snc_cam

Usually they start moving the FTTF group around 1030-1100 to the second staging area. You are usually on the ship by 1130. But there are factors that can impact this, which include a later time of getting the current passengers off the ship, if the ship has to go through some extra cleaning or maintenance, and a large number of diamond/platinum/suite folks.

as long as they are Carnival excursions, the ship will not leave without you. That is one of the guarantees of a Carnival excursion.

congrats on your upcoming wedding. Hope you have a GREAT time

I agree that $540 is a lot that you can use in other ways. You already have a balcony which gives you the ability to sit outside by yourselves. Me, I wouldn't take this upgrade.

Hi there.

 

We're cruising with friends. FTTF is available. Can I purchase it using my credit card as a gift for the friends ?

 

Thanks.

I believe so... you would need their booking number as well as additional information. This link will give you what you need. Once you log in via the Organizer access, you can purchase excursions. I had to do this on my last cruise since I couldn't get it into my bookings (booking got screwed up in the Carnival system), but I could get to it this way.

https://secure.carnival.com/BookedGuest/?noLogon=True

This page lists the 2.0 upgrades for the Carnival ships:

http://www.shipcruise.org/carnival-fun-ship-refurbishment-schedule/

So I'm thinking that the Valor will have more amenities than the Splendor after the 2.0 upgrade.

The Breeze is a newer and bigger ship than the other two, which are about the same size and # of passengers.

I have enjoyed the cruises on the 7 different ships we have been on with Carnival, so it really isn't the ship that made the difference. It is what we did with the time allowed, the ports we went to, and the new people we met.

so yesterday there was a thread that compared the Splendor and the Valor. Not sure how they will compare to the Magic.

And for determining the itinerary, you need to identify what type of excursions you like to do. For example, if you like to snorkel/dive, the western carib would be better than the eastern for most of the stops. At least IMHO.

I purchased cruise travel insurance through Carnival for my upcoming cruise. This is the first time that I have purchased insurance but I am getting a bit older and a little more precautionary.

 

Do I get anything or am I suppose to print something that proves that I have the insurance. I would guess that there would be information that I would need if in fact I had to use it.

 

Appreciate the help.

I always get third party insurance rather than thru Carnival. It will be listed on your documents that you have purchased it via Carnival. The policy information may also be included with your cruise documents. My suggestion would be to contact Carnival with any questions.

I'm looking at July 2016. According to John Heald today Valor will be out of PC in July and Splendor will be in Miami. Both southern Caribbean itin.

I would choose the Valor with the 2.0 upgrades. Plus, I think PC is an easy port to go in/out of; but I have never done POM. Guys Burgers are great if you like burgers and the Burrito bar is good for breakfast and lunch.

With all of these ship/itin changes, I'm looking to either stay on the Splendor, or switch to the Valor? We are a family of 5 with kids ages 9, 7, and 3. Which would you prefer???

Both ships are in the same class (Conquest). Haven't been on the Valor yet (Feb 2016), but have been on her sister ships. Neither has the 2.0 upgrade (Valor will get it in March 2016). Because of that, I look at both being the same. Once Valor gets the 2.0 upgrade, I would pick it over the Splendor. I do like the Splendor because it has a lot of shade spots in the middle pool, which are good for wife/me.

Are the itineraries the same for both ships? Which ports do they sail out of? I know Splendor is moving to Miami and Valor is currently out of PC until March 2016.

mine for the Splendor in Sept was also available as soon as I got back from the cruise I booked this on, which was the Splendor in Sept 2014. So, it was 12 months ahead that they had the F2F posted. Fortunately, should be my last since I will be platinum after this cruise.

Had plenty of balconies, never did see one dolphin or much of anything. Oh there was a hummingbird once. Other ships, wow! I can see them on deck too or wait until we pull into the next port. Continental Breakfast delivered to my balcony (remember not hot stuff on Carnival)? Not romantic. Especially since we don't eat breakfast. I don't need a balcony or window to know I'm on a cruise. The orange decor and light on the outside of the bathroom remind me of that.

 

As far a being a crappy room, they are my favorite. I get the best nights sleep in the total dark. I say this as I am wide awake earlier than I want to be on my day off because the sun has been poking through my 5 windows in my bedroom since 6AM even with blackout curtains! Guess what? Never do I sit and look out my bedroom windows. In fact I would be thrilled if it didn't have any!

 

A hotel is a temporary stay usually for one night. Oftentimes there's really nothing to see outside depending where you stay at anyway. I don't stare out those windows except if I stay by the port and have a good view, but more times than not we're by the airport. Hotel rooms aren't important to me.

 

I feel like I'm on a cruise and connected with the sea from the time I step on the ship until I hear the last ding of my S&S card. There is so much to do. Get out of your room and experience it. I don't need to pay twice as much not to have a "crappy" room as you say. I love my insides. They are perfect. And I get to truly be connected with the sea more at least twice a year as opposed to just once. Get me on the ship and I will have a fabulous time no matter where I sleep. I have ocean breezes and air all around me.

 

Sounds like you should stick to Princess and your balconies. The rest of us third class citizens will have a WONDERFUL time in Steerage. Remember the movie "Titanic"? I would rather party and hang out with those people than be stuck up top "connected to the sea" with the likes of the Snobs.

 

What people like is up to them. To insist that all inside rooms are horrible and the people that can't (or don't want to afford) a balcony will be miserable is simply not true. It may be for you, but not for probably the other 99% of people that travel in them.

 

I set plenty of sea, sun, and fun as soon as wake up, get dressed, and start my day. You do realize they let us steerage people out on deck just like the people who paid two to three times more than I did, right? SMH.

Bob's Wife... THANK YOU.... Very well said!!!!

Can gift cards be used to pay your deposit?

I know they can pay off the balance, so I would assume they can be used to pay the initial deposit.

We almost always book an interior cabin. We are only in it to change, shower, and sleep. A night light is not necessary; just leave the bathroom light on and close the door. There is a gap at the bottom that puts out enough light. My wife is claustrophobic and this is good for her. I use my cell phone for an alarm; but you can also do a wake-up call with the phone.

Our cruise leaves next Monday and was wondering if they still give the tote bags for level of cruising or are we down to a bottle of water? I'm trying to get packed and wondered if I need to take one or have that space for something else. Thanks to everyone!

Mama, my wife/I have been cruising with Carnival since 2010 and haven't yet received a tote-bag. Not sure if this is an item that was given based on being either Diamond or Platinum; but we are neither. But if you aren't either, then plan on bringing your own if you need one.

Problem solved. Agent said it would get denied if it's not a lower rate but also made a note in my booking that I did not wish to proceed with the request.

 

Thanks for your help snc_cam! :D

you are most welcome curves... hope you feel better soon!!!!

But I submitted the forms already...so if they approve them, doesn't the change just happen? I'm sorry, I don't remember...it's been two years since I did this last.

they should deny it since your current rate is better. You may want to call Carnival now and ask them since you don't really want to make the change

Ugh...so what I initially paid is the better deal. So I shouldn't have submitted those forms. Crap, now what do I do?

you ignore the current offer and keep checking to see if another offer provides you a better deal. I am currently doing that on 2 bookings myself. I usually check twice a day.

And sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Hope you have someone there to take care of you.

I figured that's how it would work. Now I have to do math...dang it!

curves, shouldn't be hard to figure out. :)

Ok I've got my form all filled out and took the screenshot of the Fare Viewer showing the reduced fares. I pasted the screenshot into paint and saved it as a jpg. Now how do I attach the jpg to the form? All there is is a spot for the web address where I found the lower fare (Fare Viewer) and then a "comments" box.

 

I've done PPFs before but it was years ago and I don't remember how to include the screenshot!

 

Someone remind me, please? And then I'll go on feeling like an idiot because I'm sure it's very simple. :D :cool:

 

Also, the cabin I have booked is a 4J (interior with picture window, walkway view). When we booked it, we received a $100 cabin credit as part of the sale that Carnival was offering at that time.

 

How does all of this factor into the price drop? If I do a mock booking for the same type of cabin, it's less than what I paid but the credit is up to $50 per cabin, not $100. It's all very confusing. Should I just submit the form with the screenshot and hope for the best?

You don't need to include the screen snapshot with the form. If they deny it, then you can forward the screen snapshot as an attachment.

If you got the $100 OBC as part of a rate not booked onboard, you will lose it when you price match to another rate. So, you would be trading in your $100 OBC for a $50 OBC.

What you need to do is figure out what the bottom line cost is. Say your cruise is $1200 with the $100 OBC. To be beneficial to you, the new bottom line would have to be below $1150 with the current $50 OBC.

I hope this helps.

I just got off the phone with AARP and she confirmed that they were mailed on June 6, and it will take upto 10 business days. So hopefully I get them soon. I am waiting for the cabanas to come available and want to pay using the gift cards. Thank you all for your input. Have a great weekend.

Glad you were able to confirm. Have a great cruise

Well, I ordered from a previous batch that was placed on back order. Those finally shipped, but it was standard mail we didn't sign or anything, just put them in the mailbox!

I was surprised they needed voice verification and a signature as well. Though, it does protect me to make sure I get the package.

Has anyone actually purchased the Carnival Gift Cards through AARP? I order a several last Friday, June 5, 2015 and still have not received them. I have ordered through Verizon and I had them in 2 business days. I will be calling today, but I just wanted to see if anyone else has had any trouble receiving their gift cards.

Pat, I too ordered one on the 5th. It is "supposed" to come today via UPS since it needs a signature. With the order, I received an order confirmation on June 7 and an order "verification" that I needed to call (since I wasn't home when AARP called me) to verify it was me that ordered the card. I also received an email yesterday (June 11) indicating that the card had shipped. I had already received notice from UPS on June 10 that this had shipped

We did the snorkel excursion through Carnival in Grand Turk this past May. Water was beautiful, coral was nice. Not sure about the other islands but like you, I have heard St Maarten is "ok", nothing spectacular. Besides, in GT you will find the excursions are probably less crowded since there aren't a lot of places for multiple ships to dock. In St Maarten, we had the Oasis, a Celebrity ship, us, and the Carnival Sunshine... So figure around 12-13K people.

I AM booked ES. It was just that when I called Sunday for the price drop my TA said Carnival said I did not have the F&F. Now that I am home (I was out of town) I called again and had them call Carnival. The rep at Carnival today said I DO have F&F so the rep on Sunday was wrong. If the Sunday rep had been correct I never would have even started this thread!

So if you are booked ES and with the latest promotion, you should be able to keep your $100 F&F OBC and also get the $50 promotion OBC. Or am I missing something?