BoozinCroozin

You had to book by March 2022 I believe. They pushed it out a year because cruising didn't start until late July. After March this year, the OBC was gone.

Well, we started off planning on RCL. Friend worked on the ship. Then bam, covid. We booked far out, but not far enough for cancelations. We were able to rebook without increases out of my pocket, but each cancelation had future cruises going up 15-50%. When they canceled the 3rd rebook, our cruise price was $3500 but all cruises in the future when we could sale were $6,000 - $8,500. Well beyond what we could afford. We went to Carnival and had a blast when cruising restarted. We got an incredible offer on NCL and tried them. It had its positives, but it also had so many more negatives that we would not cruise them again. They canceled all the shows, skipped the best port while all other 7 ships ported that day, their private port in Belize is insanely expensive. We are back to Carnival because we had so much more fun and there are more people for our daughter to hangout with and do her own thing.

Same as Mardi Gras. But they did realize there were not enough dining options to thin out the herds. That is why Pig and Anchor, ChiBang, and Cucina are included. There is more than enough space to spread out. We will have Embarkation, 2-sea days, 3-port days, 2-sea days, and debarkation. Plenty of time for us to enjoy what the ship has to offer.

This is my feeling on it. I will do it once to say I did it. At $19 and figure half the cruisers will do it, that is $60k for a week.

Cozumel was pretty good, but wind kinda ruined where we could snorkel. It is almost all floating with the current, very little swimming needed. I would find someone that snorkels the two reefs and goes to El Cielo. I sure missed that we couldn't go and need to get another cruise to go there.

My recommendation and from my experience only, do not buy a set from Amazon. You will wind up returning them multiple times. My advice if you have any near you is to go to a dive shop, get properly fitted, and have gear for 10-20 years. Issues I had: Fins caused severe pain in the feet. They "fit" but I could only wear them for 10 minutes and it took 30 minutes to be able to walk again Masks are like gloves. It has to fit perfectly in order to keep it from leaking. Some have small skirts that press the glass to your nose or forehead causing headaches. The $30-$50 sets on Amazon are not going to last very long and are usually very rigid. I was reluctant spending $150 for a set, but it is insanely more comfortable. I don't have to worry about water getting in the mask, fogging, feet or legs hurting from the fins.

We had Delta to NOLA. We were able to select our seats once the tickets were releases. We were able to make changes throughout the time as well. We had no issues.

I am in nearly the same boat so to speak. We have the option of driving with the current flight prices. We are willing to pay $300pp, but not more with 3 people. We will drive in that case. The other "later" flights all get in after 10PM back home. We disembark at 8AM at POM. The flight out of FLL is 11:35AM. We self disembark our past to cruises and were off within 30 minutes. Yes we had to lineup early with all of our luggage. If that holds, we would be off the ship and getting a ride at 8:30AM. Assuming regular traffic, be at FLL at 9:30AM with other waiting. We have TSA precheck which should expedite.

NCL Air gives you the cheapest rate for them. Once your tickets are assigned, you can contact the airlines to make any upgrades available on the same exact flight that are available. Other than that, you are on that specific flight and no changes.

I am not sure if you are asking specifically about compensation or not. There would be no compensation. The cruise line would assist in getting people to where they need to be. My guess is that you are concerned with the storm in FL. If it is only a few days, they may not return to port as scheduled or go to another FL port. If that is the case, they would work with getting shuttles to go from say POM to MCO or work with passengers and flights to for a change from MIA or FLL instead of say MCO. But no, you are not getting anything from a cruise line other than that.

There will be tons of pictures and videos over the next few days. Hours and hours of movies in a month.

Thanks for letting me know. This plays a factor in timing if I do decide to risk a tight flight schedule.

Loved watching Jai Alai in 80s and 90s. We too are going Interior for the first time. Not too worried about it.

My question is if this affects Self Debarkation? If it does that can affect making flights that are a little tight.

I can't wait for a time I can travel outside of school vacations and retirement.

Ask yourself this: if you are getting tons of bookings and are a publicly traded company with $30B in mounting debt, would you offer a discount on it?

Not true. I am paying for a certain number of drinks for 0-15. At almost $12 at the 18%, I am paying a $1 tip per drink if I hit 12 every single day. Anything lower is more. If I get to 15 every day, it is slightly less than $1. I am fairly certain the average person on Cheers drinks 10 or less per day. My point is the same. NO ONE and I mean NO ONE will put a dollar figure on what is right. Because of that, 18% may be too much. Just tell us what the percentage or price is to make you comfortable for everyone. I am completely comfortable at 18%.

We've done self-debark on the two cruises we took. Other than standing waiting to get off, it was quick and easy. Roll the luggage, hand passports to Customs person, and out of the terminal in minutes. It is extremely helpful with long drives.

I just want to know what the arbitrary number is. No one is willing to be an exact figure on "being cheap" or "being acceptable". For me, 18% is acceptable. But if my opinion is wrong, tell me what is the number. If it is an extra $1, then it would be an extra $80 for the week if not more. 2x is $160 for both of us. Service fees, prepaid tips on Cheers, adding in extra tips, etc. I get up to about $800-$1000 in tips. Is that the right number: 3x ~$110 service fee ($330) + 2x ~$110 Cheers prepaid tip ($220) + bag handlers ($10 at the port) + I am not CHEAP tip $1 x 10 drinks x 7 days x 2 people ($140) = That's $700 in tips on a cruise I will pay $1,850 + ~$1,000 for Cheers. That's 25%. The norm was 10%, then arbitrarily 15%, then arbitrarily 18%, now getting to 25%. I'm not against tipping. I am against someone not saying "You will tip exactly this amount, no more, no less!" Just state the number. No other tips are permitted or accepted.

So adding $0.10-$0.25 cents more on a drink would be acceptable? Kind of ridiculous and a waste of my time to add that after prepaying 18%. The going rate would be what is pre-charged. In the end, tipping started at 5%, went to 10%, then 15% and arbitrarily again above that. 18% is fine with me and I cover that in the purchase price. It is 18% on the inflated rates which means the percentage would be higher.

I will buy AARP Gift Cards. I am protected with my CC company. I would also only buy e-gift cards. This way I have them immediately. I for one enjoy the 10% discount on about $4,000.

People fail to understand that Carnival is a business who report to shareholders. Shareholders are looking at their $8.50/share stock, $30B in debt, releasing more shares at $8 (a few months ago), and now $1.25B in notes. Macroeconomics are taking hold for higher wages, higher cost of goods, higher fuel prices, etc. The Exec and Board only answer to shareholders and a very few number at that. Other than that, the remaining 99.5% are pretty meaningless to them. They will put lipstick on a pig, make you feel happy, and spin things off to make you smile. But in the end, they are cutting costs at every corner, charging for everything they can, cramming more people in, and offering as little as possible. Here are some of the things and you can take it for what you want: Charging for popcorn that use to be free. Yes it is small, but it is additional from what you were getting Increasing daily service fees. This clearly means: we are paying less of your cruise fare to wages and having you cover that difference with daily fees. Increasing price of Cheers and eliminating bottles of liquor. We save on drink cost, charge more for it, forcing the increase in drink tips, and can change the prices of drinks at will. Eliminating staples at breakfast, cutting back hours of dining options, eliminating dining options after say 9PM forcing you to For Fee room service. This list can go on and on, but it is a telling picture of what is to come until that $30B gets below $10B, stock price is around $30 instead of $8. Believe me, once something is taken away, it NEVER comes back. The reason is customers have accepted it and will still take a bite out of the same sandwich. If you don't think so, watch how many people go to McDonald's drive thru still instead of ordering on the app. Ordering on the app, you save $4 of a single order of french fries, but people still go through paying full price.

What is the magic number where you are not a "cheapo"? Seriously, tipping is going insane now instead of paying a living wage. Everywhere you go, there is a tip jar. So, what is this mythical number to tip? In the end it is not just 18%. It is 18% on an inflated number to begin with. Plus, they raised the price almost $10/day which increases tips to an additional $2 per day. It sounds small, but it severely increases. A majority of people don't drink 10-drinks per day. That equates to $1 tip per drink pre-paid. Lets figure out the amount of tips per day for 2 adults, with Cheers: $12pp/day for Cheers, $15pp/day for room stewards. 7 (days) x $27 x 2 (adults) = $378. That is a lot of money in tips that are basically required. Then everywhere you turn there is a TIP line. And don't forget the baggage guys that literally take the luggage I wheeled to them, scan it, and have me put it in on the luggage cart. I did the work, why didn't they tip me? All I would like is someone to put an EXACT number that is considered acceptable. Is it 18%, 25%, 50%, 2,000%, just tell us? I want to know what my new tips are for my salaried job. I would love that 18% tip. That would almost cover what we pay in taxes, so I actual get what I earn. So please, tell me the percentage or dollar amount.

You will not get any hotel near the port with free parking. You would need to be near the airport for that and it is not all hotels. Hotels, especially in busy areas, know they can add that $25-$50/day parking fee. It is not something they will give for a 1-night hotel guest. But the ones near the airport are less busy and do offer it.

NC here too. Charlotte is an American Airlines hub. Most likely you will get AA. It would be non-stop from Charlotte pretty much. I would fly in the day before if I were you. It gives you the advantage of making the drive down over night in case they cancel flights. It is about an 8-9 hour drive to Port Canaveral. Things to remember, once your ticket is assigned, NCL is out of the picture. The airlines will not make any changes other than paid upgrades. If a flight cancels, you have to go through the airline to get it remedied. You are responsible for any cost increases for moving to another flight if they choose to charge you. The ship will not wait for you to depart. It is your responsibility to get there. For us, driving to PC is an easier option unless flights are so cheap. This is how I break it down. Leave to get to the airport 2.5 hours before flight, pay for parking for a week (~$50), flight is 2 hours, wait another 30-minutes for checked bags (assuming no issues), get transportation to PC or MCO area hotel and transfer in the morning (~1 hour). All in, I am invested 6 hours dealing with non-stop flights. It saves me a grand total of about 3 hours vs driving. Is that 3-hours worth the hassle of cruising?