mrschrod

2 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

I know people are able to take money off of their accounts on slot machines. I don't play slot machines. OP specifically asked about table games and specified that they are not a slots player.  I want to make sure they aren't surprised if a fee is charged at a table.

I appreciate the input! I know they take charges off sail and sign if you buy chips when you have a credit/debit card attached to your sail and sign on the table games, but I wasn't sure if that was still the case if you had cruise cash/money already available on the card

So I had a question about using gift cards to get money in the casino? Basically, I was wondering if I were to buy a $500 gift card and to put that balance on my sail and sign card, would I be able to use that money in the casino on blackjack, roulette, craps, etc? (i'm not a slots player). I called Carnival and asked, and they said yes, but i've been given misinformation before, so wanted to double check with the people on this forum

Any information would be helpful. 

Thanks,

Matt

There are no longer formal nights on HAL. They have been replaced by Gala nights. But the majority of the people dress the same for Gala nights as for smart casual nights. Men wear slacks and a collared shirt. Ladies wear slacks and a nice top or a skirt and a nice top or a dress. However -- if they want to dress up formally, they can and there will be a few people who will do so.

We love the extra charge Pinnacle Grill and extra charge Tamarind restaurants.

How many gala nights are there usually on a 7 day cruise? 2?

Thanks for all the suggestions! these are great. I appreciate them all

It is an understandable request. We gave my mom and dad their one and only cruise before my dad got sick. They were also nervous and had lots of questions. We have been on Carnival and many of the common cruise things were similar.

 

Some good sites for info: halfacts.com and

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2

 

Early and late fixed as well as anytime dining are all available but if they want fixed, they need to get that on record as that can fill up.

Also there will be numerous affordable for fee dining options. The menus can be seen on those sites above. And reservations can be made for those restaurants prior to boarding on the website.

24/7 room service, most items no charge. Just a small tip for the steward. Oh and remember to tell them how tipping works too. Same as Carnival. But I know the daily charge might confuse them if they didn't know about beforehand.

The lido is also great on HAL btw.

 

Tell them to check the schedule on their interactive tv everyday for all the times and events.

Also, a huge selection of free movies on that same tv 24/7.

Entertainment, very subjective but BBKings is very popular in the evenings. We enjoy the many music offerings on HAL, the shows less so. But that is us.

 

Half Moon Cay is the idyllic beach day for us. Beautiful beach, tender required from the ship. Beach bbq for lunch is included. Clamshell and cabanas can be rented but not really necessary. Other excursions available too. All excursions can be viewed on the website under the booking.

Grand Turk is also a beach day as you walk off the ship right at the beach at the cruise center. Free loungers, umbrellas, and clam shells right there. If there are 2 ships in port it can get crowded and loud.

 

Hope this helps. And hope they have a lovely cruise.:D

Thank you for your help! this is what I was looking for!

Whoa..........

 

 

 

 

If you care to give a little info, perhaps WE can share some info with you. I would like to help but ..........

No problem! These are the main questions that I had. I should have put them in the first post.

What are the dining options on HAL? Is it early dining, late dining, YTD lining like Carnival?

Do they charge for room service?

What are the best activities for older adults, or ones that you enjoy that you have seen others enjoy as well?

They are going to Half Moon Cay, Amber Bay, Nassau and Grand Turk. What are the best excursions or things to see at these ports?

Any secret places on the ship that they should definitely check out?

What are the best food dining options?

Sorry, I should have been a big more specific.

What are the dining options on HAL? Is it early dining, late dining, YTD lining like Carnival?

Do they charge for room service?

What are the best activities for older adults (60+)

They are going to Half Moon Cay, Amber Bay, Nassau and Grand Turk. What are the best excursions or things to see at these ports?

Any secret places on the ship that they should definitely check out?

What are the best food dining options?

Thanks again!

Hi everyone,

My parents are going on their first cruise on MS Koningsdam. I've only ever traveled on Carnival, so I was hoping the good people of this forum could give the best tips and tricks to making sure their cruise is the best it could possibly be.

Thanks in advance!

I'm going to be going on the Ecstasy soon as well. Can anyone tell me if they have the Craps machine in the casino? I was on the Magic and they had it there. Just curious

Didn't even know there was a specific forum devoted to that. Thanks for the info!

Hi all,

I wanted to get some opinions on what are the best Alaska cruises. My parents have never been on a cruise before, but have expressed interest in taking an Alaskan cruise. Since I have only ever cruised with Carnival, and have only taken cruises to the Caribbean, I wanted to get your input on what company does the best Alaskan cruises, what are the best ports, what are the best activities for these ports, etc.

Any information you have/your experiences on these cruises (types of people onboard) would be helpful.

Thanks!

It takes several days for your account to get flagged, I was making payments just fine, and then suddenly was restricted from making them (after the gift card issues, I was using my AMEX)

That may be the case, but I wasn't able to make a payment right when I found out. I had to call my PVP who had to call accounting to get it figured out. After I sent my confirmation e-mails to accounting I was able to get it done

So I just had a similar situation occur. I bought a gift card from Card Cash. For about 30 days it worked fine, but I got an e-mail yesterday from Carnival that I owed some money for my cruise. Having read these forums I immediately knew what was going on and was able to get a claim in from Card Cash for a refund and call my Carnival rep, explain the situation, and get it figured out and paid for within the day.

My PVP did not say anything about never using gift cards again, or that I would have to call directly to someone to book in the future. I did send in all relevant information about where I bought the gift card though. Hope this helps anyone that has to go through the same process.

Did it take long for the seller to refund you?

No, not long at all. I contacted the same day I bought the gift cards and told them the problem. Within two days my credit card account had shown the amount that I contested credited

Carnival said they were fradulent when speaking to them and in the email. She said it was part of a very large scam operation. They had the proper balance on them when purchased 7/31. I paid Carnival with them on 7/31. Friday 8/11 Carnival called and emailed saying they were being removed from my account as they were fraudulent and part of a large scam. . I had to send proof to Carnival I purchased them. So they were fully credited to my account and then taken away. The Carnival rep explained to that it was a scam where people were told they had a virus etc and this is how they had to pay to get it removed by sending gift cards or give the scammer their CC info. The scammer then resold it to the gift card resellers. The people originally ripped off then filled against their credit card company to get the gift card purchase reversed. Making the gift card fradulent. I found it hard to believe people were so gullible but I personally know someone that fell for a similiar scam.

Wow. That is surprising. All I know is that I won't be using that site again. To many problems the first time.

I'm sure glad I paid those with Visa then!

 

I learned my lesson. I did want to give others a heads up though. I know Im not the only one looking for way to save. I will uodate how it goes with the gift card seller getting refunded.

So I also used that site. Basically what I 'think' it boils down to is this. People sell their unwanted gift cards on this site, with the promise of cash for selling them. This then resells these cards to the public. However, it seems like many of the gift cards they are selling either have already been used, or their gift card numbers have been written down beforehand, so that as soon as the sellers 'sell' them, they can go use the numbers while both getting the gift card cash, as well actual cash for the sell. That is why the site recommends using them shortly thereafter. I bought $1800 worth of gift cards through this site, and one of them came with a 0 balance. I immediately contacted the company and got the amount refunded to me.

In other words, this can work, but be very weary when dealing with them. The gift cards amount they send can quickly be erased.

By chance, did Carnival say they were fraudulent cards or did they say that they had a zero balance on them? Just curious.