ernierocker Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Awesome! I am sure it is annoying paying extra for a balcony and then getting someone directly next to you smoking all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I can see them selling a limited number of smoking balconies if demand drops, but I think for the most part smokers understand that the opinion on smoking has changed. Many cities have already banned smoking on outdoor patios in restaurants and major public places (like theme parks and sports venues) already have designated smoking areas. Casinos are probably the last major holdout left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) Costa Concordia update. according to: http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/article/42/Press_release_by_italian_civil_protection If all goes according to plan.. the parbuckling (getting the costa Concordia upright again) will start as soon as the weather is okafter the end of this week.. Could be interesting... Edited September 10, 2013 by Hhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Nice to see the new smoking rules for RCL. People smoking on the balcony next to you was especially annoying, and I'll be happy to not experience this again. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Surprised this didn't get posted... In consideration of ongoing guest feedback and evolving industry standards, Royal Caribbean International is revising its onboard smoking policy, effective for all sailings departing on or after January 1, 2014. Under this new policy, all indoor public spaces will be smoke free, with the exception of the Casino and the Connoisseur Club on Freedom and Voyager Class ships and one designated smoking venue on ships sailing from Chinese homeports. In the Casino, there will be designated smoking and non-smoking areas. Additionally, smoking will not be permitted in the staterooms or on stateroom balconies. Outdoor smoking areas will be designated on the starboard side of all ships; with the exception of Oasis-class ships that will allow smoking on the port side of the ships. Indoor smoking areas permit tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. Cigars and pipe tobacco can be enjoyed in designated outdoor areas, or in the cigar club on the ships that offer this venue. LOVE IT! No smoking on balconies and barely allowed anywhere on the ships now! Only major lines that still allow smoking on balconies are Carnival and Norwegian. I figure with this announcement we'll lose some smokers over to those lines which is fine with me! Some of the choice comments from the smokers include "If I'm paying for a balcony I should be able to do whatever I want out there!" to which normal rational people respond "What like murder people? Fire up the BBQ? Run around naked?" Just cause you are staying in a balcony for a cruise doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! I really hope they don't put a ban on running around naked on your balcony... Cause that's all I do out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Mental note - never ever EVER go anywhere near Soupy's balcony... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Surprised this didn't get posted... In consideration of ongoing guest feedback and evolving industry standards, Royal Caribbean International is revising its onboard smoking policy, effective for all sailings departing on or after January 1, 2014. Under this new policy, all indoor public spaces will be smoke free, with the exception of the Casino and the Connoisseur Club on Freedom and Voyager Class ships and one designated smoking venue on ships sailing from Chinese homeports. In the Casino, there will be designated smoking and non-smoking areas. Additionally, smoking will not be permitted in the staterooms or on stateroom balconies. Outdoor smoking areas will be designated on the starboard side of all ships; with the exception of Oasis-class ships that will allow smoking on the port side of the ships. Indoor smoking areas permit tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. Cigars and pipe tobacco can be enjoyed in designated outdoor areas, or in the cigar club on the ships that offer this venue. LOVE IT! No smoking on balconies and barely allowed anywhere on the ships now! Only major lines that still allow smoking on balconies are Carnival and Norwegian. I figure with this announcement we'll lose some smokers over to those lines which is fine with me! Some of the choice comments from the smokers include "If I'm paying for a balcony I should be able to do whatever I want out there!" to which normal rational people respond "What like murder people? Fire up the BBQ? Run around naked?" Just cause you are staying in a balcony for a cruise doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! I really hope they don't put a ban on running around naked on your balcony... Cause that's all I do out there... Jeezus! Next thing you know they will ban fu€&ing on the balconies! What am I to do if I lose another surface to fu€& on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenA07 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 As for people dressing up for the theater, you're absolutely right. Ten years ago, you wouldn't *think* about going to a Broadway show in anything less than khaki pants, dress shirt, and tie. Most people would wear a jacket unless it was blazing hot outside, and women almost always wore a nice dress. I doubt you would be let in if you were wearing shorts and a T-Shirt. Now you CAN go to a Broadway show in shorts and T-Shirt if you wanted to (although people would look at you and say "what a fuckin piece of garbage", and usually people will wear khakis, jeans, a nice shirt, button down or at least a collared overshirt. Some people still do wear shirt and tie. Back in May my wife and I went to see Anne on Broadway. We both dressed up (she wore a dress, I went with a button down and nice jeans) and we felt fairly overdressed for the show. The following night we went to see Chicago, I ended up wearing jeans and a t-shirt for that, simply because it was a very last minute decision and there wasn't time to go back to the room. Even in jeans and a t-shirt I didn't really feel all that out of place, in fact it was what the majority of people were wearing. All things being equal I would have rather been dressed a little better that second time. During Anne there was a family in front of us on their phones. They got a single warning and then were promptly removed from the theater. Can't even begin to describe how annoyed we were, those tickets are expensive, why the hell would you want to waste the experience looking at Angry Birds (which is what the ADULTS were playing). On another note about formal nights. I'm not actually huge on them, but it makes for some nice pictures. I wear a suit and tie everyday, last thing I want to do is wear one on my vacation. That being said, I'm glad ships have them, it's a nice touch. I might complain a little more if I had to rent a tux, but really it only takes me a few seconds to tie a tie and throw on a jacket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) On another note about formal nights. I'm not actually huge on them, but it makes for some nice pictures. I wear a suit and tie everyday, last thing I want to do is wear one on my vacation. That being said, I'm glad ships have them, it's a nice touch. I might complain a little more if I had to rent a tux, but really it only takes me a few seconds to tie a tie and throw on a jacket. This is EXACTLY it. The ships aren't asking anyone to wear a tux or do anything overly annoying for formal nights, they just ask for people to "dress nice", really. And you know, even if you were to dress down on a formal night (Khaki's, collared shirt, *maybe* a tie and jacket) it still looks a LOT better than wearing shorts and a T-Shirt and really takes zero effort. I've always said "If you're the type of person that doesn't want to dress up, even a little, for formal nights, then you're probably someone that should just stick to the buffet..." (On Carnival...) --Robb "Golden Corral has an audience, and so does Ruth's Chris...let's not mix those worlds!" Alvey Edited September 10, 2013 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Parbuckling of the Costa Concordia is currently planned for Monday the 16th. website has been updated and shows the progress on the parbuckling. http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 That would be seriously awesome if the whole thing just flipped over on itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 During Anne there was a family in front of us on their phones. They got a single warning and then were promptly removed from the theater. Can't even begin to describe how annoyed we were Love this! The movie theaters (like AMC, for example) have all sorts of cutesy "no texting/talking" (I think one even says "no roller coaster riding!") clips before the movies. I don't know what it is in people to want to take out their phone, bright as the sun in a dark theater, and start looking at crap. A movie is a lot cheaper than the Annie play, but it's really annoying. I hope they crack down on it. And more cracking down on smoking, too! Gotta respect others when we share space... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I really hope they don't put a ban on running around naked on your balcony... Cause that's all I do out there... You're not going to do this on the Scandi trip are you???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougMJr Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 On the whole electronic devices in the theater thing. What is your opinion on this concept? Disney is enabling iPads in theaters so children can have an interactive movie experience. My knee jerk reaction is I don't want this to be a movie industry trend, but then again I do not have children. Perhaps this will make its way on-board the Disney Ships in come capacity eventually. [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/tYpRQ5Mw2lM[/youtu_be] Hope they have a successful and safe operation on Monday. I imagine this is a potentially dangerous task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I really hope they don't put a ban on running around naked on your balcony... Cause that's all I do out there... You're not going to do this on the Scandi trip are you???? Well, that depends on if Elissa gives us a balcony! If there is, just close the black out drapes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I really hope they don't put a ban on running around naked on your balcony... Cause that's all I do out there... You're not going to do this on the Scandi trip are you???? Well, that depends on if Elissa gives us a balcony! If there is, just close the black out drapes! That's exactly what TPR needs. A clothing optional tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I don't even know what to make of this!!?!? http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/vacation-guarantee.aspx?icid=CC_carnival-vacation-guarantee_1700 The Great Vacation Guarantee The Carnival Great Vacation Guarantee™ is the greatest guarantee you’ll never need to use. If you’re not happy with any 3–8 day Carnival vacation you take to The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, Canada/New England or Alaska, just let us know within 24 hours of your departure. We’ll refund 110% of your fare and our Guest Services will get you back to your home, free of charge. With no hassles and no questions asked. Vacation days are precious. If you decide spending them on a Carnival cruise isn’t for you, you don’t have to. Our Guest Services team will make all the arrangements to get you off the ship as quickly as we can, and fly you to either your home airport if you flew in, or back to your point of embarkation if you drove to the ship. Here is what to do. If you decide within 24 hours of the start of your cruise that it’s not for you, simply notify Carnival’s onboard Guest Services desk. We’ll take it from there. And if you decide later that you want to give Carnival another try, we’ll even give a $100 per stateroom onboard credit to any guest in your party who exercised the guarantee and, within a year, books another Carnival cruise. I don't see how this will help them in anyway!!! I can see a bunch of cheap terrible people booking a cruise just to get a free 24 hour cruise! It also seems like a nightmare for logistics/planning/etc. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I hope this totally bankrupts them when every one of their cheap-ass passenger demands their money back! lol Although this also requires a Carnival passenger to read and dial a phone and I doubt any of their customers are smart enough to do either of these things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Whaaaaa? So many thoughts - How desperate are they?!? This doesn't read like a company committed to guest service and customer satisfaction, it reads like a last ditch plea to get people onboard. - This is Carnival. They won't bust a gut to get you back, it'll be terribly organised and probably take as long as the rest of the cruise to get you home on a terrible airline or a greyhound bus. Dare I say it you might be better off just sitting out the cruise. - Given the experience I've had with their clientele, I don't think the uptake on this will be particularly high. The people that did the cruise I went on were there for one reason, it was cheap. People who wold be appalled by the experience would generally know this beforehand and go on a different cruise to begin with. I hate to think how horrendously low their bookings were to offer 110% moneybacks and $100 credits for future cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 But the fine print says you have to take the Costa Concordia home. Is this a modern day version of walking the plank? Unhappy with your Carnival Cruise? You too can be one of our many passengers who have disappeared without a trace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Rowboat with a drunken Italian guy taking you back to port through shark (or sharktopus) infested waters with a lot of large rocks? This whole idea has me speechless...just seems like another Carnival nightmare waiting to happen. Why don't they just give up the ship(s) already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Parbuckling of the Costa Concordia is happening right now. Live Feed: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Raising_the_Costa_Concordia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Parbuckling of the Costa Concordia is happening right now. Live Feed: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Raising_the_Costa_Concordia I've been watching this for a couple of hours now. So slow and tedious but interesting. The ship is going to look like Two Face when it is finally upright! And the smell!??! I can only imagine what it must smell like out there, terrible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 (edited) A picture with damage indication regarding the previously submerged part of the Costa Concordia. Live feed: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Raising_the_Costa_Concordia damaged side lots and lots of cables Edited September 16, 2013 by Hhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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