jsglow

Right in Carnival's policy is the strong recommendation that you bring a notarized letter authorizing them to travel with you. Doesn't matter if it's not routinely asked for. I would never leave home without that. So easy to do.

https://www.carnival.com/help?topicid=3409

I was not able to find the actual form on the Carnival website but I bet someone will and post it shortly. There are many available online authorizing both travel and medical care. 

I fully support a program where VIFP lifetime points can be sunsetted if the individual doesn't somewhat regularly cruise.

38 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

The bid process that some lines use.  I would be interested in hearing others thoughts on how it would be received on CCL

I would actually like it. Not sure how often I'd bid but as someone once said, choice is good.

Different classes of ships with Vista being larger and newer. I'd sail on either but would certainly make my decision about itinerary/duration/price. Also Magic is out of Miami while Vista sails from Port Canaveral. That would influence me too depending on airfare, etc. I do prefer Miami, personally.

@MistyRo76, I think I'd do Bermuda. Don't get me wrong, the Mex Riv is great. But it's way better if you can get to the 7 nights ports rather than stopping two days at Cabo. That said, the 6 nighter is usually pretty cost competitive.

43 minutes ago, Bollycats said:

Ok, so now I'm confused. Do you have to use a QR code or are the menus on the hub app every day? I prefer not using QR codes as my phone seems to have issues with them.

You can do it either way. I personally always pull it up from the App but one can also scan a QR on the table.

I actually like the fact that it's on the App for the entire voyage.  Sometimes I'll look ahead a day or two and that might influence my decision for tonight. Back in the 'good old days', we'd wander by the MDR during the day to read it outside the entrance. But that didn't give us a clue about tomorrow.

So for any of you Princess fans out there, we have twice gotten Emerald Deck obstructed; once it was an OV. The other time it was an Obstructed Balc. We thought the cabins were great, especially at the price point. We've got to try them on a Spirit Class sometime.

3 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

I have been the beneficiary of an upgrade, probably just by chance. I had a cruise set for the Freedom 8 day in Feb last year and they switched ships to the Spirit. I had an inside room on the Freedom but at switch over they put me into a regular balcony room with no notice at all. It was a nice surprise. I am guessing the Freedom has more interior rooms than the Spirit so I randomly got put into a balcony. I used to be a balcony person but am now happy with the 4K on the Spirit class with the tall window and between lifeboats.

So tell me about those 4Ks. I think I'd like to try one sometime. We're typically Deck #1 Starboard folks on any Spirit.

51 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Comp upgrades also happen when staterooms are removed from service so walk by your originally booked stateroom and see if it is in use. 

That gives me an idea Elaine. I may walk down there, knock on their door, and introduce myself so we can compare stories. My hope is it's some young couple taking a much deserved vacation and 'thrilled' that they were able to upgrade from their INT to this 'wonderful' PT. That would make me very happy. 😁

21 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

From this scenario, I would assume that the ship oversold the porthole category on your sailing and when that happens, they need to upgrade some cabins if they are unable to upsell them first. If you said "I really want the porthole category I booked" they would have upgraded someone else.   This happens in hotels all the time too.  It's managing the rooms inventory and blocking rooms. 

I can certainly see that but the ONLY way to get a Porthole is to book it specifically by cabin number. Said another way, there's no such thing as a GTY PT or 1A, etc. That's not saying that a person booking a INT GTY couldn't be assigned there as an upgrade.

Still, practically every time we have had a PT, we've received one or more UpSell offers so there's no doubt those PTs are always in demand.

2 hours ago, mfs2k said:

 

If you read this thread, this issue is happening a lot across different ships.  That's a process problem. 

We get coffee with dessert every night, probably have 150 days at sea in the MDR post Covid, and have never once had an issue.

Now it is true that the dining room staff has been trimmed since, say 10 years ago. I discussed the specifics with a very senior waiter some cruises back but have forgotten the details. What it basically amounted to was a certain number of seats being covered by 5 rather than 6 staff members.

I want to add one more tiny tidbit. When the agent called, she had multiple cabins on 3 different decks on a list for us to choose from. We went down the list and I picked our beloved 'bowling alley'. So I'm guessing GTY assignments were not nearly complete.

So kindly understand that my purpose for posting this was that it CAN happen in unique circumstances but I believe should be considered highly unusual. A couple of facts about our cruise and the situation:

- sold out; no online availability

- my call came from the 'upsell department' in Miami.

- the word 'complimentary' was used in the very first sentence. I picked up on that immediately.

- the offer was entirely telephonic; there was no indication of any offer via my online portal.

- last week, we received an 'Upsell' call (that was decent) that we declined.

- I would describe our Upgrade as 2+ from Porthole to an Extended Balc.

My sense is that all Upselling was previously completed and that cabin assignments to GTYs might have been in process. I'm also speculating that this particular cruise might have a very limited number of Diamonds. So somewhere a decision was made to offer the cabin to us rather than reward a gambling comp or surprise a GTY purchaser. Hope that provides some additional clarity. It's never happened to us before. 

We got one today; a big one. Cruise is later this month. Not going to share any details to 'protect' the Beards. Do note that we are not casino comp folks. Honored they called. I guess loyalty coupled with last minute availability matters. 🛳

As others have indicated, by going over Christmas you should expect a full ship populated mostly with families not so different from your own. In literally hundreds of days on Carnival ranging anywhere from a 4 night Bahamas run to 21 days Europe, I've never witnessed a single 'horror story' alleged in popular social media nor have I ever been served a single 'inedible' meal onboard. (You'll see both breathlessly described by dissatisfied cruisers.) Personally of your options, I'd choose the 6 night Firenze. She's a beautiful ship and you'll have a great time.

Have you possibly considered the 7 night 12/21 Panorama run? She is essentially the non-Italian themed sister ship to Firenze and somewhat more representative of the Carnival brand overall. I haven't price compared but that cruise gets you to superior ports beyond Cabo and Ensenada; a true Mexican Riviera cruise. Enjoy whatever you decide. 

1 hour ago, Bollycats said:

I will be taking the same journey in a few weeks. What do I enter into the app? Port of Miami? Cruise port? The physical address?

My recollection is that if you put in Port of Miami various terminal options appear in a drop-down box or something quite similar.

It's a great question OP and @PrincessArlena'sDad gave you a great link. One takeaway that might benefit everyone is that for Carnival it'll always be Terminal D-F and that all the cabbies/Uber drivers are totally comfortable not knowing the exact terminal until all of you collectively see the illuminated signs as you enter the port area. So nobody 'gets in trouble' if they list Terminal D on their App requesting a ride and it turns out to actually be Terminal E or F. They've all done it hundreds of times and it's essentially the same revenue ride for them. Enjoy your cruise!

Right now Valor is moving slowly still well outside the Mississippi mouth. There's no direct weather to contend with so there MAY be issues with the terminal or perhaps they are still waiting on the flood surge to recede. Any updates from official sources?

Edit: A more careful read of JH's message indicates it'll be tomorrow. Makes sense to keep her in open ocean water.

I've not been on Firenze yet but VERY MUCH enjoyed Venezia and would sail either in a heartbeat. I agree that the design makes them best suited at 'cold weather' ships.

55 minutes ago, BenjiRodney said:

We booked a 10 night Journeys cruise for 2026 and got an email from Carnival the next day advising that there will be no extra Platinum/Diamond benefits available on the cruise, other than the 48 hour advance check in (16 days) prior vs 14 for other VIFP members.  All rooms ready at 130pm.  I had heard that was the case with all Journeys cruises now. 

It makes sense when you think about it. One of the reasons I kinda like B2B is the mix of passengers onboard. On Journeys, we're all old and like to eat dinner right at 5pm, exactly!

2 minutes ago, geovet said:

If there are a lot of d&p, do they still offer laundry perk?
 

Absolutely. But sometimes turnaround is 2 days.

Really? I mean they're not huge changes but what's behind them? Construction at HMC maybe?

Or did you accidently attach the wrong link? 🤔

I was actually looking forward to a Canadian maritime at some point. I don't think we'll ever do the premium priced Greenland version unless I get a sense that the 'missed ports risk' goes down significantly.

2 minutes ago, Softservekid1 said:

Sorry my post got out of hand. I'll leave mine in the safe on board. Just going to Costa maya, Rotan and Cozumel. 

You're all good @Softservekid1. The reality is that everyone has a strong opinion on the topic. I genuinely believe than the significant majority of folks leave them aboard. And now you know the pros and cons. Have a great time!

I remember when I was on a Carnival European cruise as a lowly Platinum some years back and was required to row on alternate days. 😜

So one of the things I find sort of interesting about this thread is everyone's assessment of risk avoidance. And it's clear that everyone is trying to minimize it. Those that leave their Passports aboard place more emphasis on the risk of it being lost/stolen while ashore. Those that take them with them consider the risk that they'll miss the ship greater or that they consider it risky to not have it on their person at all times. I'm confident there's not a right or wrong answer. Just the one that works best for the individual.

Let me go slightly off topic in the hope that it helps others. We always take an emergency unrelated credit card when we travel that is NEVER on our person. It's only purpose is to serve as an emergency Plan B. (I think we run one cellphone contract through it just to keep it active.) We have a frightening history with that as many years ago my wife somehow lost her wallet in the hours leading up to a cruise. We literally discovered that it was missing in the check-in line at the airport. I still remember the look of horror on her face as she opened her purse. Thank goodness her Passport was in a different location other than her purse. Same too with the 'Plan B' card.  We flew as folks frantically searched (unsuccessfully) on our behalf and then spent the evening before the cruise spiking literally every financial tool in our life as there was no chance we were leaving the country so exposed. We were extremely lucky that the Plan B card couldn't possibly have been compromised. We survived the next week quite well as we were confident we had protected ourselves. And then when we got home she spent 2-3 months rebuilding our lives. Everything from DL to Bank Cards to Credit Cards and ALL the accounts they were autopay tied to. Absolute nightmare. Interestingly, while the wallet never showed up, in the end nobody ever tried to defraud us. So the net loss was the $60ish she had in there plus the nice Coach wallet itself.

Bottom line: Have a Plan B.