Jamericannn

I wish someone would force me on a ship. :)

Assigned check in time to avoid lines. You can go whatever time if you have FTTF though.

So I was not thrilled that Carnival is changing ships from Valor to Liberty but i was hopeful all will be well. Just waiting to see if my cabin stayed the same.

 

This morning i got this email:

 

Please be advised, we regret to inform you your pre-sales order, 3KC1L1001, has been cancelled due to Sail Date Change on Booking. A refund to the credit card ending in has already been processed through our system and should show on your account within 5-7 business days, depending on your bank.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this change may have caused, and we encourage you to book another one of our great online offerings. They are the perfect way to enhance your cruise vacation experience, and Carnival is adding new ones all the time.

 

Why would they cancel my FTTF? And what is this about a sail date change?

My cruise is not until April and when I looked at my booking the sail date appears to be the same.

 

I am not happy about all of this. I was really looking forward to this cruise and already booked my airfare. If they change the sail date next I will have to cancel.

FTTF passes are limited. It is based on the number of platinum members on board. They obviously cannot sell everyone FTTF passes or else there will crowding in that line and that will defeat the purpose. I think the information about change in sail date must be an error. I would call them to clarify.

You can find the average temperature for each country on the website below:

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Caribbean/average-annual-temperature-rainfall.php

lol, we tried...we really tried...we even brought white clothes just for that (because we had read about it here at CC beforehand).

 

But Mannnn we are out of shape - and had already hiked through a rain forest that day and all over Mayan ruins the day before and it just wasn't happening.

 

But we'll try again lol. Maybe they'll do it next month on Valor. And we are looking at one of those 8-day partial transit Panama Canal cruises out of Tampa in 2018. should have time to get in better shape and/or just don't do so many excursions next time.

I hear you. During the week I usually only get 4 - 5 hours sleep each night. On Cruises it's about 3 with mini naps in between. Have to be prepared mentally to stay up for the cruises. Getting in shape is a start :)

When we were on Conquest in July they had a white party one night - wear all white and get discount drinks or something. It didn't start until midnight so we didn't make it (too wore out from fun all day lol).

 

Search for a Conquest Fun Times for a cruise with a similar itinerary and length as yours and you'll get a good idea of all the stuff they do every day. There is a LOT.

Who falls asleep by midnight on a cruise? lol. Come on man!!!

January and February. :)

What is the advantage of traveling those months.

all of them, the Caribbean's year round temperature is pretty much 80-85, so not quite sure about the "cold" part. As a diver, the summer months water temp is mid 80's, winter water temp low 80's, which is cold for a whimp like me. Winter is nice as we are leaving cold Colorado for the Caribbean. Fall offers some great pricing because of the tenuous weather. Any month cruising is a good month

That's mostly true about the temperature. However, July and August are a lot more humid than December.

I think late April and May are the best months to cruise to the Caribbean because the weather is not too hot or "cold". The water in the pools should be great as well. Also, it is before the hurricane season which usually brings a lot of rains. No one wants to have rain falling on sea days or when they are at the beach.

What are your favorite months to cruise the Caribbean and why?

What are Premiere cruises?

Glad you asked that. I want to know too. :)

Going on my first Premier cruise. Looking for info from those who have been on premier cruises that have not reached platinum yet. Still gold for a few more cruises. I usually get FTTF if available. It's available right now but not sure if I need it. It looks like I get priority embarking but go through the regular security line. Do you get to go right to your room? Do you get priority disembark? Do you think it's worth the $70? Thanks!

I noticed this morning that the price went up to $70. I have a cruise coming up next April and I am so glad I bought mine for $60 before the price went up.

On another thread, someone posted that he/she heard that there was a death on the Pride. Ships usually try and keep crimes away from the media because it's negative for them. I am pretty sure if there is a death it will be on the news. Good media will not report until they have the facts or something detailed. They don't want to get a bad rep

Sailing on the beautiful Glory this coming Saturday. Cheaping out I elected to book an inside cabin. Then it happened! The elusive upgrade fairy called and I was able to score a balcony for $250. How often does this happen?

Lucky you. I guess you booked early and they have unfilled balconies. They say it rarely happens because the ship is usually booked.

Glory Glory Glory

UPDATE: I was told by a Carnival Rep that there will be no additions to the Glory. The dry dock will include replacing light fixtures, lighting, carpeting, wall covering (I hope more modern), and general cosmetic work. The only major work they will do on it is in the crew area. So no additional waterslides or rope course.

Carnival used to be up top, having the best bang for your buck, but now it's at my bottom, getting what you paid for.

 

Best CCL ship: Legend

Worst CCL ship: Destiny (now called Sunshine)

Same ranking as the cruise critic board. I want to do the legend only because I want to do an Alaskan cruise. I am more a fan of larger ships.

Please rank your top 5 cruise lines and give "short" description why.

After Nov 16 it could very well the Vista. I have an 11 day exploratory cruise on her over Thanksgiving.

I loved the Magic and I'm probably most familiar with the 5 Conquest class ships, probably sailed on those 20 + times? I stopped sailing the Fantasy class in 2006 because those ships were OLD then.

 

Favorite cruise line is Disney, followed by Celebrity. Princess was great for the Mediterranean and fantastic for the land/sea S/B Alaska cruisetour.

 

Carnival is my go to for regular cruising out of Florida to the Caribbean, and NCL is getting some play on their newer ships like the Epic and Breakaway.

The Vista reviews are not great. Maybe the reviews will change when North Americans start traveling more on it. Maybe the Europeans taste is different. We shall see.

Well OP , this is not specific to Glory but a general comment that Spring break cruises can be packed .

There can be a "party" crowd although this is not specific to the Glory or Carnival .

I would also add the worst overcrowding I've ever experienced was on my Glory cruise .

We were at 125 % of capacity due to the large amount families cruising . The weather wasn't

great so inside the ship was crazy crowded . Overall it was still a good cruise .

I think Glory attract a large crowd because it is an attractive ship and the price is not bad. Spendor and Conquest are comparable in sizes but I think Glory is mor eye-catching. There are few other ships such as Dream, Freedom and Breeze too but there are a little pricier and I believe most people prefer the Miami port.

Please rank your top 5 cruise lines and give "short" description why.

It is not allowing me to edit my post. I really meant to ask what are your top 5 Carnival Cruise ships

I can only do 3 fairly because those are the ones I have actually sailed. My ranking assumes price is not an issue, if it were, one and two would likely be reversed:

 

1) Princess. Her ships are more elegant. The food at the specialty Italian is OUTSTANDING. The wine bar is delightful. And most importantly, I found my fellow companions to be quite consistent with my expectations of dress and demeanor (no loud, sloppy drunks, no men wearing tank tops with armpit hair abounding in the MDR at dinner etc); it was simply well mannered normal people having a lovely vacation. My youngest (now 12) preferred their kids program as it was more active. They also have a wide variety of itineraries that Carnival cannot match, and that I will cruise someday when we are retired and can go for 2+ weeks at a time.

 

2) Carnival. I feel you get the most bang for your buck. I love sailing Carnival, but I don't always enjoy some of the rude, me first, it's my vacation and I will do what I want attitude. I am not saying this is a lot of people, but when you run into them, it's just plain annoying. And I have seen them on every Carnival cruise I have taken. But Carnival is great because they are the FUN ships and my kids have a blast; my teen prefers Carnival (more skimpy bikinis - by his own personal survey). Love the comedy club, martini bar and piano bar. And as long as I can have my balcony, I can escape for the peace and quiet I am after.

 

3) RCI. My first cruise and it put me off of cruising. The OV room was TINY - not even a chair in a corner because the bed took up 90% of the room. The food was "meh" and the service was certainly not done with a smile as with the other two lines I mentioned above. I walked away feeling like they simply didn't care, and wrote off cruising for quite a while. Many on here have confirmed the same experience with service and I am therefore not chalking this up to a bad cruise but rather a difference in character of the lines. I have not done their mega ships, and they don't really appeal because the price tag is huge, and we cruise for the ports, not all the extras like rock walls and flow riders. They don't offer anything I can't get at a much cheaper price (keep in mind I generally sail with kids, have 2 rooms and have to do so around their school schedule) on Carnival.

 

I have not cruised Disney - the prices are obscene. Therefore, until I am retired with grandkids I wish to spoil rotten, I don't plan on it. Someday when the price is right and we are not traveling with kids we will do QE2, X or other some such for comparison. But as long as Princess and CCL offer what they do, they have my business.

Thank you for this. I just realize I made a mistake in my question. I meant to say top 5 Carnival cruise ships. I will edit it now. Your review was very useful though. Do you think Carnival's cabins are more spacious? I've never sailed any other cruise line but based on reviews that's what I assume. I agree with you that Disney's price is way too crazy. I don't know what is so special about it. I want to try Celebrity.

Relax.

 

OK, now that I've said that, the Glory is our favorite ship. We love the Conquest class balcony cabins on the lido deck, port side up front. Our trips on her have taken us to Maine and Canada and the Eastern route of the Caribbean.

 

Here are some of the memories:

 

Eastern:

 

Canada:

Have a great trip!

 

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My favorite ship as well. Those are really great shots. Are you into architecture?

I would advise you to bring a professional camera if you have one. The picture packages are very expensive. They are nice, but expensive. You can always take your own pics and use that money on something else.

do they keep the kids activities going this is spring break week.

Kids activities are year-round.

Please rank your top 5 cruise lines and give "short" description why.

Condoms if going solo

Extension cords

Motion sickness pills/wristbands

Most importantly, as someone already stated, A GOOD ATTITUDE!