ray98

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Sure, for a household. How much are they paying and how available is it for feeding tens of thousands each and every day of each and every week? I don't know, but as I said it wouldn't surprise me to find out that they are limiting bacon to once a day to help keep expenses down (and that in and of itself won't significantly affect the bottom line of course, but with other such measures it will add up).

 

(Some made up numbers- let's say they serve 1000 pounds of bacon per day at $4 per pound. That's $4000. If they serve it every day that's $1,460,000 per year. Serve it every other day it's $730,000. For one ship. Extrapolated over the fleet we aren't talking chump change.)

The other side of that is they have tens of thousands of paying customers funding the cost, this isn't charity on the part of Carnival.  Lets not pretend this is some rare delicacy, it is likely the most popular breakfast meat in America that every other competitor has figured out a way to 'afford' just like they always have.

Yes....Carnival is the only entity left who battles a 'bacon shortage'.

They just want your $$$.  This happens every cruise for us.

20 hours ago, Arizona Sunshine said:

Of course, the "return" is a factor of the stock price. If the stock price stays at 9.075 for the next year, the "return" would indeed be just over 10% (provided that the shareholder took an eligible cruise and qualified for $100 in onboard credit).

 

How likely is that? Well:

 

The stock is down 3.5% today.

The stock is down 8% in the past week.

the stock is down 53% in the past year.

The stock is down 86% in the past five years.

 

So, as long as all the things that worried investors today, last week, last year, and since 2018 can be fixed by management --- while dealing with $35 billion in debt, the most recent of which carries an interest rate of 10.75 %--- I guess it's a "great time to buy".

Stop with your math and such.....lol😂  If you are not a cheerleader quite a few in here will put you in their sights.

I would put the overall experience in the 'worse' category. 

The first few cruises after the restart the negatives were masked by the lack of people and the dirt cheap prices.  Sure, the food wasn't as good but hey you got great service because there were no passengers and it was cheaper than staying home. 

Now that the crowds are back and the prices are soaring it makes the service and food downgrades even more obvious.  That feeling of value is long gone and you are paying a premium for reduced service and a downgraded food quality.

They will likely have the game on but you will find in hard to find a place that can comfortably accomodate a large group along with the other fans who will be on board.  Carnival still struggles with this even on ships with a dedicated sports bar.  You end up with chaos around some random TV at the casino bar or something.

I appreciate it.  I will be on the Seaside in a couple of months.  Like you said, the lack of information out there is puzzling compared to what I can find for other brands.

4 hours ago, ExeCuteUK said:

Upgrade Your Drink Choice If you’re thirsting for a cocktail, favorite spirit or special glass of wine that’s not included in your purchased beverage package discounts are available to ensure you quench your thirst. Easy Package holders save $ 8 on all beverages $ 8 or more. Easy Plus Package holders save $ 10 on all beverages of $ 10 or more. Premium Extra Package holders save $ 16 on all beverages of $ 16 or more

Is this new ? 

I was told if you wanted to buy a drink in a higher tier you did not get a discount and had to pay full price + grat.

We are sailing on a UK Departure next week, so not sure if its different ? Or is this a new thing ?

New.

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I definitely suggest testing it with you home wifi and the device you intend to hotspot before relying on being able to do it onboard. Turn off your phone's cell service connection and then try to hotspot it via just the wifi.

Most certainly.  That is not something you want to find out on board.  I always recommend going to airplane mode, connecting to wifi and then starting a hotspot to see what happens with your individual phone.

53 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Right. Only android phones will hotspot when only connected to wifi.

To add to this, this feature is unfortunately being disabled on many Android phones, especially those on the Verizon network.  As of now the Samsung Galaxy S10/20/21/22 only support hotspot using the cellular data.  If you try to start hotspot while connected to wifi it tells you it must be disabled to proceed.

Not worth it for me.  I will just take the cash with me if I need to save up instead of turning it into restricted Carnival Monopoly money.

Yikes.

Gatorade....usually red and lemon-lime in my experience.

Lots of information here.  We are doing our first MSC soon and this is really helpful.

I absolutely disagree with this because I have experienced it first hand.  It will be a long time before I ever sail out of New Orleans again due to the behavior we witnessed on two sailings.  It was simply out of control.  Just because you haven't experienced it does not mean it is not or has not happened and impacted people cruises. 

Carnival is taking great steps to address it but what is the saying about once the cat is out the bag.

It will be a different experience, not overwhelming in a bad way though. 

My advice is watch some Youtube reviews of the sister ships and figure out what is important to you.  Focus on those things when you get on board.  I assure you, at the end of the cruise there will be a few things you planned to do or things you wanted to do again and didn't.  Our first cruise on the Mardi Gras I came away feeling it was an entirely new experience and was anything but 'another Carnival cruise' which was a good thing.

Free market.  Something is worth what people will pay.

10 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

That is simply not true.  As long as they have the ingredients on board (which they will if it’s on the menu any night of the cruise), they CAN make them another night.  It’s simply a matter of whether they are willing to.  On several occasions, I have raved about a dish one night, only to have it appear on a subsequent night(s), despite the fact that it wasn’t on the menu.  And I didn’t even ask!

With advance notice given through the maitre d’ (perhaps along with a tip), I’d say the OP has a decent shot at getting escargot every night.

Maybe you should read the entire topic to put things in context.  Escargot is not available on a 4 night cruise on any night.

It's a matrix of what deck and the location on that deck.  Generally midship cabins are more expensive on a given deck and each deck you go up comes with a price increase.  I prefer mid-ship or aft cabins as they usually require less walking. 

Cabins all the way forward are the farthest away from the food venus which you will routinely be going to straight from your cabin.

No.  Just plan to buy drinks individually.

I book through an agency that usually gives between 8-10% back as OBC.  That is truly the only reason I use them for instead of just booking myself.  We are not needy cruisers, some seem to be on the phone weekly with their agent needing to change something or ask some random question. 

I do the planning and research up front and know exactly what I am booking.   Travel agents are a dying business and the consumer has all the info they will ever need at the click of a mouse but as long as they cut my cost I will use them.

If it is not on the menu it will not be available on the ship.  No point in asking.

I don't really have any complaints with the menu.  There is always something I want on there every night, many times it is two entrees and I have to pick one.  Sometimes I wish my second selection popped up later in the week so I could try it but I know that is impossible.

Make sure you understand what you are investing in.  Carnival is a poorly performing stock right now with a hard road ahead.  Nothing is guaranteed at this point.  If you are okay with putting $1000 into a risky stock that could lose everything to hopefully get OBC then go for it.  If you are looking to put $1000 out as an investment there are much better options.

Have not seen the zero versions.