TaDaaa!

Remember, this is a 2007 thread.

Yes, but your question was asked today! ;)

I'll be on the Valor soon so I can verify if that bar is still smoking or not.

The smoking area is 5 stools at the bar by the casino so people stand up there to smoke. The bar has about 25 stools. They need to have a place indoors for smoking.

On the Conquest class ships there is a bar right across from the Piano bar on Deck 5 that is smoking.

This happens with every cruise line it seems, not just Carnival. You will find people that blame the weather, the ports, the type of people, etc on the cruise line.

 

There are too many people out there that can't enjoy a cruise without complaining.

Many of those folks can't enjoy LIFE without complaining. ;)

FWIW ... you do get the bottle of water at red. That's it :(

Didn't know that but I haven't been Red since the program changed to it's current form. Thanks for the heads up.

Just off the Sunshine last weekend, and had to bring our own herbal teabags! After spending thousands on a balcony for a 13 day cruise, we should NOT have to pay extra for TEA! Call me a complainer if you like, however when Carnival focuses on pleasing the shareholders ahead of the customers, it will soon be the shareholders howling the loudest. 😠

You don't have to take tea bags, they do carry them on board.

And, less we forget, when complaining about complainers the vitriolic few point out, in no uncertain terms, that "we" are acting far worse then "they" were/are and that "we" are now "personally attacking them" for their totally legitimate complaints and how dare "we" set ourselves up as judge and jury.

 

Catch 22 is alive and well.

I was judge and jury for my kids for 20 years so I have no problem doing the same for people that act like my kids (or worse). ;)

At 4 cruises with carnival you will be "gold" level. Means you get a bottle of water, a free drink last day, and a pin. That's pretty much it.

 

FTTF is an excursion you pay for, that basically gives you (some) same benefits as platinum (75 days) or higher.

Priority boarding (behind weddings, diamond, platinum guests)

VIP line at guest services

Room ready when you board

Luggage priority to room

Priority tendering at tender ports

And a few other little things, but those listed at the main draw to buying it.

That's assuming all 4 cruises were/are (since this is the 4th cruise) 7 nights in length. If any of them were a 3 nighter, then the OP would only be "Red" so no free drink, bottle of water, or pin. ;)

What's interesting to me is that, out of all the cruises I've been on, I can't recall a single instance where I overheard people complaining in the hallways, casinos, lido deck, lounges, MDR, elevators, guest services line, etc. I only see people complaining behind the anonymity of the internet.

Pull up a chair at Guest Services on the last night of the cruise. The stories you hear are even better than the comedy show! :D

I agree that people complain about things out of Carnival's control. Most of the time people are complaining about the weather, rough seas, change of ports, ect.

 

But some of your examples didn't fit. How is not getting ice, tough prime rib and mushy lobster out of Carnival's control? Those are in their control. Of course quality of the prime rib and lobster might be all you can expect at Carnival's prices. But not getting ice is something definitely under their control. Some people do not care if there is ice in the cabin, but others do. I thought this was one of the amenities that your cabin steward can provide.

 

I'm am tired of hearing I'm on a cruise and that's all that counts. So far I am pretty happy with my Carnival cruises but they keep making small cutbacks. They add up. Just like a quarter more here and a quarter more there add up to $ after awhile. Of course the newer cruisers don't know what was before. You can't miss what you never had.

And if you are happy with paying more you can still have things exactly like they used to be.....on a different line.

As for the ice, did the person ask their cabin steward for ice twice a day? Of course, as was alluded to in the OP, I believe that all of these complaints is either an effort to justify pulling the gratuities or getting some other compensation.

Got off a wonderful cruise on March 5th that went to Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. This was our ninth cruise, all with Carnival. We have been on every other Conquest class ship, so now we can say we've seen them all. I'm just starting to get a bit fed up with over the top negative behavior and comments from people who apparently are mired in vats of pessimism. If you look to have fun, you will have it. Look for "life altering" negative experiences, and you will surely find nothing good to say.

 

As far as fellow passengers, 95% were fine. There was a large group of students from Ohio University on break. My wife and I are both alums, so it was nice talking with them, and I think they appreciated our OU stories from the prehistoric past. There were a few other schools on early break, but very few small children (maybe thirty or forty at most). It was also a Spring Break for us, in a way. My wife is a professor, so we cruise every year at this time of the year because her school is on break.

 

One of the reasons I like Carnival is that it draws an eclectic crowd, that for the most part wants to have fun. I view Carnival like the Dollar Car Rental brand of cruise lines. They won't pick you up like Enterprise, or reward you with upgrades like Hertz. They will give you a solid, clean vessel that you can have fun with, IF you decide to have fun. It is up to you, though.

 

While most everybody we met on deck, in port, or at dinner was genuinely friendly and having a good time, there is a small cadre of individuals who only found something to complain about. For the most part, the unhappy campers congregated near the comfortable chairs on the smoking side of the Panorama Deck (I know! It's a filthy habit and I need to stop! I will, I swear!). As the witches and warlocks gather, they each do a ritual preening of themselves and then proceed to one-up the horror stories of others.

 

Example conversation: Witch #1: "I've sailed on 20 Carnival cruises, and this is the worst. I only got ice once a day the last two days!" Warlock #1: "Oh, you think you have it bad. I'm Platinum on Carnival and Princess, and I'm Four-Star Mariner on HAL, and I've never been treated worse. My prime rib was tough, and all three lobster tails I ordered were mushy. I think we ought to take over the ship, hold the captain hostage until they cook lobster right." Witch #2: "Oh, I wish I had mushy lobster!" "I came up with Oceania, Crystal and Seabourn Cruise lines, and Carnival PAYS ME just to get me to sail on her, but this is the final straw. I didn't get much ice in my drink, and then a lady in a walker cut-me off and almost knocked me on the ground! I'm going to sue Carnival!" Me: "Are you saying Carnival is responsible for the actions of a woman and her walker? Witch #2: "Yeah, I am! They let her on board, didn't they? And what are you doing smiling??? You're not one of us, are you?" Me: "No, but I do have big hands!" Head Warlock: "Okay, let's all go down to Guest Services to complain. Hurry! If you can log your complaint before the half cruise mark, I hear that Carnival has to pay money, or credits for future cruises that we won't like either!"

 

We wouldn't let the harpies take us down to their level. We had some things go wrong, but they were minor in the whole.

 

If only they do develop a manual for walker users so they don't almost run down the professional keeners and moaners. Almost doesn't count. They should be able to easily take their target down quickly and quietly!

Blaming others for stupid stuff is quickly becoming a national pastime. :(

We are going to be on her in November. I made the mistake of booking the first cruise out of Tampa when she comes back to the US. I'm hoping it goes smoother than what happened this year when she returned to Houston. Also we may we one of the first cruises to Harvest Caye which I think will be great if we don't have to Tender. Crossing my fingers!

 

 

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From the pics I have seen, Harvest Caye will have a dock so no tendering. :)

I'll be right behind you on the second cruise out of Tampa so please keep her in good shape for me. ;)

That list stinks. Since they upped the cap to $50 per drink, they seriously need to expand their wine by the glass offerings to include some better selections.

Just because they upped the cap to $50 does not mean they need to have a $50 glass of wine. Not everyone uses Cheers and some of us still pay by the glass.

And with 61 choices I'd say the list is pretty diverse.

I called Carnival and the customer service rep didn't ask any questions, just said she would be happy to help me with that. I gave her our names and booking number and she said it was refunded. My husband doesn't seem to happy about it. He seems to think after 3 glasses of wine per day we would break even because if we don't have cheers we will by bottomless bubbles. Does Carnival offer any wines by the glass over $10-$11 or so. I don't recall seeing any. We do enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner.

Don't forget, you can take 1 bottle of wine (750ml) per person age 21 and older on the cruise. That will cover a few glasses at dinner without paying Carnival's prices.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

Oh I'm sorry. I thought you meant all of the specialty restaurants. Yes, La Cucina is al la carte (according to them) now. But I can't speak for the others since we don't go to them.

 

We didn't pay at all. Since we are platinum members we get a free meal (well actually 2 free meals...one for me and one for the hubby). :)

Thank you for verifying that. I was going to go in November but with it ala carte (I'm just a lowly silver member ;) ), I guess we'll be skipping it. It also seems they have gotten rid of my favorite thing, the big pizza with beef and garlic....so just another reason to save my money. Again, thank you.

Well I'm not sure about all of them, but there have been a lot of changes. We normally don't eat in the specialty restaurants unless it's Teppanyaki or the Asian restaurant. Now that they have made the Asian restaurant free, we have only been there lately. I do remember reading something about the a la carte but haven't really paid attention to eat since it really doesn't concern us. Sorry I couldn't have been more help. :(

I was basing my question on the pic of the menu you showed. It had prices on it and I know when I sailed the Sun back in Jun there were no prices on the menu at La Cucina. So did you pay one set price when you went or did you pay for each item you ordered?

I am very happy to see this. We are sailing in May for my daughters graduation. I know I will get my moneys worth. I just wish they offered a in between card like Royal Caribbean offered for my teenager that is only 17. I was able to purchase her a card that allowed her to have all the non alcoholic frozen drink and specialty coffee pretty much anything non-alcoholic.

Would also be nice if they offered a beer and wine only package at a reduced price like RCCL. Alas, they don't, so I'll save my beer drinking for the ports or when I get back home.

She got us in BUT told us we would have to pay a la cart...I told her (for the second time) that we had our platinum coupons, but once again, she didn't pay attention. I let it go and we walked in to be seated. When the waitress came over, we presented her with the coupon and that's when we were finally acknowledged.

So the specialty restaurants are ala carte now instead of a single price????? :eek:

Why are people so rude here?

Rude to whom? Kathy Gifford? People are free to state their opinion.

800-625-4309

ty.

I did that one a couple of times on the Epic. I know that ships as small as the Spirit sail transatlantic cruises, so you should be fine ship rocking wise, and the Jade is big enough to keep you occupied (I've been on for 9 days, three times) so you should have a good time. Sounds like an excellent trip! Bon Voyage!

Does the Jade have a big screen like the Epic?

I read somewhere on this NCL forum that there's a record of how many times you have called. Each time I've called it has been the same person answering... Alison. They are open 9 - 5 weekdays. (I want that job!)

Yes, just Monday-Friday. It is either 8 or 9 am till 5 pm.

 

Interesting that they did have an up sell available four weeks out. I should of stated that each cruise will be different dependent on several variables but 2-3 weeks is when you will probably find success the easiest.

Sooooo.......what's the number? :D

8 months until my Jade cruise. Looking forward to seeing lots of pics of the ship.

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because it says it is non-refundable?

Although I agree it probably means that you can't bail on Cheers once on board, the rule says, in clear and unambiguous language, that it is non-refundable.

 

To put it another way, I'd call and ask -- nicely -- about a refund, but would not be surprised if I were told "no can do, Cheers! is no -refundable." I'd then escalate and explain you are "cancelling" before boarding, and that fun shops purchases can be changed or cancelled before embarkation.

It seems to me you answered your own statement with the same common sense I was using. I'm fairly sure it states non-refundable so no one would try and get a refund saying they really didn't like it on Day 6 of a 7 day cruise.

We really did not miss a day. Our original departure time was 8 PM so we actually only lost just over 3 hours.

 

I do agree though, $50 PP was not enough for all the aggravation and confusion. we did go directly to guest services but was just told to contact corporate after returning home.

That may be but it was more than Carnival was required to give. ;)

But that doesn't really mean non-refundable, does it?

What else would it mean?

 

 

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I think it means it's not refundable once you start using it. In other words, you can't get a refund on day 3 of the cruise. I see no reason why you can't get a refund before you start using it.