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I was booked on the Vista for September 7th and was canceled. We were given a full refund AND a 100% future cruise credit. We turned around and booked the Mardi Gras in a Havana Cabana Balcony for October! Better ship and better room! We (14 of us) have already received our full refunds :-)
Congrats, but I think you'll find that the Havana area on the Vista-class would have been much nicer than on the Mardi Gras and the Excel-class. Still, any Havana cabana is better than no Havana cabana at all.
I'm a new subscriber and it was your personality/enthusiasm that drew me to your channel. This video showed me you're also kind and empathetic. I appreciate that you brought that energy in the world with this vlog.
Regarding the Villa Vie: It's been said before, but handing a bunch of money to an unproven company that promises these extended cruise deals is probably a bad idea. Even looking at what these people are paying, I don't quite see how its going to work economically. Even if this thing gets going on its cruise, I'd wonder how long it will be before the ship has issues of some kind and strands the passengers.
I lived in the Jacksonville area in 2005, when they hosted the Super Bowl. I don't remember what line, but they docked to two cruise ships there that were used as hotels. It was so busy and it was definitely needed. There wasn't a vacant room to be found in the city. People had signs in front of their houses renting out rooms for insane amounts, like $1,000 per night!
September 11, 2001 - i had a job in northern NJ - after the second plane hit, everything closed down so people could go home and listen to the news and worry about their loved ones. My office did not shut down. I had no relatives or close friends in The City, but still. I walked around the little lake at lunch and, for the one and only time, i was the only person in sight. When i finally got home, i listened to a call-in radio show and it was heartbreaking. I lived under the flypath of Newark Airport and the next four days were eerie - all air traffic had been shut down - there were no jets to hear. You’re right, Tony - I’m old enough to have lived through numerous national disasters, but this was by far the most wrenching. As for the couple whose long Villa Vie has been postponed yet again, without Villa Vie footing the bill this time - i feel sorry for them. A long-anticipated vacation so screwed up!
On 9/11 I live I NC now, but I did live in NYC years ago & still have friends and family still living there. When I saw the 1st plane hit The WTC I thought it was an accident and they had breaking news. In the meantime I have a friend who was working a block away from WTC and they didn't hear a thing. He worked at JPMORGAN Chase and he worked on the 26th floor. I called him & asked, if he heard about a plane hitting the towers and they just heard about it. When everyone started to say it was a terrorist act, I told him get the hell out of your building. He said that supervisors/manager to stay in the building. I kept telling him to get out of the building. After awhile the official word came for them to leave the building. He said it was a mess walking/running through the financial district. I'm glad my friend is ok and so far no major health issues. Because 2 months later my daughter & I went to see him at his job and I could smell something really bad in the air & the office had those big fans out for ventilation. He said that was the diesel fuel from when the planes hit & destroyed The Twin Towers. 😱😪
Hi Tony! Great show today! Just sailed the Jubilee with the fam last week and had a blast! Next up is the Dream around Thanksgiving! 9/11: was a pizza guy, and decided soonafter to become a firefighter. Just celebrated my 20th year with the Corpus Christi Fire Department here in Texas.
The good ship SS Villa Vie Ponzi Scheme is sinking fast. I feel very sorry for the stranded pax but a little research before handing over a huge amount of money should have raised enough Red Flags for them to tread very carefully.
I will certainly never forget, the looks on the faces of the police and firefighters. They all lost friends and co-workers. I remember the fighter jets circling the city. I remember how people came together and worked cooperatively. I lost friends that day, and since then. I go for my yearly medical monitoring next week.. There is now an entire generation that was not alive, or has no memory of that event. We must keep the memory alive and never forget!
Wow.. sorry if I sound old, but I go on a cruise to try and cut the internet cord. I realize that some people need it like your self for vlogs. Most of the lines you need to use your device for things around the ship but to pay for internet just to have it and the extra money just doesn’t sit right with me. Glad to hear Labadee is back in rotation. Carnival is doing the right thing by finally fixing the ship. Hopefully it will be fixed and keeps working for a while. Keep up the great work
I was on the Oasis of the Seas in March 2024. Throughout the cruise, the Captain kept saying we will stop at Labadee. However, the night before we were suppose to arrive, the Captain announced that “for safety reasons, we will not be stopping at Labadee.” That same night at the late show, the cruise director appeared at the end and said his crew tirelessly tired to find a new port to go to instead of Labadee, but no other port was available for the size of the ship. So we got another day at sea.
Cash flow crises in a company are always your indication that you need to bail *now*, and accept your current losses. Don't stick around for more losses.
I was attending my son’s induction into the National Honor Society at his high school. Everything was canceled and all students sat and watched the event on fold on tv. As a teacher myself at a different high school, (I had taken the morning off to attend my son’s event) I immediately left him with his teachers and drove the 45 minutes to be with my own students. A horrific event! I had previously lived for 3 years in New York, so everything hit home extra hard just watching scenes from what seemed like a movie but was an awful reality.
The fact that Villa Vie was formed/led by former Life at Sea executives after Life at Sea/their 3 year cruise went bust should have been enough evidence this was going to fail, too. Even if they set sail, they're going to go bankrupt quickly and leave their passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere on their own.
Fake it until you make it? 🤡🌎 Sadly, this sort of insanity is all to common in modern business, if you look at who was running, say an airline, when it failed, or royally screwed up, if you compare the executive lists to those of other failed airlines you’ll find a lot of the same people failing over and over. I’ve read that the executive in charge of an airline’s maintenance department forced all crews to use forklifts to remove/install engines, instead of engine lifts made specifically to do this job safely, but forklifts were MUCH faster and thus “reduced cost” (engine lifts are move slowly intentionally, this is to keep engine mounts and engines from being damaged. This was also written in a large warning label on front of all the manuals for engine replacement.) As you can guess, this resulted in cracked motor mounts which causing an engine to fall off in flight, killing all 100+ people on the flight. Eventually the executive was fired but a month or so later was hired by different airline for the same job. I had read the stories, and then talked to someone I knew had worked for the airline during that time, and he told me what he knew, which mostly was in the press already anyways. It’s been maybe 20 years since I had read about this, so I’m not positive which airlines were involved so I didn’t give a company name (although I will say neither airline even exists anymore as both failed miserably.)
Love Midlife Cruisers and their positive perspective on what’s been a trying 3+ months of cruise start up. Their investment was not cheap and neither are their monthly fees. But, through it all they have demonstrated their love of life and whatever adventure life brings their way.
I walked into work no knowing anything had happened. I was met by a fellow employee who filled me in. I simply could NOT wrap my mind around it. Of course, I was glued to the TV for days on end! God bless the USA!
Some of the passengers who are YouTubing the whole saga keep saying “it’s a start up, of course there’s going to be bumps in the road”. They don’t seem to know that 90% of all start ups fail.
I admire them for staying positive, but they really are in a bad position. They are all very dismissive of advice that is being offered, with a "no, no, its all good, we will be sailing soon" even though its one red flag after another. They are now prevented from boarding the ship in the daytime with security guarding it. That doesnt sound good.
The Villa Vie is starting to sound like the infamous "Three Hour Tour". Caulk this up to a really bad investment. Old cruise ships are left to die for good reasons and the scrap yard is often their final fate.
Tony, last year we cruised from Montreal Canda to New York City on Regent Cruise Line. We had a great time, and very much enjoyed the size of the ship. My daughter and son-in-law sailed over the Thanksgiving holiday on somebody's mega ship and felt the ship was overcrowded rushed, and full misbehaving children bulling elderly people. They are coming with us on an Alaska cruise on Regent Explorer and looking forward to the trip. Linda and I are in our 70's and Dawn and Rob are in their early 50's. I believe they will note a vast difference.
Hi Tony. Sad day for sure 😢 . Congratulations to Lee🎉. Glad they are getting back to Labade. Yes, they have used cruise ships for hotel. So much news today. The Villa Vie... Such a nightmare. I know if I spent that much money on a residence on a ship I don't think I could be as calm as these two. They did show another couple who purchsed 3 cabin's and had them customized. I hope it works out for all of them. As always thank you for all you do ❤
I was on active duty in Germany on 9/11. It was 3 in the afternoon there and I was in my office listening to AFN radio and this was in the days before you could just pull out your phone or a website on the internet to watch a live feed. It wasn't until I got back to my barracks, which was a challenge in of itself. that I got to see what was happening. The next few months was the craziest period in my life especially because a couple months later I was actually flying back to the states (on a different flight) at the same time the shoe bomber tried what he did.
I was on the Vista cruise that ended Sept 1. We were slow but nobody seemed upset. I did have issues getting to my plane flight on time and Puerto Rico was a very short visit but really it was a great cruise.
Sept 11, 2001 was a Tuesday and my day off. I was working in the garden and my husband called me from his job. So I turned on the TV and was just devastated. 3 people from our town died that day. 2 were on the flight from Boston and 1 was at the WTC. Then the other shoe dropped in 2002 when my husband's Natl Guard unit was deployed. Patriot's Day means a lot to my family.
I was watching tv around 10 or 11pm at night in Melbourne Australia. The program I was watching was interrupted with a news flash about 9/11. I watched all night could not believe what was happening. A friend of the family was visiting her friend in Brooklyn walking along the esplanade when the 2 towers collapsed she said it was like a holocaust something she will never forget.
I somehow had the video of something to tune of “it’s happening, we’re moving into our cabin” come up in my YT feed. It was fairly long, and of course interesting. But - I couldn’t shake the gut feeling of “uh-oh…this isn’t as it seems”
Labadee is awesome. Very beautiful port plus the zip line over the ocean is totally awesome. I had a great time there. i'm glad RC started back going to the port.
I have a question on the Carnival premium internet. If my wife and I are sailing together in the same cabin, can we each purchase a 1 devise premium package? On RCI we are each given 2 free days of internet with being D+. Which means they separate us as individuals, and not lumped together as a cabin. If we wish to purchase additional days as well, it is handled the same. We each may have different packages or the same packages.
I’ve been following several Villa Vey UA-camrs and it has been “we’re sailing next week” since June. Funny thing is the guy in charge of restoration is an ex-Coast Guard inspector so you would think he knows what it needs and is it even feasible. They have done a ton of work so I don’t believe it’s a scam but I think the ship was in bad shape and keeping it cold and dark for four years didn’t help. I’m afraid if they ever get certified it will always be facing mechanical issues and probably in some far-flung port. I’m retiring soon so the concept appeals to me but maybe not with this ship and operator.
Actually it's been "next week " since May. And the guy you are referring to, the ex-Coast Guard inspector in charge of the restoration no longer works for the company. Gone.
I'm sorry, i didn't hear much what you said in today's episode, cause i was so trans fixed on the Pac-Man Ghost....truly adore you.....shout out Ludacris.
Was taking ACLS review course, for renewal ,at my hospital. Cell phones started going off as word spread of the attacks. Class went on but everyone just wanted to go home. As an ER/Trauma RN all I could think of was what the NY hospitals would be facing. Then the real horror became evident that there would be few survivors.
I was a social worker at the time and we were all sitting in the office talking about organizing a blood donation. It didn’t take long to realize that wouldn’t be necessary. I’m now a nurse and often think about what those NY ERs went through that day and the weeks/months afterward. Unfortunately, the way NYC was hit by covid had to hit the PTSD button in a lot of people. Much love and respect to all the folks that have been through one or both events.
My wife, daughters and I were on the Majesty OS on 4 day Bahamas cruise on 9-11. It was the first time we had driven to the cruise port. 2500 people were stranded with out flights or rental car.
At this point, I wouldn't trust the company operating the Villa Vie enough to even entertain the idea of sailing with them. They obviously lack foresight and probably lack funding to the point where corners have been cut and now they're running low on cash. Why on Earth would I be waiting this long to sail with that shitshow? It wouldn't surprise me if the crew's paychecks start to bounce and the company goes belly up a few weeks into the cruise, if it ever leaves the dock.
Clarification on the internet package please. I have the premium plan for my cruise in 2 weeks. I’m going solo. I want to use the internet on my phone when out of the room and use my laptop in the room. Am I not allowed to do that? Or is that just 1-device at a time?
I was driving to work on that horrendous day. I was so shocked to hear that our country was being attacked. I will never forget this and how this country put away its differences and came together to mourn the loss of so many lives. I have been watching that couple from Midlife Cruising. They seem so sweet, and I sure hope for everyone that things fall into place. Personally, just like inaugural cruising, I wouldn't do this cruise. Thanks for sharing!
What I resent on the wifi packages or Premium packages is that they are per day. You are on the cruise ship for maybe half of embarkation day and a quarter of disembarkation day. Nickel & Diming...
I heard a very similar announcement, including 1 the morning of the day where they announced my cruise was canceled LOL literally around 10 a.m. my travel agent shared a response from his Carnival rep saying that everything was running as expected a few hours later that same day I received the notification that my September 7th Cruise had been canceled LOL
The internet packages are real money makers for the cruise lines lol. We were recently on Celebrity Reflection and I got a crazy offer to upgrade to premium for real cheap. My friend and I cruise together so she used mine when I didn’t need it. We just shared. Also Tony I just love your sense of humor! 🤣🤣🤣 Shout out Luda!
We lucked up as our cruise on the Vista was the last one before the cancelled one. Sure was strange getting off the ship and not having anyone coming at us to get on. We did get our itinerary changed thought because of the propulsion issue. Was also strange to look off the back of the ship and only see propwash from one of the props.
My ???? Is....right now I do the premium. I can use it for my tablet or my phone. However, I can only do one at a time. I am fine with that. I use the phone most of the day but tablet a couple hours to keep up on shoes. Will that stay the same??
I am scheduled to set sail on the Vista on the 15th. So far no cancellation emails! Fingers crossed. However, a part of me would not mind getting a full refund plus a 100% future cruise credit.
would they give you a full refund if you asked for it? My gut feeling is get out now. Better off going on back to back cruise with an established line.
In 2015 Salesforce rented the Celebrity Infinity for accommodation for its sales conference in San Francisco as the whole city was booked out. Was great. But the locals complained about the pollution so they never could repeat it.
Curious, have you costed out getting a starlink mini? how long would it take you to cover the cost? keep in mind you would still be able to use when not on board.
Love your channel, but you have to credit a different musical act for Mr. Roboto. The song was originally performed by Styx in the 1970s. IIRC it was written by lead singer Drnnis DeYoung.
We have purchased the premium internet package for multi-devices on HAL ships and yet to have it work for our devices and have tried to get help with them but have not been successful. Premium pkg is slow and we have had slow service at home, less than 1 megabyte of speed slow so we know about slow. Hope Carnival can make their plans work better.
On my 2023 16 night Panama Canal cruise with Disney, here was their internet prices for basic internet (meaning no streaming) 1 device $476 2 devices $857 3 devices $1,238 4 devices $1,618 If you wanted streaming, add about 25% more.
Tony...when you have a family of 4 you can and i did purchase 4 premium internet prices because each individual gets a plan. Now i can purchase 1 plan for 4 devices and save about 10 dollars a day and have each person utilize their own device.
8:00 I wondered if the logic might have been to penalize folks taking up that kind of bandwidth (i.e., that every additional device cost more on purpose, as an additional deterrent). I think I’ve seen that with water and maybe some other commodities we’re encouraged to conserve.
On a cruise I can actually do without internet. We just text thru the cruise ships app. It's enough, we can look at stuff on the excursions or just wait. IMO
Good discussion about the internet packages.. I personally think that they have gone way overboard (pun intended) on the prices of packages. I know Im old fashioned, but to me Cruise=Vacation and Vacation means DISCONNECT FROM my home life.. I pay about 90 bucks A MONTH for my internet package at home, and I know IM a dinosaur, I don't have a TV or a cable network. So in my eyes, to pay $75/PER day for the ability to check my internet, email or other truly useless stuff, well its just not worth it to me.. I am cheap.. (self admitted) but any extra charges I want to go to the gratuity pot, specialty dining and tours to see stuff I may not get to see on my own.. So my two cents is: shut it off, don't check your stuff, ENJOY the ship and the sea. On Ville a vie... time to cut bait.. they all need to be refunded, get the ship up and running and then reschedule them. Enough is enough...
I follow Mid-Life Cruising- and I feel for them. Looks like it's a scam, and if it isn't, I wouldn't sail on it on the open ocean- no way! Tragic circumstances for sure. 😢
I was a letter carrier in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the second largest banking city in the US. After it was figured out that it was terrorism, the whole uptown area flooded with people trying to get home.
I'm a bit annoyed by the Carnival wi-fi options. I travel solo and use my phone and laptop while I cruise. I would just like to have a plan where I can use two devices at once. While I don't need to upload anything that would take as long as your videos, I do sometimes need to use my phone and laptop at the same time (we use 2FA for most things at work) so it's a hassle as it currently stands. But I don't want to pay three times the amount to add my one device. Cruise internet is already pretty pricey. I'm lucky I'm on the poor side, or I would be in the same situation as those folks on Villa Vie. If I could have, I would have been one of them. I feel so bad for those folks!
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Got it. 😊
We were at work. We will never forget. Thank you for taking your time to include this recognition in your show.
Horrible day, can remember every minute of that day.
I was booked on the Vista for September 7th and was canceled. We were given a full refund AND a 100% future cruise credit. We turned around and booked the Mardi Gras in a Havana Cabana Balcony for October! Better ship and better room! We (14 of us) have already received our full refunds :-)
Congrats!!!! Mardi Gras is our very favorite❤
Congrats, but I think you'll find that the Havana area on the Vista-class would have been much nicer than on the Mardi Gras and the Excel-class. Still, any Havana cabana is better than no Havana cabana at all.
I was on the Mardi Gras and stayed on the Havana deck in July, you are going to love it. Private deck, bar and pool. Enjoy
@@PaulCashman First time in a Havana Cabana but I have seen the difference in videos. I would have liked the Vista version.
@@greenmangirl we had a Havana cabana room on Horizon. It was most excellent.
Hey, Friend! Thanks for the shout out! It does stink, but we are holding out for hope to eventually set sail on the Villa Vie. ❤
This is why Tony is the best. He could’ve totally skipped over the new Carnival internet package stuff but he goes back and explains it perfectly!
Cruise ships used as hotels…I think thats a great idea. Laundry, food, lodgings, gym, pool, everything. Fantastic idea.
I'm a new subscriber and it was your personality/enthusiasm that drew me to your channel. This video showed me you're also kind and empathetic. I appreciate that you brought that energy in the world with this vlog.
I was 40 and getting ready for work.. You're correct, I'll never forget..
Regarding the Villa Vie: It's been said before, but handing a bunch of money to an unproven company that promises these extended cruise deals is probably a bad idea. Even looking at what these people are paying, I don't quite see how its going to work economically. Even if this thing gets going on its cruise, I'd wonder how long it will be before the ship has issues of some kind and strands the passengers.
I lived in the Jacksonville area in 2005, when they hosted the Super Bowl. I don't remember what line, but they docked to two cruise ships there that were used as hotels. It was so busy and it was definitely needed. There wasn't a vacant room to be found in the city. People had signs in front of their houses renting out rooms for insane amounts, like $1,000 per night!
September 11, 2001 - i had a job in northern NJ - after the second plane hit, everything closed down so people could go home and listen to the news and worry about their loved ones. My office did not shut down. I had no relatives or close friends in The City, but still. I walked around the little lake at lunch and, for the one and only time, i was the only person in sight. When i finally got home, i listened to a call-in radio show and it was heartbreaking. I lived under the flypath of Newark Airport and the next four days were eerie - all air traffic had been shut down - there were no jets to hear. You’re right, Tony - I’m old enough to have lived through numerous national disasters, but this was by far the most wrenching. As for the couple whose long Villa Vie has been postponed yet again, without Villa Vie footing the bill this time - i feel sorry for them. A long-anticipated vacation so screwed up!
I remember I had to go to the mall to get my daughter a backpack for school. I was the only one in the whole mall. What a surreal experience.
@@B-ch6uk we lived through it, and it will never happen again (I hope). Thanks for sharing your experience!
I worked at bank in Connecticut and at noon we shut down all locations for safety.
Canadian here, I feel your pain. I will never forget 9/11 as long as I live. God Bless you. 🍁🙏
On 9/11 I live I NC now, but I did live in NYC years ago & still have friends and family still living there. When I saw the 1st plane hit The WTC I thought it was an accident and they had breaking news. In the meantime I have a friend who was working a block away from WTC and they didn't hear a thing. He worked at JPMORGAN Chase and he worked on the 26th floor. I called him & asked, if he heard about a plane hitting the towers and they just heard about it. When everyone started to say it was a terrorist act, I told him get the hell out of your building. He said that supervisors/manager to stay in the building. I kept telling him to get out of the building. After awhile the official word came for them to leave the building. He said it was a mess walking/running through the financial district. I'm glad my friend is ok and so far no major health issues. Because 2 months later my daughter & I went to see him at his job and I could smell something really bad in the air & the office had those big fans out for ventilation. He said that was the diesel fuel from when the planes hit & destroyed The Twin Towers. 😱😪
Hi Tony! Great show today! Just sailed the Jubilee with the fam last week and had a blast! Next up is the Dream around Thanksgiving! 9/11: was a pizza guy, and decided soonafter to become a firefighter. Just celebrated my 20th year with the Corpus Christi Fire Department here in Texas.
Just got off Carnival Venezia and Lee was our Cruise Director. He was excellent. Thank you Lee!
This Villa Vie fiasco has reinforced my resolve to sail with established lines and existing ships ONLY😬😬
nicely put...waiting for a safe ship, there, to be completed - the timing of all this is insane.
The ship is old...1993.
My company did data entry for Montefiore Medical Ctr, and we had just been in NY two weeks prior....I will never, ever forget that day...
The good ship SS Villa Vie Ponzi Scheme is sinking fast. I feel very sorry for the stranded pax but a little research before handing over a huge amount of money should have raised enough Red Flags for them to tread very carefully.
Never forget... prayers for all
I will certainly never forget, the looks on the faces of the police and firefighters. They all lost friends and co-workers. I remember the fighter jets circling the city. I remember how people came together and worked cooperatively. I lost friends that day, and since then. I go for my yearly medical monitoring next week.. There is now an entire generation that was not alive, or has no memory of that event. We must keep the memory alive and never forget!
Wow.. sorry if I sound old, but I go on a cruise to try and cut the internet cord. I realize that some people need it like your self for vlogs. Most of the lines you need to use your device for things around the ship but to pay for internet just to have it and the extra money just doesn’t sit right with me.
Glad to hear Labadee is back in rotation.
Carnival is doing the right thing by finally fixing the ship. Hopefully it will be fixed and keeps working for a while.
Keep up the great work
I need to get the internet to keep an eye on the freeloader in my house.
I was on the Oasis of the Seas in March 2024. Throughout the cruise, the Captain kept saying we will stop at Labadee. However, the night before we were suppose to arrive, the Captain announced that “for safety reasons, we will not be stopping at Labadee.”
That same night at the late show, the cruise director appeared at the end and said his crew tirelessly tired to find a new port to go to instead of Labadee, but no other port was available for the size of the ship. So we got another day at sea.
Thanks for the cruise news and your views
Cash flow crises in a company are always your indication that you need to bail *now*, and accept your current losses. Don't stick around for more losses.
Heck yeah🎉. There is something special about getting on a cruise ship, to me. I call it “the emotion of the ocean”, and no I did not coin that phrase
I was attending my son’s induction into the National Honor Society at his high school. Everything was canceled and all students sat and watched the event on fold on tv.
As a teacher myself at a different high school, (I had taken the morning off to attend my son’s event) I immediately left him with his teachers and drove the 45 minutes to be with my own students. A horrific event!
I had previously lived for 3 years in New York, so everything hit home extra hard just watching scenes from what seemed like a movie but was an awful reality.
The fact that Villa Vie was formed/led by former Life at Sea executives after Life at Sea/their 3 year cruise went bust should have been enough evidence this was going to fail, too. Even if they set sail, they're going to go bankrupt quickly and leave their passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere on their own.
i was looking into this for residence. oh heck naw
Fake it until you make it? 🤡🌎
Sadly, this sort of insanity is all to common in modern business, if you look at who was running, say an airline, when it failed, or royally screwed up, if you compare the executive lists to those of other failed airlines you’ll find a lot of the same people failing over and over.
I’ve read that the executive in charge of an airline’s maintenance department forced all crews to use forklifts to remove/install engines, instead of engine lifts made specifically to do this job safely, but forklifts were MUCH faster and thus “reduced cost” (engine lifts are move slowly intentionally, this is to keep engine mounts and engines from being damaged. This was also written in a large warning label on front of all the manuals for engine replacement.) As you can guess, this resulted in cracked motor mounts which causing an engine to fall off in flight, killing all 100+ people on the flight.
Eventually the executive was fired but a month or so later was hired by different airline for the same job. I had read the stories, and then talked to someone I knew had worked for the airline during that time, and he told me what he knew, which mostly was in the press already anyways. It’s been maybe 20 years since I had read about this, so I’m not positive which airlines were involved so I didn’t give a company name (although I will say neither airline even exists anymore as both failed miserably.)
Also, checkout the monthly fees -- nearly $100K annually for some cabins!
Love Midlife Cruisers and their positive perspective on what’s been a trying 3+ months of cruise start up. Their investment was not cheap and neither are their monthly fees. But, through it all they have demonstrated their love of life and whatever adventure life brings their way.
So bummed for the Villa Vie folks. When I think of living on a cruise ship it’s not that kind of ship. 😮
I walked into work no knowing anything had happened. I was met by a fellow employee who filled me in. I simply could NOT wrap my mind around it. Of course, I was glued to the TV for days on end! God bless the USA!
Some of the passengers who are YouTubing the whole saga keep saying “it’s a start up, of course there’s going to be bumps in the road”. They don’t seem to know that 90% of all start ups fail.
I admire them for staying positive, but they really are in a bad position. They are all very dismissive of advice that is being offered, with a "no, no, its all good, we will be sailing soon" even though its one red flag after another. They are now prevented from boarding the ship in the daytime with security guarding it. That doesnt sound good.
“That’s about the only boat they are in” savagery 😝
So glad that they’re returning to Labadee! We’re scheduled for April and I love it there.
The Villa Vie is starting to sound like the infamous "Three Hour Tour". Caulk this up to a really bad investment. Old cruise ships are left to die for good reasons and the scrap yard is often their final fate.
Tony, last year we cruised from Montreal Canda to New York City on Regent Cruise Line. We had a great time, and very much enjoyed the size of the ship. My daughter and son-in-law sailed over the Thanksgiving holiday on somebody's mega ship and felt the ship was overcrowded rushed, and full misbehaving children bulling elderly people. They are coming with us on an Alaska cruise on Regent Explorer and looking forward to the trip. Linda and I are in our 70's and Dawn and Rob are in their early 50's. I believe they will note a vast difference.
Thanks for the clarification on the Carnival Internet package pricing.
Hi Tony. Sad day for sure 😢 . Congratulations to Lee🎉. Glad they are getting back to Labade. Yes, they have used cruise ships for hotel. So much news today. The Villa Vie... Such a nightmare. I know if I spent that much money on a residence on a ship I don't think I could be as calm as these two. They did show another couple who purchsed 3 cabin's and had them customized. I hope it works out for all of them. As always thank you for all you do ❤
Congratulations to Lee Mason what a great cruise director.😊
I was on active duty in Germany on 9/11. It was 3 in the afternoon there and I was in my office listening to AFN radio and this was in the days before you could just pull out your phone or a website on the internet to watch a live feed. It wasn't until I got back to my barracks, which was a challenge in of itself. that I got to see what was happening. The next few months was the craziest period in my life especially because a couple months later I was actually flying back to the states (on a different flight) at the same time the shoe bomber tried what he did.
Cruised with Lee on the Celebration last year. Congrats Lee!!!
I was on the Vista cruise that ended Sept 1. We were slow but nobody seemed upset. I did have issues getting to my plane flight on time and Puerto Rico was a very short visit but really it was a great cruise.
We had lunch with Lee last October on celebration, he’s a great guy
Sept 11, 2001 was a Tuesday and my day off. I was working in the garden and my husband called me from his job. So I turned on the TV and was just devastated. 3 people from our town died that day. 2 were on the flight from Boston and 1 was at the WTC.
Then the other shoe dropped in 2002 when my husband's Natl Guard unit was deployed.
Patriot's Day means a lot to my family.
I don’t think people outside of Massachusetts and Maine know that some people celebrate Patriots Day.
Bless you
I was watching tv around 10 or 11pm at night in Melbourne Australia. The program I was watching was interrupted with a news flash about 9/11. I watched all night could not believe what was happening. A friend of the family was visiting her friend in Brooklyn walking along the esplanade when the 2 towers collapsed she said it was like a holocaust something she will never forget.
Lee is absolutely my favorite CD. Congratulations Lee!
I somehow had the video of something to tune of “it’s happening, we’re moving into our cabin” come up in my YT feed. It was fairly long, and of course interesting. But - I couldn’t shake the gut feeling of “uh-oh…this isn’t as it seems”
Labadee is awesome. Very beautiful port plus the zip line over the ocean is totally awesome. I had a great time there. i'm glad RC started back going to the port.
Happy birthday Ludicrus!!
I left out of NY on my first cruise 9/8/2001. We were in Bermuda when the attacks were happening 😢
Loved today’s show and all the music references. Have a great day
I read that sometime in 2025, Royal Carribean will have StarLink and will have FREE Wi-Fi for all !!! That’s wonderful!
Thanks Tony!
I have a question on the Carnival premium internet. If my wife and I are sailing together in the same cabin, can we each purchase a 1 devise premium package? On RCI we are each given 2 free days of internet with being D+. Which means they separate us as individuals, and not lumped together as a cabin. If we wish to purchase additional days as well, it is handled the same. We each may have different packages or the same packages.
I’ve been following several Villa Vey UA-camrs and it has been “we’re sailing next week” since June.
Funny thing is the guy in charge of restoration is an ex-Coast Guard inspector so you would think he knows what it needs and is it even feasible.
They have done a ton of work so I don’t believe it’s a scam but I think the ship was in bad shape and keeping it cold and dark for four years didn’t help.
I’m afraid if they ever get certified it will always be facing mechanical issues and probably in some far-flung port.
I’m retiring soon so the concept appeals to me but maybe not with this ship and operator.
Some of the residents definitely do not have a grasp of reality.
Actually it's been "next week " since May. And the guy you are referring to, the ex-Coast Guard inspector in charge of the restoration no longer works for the company. Gone.
I'm sorry, i didn't hear much what you said in today's episode, cause i was so trans fixed on the Pac-Man Ghost....truly adore you.....shout out Ludacris.
That Bristol hotel reference needs to be saluted. 🫡
Was taking ACLS review course, for renewal ,at my hospital. Cell phones started going off as word spread of the attacks. Class went on but everyone just wanted to go home. As an ER/Trauma RN all I could think of was what the NY hospitals would be facing. Then the real horror became evident that there would be few survivors.
I was a social worker at the time and we were all sitting in the office talking about organizing a blood donation. It didn’t take long to realize that wouldn’t be necessary. I’m now a nurse and often think about what those NY ERs went through that day and the weeks/months afterward. Unfortunately, the way NYC was hit by covid had to hit the PTSD button in a lot of people. Much love and respect to all the folks that have been through one or both events.
Did not expect to hear some LL Cool J.
Hi Tony. So sad for those passengers that have been waiting for that ship in Belfast. There may be a lawsuit coming. Well, have a great day!
Happy Birthday Tony 🎉🎊🎂
Thanks for your video. Great as always, very informative.❤🛳️🦩⚓️
I was at home just outside of Minneapolis, at the time, and watched it all unfold on NBC. Back in my home State of Texas since July 2002.
Lee is great! Had him on many cruises.
My wife, daughters and I were on the Majesty OS on 4 day Bahamas cruise on 9-11. It was the first time we had driven to the cruise port. 2500 people were stranded with out flights or rental car.
My thoughts are with the Villa Vie couple.
Some of the surfers in the last Olympics stayed on a cruise ship in Tahiti
Queen Mary in CA is a hotel. Loved staying on it!!!
At this point, I wouldn't trust the company operating the Villa Vie enough to even entertain the idea of sailing with them. They obviously lack foresight and probably lack funding to the point where corners have been cut and now they're running low on cash. Why on Earth would I be waiting this long to sail with that shitshow? It wouldn't surprise me if the crew's paychecks start to bounce and the company goes belly up a few weeks into the cruise, if it ever leaves the dock.
Awwwww I LOVE the flying scottsman
Carnival is the WalMart of the cruise industry!!!
I would absolutely love to use a cruise ship as my hotel. ❤❤❤
Clarification on the internet package please. I have the premium plan for my cruise in 2 weeks. I’m going solo. I want to use the internet on my phone when out of the room and use my laptop in the room. Am I not allowed to do that? Or is that just 1-device at a time?
I was driving to work on that horrendous day. I was so shocked to hear that our country was being attacked. I will never forget this and how this country put away its differences and came together to mourn the loss of so many lives.
I have been watching that couple from Midlife Cruising. They seem so sweet, and I sure hope for everyone that things fall into place. Personally, just like inaugural cruising, I wouldn't do this cruise. Thanks for sharing!
What I resent on the wifi packages or Premium packages is that they are per day. You are on the cruise ship for maybe half of embarkation day and a quarter of disembarkation day. Nickel & Diming...
I heard a very similar announcement, including 1 the morning of the day where they announced my cruise was canceled LOL literally around 10 a.m. my travel agent shared a response from his Carnival rep saying that everything was running as expected a few hours later that same day I received the notification that my September 7th Cruise had been canceled LOL
Booking on the cruise ship, will it include all meals and entertainment for "hotel" guests?
The internet packages are real money makers for the cruise lines lol. We were recently on Celebrity Reflection and I got a crazy offer to upgrade to premium for real cheap. My friend and I cruise together so she used mine when I didn’t need it. We just shared. Also Tony I just love your sense of humor! 🤣🤣🤣 Shout out Luda!
We lucked up as our cruise on the Vista was the last one before the cancelled one. Sure was strange getting off the ship and not having anyone coming at us to get on. We did get our itinerary changed thought because of the propulsion issue. Was also strange to look off the back of the ship and only see propwash from one of the props.
My ???? Is....right now I do the premium. I can use it for my tablet or my phone. However, I can only do one at a time. I am fine with that. I use the phone most of the day but tablet a couple hours to keep up on shoes. Will that stay the same??
I am scheduled to set sail on the Vista on the 15th. So far no cancellation emails! Fingers crossed. However, a part of me would not mind getting a full refund plus a 100% future cruise credit.
would they give you a full refund if you asked for it? My gut feeling is get out now. Better off going on back to back cruise with an established line.
Smart idea to use ship as a hotel, as long as it's close by why not & priced right.
I was working on a military base on that faithful day. Just remembered watching the devastation unfold on national tv🙏
In 2015 Salesforce rented the Celebrity Infinity for accommodation for its sales conference in San Francisco as the whole city was booked out. Was great. But the locals complained about the pollution so they never could repeat it.
Great video ❤❤❤❤
Curious, have you costed out getting a starlink mini? how long would it take you to cover the cost? keep in mind you would still be able to use when not on board.
I need to look at it.
I sign out, and hubby signs in. I only need one. $75/day is pretty high.
Love your channel, but you have to credit a different musical act for Mr. Roboto. The song was originally performed by Styx in the 1970s. IIRC it was written by lead singer Drnnis DeYoung.
*It is a long time joke that he credits Ludacris with almost every song.
And, speaking of Styx, today (9/11) is Tommy Shaw's 71st birthday!
We have purchased the premium internet package for multi-devices on HAL ships and yet to have it work for our devices and have tried to get help with them but have not been successful. Premium pkg is slow and we have had slow service at home, less than 1 megabyte of speed slow so we know about slow. Hope Carnival can make their plans work better.
On my 2023 16 night Panama Canal cruise with Disney, here was their internet prices for basic internet (meaning no streaming)
1 device $476
2 devices $857
3 devices $1,238
4 devices $1,618
If you wanted streaming, add about 25% more.
Tony...when you have a family of 4 you can and i did purchase 4 premium internet prices because each individual gets a plan. Now i can purchase 1 plan for 4 devices and save about 10 dollars a day and have each person utilize their own device.
8:00 I wondered if the logic might have been to penalize folks taking up that kind of bandwidth (i.e., that every additional device cost more on purpose, as an additional deterrent). I think I’ve seen that with water and maybe some other commodities we’re encouraged to conserve.
We travel with our smartphones and tablets, so a 4-device package is perfect for us. Still uber expensive, but if you want Internet access at sea …
Ahhhhhh THANK YOU!!! This coverage means the world Tony! Mum will be made up.
Congrats again!
Jacksonville Florida used cruise ships for the Super Bowl in 2005
On a cruise I can actually do without internet. We just text thru the cruise ships app. It's enough, we can look at stuff on the excursions or just wait. IMO
Good discussion about the internet packages.. I personally think that they have gone way overboard (pun intended) on the prices of packages. I know Im old fashioned, but to me Cruise=Vacation and Vacation means DISCONNECT FROM my home life.. I pay about 90 bucks A MONTH for my internet package at home, and I know IM a dinosaur, I don't have a TV or a cable network. So in my eyes, to pay $75/PER day for the ability to check my internet, email or other truly useless stuff, well its just not worth it to me.. I am cheap.. (self admitted) but any extra charges I want to go to the gratuity pot, specialty dining and tours to see stuff I may not get to see on my own.. So my two cents is: shut it off, don't check your stuff, ENJOY the ship and the sea. On Ville a vie... time to cut bait.. they all need to be refunded, get the ship up and running and then reschedule them. Enough is enough...
I follow Mid-Life Cruising- and I feel for them. Looks like it's a scam, and if it isn't, I wouldn't sail on it on the open ocean- no way! Tragic circumstances for sure. 😢
I was a letter carrier in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the second largest banking city in the US. After it was figured out that it was terrorism, the whole uptown area flooded with people trying to get home.
With Carnival premium internet, you cannot do WiFi calling or use text. At least that’s what happened last June.
Carnivals internet sucks, Royal Caribbean hands down a lot better and not so expensive
The recent Olympics used the Aranui 5 as the Olympic village in Tahiti for the surfing competition.
❤ you ! ❤ your videos !!! ❤ 🙏
I'm a bit annoyed by the Carnival wi-fi options. I travel solo and use my phone and laptop while I cruise. I would just like to have a plan where I can use two devices at once. While I don't need to upload anything that would take as long as your videos, I do sometimes need to use my phone and laptop at the same time (we use 2FA for most things at work) so it's a hassle as it currently stands. But I don't want to pay three times the amount to add my one device. Cruise internet is already pretty pricey.
I'm lucky I'm on the poor side, or I would be in the same situation as those folks on Villa Vie. If I could have, I would have been one of them. I feel so bad for those folks!
to be fair tony, you did mention basic vs premium prices