probably should pack a pair of pants for Elegant/Formal night, but a nice polo/button down with golf shorts and decent shoes on the Glory is pretty much par for the course down here. Either way, he won't likely get a side-eye or get refused service.

I was on a Cove Balcony on 5 on the Celebration and would gladly book an interior there again and again and twice on Sunday. It's easy to walk up to six, walk down to the gangway to get off in port and because you're low, it's easier to get an elevator to go all the way to the top. I was in a premium interior on 5 on Mardi Gras, so that's why I'd definitely pick 5 for an interior cabin.

On the Celebration, Craps is $10. There is only one table and if it's a casino cruise (like the Ultra I was just on), you'll need to stake out a spot at your preferred table hours before the casino opens or else you'll be waiting in a line upwards of four hours (specifically for craps) to get a spot, especially if the table is hot. After our first sea day, players were taping their S&S cards to spots at their desired tables and didn't get off the ship so they were guaranteed a seat. Blackjack was $10 at 6:5 pay table and there is only one table that isn't a forced progressive/bit game. I've only seen $5 craps on cruises out of Galveston this year (Breeze, Vista). It's been $10 on Mardi Gras, Valor, and obviously Celebration.

FWIW, I was booked on a canceled Jubilee sailing and the itinerary listings on the TA site had been restricted/removed since late October so I had a feeling that they knew a delay was coming and sailings were to be canceled, but they just hadn't decided when to start canceling. I can see the Pride itinerary listings and this is what it shows ... so, I think you're probably still good.

Also agree. The Vista stinks, especially if you're a casino person. Not having a casino bar sucks and makes the terrible layout of that ship even worse.

Ha! Maybe that explains why nobody was at Center Stage early. 🤣

Nothing to offer for the original topic at hand, but thank you for sharing these photos! Your family is absolutely beautiful and it was a real treat to see y'all through the years!

I was planning to only bring the Christmas one with me on Sunday, but now you've got me rethinking things ...

It's a no-brainer for my husband and I. Though I hate the plastic waste, I hate the taste of ship water even more and can easily go through 10 bottles of water in a day. I also love a Gatorade first thing in the morning, a couple specialty coffees later in the afternoon or espresso after dinner. And now Carnival has added the Celsius line of canned beverages to their non-alcoholic listing, and I could get close to breaking even before even getting to the booze. Back when I was drinking mostly beer, I'd still buy it but it would definitely question whether spending that much a day on 15 Miller Lites was worth it. But I drink almost exclusively vodka now and with the quality of the cocktail program on board, it's almost like I'm making money.

I'm surprised you haven't seen more of them at Saints games! Two fellas in my section have gold ones they wear every game.

Thanks, Greg!! I appreciate you taking the time to check it out!

Yup. Call the casino line at VV and see what they can do for you. I was hoping for an offer for my NYE sailing on the Valiant Lady but since I'd sailed earlier this year on the Scarlet Lady, I wasn't eligible for one from URComped. I was able to be connected to the casino department and after looking up my player history (all craps, if that matters) and sending them the best offer I have from other lines they were able to hook me up. Not the easiest way and it does seem like they'd prefer you to go through URComped, but it's a work-around until they get their official players club up and rolling.