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If you go to your paperwork for your booking, it will indicate if the OBC is "not refundable". If it doesn't state this, then you will get it all back either paying off your bill or as a check.

I'm a first time cruiser and I Just got off the phone with a carnival rep because I was looking at the current fares that I'm booked on (3 day to Ensenada on the Inspiration leaving March 13th) and I just got a major fare reduction for my upcoming cruise...I had booked an ES fare back in Sept and it went down in price by like $150 PP !!! We are going to have a little over $300 in OBC, the only switch was rebooking as a pack and go with a guarunteed OV room instead of being in the original OV room I had picked on Empress level...I felt that was a fair trade with such a big credit...so my question is can we use this credit for anything?? My sister and I will be going for some mommy off duty time and could use a few frozen adult beverages :D And I assume a credit is use it or lose it right?

In the case of "price drop OBC", it is "not" use it or lose it. Whatever you haven't spent onboard (casino, drinks, tips, shops) will be returned to you. Or as stated above, you can go to the kiosk outside of Guest Services and withdraw as cash.

use it again :)

I received a TA perk OBC and it doesn't show up on my account, when and where will I see it? Thanks!

not until you get onboard

We got a great deal for upcoming breeze cruise that was previously booked for 4 in a cabin to get 2 cabins instead we were told OBC would show online in 24 hrs. Nothing posted as of yet how long should I wait before calling back?

You should have received a new email from Carnival with the new price and it should show the OBC as well. And I agree with the 24 hours if you have booked with Carnival directly.

If you are looking for price drops, you need to book a category that has a fair amount of cabins. A category that does not is a 4J, which are the interior cabins in the front of the ship. To qualify for a price drop there needs to be at least one cabin available in the category you choose. However, you have the option to also upgrade if the price for a higher category is lower than what you paid.

Tips? You will be starving.

nope, never happens. The buffet opens around 6pm. Go there and get snacks, entrees, or desserts to tide you over to the late seating. Have done this MANY times.

Probably not email tracking as much as a unique link in the email identified to Carnival as you. Once you went to the link, they knew your interest and followed up.

 

Similar to when I log-in to Carnival and search playing around looking for cruises. When I do that I am guaranteed to get a phone call from a carnival sales rep within a few hours.

interesting. I am usually logged into Carnival's website in my account at least once a day to do a mock booking to look for price drops. I "never" get contacted by carnival.

And if the person you contacted was your PVP, they can probably see if your email has been read. I have the same capability with my doctors and it is NOT email tracking.

Found out that the late dining is definite since this trip is a business/leisure trip for my husband's company and we're eating together as a group. No worries. I'll rest after port returns and snack until dinner approaches.

 

Thanks!!!

you will not find a shortage of food prior to the late seating. Besides, there is ALWAYS soft serve ice cream and pizza :)

following

 

 

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there are a few threads on this in the "photo" section here on CC. And it really depends on what price you want to pay. I recently bought a camera mask that I have played with in the pool and will hopefully use on a cruise soon. I already have a non-UW camera that I will always be carrying with me on vacations.

We usually cruise in January. Last cruise we found that our excursions started to show up in May and June.

usually anywhere from 4-9 months from the cruise.

Thanks. I will see what happens after I get in touch.

Go to the Lido buffet and get an "appetizer"... :)

I think the best thing to remember on early saver is that OBCs are given when you have an apple and they offer an apple for a lower price. If you have an apple and they offer an orange then no go. If you really want the orange you can pay the 50 buck change fee and then, in the future you have to match an orange to an orange.

But in this case, they are not subject to the $50 change fee since it is on the same cruise.

Eagle ray in Cozumel.

I strongly recommend the three reef trip. Excellent guides and great snorkeling.

 

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/snorkeling_caribbean.htm

 

Coral Breeze In Belize

 

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/current_category.15/Product.2/tours_add.html?t_product=2

 

Tabyana Beach In Roatan. Good shore snorkeling and nice beach. Your ship will run round trip shuttle throughout the day.

Steve, thanks for posting the info for Cozumel. Have added it to my list for things to do on WestCarib cruises.

Maureen, I have done MayaKey and agree with you, very nice snorkeling area. I am going to try Tabyana next time and see how it compares.

Just curious....if you book excursions through the ship, do you book online before you board or once you board on the ship? We book some on our own but there are a couple we will do through the ship this time. Thanks!

If you know the excursions you want, you can book them early. If they are popular ones, you run the risk of them filling up before you board. And if you need to cancel up to a week (or maybe a few days before), you can cancel with no loss of money.

Yikes, now I a little nervous. I have only booked myself thru their website. Thanks for all the feedback and I will make sure I do my research and know exactly what I want.

No need to be nervous. Just come prepared and it is a very easy process. If you know the ship, sail date(s), cabin(s), and price it goes very smoothly.

Yes I agree. Please be vigilant with these future cruise reps. On more than one occasion they have screwed up my bookings.

 

First one booked us using a reduced deposit. Everything seemed fine until we got home and noticed our room was back up for sale. The rep had screwed up our booking and it got cancelled because carnival said we didn't pay the full deposit. An error on his part for not inputting the correct info.

 

Second rep on another cruise did not listen to me. I told her I wanted a refundable rate. She offered me past guest. I asked for military, but she insisted it was the same price and refundable and less paperwork for me to submit. I get home and call carnival to make a few adjustments and I find out she booked me under early saver. Needless to say I was furious and she did not get any favorable reviews from me in the survey.

 

Just watch these guys like a hawk. I personally think they are not as trained as the land based reps.

I guess I have been fortunate to have quality Carnival reps do the booking while on board. You will get paperwork for the future cruise before you exit the ship so just double-check it to make sure it is what you were expecting.

Make sure the future cruise booking person knows what they are doing.

Hayden on the Victory has not one clue.

 

I sailed last week on Victory. Tried to book the Pride for April 2016 in a particular cabin.

I got a special of 99. deposit and since it was a 6 day I would get 75.00 cabin credit.

 

so i am booking and he tells me I am not entitled to the sale as it is only for cruises up til the end of Dec 2015 so I can not use the 99.00 deposit nor would i get the cabin credit.

 

Good thing I am sailing on the Splendor on Sunday because NOW I will research that sale to see what it is I am entitled to for booking a cruise so far in advance.

 

You will need 400.00 deposit. on a credit card- not the sign and sail card

I can understand the item about the $99 deposit ending Dec 2015 since that occurs fairly often. However, you should get the OBC regardless.

We sail in April and we've kind of decided on a B2B on the Breeze next year. This would be a 6 day the an 8 day. I'm leaning towards an aft for the extra balcony room since its two weeks. I definitely don't want to change rooms. Just wondered if there is any advice experienced cruisers can give me. Figured if we are going to book might as well get a little OBC. :D

 

I was looking at an aft deck 9 but they are all booked, so looking at deck 8 I guess.

Do your research before you get to the ship in April. Have a few cabin choices in your pocket. Then when you get on board and you know you will be doing the cruise in 2016, go to the FCD early in the cruise. The later you go, the busier it can be.

We are to cruise to St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk before long.

 

If you have been to any of these island/ports within the past year, do any of them "bargain," or have straw markets, or anything like that? If so, please tell me how we can find/locate them?

St Thomas has a shopping complex right outside the port facility. There is also a shopping district downtown which is about a mile or two away and a nice walk along the harbor if you can do it.

Hi all,

New to forum, so go easy.

 

Last cruises were in 1996 & 1997 on Ecstasy & Inspiration respectively . Regarding dining times I see all new options on Carnival website. I see "dine when you want" and burger joints etc.

My question is: do they still have the "early" 6pm-ish, and "late" 8pm-ish dining times and the regular dining rooms? Although I know I will visit other dining areas too, I like the pace of the regular seating.

 

Hoping to set sail in June 2016, this time children in tow.

First seating is at 6:00pm, Second seating is at 8:15pm

I have the Panasonic and the SH-50. The Canon is much smaller and much lighter. Both have decent zooms and I had great success with the Panasonic in Alaska. I decided that I preferred the Panasonic and selling the SH-50 on eBay probably because of the constant f2.8 lens throughout the whole range of the zoom.

 

You might look at http://snapsort.com/compare/Olympus-Stylus-SH-50-iHS-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-FZ200

 

Best of luck on your choice.

The only item I have with this is that the comparison is for the Canon SX50 and not the Olympus.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-PowerShot-SX50-HS-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-FZ200

Hi,My wife and I am in the process of booking a caribbean cruise for April this year and we are avid snorkelers. Having snorkelled in about 1/3 of the places all over the world. We know good snorkeling from bad.The question I have for those who know, which area in the caribbean would be the best? We have snorkelled some in the caribbean,including, Roatan, Belize, St. Thomas, Grand Turk

and this time we are close to booking a southeastern trip with Celebrity that include Barbadoes, St. Kitts, St. Martens and Dominica and meets all our other requirements that we like in a ship. Would those stops have enough good snorkeling, doesn't have to be the best just good enough that we're not disappointed with the trip. Or should we look for a cruise that goes further south to Bonaire, Curacao and St. Lucia. I know those would be preferable but doing that itinerary would take quite a bit of doing.

Can't speak for where you are heading, but I agree that Belize and Roatan, being part of the barrier reef are awesome snorkel spots. Less so with St Thomas and have yet to be at GT, coming soon though. :) Have a trip to Bonaire in the coming months and it is supposed to be one of the better snorkels in Klein (Little) Bonaire. I am interested to know what you find out about St Maarten and Dominica.

Heading to Alaska this summer and am thinking about purchasing a bridge camera with superzoom. The two models I'm considering are in the title line. I'm an amateur who enjoys photography but I want the ease of a point-and-shoot with a great zoom and some advanced features. I want to be able to shoot great landscape photos, but want to capture close-ups of wildlife (bears, moose, whales, etc.).

 

I've read lots of reviews and the two cameras seem to be pretty evenly matched but I'm a novice so I may not be catching all the nuances. It seems the Canon has a more powerful zoom, while the Panasonic has a lesser zoom but the advantage of a constant aperture of f/2.8. The Panasonic is the more expensive of the two.

 

Can anyone comment on experience with these cameras in Alaska, particularly photographing wildlife? I'm wondering about image quality with the Canon, and whether the Panasonic's zoom is good enough to capture distant wildlife.

 

Thanks.

I've had the Canon SX50 for two years now and love it. The zoom is incredible. The lower aperture for the Panasonic will help you in lower light but if you are doing wildlife and landscapes, the Canon will do incredibly well. I have used it for photographing everything from before sunrise to after sunset with beautiful colors and crispness.

Thanks,

 

 

 

The thought of a stranger rummaging through my suitcase freaks me out!

 

QUOTE]

 

A stranger is still going to rummage thru your bags,,, they'll just do it after you remove the lock, then after you step back,,, they'll search your luggage.

 

Don't travel out of the country because at customs it can happen anytime