TNcruising02

I just returned from a cruise on the Celebration. The cruise was Sunday to Sunday.  We received the following invitation, which mentioned a free drink voucher:

VIFP Diamond and Platinum Gathering

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Grand Spectrum Theater, 7 Fwd

4:00 pm

Your membership in the VIFP Club comes with perks...like this invitation.

You and a guest are invited to meet your fellow Diamond and Platinum Club members at this exclusive gathering, where you'll each receive one complimentary glass of wine.

You'll also receive one voucher* for a beverage of your choice, which is added to your folio and can be redeemed with your Sail & Sign card at any bar starting one hour before the event.

See you there!

*Valued a $11.00

My husband and I will be on the cruise too.  I can't believe it's tomorrow!  I will follow along on your review when I have some down time during the cruise.  It sounds like you could use a vacation after such a tough year.  This past one has been a bit hard for our family too and we are ready to have a fun time. I hope your cruise is awesome. I will enjoy reading your review.

The races look like a lot of fun.

Thanks for such a wonderful review with all of the pictures!  It looks like you had a lot of fun.  Sorry it ended with covid.  My husband and I are vaccinated, boosted, and still got covid twice since 2021.  Congratulations on your work award!  That is awesome.  
The food looks very good.  We cruised on the Mardi Gras last year and really enjoyed all of the options.  We are set to sail on the Celebration tomorrow, so it was especially nice being able to read a current review of the ship.  

3 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

Did you also get the free drink at brunch? 

I really wasn't paying attention to the benefit of the drink for the brunch, so I didn't the to collect it.  The cruise was last February, so I don't recall why I got the free drink on the last night.  I am cruising again in a few days, so will see what happens this time.

9 hours ago, WKUTopperFan said:

Oh wow... I won't be ordering a chocolate delight on my cruise next month. YUCK! I will use my laundry perk though!

When we cruised on the Mardi Gras, the chocolate delight plate looked 1000% better than that picture posted.  We were platinum on that cruise and did get a voucher linked to our card to a free drink the last night of our cruise.  I used it at the comedy show. I am not sure why we got the voucher, since that benefit isn't listed on the platinum benefits.

 

Mine are red for the Celebration deck 15 aft

13 hours ago, Emmcee1967 said:

I leave Monday and my new license still hasn’t arrived. I checked the TDS website and it says it was mailed January 10th, but it’s not going to make it on time. I talked to two carnival agents and both said I would be okay with what I have but I’m still super worried. They did let me change out the passenger, so my friend is coming with me, but if we can’t get on the ship, I’m just going to rent a house in Galveston and we’ll stay there for a few days. 

Since you have a high quality photo of your unexpired license, you may want to go ahead and print it out to show with your temporary paper copy.  Good luck!

Just now, EngIceDave said:

Slots is how I get cheap cruises, which I actually pay more for in the long run. Likely see us at a comedy show or two

We actually cruised on the Mardi Gras for free (minus gratuities, port fees, and a small upgrade fee for a better cabin) because of my slot plays.  I get discount emails often. That was the only time I got a free cruise though.  I don't gamble a lot.

1 minute ago, EngIceDave said:

If you see this guy, go the other way

 

haha!  I will say hi.  I sometimes play the slot machines, so maybe I will see you in the casino.  We are also  always at the comedy shows.  Every. Night. 

Just now, EngIceDave said:

I have done that drive so many times, once I hit the Turnpike, I am on autopilot. No matter how tired, if I can just get to the Turnpike....

 

We lived down south, and have slowly migrated north (or west coast), as most natives seem to be doing, LOL

 

I'm Dave, see you in the casino

 

BTW, what time did you check in to get that time, last night?

 

We got the Sunpass, so if we hit any tolls on that drive, we should be golden.  LOL. I have no idea where all of the toll roads are in Florida.  We are platinum and also in a suite, so it looks like we were able to check in two days prior to the general check in.

1 minute ago, EngIceDave said:

Then I am guessing....Ocala or The Villages

 

We'll hit plat on our next cruise, a 30-day Seattle to Brisbane, Australia, in the fall

 

 

Yes, The Villages.  There is so much to do.  I keep getting emails from Carnival for discounted cruises from Australia.  A cruise to Australia sounds amazing.  That's a perfect cruise to hit platinum.

Just now, EngIceDave said:

 This is our first Excel, really our first mega ship since we sailed the inaugural Allure of the Seas a while ago. 

 

We're florida natives, where'd you move to, west coast?

That is exciting to sail on your first Excel!  I guess I can be considered a Florida native since I was born in FL, but I lived all over the US after that.  We now live about an hour north of Orlando and love living in Florida.  We really enjoy cruising on Carnival, although I had an awesome time on one of Royal's mega ships.  Finally reached platinum on our last cruise, so we can enjoy those perks.

1 minute ago, EngIceDave said:

US TOO!

 

Just checked in and my time is 11:30-12:00, which is fine because we're driving down from Daytona (3.5 hr drive)

Nice!

Our check in time is 10:30 to 11:00 and we are driving too.  We moved to Florida a couple of months ago, so this will be great to be able to drive to the ports.  We are very excited to cruise on the Celebration.  We cruised on the Mardi Gras last year.

The double digit dance is always so exciting!

It's 14 days for me!  We sail on the Celebration on the 29th and got an awesome rate for a suite a long time ago.  2022 was a tough year, so we are ready to sail.

3 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I've used both Cortrans and Cocoa Beach Shuttle from MCO to port area hotels, and from the ship back to MCO... Great service with both companies.

I've used both of these and found the service good.  The best transportation I have used to get from MCO to a port hotel was Uber.  I've done that twice and it was so nice.  

To get from the port hotel to the cruise ship, I usually use the hotel's shuttle. The last time I cruised, I used Uber because my check in time was early. 

That is so strange to see.  I remember seeing it on video when it happened in 2017 too.

This is good news!  I will definitely start cruising more often.  I have only been on one cruise  since the pandemic started.  My next one is on the Celebration at the end of January in a suite.  Things are definitely looking better when it comes to cruising.

It's a good start for them to start dropping vaccination requirements.  Little by little, things are getting back to normal.

I could handle any type of cabin.  On my last cruise, we got a free inside cabin on the Mardi Gras. I did pay an additional $38 to have a cabin on the lido deck.  I had a lot of fun on that cruise and the inside cabin was fine.  I prefer a balcony, but an inside would not be a deal breaker.

Masks are a deal breaker.  We had to wear masks on my last cruise for the first half.  It was a pain to wear them.  We decided never again with mask requirements.  I can handle covid testing, but not masks.

Another deal breaker would be if they cancelled all of the comedy shows.  One of the reasons we like Carnival is because of the comedy shows.  We enjoy them a lot.  

On 7/14/2022 at 5:44 AM, MagnoliaBlossom said:

The cruise line dropped my bag into the Mississippi River because they did not have the nets out that day.   Bag sunk and I had only the clothes on my back for seven days.  Never again.

That would be horrible!

We travel light and always use carry on bags for Carnival cruises.  When we used to get FTTF, we would take our bags directly to our cabin as soon as we boarded the ship.   Then we would do our laundry once or twice during the cruise.  We like to unpack as soon as we board.  It's just a thing with us.  We do the same thing when we arrive at a hotel and are staying more than a few nights.  

Now that we are Platinum, it's even easier to travel light and and carry on our bags.  We can drop them off at the cabin and then have our laundry done several times during the cruise.

When I cruise on a line that doesn't have self service laundry, I take a larger bag, check it with the porter and hope for the best.

That's great to hear that you had such a wonderful cruise.  I am considering a cruise on the Glory at some point because we can easily drive to the port.

12 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

Everyone including the lines and passengers know exactly what they signing up for right now . Nobody is being forced to cruise while Covid is still a thing. What do you want the lines to do? Stop sailing again? Go to the press and announce that people that are home now tested positive? Sound an alarm?  It's time to start living with reality here ....It is what it is ..... Covid and cruises shouldn't shock anyone at the moment and I haven't heard a single snippet of a cruiser catching covid on ship and dying...... 

Exactly.  Anyone who chooses to travel anywhere right now should know that they can get covid.  One of my relatives took a trip to LA and tested positive for covid when she returned.  A couple others are getting over their cases of covid.  None were on cruises.  Covid is a part of life now.  The only way to avoid possible exposure is to avoid being near people.

4 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Last cruise the neighbors had small kids who would go in/out of the cabin to the balcony over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again, and over and over again. Well, you get the picture. Letting the balcony door slam each time. I close mine quietly, twas quite irritating indeed.  

I can see how this would be extremely annoying.  If people are in, out, in, out, constantly.  Other than that, I am surprised that a person leaving their cabin or coming in later that day would impact someone's vacation no matter how loud their door was when they shut it.  Maybe some people have a low tolerance for certain sounds and need silence in their cabins.

The only things I find annoying are when people are very loud while walking down the cabin hallway late at night or very loud late at night in the cabin next door.  One cruise, we must have been next door to a cabin with kids in it because every single night they were loud and up very late.  We had a connecting door, so we never made that mistake again when booking.  But I've never experienced a door shutting that was upsetting.

That is very interesting reading how things cruising used to be a long time ago.  Our first cruise was in 2013, so I wasn't fortunate enough to cruise during the earlier days.

Nice review!  I agree with you about the theater and the elevators.  The theater is a downgrade from the dream class and the elevators are a downgrade from the Vista class, in my opinion.  The rest of the ship was amazing, especially the show area in mid-ship.    

We also didn't like M Theory at all and didn't watch any of the theater shows.  What we watched of the shows in the middle area was very good.  We saw nearly all of the family and adult comedy shows.  The sheer number of different shows and comedians was incredible.  I am glad you enjoyed your cruise.  We really enjoyed ours too.