Stacyblue

I was also hoping to use this app to stay connected with my friend on our cruise in August. Guess I will be buying the $5 day package and use FB messenger. :( I dont suppose this app will be live on the Dream until after dry dock in 2017. Fingers crossed though :p

I actually called Barclay when I applied for the card online and was approved. I had not received an email confirmation yet and was a tad bit panicked that I had fallen for a phishing scam. :o I was reassured that my account was with them and I was safe ( whew) While on the line I asked the rep about the gift card promotion and when I would get the GC. She told me Carnival was the one who issued them and she had no idea about it. After rereading the application email Carnival sent me, I found out that the card will be delivered via e-card and takes 3-4 weeks after approval of the application. My approval was 2 weeks ago so I have yet to get my GC but I expect it within the next 2 weeks or so. I got the master card in the mail about a week after I applied. Hope this helps you. :)

I want to thank you all for the advice. I went ahead and upsold myself and now we are booked in cove balcony 2373! Under the dining room. I am very excited. The deciding factor was my friend has had to suffer seasickness on a charter fishing trip ( huge difference in boat size, I know ) I don't want anything to ruin our first cruise. All of your comments really helped me decide to go ahead and take the plunge :D I would love to see some sea life from my balcony. One of my family members told me they would see jellyfish lit up under the water close to the surface sometimes from their balconies. Fingers crosses for all sorts of creatures or even just one. :p Now if August would just hurry up and get here that would be great haha.

Most of the cabins left are under the galley. There are two that are close to it but are under the Crimson Dining Room. I just talked to my friend and he was excited about the 4J being so close to the front deck but is ok with the switch if I chose to do so. I feel like I should upgrade sooner rather than wait and miss out on these two open cabins. How bad is the galley noise really? Is it something that ear plugs would take care of?

Hello all. I am 150 days away from my very first cruise with a friend ( his first cruise as well) on the Carnival Dream. We have a 4J cabin booked. I recently was able to have our fares reduced by 20pp. Thanks for the tips! I never would have known I could do that without you guys.

While digging around and price checking I found that they have cove balcony cabins available and the price difference is $115pp more. When we were discussing the cruise we had originally thought we would get an inside cabin and not even consider a balcony. Our train of thought was, why pay more for a room we will not spend the majority of our time in anyway? We liked the idea of the window and payed the small amount for the upgrade.

Now me seeing this cove balcony has gotten me thinking that it might be worth it but, I'm unsure if I'm ready to propose this idea to my friend. We have never cruised before and have no idea if we are going to get seasick but it is a concern after reading that the forward cabins feel more motion than the middle. Another reason why I have been rethinking the 4J.

This is where I am hoping some of you might be able to help me lean one way or the other. Convincing him shouldn't be hard if its something I really want ;) but money is always an issue as we have decided to opt for the pricey cheers package as well.

I suppose I should add this is a 7 day cruise to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. We are very excited for this much needed vacation so I know any cabin is a "good" cabin. I just want to make sure I make the most of my time and money.

What are some of your likes/dislike for these two cabin categories? Is the cove really worth around $100pp more ? Any advice or other point of views would be very helpful. :)

Congrats on 21 years of marriage!

A huge thank you to you all! My number 1 concern was if we could have separate charge accounts and I am very relived to hear we can. As for gift cards vs. cash I think I will take the advice of bringing on some gift cards to limit the amount of cash I have to carry on. Walking to a terminal in NOLA with a huge amount of cash is not my idea of a good time for sure lol. Your tips are very much appreciated. I have already set aside a good chunk of what I plan on spending in cash so at this point I am just waiting for the count down clock to start relaxation mode. :D

I have read many threads to find the answers to my questions, while finding some I still have a few. In August my friend and I are heading to the Western Caribbean on our first cruise ever on the Carnival Dream. When I booked us the Carnival agent on the phone told me that we would get the Sign and Sail cards attached to my account and at the end of the cruise we could settle the charges at a kiosk with our own debit cards.

Reading these forums I have realized that a debit card on your S&S is not a very good idea due to holds. I have a low limit credit card and my friend does not have one. So adding the credit card is not something we can do. We planned on taking some cash on board for extra tips (we have prepaid gratuities) and port food/ drinks and souvenirs. I was hoping some more experienced cruisers could help me out with a few of my questions. So here it goes. Thank you so much to anyone who is kind enough to share some pearls of wisdom with me:)

The cabin we are sharing is booked under my name. Will the S&S cards also be linked to each other or can we sign up our own charge accounts?

Now that I have read all the horror stories about setting up S&S accounts with a debit card I think we will be paying cash up front and adding as we go if needed. While I hate the idea of carrying that much cash I see no other way.

I have read we can prepay our account with gift cards and such. What is the difference between the cruise cash you can buy on the Carnival website and the Carnival gift cards you can buy at the store ? Is the gift card option better than plain cash?

Can I set up a cash account and add my low limit credit card to it as a backup or would I have to just set my account up as credit card to start with?

Thank you again :)