buckeyefrank

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

It is possible to cash out in the casino at a machine, though I have never done such a large amount. Wait to pay tips and stuff onboard and spend what you can.

 

That being said grandeur is the only rcl cruise since restart I was disappointed in. Cabins are smaller than other ships. Pizza up in the solarium isnt as hot as having a sorrentos onboard imo. I had a female waiter from jamaica who tried to make me order what she wanted so maybe she is part of it. Food just wasnt as varied as I'd prefer and food is important to me.

 

I doubt I'd book grandeur again unless with friends who wanted it and couldnt afford a better cruise.

The rewards I would be cashing out is only $100 so not so large.

Just now, Biker19 said:

Yes, though availability varies ship to ship - you'd have to look up in the gift&gear section.

Is it a certain time prior to sailing because I don't see anything on my Icon booking, but we're still over a year out on that.

So we have a family cruise already booked on the Icon for next September and cannot wait.  My wife and I are debating on a Royal cruise this September on the Grandeur.  We are frequent cruisers, just not on Royal so we do know it's an older, smaller ship..  No issues with that.  I do have a couple of questions though:

• We are buying Royal's cancel for any reason insurance.  If we do need to cancel and get 90% in obc, can we apply those funds to the Icon cruise next year?  I don't want to assume yes.
• Can you pre-order a bottle of alcohol like rum to drink in the cabin?
• I have some my vegas rewards that I can redeem for casino credits.  On Carnival, we could put that credit on a machine, pull the arm once and then cash out and keep the rest.  Is that possible on Royal?

TIA

I think it probably depends a lot on how fast the ship is selling and how many of that room is available.  We booked the icon a few months ago for Sept 2024.  Within 2 weeks of booking we had our room assignment.  Very early.

Does anyone have the current cost for the butcher's cut restaurant onboard?  I can't pre-purchase only the steakhouse.  I can purchase a 2 meal plan that includes butcher's cut and sea pavilion... I don't see a Sea Pavilion on Seaside...  I only see Ocean Cay and Pan Fusion...I would like to see the menus to know whether I want to purchase it ahead of time.  Can anyone assist me?  TIA.

52 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

The bonds aren't recorded in the US. 10.5% is extremely reasonable for junk bonds.

 

Quantify "A lot".

 

Carnival didn't raise fares like the Disney Parks did. Now that is a turn off.

 

It has always been the plan. Brilliant is the creative financing. And clearly institutions are happy with the bond offering and future of Carnival or the demand would not be as high as it is. When bonds start going unsold. then there might be  problem.

 

At least you're agreeing that they are junk bonds.  That's a start.  They had no choice.   I wouldn't call issuing junk bonds... brilliant, but that's me.

And the "institutions" you mentioned may also be individuals...   We will likely never know who pumped cash into the company.  Could be a hedge fund, could be wealthy individuals.  We keep calling them bonds, but they are really notes being sold to "accredited investors".  Keep in mind that "accredited investors" also sunk money into Enron and Bernie Madoff.  Just because one is "accredited" doesn't mean they're smart.

27 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Technically, it is an important distinction. The ships will become assets of the holding company and there could be other assets along with other bonds that have or could be issued.

 

That the holding company is based in Bermuda is another distinction and that the bonds won't be offered for sale in the US yet another.

 

It is brilliant.

Why is it brilliant?

They issued them in Bermuda, almost certainly, because of tax benefits for the investors.  Not for the benefit of Carnival.   The approx 10.5% interest rate they're paying is ridiculously high. 

Not sure how it gets better for them exactly.  They are sailing now with basically full ships and fuel costs, payroll costs and food costs soaring.  Those ships not sailing full are because the fares are higher than they have been in like 5 years.  A lot of people are turned off since they're still expecting the pricing from the pandemic.  

I personally think they will eventually weather the storm, however; this is CLEARLY kicking the can down the road.  They have no other choice.  It's not brilliant... brilliant would be paying off existing loans / bonds with profits, not borrowing more.

11 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The vessels are not pledged as collateral is just one brilliant move.

 

The debt is issued by a foreign subsidiary and won't be registered in the US. Another brilliant move.

While the vessels aren't technically pledged as collateral, effectively they are.  If the holding company declares bankruptcy, the bond holders have priority and will be paid first.  I have no idea how many other debtors are in the holding company, but the new bonds have first priority.  It's semantics...   If they were pledged and don't make the payment,.... forced to sell..... if they're not pledged and don't make the payment..... forced to sell.  Pledged or not, if Carnival isn't able to meet their payment requirements, they will be in some deep trouble.

On 12/23/2021 at 7:01 PM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Slots on cruise ships have had an historically had a 80% "payback" average, usually land casinos are closer to 90% yet this may have changed since the pandemic.  You also gain far less comps dollar per dollar on a cruise compared to MOST land based casinos.

So $12,000 in the machines with a payback of $9600.  The $2400 loss gets you free drinks on the next cruise..   sounds like a good plan to me.. smh

On 10/2/2022 at 2:32 PM, ColeThornton said:

 

 

And then when you get back from your cruise make sure you get a secondary form of I.D. that you DON'T keep in your wallet.   🙂

 

Hope it works out well for you.

Most states won't let you have 2 different government ID cards....  I know in Ohio you can either have a state ID or drivers license, not both.

On 10/10/2022 at 3:46 PM, theclaw said:

Today is October 10, 2022. MSC stated a check was re-issued to us on 9/27/22.  Still no check and have been on the phone trying to get answers all day today.  They are just terrible.  My guess is they haven't issued a check. 

Ask them for a check number and issue date.  You can compare that to the original you deposited to see if it's in the correct range.  Should give you an indication that one was actually issued.

On 10/7/2022 at 4:11 PM, morpheusofthesea said:

Yes, but we try not to 'invite' them in. We no longer fly. We drive to the port ourselves and park. We skip self serve buffets. We stopped eating dinner with others. With what little time we have left we are spending like there will be no tomorrow on cruises and high end suites, until we no longer can.

Sounds to me like you're spending "what little time you have left" worrying about getting sick, cleaning, sanitizing, making preparations to not get sick, etc instead of living life.

17 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

Always appreciate your intelligent remarks. QUESTION: So.. if CCL can pay it’s bills, then the ‘FatCat’ investors/funds that $own$ most of CCL’s stock will glumly let the market determine it’s dismal value nearly forever and tell the Board to sail on??. If so, then where’s any Corporate advantage to filing a bankruptcy petition??  What would push CCL over that edge??

Carnival's stock price and operating results are two completely separate things.  They are only related in that good operating revenues signal company strength and incite investor purchases, which thereby raise the stock price. 

The "FatCat's" you mention (after CCL executives) are mostly individual cruisers using stock benefits and mutual funds that are relied upon by the masses.

Carnival's decision to declare bankruptcy is completely separate from their stock price.  They would generally only declare bankruptcy when they become insolvent and can no longer afford to pay their operating expenses.  The advantage to filing bankruptcy is that they can reorganize their debt and hopefully become profitable for long-term operations.

On 11/13/2020 at 5:26 PM, kdr69 said:

I'm afraid that it may be a possibility that a yearly shot is required no different than a flu shot.  I would call it a preventative measure like a flu shot more than i would call it a vaccine if it has no permanent effect like a measles vaccination or chicken pox. hmmmm cant wait to see those headlines lol

I agree an annual vaccination shot, similar to the flu is the most likely case.  We (at an Ohio nursing home) are preparing for that scenario.

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

The panel of cdc is meeting next monday to decide who gets it first. So you also know in advance what their comments of most vulnerable mean as to the order? Wow while what you say makes sense, and you have seniors 3rd, why dont you think me as a senior can get it before april?

 

I hope I can find you when I get it. So what are we betting? I do think I'll have it by April you say not.

 

 

The State of Ohio has already determined that health care workers will get the vaccines first.  I work in a nursing home and we were directly told that by the ODH, followed soon by the residents.  They have not said anything about whether they would complete each wave separately... ie do they complete both cycles for HC workers first, then go onto senior centers?  Not sure.  They certainly don't want to run out of vaccine and have to start all over because the first shot wore off.  There very well may be provision for older adults living in their homes (such as yourself) before the rest of the population.  I just think it will take a while.  I can't forsee the general public being able to go to CVS before July.  I certainly could be wrong and I hope I am.  Also other states could prioritize their population differently.  

25 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I will bet you I will be vaccinated. I see pfeizer drug is asking for emergency approval in a couple of days. They are already testing delivery in 4 states including mine, and some getting noticed from CVS already. Plus our news said it's free at Albertsons and tom thumb. Plus CVS will have it. I'm also in dallas a large city where we are set up and ready to start.

 

Add in I'm a senior.

 

Want to take the bet I wouldnt be vaccinated ?

 

So many think they know it all. Will there be herd immunity by april? Perhaps not but many many will certainly be vaccinated who want it. 

I don't think so.  Once the drug(s) are approved for distribution it will still take some time to make enough doses to send out.  The first ones receiving the dosages (in Ohio) will be the healthcare workers, then residents in senior centers.....  after that it will likely go to the general population, most likely starting with seniors.  Your local pharmacy won't have the vaccine for quite a while, I would guess until at least summer next year.  Also keep in mind that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require a double-dose also.

15 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I’m pretty sure it will have to do with the testing schedule. You will have to upload a negative test result before check-in is complete or be scheduled for testing at the port. 

That doesn't make any sense actually.  If they open it up a week ahead of time, there no reason you can't contract it after the negative test.  It makes much more sense to me as a previous poster mentioned that they don't want people printing out boarding passes and luggage tags with rooms that may need to be changed.

I would call your PVP or Carnival.  They will need to manually apply any payments you've made against the new cruise balance and downpayment needs.  I had to do that yesterday.  If you book online, the system will charge you a deposit.

On 10/10/2020 at 7:18 PM, Organized Chaos said:

 

Let's hope they don't use PCR testing. PCR tests are riddled with false positives. Research done by the New York Times in which they looked at PCR testing data in Massachusetts, New York, & Nevada concluded that up to 90% of people who tested positive carried barely any virus at all. Not enough to be considered infected or contagious, but still tested positive. That's because of the way PCR tests are designed. In fact, the Nobel Prize-winning inventor of the PCR test strongly objected to using it to test for viruses because it wasn't created for viruses at all. A PCR test is very black & white. Meaning, at best, it can detect the presence of a virus, but can't determine how much of the virus exists in a person. So even the smallest amounts that aren't considered "infected" and don't make the person contagious results in a positive PCR test. I don't typically rely on research done by the NYT, but it has been backed up by true experts. In fact, it was discovered that during the last four pandemics prior to COVID-19, the CDC & WHO were very concerned about the high false-positive rates from PCR tests and issued guidelines to try to limit them. The problem is, they've completely abandoned their own knowledge of this problem for COVID-19.

 

So I wouldn't want them to use PCR tests because anyone could get hit with a false positive and lose their cruise when they're perfectly fine.

You are absolutely correct Organized Chaos!  The PCR is a process, not a test.  For anyone who disagrees, please read the attached link from the mouth of the person who created the PCR process.

https://uncoverdc.com/2020/04/07/was-the-covid-19-test-meant-to-detect-a-virus/

18 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

It is the false negatives with rapid tests that are the problem.

The rapid tests are a problem but so are the PCR tests.  Actually PCR isn't actually even a "test" for the virus.  Very interesting reading below, most of it directly from the mouth of the person that created PCR.

https://uncoverdc.com/2020/04/07/was-the-covid-19-test-meant-to-detect-a-virus/

On 10/4/2020 at 1:01 PM, bafinegan said:

 

If there is, I couldn't find one ( I am a retired nurse and think I know where to go and look).  We were told the high volume is what caused the delay.  Now this was a cpl months ago (before those rapid tests were available, but not sure if Carnival will ok the rapid test and not want the molecular one) and maybe it has changed.  But a search of places here within a 50 mile radius of COlumbus Ga all say turn around time is 3- 5 days now.  But seeing as that was the stated turn around time then, I doubt it has changed.

 

baf

Nobody is accepting the results of the rapid tests.  If anyone tests positive on a rapid test, they are immediately quarantined and then given a full test.  The rapid tests are still wildly unreliable and the molecular tests are too sensitive.

On 9/28/2020 at 1:11 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

I have, off and on, done a search for "news" of this evidence you speak of, since it crops up every now and then.

 

There is no evidence.  Quite the opposite.  I could quote all the recent articles I just dug up, but that isn't the point of this thread or this forum.  But I do find your statement to be dangerous, so I felt I had to respond.

 

And it would require every modernized ("First World") Western nation to all agree to quash this "data", not just a local US Government conspiracy.  I think that is, um, highly unlikely.

 

Anyway, back to the OP: I grow weary of wearing a mask when so many people don't, or they wear one improperly.  And I don't know if I really would tolerate wearing one, even infrequently, on a cruise.  I'm not ready to make that decision yet.  Hopefully they won't be required when I next plan to cruise in April 2021.

Here's one

https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30534-8/fulltext

Conclusions and relevance

On 9/24/2020 at 9:24 AM, jetsfan58 said:

If we would all just be truthful (Unfortunately this facet of our being has become more difficult these days) the immediacy of this vaccine has nothing to do with curing people. The vaccine is being "rushed" for total political clout. When you try and rush anything it usually doesn't prove effective or complete.  

I tend to agree that the rush of the vaccine is 100% political, but it's by both sides.  The problem is that every day, new evidence comes out that suggests there's a cheap, safe and abundantly supplied medicine that currently exists to prevent and significantly reduce symptoms and deaths, but is not being used, solely because of political agendas.  It breaks my heart that the seniors in our country cannot see their loved ones and are dying of loneliness when there's a readily available option.  I see it every day 😞

14 minutes ago, glrounds said:

 

And, of course, you'll post the statistical analysis that has brought you to this conclusion.

 

The common flu is constantly evolving (mutating), so frequently a new and different vaccine is provided for us. I get them every year when they're recommended. so far so good.

My point is that the people looking for the vaccine to "cure" everything are going to be waiting a really long time.  The flu vaccine that's been around forever still isn't very effective.  We certainly can't expect a brand new vaccine to be completely effective against a brand new virus.

On 9/5/2020 at 1:43 PM, BlerkOne said:

 

Still waiting for Sweden to prove that it is possible. So far they have failed. Most of the world has travel restrictions Americans. So far we have, too.

https://www.google.com/search?q=current+sweden+covid+stats&rlz=1C1EJFC_enUS854US854&oq=current+sweden+&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l6.4526j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Doesn't look like a fail to me