wemjam

Hmmm? Not sure. I always thought it was limited to Diamond/Platinum and FTTF (who are basically buying that privilege). The post I made direct from the website indicates this as well (does not mention suites). That is the way I interpret it anyhow.

No, they stopped them.

For Platinum/Diamond/FTTF, the "indicator" your room is ready is when you have your Sail and Sign cards by the door - even if it is before 1:30pm. If they are there you can access and stay in your room (or as csm5986142 said, if your steward gives them to you and tells you it is good to go). We have gotten on and the room "appeared" ready but we still didn't stay as no sail and sign cards were there. However, we have found for the most part the room is 100% ready with cards there before 1:30. We get on, drop luggage and go, then eat lunch and go back and check. If still not there, go do something else, and just check again later.

Not exactly sure what you mean by "early access is gone." You can no longer go to your room early and stay as they are still preparing ALL rooms. However, you most certainly can go and drop your luggage when you board. Diamond/Platinum and FTTF. You just want to drop and go, they do not want you to try to stay in your room until after 1:30 when they are ready. Copied and pasted right from Carnival website related to this: WHAT YOU WILL GET (Note: VIFP Club Diamond & Platinum members do not need to purchase this package as these and other benefits are included as part of your VIFP Club status.) Priority Check-in Upon arrival to the terminal, look for the Priority line to check-in. Stateroom Access Once on board, you will be able to drop off your bags in your stateroom until your room is ready.

Yes, Diamond and Platinum can go to the room, drop the luggage and then leave. Word of advise, try to find your steward (he will be close in one of the rooms cleaning). Let them know your room number and that you are Diamond/Platinum and have dropped your luggage. This will help assure that they don't accidently think it was left behind by previous guest and they know it is there and to be prepared. There was just a post where this happened to someone. Keep in mind the rooms are not secure and doors are wide open since they are still cleaning, so I wouldn't leave anything of value in the bags you leave behind just in case. Keep those in a bag you keep with you.

Yea, the system only recognizes if their is a conflict due to a time overlap.

OMG, that must have been a total freak out!

They don't have a hard time filling the ships, maybe if they did they might do something like that again. For a number of years (excluding Covid) every ship I have sailed on has been at capacity.

Ya, it is amazing what someone will do for one of those. I would much prefer the begging to what a lot of people I see now do - basically cheat. It is real easy to get all your answers right when you are looking up the answers to about 3/4 of the questions on your phone. Hubby and I used to love these and still go sometimes, but we are very competitive and just go (and always have) for the most part to compete against each other lol! The last one we were at there was a group of 4 women sitting in a corner that were answering the questions together AND if they didn't know they looked it up on line (which about 1/2 the questions). Of course guess what, they won because they had 100% correct. And the woman went running and screaming all excited to claim here trophy - REALLY people? I felt bad enough about it that I went up to another table a little ways away that came in 2nd (it was a gentlemen and his young preteen/early teen daughter) that actually were answering it on their own. I told them if it is any consultation YOU were the ones that REALLY won, , the other 4 were looking everything up on line. 🙄

Yea, he is on his facebook page. Actually he is and I am not lol. Haven't "done" facebook for years! Got sick of all the negativity.

I know it is on lido ALOT, that is why I was hoping they might be able to get a piece for him in the steakhouse as a surprise 😃 Figured there was not contact, so I will just try to get in to see them when he isn't around.

First several of these things you mention are not "level" related and have nothing to do with their "priority customers" which I assume you are referring to Platinum? Not enough crew, expenses, no turn down, one room cleaning, etc. Fact is costs are up everywhere and labor is hard to come by, anyone that works anywhere can attest to this. Change happens, many of the things you mention are changes that happened way before Covid, cruising in general on Carnival transitioned away from the overly pampered way we were used to. Post Covid changing the procedure to picking up your gifts and such is just another Change. If you didn't meet your room steward until day three on multiple cruises then it is likely you weren't around when they were. Their hours are not 24/7. This has not been our experience at all. Change is a fact of life, this has come up so many times on these boards and been beat to death. Some change is good/some is bad and an individuals opinion on which it is will be different as to how it affects them personally. The fact is none of us are forced to cruise with any particular line, so I don't understand why people who continue to cruise over and over again with Carnival (or any cruise line) want to continually complain about their service. Are there things I see (especially compared to years past) that annoy me about them - most certainly. Are there things about new programs/offerings I love - absolutely. It is my decision to cruise with them and I choose to take the bad with the good because there is no one line out there (that I can afford anyhow lol) that would ever meet every single expectation I might have.

Ummmm I tend to disagree. In all my years cruising (not 48 like you obviously, but 20+) do you know how many people we have spoken to and helped give information for things they didn't know or understand while cruising? No exaggeration probably hundreds. Even with announcements, reams of paperwork in the rooms, etc. No one is trying to pile on anything, the consensus here seems to be something very simple. If you have a question ask someone. Anyone that is reading this board to "learn" things for a cruise should take that one simple fact away. Ask here on CC, ask the front desk, as your steward, on board ship there are lots of people that know what they are doing - simply being observant and if you see something they seem to maybe know you don't... just ask. IF there is one thing I am sure of, most experienced cruises LOVE to talk cruising and are more than happy to help answer questions.

They may or may not fill your cup for you (hubby used to do this precoved with no issues all the itme because back then you never thought about what could happen. Not sure if they would actually do it now) - but it is BEST if they don't 😄 Just get a drink and transfer it yourself. That way there is no chance of germs getting spread around. Just a side note, also please do not refill your own cup at dispensers in the lido. Get fresh, clean cups and fill those and then dump into your cup.

The consistent answer is no it is meant to be a perk for those that are Platinum or Diamond. The consistent answer is people still opt to extend it to whoever they feel like taking and Carnival does not stop them every time. As in all things, Carnival does not police these things with strict enforcement. It is just like the Platinum/Diamond mixed parties (which I am not sure they are still doing? as we stopped going a long time ago). It amazed me how many blue/red/gold cards were in the room. I watched a group come in and sit down together (like 6 or 7 people) in the booth next to us and literally one person had a Platinum card and the rest did not - (they had their cards on lanyards around their neck). People tend to feel will bring a long for the ride whoever they can get away with.

So we cruise in a couple weeks and I booked the Steakhouse for dinner for my husbands birthday. I was wondering if I wanted to ask a "special" request for him is there a contact for the steakhouse prior to boarding? If not I thought I might try to sneak away and talk to them directly once on board. His favorite desert on the ships & just in general is the German chocolate cake. They pretty much almost always have this (but not in the steakhouse). I just wanted to ask if maybe we could get a piece with a candle brought out for him. Anyone every have any luck with something along this line?

The first day when we realized the situation, we requested to move to a different room. We were told they were sold out. Which is what happens most cruises. I even asked about our original inside room and was told "it was taken"

This is a a good example for us specifically of what the OP should have done. We were not "aware" of this change but knew there should be a perk so we asked at guest services about this. They sent us to the casino. We asked about it and they handed us $25 each. So for us a simple question or two and bam $50! Totally worth it. Now we know and ask every cruise 😆

I have had a room changed on me as well (and I know they can just take it - the "they must really want my room" was meant to be tongue in cheek). We were booked in an inside room one sailing. Nothing changed until we actually got to the terminal and we were advised we were upgrade to an ocean view room. At the time I thought "woo hoo!" Got on though and was extremely upset. We were directly under the kitchen area (a room we would never have selected) and the entire cruise our room smelled strongly of onion/garlic/etc cooking. Also, it was like the system wasn't updated because we kept getting mail/things to our room for someone else and had to chase down with our steward and customer care repeatedly all the items that were supposed to come in our name. All we can figure is for some reason we ended up in someone else's room that maybe cancelled or something?

There is a whole thread on this new cost going (and the dramatic increase). I personally always booked my cabana as soon as I booked my cruise if going to HMC because I wanted to make sure they didn't sell out (which usually happened). If they were not available at the time I booked, I diligently watched until they became available and booked asap. It remains to be seen what will happen now at such higher prices. They may find they don't fill them the way they used to and they may still be available on board ship... only time will tell.

Yep, sometime even if you have to eat the $50/pp it still ends up to your advantage. We have changed to a different/ship/sailing and had to pay it, but in the long run still cruised for less.

I don't think they will let you "legitimately" put more people in the room than it will hold. Now she can sleep in there if she wants to of course, but official switching and adding her with a new sail and sign card as an extra person to a room meant for 2 could be an issue. PS: Depending on the ship a 2 person interior isn't going to have anywhere for her to sleep unless she is going to sleep in the same bed with her mom and dad. Most interiors do not have a couch even (again depending on ship)

I am curious is the brunch on all ships now for Diamond? Or is it a mixed bag? When did everyone start seeing it (like I said our January cruise it wasn't brunch) Maybe they just do this on larger ships or based on the number of Diamonds on board? I know we usually sail the Medium to Smaller ships for the most part (Horizon is biggest we have sailed) and sometimes there is like maybe 10 people (has even been less) that show up for the Diamond Party. Doesn't seem cost effective to do a lunch for so few. Also, is it still open bar with brunch?

Incorrect. You most certainly can move them to the other room (if the room is configured for sleeping enough people). People on this form often tell people you have to go get a second card that is a "ghost" key (as you put it) that just works as a door key, and carry around two cards. That is not the case. Once you are onboard you simply have to go to guest services and advise them that person "X" is moving to room "XXXX" and would like a new Sail and Sign. They will reissue a new sign and sail card and destroy the old one. The person moving and someone from the room they are going to have to be present to do this. We swap people in rooms all the time doing it this way. It is often advantageous for one reason or another to book a room with certain people in a certain way (as this poster indicated why, it saved them money). Once on board you can make any physical changes you want. (Obviously they still aren't going to let you put young kids in a room by themselves if you tried that, but in this case the child would simply be moving to the room with their parents). Again, as long as the parents room accommodates three people they are fine. PS: OP - if the parents room doesn't happen to accommodate 3 people but you guys would like to be able to do this, if there are still enough rooms open on your sailing you could try finding rooms that would work and switch. As long as you are staying in the same category of room (6C, 6B, etc.), you can switch the actual room numbers you are in and shouldn't incur a penalty/cost.

I know that 🤣 that's why in the exact sentence you quoted it says "a lot of the ships now." The point is ALL the ships that do have it they save ALL those photos