Silc

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the help!

Silc

We were on the Vista back in September, and it was the first time we experienced the new process where you did not get your Sail and Sign card when you checked in.  We're sailing on the Miracle on March 10th.  Does anyone know if it's the same on the Miracle?  Or will we receive our cards upon check in?  I'm unsure if it's fleet wide, and I want to update the folks traveling with us if it's the new process.

I tried to search for the answer on my own, but wasn't having any success!

Thanks for your help,

Silc

Thank you!

Thanks everyone. I have spoken with my travel agent about it, and I have also looked at the info on the Carnival website. Guess I was just looking for anyone who had personal experience with it, how they booked it, and how the evening worked out for them.

The well wishes are much appreciated!

Silc

My fiancé are getting married while sailing on the Carnival Miracle in March 2019. We are not using Carnival for the wedding. What we would like to do is book Nick and Nora's Steakhouse as our reception venue the evening of our wedding. Does anyone have any experience booking large groups in the steakhouse? I asked the question in the Wedding/Honeymoon thread, but so far, I've just had a lot of lookers - and no responders!

If anyone has done this in the past, I'd appreciate any input you may have!

Thanks!

Silc

We are using a TA, and are booked under a group booking. And yes, we did talk to him about having a cocktail party as I knew that that was an option. We had a long discussion about private vs shared, and the impact that that would have on the onboard credit that everyone is receiving. We opted to not go that route, as I would rather that our guests get the onboard credit as opposed to using part of that money to fund a party. However, now that our group is large enough, we may get a room, and then just pay for the party ourselves.

I do like the idea that if we order fruit/cheese platters that they could potentially bring a stand to put them on. As big as the cabin and balcony appear to be, I'm sure that with people, food, bar setup it would get very tight very fast!

And if they limit your alcohol purchase through the Fun Shops, I would imagine I could have my sisters buy a couple of bottles for me, pay them, and then have those available for the party. It's more about variety than amount.

I'll have to run some numbers. It might be cheaper to get the free room and then buy the cocktail "package".

Thanks!

Silc

Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions! Right now we have about 22 people booked plus my fiancé and myself, so we do qualify for the group room. And we may go that route. I just thought it would be nicer to have everyone at the cabin.

Thanks again,

Silc

Thanks for all of the responses and wedding wishes! You've given me some good info. At this point, we don't know how many more people will book. As of this morning, we're up to 21 people, so we might already be outside the number of folks who can fit comfortably.

We're thinking of just a short get together for a coupe of drinks and appetizers before dinner. We have looked into the group party with the open bar, and may decide to go that route. But having people over just seemed like a nicer way to do it. Can't help it. I'm an entertainer at heart!

But definitely NOT a swinger...;p

Silc

I have searched using every combination of key words that I could think of, but didn't find anything that was specific to my question. We are cruising on the Miracle in Mach 2019. It is our wedding cruise, but we're not planning it through Carnival.

We have an aft wrap cabin. What I'm trying to find out is if anyone has every hosted a party in their cabin or on their balcony before? I know I can order appetizer trays through the Fun Shops. How did you manage that? Do you get to choose when they are delivered? What about alcohol? Am I limited to only one bottle if I pre-order it on the ship? Or can I get "one of each?"

What else can you share about your experience?

Thank you for the information,

Silc

My fiancé and I are sailing on the Miracle in March 2019. We are getting married in Cozumel, and we are NOT using Carnival to plan our wedding. We'd like very much to be able to bring our guests to dinner at Nick and Nora's steakhouse that evening as our "reception". I am seeing some older posts about this topic, but has anyone done this recently? My TA called group events, and kind of got a non-answer. As he's already started the process, I don't know if it would do more harm then good for me to contact them?

What was your experience? How did you book it? What did you do about cocktails/beer/wine? Did you order a package? Did you just let your guests order drinks at will, and then just include it in the bill that you got at the end of the evening? Were you able to order from the regular menu, or did they have a special one that you "had" to use? Were you all seated together? They are telling my TA that our seating has to be staggered anywhere between 15 - 30 minutes!

Thanks for any help you can provide,

Silc

The Miracle doesn't have the 2.0 upgrades, correct?

We usually go to Playa Uvas when we're in Cozumel. We found it by accident back in 2006. It's changed a lot over the years. When we first started going there, it was basically a shack with some chairs, a beach, a pool and a bar. It's still on the smaller side, which we like, but they have expanded to having a kitchen, many more lounge chairs, snorkeling and some small shops and vendors. There's a fee to get in, but there are several different packages that you can purchase. The basic fee gets you in, and two free drinks. I think that's $15 per person? Do a search for it on Google and check it out.

Hope this helps,

Silc

Thanks everyone. It's a very frustrating process. I have no one to blame but myself for leaving the ring behind. But I will admit that I am not a fan of the process that's used for reporting. I did get a form generated email this morning telling me they received my report, and that it could be up to 30 days before I hear anything more from them. If the item hasn't been found within 30 days, the report would be closed. If it was a $25 pair of sunglasses, perhaps I'd be a little less frustrated. But as it's a diamond ring, I'm disappointed that there's no sense of urgency. I've spoken to Royal's post cruise customer service department a couple of different times now. While I'd be very happy to get my ring back, at this point, I'd also be very happy with some empathy. So far, I've gotten neither one.

I did reach out to the Roll Call who were sailing when we got off on Saturday. I'll reach out to the next group today.

Thanks again,

Silc

Just got off the Brilliance on Saturday the 6th. Embarkation was a little bit slow, but disembarking the ship was a breeze! We did self-assist, and everyone in our party agreed it was the fastest and easiest one we've ever experienced. But keep in mind, it was a little after 9 before we left.

Enjoy your trip!

Silc

I was on the Brilliance of the Seas on Tuesday, January 2nd returning Saturday, January 6th. Once I got off the ship and got about 3/4 of the way home, I realized I left a ring in the cabin. First thing I did when I got home was call Royal to report it. I was referred to Chargerback.com. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them, and if your item was returned to you? I didn't misplace a bathing suit, or pair of flip flops, but I diamond ring. I'd really like to get it back. I made the call, and submitted the report on Saturday. To date, I've heard nothing from them.

If all else fails, does anyone know who else I can contact to see if it's been found?

Thanks very much for your help,

Silc

It's good information to have. On other lines, we have only had to go down to guest services and ask. We'll check with our room steward.

Fingers crossed that we can get it done. Thanks for your help!

Silc

We have several cabins side by side, and I'm wondering if it's possible to open up any kind of dividers out on the balconies, making one large® balcony space?

Thanks!

Silc

Several years ago on the Dawn, they had a few BJ tables on the Lido deck. Best sea day ever! Do any of their ships still offer that - specifically the Epic?

Thanks!

Silc

Where can I go to find the list of ships and when they'll be decorated? We're on the Glory for Thanksgiving, and it would be great if the decoration were already up. They were two years ago on the Legend for Thanksgiving!

Thanks!

Silc

We have booked this cabin for our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise. I've done a search here on the boards and have seen a few, but I'm wondering if anyone out there has pictures of the extended/bumped out balcony?

Thanks for your help!

Silc

43 days to go until it's my turn! More please!

Silc

We attended the chefs table on the Splendor about a year and a half ago, and really enjoyed it. I'm thinking we might have to try is again on the Victory in January!

Silc

Any recent Victory cruisers have the menu for the Chef's Table? Also, what night was it held on?

What a great thread. Hopefully some folks who have sailed recently will share some of their experiences!

Thanks for your help!

Silc

Minumum bet amounts? Mainly for Blackjack and Roulette.

Also for Poker - is there a no-limit texas hold 'em game. max and min buy-in? blinds? Tournaments?

Yes I've checked the website - no specific info like this.

THANKS!

38 days to go! Carnival Legend - 1st time cruiser.

Usually, on the first night out, they have $3 tables. The next day, the lowest limit you'll be able to find is $5. I have been on some ships where they have actually lowered the limits back to $3 for another night, but that's not the norm.

I also know that the limits are lower on Roulette and Craps on the first night as well, but don't know by how much.

As far as Texas Hold'em goes, check your Capers every day. They usually have some kind of tournament going on most nights. Not sure what the buy-in is, or if it's no limit. Most times, the Texas Hold'em is a computerized dealer. Occasionally they will have a live dealer game going on. But from what I have heard, those seats fill up FAST!

We're on the Legend for a second time in just a few weeks. It's a great ship, with a cool itinerary. You'll have a blast!

Hope this helps.

Silc

Less than 2 weeks to sail for us. Can't wait. We chose open seating also. I hope they get the kinks worked out. We did open seating on Princess and the longest we had to wait was about 15 minutes one time. And this was a larger ship.

To hearing about your open seating experience. We're on the Legend on September 14th, and I still go back and forth between open seating, and standard dining.

Silc