Princess' Ocean Medallions - Tech, service, and likely some skeptical passengers
Author: Bill
Imagine you walk into a port ready to cruise and you're greeted by name. The check-in process you're used to has transformed into a seamless stroll onto the ship. Once onboard every crew member knows your preferences, you never have to unlock your door or turn on a light, and the idea of handing over a card for a purchase seems pedestrian and laborious. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Carnival Corporation announced their new Ocean Medallions, which promise just this on your next cruise experience.
To cruise-lovers, there are few things as exciting as knowing a cruise is just a few days away. Everything in the world just feels a little bit better. What if you cancel that cruise right before though? Sounds terrible. I did, but this time, I'm actually pretty happy about it...
One of the most common questions I find myself passionately answering both in person and on online communities (I’m looking at you Reddit), is about how to actually book a cruise. Should you use a travel agent or book directly with a cruise line? I’ll tell you right out the gate that whether you’re looking into your first cruise or well on your way to the highest levels of a cruise line’s loyalty program, I highly recommend using a good travel agent, but let’s talk about why by addressing some common questions and misconceptions... 
Carnival Cruise Line announced this week that they're testing updated dining policies on the Carnival Glory and Carnival Conquest. On those vessels, dining times which had previously been 6:00pm and 8:15pm have been updated to 6:00pm and 8:00pm. saying that the change will enhance the dining experience for all guests. Makes sense yet? This will help: Carnival also announced that persons arriving more than 30 minutes late for dinner will not be seated in the main dining room, and be referred to the buffet dining area. Presumably, the fifteen minute-shorter gap between first and second seating will be easy to accommodate as they can now guarantee that no meal service will begin more than 30 minutes after the scheduled time, and the final meals should end a bit earlier.