IslandHppy

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/carnival-cruise-line-cuts-passenger-capacity

GRR.  This piece was written in ten minutes and is both stock price impacting and not right in many/most  places.  It reminds me of the regular stories of using a cruise ship instead of assisted living facility.  So your steward will help brush your teeth and find your meds.

The lines in general (+CCL) are driving hard to get to >100% capacity.  The QM2 is an obscure corner case   

3 hours ago, o-state girl said:

IslandHppy, were masks required in Cozumel?  When I was there a couple of months ago, we were still required to wear them, even when walking around outside.  

The line very gently suggested people to wear them on arrival/departure and inside in common areas except when eating  but only a handful did (<1%).  They did not ask outside.  Cozumel if I remember right asked you to wear them only in shops.  The Cozumel policy was broadcast in the pier-mall via PA.  

We debated (being in steerage) carry off vs luggage tags.  We did carry off and were in our car by 9:20.  

Rumor has it the Valor is top of the fleet in scores - we are still humming songs from the most amazing Indian classic country duo - ever.  The Philipine rock cover band thing is so 1986.  

P.S. They had Baked Alaska the last night.  

Stevia was located ....Rosies port side. 

10 hours ago, DeniD said:

I will have to pack some stevia now.. 😋

The last night of a cruise can be difficult.  You say goodbye to new friends and have to go back to reality.  

We saw Jason a few more times.  I developed a theory he was using a proven technique- Management By Wandering Around- which was why the crew seemed happy and there were not the usual array of empty coffee cups on the decks every morning. The survey scores for the Valor are reported to be good - I did some asking around 🙂

We had the 100% home made tacos for lunch.  And our MDR crew was happy to see us for dinner.

There is a guest laundry - we saw it.  And getting off the ship seems easy.  We spotted the Captain and Cruise Director on the pool deck - they were not in line for the burritos 🙂

Splenda, Equal and Sweet n Low were observed.  

The Hub App says no shorts on the Steakhouse on the Valor on multiple days 

Outside the Island pub is a card table for four.  The Library has a table for four, and a larger and smaller table that could work.  Loud piped in music is a hazard there.  

Thanks so much.  It was a baked savory pumpkin cheese pie.  Quite good with a flaky crust.  

I ran into Jason a few times on his rounds - he remembered my name - I kept calling him Scott.  Some people are in the right job for reason.  

We put our MDR team to the test - the movie at 6:30.  I alerted Fuad and Junrey zipped the orders in and we were in our lounge chairs the exact moment the film started.  I did forget to order the alligator now that I think about it.  Extra tips on top of the prepaid pool are in order. 

Someone here on CC suggested ice milk in coffee.  Mmmm.  We got in a dance or two.  If I ran the place I would redo the Island pub as Cajun.  The ship is very clean and the relaxation factor is high. The Cruise Director just reminded us we are on vacation.  What day is it again?  My idea of a great cruise is to pay discount to fill prices and get best suite on the ship service.  Shhh.  There was an article recently - companies need to sell value not just products.  The big door is fixed 🙂 Deck light repairs seem to be on the agenda today.  

Given recent world events we thought about this also.  Probably a worst case scenario is an engine room incident/fire that disables the ship.  (EMP is the ultimate example of this -Chengkp can comment).  So a transatlantic was a no.  (Getting stranded due to sudden new govt. rules is up there).  The range of a diesel lifeboat is 144 miles.  Coastal voyages seemed best.  We brought a 5 gallon collapsing water carrier.  And sun hats.  I was hoping Carnival got the memos on backup generators.  But this fits in the category of serious but unlikely.   A bigger worry was running out of limes 🙂

We were "no buffet ever" people for decades.  Under current conditions we are "outdoors strongly preferred" diners. There are on Carnival quite a few good poolside/outside options.  And we zip in and grab buffet/deli items that are prepared and served on a plate.  Some ships/lines have a branch office of the main buffet on the pool deck - the Valor does not. This is more challenging say in Alaska early season vs. off Cozumel when it is 87.

Tables for eight strangers for dinner in the MDR for us are a no lately.  But -the fun must go on 🙂

I think this is the future.  Having private medical data offloaded from cruise line computer systems and away from general port check in staff is a sigh of relief for them.  And it is one and done for passengers.  Privacy is the law here and a serious issue.  

I teach at a business school and have been reading the earnings releases.  It looks like demand for cruises is strong.  But the lines have loaded up with debt.  And key costs are rising such as fuel, food and staff.  I was always curious where break even was and now we know - it was around 80% full, now closer to 90%.  In good times, occupancy was a bit over 100%.  It looks like pricing is strong based on searching for cheap upcoming trips yesterday- few were found.  The lines have been very open about their situation (as they should as public companies).  Risks are out there such as wars,  disease outbreaks and recessions, not to mention bacon shortages.  There is a classic book "The Intelligent Investor" that says to study any company before you buy the stock.  

I used to get $200 gift cards as awards at work.  The key was to never charge the full amount so try to apply $194 against your balance.  And sometimes the travel agent could make them work or the cruise line would have to.  Once in a great while they would work onboard.  They might have a US only lock.  

6 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Is that a computer monitor? Where is the TV? 😁

It appears to be a flat screen TV.  So has an antenna input.  I have not tried to plug things into it.

We gave up our table by the Blue  Iguana and moved aft for lunch.  The $5 Clam Chowder was calling.  It was unsuccessful.  The bread was dry as was the soup- cubed potatoes.  The potato salad nearby was good though. 

I went ashore to the Cozumel port area.  It was tidy and felt safe.  This is not an electronics port- cell phone accessories were rare.  A guess is a 15-20% import duty ruins that.  

Engineers were wrestling with the broken door on the pool deck.  I saw the stash of spare electric cables on deck two - the door is more of a hatch.  There is possibly a guest laundry nearby.  Any storage on a ship is valuable.   No bacon could be observed in the buffet.  DW tried the Mongolian place and got a custom made noodle bowl. 

I asked Edy how many towel animals this morning by the pool were his - four 🙂

No crew problems on the Valor this week.  I wonder if they got into the rum overnight.  Kudos to Willy from Housekeeping.   

An important part of the guest experience on a cruise is the crew.  We were at our noon table- a breezy but shaded table on the main pool deck.  I just finished my burrito and Junrey our Assistant Waiter from dinner greeted me by name and took my empty plate.  That was pretty impressive for any cruise line.  The burritos were popular with officers and staff- we joked it was like a restaurant where the police go every day- they know.  

I went to the pier market in Progreso in search of a cell phone USB battery.  You could find t shirts and shot glasses and painted figures and even lunch but no electronics.  One of the vendors said there was a shop in town for cell phone stuff a block from the bus station.  I saw an EMS rig off in the corner and armed Federal police.  This is a safe spot.  The MDR was good again - the cheese soup had a hint of gouda and was just right.  We tried the movie by the pool.  We noticed minimal sales pressure aboard- heads might roll back at HQ for this but complaints about Carnival not being classy seem made up.  I ate but failed to photograph the Carnival 50th birthday cake which appeared on the first day only.  Edy was rocking the towel animals.

The impact of burning a barge load of heavy fuel oil on every voyage is not good.  CO2 is now runaway and is poisoning the oceans via carbonic acid.  What i did was buy some acres of fallow ⁹tax forfeit land and will protect it from being cleared and paved.  The groups that buy rainforest land seem best.  The best thing to do imho is to not fly far away to cruises - lifting people to 30,000 feet burns fuel and advocating for the lines to retire old ships and make new ones efficient.  As the oceans die the growing dead zones emit poison hydrogen sulfide gas.  For the moment if I buy an empty cabin on a ship that is leaving anyway my personal new CO2 usage seems minimal.  

I ran into Josh, the Hotel Director, who was on his rounds.  I thanked him for having a happy ship and for the duo in the pub who were amazingly good at classic country covers.  It is always fun on a cruise when you can connect with crew or entertainers.  I saw some crew shopping the closeout rack at the mall before we left.  The argument for not tipping - that they are well paid -is not correct. 

I missed Eggs Benedict yesterday but some made with salmon filled in nicely today.  I did not observe or photograph any US style bacon in the buffet.  It was however on the MDR menu.  

The Blue Iguana again did not disappoint for breakfast.  The key is the well appointed sauce and salsa bar.  

You could feel a rumbling aft as we docked in Progresso as we are down on deck two.  But that seems normal on a ship.  We are hoping many elect shore excursions today 🙂 The new all day Internet plans are a nice upgrade, as are places on the decks without supermarket music 🙂 The satellite system has been good - not pokey at all.  I don't miss the stern warnings to not leave cell phones charging unattended from a few years back.  Two minor thoughts - I had to hunt for the hand sanitizer stands (Noro) and after an engine room tour on the Pride way back when too many big double doors were left open which seems a waste of AC /fuel.  

Some things have not changed recently in cruising.  Fortunately.  Fuad our waiter and his boss Haris are old school by the book folks.  Remember names and preferences that kind of thing.  The MDR is speedy and organized.  The decor is Farcus goes to Williamsburg.  I am not sure it works but it's not boring.  We found a spot away from crowds that works for us.  The Carbonara was good - not just like Florian's near Termini in Rome makes it, but we are in the Gulf of Mexico having dinner for over a thousand.  

Edy our Steward is equally a pro.  Took in our bags and called in the sticky drain stopper before we did.

The Hub App did not list the Cantina as being open for lunch.  It was.  I love technology.  Fuad had paper menus waiting for us as we forgot our phones yesterday.   We found more open deck spaces.  And my DW was sad she was out of Jelly Belly fruit flavors as we left the dock yesterday.  No worries.

On 5/7/2022 at 9:53 AM, Colorado Cruzer said:

No. I have one more in December 2022 and not booking anything else until I hear on these boards the supply chain and staffing/service issues have been resolved.  I'm just really done with the testing ahead of the cruise when they are pointless and expensive. 

On the Valor now.  I am unable to detect staffing or supply chain issues. 

The Blue Iguana called to us at 0730.  We answered.  Outdoor dining seeems sensible in this perfect weather.   Rolls and tea were found at Rosies at least by 0630. The main pool is a nice space.  Carnival gets points for driving the craft beer trend aboard.  Looking at the restock cart most sales are probably the normal big brands however.  We saw the first chair hogs placing towels and flip flops.  Deck 10 is just lovely.  

We found the Duo in the Red Frog Pub and a couple were dancing.  There is a decent sized floor way in the back.  After a while we convinced them to play a Rumba and were very good at classic country.  So far so good.  Up at 0615 and the only food venue open is soft serve 🙂 In a bit Eggs Benedict are in my future   The bed was extra soft like a pillow top but worked.  I can recommend the aft facing window cabins.