TomCruise48

They actually use the non-refundable first which is to the passengers' benefit.

 

That has been our experience as well. On one cruise we had both refundable and non-refundable OBC and received cash from Guest Services to refund a small positive balance. We usually don't prepay our gratuities so that we can use OBC to cover them.

I believe they give various gift vouchers (varies by ship,and sailing) to the cabin stewards to give out to people, so I believe it is at their discretion... They get notified when people are celebrating things... So,that is why it is hit or miss. One of our room stewards saw the wine we brought on and that we asked for wine glasses and figured we would appreciate the $25 certificate... Nice touch

 

This has been my observation as well. On our past couple of cruises, at least one cabin in our group received gift cards of various type from their stateroom steward. In at least a couple of instances, it did not correspond with either a birthday or anniversary celebration.

We have sailed on both the Destiny and the Sunshine. The specialty restaurants, Steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano, and Ji Ji's Asian, are a great addition. Be sure to stop in the Havana Bar at least once for breakfast and lunch to enjoy their complimentary Cuban specialties. The changeover also added the Red Frog Pub and the Alchemy Bar, which have proved popular on other ships.

As previously mentioned, the Comedy Club gets crowded, but we had no problem sitting on the side and viewing the comedian on TV. In that location we were certain not to be picked on.

Part of the changeover was to convert the theater to the Liquid Lounge. This eliminated a lot of main floor seating. They eliminated live bands and changed to the Playlist productions, same as they have done on several other ships. I believe that the Sunshine is the only ship to have the Studio VIP show. If you want to be a VIP and be part of the show, you will be invited to a special party with the cast serving free mimosa's the next day.

One thing we didn't like was lack of refrigerators in the staterooms, but the Destiny also lacked these.

The décor of the ship was changed to more of a Caribbean theme, like the Breeze.

We were fortunate to have Jaime Dee as our CD on the Sunshine. She is fantastic and more than made up for any of the shortcomings of the ship. She left the Sunshine a couple of months ago and now is sailing on the Spirit down under. We had Noonan as CD on the Destiny and we enjoyed him as well. His little brother was the Comedy Club manager on the Sunshine.

Thank you for all the info. Sounds like I should get some Euro's before we leave and then, if more are needed while on the trip, just get more at an ATM.

 

So, I will need to stop at a Wells Fargo and see if I can get some. I assume there is a fee to get them at the bank. What can I expect that to be? More than the fee from an ATM in Europe? And by fee, I mean a % fee or even the difference between the real exchange rate compared to what the actual exchange rate they give you?

 

Maybe I am over worrying about this and I should just expect it to "cost" a little, but don't want to overpay for our enjoyment.

 

Wells Fargo does a huge amount of foreign currency exchange business and has very low fees. You can set up the exchange on the internet or over the phone and have it delivered to your home or local branch. There is an extra fee for home delivery, so I pick it up at my local branch.

Being from Florida, you probably already realize that the problem with sailing out of Tampa is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The newer large ships won't fit under the bridge. The cruise lines have other options in the summer that are more profitable for their smaller ships. The one time that we did sail from Tampa we were quite pleased with their cruise terminal and the embarkation staff.

 

We are in our mid-sixties as well and have sailed Carnival over 30 times. We cruise during the off-peak season when the prices are lower, so we have never encountered a large number of children. The only times we have had a bad experience is when there is a large group booking and that group thinks that they own the ship and monopolizes certain public areas such as the Serenity Deck. That could happen on any cruise line, and is probably more likely to occur during off-peak.

 

We have sailed other lines as well. We were certainly impressed by all of the amenities on the Allure, and how well they managed 6500 guests. The Paradise will be an entirely different experience. It has been our experience that the staff and crew of Carnival are the most friendly. Expect the stateroom steward and dining room staff to address you by your first name. One of the things we most enjoy about cruising is interacting with the crew and learning about their families and homelands.

 

If you are looking for value from your cruise dollar, then Carnival is a good choice.