ScottsSweetie

Unfortunately, that is the chance you take when booking a guarantee room.

 

We always book guarantee, both for inside and window views. There are very few people I know that I would recommend this to - certainly would never recommend this to a new cruiser.

 

We are cruising with the in-laws next - we will book guarantee, they will not.

Our cruise on the Breeze this yr will go through Halloween too.. Oct 25 - Nov 2.. we can't wait. .this will be our first Halloween on a cruise.. My husband was born Oct 31 so Halloween is HUGE in our house.. and he turns the big Five-OHHH this yr.. lol.. so we're celebrating big. What ship were you thinking of sailing with?

 

Looking at the Sunshine on 10/25.

 

There is a review in my signature for our Halloween 2013 cruise! It was a blast! Lots of details and pics and pics of costumes as well.

 

Will definitely read it tonight!

 

Thanks to all who responded. :)

When we are booking a last minute, saw a great price cruise, we use our PVP.

 

When we are booking a bigger (more expensive) long range cruise, we use a TA because we will be using Hilton Honors points and are required to go through a particular agency. They charge a $25.00 service fee, so I wouldn't use them if I weren't required to.

I'm trying to decide if I should purchase this for my in-laws or not.

 

We are cruising together in a few weeks - we are Platinum, they are not.

 

We intend to check in at the Priority desk and then wait with them for embarkation.

 

If I understand the Platinum rules correctly, we can have them join us for our priority tender service.

 

What else would they get with FTTF?

Has anyone used this company for snorkeling? They are rated in top 10 on Trip Advisor.

 

Do you have any recommendations for snorkeling tour operators? Looking for offshore snorkeling, not from the beach.

 

Thanks! :)

I've just realized that the cruise we are about to book includes October 31.

 

I think I have read reviews from people who have sailed over Halloween, and remember that there are costumes and events involved.

 

Can I please have details - do kids & adults dress up? Is there any special event for those dressed up, or Halloween in general?

 

Thanks! :)

I'm interested to know if someone can tell me what their pub (food) operating hours are (maybe just a general idea). Also, are there any food items that you would recommend, or more importantly, any food items to stay away from?

We just got off our 2nd NCL cruise and would like to try more of those. However, be prepared for your room to be smaller than on Carnival! We felt like we were on that commercial where the (grown) kid comes home and the parents have expanded their kitchen. "Slide on in", lol! :) Also would love to try another RCCL, as it has been years since we've been there, but their prices are a LOT higher than other lines.

 

We have Alaska on our bucket list, and as other posters have already noted, I have also been told to choose Princess or HAL for that itinerary.

 

Happy Cruising!

I just got off my 2nd NCL cruise last month (which, btw, was great!). DH and I are in the planning stages of a cruise with his parents for this fall. None of us smoke, and we will book balcony rooms for this cruise. We were strongly considering Norwegian, but with CCL changing their smoking policies and all of the smokers jumping ship to Norwegian, we are reconsidering that possibility.

 

NCL may get all of the smokers from the other cruise lines, but may not get new business from non-smokers (if the traveler is educated on the policies). I've been on 19 cruises on 3 different lines, and had just decided to start exploring some different Norwegian ships and itineraries, but that may not happen now.

 

I do believe that NCL will eventually move to more non-smoking areas - my explorations may have to wait until then. I wouldn't rule out NCL completely at this time, but this does become one of several factors in my planning process.

LOL - Love this! And yes, I am already planning my next cruise with NCL! Not grumpy, not a chair hogger, not a cutter or seat saver, and the only thing I complain about are the complainers! ;)

 

Just curious - why are you sailing on Royal in December if you want to be able to smoke on your balcony?

NO, the fee is charged when you bring your wine to dinner or to a bar. I always bring my own corkscrew, open it in the room, and bring it to dinner. Never been charged....

 

If you read the conversation, they were talking about NCL. You can bring as much wine as you can carry onto NCL but must pay a corkage fee of $15.00 per bottle, regardless of where you drink it.

Thanks for all of your ideas and suggestions. I think we have just decided to drive to the port and park - that will give us the most flexibility for him to get his work done. I rolled all of our change in our piggy bank and came up with enough to pay for our parking, so we've decided that will be our best option. :)

So, here's the deal - DH and I will be staying pre-cruise in a hotel and using their shuttle to the port. However, in our experience, these shuttles usually run pretty early, say between 10:30 and noon. We would like to take advantage of this shuttle; however, DH needs to do some computer work before we board. After we get out of the shuttle at the port, is there anywhere in quick walking distance where we might be able to sit for a while so that he can do computer work? Free wifi would be great, but he has a hot spot so it's not entirely necessary. Any restaurants, or maybe a park with benches?

[quote name='guxu']If I advertise a car for FREE, then in fine prints indicating you have to pay $25,000 processing fee to get your free car, I guess some of you think it is a fine business practice?[/QUOTE]

I think it is a STANDARD business practice.

Grocer ad says buy box of ___ for .49c - but read the fine print to see "limit 2".

Car ad says pay 0% interest - fine print says "must have good credit".

Store ad says 25% off all merchandise - fine print says "if you open charge account".

We always repeat after her, as well!

 

However, we refer to that as "the libido deck".

[quote name='prattmom']I prefer selecting the rate that gets me the best deal based on my situation. I don't always sail with my kids but always select my cabin. Someone else might not care which cabin they're in, but sail with their kids. Each of us to select the best deal for our individual needs. I usually book early saver which comes with its own set of issues. Carnivals marketing allows you to select what works best for you. Just because you can't combine discounts doesn't mean anything is wrong with it...


Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app[/QUOTE]

Totally agree. I have booked under Past Guest, Pack and Go, Early Saver, Resident Rates, etc. I appreciate having options so that I can pick and choose the rate code based on my particular needs at any given time.

Just like when shopping at a retail store. I know what an items costs, or at least what I am willing to pay for it. If the Sunday ad has a sale that I like, I will buy. If I don't think the sale is good enough, I wait. Same with cruises. I keep current on the prices and know what I am willing to pay. Lots of sales aren't really sales, but that is true with cruises, cars, groceries, clothing, etc.

Question for you CCL stockholders - is the $100 OBC for a 7 day cruise? Is OBC given on a sliding basis for 3-day, 4-day, 5-day or longer than 7 days?

I was kind of looking forward to a little shake-up in the menu.

The cruise industry is not the only one cutting back these days, though.

 

My husband travels for a living, and hotel rooms are being turned over later and later as hotels cut down on cleaning staff and they have more rooms to clean.

 

We have also noticed in some restaurants that service has deteriorated as they have fewer staff working at any given time.

 

When you call for customer service to any given company, sometimes it takes 10 minutes to get past the automation and to a real live person.

 

I agree that a lot has changed on cruise ships over the last 10 years, but a lot has changed in general over the last 10 years. The one thing that hasn't changed a whole lot, though, is the price of cruising. Do I want my cruise price to go up (think at the same rate as groceries :eek: ) so that I can return to the service of 10 years ago? I don't think I do.

UpDate on AmberTeka..who has been much maligned by the Flamers on this site.

 

I have moved on. You should too.

I cancelled my cruise on Princess.

I am booked on Celebrity in October. Good price. Free drink card. or OBC or gratuities. have until April to decide. I was PG. Got that discount. cost less..with discount..8 day cruise..than a similar cabin on Carnival. Very pleased.

 

New shows. (to me). New casino. ( to us) New MDR. New Buffet. New Activities. Shore excursions are stunningly less expensive. That was a surprise. Going to Saint Croix. Never been. Going to St. Barts. Going to Labidee.Haiti. Can buy another painting to hang by the one I bought in 1974. Feel like I helped a tiny bit. And I love my painting.

 

Cruise on Carnival next week. Even if I am the only person who paid for a cabin, It is a moot issues. My family will be there. The staff on Carnival is always excellent. I like the food. We have been on the Dream 3 times, and find the ship to be just fine. Clean. We have a Cove Balcony which I like a lot.

 

I want to cruise on NCL. I hear their casinos are fantastic and loose. I want to cruise on Freedom of the Seas and Allure of the seas.

I needed a kick in the pants to make me jump ship. And It worked out very well. I hope everyone enjoys their cruises.free or not. If I offended anyone, I apologize.

 

I do honestly doubt that I will book Carnival again anytime soon. but then MY DH gets military on Celebrity too. And NCL. Yet we have never been on RCCI. and long time since we have been on NCL. I don't even have a Celebrity....booklet. But I am going to get one today. Find ":my" cabin. look at the pictures. Read all of the stuff in the back. I have not done that in a long time.

 

All is good. Move on. enjoy your cruise. Happy sails to all.

 

 

Yet, you haven't moved on. You are still posting on every single thread related to this issue. I think that dead horse you are beating is dead.

 

This is a PROMOTION - not a REWARD for loyalty. When you book a cruise for your $, Carnival OWES you your vacation for that # of days - nothing else. If they OPT to offer a loyalty program, you get those perks. If they didn't have a loyalty program, would you still have cruised with them? If another company in the same industry has a better loyalty program and that is important to you, why haven't you "jumped ship" before this time? You were obviously pleased with every vacation and the amount you paid for it before this promotion, or you wouldn't have kept going back for more.

 

Another poster put it better - if you buy 25 lottery tickets, and someone else buys one and they win, is that fair?? Most of us are old enough to know that life isn't fair.

 

For some reason, people are driving themselves absolutely bonkers trying to figure out how, why, and what method was used for this promotion. I don't think it really matters - either you were offered the free cruise or not, and that is the end of the story. (For the record, I was not).

 

I'm disappointed I didn't get an offer, but I'm hopeful I still might. In the meantime, I will continue to book cruises based on the criteria I always use, and Carnival may win my business or not, but this promotion will not weigh into my decision.

I don't have the letter with me now but I received it in February and I had to book by end of the month, 28 Feb, and eligible cruises are from Feb-Jun 2014.

My aunt also received one but she's not using it...they had just returned from a 14-day Hawaii cruise so she's saving money for next year. So, so bad it's not transferable...:(

 

Yes, that was the last round I heard about, but some people have just posted in the last day or two about the letter, so they would have missed the Feb. 28 booking date. Hope you have a great cruise!

Could you please share with us when your letter was dated, what your booking deadline was, and what your cruise deadline was?

 

Just wondering if this is a new round of letters going out. :)

 

Happy sailing to you!

If you like ceviche, try it - it's awesome!

I've been having trouble logging into Carnival - I was wondering if they were having issues, but maybe not since you got in.

 

I can login fine, and it welcomes me with my name. However, when I go to Cruise Deals, and then Past Guest Deals, it doesn't list my VIFP# in the box. It doesn't do anything when I add the number, either. Guess it's a temporary glitch. :rolleyes:

Our letter came about two weeks ago and we had to book by March 3, 2014. We went to the website on the letter and logged in, many cruises were available. We chose the one we liked and booked it, upgrading to a balcony since we have never been in one before.

 

There wasn't really a "sail by" date. We just needed to pick from the cruises available. We are on the Freedom, May 24, 8 day Southern Caribbean. We really liked the itinerary. There were about 4 pages of cruises to choose from and the letter said they were adding more daily but we picked right away.

 

I was just trying to figure out if the OP is in a new round of letters. If he just got the letter the date he posted, that would be cutting it close to a booking deadline of March 3. However, it's possible that he just got around to opening what he thought was "junk mail" and it was part of the round from the first of February.

 

And the OP hasn't answered yet, so I still don't know the answer.