wemjam

Again, you can switch rooms and do not need to just get a key card for the other room. You can ask guest services to "switch the guest" in the rooms and they will rekey the cards accordingly. As I said just make sure if you plan to do this you set up the on board accounts before you board accordingly. There are multiple reasons this works to your advantage. For us we do it when we sail with our elderly parents because they are not Diamond and we are so they can priority board with us. It does also work if you have 2 rooms booked and certain people want cheers and others do not. Put those that want cheers in one room and those that don't in the other and then just switch when you board.

If you look at your booking on line it will specify the number of day cruise you have. It will say 5 day, 6 day, etc. No confusion at all, just review that. Don't over think it. 😝

Yes you will have noise, until you get a few cabins down the hall (I would say more like 4 or 5). We booked a last minute cruise on the Conquest and had a room even higher than deck 6 but it was 2 doors off the opening overlooking the atrium and the noise carried all the way. My husband actually went out and closed the entry doors to the hallway at 11pm because it was still noisy and we couldn't sleep.

Those are the neighbors that get a note slipped under their door "Please be kind and think if your neighbors and turn off your balcony light at night" 🤪

Yep, AVOID connecting rooms at all cost if you can. You most certainly CAN hear more from the room next to you. The walls are thin enough as it is, and with the door there it just makes it worse. We made that mistake once or twice because we had no option to get the Scenic Ocean View rooms we wanted, and you can hear conversations, talking, TV, etc. through the door. So, if you get a neighbor that is the least bit loud or uncourteous you will pay for it.

Benefits hit at the start of the cruise you hit your threshold on. Usually the system will recognize this on its' own and your luggage tags and boarding pass will denote it automatically. If not, simply reach out to Carnival before hand. When you board the sailing you will receive your Platinum card right at embarkation (even if you hit your threshold the very last day of the sailing, it is from day one of the cruise)

You can request the high chair when you arrive at the dining room. I have had a couple sugar free desserts and they are pretty good, a lot depends on the ship in general. I have had the exact same dessert on multiple different ships and each one taste a bit different (same thing with food). Some ships the desserts tend to be more bland and not as sweet in general, on other ships they are decadent. Just depends on the head chef/pastry chef.

Just a note about limits. I tried to apply $1300 one time and was stopped. They advised me the limit to apply at one time was $1000. So, I did that and went back and did the other $300 the next day before we got off the ship. Now I just go down and pay as I go each day to avoid trying to put on a large amount all at once. Don't know if this is a regular rule or what, but just what I experience onboard one sailing.

YES, you most certainly can switch rooms once on board and not have to carry extra key cards. You just need to go to guest services and advise them who wants to switch to what room, and they will have new key cards made for the correct room for them. All charging privileges follow them (it is based on the person, not the room) so just make sure all the accounts are set up correctly when you do your online check in 2 weeks before and each person is added with the correct credit card charging privileges. We do this all the time when we cruise with my mom and dad so they can board with us (we are Diamond). My mom and I in one room and my dad and hubby in the other, then mom and hubby just switch when we board. Again, I just make sure the charge accounts are set up correctly (and you can give someone in a different room charging privileges when you are doing our check in as well as exclude anyone in a room you want to)

Only while in US port, it is very small, pennies really. And Carnival has always done this. Not just on booze, but if you get anything at a bar (soda, juice, etc).

Usually adding someone would not be an issue, but only if you your room will accommodate 3 people. If you have a room that will only hold 2, they will not allow you to add them (or if the ship is at full capacity people wise). You may be able to switch to a room that accommodates 3 people in the same category room you currently have though, if one is available, and add them that way too.

Just saw a lady win a bundle while playing in the Casino on the Sunrise. Don't know how much it was, just know she pulled one out and started screaming and jumping up and down.

That's all well and good for people who can afford to do so. But there are a LOT of people that save a whole year to do one cruise and may or may not ever cruise again. And as we have all learned the hard way over the last 2 years - life happens! Those are the people I add the cautionary tale for. They just need to understand that if something happens, they do not get cold hard cash back they get gift cards. If you have no issue potentially having the money tied up, or know you plan on using it as some point no matter what, then most certainly saving the 10% is the way to go - which is why I do the same thing.

Pizza is OK, not great but WAY better than it used to be a few years ago for sure!

Several people have commented about the public areas on the ship being unbearably hot. Did you experience this? How was your room temp? We cruise in a couple weeks and will want to spend time at bars, the casino, etc. and was wondering if we are going to have an issue based on what a few others have reported.

Did you find out if there is a cancellation penalty from your PVP? It might be minimal and then you could just rebook to get the better casino offer and the next effect would be to your benefit. Just a thought

I saw it in June being served. I may have to try it now that everyone says it is so good. I always get the yogurt parfait. Yummy vanilla yogurt layered with fruit and homemade granola.

I agree, but I do like to point that out when people ask. Some people do not cruise a lot and may not realize that if something unexpected happens they will not get cash back. For those of us who cruise all the time it is not as big a deal. When the pandemic hit, I personally had almost $9000 wrapped up with Carnival. I didn't freak out because I expected I would be able to use it again (which I have done this year). But for some having a couple thousand or more wrapped up and then an unexpected life event happening can be a big deal.

Yea, I could maybe kind of see that. But I expect the beards would give him a good throttling if it weren't somewhat true. I think it is more a case of them changing the signage because of guests. Used to be doors were closed and it said Diamond/Platinum welcome to come in others have to wait until 1:30. Now it just says YOU have to wait until 1:30. Problem is there are too many people that would see the sign and think "Oh, if they can do it so can I," or "How's anyone going to know if I am not Diamond/Platinum, I'm doing it anyhow." Again, the whole entitled thing. 🙄

THIS, except I don't think they are stopping people because they don't want responsibility for the luggage - I think it is just to try to keep people out of their way 🙂 I mean when the deliver luggage all they do is drop it in the hallway outside the door, anyone that wanted to take something it would be a lot easier to just grab one as you walked by versus trying to walk in and out of open rooms at embarkation and "look" for luggage to take. Now, I will say this, I always put it IN the closet and only drop my suitcases with clothes. All my valuable stuff is in the shoulder bag I keep with me until my room is ready. I also make a point if I see a Steward as I am walking down the hall to not even wait for him to say something... I immediately say "I am Diamond and I am just dropping my luggage in room # XXXX then I am out of here" and if I don't see them while walking to my room, I make a point to drop it off and then walk around and find them specifically (they are always in a room somewhere in my hall), and tell them "I am Diamond room # XXXX, just threw my suitcase in the closet just so you know"

Trust me there is a LOT of things people do because they think they are entitled and rules don't apply to them - and they are happy to post about it. It sounds like you follow the rules and just needed clarification. I would find a nice spot in one of the main areas and just people watch and maybe have a drink for a while until they make the announcement the room is ready. This is what we always did before we made Platinum/Diamond (which was before FTTF even existed) because I always carry on all my luggage.

The non-refundable deposit has been around for years and years, it has nothing to do with the last 2 years and Carnival's current financial situation. It is more to do with business practice in general. If they didn't charge this even MORE people would book cruises and just cancel willy-nilly at the last minute since it doesn't impact them at all. It is meant to be a deterrent and help keep Carnival from having to deal with last minute unoccupied rooms - which really does hurt their bottom line.

So, do people do it, YES. Should they do it and is it an acceptable policy, NO. There is always a few here or there, but it is certainly not common practice. Some room stewards will call you out and try to stop you and tell you the rooms aren't ready yet, others will not. The room stewards have a hard enough time trying to get rooms ready without having to deal with passengers running in and out of them.

You do not have to get an extra set of keys to carry. Simply explain to them that two people are swapping rooms and they will REkey the necessary room keys. We do this with our mom and dad all the time. It does not mess up any incentives as those are based on the person, not the room. Note: You will want to make sure when you set up the on boarding spending accounts that that is handled correctly. You can give (or not) charging privilege's to people in your party across rooms as needed too. So when you switch the rooms it all works out. Example my mom and I are in room together, and hubby and dad in the other. When I set up my account I include hubby in the other room and exclude mom. Then set up dads and include mom and exclude hubby. So when they switch it is all good.

Yep, but this is where social cues come in. We don't mind chatting with the people next to us, but we also don't intrude. Peoples body language, and if they initiate contact in some way pretty much tells you if they want to be left alone or chat. If I don't want to talk to people next to me, I don't even make eye contact.