mz-s

My next cruise I'll organize an LRC session but instead of money we'll play with the next best thing: bacon.

As soon as Carnival calculates an acceptable rake, LRC will return as a cruise director-led activity like Deal or No Deal.

They may not do it anymore but they used to do "Cozumel Plus" before COVID where they'd stay late into the night. And often with ABC itineraries, you'll stay until 10PM at one of the islands. With mine it was Curacao and that island is beautiful at night.

There's lots on info on this board about $CCL and the shareholder benefit. Do a search on the forum and you'll find it.

They are tightly regulated in fact. They wait for international waters largely to ensure they're not beholden to the rules of the individual state (many of which don't allow casino gambling).

Can't help with texting, but with Skype Premium you can make phone calls to landlines over VOIP and Carnival does not block Skype. They may also allow Google Voice, I have never tried. If you subscribe to Office 365, you get 60 minutes of Skype VOIP calls every month. Google Voice is free.

You can say whatever you want but words matter. It is prudent for us to use the same terminology and definitions as Carnival when we are talking about Carnival's products and procedures to avoid confusion. Again, Carnival blocks Wifi calling which is provisioned by cellular carriers. Whatsapp is not wifi calling and is therefore not blocked. Yes, you can use Whatsapp or Facetime to place audio calls but they are not carrier-provisioned wifi calling calls and you cannot use Whatsapp to call a landline phone number, which is what most people are interested in if they're asking for wifi calling. There are ways to make calls to landlines over Carnival's wifi - but that is outside of the scope of this discussion I think. No sense in muddying the waters unnecessarily.

Love seeing all the Celebration dates but was hoping for at least one out of Norfolk...maybe they'll add more.

I suppose it's possible that many years ago they didn't block wifi calling.

You haven't done wifi calling on Carnival, at least. Other lines don't block wifi calling.

WhatsApp, Facetime, etc., is not the same thing wifi calling. Carnival only blocks wifi calling.

Trust me, the only reason I let them have their fun is I happened to be there during an "off" time when there was plenty of seating. Had I had even the slightest difficulty finding a table then I would have pressed the issue. But I didn't want to go finding a problem when there wasn't really one to be found. I am shameless about moving towels and hats from loungers when it's clear the stuff is just there to save a seat for an undetermined amount of time.

As long as the phone is in airplane mode, calls and SMS won't go through.

They at least have plausible deniability until it is reported to them as happened in this case.

I was on a cruise last year or the year before and a group of folks had LAMINATED sheets that said something to the effect of "table reserved for so-and-so game group" that they would put on Lido tables when they decided they wanted to play Uno or whatever stupid game they played. Rude inconsiderate and the wrong cruise line for that kind of behavior. Charter a yacht if you want public areas of the ship for your exclusive use at a whim.

When I've had late flights out of MIA and been able to stay on the ship longer, typically last and final call to disembark is around 9:30, 9:35. Boarding for the next cruise often starts around 10:30. Disembarkation typically begins around 7AM so you can choose to leave the ship any time in that window depending on the disembarkation zone you select. You'll get information about that onboard.

It is not Cucina del Capitano for lunch, it is the Captain's Pasta Bar. Much more limited menu. Just simple pasta dishes, Cesar salad, and bread. But yes it is included and open every day, including embarkation day.

You can play for a bag of Cheetos or a pat on the back and it'll be fine. It's the fact that money is involved that makes it gambling and not allowed. I am choosing to believe John when he says that there are regulations that they have to follow because they have a casino and the only way they can ensure they are in compliance is to ensure that the only gambling on their ships is done in the casino. It makes sense.

So far only Virgin Voyages includes wifi in their base fare. While they are getting good reviews they're not a big enough player to really shake up the industry. The rest of the cabal is careful not to really step on each other's toes too much. They tend to cut from the experience rather than add to it.

If there is an airline critic, resort critic, restaurant critic, etc., website I am sure those fees are discussed there. This is cruise critic so we're talking about the racket of shipboard wifi at a time when it has never been faster, cheaper, or more available - or, why cruise lines are ceding the "work from anywhere" demographic to AIs, Hawaii, etc.

That probably is the plan behind the scenes but customer-facing they are not sharing all the information because anything could change.

People are willing to pay $15/gal for gas after a hurricane because they need it - but that is in fact criminal. I am not equating internet access to fuel, but Carnival evidently thinks internet access is their key to paying off the debt because they are charging ridiculous rates for it. They won't get it out of me, I can say that for sure.

$75/day for wifi is absolutely criminal in my opinion. I cannot fathom even considering paying that much money for internet access on a cruise.

Obviously Job #1 is to get industrial traffic flowing ASAP.

They'll come around with the pastry basket and offer you a pastry or two, but they no longer drop off a basket full of assorted pastries by default. If they still serve the cream cheese flavor, you can just ask for it then!