Yes, I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it, but let's face it, as far as reputations go, Carnival is the Walmart cruise line.
And guess what? Spurred on by all this talk of cruising in my ongoing classes, and, figuring I should have some goal to work for while I'm makin' all this coin I'll be makin', I figured I go ahead and take yet another dip into the ol' savings and spring for, yup, ANOTHER cruise.
According to our trainer, we not-quite-employees of the cruise line will actually still be able to qualify (eventually, fine print involved, of course) for "significant" discounts on cruises from our line in the "near" future. I decided not to wait and just booked a cruise for late September from our parent company line. My first Carnival cruise.
It'll be a five-nighter onboard the Carnival Freedom going to two locations I've never visited before: Turks & Caicos and The Dominican Republic. It'll also be in the smallest cabin I think I ever booked before, a single bed inside. Well, it has two beds, but they are in a bunk-style configuration with the top bunk as a hideaway. Perfect for a single traveler like me.
Ugh. As I was writing this post, it got me in the mood to check out other cruises. I swear to you, I almost booked ANOTHER just now. I truly am addicted. But I regained my composure. It's not only the fact I'll be hopefully making money again but it's also what I figure is near to the end of the requirement of pre-cruise testing. Maybe, (please, please, please) I won't have to test before this cruise...IDK, but fingers-crossed. I got no problem with the pokes, I'm all good there, but I hate to waste money and time on pre-cruise testing when it's pretty well known people are still getting infected after boarding despite. Ultimately though, I can't go hog wild with the pace of cruising I did in 2019. Can't go anywhere near it. I am likely on the brink of bankruptcy after all and that most likely means the end of Hulk. How would I get to the ports? And should I spend my dough on cruises or save up for a new car after discharge?
EDIT: Okay, a few hours have passed and especially considering the last line I wrote above, I'm really filled with buyer's remorse now. I tried to cancel my booking but it's after business hours now and the robo chat bot won't recognize my booking info and the Orbitz site doesn't even have my itinerary yet so I may be too early. I'll call after class tomorrow. I think I'm outside the cancellation fee schedule so I should be able to get the $100 deposit I paid. Yeah, I gotta be wary of these impulse purchases.
EDIT 2: Oh joke's on me! Since I booked at a Saver Rate, I can't get my deposit refunded so I'm SOL there. I have to go ahead with the cruise. BTW, FYI. all this was done while I was 100% sober.
EDIT 3: About a week later, I did go ahead and kiss my $100 goodbye to cancel this cruise. I really gotta watch my impulse purchases. It's not like I'm grabbin' a candy bar in the checkout line at Walmart.