After several years of having a base gratuity rate of $12.00 per person per day, Carnival Cruise Line is increasing its gratuity rate. The new rate will be $12.95 per person per day for guests that are not staying in suites. For guests staying suites, the new gratuity rate will be $13.95 per person per day. These new rates will take effect for all cruises departing on or after September 1, 2016. This means if your cruise departs prior to September 1 you should still be under the old gratuity rate, but you always have the option to tip more if you choose. For guests cruising under the new gratuity structure, if tips are prepaid by May 9, you can pay the old rate ($12.00 per person per day). 
        This is the first time the guests in Carnival's suites have a higher rate than everyone else, but now guests in suites will get some additional perks once this new rate takes effect. To make up for this difference guests in suites will receive priority embarkation, priority disembarkation, confirmed main dining room selection, complimentary bottled water in suite, enhanced turndown service, priority tender service, and one complimentary bag of laundry. 
           All of this information is from Mr. John Heald's Facebook page. I will provide a link when I can, but Facebook is not cooperating with me right now! 

        Cozumel, Mexico is a popular tourist destination and port of call for many cruise ships. This week, Carnival Cruise Line announced a new program called "Cozumel Plus" that will offer cruisers multiple new shore excursion options, including some excursions that will travel to the mainland of Mexico. These new shore excursions will vary in price, length, and what is included. Carnival's press release noted that the old shore excursion options are still available to cruisers and the new excursions will compliment the already available excursions. 
       As a result of having some longer shore excursion options available, Carnival has extended the docking times for more than 750 cruises that will be making a stop in Cozumel.              Cruisers will be able to use the extra time in Cozumel for shore excursions, shopping, going to beach, walking around, or enjoying the port. These new shore excursion options will be exciting for many, especially those that want to try something new in Cozumel. 

For Carnival's full press release:  Click Here

      The Port of Houston's Bayport Cruise Terminal is once again going to be sitting empty after this weekend. The cruise terminal has been a seasonal home to Princess Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line for the past few years. Prior to being used by these cruise lines, the cruise terminal was brand new and sat empty. 
         The last day the Norwegian Jade will dock in Houston is Saturday, April 16, 2016 and the last day the Caribbean Princess will dock in Houston is Sunday, April 17, 2016. Both ships are scheduled to sail Transatlantic voyages, immediately following the end of their Houston deployment. 
            Texas cruisers will still be able to enjoy cruises departing from Galveston, an island south of Houston. Carnival Cruise Line deploys three year round ships and Royal Caribbean deploys one year round ship from Galveston. Disney Cruise Line sails from Galveston seasonally.  
             At this time, no cruise lines have a scheduled return to Houston, but in the future we could see cruise lines come back to Houston. Only time will tell and hopefully Houston will get another cruise ship as soon as possible.

          The Carnival Victory recently earned a score of 100 from the U.S.P.H. during a recent inspection of the ship. According to Carnival, ships that earn a 100, "must receive perfect marks on all 44 items that comprise the U.S.P.H's comprehensive Vessel Sanitation checklist". The inspectors view multiple areas on the ship to look for violations against health codes. 6 ships meeting this standard is an excellent accomplishment for Carnival and the crew onboard the high scoring ships deserve recognition too.
         Earlier this year, the Carnival Breeze also earned a health inspection score of 100. It appears, this is the second Carnival ship receive this outstanding score this year. The Carnival Victory's crew members worked hard to earn this accomplishment. Congratulations to Carnival Cruise Line and the crew members of the Carnival Victory for earning a score of 100. ​

To view Carnival's official press release:  Click Here

    Cruise ships can occasionally have technical problems that affect a cruise in a minor way. Today, April 3, 2016, the Carnival Pride is delayed arriving in its homeport of Baltimore due to some technical problems. John Heald, Carnival's Brand Ambassador, posted on his Facebook page information that alerted cruisers the Carnival Pride was forced to reduce its speed due to a technical issue with the ship's propulsion system. As a result of the reduced speed, the ship was not able to arrive in Baltimore on-time. 
       While this issue affects the ship's speed, Carnival has said it is not affecting any onboard services or safety systems. This means the guests onboard probably won't notice any difference from a normal cruise, expect the ship will be sailing at a lower speed.
            Carnival has offered a generous discount and refund policy for the ship's upcoming cruise. Guests who sail on this cruise will be getting a 50% refund of the cruise fare and 50% off a future 2-7 day cruise (there may be some type of restrictions). Carnival is also giving guests $25 to compensate for meal expenses occurred as a result of the cruisers not being able to board on-time. All of this sounds like a pretty great way to start a cruise! 
Modified Itinerary 
Both Carnival's website and John Heald's Facebook have this modified itinerary posted: 
Sunday (4/3/2016) -  Baltimore, MD 
Monday (4/4/2016) - Sea Day 
Tuesday (4/5/2016) - Sea Day 
Wednesday (4/6/2016) - Nassau, Bahamas        Arrive:  5:00PM     Depart: 11:30PM
Thursday (4/7/2016) - Freeport, Bahamas         Arrive: 9:00AM     Depart:  6:00PM
​Friday (4/8/2016)  - Sea day 
Saturday (4/9/2016) - Sea Day 
Sunday (4/10/2016)  -  Baltimore, MD              Arrive: 9:00AM 
(This itinerary could change. I recommend Carnival Pride cruisers on the affected voyage to check with Carnival often for changes.) 
              As of 5:53PM (CT), Carnival's website says the Carnival Pride is expected to be docked in Baltimore around 6:30PM (ET) . Carnival currently plans to start check in between 9:00PM and 11:00PM. 
              Carnival has supposed to provide an update around 6pm Eastern time, but that update was not available when I originally wrote this article. I will continue watching for updates and will post any information that has been announced or changed. 
Links For More Information Or For Updates:
Carnival's F.A.Q. Page -   Click Here
John Heald's Facebook Page -  Click Here