beachbum53

Cruisers want their cruises back, regardless of what ports are open. 

I always ask for extra fries at Guy's Burgers and am able to get them. Does that count?

On 7/26/2020 at 4:26 PM, Luckiestmanonearth said:

So many people have indicated that they won’t cruise until we have a Covid vaccine

 

Question is once a vaccine is developed, approved and available , would you necessarily be one of the 1st ones in line to get a vaccine so you can cruise?

 

Or would you be apt to wait and see how it goes ?

When I was 18 (many many years ago) and joined the Army, my father gave me some advice that I still tend to follow even now. He said "Never be first in line, and never volunteer for anything." So, with those words of wisdom in mind, I will not be among the first to get the vaccine. I'll wait and see how well it works (or doesn't work) for others. 

Right now, I'm more concerned about flying than going on another cruise. Until this pandemic has ended (or comes very close to ending), there's a much greater chance of contracting the virus on an airplane than on a cruise ship. 

2 hours ago, CruiseHealing said:

The fastest way back to cruising will involve COVID Quick Result tests. A test that can have a valid trustworthy result within 30 minutes or less.  All passengers and employees will be tested every time they board the ship.  At embarkation and returning from port testing would occur.  There are numerous companies working on these trustworthy tests including 3M/MIT and Sorrento Pharm (google their work).  Hopefully as these test are developed and commercialized we all can return back to the sea!

I'm not sure how reliable those quick results tests are. Too often there are false positives or false negatives. I for one wouldn't rely on a quick test. 

15 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Hi All...   Why do you like / want to go on a cruise :-    Is it ....

 

Going new places

Don't having to unpack and repack

Being at Sea

Don't like flying

Like having everything done for you.

Relaxing.

Meeting new people

Sitting back and hotel takes you to different places

Or some other reason ?

 

To us basically all of the above.

 

Cheers Don

Because it's much easier than swimming to each port. 😄 (Sorry. Couldn't resist it.) Actually, all of the above.

March 2021. 

1 minute ago, klfrodo said:

Yes, I have been able to use the ships wifi to listen to Sirius/XM and Pandora on my mobile device

Did you have to pay for access to the WiFi?

4 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

The best option is download to your device any music you would want to listen to.  To actually stream music, you will need to be on a ship with upgraded wifi and purchase the highest level package. Save some money and aggravation.  Download your music.

So, having the Hub app won't enable us to use the ship's WiFi? Guess I'd better get a couple of SD cards and start downloading. 

I know that the WiFi on the ships can be spotty sometimes. There are several apps for mobile devices (tablets, smart phones, etc.) for music and/or radio stations. We like to listen to music when we're in our cabin. The music choices on the cabin's TV are very limited. If we bring a mobile device with music apps to choose from, will we be able to utilize an app via the ship's WiFi?

1 hour ago, jetsfan58 said:

To the Cruise Critic faithful hello! Some of us have to shop for last minute items, in our favorite Port Cities, as we prepare to cruise. We just sometimes, through the anticipated excitement of "being on a ship", forget to purchase desired items. We have also been royally "spoiled" by being able to bring sodas and wine bottles aboard for our drinking pleasure during our wonderful cruising adventures.  

 

Due to possible and/or probable restrictions (as we still do not know the true effects of Corona as it pertains to the surface of items) will Carnival allow us to bring those drink items onboard?  Perhaps if they are already packed in a luggage or safe carrier they might? What about those passengers that openly carry them onboard? Will they have some sort of "disinfecting spray" that they spray our luggage with? 

 

I would certainly not want my "drinks" being fumigated? How about you?     

You're probably worrying needlessly about this. However, I'll be curious to see how many people buy one of these to wear, especially for Embarkation Day.  https://www.cafepress.com/+,22403498/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=pla-google&utm_campaign=640238777-d-c&utm_content=27654277450-adid-93474589570&utm_term=pla-339440224231-pid-22403498&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpNr4BRDYARIsAADIx9xopTEuIkCj0hxhZsG6lg-9XNPbG0LLqhYrrlW8yWi6zUv04NTWIj0aAkm5EALw_wcB

22 hours ago, Lee Cruiser said:

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-provides-update-mega-ship-mardi-gras-photos/?fbclid=IwAR3AHINjicDUbk6lZwIXNMgpOsiQxE1TNcC_DdYJyr2NXgtIntLvAS3u0wQ

 

Thanks for sharing. It would have nice if the two web sites you posted had different photos, instead of the same ones. I guess we'll just have to wait a little longer to see more photos and/or videos posted of the ship.

18 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We've all heard that cruise ships are a floating petri dish and perfect for the transmission of the virus. As a sport football has also been described as a perfect way to transmit the virus.

Here's one solution from the NFL.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29454756/nfl-unveils-oakley-mouth-shield-combat-coronavirus

 

Could people be made to wear these (except of course while eating, drinking, or in their cabin)?

It looks like a football helmet would be needed to wear the shield. Do we really want that if going on a Caribbean cruise? Not very practical. No thank-you. 

On 7/9/2020 at 2:01 PM, pwmcivil said:

So i just booked the Mardi Gras for June 2021 and have a few questions, some might have answers and some I'm expecting the best guess of the collective board knowledge.

 

1 - Is there an early and late seating for dinner?  Early was not even listed as wait-list.  With YTD can you put in a "standing" reservation for 7 people at a particular time?

 

2 - Do you think they will offer FTTF in June?  and if they do when would expect it to show up live on the site?

 

3 - The Loft 19 cabanas look awesome, how and when can you try to book one for the week?

 

Thanks

Regarding Question #2. Typically, for most cruises, FTTF becomes available about 9 months ahead of the cruise date. Assuming that this holds true for the Mardi Gras, you may not see it available until some time in late Sept. or early Oct. 2020. However, since the inaugural cruise has been pushed back to Feb. 6, 2021, it's hard to guess exactly when FTTF will be posted. 

10 hours ago, d-train said:

We were supposed to be in that room last week...boo...

i picked it because it was under the dining room.

usually quiet at night I thought.

if you line up the elevators, you will get a more accurate location.

each floor on those maps are not lined up at all...

This.⏫ Use the elevators or stairways as a reference point, regardless of which deck you're considering when choosing a cabin. We try to pick one that's not right around the corner from any elevators and stairways. It's not uncommon to be rudely awakened at 1:00 in the morning by cruisers that have had one too many alcoholic beverages and are talking and laughing very loudly while staggering to their cabin from the elevator. That can be almost as bad as having noise from over head. 😲

A few things we especially like on the Breeze, which helps make it our favorite ship. In the Lido buffet seating area, along the inside wall on both sides, there are high top tables. It can be difficult to find an unoccupied window table at breakfast or lunch. Sitting at one of the high tops makes it possible to see over peoples' heads and be able to look outside while eating. There are large red patio umbrellas in the seating area that give it a more tropical feel. And, if you like to have a latte or some other specialty coffee with your breakfast or lunch, there's a small kiosk set up in the rear of the buffet area where you can get your specialty coffee without going to the coffee bar on Deck 5. The Dream and the Magic (sister ships to the Breeze) don't offer this. Also, we love the decor on the Breeze. If, after cruising on the Breeze, it doesn't become your favorite, it will definitely be in your top three. 

We had cabin 2276 on the Breeze, which is just a bit forward of 2294, and no lifeboat directly overhead. I'm pretty sure that 2276 is just below the Excursions Desk. We had no noise from above. However, we did have some noisy neighbors next to us. No way to predict that. All in all, a pretty good location. 

5 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

There are countries whose governments have thrown in a suggestion for reopening borders that includes forcing tourists to install tracking apps on their phones so if they do bring in sars-cov-2 they can trace back all their movements to find potentially infected people. Taiwan has already experimented with the idea on locals returning home while South Korea utilises apps that already track people to contact trace an infection.  As tourists how would you feel if entry to a country required installation of a tracking app? Would you be ok with this regulation or do you feel it would be too invasive?

This may be a moot point, but what about those of us that don't have a device (such as a smart phone) to install an app on? Or, what if someone does have a smart phone but chooses not to take it ashore? Prior to booking a cruise, if I learned that a certain country on the itinerary was having a problem with some sort of virus or communicable disease, I wouldn't book that particular itinerary.

Our favorite place to go for a land-based vacation is Hilton Head Island (South Carolina). We always go in late September. We typically make our reservation about 9 or 10 months ahead so that we can get the condo we want. Our last cruise was this past March, just a couple of weeks before everything started shutting down. Our next cruise isn't until Nov. 2021. So, at least we've got HHI to look forward to in the meantime.

After seeing several adults in the pool drinking beer and not getting out for a long period of time, I quit getting in the pool several cruises ago. It's not really a pool. Just an over-sized toilet. 

3 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

And that report is two months old. Is no news good news? I hope so for all those who are booked in November, December, and beyond. We were booked on the September 30th repo cruise so we have already felt that sting.😎

Yeah, I know it's two months old, but that's the most recent information I could find. Let's hope it's correct and that there won't be any further delays.

7 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Shown for 2020 are sailings starting Nov 14 to Dec 26 all 7 day. However they all show sold out. Does that really mean sold out or not sailing at all. Many months ago when they first listed the sail dates we booked for Halloween October 31st 2020. We were told it would not sail by then and our cruise was cancelled. We received a refund and FCC. Re-booked for Halloween 2021. Doing the Sunrise for 2020 Halloween. I would think you should call your TA or Carnival and just maybe you will receive a truthful answer. Post what they tell yo so we will all know.

With all of the cancellations and delays of Carnival cruises, including the Mardi Gras, that has caused people to rebook their pending cruises, I'm not a bit surprised that the Mardi Gras is sold out for Nov. & Dec. 2020 sailings. As demand for bookings on the Mardi Gras increase, so do the prices. We booked a cabin on her for a Nov. 2021 sailing back in Feb. of this year. The cost for our category (cove balcony) has gone UP $30.00 pp, and will no doubt continue to increase. 

This is the latest report that I could find.  

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-provides-update-on-mardi-gras-inaugural-cruise-season/

Unless there are any other delays, it looks like the Inaugural cruise date will be Nov. 14th 2020.

Thanks JohninDC. I'd forgotten how far it is from Orlando to the port. We may opt to take an Uber from the hotel to the port on embarkation morning.

 Our Carnival Mardi Gras cruise is still several months away, but I know eventually I'll have to start researching hotels. The last time we cruised out of Port Canaveral was in 2008. We flew in the morning of and took the Carnival shuttle bus from the airport to the cruise terminal. We'll be flying in the day before, so we don't need to be worried about parking. Here's what I'll be looking for. Obviously, a hotel that is clean and well kept, and is not outrageously priced. A hotel that offers shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the port. A store within walking distance of the hotel where we can buy some sodas to take with us, One or more restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. What can you recommend?