First of all, despite making a serious comeback after the ban on DDT, bedbugs are still a rare occurance.
I have never encountered any insect problem on any cruise I have been on.
Also, I have never encountered a rude crew member on any cruise I have been on. Sure, I seemed to notice some that appeared to be tired and over-worked; but never rude. I can't say the same about the passengers, however.
By the way, for wise2u:
It was Bobby McFerrin who recorded the song "Don't Worry Be Happy".
Bobby Darrinwas a 50s crooner who performed the song "Beyond the Sea", which recently appeared in TV commercials for Carnival cruiselines. Also, the actor Kevin Spacey portrayed Bobby Darrin in a recent movie also titled "Beyond the Sea".
You are so right. Just a few incidences this past year. It seems that New York and New Jersey are having the worst time of it. We seem to forget that even though we eradicated bed bugs in the States years ago, they still flourished overseas and now that travel back and forth is so easy....these little critters will be coming back.
The good news is that there is a spray called "Sleep Tight" that is around $15.00 for a spray bottle. It is currently being used in about 500 warehouses around the country. It is completely safe and natural (actually a deviative of toothpaste) and safe for the water supply.
The downside is that it must be sprayed on the actual bug to kill it. And since they only come out when they sense the body warmth when someone is sleeping, I don't know how effective it will be in "general spraying" for prevention.
But as you said, with the huge number of ships sailing every week this "problem" is really more of a rare nuisance than a problem. (I guess, unless you are the unlucky person who gets bitten...then I guess that would change the "importance" rating!)
It was odd that as I recall all 3 incidents were reported (on 3 different cruise lines) in July.
Ya know, I didn't even hit all the food venues on the ship! Disgusting because I love to talk about everything I see and want to experience everything on the ship so I can answer questions. I didn't hit the deli! When I saw it, it was too late BUT I did hit one food line by the bar which was Southern Fried Chicken day.... A guy (American) said to me with a thick accent, WHY WOULD I WANT FRIED CHICKEN? I said back to him "I'm canadian, and I want to taste your fried chicken!" he nodded in agreement that a Canadian should definitely try Southern Fried Chicken and it was TO DIE FOR! The deli subs coming out of that line was amazing looking and the mediterranian restaurant lineup smelled TO DIE FOR ALSO! Ok I have a break down of what everything cost because when I checked daily the folio and saw it going up and up, I wondered why. I took my 1500 cash and dropped a few bucks each day on my Sail and Sign card which was actually secured with my credit card. Here was my bill for two people:
Alcohol: $360.27
Casino: $61.80
Shore Tour: $382.00 (2 people x 3 shore tours)
Mandatory tipping: $160.00
Transfers: $56.00
Portraits: $89.93
Giftshop: $81.80 (5 bottles of alcohol to bring home and other things)
Candyshop: $8.20
Internet: $136.45
Wine: $28.75
In Room Movie: $8.99
Golf shirt at Golf shop: $50.00
Yikes!! Bed bugs! My first cruise is coming up Dec.3, Carnival Valor.I was very excited til I came on this chat bored. I'm going to pray every night that I don't see any bed bugs. Maybe I should bring my own sheets and blanket. I hear you can bring bed bugs home with you. Awe jeez!
Yeah, great review, got me remembering fondly.
thanks for the trivia correction...i knew it was Bobby McFerrin but couldn't remember his last name at all. For a one hit wonder kind of guy he sure had the right attitude.
You are most welcome! I didn't review everything I wanted to so if you have questions out there, ask away!
Bed Bugs, PPPFFFTTTTTTTTT I can't say that enough! My god! I checked all through the bed, no bedbugs, And if you plan on bringing your own blankets, if your bed has them, you will be giving these pesty things a nice comfy vehicle to infest your house with. Just go on your cruise, and if you are freaked out by the talk on bedbugs, then look at your bed when you get there, and also, learn on the internet how to look for them. ITS SO EASY!
Enough of that talk, I've never slept in a cleaner room than Carnival Victory...... AND I've stayed at the nicest of hotels in North America. (And some not so nice....)
Hi Tracy,
Have you come down to earth yet?
You sure had a fabulous time. I have read ALL your posts with interest and from what questions you asked and the replies you got I have learnt a great deal for our upcoming voyage in May next year. So thank you for that.
I have one question for you. Can you tell me what the average cost of the drinks were on board.
Thanks
Peter
Ptur, on our cruise the Ecstasy, they always had a special drink of the day, for 5.99. The usual drinks were between 6-7. They were perfectly made. In fact every drink we had was perfect. Great balance of liquor, which I promise they don't cut you short on.
We had free drinks at the captains gala, and we had Whisky sours, great, martini's yuck, my husbands favorite, wine, manhattans, yum, and anything else you wanted. We tried them all. It was the first full day at sea, with formal night right after. We had samples of all the luquor the ship was selling so you could sample before you buy. We are all stocked for the holidays.
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