carrieluvsgreg

On 9/10/2022 at 12:37 AM, cruisingguy007 said:

Easy, turn the wifi off and enjoy your cruise disconnected! Problem solved, easy peasy! Talk to your fellow passengers and get out there! Carnival needs to roll the drink package into cruise fares, a line will eventually do this and it will be considered "revolutionary" and the stories will be epic. The rest will follow, though I wouldn't mind saving a boat load by eating instant mashed potatoes, I eat them at home already and am pre-conditioned. Sorry Del Rio! 😁

They already offer Cheers included fares.  I booked one today and only paid $200 more than for the best rate that did not include Cheers.  We aren't huge drinkers, but we do get specialty coffees daily and would easily spend $100 on that and typically our bar tab is around a$100 also, so this way we can have both and not have to keep up with it.  

On 9/14/2022 at 11:04 PM, groundloop said:

To be honest I think this is a good move by Carnival.  

 

For starters, if I really really really want to stay in my cabin and avoid going to Lido I'll be willing to pay a few dollars for the privilege.

 

I've also read that Carnival is trying to cut down on food waste, and this seems like an excellent start to that.  I've seen far too much wasted food sitting on room service trays in the hallway.  I don't blame them a bit for trying to put a dent in this problem.

I agree.  It's easy to bring whatever you'd like back to your room.  If you really want someone to bring it to you-there should be a charge.  I think some people order food simply because it was free.  

Some of the past gifts I have appreciated-

the crystal engraved cordials were my favorite. 
carnival logo blanket 

Tervis tumblers

the game board was a cute idea but I didn’t need 4 of them. 

It does seem that they’re getting “chintzy” when they’re currently giving a glassy picture of a ship you’re not even on! I’ve been cruising carnival since they gave you a full color picture of your ship- everyone got one. 
They’ll never please everyone.  I won’t be surprised if the simply eliminate the perk altogether. I don’t see them offering obc. Maybe they could add to the milestone club meaning you get a one time discount after reaching platinum and then that percentage increases gradually every 5 cruises until you reach 25. 
 

I think, since her name is on the pass it’s tied to her room. When you check in at the spa counter you exchange your room key for the spa key. They check names at that time. The only way “around” that would be for her husband to check in, give up his key and give you the spa key. That’s a lot of hassle. I would suggest she call carnival and ask if she can change the names and cabin number. But that would mean you’d also need to purchase the third pass. (They’d all be tied to your cabin) you’re honestly better off just to purchase the pass yourself. 

We sailed Vista in Europe two years ago. Since the cruise was so port-intensive we never had an opportunity to experience everything the ship had to offer. However, one of my "take-aways" from Vista was that Carnival tried to cram too many bells and whistles on the ship, with the result being that some spaces are way too small for the demand, like Liquid Lounge and Punchliner. But there are really nice features as well - we loved the outside Promenade deck. It was our "go to" place for morning coffee and afternoon drinks. My favorite ship? No - that's Breeze. However, I'd happily sail on Vista again and we have Horizon booked for July.

Knowing what we like about the Dream, I think we will be plenty satisfied with the Horizon. We don’t really go to the shows, and the comedy shows only sporadically. We aren’t sun worshippers so we are rarely on Lido for more than food- except occasionally for dive-in movies.

Since the trip is “port intensive” we’ll probably have the same issues you did with feeling like we didn’t even get a good feel for it. [emoji5]

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Does anyone know if carnival still serves free alcohol beverages on Captain's night?;p

Pretty sure that stopped awhile ago. I think now it’s “$” off drink specials. Unless they’ve brought it back recently.

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I am not much of a spa person. Actually I am not a Spa person at all! But I would love to try the Thalassotherapy pool. I love being in the water and these pools look so relaxing. Does anyone know if you can buy a day pass or if you have to buy a weekly pass? Does the pass cover everything in the Spa or is there one just for the Thalassotherapy pool?

 

 

 

I also wondered if how warm the water is and how late in the evening you can use the Thalassotherapy pool?

 

 

 

If there are any Spa people out there who could anwser my questions I would really appreciate it. Would like to sneak away from the family for just a little bit for some total R&R and this looks like a great place to do it!

 

 

 

Thanks!!

I see others have answered your question about the pass so I’ll address the T pool. It’s warm, pretty warm. But amazing! We book spa cabins on cloud 9 ships for that pool and the heated loungers. Both are incredible. I think the pool is open until 10... but know that the pool closes if the seas are rough. That would determine which day to buy the pass. You’ll probably want to get it on a sea day so you can make the most of it.

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No. My last call took over 1.5 hours to correctly adjust the OBC... it was worth it for $140, but not for $10

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The only thing to consider- which at this point is moot-

The basic advantage to traveling via cruise in the Caribbean with a passport is equivalent to purchasing travel insurance. Barring any emergencies during your trip- you will be fine. In the unlikely event that you do have an emergency which requires that you fly out of a port- the validity of your current passport comes into play. Each country is different on what they see as a valid passport.

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We're on the Horizon May 28 sailing with the same itinerary. There are no port changes planned for our cruise, which is a month ahead of the OP's.

 

We were in San Juan and St Thomas a few weeks ago, and the immediate air and sea port areas have recovered somewhat from the hurricane's damages. There is plenty of work left to do to get all of each isle "normalized". Flying into San Juan, you can see many many blue tarps draped over damaged houses, and outside of SJU, there are still thousands without power. You may notice that excursions outside of SJU might be cancelled.

 

As far as Barbados goes, that island is a long way off south and east from SJU and doesn't figure into any 8 day Horizon sailing from NYC..

Thank you for this post. We will be flying to San Juan next Monday as my husband’s company has a place there. I just think it is important for it to be kept in front of folks that although the cruise ships have returned and for the main part, San Juan and the port areas have recovered pretty well- there are still thousands without power and much work to be done. It has been most difficult for those people living out of town. There have been some incidences if crime due to the sheer fact that they’re desperate.

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We have not yet sailed on the Vista, but have booked the Horizon out of Barcelona in April.

Honestly, it seems to me that with the introduction of a new class always yields seasoned cruisers who just don’t like the changes. I remember when the Dream made her debut. She was dubbed the “stink pot” of the seas as there was an apparent sewage smell that just overwhelmed passengers... we sailed on her the first season after the TA because the prices had dropped pretty significantly (possibly due to the bad press)- we never noticed the smell that others claimed “ruined their cruise”.

It seemed most of the Dream fans were new cruisers who had little or no experience with other Carnival ships. With each subsequent release the class seemed to have gained ground making the Breeze the favorite ship of many.

We have 14 under our belt and have sailed on fantasy, Conquest and dream classes only thus far. To date the Dream is my favorite (even above the Breeze) with the Liberty coming in a close second.

So with my upcoming trip being on a sister ship of what seems to be Carnival’s “red headed step-child” I’m cautiously optimistic. This is a huge trip for us- we’ve never traveled to Europe before- so that should outshine the ship experience for sure but I hope the completion is at least close.

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You can certainly travel with a passport that is expiring soon but it sorta defeats the purpose of traveling with the passport in the first place. For all intents and purposes- the passport enables you to board the vessel just like your picture ID and birth certificate. However- a valid passport (one that has at least 6 months left) allows you re-entry in the unlikely event of an emergency- missing the ship, medical emergency or emergency back home that requires you to debark early. If your expiring passport will not allow for this- you’re just as well to use your ID and birth certificate.

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"An alarm clock. I have a cheap digital battery operated clock that lights up when you tap it. It helps to see in the cabin in the dark and it’s nice to know what time it is."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mine is called an iPhone.

I don't think there is a U.S. plug in the bathroom.

micro fiber towels, love them

On fantasy class ships there is one by the light for electric shavers. Unless they’ve recently been removed.

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The coffee card cost me $35.65...and its well worth the money.:):halo:

What is the coffee card? I’m familiar with the punch card but nothing that costs that includes beverages at the coffee shop other than cheers - which is way more $$

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I didn't know about this....how do you get this card? No one ever offered it to me..do you just have to ask? On all ships?

It was offered to us on the Fascination a couple of years ago. Since then we ask at the coffee shop and have gotten one each cruise.

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Wow- we’ve never booked that far out!

Have a great time and enjoy your trip!!

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Typically the cash we bring is only for port expenses. It’s easier to barter with cash. So it would depend on how much she wants to spend.

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My first cruise- we booked a snorkeling excursion in Grand Cayman and it was a real let down. We walked off the tender boat, found our guide and followed him about 50 steps to a pontoon boat that took us right out in the water between shore and the ship to snorkel. [emoji19]

Now we are aware of stingray city...

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Mexico.

But are you planning this trip? The date says 2017...

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Not me... our next booked is the Horizon, she will be brand new (we’re on the 2nd sailing)

But even if that weren’t the case- I still wouldn’t hesitate. Everything isn’t perfect all of the time. I’d probably be concerned if a ship failed then also failed the recheck. That would tell you that they were ignoring the inspections.

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My husband and I have been on 1 cruise prior to this. Our kids have never been and their ages are 18, 15, 14, and 6. I just didn’t know if we book the 5 day if we will wished we booked the 7 day instead.

I would say that if you don’t need the extra days for traveling- I’d go for 7. Your kids will have plenty of options to stay busy.

One word of caution... starting with 7 days really spoils you. We did that- now less than that seems to go by too fast for me. I’ll take any cruise- I just prefer 7 days. It allows for a good number of port and sea days. My least favorite itinerary is the one that doesn’t have a sea day on the way back.

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The first cruise we ever went on we booked all excursions thru the ship...

The snorkeling we did in grand cayman was such a disappointment.... especially now that I’m aware of sting ray city!

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That’s tough...

either zip lining and cave tubing in jaguar paw Belize or a private island tour in Honduras where we visited a private zoo with amazing monkeys.

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So my roommate and I are considering a cruise. I have points with my carnival mastercard for bar credits. Can I purchase the drink package on the ship using the bar credits that will be on my room? one more question, is it cheaper to get the drink package online or on the ship? thanks

It’s cheaper before you board. The cost is also going up January 1st, I believe. So if you’ve booked you’ll probably want to do that ASAP.

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Love- love- love the spa.

We always book spa when we can. We are another couple that doesn’t really benefit from a balcony. I always opt to spend that $$ elsewhere on the ship or on excursions.

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