rolloman

I cruise this weekend and in a different forum someone was asking how closely they check bags...🤦‍♂️

23 hours ago, Indiansbaseball said:

Speaking of passports… I have a Magic cruise in March and I needed to renew mine. I mailed my renewal on October 17. No expedited processing but yes expedited shipping. They cashed my check on October 24th. I received my passport today. I’m in Ohio and it went to Philadelphia. 

October 17th of 2023? If so...that is nothing short of a miracle. We sent in for renewal back in May and did not get it until end of August. 

13 hours ago, PayneAS said:

The ones I've seen have been set up as events in the sailing group (on the website that cannot be named). 

The main benefit is that the organizer will be using their S&S card for the event and thus be benefiting from getting the casino points (and casino rates later).

The last sailing I was on had 142 people at $21 each. That's quite a few points for the organizer.

The group you speak of (142) is amazingly large for a cruise ship slot pull, however the amount of points won could easily have been less than the 1500 you sited. Fact is, most people who would run a slot pull are probably there on casino rates and getting free drinks anyways. The real risk to the slot organizer is if somebody hits a hand pay...then the organizer will be responsible for the tax. Yes, there are ways around that but not guaranteed. 

 It is supposed to be double points for onboard purchases and I have never, ever received those. I had called once upon a time and they said it is up to Carnival to note those purchases. Which does not make sense to me because the end of cruise charge is clearly coming from Carnival.

1 hour ago, PompeySailor said:

Can confirm 5:15 for us with a 5:30 in app

It saves all the lines and Q’s outside 

so the masses don’t all arrive at the same time 

A window eases the flow 😎

The first night is 5:30...your server will tell you at the dinner service to be there at 5:15 the rest of the cruise. I think they allot 15 extra minutes first night because they have to show everyone their seat. This is why the app says what it does.

On 10/17/2023 at 5:13 PM, kirtihk said:

Go at 4:30 pm

Going back a few years ago (pre-drink vouchers) it was not uncommon at peak times for the Concierge to ask everyone to take out their seapass card as he/she walked through the lounge. I am sure this will turn into another cat and mouse game until D are completely eliminated from the lounge as it will no longer be a perk for them. I find it amusing to read some comments about how they would never do that, it would cause an uproar. Well, they already did it once by kicking D+ out of the concierge lounge. It was swift and without warning lol...at least this time it looks like they are doing a semi-slow ramp up to elimination...

It used to be back in the day, while onboard, you could put your name on a list with the Diamond Concierge for a discounted cabana if they had not sold out.

As I said and with actually answering the posters question, from Florida, count on about 40 min for the ship to get in international waters. The casino is a good onboard indicator when this has actually occurred as there will be no overhead announcement indicating the ship is now in international waters. 

On 10/10/2023 at 2:04 PM, Iamthesea said:

Curious if anyone knows how long it takes to get out of the "state" waters when sailing out of Charleston, SC?  The local and state tax is 9%.  Not sure if there is another tax on drinks when on the cruise ship, but Charleston does charge a 5% tax on hard liquor drinks, I believe.   (I'll have to look at the prices of Carnival drinks to see how much a frozen Margarita is.)  Not terrible, but it depends on how many drinks my group can devour once we board ship and before we hit open waters.😁

Once they open the casino, start gulping. Believe me, they want that casino open as soon as possible so they won't dilly dally around once they pull the lines. For a ballpark figure, I would say count on about 40 minutes once the ship as pulled away from the pier. 

11 hours ago, MommaBear55 said:

Leaving anything blocking a corridor is against SOLAS (safety of life at sea) maritime law. If it really impedes your ability to get through a passageway, it's worth a call to guest services. 

Well...I wonder how Carnival gets away with it? They actually tell you to put dishes outside your door for pickup. Fact of the matter is, it is has NOT been uncommon to see dishes littered up and down the passageways on any line I have cruised. 

2 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Let me know your thoughts:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2945819-proof-royal-caribbean-owns-the-island-called-cococay/

Looks like speculative evidence. Whatever the legalese turns out to be, I am sure if the Bahamas ever wants it back they will take it. 

13 hours ago, soremekun said:

Reasons why I think Labadee is not developed like Coco Cay:

-Government instability

-Land is leased, not owned

Wait...you are saying Coco Cay was purchased from the Bahamian Government and is owned by Royal Caribbean? I am not so sure about that. From what I have been told the cruise lines have been awarded 99 year leases. 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which owns Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, assumed the lease of the island upon acquisition of Admiral Cruises in 1988. In 2019, the island was extensively renovated by Royal Caribbean at the cost of $250 million and renamed Perfect Day at CocoCay.

44 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Labadee is not a country. It is part of Haiti.

LOL...sometimes just an accidental omit  of one small word makes a difference. "in"

If I remember correctly is wife passed away and then he started cruising and posting with another lady friend?

This is old news/not news at all. I have been to Labadee going back to the days of no pier. Labadee is a country located on the huge shared (DR) island of Hispaniola, so there is no "taking an excursion into the mainland". It is all mainland which consists of a beach area which is fenced in, guarded and you may not leave the compound unless it is a near shore water activity such as the wave runner. I also have never had internet. 

A nicer area to sit is to the left of the entry doors of Royal's terminal 1.  There are several benches in a park like setting. Easiest way is for your Spouse to take a left on Flounder street and drop you off there versus going into the congested terminal itself. There is a little cut out on this road for passenger drop off and a nice bench area steps from the road, walk a few feet towards the terminal and you will find another bench area. It typically is a quiet area with light foot traffic from crew and others walking to the Grills restaurant. 

22 hours ago, Retired LEO said:

With more larger ships coming to Port Canaveral they're in the process of building 2 more parking garages. 

And a new Terminal.

On 9/18/2023 at 5:00 PM, john91498 said:

9:15. We had a suite and even went to have breakfast. It was a short 4 day cruise, so we did carry on instead of checked baggage.

9:14 AM

10 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

One odd thing about Port Canveral:  you pay for parking when you enter the parking deck, not when you leave.  They have no attendants, so have your credit card ready.  

Not true for every terminal. 

Thanks, for the info. I have a family member onboard Sunshine with a large group of 20 or so. 

Looks a little bumpy with at minimum 9-10 foot waves not sure of the interval between. The only time I have ever felt like getting sick was following behind a hurricane on my way to Bermuda.

14 minutes ago, birdofsong said:

Wow.  Just...wow.  So everyone who likes any of the meals in the MDR is just ignorant?  Sorry -- I disagree.  I haven't been on as many cruises as you, but enough, I think, to be able to have an informed opinion.  I agree that the quality has gone down on some selections, but not all. Perhaps my palate is not as refined as yours, but I'm also not cruising for the food. Oh, and I just spent two weeks on the Allure in August, and the staff in the MDR was fantastic.  Every. Single. Time. 

 

As I said above, I don't cruise for the food.  While cruising with Royal, I have had so much fun on the ships with the people I love.  I have visited Rome and Florence, Italy, St. Petersburg, Russia, Barcelona and Valencia, Spain, Estonia, Sweden, France, Finland, and more.  In the spring, I'm going to Australia and New Zealand.  In relaying all of the special moments I had in these amazing places, I not once stopped to complain about the food. Maybe that makes me simple and pedestrian (and no, I don't like bologna sandwiches). I cruise for adventures and experiences. The rest is gravy.  

 

Glad you have enjoyed cruising. But to clarify, I never said anyone was ignorant and I also did not say staff was subpar. I did say service is lacking due to being overwhelmed. Back in the day, the server had a few tables, you had a sommelier and attention to detail...today, nothing more than a chop shop, get them in, get them out.

59 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Ease up and take a breathe. I do partake in a piece of pizza once or twice during the cruise and it is not gourmet but is a nice "snackeral."

 

The food is not comparable to the times of 2018.

 

I want it to be better. I will do my best to review MDR in November this year exclusively on a nine day cruise.

 

Just saying the food is horrible does nothing to describe why it is horrible or good.

 

Take some pictures of the presentation, describe what you think are the shortcomings or good things about it and enjoy your cruise.

 

Despite my criticisms or accolades, I always seem to put on at least one or two pounds of personal body weight per cruise.

 

🤣

I am confident our food onboard ship in the Navy was better and by the way I was a snipe as well.

Not sure how long you have been cruising but in the 90's, 2000's up to around 2015 I never had a bad meal onboard a cruise ship. With the variety, service back then if you walked away and said it was horrible chances are you are a hard to please individual. Fast forward to today. It is a condensed, boring flavorless menu with small portions and the service is non-existent because the staff has way too much to do. I don't need to waste time with specifics because anyone with a cruising history knows what I just stated is dead on.

I have said this before, and I will say it again...we are being groomed for the removal of the main dining room. In the near future, you will pay for specialty, or you will go to the buffet. The main dining room removal will create more space for specialty dining venues. We can only blame ourselves from years ago when everyone fell for the nominal charge for specialty dining. Ten to 15 bucks, tip included.  Now look what happened! For example, what is Chops now? I believe 70+bucks each?...ridiculous and the food in there has actually has gone downhill.

Sure, you will still hear a few say "we had a great time, no complaints with the food". These are the folks who have a limited cruising history or people who will eat anything. I have family who love baloney sandwiches. Sorry, I am not too keen on paying resort prices for low grade food and rushed service and neither should you. The cruise experience has been tainted. 

Oh and you gain two pounds each cruise because of the sodium level in the food and water. 

The menu is horrible and the food on the menu is horrible. The pizza is horrible and the weak selection in the promenade cafe is horrible. I literally have been eating in the buffet more frequently. This is something I said I would never do because it is horrible as well. 

1 hour ago, 2wheelin said:

They tell you tip included because you are not charged the auto tip. Whether the bar staff get that credit or not  is another question. If I get a free drink the least I can do is tip the person making it.

Tip issue has been resolved thanks to evidence from H18furball.  Like I said in the beginning they have told me in the past because tips are included for vouchers. My drinks are made from the manufacturer and served in a can or bottle. If I ordered some 10 ingredient mix drink with accessories during rush hour I would for sure tip extra.