PaperSniper4

Huh, my OBC cannot be used for gratuities? Seems like I have done that before, but then we've not sailed on HAL for about 10 years. That will be a real disappointment. OBC then does us very little since we don't use the shops much....assuming OBC can still be used there! Where else can it be used? On one recent Princess cruise we had a lot of non-refundable credit....we went nuts trying to figure out how to get its balance down! We bought some booze and perfume, both of which we overpriced. I even got a really tacky $14 Hawaiian shirt to bring the balance to zero! I still haven't worn that shirt....goes to Good Will on my next trip there.😎

I've read these three pages and am now totally confused! Maybe you can help me get un-confused if I present my actual situation and ask for recommendations. We've never gotten an NCL certificate of any kind. We usually do a seven day NCL cruise from NOLA in either October or March each year. We never book an OV or interior cabin. For our next booked cruise, March 2024, I have $175 OBC, all of which is not refundable. For my wife and I, we have the "2x unlimited Bar Package", "2x Two meal Specialty Dining Package:, "2x Internet Package <150 minutes", and "1x Shore Excursion Credit". Our packages do NOT include gratuities which I calculate will be about $280. If I don't spend that $175 OBC on board, it will go toward the gratuities. Right? In that case, I will have zero "OBC" in my account upon disembarking. My credit card would be charged at least $280-$175. We do not plan on buying anything on board such as at the casino, spa, shops, etc, etc. Any non refundable OBC I'd get from buying a CN or CF certificate on board would go unused: making its value zero in my case. So I don't see any value in getting a certificate if it gave me non-refundable OBC. Since we plan to cruise at least once a year on NCL, IYO which package would be "smarter" in our circumstances? And why? Thanks for the help. We've never used either the CN or CF programs, but we used to use a similar program with Princess that was much, much less complicated!😎 Does anyone remember the days when you did not need to be an attorney to go cruising?😳 Doug

Thanks for your comments, Lee. There's a very good chance you are right. We've sailed on NCL from NOLA many times and they were fine. The last one in March 2022 was better than fine. But I don't know how NCL compares to Carnival, at least in today's market. The Carnival ship itself is very nice, and the OS cabin we're considering is very nice. That's why we're considering trying a Carnival cruise. Carnival has an edge for us since they sail year round from NOLA where RCI and NCL are "part timers". We'd like to cruise 2-3 times a year, not back to back; and we do not care to fly anymore. Driving is fine, we take two days to do the 400 mile trip down to NOLA and one to return home. It's enjoyable. I'd be ecstatic if Princess put a ship in NOLA! 😎 Doug

No thanks. If we're going from a port other than NOLA it would likely be on one of our more preferred lines like Celebrity, HAL or Princess. I know there is a lot that folks like about Carnival, but it's not in our top five cruise lines. Doug

Thanks for the replies. We have not sailed much on Carnival lately. We do enjoy the slightly larger "mini-suite" cabins, and book them on Princess, Celebrity, and NCL. If we book the Liberty this will be our first OS on Carnival. We already have booked a slightly larger "spacious ocean view balcony" cabin on RCI for late 2024. That's only about our 6th cruise on RCI. We've had ocean views and balconies on RCI before. As we age, the cabin becomes more important to us since we tend to spend more time there than experience the "fun stuff" on the rest of the ship. Doug

Thanks....if only I started with the last page here I'd have found it in 2 minutes.😎 Doug

Is there an electronic / spreadsheet searchable document containing these data? I'm too lazy to go through 13 pages of posts,😊 Doug

Thanks, Drazil65. Doug

We're considering booking an Ocean Suite category cabin on the Carnival Liberty. Looking at those, all of which are located on deck 7, I see most are located toward the bow, but there are eight of them just forward of the midship elevators. I see that several Grand Suite cabins are between the forward OS cabins and these eight midship OS cabins. Can anyone tell me if there is any significant difference in the forward or midship OS cabins? If we book, we will book as far away from "The Garden" atrium to minimize noise from that area, and as far as possible away from the forward and midship elevators to avoid that congestion and noise. Also, there is generally much less "pitching" toward the midship if the ship encounters heavy weather. Thoughts? Doug

As long as it was on time that would be okay with us I suppose, but we'd miss the process of hanging out that card. Weird how some things remind us of cruising! Doug

Thanks. The breakfast hangers would be missed a lot by us. We are very regular in our wake up time, and we arise early, so on other cruise lines we always mark down the earliest time on the hangers; often writing in a time 10 minutes earlier. We rarely have to wait more than 5 minutes, which is nice. So on Carnival we'd need to call for coffee; and probably wait a long time....that's a big negative for us, although we are probably the exception. My sister never uses the hangers, but calls cabin service instead. Doug

Our last was not too pleasant (Carnival Dream five years ago) because there seems to be a really rowdy and rude gang everywhere we went.....very disruptive to other passengers. However, Carnival sails from NOLA which is our preferred departure port because we can drive there. So we'll maybe give the Carnival Liberty a try next May <2024>. Couple of questions for those who have sailed on her lately....or maybe on any Carnival ship: 1. I thought I read somewhere here that the "cabin service" menus that we hang on the door at night are not longer available? Surely that's incorrect? We use them for coffee and croissants only, not for anything heavier. 2. We're considering a Ocean Suite for this cruise. Any comments pro or con other than it costs more? We've had only Aft View or Deluxe Balcony cabins on Carnival in the last 10 years or so, but we generally get a Concierge Cabin on Celebrity, a Spa Balcony Cabin on NCL, or Spacious Balcony Cabin on RCI. The OS on the Liberty looks very nice, although perhaps a bit dated. It's also LARGE! 3. We're old folks, so most of the "fun stuff" on ships doesn't interest us very much. We enjoy reading in our cabin and on the balcony drinking coffee in the morning and something stronger in the evening. I recall the "shows" on Carnival were pretty good on our last cruise, and we generally go to them. We cruise 90% of the time for the cabin, balcony, no cooking/cleaning, and watching the water go by. On the typical itinerary from NOLA we often don't get off the ship; been to those ports many, many times. Can anyone make any recommendations for folks our age as how this ship compares to the RCI and NCL cruises in my signature? Doug

When we do not have a drinks package, I generally try to buy a bottle of scotch for cabin delivery. That's not possible on all ships, and of course the choices are very limited. These are expensive at about $130 on Carnival ships, but would be less expensive than drinks at the bar if that's all you drank. However, that holds true only if you can take the remains of the bottle back home with you. My wife drinks the two bottles of wine we bring on the ship when we board. We don't drink much, so there is always some left at the end of the cruise. I bring a Rum Runner<s> for that. Doug

You are not greedy at all to think that, but sorry, only one of those "appreciation" OBCs per booking. Thanks for your service BTW, being a teacher today can be like being in a war zone. I know. My daughter was and my SIL still is and a public school teacher; a tough and important job. Doug

That is also my understanding. However, I certainly would not fault anyone's checking to see if they might receive two of those "appreciation" credits. When CCL stock was so low (I bought our first 100 shares at the all time high in the 60s.....and I don't mean the 1960s!), but then I remembered only one credit per 100 shares. Doug

I don't know, but I think HAL's military appreciation OBC, which I for one also appreciate, is something new....and perhaps temporary. Since most ships are sailing full lately, it's really "nice" to have a cruise line extend that courtesy. Doug

Glad to help. Thanks for YOUR service also! I wonder if you can get two of those military appreciation OBCs, but I expect not until you each book a different cabin. Doug

You hit several nails squarely on the head, Sir. Doug

Me too. Even before I retired in 2006 our company had gone to what some used to call "casual Friday". But I had not worn a tie in about five years, or a jacket in about three. I was in IT and and did not "meet the public". When we started cruising around 1980, bringing along a tux was routine, and I did that for many years. But it got to be a hassle, although my wife and I did like "dressing up" for those one or two "formal" nights on the ships. No more though! Now the room formerly needed for formal attire in our suitcases has been taken over by medications and other age-related doo-dads. At age 77 I wear and nice pair or slacks and collared shirt to the MDR and other eateries, plus shoes and socks, but a tie? Never! Thanks God!😎 The Lido deck of course is different: Shorts, sandals and a Hawaiian shirt or T-shirt for me! And sometimes I feel overdressed there!😉 Doug

Depends on your definition of "dress up". In my experience with Le Bistro and other specialty dining venues on several NCL cruises, everyone wore long pants, a collared shirt and closed-toe shoes. On a couple of cruises I remember folks being turned away for sandals or shorts, even shorts I'd consider "nice". I don't consider the above outfit dressing up, but some might. Now what I have not seen very often are suits or tuxedos........😉 Doug

True, there are always options. By any chance do you know if the HAL military appreciation credit is refundable. I am assuming it is as it is with Princess, but you never know....... Doug

Thanks, I'll check out those on Amazon.

Thanks. I'll have to do some research on those. I can probably find the coffee I like suitable for those machines. Doug

Thanks. I'll ask but probably not use anything but a Keurig. Doug

Very kind....you must really be the "good twin".😎