RLM77

That looks almost exactly like the meal we were served. Very overcooked, black something or other inside, and tasted burned. I stand by my original description of "almost inedible."

The reduction in breakfast choices at Java Blue was consistent each day (of a B2B by the way). The grab and go display case was empty and refrigeration clearly turned off. I don't believe this was a restocking issue. I completely agree with you about grabbing a burger or other "lunch" item right before closing. In fact, I wish they would hold these venues open until around 7 PM on casual nights. Would probably not be worth their time on elegant nights as far more people want to use the MDR on those nights.

We are just off Mardi Gras (as of May 4) having previously been onboard in mid-January. Much was just as we remembered it - personal attention from the crew, great service, very good drinks, fantastic music (especially Washboard Joe), very good entertainment at Center Stage. The Brass Magnolia is far and away my favorite bar at sea, and I've been in my share over the years 😁. But a couple things have changed, and not for the better. Food quality in the evenings seems to have taken a significant hit. The Beef Wellington was almost inedible as was a (new?) eggplant parm entree. A meat lasagne MDR entree that we both enjoyed in January has disappeared. My fried catfish was tasty enough but was served in about six tiny pieces rather than one or two larger ones. Even the everyday chicken breast was smaller and more dried out. Also on the subject of food, the quick bite breakfast items in Java Blue have been cut back. No more grab and go fruit and/or granola. Also fewer breakfast pastries and sandwich choices. Sure, there are other places to eat in the morning, but if you just want a light bite with your morning latte Java Blue used to be a one-stop choice. Finally, the A/C in the cabins appears to have been throttled back. Even on the first and last nights of the cruise when the weather was still somewhat cool we could not cool down the cabin as much as we could in January. Same at Roatan, which was hot/humid in January and didn't seem much different this time. The kicker is that it was the exact same cabin (my wife has a disability and we have a favorite ADA cabin). The pressure to reduce costs has apparently not abated even as fares reach record highs. There is still much to like about Mardi Gras and we are not currently planning on canceling any of our existing upcoming reservations. That said, Carnival may no longer be our first choice when considering new reservations. Rich

Thanks. I never bothered with their (or most other) rewards program(s) - I hate being nagged to do stuff that I might be doing - or won’t ever do - anyway. Guess I’ll have to join for this though. 10% on Cheers over 6-8 weeks per year on CCL ships adds up. Thanks much for the tip!

Can anyone describe how to navigate to the site for the AARP discounted gift cards? I’ve looked (and searched) all over the AARP site and can’t locate it. Thanks! Rich

On an Excel-class ship, has anyone successfully requested a specific waiter for their traditional seating? How did you go about that? We know that one of our favorites will be working on our ship in April (he signs back on the same day we embark) and we’d love to have him as our waiter again! Thanks for any help you can provide. Rich

Vista is in (or just out of) dry dock right now FWIW. Personally, I would avoid Port of Miami at all costs - took us nearly 4 hours to get out of the garage and port area last November. If you are looking for a newer ship that is very similar to Celebration I highly recommend Mardi Gras out of Canaveral. The itineraries are not as good, but just about everything else is as good or better than Celebration. Cheaper, easier parking. Faster embarkation/disembarkation. Slightly fewer passengers. And the combination of Brass Magnolia/Fortune Teller is miles ahead of Golden Jubilee/Latitudes. We have accumulated 630 cruise-nights on seven cruise lines over the past 18 years and Mardi Gras is our current go-to. If you can deal with the queues (both virtual and physical) you’ll love it. Rich

Thanks folks, this is helpful. The 11/12 cruise is the first of a B2B so I will set my alarm for midnight next week when the second set of reservations opens. Thanks again!

I need a reality check here. Our November 12 VL cruise (first one on Virgin!) just opened for dining reservations, presumably at 12:01 AM. When I went to make reservations at 7:15 AM, less than 8 hours later, I found only Pink Agave, The Wake, and Razzle Dazzle had any open slots before 8:30 PM, any night of the cruise. Additionally, although the app says I can make two reservations per venue for 6 night cruises I was only allowed to make one per venue. So I have no reservations at all for three nights as we gave up late dining (anything after 7 PM) many years ago. Does it sound right that there would be no early dining slots left on any night at Extra Virgin and Gunbae less than 8 hours after reservations opened? Will the app eventually allow second reservations at the other venues? Please share your experiences with this. Thanks. Rich

We definitely prefer the Excel-class ships but prefer them for an unusual reason that won’t impact you. My wife has a disability and requires an ADA cabin. We also strongly prefer balconies. Carnival’s older ships (pre-Vista) have very few ADA balconies; there are more of them on the Vista and Excel classes. For that reason we are late coming to Carnival and only attained Platinum status last year. But we really enjoy both the attitude of the crew and the entertainment options. Mardi Gras in particular has great music on board. They also mix a great drink😁. The MDR food is only okay and the long lines can sometimes get annoying, but overall the Excel ships are our current favorite. Decent value too, compared to RCL and NCL. Hope that helps some. Rich

We’ve been on Mardi Gras for 9 cruises and Celebration for two. Very little motion. In fact, we’ve commented that we miss the gentle rolling at night - we often sleep better on cruise ships than at home. Of course, no ship is immune from the effects of rough weather. But overall I sincerely doubt you/your SO will be bothered by the motion on this class. Rich

No argument with anything here - you obviously know this business inside and out. The only item I would take exception to is the “25-30 [years].” Celebrity offered a product that was at least passable (and sometimes better than that) right up to 2019. It wasn’t up to the standard once set on Horizon or Zenith, but it held its own with the rest of the industry. No longer, IMHO. All that said, if we’re ever on a ship together I’d be glad to buy you a drink. Rich

I find it interesting that new-to-cruise and new-to-brand bookings have apparently increased. I wonder if that is because they have managed to chase away some previously loyal customers? As an example we are Elite+ but have put X on long-term hiatus after some really terrible food in AQ. I wonder if some of the other X veterans have done the same? Rich

I agree completely. Test on Friday, fly with plane changes on Saturday, stay in a hotel Saturday night, embark on Sunday. The risk of contracting COVID between the time of the test and the time of embarkation seems fairly high. Theater indeed. Rich