To Lido? Or Not to Lido?

You've spent the night before running around your home (or hotel room) checking and double checking that you've brought everything from hair curlers to seasick medications. Sandals (or "man-dals" as my cruising companions LC and KC affectionately refer to them as) to sunscreen. You've filled out all your pre-cruise documentation and health screening attesting that you haven't travelled to a foreign land and contracted the rare West Mountain Llama Intestinal Viruses.  Next you've sat patiently in the cruise terminal as a drug-sniffing dog sniffs the crotch of the guy next to you, and the woman on the right ignores her screaming child. You've walked through the metal detector six times because each time you forgot to remove a coin, or keys, or other jewelry. AT LAST you are finally walking up the gangway and enter through the main atrium hatch!! What do you do FIRST?

Well for a vast majority it's a mad dash to get up to the Lido deck and begin scarfing down a bite to eat, or to the poolside bar to get your first "Drink of the Day". On embarkation day you almost need a strategy because this is the one day of your cruise where not only is almost EVERYONE up there, but most of them are also sporting some baggage in the form of any bags they carried on with them. Finding a spot to sit and have some lunch with your group can be rough.

Here are a few items to do instead of following the grazing masses up to Lido:

1)            Take the opportunity to discover the ship layout, find your cabin (even if it's not prepared yet at least knowing where it is can be helpful). There are so many venues and lounges around a cruise ship (not to mention bars off the beaten-path!) Find a quiet little nook of the ship and slip a bartender an extra tip and he/she will be amazed how much better the drinks are for the rest of the week! For instance on the Spirit-class cruise ships there is the little known interior promenade walks. On Pride (YES I know I talk about her a lot!) it's called the Sunset Garden decorated to make you feel you are walking among a Tuscan estate, with couches and Bistro Tables sprinkled along the way. I've not often encountered fellow cruisers here, so it you like peace and quiet this is a great spot!

2)            Plant yourself right in the Main Atrium with a drink and do some good old fashioned relaxing while people-watching. It's always fun to point out the newer cruisers because they always have the most open-mouthed stares or grins!

3)            Venture over to the Main Dining Room, on some lines they offer embarkation day lunch. Some of the newer mega-ships with a myriad of new dining options offer lunches and tastes from around the world. Japanese Sushi restaurants, Mexican Burrito Bars, and Italian Kitchens, etc. Not all the food is up on Lido!

4)            If you have ventured to the Main Dining Room, now is a great opportunity to check your seating assignment (assuming you're not on an Any Time Dining program), ask for seat moves (They assigned you to a six top, but you and the wife want a romantic table for two), or advise the of any dietary restrictions you may have (Vegetarian, Peanut Allergy, Lactose Intolerant, Gluten-Free). I remember when LC was first diagnosed with the need for a Gluten-Free diet, she dragged us to the MDR on the Carnival Dream and we stood in a line ten miles long for her to tell them her dietary needs. Mostly the line was full of folks wanting window seats or tables for two, or had been assigned seating, GASP! with strangers! Cruise lines and crew members are only too happy to accommodate you if you tell them your needs (politely)! So often I read reviews where a person was angry that the ship didn't offer enough options for their vegan diet, or the chocolate melting cake was baked in the vicinity of nuts. It's amazing how much more a cruise ship can accommodate you…When you communicate with them ahead of time! 

5)            This was a new fun idea I recently came across and I intend to try. Hold a Scavenger Hunt with your group! If you have a large group, have them pair off and find or take pictures of items around the ship. For example- A fellow passenger frantically in search of their passport rummaging through a bag or If you see a woman in a bikini before guests have access to their cabins, or if you see that one Party Cruiser who is already visibly intoxicated trying in uselessly to hide their drink. Make it fun, assign point values, and offer some sort of reward after dinner!

6)            Locate the Ship's coin! It's an old nautical tradition that calls for every ship to carry a coin to signify good luck and safe voyages. Often times the coin is welded to the hull before the ship can ever touch water. Can you find the commemorative coin on your cruise ship?

7)            If you've had enough of people watching, head up to your cabin. Typically your cabin will be ready for you after 1:30. This offers a good time to drop your carry-ons (sometimes your checked luggage has arrived already) and begin to unpack and make your cabin home for the week. If you have a balcony you can sit out and see the sights of the home port you are in. Or if you've had a long flight maybe it's time to sneak in a nap before the Muster Drill.

 As you will discover all week long on your cruise- there is something for everyone to do! That's true even during the craziness of Embarkation Day. So while you're sitting in line in the cruise terminal imagining what comes next, it doesn't have to be run to Lido and fight for a table or space! The party is just getting started- pace yourself!

Thanks again as always for reading!

Pride is Coming Home!!

As the title suggests, I'm a big fan of Carnival Pride. She was the first vessel I sailed on, and have sailed on three times now with a fourth cruise coming in September. She's not the biggest ship, nor the smallest. I think the Spirit class are the perfect sized ships with a smart layout. I've sailed aboard the Carnival Glory as well as Carnival Dream- and Pride was the only one of the three that you could traverse Forward (front) to Aft (rear) on every deck. I remember my time on the Glory we were confused a few times trying to get to dinner in the main dining room walking up one floor then down another then up, then down before arriving at the entrance to the dining room! It didn't make much sense to me. And even on Dream you run into the same issue but not as much. It hall of course has to do with the placement of the main galley on a ship. But I always liked that on Pride I can walk front to back no matter what deck I'm on.
I was excited when they announced that her stay in Tampa wasn't going to be permanent. Now after a three week dry-dock this past October/November and a few months sailing out of Tampa; she is finally sailing her repositioning cruise back to Baltimore (Where she belongs!). With her return, she is bringing a host of new 2.0 upgrades along with her to spice up the voyages. Here's what I am most excited to see:

Guy's Burger Joint- I'm pretty sure this is one of the more popular of the "Funship 2.0" features popping up in the fleet. It marries pop-culture Food Network star Guy Fieri with free poolside made-to-order burgers and fresh cut french fries and all the fixins' you can fit in a bun! In fact one of the reasons I took a cruise on the Carnival Dream was because I had understood that she had the 2.0 upgrades already, sadly Guy's Burger Joint was not one of the upgrades! So I eagerly await my cruise upcoming in September when I can FINALLY gorge myself in true stereotypical American fashion and get, what I've heard are amazing, artery clogging, beefy mounds of goodness!

PSA: To my fiance Lauren, don't worry I'm still excited for the wedding on Pride, but ... GUYS BURGERS! haha

Blue Iguana Cantina- Now I suppose Lauren (known as "LC" moving forward because I'm lazy and well that's her nickname!) is actually more excited for this than I. Here is where you come to get fresh made burritos, taco's, salsa, guac.. (yuck). What I've also learned is that you can get free breakfast burritos as well which I'm more likely to try. I'm not a huge burrito fan, and all these burrito factories popping up all over the place like Neato Burrito, Qdoba, Moe's, Chipotle, etc I'm just not a huge fan of. Sure you can get a burrito the size of a baby's head... but cut it open and you find a bunch of rice and lettuce... and then like Subway you find a few bits of meat craftily hidden amongst the filler! Here's to hoping Carnival gets it right! Either way I expect LC, despite her Gluten-Free diet will find herself chowing down many burrito bowls that week.

Bonsai Sushi- I am also very excited for this venue as well. Even though it's not a free one, I don't mind paying because I LOVE Sushi! We go out for sushi pretty often at home, and have made use of the sushi carts on prior cruises (despite the lame hours they used to be open... which I think was 5-5:05 then again 5:15- 5:19 and then 5:30- 5:45 before dinner haha.) But now Carnival is doing sushi properly with a full service sushi venue on Pride. I even like that they decided to put it down on Deck 2 close to the main Atrium. There is enough food options on Lido Deck! I like that they are adding eateries on other decks with new builds and dry-docks! I foresee myself adding a hefty sum to my Sail and Sign account on this one!

Library Bar- I think this one is one of the lesser known, and lesser marketed additions for the 2.0 upgrades amongst the ships, but one that I am actually very excited for nonetheless. It's a cozy, quieter space where you can get full bar service or get your own self-serve wine at a dispensary! Such a cool idea I think. The reason I like this little spot is because I'm actually one of the quieter cruisers. I'm not usually found where the action is, I like places where I can sit back relax maybe read a book, stare out a window and just be. So this is the ideal place for me to hang out. Would be a great place to meet up before dinner and grab a drink as well. People may laugh at me but while I was aboard the Dream I discovered this room off the mid-ship dining room called the Rendezvous Lounge- it was all done up in masculine leather library chairs and had a tiny little bar in the corner, wood tables, real masculine. IT WAS ALWAYS EMPTY! I loved coming here to read or just hang out.

Red Frog Pub-  This venue sort of speaks for it's self. In the theme of a Key West pub, this is where you begin to get in the Caribbean spirit sampling Rum and Tequila and Carnival's own brand of Red Frog beer (which is actually pretty good though I still prefer Guinness or Sam Adams...) But this is a fun venue built where the old Starry Night lounge (which I think was one of Pride's ugliest rooms!) once was. On a handful of ships you can also order pub fare such as wings, and sliders, etc however this was not to be on Pride. This is strictly a watering hole and place to congregate for live music and a game of Foosball. I think this will be one of the livelier venues aboard Pride now and as I understand it, one of the more popular 2.0 upgrades fleet-wide.

Now Pride also got a host of other upgrades as well in dry-dock but these were the ones that stuck out most to me. Notably she is also the first Spirit-class ship to get the addition of a Lido deck movie screen (scaled down of course compared to her Conquest and Dream class counterparts) that you can catch movies under the stars and free popcorn for that drive-in movie experience.
As part of the planning process for our wedding in September we get to take an 'inspection tour' of the Pride in May with a wedding coordinator to see the various venue's where the ceremony and reception take place. I've heard rumors that some wedding groups have gotten access to free lido lunch during these tours... so MAYBE I will get to sneak in a Guy's burger before we sail! I'll provide pictures from that experience afterwards!

Now I think there's time for another installment of  

"Shit my fellow cruisers say!"

I will steal a comment or concern that I find and then I will respond to it in a manner I'm sure the vast majority out there would! Something I always wanted to do during my own days in retail. Here we go:

Guest writes, "This request is for my booking ****** on the Carnival Liberty. I suffer from serious claustrophobia and have a doctor's letter and evidence to back me up. I have asked for an [read: FREE] upgrade to a balcony but have had no cooperation from Carnival. This is terrible care and customer service. Can something be done for me because I just cannot stay in a cabin with no window or with a balcony and cannot afford to book an upgrade to one???" 

Now first and foremost I have the deepest sympathy for anyone who suffers from fears and phobias. I myself have a fear of heights and often get dizzy looking down when in a tall building, or observation tower, etc. So you know what I do?? I DON'T LOOK DOWN! I do not have sympathy for a person however, that uses their issue to get hand outs. I'm sure there are many claustro-phobes who book cruises and you know what they do? They book what they NEED and PAY for it with the money they saved up. 

"Dear Sir, I am sorry we will not be able to provide you free upgrades on account of your claustrophobia, I myself suffer from acrophobia and understand how handicapping it can be. Indeed my doctor wrote me a letter expressing the need for my own private jet with seats built only in the center so I wouldn't be able to see down while flying. Sadly Gulfstream still wanted to bill me $64 million to have the jet. I do hope you will be able to come back and sail with us when you've saved the proper amount for a Balcony cabin!"

Guest writes, "I am a platinum VIFP with Carnival and ELITE Class with Celebrity. Here are some of the perks we get with them that Carnival MUST offer if they expect to keep guests loyal. Free Internet, Free Coffee from the specialty coffee shops and 50% discount at their restaurants where fees apply- 50% Discount! On our next cruise, we will reach Zenith level, that will mean a private lounge for cocktails before dinner. I have 11 cruises now with Carnival, but perks are why loyal cruisers keep cruising and I think Carnival falls miles behind here. There must be more that differentiates us from other non-loyal passengers who are not the same level as me."

OK flat out, Carnival's loyalty program is NOT (yep I'm a cheerleader saying this) NOT that awesome. But I still find a problem with the overall tone and attitude cruisers like this exhibit. First, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU and WHY are you so damn special? Did it occur to you that perhaps I'm not at your level simply because I started cruising 10 years later than you and not because I'm not "non-loyal"? Secondly, while perks do entice people to continue using ANY product, many come back out of sheer habit and comfort? Example for you: I have bought five Honda cars in my lifetime, and I get NO perks for being a return buyer, I keep buying them because I enjoy the product and it's become my comfort go-to. Not everyone sails ANY line simply because of the rewards program and I dislike the folks that use this line of reasoning. Sure I do think the VIFP program has LOADS of room for improvement. I'm just not the type that really pays that much attention to rewards programs. I sail for love of being at sea, I sail because I think it's overall a better vacation that going to the brackish brown waters of beaches nearby. I proudly sport my gold card but don't look down on those with Red or Blue at all. I wouldn't want to be stuck on a boat with a person that thinks himself better than me simply because he's beaten me to some imaginary level before me... ugh these people grind my gears. In fact it's folks like this, with this "I'm specialer than others" mentality that has some Platinum and Diamond level cruisers ashamed of having reached the top of the rewards chart. They genuinely just love cruising and have achieved these levels because they've sailed many times and love it. However there's a stereotype that continues to build each year that people who reach these levels are self-entitled snobs. As a result the truly nice Diamonds and Platinum's stuff their cards in a pocket out of sight instead of brandishing it like a flag! It's actually sort of sad.

"Dear Sir, Please continue to sail with Celebrity... that is all."

Well I think that's enough prattling for one day, as always thank you for reading. Also I would LOVE to hear from you, I got some great Facebook responses regarding the coloring of this blog and made changes that I hope still keep it nautical feeling, but easier to read! Thanks for the suggestions! If there's a topic you'd like me to touch on, or you come across some "Shit my fellow Cruisers Say" that you'd like to share or have me share, PLEASE feel free!
Thanks and stay Tuned!

New fun for the fun ship Vista

Welcome and THANK YOU for visiting my first cruise blog. My fiance (soon to be wife) has been telling me I should write about cruising for a long time now, so having a few extra minutes and a nerd-like interest in the cruise industry I have decided to take her up on the suggestion. 

So a little about me, my name is Ryan and I have a fondness for cruising and life at sea. I took my first cruise in 2010 and have been hooked ever since. My actual experiences have all been on Carnival ships (Specifically to date- The Pride, Glory, and Dream) but I try to keep up on all cruise-ish news. If my writings seem Carnival-centric it's because it's what I'm most familiar with and I enjoy the product tremendously. I've been labelled a 'cheerleader' on another site full of opinionated...'CRITICal enthusiasts'. It's not that I am a die-hard fan of just Carnival, but of cruising in general. I also understand how businesses in the 21st century work. I have noticed the dreaded 'cutbacks' even from 2010 when I first cruised. However I understand that things need to change (not always for the better) in order to maintain cost and marketability. (And there's always the unadvertised aspect of "We had to cut this in order to keep the CEO's bonus at the same level or higher") Businesses are all subject to a bottom line and a desire to MAKE MONEY while still providing something people like. I get it. I am a fan of Carnival's product and for now it's good enough for me. I also enjoy Carnival's Ambassador John Heald, I think he's entertaining and for the most part he provides good information most of the time. And I am sympathetic to a lot of the 'letters' he gets from cruisers. I know he's not making this stuff up because I've worked in the service industry and I've heard customers ask similar things. So there ya go, I appreciate the brand and the product.

 But I'm not going to lie, I have the desire to sail other brands in the future. (Dying to try one of the Oasis class ships!) But for me I'm simple, I don't need lots of bells and whistles. I simply LOVE being at sea, sitting in a chair or at the railing and watching the ocean pass. I love waking up in a new port and seeing a new place. 

So there's my disclaimer. You may now continue on to the article. I sincerely hope you enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from you as well.

With the introduction to the new Carnival Vista debuting in 2016, comes many new and exciting bells and whistles. Some of the things I'm looking forward to on this new ship include:

The Kaleidoslide

  Carnival's first tube-shaped slide running 455 feet made up of translucent colored sections that spins the rider around and around until arriving in a fun splash pool at the bottom. Now I know what you guys are thinking, "It's just a regular water slide, and many ships at sea already have them Ryan..." and you're right. It's not wilder, it's not un-tried, it's not daring. But what it is, at least to me, is fun. I'm a big kid that loves a good water slide, and when you find one that instead of being the usual opaque dark cavern-like is actually light and fun, I get excited! DARN YOU Carnival! Praying on my inner child like that!! Now I imagine that on any given sea day, on a vessel carrying almost 4,000 passengers the line will be about forty children long, and a dozen rather plump parents sipping on a 'Bay Breeze' while scouting for an open round chair on the Serenity Deck...and then me.. at the end... waiting till Guy's Burgers opens up, then I move on.

The Red Frog BREW Pub

 Now Red Frog Pub's have been on Carnival ships since the introduction of the the Carnival Magic, and have since been installed into many of the older vessels as well. What is new for Carnival is that they will now be BREWING beer at sea in the Pub on board the Vista. This comes as a result of the surge in micro-breweries nationwide creating demand for new flavors and tastes of beer. In a pointing-out-the-blatantly-obvious kind of statement, "Our guests love beer, and they love trying new things," says Eddie Allen, the line's vice president for beverage operations. Yes Eddie, I'm sure much time and research went into discovering that passengers on Carnival Funships, a line known for it's Spring Break Crowd, like Beer...

 The brewpub will feature holding tanks for the house-made beer located near its entrance that passengers will be able to touch as they walk in. The fermentation tanks where the beer is brewed will be in the back behind the glass, and the line also is building a grist mill on a lower deck to process the grains needed for the brewing process.

"We're milling everything on site," Allen says. "We want to be sure we're putting our heart into this beer and making the best product we can." 

So this is good news to anyone that EVER lived in fear that the ship might run out of beer before week's end...which I'm sure was no one...ever.

The First IMAX at Sea

  A three-story IMAX theater at sea that will be showing first-run movies.Not going to lie... I have mixed feelings about IMAX at sea. I mean from the aspect of attracting people with the lure of another feature not found often on other cruise ships I get it. However to my mind, it just doesn't make much sense. I've paid all these thousands of dollars for a week of vacation in the sun and such... and I'm choosing to spend it in a darkened room watching a movie I could have seen at home...before I left. I love movies, don't get me wrong. But at sea I just feel like there are so many better uses of my time. I suppose this one is just a sign of the times. I might even go to it once for the novelty.

 I think this whistle will serve a few under-served market segments onboard. For years now I've read people write to John Heald begging for activities for the 18-21 year olds who are too old for the Circle C teen activities, and are too young to drink or hang out on Serenity Deck with the adults. (News Flash...if you don't wave your hands screaming you're under 21, no one on Serenity Deck notices you're there... shut up and enjoy yourself.)

And of course the teens who've met up in Circle C but have no where to go make out! Now they can get a ticket to the IMAX theater and have some privacy! No longer worrying about disrespecting their mom's "no one strange in the cabin" rules! So basically theater at sea today will be just like the theaters their parents spent Sunday matinee's in growing up!

The Havana Experience

 This is a feature I am actually looking very much forward to. The Havana themed bar and pool area. This antebellum Cuban style bar area featuring both indoor and outdoor space is a first for the line. It features live music, fun foods, and a private (by day) pool area for those staying the in the adjoining Havana cabins. Take in great ocean views as you taste something authentically Cuban: café Cubano (that’s Cuban coffee!), handcrafted cocktails of Cuban origin (think daiquiris, mojitos and more), or Cuban pastries. If you've spent any time at all looking at the Vista's deck plans you may or may not have noticed that there is no ship's disco anymore. I am certain that is in part because of this new area they are introducing on the Vista. Having been on a handful of cruises now I can say that I've visited the ship's disco areas a few times and every time it seems like a dead space. There are always a handful of bar-rats hanging by the bar, a handful of 'Woo' Girls dancing in a circle being watched by the bar-rats, but otherwise it's a pretty empty venue. Here on the Vista in the Havana Bar with it's live music and both tables, and open spaces to get up and groove I think we will see this replace the old disco.And if you think about it, what is the point of going to the ship's disco to dance on a cruise ship anymore? There is usually live music being played somewhere on the promenade decks or near the casino. Or there is a party happening on lido.

There's no longer a need to have a dedicated spot for dancing, especially one a Carnival ship, where there is certainly some thing happening with music and dancing anywhere else on the ship. I'd bet you a Tequila Sunrise that as ships continue to get built and older ships get renovated that we will see more and more of these disco's disappear in favor of more multipurpose areas like the Havana Bar on Vista.

There's also another cool part about the Havana area of the ship and that is the adjoining staterooms that run along the lanai to the outdoor pool area. Here the classic Cuban theme continues in the decor of these cabins. In the effort to continue new use for the poorly used Lanai's of previous ships (Ahem Dream, Magic, and Breeze) Carnival is launching first-ever cabins with walkout patio areas that have access to the Lanai. I am pretty excited by this concept because your traditional balcony gets a bit of an upgrade. You have some shaded area, as well as some sun lounging area and now you can have your own lazy hammock to complete the quintessential lazy day at the beach feel while at sea. However, I think it only a matter of time before someone writes to John Heald and complains that they felt they had no privacy while sunning themselves on these decks. "John my experience was ruined because people kept walking by me while I was trying to lay on my balcony! Do you know they had the nerve to look at me?! I paid for a private room and I had people walking by me all afternoon!" And it will be true because these balconies have a gate that gives you access write onto the Lanai where you can walk on down to the Havana pool, or bar. These cabins are definitely awesome... but not for anyone who desires copious amounts of privacy.

There are many other new facets of the Vista that will no doubt be spot-lighted as things continue to develop, but these are a few of the things I thought were cool. I think it will be a cool new ship that will finally make the best use of the lanai running along the promenade deck, space which was more or less wasted on prior Dream class vessels. I look forward to one day sailing aboard her. 

This brings me to another segment I'd like to experiment with, which I endearingly call-

 "Shit my fellow cruisers say..."

Here I will post items I've found around the interwebs from my fellow cruise passengers and attempt to respond to them in a manner... they deserve... (=O)

Our first post is borrowed from John Heald's blog from a cruiser who wants to feel more important...

Woman writes, "I find it strange and yes insulting actually, that Carnival does not have a private return party for Platinum VIP's like me and my DH. We were on the Celebrity Solstice last week and had our first cruise at Elite level and they gave us a private cocktail reception. Compare this with the one on the Carnival Freedom where we were herded like cattle into the big theater with all the other cruisers who were not Platinum. I saw mostly Gold colored cards which was unsettling. I think Carnival should do more for us like Celebrity took the time to do. Just sayin." 

I will NEVER understand the folks that think they need private attention paid to them simply because they reach certain levels in a rewards program. We've all read similiar requests, everything from this woman asking for a Platinum only party, to a Platinum Dining Room. Seriously- you just want to say "Dear Woman- thank you for reaching a higher level on our MASS MARKET cruise line, might I suggest that if you are as special as you clearly think you are, perhaps you should sail exclusively on private yachts and ultra-luxe cruises? Your attitude towards your fellow cruisers brandishing different colored cards is demeaning. Please take a look in the mirror, learn some humility, and appreciate what is given to you. Thank you and have a nice future.

Woman writes "I am part of a group of 18 cabins booked on the Carnival Conquest 9/21. We are all huge NY Giants fanatics and need assurances that the boat will show the game with the Falcons on 9/25. This would have a serious negative impact on our cruise if you guys do not show this and there will be 32 very angry people. What assurances can you give me that we will have the game shown and on the giant screen?" 

So... not only is she demanding that Carnival find a satellite feed for her specific game, but then she goes on to dictate that it must be presented on the big screen on deck. Really? So you're sailing on a vessel carrying over 3,000 people, but the desires of your group of 32 must take precedence to normal ship programs and possibly the desires of thousands of other guests? And if you don't get what you want you might kick and scream like a 2 year old who also didn't get it's way? Have you heard of DVR? It can be PROGRAMMED while you are away! This entitlement age we live in gets out of hand.  "Dear Woman, I'm sorry to inform you that unfortunately we do not allow our passengers to dictate what is presented on any of our seaside movie screens. This policy is in place to remind passengers that they are not in charge and should just plan on having a good time disconnected from the world. Please remember your place in the world. Also, we have a group of 35 who already asked that we play the Patriots game... sorry."

Woman writes, "Are you aware of the video game selection in the games room on Carnival Pride? They all do nothing but glorify death and destruction and I would be surprised if I am the only parent who will lobby Carnival cruises to ban these horrid vile games! Violence and death are trivialized in these games and Carnival is anesthetizing our children to death by having them available." 

So... have you been in a video game store lately? I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but copies of "Dorothy the sugar fairy" aren't flying off shelves in favor of the strategy involved in deciding if your fairy will use a wand or fairy dust to grow magic bean stalks... 

This is the sad reality of our culture... Call of Duty, Far Cry, HALO, etc are the games that sell and kids WANT to play. It becomes a parents duty then to TEACH them the difference between playing an imaginary character that kills bad guys and aliens, and being a REAL person and NOT killing people on the street. No different than when I was young and my father took me to my first R-rated film and explained both before and after that this was all make-believe and this wasn't how life really worked. It is not Carnival's duty to PARENT children... it's a cruise line's duty to provide what people WANT, (and what will make them a tidy profit! Hmm I can make $300/day with kids playing Call of Duty or.... $20/day on kids playing "Call of the Garden, grow your magic Tomatos"

Well that's all the time we have today! I hope you enjoyed and continue to read! Please stay tuned for more!