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We are moderate drinkers at home and always get a drink package. I tend to drink slowly but continually throughout the day on vacation and am never drunk. My husband drinks more then me and between the 2 of us we always do better than breaking even. I like being able to try something without thinking about the price and then getting another drink if I don’t like it. I am not usually a cocktail drinker except on vacation. Between alcohol, coffee and bottle water I definitely feel we get our money’s worth.

We had a May cruise that officially cancelled in April. I took FCC which transferred to a new cruise. I had several pre-cruise purchases made with Carnival gift cards and haven’t seen received anything yet. One of my purchases a small balance went on a credit card where the gift card didn’t cover it. I did see a credit for that on my statement but no gift cards. I almost exclusively get nothing but junk mail in my physical mail so hoping it doesn’t come in a completely nondescript envelope that I accidentally throw out!

So uneducated question. What is a PVP and how are they different then just calling and talking to the a customer service rep. Do they make commission? More training? I have only taken a couple of Carnival cruises. When this pandemic started I got an e-mail from Carnival saying I was assigned a PVP. I normally like to book everything on-line myself but he was very helpful when I needed to apply my FCC for my May cancelled cruise.

We were on the Majesty last summer. It was originally a Cuba cruise. Ended up with a different itinerary and more sea days when Cuba was closed. We really liked the Majesty. It is an older small ship but I thought the layout was good and most of the venues had large windows with great ocean views. We had a suite. I think that was the only way we could get a balcony. Balcony cabins are very limited on the majesty. Our balcony was wide and very comfortable. Being in a suite there was a specific dining venue we could use for breakfast and lunch. Was nice to avoid the chaos of the buffet that way. Overall I prefer larger and newer ships but I wouldn’t hesitate to sail the Majesty again.

1 hour ago, cruizergal70 said:

Don't ALL balcony rooms fit 3 people with one sleeping on the sofa?

No. if you look at deck plans there are usually a limited number designated for 3 people. We are a family of 3 and I am picky about my cabin type. I have to typically keep looking at different dates till I find an opening for what I want.

I paid for almost everything for my May cruise with gift cards. This includes a couple of pre-purchased dining reservations and some funshop items. Since we were locked into Carnival we took the FCC option. Looks like all of the cruise expenses including taxes, fees, etc. were transferred to the new booking. For the Funshop money I am under the impression we will get a gift card in the mail. Haven't seen one yet. I don't pay much attention to our physical mail so will need to be careful I don't accidently throw it out with other junk mail. Honestly my expectations are low for when we will see the gift card money.

I was on a May cruise that got cancelled. I was paid in full including pre-paid gratuities, some shop items and some pre-paid dining items. I filled out the on-line forms for the FCC but didn't see any activity. A few days ago I received an e-mail from my assigned PVP so today I figured I would give him a call. We chose the FCC option since I paid almost entirely in Carnival gift cards. We already booked a March 2021 cruise. The 2021 cruise was more expensive so I knew we would still have a balance due. The PVP was very nice and said no problem he would take care of it. Since I got off the phone with him I have literally gotten 11 different e-mails from the "cabinconfirmation" e-mail over a 2 hour period. Every e-mail the amount I show due kept going down. The balance due on the last e-mail now looks reasonable but I want to confirm what part of what I paid should be a FCC. Should it include the pre-paid gratuities and other pre-paid items? What about taxes, fees and port expenses. I see 2 line items under the "payments received" section, one for "credits/coupons" and one for "payments received". Neither of the amounts seem to correlate to anything. Want to double check what should have been a credit for my new cruise vs. how much I can expect to receive back on gift cards.

Was booked 5/23 on the Panorama. Switched to Mardi Gras July 2021. Is it sad that I’m super bummed I keep missing Matt Mitcham as my cruise director. He was on vacation during our Vista sailing. Should have been subbing in for Emma on our now cancelled Panorama sailing. Now hoping he is on for our Mardi Gras trip. Total first world problem but a big part of why we enjoy Carnival over other lines is the fun atmosphere and cruise directors.

We are booked on the 5/23 Panorama sailing. American Airlines not surprisingly has scaled back their flights and we were automatically re-booked on one that leaves LAX on our disembark day at 11:05am. We have a suite so will have priority disembark. I assume this sailing will be cancelled but still hopeful we get to sail. Is the 11am doable or should I look for other options. AA has nothing better on that day so we would need to rebook for the next day or look to switch airlines. I mentally had already prepared for the sailing to be cancelled but the recent Carnival comment about May/June sailings has me hopeful.

I have the Panorama booked leaving May 23rd. Yesterday I got an email from the hotel in Long Beach for the night before my cruise that my reservation has been cancelled. I assume this isn’t a good sign. I hope they go ahead and announce next week that the rest of May is cancelled. I booked this cruise over 18 months in advance. It’s a bummer but with everything going on I realize I am extremely fortunate.

8 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Time to take a FCC cruise credit at a higher amount

Can I apply FCC to a cruise already booked. Yesterday I booked a July 2021 cruise. I’m picky about cabin selection and wanted to secure the cruise I wanted while still available.

Yes I noticed the same thing. We are booked on a May cruise that I expect to cancel. Yesterday I booked a 2021 cruise. I’m picky about my cabin choice so I didn’t want to wait for the next swath of cruises to be cancelled. I paid for my cruise with carnival gift cards so I’m locked into another cruise with them one way or the other.

We are booked end of May on the Panorama. Just today I booked an eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Mardi Gras for July 2021. I’m hopeful the May one still sails but not counting on it. Last July we were supposed to be on a Cuba cruise. That itinerary got nixed a few weeks before sailing. Figure we will roll with whatever happens.

We are booked on a May 23 sailing on the Panorama. I’m hopeful it will sail but feeling doubtful at this point. I started looking this weekend at booking a cruise in either late 2020 or summer 2021. I am picky about cabins so I want to book now. I assume any FCC I could apply to this booking I make now or does it only apply to new bookings?

How will I get a refund when I paid with Carnival gift cards? We are booked on the Panorama in May. I’m mentally preparing for the cruise to be cancelled. This is the first cruise I made payments with carnival gift cards. I even prepaid the gratuities with a gift card. Today I clicked the “cancel gratuities” button partly to see what happens. They disappeared but I got no email or other notification of how I would be refunded. Will they send me a gift card in the mail or via email? We are looking to rebook something in 2021 so I’m not concerned if the process takes awhile but I would like the refund at some point and in some form.

Our 1st Carnival Cruise we had the Scottish CD. He was awesome! Previously had cruised other lines and didn’t even notice the CD. This is part of what we loved about Carnival vs other lines. The atmosphere just felt so much more lively and fun. We are sailing the Panorama in May and ecstatic that Matt M will be on board!

Great news about Matt. We were on the Vista in 2018 and I was bummed that he was off during our sailing. We had the flying Scotsman who was amazing but so excited to finally be on a cruise with Matt. My daughter is going to be stoked!!

So I was booked on a late afternoon direct flight out of LAX the day our Panorama cruise ends 5/30/20. AA cancelled the direct flight and we are rebooked on connecting one that leaves at 1:05pm. Is that enough time?

Thanks for the feedback and tips. My daughter LOVES cats so the stray kitties alone has her sold on Stone Island!

This is our 1st Mexican Rivera Cruise. We plan to go to Stone Island on our own. Will we need Mexican pesos or are we okay with just US dollars? Any other tips for a non excursion trip there?

Our flight isn’t until 4:30pm out of LAX so we also are looking for a way to see some of the LA sites. I think we are going to book with this company. It is essentially your own private tour and can be customized based on the number of hours you want to fill and what you want to see.

https://www.laplatinumtt.com/our-tours

We will always get Cheers. It is nice not worrying about what the bar bill will be at the end of the trip. Our 1st Cruise was close to 20 years ago. We were a group of 4 adults and I remember my friend and I checking every couple of days at the front desk to see what our balance was. And this was a European port intensive cruise. That was a very high final bill! We are older and don’t drink as much but I still feel like we get the value of cheers. I like to try some of the expensive cocktails that I normally wouldn’t order. To me that is part of the fun of vacation. It definitely isn’t for everyone.

We have very limited cruising experience compared to most on this board but these are my thoughts: Royal, I thought the finishes in the ship and room were a bit nicer, pool areas seemed a bit nicer with more loungers, night shows were better. Carnival, food overall was better, Cruise Director was awesome and atmosphere seemed more fun, family comedy every night, suite prices are much cheaper than Royal (I realize with much less perks). We have a tween so always sail when kids are out of school and the kid factor seemed the same on both. Overall I wouldn’t hesitate to sail either line. We are “new” cruisers and actually prefer the more non-traditional elements of cruising. It all really depends on what aspects of a cruise are important to you and your family.

Loving your review and great pictures. Thank you so much! We are on this cruise in May and the info is much appreciated. Enjoy the rest of your trip!!

Have fun!! I’m booked on the Panorama next year and looking forward to hearing the reviews!