ProgRockCruiser

22 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

and Modern Apizza (our fav),

Paul Giamatti was just extolling his favorite pizza on Kimmel the other night as Frank Pepe Pizzeria.  But he called it "apizza", like your fave, which I guess is a local New Haven thing?

Edit2: also, his favorite pizza from there (or one favorite): white clam and bacon pizza.

(Edited - I got the pizza joint name confused with what you suggested.)

18 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I guess I'm a purist.  These don't appeal to me at all.  When I want pizza, I want the traditional red sauce, cheese, etc.

18 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Me, too.  Those look awful

Sorry, I have to snicker - you do realize the "purist" pizza most Americans call traditional is nothing like "real" Italian pizza?  And a red sauce isn't required, nor is a flat layer of shredded cheese normal.  Shared from this website (and this isn't even a "real Italian Pizzeria in Italy", they're in Rochester, NY):

https://www.salvatores.com/blog/what-is-a-traditional-italian-pizza

You may be surprised to find that small discs of thinly sliced pepperoni aren’t on the menu at an authentic Italian pizzeria. Instead, a generous portion of prosciutto, large chunks of mozzarella, a variety of hand-picked herbs and greens such as rosemary, basil, arugula, and capers. Eggplant, garlic, and green peppers are also popular Italian choices for pizza toppings. 

These new offerings from Carnival look delicious to me.  But I like Hawaiian pizza, or adding jalapenos, so what do I know?

We were on the Mardi Gras in a forward facing balcony, dead center (well, the right side of dead center), deck 14 IIRC.  We experienced minimal winds on our balcony - you had to get fairly close to the rail to really feel it.  Sitting down, especially a bit back near the glass barrier, resulted in at most gentle zephyrs wafting by - I fell asleep out there one night it was so nice.  Even into a strong westerly headwind.  Seriously, the design, for that cabin at least, meant that the wind was really well mitigated.

On 1/16/2024 at 11:01 AM, Joebucks said:

I have never been on a more crowded ship than the Vista class. 

Interesting - I've heard that from a few posters.  We sailed on Vista in early Dec (2023) and I continuously commented to my wife that there did not seem to be crowds anywhere of any significance.  Yeah, there were line-ups for the comedy shows, but you could still slip in a few minutes before and get a spot and the side/back.  And occasionally "everyone" would decide they wanted a Guys Burger, so the line-up got big, but go back 30 min later and it was back to normal.  And sometimes we couldn't get seats at the bar at Alchemy, so we had to sit in the second row seating.

The captain did comment that they were sailing below max capacity, can't remember the exact figure but I wanna say about 80% to 85% (so probably 100% to 105% of double occupancy).

Shrug.

2 hours ago, x lindsay x said:

In Costa Maya going to the Chacchoben Ruins is a long bus ride but a great experience.

This may get moved to the Ports of Call area, but I second this recommendation - we did this tour, and while a long-ish bus ride, it's mostly straight roads (and fairly well built at that).  Really enjoyed the tour and taking tons of photos of the Mayan pyramids & remnants of other buildings/structures.  A good tour guide can be really informative.

2 hours ago, x lindsay x said:

I would go to Kohunlich ruins the next time I'm there but its even farther than Chacchoben. 

If we return to that port, we might do that other site.

On 1/10/2024 at 9:15 AM, mz-s said:

And once you get on the ship you'll be sitting around a lot because there really isn't anything happening on the ship until at least 1:30 when the cabins (yes including suites) are ready.

As @Earthworm Jim noted, there is plenty to do for self-starters, hungry people, and those that want to warm a bar stool.

If I could board at 8am and get a Bloody Mary and chill out in Serenity or the Red Frog Pub or in a hot tub, I would!

18 hours ago, Buckett said:

she broke her wrist yesterday and is going to need surgery.

16 hours ago, Buckett said:

she is leaning towards going.

Going back to this:

What is the timeline, other than apparently they are inside the final payment date/full penalty timeframe?  (That's within two weeks of sail date, I believe?)

If the cruise isn't for a week after the pending surgery (maybe surgery in next few days), then why not go anyway?  

If the surgery isn't until after the cruise, then (assuming it it immobilized properly) why not go on the cruise anyway?

I'd only cancel if the cruise directly interfered with the surgery date.  She is going to have a broken/healing wrist either way, may as well heal while on a relaxing cruise, with a Cheers package to help with the pain...

40 minutes ago, Buckett said:

I'm curious about Cheers package and prepaid gratuities, wifi package, all that. Does she lose that too?

33 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Those should be refundable.  But if she knows she's not going (and still in the window to cancel online) I would cancel them online now vs. hoping they get canceled and refunded correctly when she no-shows. 

Assuming all three in the cabin are adults, the "lead guest" cannot independently cancel their Cheers purchase, because all adults in same cabin are required to purchase.

The pre-paid grats will get auto-refunded.

The wifi package can get cancelled now.

I'm honestly not sure what Carnival does with Cheers pre-purchased for no-shows.  Anyone have any experience?  If they are not going to refund it, it would be cheaper to cancel for all, then purchase when you get on-board.

We don't cruise Carnival for the perks, but we're "only" Gold.

My "value" for the possible perks that lurk in my future:

Early access to the cabins, even just for drop off, is something I would certainly take advantage of, but doesn't stress me that I cannot do right now - we typically board around 11am (sometimes noon), grab a drink and do e-muster, and just carry the backpack(s) around for an hour or two and head to the cabin at 1:30pm.

The free laundry could be useful for certain stuff, but not a huge deal - we haven't had any issues packing 8 days of stuff in our suitcases (we don't have enough leisure time for anything longer), including two elegant nights worth of nicer clothing.

D&P party or free drinks?  We get Cheers, so I don't see that being useful unless/until we really reign in our alcohol consumption.

Tender priority?  Yeah, would be nice, though it is not too common for us to have tender ports recently, for some reason.

The one Gold perk we use regularly is the two free large bottles of water - but with Cheers we can get unlimited smaller bottles, so that's just a convenience factor for the beach outings.

So we are the outliers perhaps, where we cruise because we like what Carnival has to offer, and the "perks" are welcome but not driving any decisions.

If free wifi is possible in the future as a perk, I might need to actively avoid that because we cruise to disconnect - I don't need work hassling me over today's "emergency" (that will soon be forgotten during tomorrow's "emergency", rinse & repeat).

On 12/20/2023 at 11:40 PM, Pellaz said:

Do you perchance go on Cruise To the Edge? 

No, never have done that yet, and probably never will, even though I'd love to.  It typically falls at a time of year we're not really ready/able to cruise, and doesn't leave from our nearest port, so laziness wins over.

16 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

Funny before the sheet cakes pretty much everyone said they looked better than they tasted. Now everyone is clutching their pearls at the thought of not being able to eat them. 

I never really found the lovely-looking cakes tasted all that yummy, but I also found they were not available when I was in the mood for such a treat - I like cake mid-evening (say, 9pm) with a coffee or port, in front of the TV at home, not mid-afternoon after having downed a Pina Colada.  And any possible desire for late-night dessert on board was usually satisfied hours earlier by the dessert(s) from the MDR at dinner.  So I couldn't tell if they were bland or my palate simply wasn't ready for them.

So while I am not personally affected by the change, I do understand it will be perceived as a cut-back by many.

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

I was going to say this, Carnival's buffet bacon has always been overdone and I stopped taking any a long time ago.

The bacon we got at Brunch a couple of weeks ago on Vista was perfect, IMHO - cooked but not crispy, just a little soft.  Did not recall seeing bacon at the buffet, but we only got omelets from there on two occasions, plus the deli twice.  Oh, deli BLT bacon was perfect too.

🤷‍♂️

4 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

They have n0t had bacon every single day for at least 5 years, possibly 10.  You should tell the people who take a whole plateful on what it is…

Every cruise we took prior to the shutdown offered bacon every day at Lido breakfast.  And if you ordered a side of bacon in the MDR during brunch you got six slices or so.

And yes, I saw it being wasted.  Just like I see other food being wasted.  For some reason, Carnival has focused on the bacon.

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

No more bacon omelettes or bacon bits for your Guy's burger either.

But you can still order a pig patty at Guy's, which is how I get my bacon fix.

On 12/17/2023 at 1:35 AM, Pellaz said:

 

The same is true for Grand Turk.  While missing the point is rare, it CAN happen due to high winds because the dredged approach (the "fairway"?) is quite narrow.  The Captain told us during the Behind the Fun tour that the max sustained wind speed there to dock safely was 35 mph (I think; it might have been 35 knots), and on that cruise, we JUST barely made it.   There were one to two-foot waves between the ship and the shore...which at Grand Turk is pretty startling...and every water excursion including my snuba trip was cancelled.  

Were you on Vista two weeks ago?  Because that is exactly what the Captain told us during the BTF tour about docking in GT the previous day - the winds were almost too high, and yes, the max speed to allow docking is 35 knots, and they were getting close.

On 12/16/2023 at 9:40 AM, DallasGuy75219 said:

And in some cases, it's not even docking that's the issue in windy weather.  We almost missed a port (Roatan I believe) once because the channel leading to the port is too narrow to safely navigate with the wind at certain speeds and directions.

During that BTF tour, the Captain mentioned that Cozumel can be a problematic port because even in a low/no wind situation, the local current can be tricky due to the confluence of two different currents (from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea) meeting right there, with the cruise ship docks located in that channel between the island and the mainland, and if the current is too high it can cause a missed port.

You can get one small water bottle each time you order a drink on Cheers.

Coffee Bar is near Ocean plaza, Deck 5 Aft.  "Java Blue". Sort of opposite side from Alchemy Bar.

Some other bars may have coffee / espresso machines - the Lobby Bar should, for example.

Indeed, the rear MDR, Horizons Restaurant, was slotted for YTD last week on our Vista cruise.

On 12/8/2023 at 6:31 PM, Drazil65 said:

Have you tried keeping the door to the cabinet that houses the fridge ajar so air circulates around the fridge?  

This is what we normally do, and I did it last week on Vista.  But then our room steward removed whatever it was I was using to prop open the outer cabinet, and the fridge was still pretty cold - the Vista does have ventilation on the side of the cabinet, and I guess it is enough to allow the fridge to properly function.  (I had seen the vent but didn't think it would be enough.)

On 12/8/2023 at 10:17 PM, Old Fart Cruisers said:

If you keep the ice bucket in the mini fridge, not only will the ice last up to 24 hours, but the fridge will actually keep plenty cool.  The only down side is it take up some of the room inside the fridge. 

Indeed, if you can afford the room, that should work very well.

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

what day do the first passengers board?

From what I can see, 23 Dec 2023 is the "Christmas cruise" embarkation day.

36 minutes ago, geovet said:

Do thy at least cook sunny side up eggs ate the omelette station?

30 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

I think you have to go to the dining room to get cooked-to-order fresh eggs now.

On the Vista last week I saw people ordering (and getting) fresh eggs cooked to order - three over easy was one order that I definitely saw.

4 hours ago, kirtihk said:

And why is that?  Seriously, did virus affect peoples' brain in such a manner to reflect behavioral aspects?

I think there are several factors at play, IMHO: 

The biological impact of the virus itself may have changed certain subjects' behavior (for the worse).

The stress of lockdowns and restrictions (whether you agreed with them or not) can have a long term effect, whether or not you caught the virus.

A segment of the population learned throughout this period there are no real consequences for many of your actions, regardless of how callous or detrimental they might be.  Across the board, from "everyday people" to top-level politicians of all stripes, to so-called media/pundits, for almost any action imaginable.  And ignorance has once again become something to be proud of in much of the population: they don't know, and they don't care - about practically everything.

And that's why we can't have nice things like made-to-order omelets with bacon, jalapenos, and swiss cheese.

54 minutes ago, lennythenose said:

Were the vegetables pre-mixed or could you add only onions, for example?

There were three separate sources of veggies, IIRC: onions, red/green pepper mix, and tomatoes, and you could get what ever you wanted - all or one or none.

We were on Vista last week.  (I might do a review post eventually, but all that work I skipped last week has gotten in the way, so just enough time here during a lunch break for a comment on this topic, randomly.)

While omelet options at the Lido omelet station were listed as just the three noted in the OP, I could ask for a combo of "everything" (i.e. ham and the veggies and whatever cheese(s)). Lack of bacon was annoying - I like bacon more than ham in my omelet.

The comments about the deli sandwiches reminded me that someone we met onboard got a meatball sub from the deli, and it was still frozen inside after they sat down to eat it.  That would be disappointing.

From the deli I had a BLT and a Reuben at different times.  The BLT I ordered with extra bacon (remembering from last cruise that one "layer" is woefully inadequate) and was quite satisfying.  The Reuben was OK but not as meaty as I normally like it (and had gotten previously).

Are these changes going to make me switch cruise lines?  No.  But we're not expecting to cruise for a few years now (other priorities in vacation type), and when we return we will be looking hard at which line is offering a competitively-priced package that includes all of our "minimum" and a good handful of "nice to have" features.

Oh, on a positive note, the Emeril's selections on the MDR menu were generally really good, and a nice change of pace.

11 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Only if the other cabin(s) has/have only minor children.  If the other cabin(s) has/have lower status and at least one adult, they are supposed to board based on the highest status in that cabin, not the highest status in the traveling party or multi-cabin booking.  This isn't always enforced however.

Interesting, I did not know that.  Thanks!

We purchased Chef's Table for our upcoming cruise, and paid $80+grat pp.  So that was good to lock in when we did, I suppose.

We'll do it once, but I doubt we'd do it again, even at that lower price.  For $150 or even "just" $129 (plus grat), nah, probably not ever again.

5 minutes ago, ARcruisin2 said:

but... I think i have read in reviews that if you are platinum they can board early with you and that you can bring them as a guest to the special party, right?

Well that's certainly true: all members of your cabin or cabins (if multi-cabin booking for a family) can board together with the earliest priority.  Same for attending P&D parties - that would be harsh: "Sorry honey, I know you're my spouse but you're still only gold, you can't attend this special party for P&Ds. Bye!"