Latest news with #CarnivalVista
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line cruisers debate controversial elevator issue
Carnival Cruise Line cruisers debate controversial elevator issue originally appeared on Come Cruise With Me. If you haven't sailed on a cruise ship equipped with an advanced elevator system, you might not be aware that not all elevators are the traditional push-button variety. It's a clear industry trend for smart elevators to be installed on newer cruise ships. In Carnival's fleet, they have been added to a handful of ships, including the Carnival Horizon, Carnival Vista, and a few elevators are designed to reduce congestion in the elevator lobbies and reduce wait times. Instead of getting on an elevator and then hitting the button for the desired floor, smart elevators have no buttons whatsoever. The basic idea is that you'll use a touchscreen in the elevator lobby to input your desired floor and the number of people in your party. The screen will then assign you an elevator, and if you get on that elevator when it arrives, it will take you to your destination. There are some obvious benefits to this. At least once per cruise on ships with traditional elevators, I encounter a situation where I get on an elevator, only to find out that someone has hit all of the buttons and it will be stopping at every floor (to be fair, at times it has been my young children who have done that). Smart elevators eliminate this problem. On the other hand, there are some pain points. As one example, let's say that you request an elevator to the lido deck, and once you get on, you remember you're meeting your party on the promenade deck. You can't simply hit the correct button – you have to get off, use the touchscreen again, and wait for another elevator. There can also be a learning curve, as getting on the wrong car or failing to select the correct number of passengers can be an inconvenient seems like there really is no middle ground. Cruisers either love the smart elevator systems on cruise ships or absolutely detest them. Carnival Brand Ambassador recently received a comment from one of his Facebook followers, stating 'Put the smart elevators on every ship. They are awesome. They really do work and take the annoyance away from ship elevators. Put them on every ship.' As Heald often does, he used this comment to conduct a poll among his followers to determine whether cruisers agree with the comment. After about 54,000 votes, the result was clear – although many cruisers haven't yet been on a ship equipped with smart elevators, of those who have, cruisers agreed that they should be on all Carnival cruise ships – and by a three-to-one the comments on Heald's poll, it sounds like the technology is well-received, but the biggest obstacle is educating the passengers on how to use them properly. As one example, Heald follower Don DeMarte said 'It's not the elevators that are annoying. It's the passengers that refuse to learn them that are the issue. Walking up with four or five in your party and requesting only one spot kills the whole system.' More Carnival cruise news: Carnival Cruise Line plans to bring back popular app feature Carnival Cruise Line sounds the alarm on new scam Carnival Cruise Line shares strict bathroom warning Kate Hanson agreed. 'The smart elevators are amazing, but rarely do people know how to use them correctly. Maybe at muster, the crew members should mention that they have smart elevators and people have to push it number of times for the number of people. Because they aren't doing it!' And Donna Speaks Meade said, 'Smart elevators are great once you learn how to use lol. They seem to disperse crowd[s] faster.' To be fair, as smart elevators start to become more of a standard feature on cruise ships and not just something you'll find on a handful of vessels, more cruisers will become accustomed to how they are designed to be used. But even for now, it sounds like they are a clear improvement over traditional elevator technology. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by Come Cruise With Me on May 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line gives update on new cruise fee, port opening
Last week, Come Cruise With Me shared some good news for cruisers about Mexico's new cruise tax that's set to take effect on July 1. The new tax, which was originally proposed at a rate of $42 per passenger, was cut to just $5 to begin this year, after a compromise was reached between the Mexican government and the cruise per-passenger tax will increase gradually, however, rising to $10 in August 2026, then $15 in 2027, and eventually reaching $21 in 2028. Although the fee decrease is good news for cruisers who will be responsible for paying these new fees on Mexico cruises, many passengers with cruises booked after July 1 naturally have questions about how exactly the new tax will be paid for their sailings. Many of those cruisers looked to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, who answers hundreds of passenger questions every day on his popular Facebook page, for help with their Mexico cruise tax questions. In a video posted on his page on May 12, Heald responded to those questions. He also shared an update on the July grand opening of Celebration Key, Carnival's new exclusive cruise destination on Grand Bahama.'Last week I had literally hundreds of you write to me asking about the tax. There was some news reports that an agreement had been made on a $5, or something like that, tax for guests on cruise ships going into the Mexican ports,' Heald explained in his video. Heald said that the questions he received ranged from, 'How do I pay it?' to 'When do I pay it?' and 'If I've already booked the cruise, do I still have to pay it?''Well, I don't want you to think that we're ignoring you and we're really not,' Heald promised. 'I just can't answer those questions. I do not have that information to share.' The brand ambassador assured passengers that the 'Beards' (Heald's name for Carnival leadership) are working to determine those answers. He noted that Carnival's communications team will send out all the information to answer passengers' questions regarding the new Mexico cruise tax as soon as they the same video, Heald also shared an update that passengers booked on the first cruise to Celebration Key, the July 12 sailing on Carnival Vista, will be excited to hear. 'I will be cruising on the Carnival Vista, the first ship that will be calling there — the big grand official opening with our president, Christine [Duffy],' Heald revealed. 'And I will be there as well wearing a very ugly Hawaiian shirt, no doubt.' At the grand opening, Carnival Vista passengers will get the opportunity to receive a special tour of the new Bahamian destination from the beloved brand ambassador. 'I will be taking you around. I'll show you all the different areas and I'll talk to you about the menus and all that kind of stuff,' Heald said. More Carnival cruise news:'I'll do some meet-and-greets and all sorts of bits and pieces, I'm sure,' he added. 'But we will be there to host you at Celebration Key. It is going to be absolutely fabulous. I can't wait to show you around.' Celebration Key is the first exclusive destination designed for Carnival passengers and will feature 'five portals to paradise' across 65 acres. Visitors will enjoy a mile-long white sand beach, freshwater lagoons, local Bahamian flavors and shopping, an adults-only beach club, shore excursions, and more. Although the first cruise to Celebration Key is sold out, passengers can find the new destination on more than 1,400 itineraries aboard 20 Carnival ships sailing from 10 U.S. homeports through 2027. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line drops popular port from multiple sailings
Cruise itinerary changes can happen for a number of reasons — from poor weather conditions and safety concerns to port scheduling conflicts and construction work. But no matter what the reason, itinerary changes are usually disappointing news for passengers, especially for those who book a certain cruise specifically for the ports the ship will a cruise port is removed from an itinerary without any explanation, it can also lead to unfounded rumors and speculations about the port's safety for travelers. Carnival Cruise Line just caused this kind of stir among cruisers when it removed one sought-after Caribbean destination from multiple cruise itineraries without providing a reason for the change. The impacted cruises include several sailings between now and June aboard three ships — Carnival Vista, Carnival Venezia, and Carnival Mardi Gras. On each of the cruises, Carnival has replaced Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos with Amber Cove, Carnival's private destination located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic near Puerto decision to divert these ships from Grand Turk to Amber Cove was made for operational reasons, according to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, who received a number of questions about the port cancellations on his popular Facebook page. 'I really don't want people to think there is anything that they should be concerned about,' Heald replied to one passenger who wrote to him about the change. 'It's just operational, but [what] I can definitely say is the [fun is] waiting for you, the crew will give you the best of times and Amber Cove really is a fabulous place.'One thing that does concern some travelers about visiting Grand Turk is the U.S. State Department's recently updated Level 2 travel advisory for Turks and Caicos, which alerts travelers to exercise increased caution in the popular Caribbean islands. Turks and Caicos strictly enforces its firearm regulations, which outlaw firearms and ammunition, including single bullets brought by mistake in carry-on bags through cruise port security checkpoints. Last year, one Royal Caribbean passenger was detained for weeks for unknowingly bringing ammunition to Grand Turk. To be clear, Carnival is not canceling all stops at Grand Turk, only certain calls due to operational reasons that are unrelated to the country's travel some Carnival cruisers consider how losing a visit to Grand Turk will change their vacation experiences, they have questions about Amber Cove. One passenger wrote to the cruise line's brand ambassador with concerns that popular excursions in Amber Cove might already be booked for the soon-approaching date of their visit. 'Hi John, we are cruising on the Venezia on May 11. I know that Grand Turk is changed to Amber Cove. I'm wondering if any excursions will become available,' Linda Martin-Ellinwood wrote. 'We are extremely disappointed because we had reserved a cabana by the pool and now with Mardi Gras already scheduled for Amber Cove for months, I am assuming excursions like cabanas are not available.' More Carnival cruise news:Heald assured the concerned cruiser that Amber Cove add-on activities would soon be available for passengers to book. 'Thank you, they will become available very soon, so starting early next week, please check and you should see them there,' Heald replied. 'Thank you, I do understand your disappointment. I really do. However, Amber Cove is beautiful. I'm sure you're going to love it and I'm absolutely positive you are going to have a wonderful cruise.' Carnival Cruise Line is providing passengers booked on the impacted cruises with an onboard credit for $50 per stateroom in appreciation for their understanding about the unexpected changes. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Behind the scenes on Carnival's new $600 million private cruise island
The countdown has begun to the opening of Carnival Cruise Line 's latest private island. Celebration Key, based in Grand Bahama, will welcome cruise passengers with an inaugural visit from Carnival Vista on 19 July. The development of the island cost $600 million (£474 million). To mark the five-month countdown, Carnival Corporation chief executive officer Josh Weinstein and chief maritime officer Lars Ljoen joined Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy to tour the final stages of the construction. During the visit, they placed commemorative keys into the 10-storey Suncastle, the centrepiece of the destination's five 'portals', or areas of the island. Other 'portals' include the Paradise Plaza entrance to the island and the Starfish Lagoon waterslide and sports area. There is an adult-only Pearl Cove Beach Club featuring daybeds, private cabanas and villas, as well as Calypso Lagoon, which has a large swim-up bar. Passengers can even get their retail fix at Lokono Cove, a shopping village celebrating Bahamian culture through local art and handmade goods. Carnival representatives also planted palm trees from its Plant a Tree community engagement programme. Ms Duffy, who participated in the ceremonial filling of one of two freshwater lagoons – described as the largest in the Caribbean – said: 'Celebration Key represents a new chapter for Carnival and its construction builds on our close partnership with the Bahamas, so seeing it transform from vision to reality is incredible. 'We broke ground on this site less than three years ago and now in five short months we'll see our first guests enjoy the many experiences we created just for them to celebrate and enjoy this gorgeous place on Grand Bahama.' Celebration Key will be an exclusive port of call on more than 500 itineraries, across 20 ships sailing from 10 US homeports. Mr Weinstein added: 'This destination will serve as a tribute to the rich Bahamian culture and Grand Bahama's natural environment. It is clear Celebration Key will be a game-changer for our flagship brand and its loyal guests, with endless options for relaxation and recreation, but it's also truly great to see firsthand how we're implementing our company's robust sustainability initiatives on land.' Carnival Key will become the cruise line's second private island. The destination joins Half Moon Cay, which Carnival Cruise Line shares with sister brand Holland America Line.
