lifeinabooth

You absolutely have a chance! I was checking multiple times a day and even had a page monitor but what really helped was joining the popular social media site's ;) group for our sailing date. They tagged me when some spots opened up. And we had less than 2 weeks to go when I finally purchased a ticket! You still have time.

We visited the piano bar on the Conquest in 2008. We were honeymooning and under the influence of some blue margs but my husband was given permission to take the mic and sing to me. Some dinner mates had joined us and we all had an amazing time singing along. I wouldn't have thought I was a piano bar kind of girl but I'll be seeking it out on our 7th anniversary trip in May on the Magic. :)

We book almost exclusively with independent tour operators and have had no issues. Research the one you are looking at and if they have good reviews here and on other travel sites and have been in business for awhile you should be fine.

Yep. We've never had a problem and have enjoyed the savings and variety when choosing our own tours.

As pp stated, the independent operators know how important it is that customers make it back on time.

:)

A fire pit if you have a balcony, we used ours every night, it was awesome. Just ask guest services for camp wood, $4 a bundle. No need to bring your own.

 

 

Is this a joke I'm not in on?

It will be posted on your info. 'Print' out your luggage tags and it will be posted there.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have printed out all my info and still can't see anything about my OBC. Is there anywhere else I can find it online? Otherwise I will just call Carnival tomorrow. Thanks!

I just wanted to update those who gave their advice: my TA was able to get us an additional $240 in OBC from this fare drop!

Thank you all so much for the help!

All future business with this cruise MUST go thru your TA. Even if they are slow to respond or you don't like the answers. Carnival is contractually obligated to let the TA handle all of your business matters.

Kind of like a sports agent or a union rep.

Very interesting- I didn't know that. Fortunately, my TA is also a good friend of mine who's always looking for the best deals. She was happy to look into this for us.

Need to go thru your TA.

Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and emailed her. I'm mostly wondering if our upgrade to the balcony changed our booking category from "early saver" to something else. We'll see, I guess.

We booked our May (early saver) cruise in January and chose an inside cabin. Later, we decided that a balcony might be fun and had the TA upgrade the reservation. Just for kicks, I checked my VIFP offers on the Carnival site and see that our exact cabin is now $100 cheaper. Is that something that would qualify as the kind of price drop we should be credited for? Or is it a different kind of booking? I haven't checked the ES price yet to see if it's had a similar drop.

Also, if we do have the opportunity for OBC, do I call Carnival directly or my TA?

Thanks!

Sorry for the post and run, guys! I'm really hoping we can get a spot; thanks for the well wishes.

To those who asked, I'm using a page monitor through Google Chrome. It's a add-on for the browser.

Good luck to everyone!

I'll look around for a group for my cruise as well-thanks for the suggestion.

Has anyone had success using a page monitor to see if any spots open up for FTTF? I put one on the Carnival excursion page and I'm desperately hoping we can snag a spot if one opens up. We cruise on the Magic in May and it's been sold out since we booked in January. :'(

Not a big deal but the more I read about it, the more it would be worth the expense to have.

I was concerned about having a connecting room as well. We will be staying in 2310 on the Magic. Someone on here suggested asking your room steward to fill the space between connecting doors with pillows just to provide an extra sound barrier. I think we may request that if our neighbors end up being noisy.

I have read nothing but good reviews of cove balconies, even those with shade from life boats. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you for all the replies! Our kids will be staying with my parents, who only live a half mile from our house. The kids stay overnight at least every other week so they are very comfortable there. I agree with the consensus that this will be harder on me than it will be on them.

It's a good point about sleeping dogs.. I know if our youngest were to see me on FaceTime, he would lose his little mind. I will probably just stick to brief, upbeat phone calls to check in.

I also appreciate the perspective on budgeting these calls like we would anything else. It is important to US and so the money spent will not feel like a waste.

Thanks again everyone-super helpful bunch around here.

...

 

They had a blast with grandparents and aunt & uncle. We were ready to see them after a week, happy to be back refreshed and remembering why we did this whole parenting thing in the first place. ;)

 

So I know I'm not really answering your question, but just wanted to share my experience. Honestly, I know people say it all the time, but it's true: it's much harder on you than it is on them.

Relax and have fun!

 

P.s....we also left their health ins. Cards, and a notarized letter giving permission for my parents to make medical decisions on our behalf, for the kids, while we were out of the country. Just googled and found a form. Not sure if the notarization was necessary, but we have a friend who's a notary....so, better safe than sorry. Just some other things you may want to consider. :)

Oh, I really appreciate this! And that is an excellent reminder about the permission letters as well.

To the bolded, I really think that's what this trip will do for us. Life with kids is a whirlwind and having ours so close together feels like we haven't taken a deep breath in over 3 years. haha

We cruised without the kids a few years ago. We just called from our cabin each night. Spent about 5 mins or so talking to them. It was about $11-13 a day, but it was worth getting to speak with them.

 

 

My advice is just budget the call in each day ahead of time.

Good advice. Follow up question: Can onboard credit be put towards that expense? We have $100 just for booking so that would work out great.

If you don't mind my asking, how old were your kids when you went? I know we need this getaway (for our 7th anniv.) but there's that bit of mom-guilt creeping in.

I apologize if this is one of those frequently asked questions but I didn't see anything current...We will be cruising on Magic in May. This will be our first time leaving the kids (a month shy of 2 and 4 at time of cruise) for more than one night. Yeah, I'm nervous. Before I started poking around on here, I had just assumed that free wifi was standard most everywhere and that we could call and FaceTime whenever we pleased. Now I know that internet service is pricey and spotty.

Sorry, I'm a rambler. Anyway, what will be the cheapest way to call/Skype/facetime with the kids? I know that we will want to at least check in via text, if not call, every evening.

Thanks in advance. :)

Wee Jimmy is hilarious and certainly memorable. He was our CD on the Conquest in 2008 and I still remember his accent and several of his jokes.