JazzyInRI

Decided on the Plan Now Play Later. Hopefully this will keep me out of the casino and experience more on the cruise without having to rush back for a raffle!

5 hours ago, dallasdan said:

I have been on 1 Celebrity Cruise and my wife and I both received a free Veranda room that we used for a 12 day cruise in November.  We didn't gamble any more or less than we have on the 14 Carnival Cruises and I don't even get the Ultra or Premiere.  I love Carnival and have 1 booked in September, but I may never cruise Carnival again if we keep receiving free cruise offers from Celebrity.

Makes sense! What a great deal!!

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Maybe they both are a zoo. Personally I'd prefer to avoid casino deal cruises. 

 

We were just along not for the casino but my friend wanted to gamble and found it hard to find cheaper slot machines. We meet some casino folks and the one lady was all excited about the every 3 hour drawing. Was setting her alarm saying maybe her chances were better during the night. I will say she won several nice prizes... I'm just not sure I'd be will to attend a drawing every 3 hours. I already avoid them elsewhere, dont like crowds... and that was before the virus I was avoiding crowds. 

It’s a really thin line so I get it. On the last cruise it felt like if we didn’t go to an event we might miss a chance to win. Some days I just want to go to bed early and wake up to start the day fresh. Honestly, it’s why Ultra sounds better. The idea that you are guaranteed one, good value, prize and can cruise at your leisure. 

2 hours ago, evandbob said:

I've done maybe 8 premier and 2 ultra cruises.  My premier cruises have seen the cash drawings lessen in prize money and have the drawings at 11PM every night instead of at 8pm or earlier.  My "cash back went from $300 cash to 300 casino cash to 100 casino cash.  The actual cabin fare for my offers is now only about $50pp less than early saver fares.

 

I've won an IPad and a Microsoft tablet on the scheduled ultra spin the wheel.  Both resulted in getting a gambling statement W2G requiring reporting and taxes.

 

I was on one 10 day Celebrity cruise last year and was offered a free infinity midship balcony cabin, taxes and port charges on the Edge, their new ship.  Princess, which I sailed twice, 8 and 3 years ago, sends me offers for free cabins.  NCL offers me heavily discounted casino fares. Carnival casino offers that I receive can't match these other lines, and I've sailed and gambled on over 40 Carnival cruises.

You are my inspiration lol. How was your Ultra experience? Less people playing, service for drinks, prize and game options. I always see people posting cool videos of games and it looks fun!

12 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I accidentally was on a ultra offer and wouldn't do it again if I could avoid it. To get prizes you had to check in every 3 hours for the drawings. People were up all night trying to find open slot machines. We had over 800 people getting priority check in, people were everywhere. 1/3 of the ship was priority. Get priority on shuttle to Belize,  well on of the earlier shuttles, but not priority to me.

 

Priority meant little. Yes people won stuff, but they missed the cruise itself being in a smoke filled casino all the time, waiting for machines, waiting for drawings form prizes. .. all night and all day.

 

Priority disembark same zoo.

Interesting!! I would have thought Ultra had less people.
 

When we did a Premiere it felt like a zoo and we had to keep searching for slots and tables. Drink service was also really spotty and sometimes took a half hour. The servers even knew it was taking too long and would bring two at once to make up for it. 

I’ve seen some people blow through thousands a day!! I don’t have that kind of money lol. Depending on the length we limit ourselves to a couple hundred a day. You win and lose but as long as you set limits and leave when done you can still get offers. I wouldn’t say we are low rollers but we definitely get noticed with our playing. 

I want to book a cruise but I’m not sure which offer is better. My Plan Now Play later offer is:

• Exclusive Casino offer - Plan Now Play Later
• $250 in FunPlay Credits
• Free Drinks on Us! while playing in the casino. Terms apply
• Reserve your cruise for $200 per person and get $400 to spend onboard

and here is the Ultra offer:

• Exclusive Casino offer Ultra Cruises
• Premier Check-in
• Free Drinks on Us! while playing in the casino. Terms apply.
• $200 in FunPlay
• A chance at more than $100,000 in Free Play, cash and prizes
• Reserve your cruise with a non -refundable deposit of $99 per person

The Ultra is $88 more but I think people like them more. I’ve personally never been on an Ultra but I love the prizes people talk about. Let me know your thoughts if you’ve booked the Plan Now Play Later or been on an Ultra cruise before! 🛳⚓️🛳🏝🛳⚖️🛳

So excited for my 2 week journey cruise next Sunday!

I’ve sat, ordered one drink, received it, requested the second one at drop off, and then took them both to go. It helps for the night time productions and comedy shows. I tip a $1 or $2 so they never mind.

Salmon cakes, beef tenderloin, chocolate melting cake hmmmm,

10 hours ago, thenexus2k said:

     After the aquarium, we decided to head up the coast to Lahaina. The drive was awesome! I know a lot of people will talk about taking the northern route. This is not for me! That route is very curvy, with single lane roads. I have heard the views are great, but I would never know as I am sure my knuckles would be white and I would be too focused on driving to actually see any of it. I’ve seen the pictures, they look great, and that’s good enough for me! The southern route is a very wide, two lane road, taken at a leisurely 50 MPH. The views there are breath taking as well! As an added bonus, they have a couple of scenic overlooks where you can park and take pictures at leisure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Here’s another tip. If you decide to drive with the top down, and your hair is a little thin up top, either wear a hat or use some sunscreen! It was a tad painful brushing my hair for a couple days after….

 

     We were a few hours early, so we parked in the downtown shopping district and did some walking. First we headed to the public beach. We did not do any swimming, but the walk was nice and the beach was relatively quiet. I had never seen sand crabs before, but they were in abundance here. I was simply mesmerized by how fast those suckers can move! We then proceeded to the shopping district. It looks like any touristy type shopping district you would find in the Caribbean, but there was one important difference. My wife found a shop that had a lot of flowery dresses. You know the type as they are all over every shop in the Caribbean (and my Wife’s closet), and usually go for $20 - $50. The first one she found, that to me looked no different than others, had a price tag of $1,300. Overall, I did enjoy the walk. The weather was nice and the town was hopping with tourists.

 

Public beach in Lahaina

 

     Next up, was the luau we had booked. What Hawaiian vacation is complete without attending at least one luau? We did some research into this, as the official offerings from the boat seemed a little sparse, and we settled on the “Old Lahaina Luau”. It is a more traditional luau, with a classic show, and does not have the fire twirlers like you see on TV, so if that is a must have, this is not for you. However, I can tell you that it was fantastic! Book your tickets online as far out as you can, as they do tend to sell out. The luau was scheduled for 5:15 and we arrived a tad early. Upon check-in, they give you a traditional ley and escort you to your assigned table. There are around 70 tables, each holding about 8 guests, set in a semi-circle around the central stage. Before dinner begins, you are free to roam around the grounds, take in the various areas that show how coconut is prepared, poi is made, a talk on Hawaiian history, all while walking along the shore watching the sun set. Oh, and I should probably mention that they have an open bar with a rum punch that was great!  

 

 

   In a bit of a statistical anomaly, seated at our table were 3 other couples all from the Miracle, 2 of which had vista rooms like ours. They were from LA, TX, and MI and were all very nice and the lively conversation made the dinner even better. Our assigned server had a long Hawaiian name, but we were told to call him “Tim”. He was extremely friendly and a great server. The dinner itself is served buffet style. It contained a bunch of different foods including fish, steak, chicken and poi, with rice and veggies, (all of which I made sure to try) but the main attraction was the pork! Definitely get the pork, it was so delicious! After dinner, they serve a tray with assorted desserts. The highlight for me was the banana bread with an in-house butter that was to die for. They give you a bag of bread when you leave to take with you, which became my breakfast the next morning. Near the end of the meal, and during desert, they start the show on the center stage. As stated, it is a traditional show, with dozens of talented dancers and was very captivating. I only grabbed one bad picture, but between the food, the show, and the lively conversation with my table mates (not to mention the rum punch!), I did not think to grab more pictures.

 

 

When booking this luau, that is not Carnival official, you will get some naysayers telling you that you are cutting it close and you may miss the boat, etc. Allow me to give you an official timeline to help allay some fears and stress. The boat was set to leave port at 11:00 with a back on board time of 10:30. We left the luau at 8:12, calmly drove back to the port area, stopped at a Costco to fill up the tank, returned the car, walked to a Long’s drug store to buy another 12 pack (side note: Long’s is EVERYWHERE on the islands, like Starbucks in Seattle), walked back to the boat, took a quick shower and changed, and were sitting on our balcony by 9:32.

 

 

Next up: Oahu!

 

But did she buy the dress? 😂😂😂

Less than a month before I can do this itinerary!!

On 10/21/2019 at 10:07 AM, crabbdock said:

I paid for an AARP subscription when they changed over, so I could buy the Carnival gift cards. Now thatyou can only buy one a month I will use Allstate. I was a little upset at wasting 12 bucks, but it paid off. I won this $129 Echo spot in their sweepstakes. I'm happy now!!! 

Congratulations 🥳🥳🥳 I entered a ton and I wondered if anyone won too lol.

Was able to grab a bamboo massage on a port day and use the coupon before it ended. Super excited 😆 

22 hours ago, LibratPDX said:

How can you get the special rate even lower? I would love to try that out 🙂

On 9/7/2019 at 7:17 PM, yogibear said:

I put our soda allowance in my rolling carryon bag. After the cruise, I have space for all the things I bought.

 

Karen

Omg that’s so smart! Thanks for the advice 🙂

On 9/9/2019 at 10:23 AM, riffatsea said:

We always ask for a table for 2 at breakfast/brunch in the MDR.   I am not in the mood then to make random conversation with strangers.

Agreed! My husband is not a morning person and I don’t want others to have to deal with the grumpy monster I pulled out of bed to get a sit down breakfast 😂😂😂

Sadly my husband didn’t like it and wished he had the filet or strip instead.

What is it like going on a journey cruise with a premier promotion? I will be on a December journey cruise to Hawaii and I am trying to plan out gambling, excursion, etc and want to know if the casino is going to monopolize the entire trip lol. Super excited so any reviews, experiences, or helpful advice is appreciated!

21 hours ago, cruisin USA said:

A little consoling voice inside my head said “Let’s go get some pizza”. Asked Mary Ann if she wanted any? Nope. Off I went. There was a pretty long line waiting for pizza. Luckily, they have a mass production system, and the line went fast. Pizza in hand, I walked back to the elevators....

Glad to know they’re going to make the pizzas faster. It was a crazy wait on vista last year.

 It seems like everyone has said you can ask for robes and extra hangers. Going to try tipping up front and then asking for a service to see if things move faster. Not that the room stewarts don’t always go above and beyond, they’re amazing. 

On 3/1/2019 at 9:50 AM, Schoifmom said:

 

 

The Captain's lounge is a separate waiting area for D/P & Suites in the terminal.

Note sure why I am, but I’m really excited to see how the captain ‘s lounge works!

Has anyone ever bough the casino hosts a gift?

On 3/8/2018 at 6:41 PM, rondl1 said:

I have all the same that have been mentioned. We usually go on Premiers under my wife's play. And I have been on one Ultra the same way.

 

Today I got an email for an Elite which I had never heard of and it was under my play. I figured I have approx. 25K combined on the last two cruises.

 

But the weird thing is the offer was for me under a different VIFP account that was Red. I am Platinum.

 

So,has anyone had this happen to them?

 

Anyone been on an Elite and what should I expect if I actually get it and go?

How was the trip if you selected Elite?

I love how we’re all waiting lol.