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Might be too late now but I recommended getting a Charles Schwab Bank debit card for travel. They refund any ATM fees that are charged and have no foreign transaction fees.
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May 15, 2019 04:19
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Cash is always a good idea. I always take 100 in small bills when I go on vacation. I’m a former service industry worker and I have a propensity to over tip especially on vacation. My way of paying it forward I guess. I’ll probably bring 300 on this trip just in case. Maybe more as I’m not sure about using my cards in port. I’ve got travel cards with no fees, but acceptance could be an issue. I never really think about someone not taking credit cards these days. Even the 70 year old guy that sells peaches on the corner takes and prefers cards. Tried to pay cash and he whipped out a square reader and said that was easier. The port day plan is to wander around the terminal areas for a while and do touristy poo poo. Grab some trinkets, a couple shirts, some lunch and a drink or two then head back to the boat. I really wanted to hit up Mr Sanchos in Cozumel but the other couple were traveling with won’t do a non carnival arranged excursion for “reasons”. Nothing in progreso caught my eye so probably the same thing there.
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May 15, 2019 05:25
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Just chillin' is cool. Hey speaking of excursions, do you guys want to laugh* ... like a B.O.S.S.? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IAOKccvGXPc *or cry, or 
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May 15, 2019 06:50
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skipdogg posted:Cash is always a good idea. I always take 100 in small bills when I go on vacation. I’m a former service industry worker and I have a propensity to over tip especially on vacation. My way of paying it forward I guess. I’ll probably bring 300 on this trip just in case. Maybe more as I’m not sure about using my cards in port. I’ve got travel cards with no fees, but acceptance could be an issue. I never really think about someone not taking credit cards these days. Even the 70 year old guy that sells peaches on the corner takes and prefers cards. Tried to pay cash and he whipped out a square reader and said that was easier. Hell, if you really want to do Mr Sancho’s, just do it and meet back with your other couple back on the boat. We’ve done that when my parents wanted to do a different shore excursion than us and it worked out fine. Also, Braksgirl signed us up for Mr Sancho’s on our March cruise, and it was really nice. The kids and adults both liked it. Worth a visit IMO and you’ll still have plenty of time to visit the terminal shops.
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May 15, 2019 11:04
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Mr. Sancho's is the most popular non-cruise excursion in Cozumel, I think. All the cab drivers know it. It's awesome! I've been a couple of times now and I highly recommend it. The service is great, the food and drinks are pretty good. I've been to Cozumel 7 or 8 times and Mr. Sancho's is the way to go. So what you'll want to do is get off the ship and head straight for the taxi stands. Don't get side tracked by the vendors hawking poo poo at you. Just tell them you want to go to Mr. Sancho's and they'll get you into a cab and on your way. It's about $15-20 each way in a cab, depending on how many people you have. The bigger cabs with more seating charge more. When you're ready to come back to the ship, there are always a bunch of cabs outside Mr. Sancho's waiting. It's super easy peasy. Tell your friends that travel agents recommend it.
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May 15, 2019 13:18
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Silly Burrito posted:Hell, if you really want to do Mr Sancho’s, just do it and meet back with your other couple back on the boat. We’ve done that when my parents wanted to do a different shore excursion than us and it worked out fine. Also, Braksgirl signed us up for Mr Sancho’s on our March cruise, and it was really nice. The kids and adults both liked it. Worth a visit IMO and you’ll still have plenty of time to visit the terminal shops. I really want to. The other couple is deadly terrified of being left behind at the cruise port. We could hit Sancho's from 9 to 2 and have tons of time to get back. We may still go without them. Coconut Shrimps be callin me. One thing I haven't been able to figure out though, is there an onboard store where you can buy non alcoholic drinks or mixers? Can't find a good video online of the store. Like a 6 pack of diet coke to bring back to the room or something? I know there's a store onboard, but it mostly looks like souvenirs and some sundries. Or maybe you just order through the steward?
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May 15, 2019 20:55
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skipdogg posted:I really want to. The other couple is deadly terrified of being left behind at the cruise port. We could hit Sancho's from 9 to 2 and have tons of time to get back. We may still go without them. Coconut Shrimps be callin me. I see a ton of people who bring a few 12 packs on the boat when they get on. You can always buy a coke at any bar though.
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May 15, 2019 21:01
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Also this is an option: https://www.carnival.com/FunShops/in-stateroom-beverages
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May 15, 2019 21:04
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Yeah, we're bringing 2 12 packs and 2 bottles of wine on with us, but I was just curious if buying more at a shop is possible on board. I'm probably overthinking this and I won't be spending as much time in the cabin as I think I will be.
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May 15, 2019 21:16
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Tip your cabin steward as well. They are usually from an under developed country, and end up working onboard for 9+ months at a time. They are also employed by a mega corporation at the bleeding edge of global capitalism, and are subject to all the lovely business practices possible. The people working in the hierarchically lower positions sacrifice an awful lot for the possibility to support their families. They depend on tips. Treat them well. Here's a book that everyone who is considering going on a cruise or working on a cruise ship should read: Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns That Built America's Cruise-Ship Empires
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May 15, 2019 21:20
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Oh I plan on it. I waited tables for like 6 years through high school and college, so I tip everyone generously when I'm on vacation. I tend to overtip everywhere I go now. I'm fortunate that I can afford to do so, so I see it as a way of paying it forward. It's a 5 night cruise, so a 50 to the steward should be pretty solid? Or is it too much? Not enough? Never been on a cruise so I'm not sure. Should I give them a 20 the first day and more at the end?
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May 15, 2019 21:59
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Completely up to you, but I’m going to mention that as soon as you board, if not before, Carnival will ask you whether you would like to have them add $14/day per person to your bill as a general tip for general staff — all the people you don’t interact with much if at all. I tip some people more than that, but Imma stay out of tipping discussion. Regarding your previous comment, my wife and I usually debate what tier of room to get, but in my experience it’s not much of an exaggeration to say we're basically only in our room to sleep and shower.
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May 15, 2019 22:22
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I do know Carnival ships have a shop that sells booze, but I think if you buy it on the ship they store it until the sailing is over. I don't think there is like a general store to buy mixers and stuff. I think if you want mixers, you'll have to carry them on. If it's soda you want, you can buy some at the bars. They won't give you the cans though.
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May 15, 2019 23:09
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Just off of our Cuba/Key West cruise on NCL. This was our first cruise with NCL and I had low expectations... but they exceeded them. We primarily cruise with Princess, so I'll just compare with those experiences. The ship: NCLs Cuba cruises are on their older, smaller ships. Other than some panic-inducing moments after muster drill, the ship mostly felt spacious enough. Embarking, compared to other cruises: boarding was simple and took maybe 20 minutes from arrival at the terminal, getting our cruise cards, sitting for a bit, and then getting onto the ship. Muster: a total clusterfuck. They still use paper lists, even though your information is stored in your cruise card. Muster took an unreasonable amount of time, and staff did nothing to stop loving retarded twatwaffles from chatting on their phones during the entire drill. Food: the food was fine, but I would rate it below Princess on presentation and flavor. They seemed to try to make that up by giving you more of it. We don't eat that much, so it felt like a lot of waste for us. Pluses were a greater variety of dishes, and the presence of a steak available every night as a standard dish, something which Princess has cheaped out on the past year or so. Note: we did not choose any of the specialty restaurants. We checked the menus (which were nothing special) and prices (which were comparable to restaurants on land) and decided it was a waste of money. Personally I cannot fathom paying a cruise fare and then having to pay to eat at a restaurant on a ship. It is a literal cash grab, and I understand why NCL has the nickel and dime reputation. Special note: in order to carve out space for the some of the extra-charge restaurants, NCL drastically reduced the size of the buffet, making it a total clusterfuck if even 15 or more guests are waiting. Poor layout, poor design, meh food options, having to cross in and out of the lines to get drinks/desserts, the person who okayed this needs to be shot in the head or held prisoner on an endless Carnival or RCCL three-day cruise. Thankfully we aren't buffet people, so we only had to endure it to get glasses of water and if we wanted ice cream. Big, big fail. Pools: Old, small ship, so the water area was all up on the lido deck. Two small-to-middling pools flanking four standard jacuzzis huddled together, and the whole surrounded by deck chairs, so if you're self-conscious about your body, know that you are completely on display. Also, NCLs pools are salt water, which felt disgusting after a few minutes, and required a full shower afterwards to get the salt off. Much prefer Princess' fresh water pools. Adult areas: none. Though there were probably only 20 or so minors on board, so there wasn't a real need to escape the mongrels. Bars: nothing special. This was an inclusive cruise, so I was expecting Carnival-level drunken assholes. We were pleasantly surprised that that was not the case, other than some exuberance on sailaway. Lounges: a single large lounge in near the middle of the ship, which had the decor and ambiance of a DMV waiting area. Truly tragic. Shops: most of the shopping was confined to a single large area which was accessed by running a guantlet of jewelry/watches. An unusual amount of salespeople, but they were not the high-pressure type. There was a "Cuba" shop filled with Chinese-made things that said Cuba on them. Stateroom: perfectly acceptable, decent layout, larger bathroom/shower than you would typically see on Princess. Shower wand was appreciated and very powerful. Ports: enjoyed both Key West and Cuba. Would have liked more time in Key West to explore. Couldn't locate any gay businesses to patronize, which was suprising. Havana was far bigger than we had imagined, though we never felt unsafe. The plight of the people was heartbreaking. The sights were interesting and it was entertaining identifying the "government-required" sites and verbiage from the guides (as opposed to the real off-the-cuff dialogue). Disembarkation: hassle free and quick. Immigration took only 5 minutes and was low drama. We had a good enough time that we purchased some future cruise credits. We'll continue to prefer Princess, but NCL has some unique itineraries that we will take advantage of (Vancouver to Hawai'I, and some of the New Zealand cruises, for instance). Overall a good cruise.
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May 17, 2019 15:21
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Finished the 7-Day Hawaiian cruise on Sunday with NCL. I'll steal poolside's template for a review. I previously cruised with Princess to Panama, Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas, Holland America to Alaska, and now this. Our family took it based on pricing and this was the first one where sister and i went with unlimited beverage options. A one-time payment of $185 CAD was more economical than $55 USD/day for Holland. This was also the first cruise where we all had the same room instead of 2 adults per - not ideal, but again, it was cheaper this way. The beverage option included all alcoholic drinks up to $15 and bottled water. For some reason they wouldn't let me use it on an espresso at the coffee bar. We intentionally flew in four days earlier to explore Oahu. My sister met up with an old work colleague, we walked up Diamond Head, went shopping, cruised up to North Shore, and I did my own thing playing a round of golf and hiked up Koko Crater. Our parents' anniversary was May 10 and we took them to Paradise Cove for a luau. Embarking took like 10 minutes, including the photographer poses getting onto the ship. No lineup whatsoever, probably helped that you can get on the boat at 12 pm and doesn't sail until 7-8 pm that day. Muster - same experience as poolside. Paper list instead of swiping your card was kinda weird. Food - we did the buffet dinner at the aloha cafe for the first two nights then had sit down dinners for the rest of the week. We opted not to eat in the restaurants that charged extra, either. The desserts were my least favourite thing on this boat. They were really bland or had some weird texture to it. The other meals like prime rib, breakfast omelets and any seafood dish I ordered were fantastic. I enjoyed the freestyle dining option where we could walk in whenever we wanted instead of the preset time that the other cruise companies made us do. Pools - didn't use any. The hot tubs were inconsistent - one had no heat but the jets worked, another had heat but no jets. Entertainment - consistently good. The magician had some great stage presence and the comedian had me laughing. The cover bands were really good as well. We skipped the white hot party. Shops - walked in them but since we had overnight docks nearby tons of ABC stores (the main convenience store in Hawaii) we never bought any souvenirs on the ship, just walked off and bought whatever we wanted for almost half as much. Ports - we rented a car in Maui and I would've likely used this at the rest of the ports instead of using the bus shuttle or uber. It was just more economical this way. MY favourite activity was playing a round of golf at Kapalua Bay. Such a beautiful place. My favourite souvenir will probably be all the Kona coffee that I'm about to drink at home. We also stopped in Hilo, Kona and Nawiliwili. Each had their own charm, but I'd say Hilo was my least favourite spot out of the four. Disembark - we used the baggage storage service since there we had 10 hours to waste before we could fly back home. it cost $5 per item and we took a cab to Ala Moana mall to waste time. Overall, I'd see myself cruising again with NCL. I thought the value was great and the experience to have more freedom at ports and dinners really separates them from other companies.
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May 22, 2019 20:40
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lloyol - was that on the Pride of America? I've heard reviews from AWESOME! to WORST.CRUISE.EVER on that ship. How was the crew?
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May 23, 2019 00:04
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Yeah, Pride of America. The Hawaiian ambassador was probably the best guy out there. He led the necklace making classes and spoke a lot about his personal life and extremely knowledgeable about Hawaiian culture. Bartenders were inconsistent. I tipped each time but a few of us complained to one of the cruise directors that we had to wait a while to get service from pink’s champagne bar. Some passenger thanked me for actually getting the bartenders’ attention, then made fun of me for wearing a Winnipeg Jets hat. It felt like our room attendant gave us some priority over the rest of the rooms. It helps when we’re both the same culture  . Our shower drain was clogged upon arrival and he had it cleared by the next morning. We tipped him pretty good. It also felt like they were training a lot of waiting staff at the sit down restaurants. I don’t want to criticize them too much but they were all eager to help one way or another. By day four I was annoyed at the main cruise director ending every announcement with ALOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHAAA! The spa staff were probably the most aggressive to sell. I didn’t go to them for anything because I was turned off by their tactics on the tour that it dissuaded me from booking anything.
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May 23, 2019 01:26
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Most of the spas on cruise lines are run by (the same) outside company. It's really a rip off, and they work on commission, so there's always a high-pressure sale. I actually stopped getting massages because I couldn't relax knowing that at the end of it, I would have to endure 10 minutes of sales pressure.
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May 23, 2019 02:08
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My wife and I did Pride of America last year for our honeymoon- obviously I'm quite biased and really have nothing to complain about from the trip.  Our trip coincided with the the volcanic eruption on the big island, so the itinerary was in flux pretty much until the trip hit. They did make it a priority to sail as close as possible to the eruptions in the evening. I have some terrible quality phone photos but it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I found that the people complaining the most about the ship are the super cruisers- it's definitely an older ship and doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the newer ones, but I didn't have any surprises. I also LOVE that there's no casino... More room for other features and a lot less smoke.
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May 23, 2019 04:45
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We're back from our Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Bliss. It was a pretty great experience, maybe our favorite vacation. We'll definitely want to cruise again, not sure if we want it to be our vacation next year yet.
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Jun 2, 2019 23:17
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https://twitter.com/ap/status/1135902786548318208?s=21 Cruises to Cuba now banned again. When does this take effect? Hell if anyone knows.
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Jun 4, 2019 20:00
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Zero One posted:https://twitter.com/ap/status/1135902786548318208?s=21 Uh, apparently immediately; people sailing on tomorrow's Empress of the Seas to Cuba have been redirected to Costa Maya with a 50% fare refund.
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Jun 5, 2019 05:06
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Yeah. This was all so short notice they're not sure what they can or cannot do so they are redirecting today and tomorrow's sailings. https://twitter.com/royalcaribbean/status/1136044804847165440?s=21 Carnival and NCL are also changing sailings. https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/4155/ quote:(Updated 8:51 a.m. EDT) -- The Trump Administration announced new travel restrictions today that will effectively end Cuba cruises from the U.S., carrying American citizens.
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Jun 5, 2019 14:47
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Huh! Surprising how sudden this is actually going into effect. All the travel restrictions for the past 3 years announced by the Trump administration have both (a) taken months to come into effect after being announced, and (b) not especially restricted independent travel to Cuba since they have still left the "support for the Cuban people" exemption open, still allowed Americans to rent cars from the (military-owned) rental companies, and do not appear to have prosecuted anyone through OFAC* *E: I mean private travelers. A bunch of businesses and businessmen have been fined. Saladman fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Jun 5, 2019 |
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Jun 5, 2019 15:19
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I am so glad we went to Havana when we had the chance two weeks ago!
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Jun 5, 2019 15:38
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Tommorow starts vacation for 11 days, and I leave Saturday on my first cruise. I'm so over packed it's not even funny. I did manage to get a reservation for Mr Sanchos in Cozumel though, so super excited about that. We waited too long, but someone on Facebook has extra reservations her party isn't using and will give them to us to use. Things i didn't know... there's private FB groups for cruises where you can meet people and discuss things. I'm not a huge fan of social media, but it's been helpful. Someone setup one for the Valor June 8th sailing from NOLA and there's like 300 people in it. Without it I wouldn't be going to Mr Sanchos. Gonna eat all the coconut shrimps and drink some blue drinks.
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Jun 5, 2019 15:50
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Mr Sanchos is amazing and I love it
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Jun 10, 2019 19:05
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Yay! I love it too!
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Jun 10, 2019 19:12
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Last night of the cruise. I had a good time, but I’m on the fence about doing it again. For the money we spent I’d like to see what other options are out there. Might be able to swing an inclusive resort and airfare for what we paid. I’ll give it a week or so and see how I feel about it again
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Jun 13, 2019 03:47
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poolside toaster posted:I am so glad we went to Havana when we had the chance two weeks ago! Also it would seem that Cuba is headed for another Special Period because Marxist-Leninists are evidently incapable of learning from their mistakes, so I'd say you got the timing just right. On the other hand, maybe without the promise of American tourism, Cuban prices will return to something vaguely in line with sanity. I think it's already starting from what I've seen, the idea that they could sell a room that was, by rights, a $100US/night room for $180US/night was a big factor in my decision not to travel there for the past few years.
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Jun 13, 2019 16:25
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Royal Caribbean accidentally listed their Premium drink package for $18/day online. Normally it goes for $40-60. It was actually less expensive than the non-alcohol package. Of course people starting buying it and telling their friends. Within a few hours Royal said it was a mistake. The people on Cruise Critic FREAKED OUT. "How dare they go back on their offer?" "They've RUINED my vacation." People started emailing the CEO. Royal said today that while they can't keep people at $18, they'll give anyone who books the package in the next few days 30% off the onboard price which brings the price down to the 40-45 range (depends on exact sailing). People are flipping out again because they didn't offer an even deeper discount (or didn't keep the original $18). No matter that everyone is back to the exact same place they were at Monday morning (or in a better spot if you had bought at an even higher price). It has been hilarious to watch. In other news, Carnival Vista has broken azipods and needs immediate repair. Unfortunately, back in April Oasis of the Seas broke the only drydock in the Caribbean capable of fitting Vista. What will Carnival do? Bring in a giant floating dock from the Netherlands: https://twitter.com/orlandosentinel/status/1146078453088825344 Video of how it will work: https://vimeo.com/345668784 Zero One fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 23:59
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Did they pay for the drinks package or was it just listed on the site? If they confirmed and paid for it already, I think it's the responsibility of the cruise line to honour their end of the deal. "I meant to charge you more" is not a reason to invalidate a contract.
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Jul 4, 2019 23:59
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Yeah people's cards were charged. However the law is very clear that mistake prices are not required to be honored. It wasn't a case of them jacking the price it was a case of a wildy low discount that has never been given for that product before. But In the end Royal did the right thing and honored that price for those who managed to get it at $18.
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Jul 5, 2019 00:11
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Mistake prices don't have to be honoured up to a point, sure. If something is marked wrong in the store, and they catch it at the till before you pay, the store doesn't need to honour that price. As soon as consideration is exchanged, it's gets a lot murkier, and you have to judge whether it's reasonable for one party to the now-formed contract to have believed that the offer was made in good faith. $18/day for something that's normally $40/day is a very steep discount, yes, but not so obviously so that a purchaser would assume it's an error rather than a large discount, nor would it be unconscionable for Royal Caribbean to have to honour that price even if it would cost them a decent amount of potential revenue to do so.
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Jul 5, 2019 01:28
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Drone footage of Carnival Vista parking on the floating dry dock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR00XpFkExQ
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Jul 15, 2019 02:15
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Zero One posted:Drone footage of Carnival Vista parking on the floating dry dock. That maintenance ship the "Vanguard" looks like it would tip over in the slightest breeze.
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Jul 15, 2019 13:00
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At their D23 expo, Disney announced that their 5th cruise ship will be called DISNEY WISH. Sailings begin January 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1935sXbGFng They also announced their new private destination in the Bahamas. Located on Eleuthera at a place called Lighthouse Point. Not many details yet (or a name) but it is being designed by legendary Imagineer Joe Rhode who was (and still is) the lead designer of Animal Kingdom and the Aulani resort in Hawaii. quote:With local artists and cultural experts, he has explored cultural sites across New Providence and Eleuthera, from Junkanoo shacks to noted art galleries.  
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Aug 25, 2019 21:01
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WhiteHowler posted:Just got back from the JoCo Cruise*, which currently uses Holland America. We were aboard the Oosterdam, which is one of their smaller ships. This was a chartered cruise, so the setup was slightly different (and the average age trended about 50 years younger than usual- mostly people between 25-45). But the food, service, included amenities, and that sort of thing should apply for anyone. Hi, fellow cruise monkey! As far as the main dining room goes - it's split into two shifts so that everyone can get the mai dining room experience and get the main concerts and entertainment. There's too many of us to fit everyone into the venues, otherwise. I don't think it was the groups being split that threw the staff off, though; this wasn't our first year having the whole boat, and they usually do have staggered seating anyway. From what I recall, speculation was that they were using our cruise to do a shakedown cruise for a whole bunch of new staff, on the premise that the JoCo Cruise Monkeys would be significantly more chill about these sorts of issues than the typical group of geriatrics. Also, you left out one thing specific to the JoCo cruise: we have onboard intranet, which doesn't require using anything but ship wifi. (Also, we have load tested the HAL wifi, they were not prepared for a whole ship full of passengers to use it that first year.) It's called Twit-arr, and it runs off a couple of servers that the JoCo staff bring on board, and it's one of the ways everyone keeps up to date with the Shadow Cruise events and spontaneous events. Also, the JoCo cruise group apparently drinks a lot more spirits and beer than the ship usually sells, but we don't really hit the casino or the onboard shops except for buying merch. The casino staff apparently considers it relaxing, if surprising.
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Oct 24, 2019 20:20
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Anyone know what time you can book Disney cruise activities on the day your booking window opens?
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Nov 11, 2019 15:10
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| # ? May 22, 2024 07:15 |
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When you’re a captain and your day goes from good to very bad: https://abcnews.go.com/International/carnival-cruise-assessing-damage-ships-collision/story?id=67851438
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Dec 20, 2019 18:30
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