Hawaiifrank

One time I received more back from a slot pull than I put in. I received $21 for a $15 pay in. We have 20 cruises completed and have participated in a slot pull on most of them. Usually, the payout is about 60% of what you pay to join in.

I'm fine with the organizer using their card in the slot machine. Think about this--what if there's a BIG win, maybe thousands. It's what we hope for right? Who pays the tax on the winnings? The guy who's card is in the machine? Who is legally the winner? It could get messy, just sayn'.

Really, it's all about timing. If you cruise when kids are not in school, you will cruise with a lot of kids. We normally time our cruises when school is in session. Not only are there fewer kids, but the prices are generally lower then as well.

 

Understand, I said FEWER kids. There will always be kids on cruises. Carnival does not have "adults only" cruises.

Well, except for the "clothing optional " charter cruises. Not actually sure Carnival does those, but other cruise lines do. No kids there, I've heard.

Available at a price beyond what I am willing to pay. I'm not even saying that I want those things, I am saying that I used to get more for my money. The quality of service has declined, and the cost has gone up.

I agree that service has declined a bit (my first cruise was 2008 and we are Diamond on Royal, Platinum on CCL), but I don't remember the "early days". In the 7 years we've been cruising the prices have stayed about the same. Our first cruise in Aug '08 cost about $110/day pp in an inside cabin on the Carnival Conquest. A similar cruise this past summer was about the same. We've cruised Royal every Feb for the last 6 years, usually in a Prominade cabin. Again, the cost has consistently been about $100/day pp. The value of money has declined some over these last 7 years (inflation), so actually the cost to cruise has come down, probably due to increasing ship size.

We can vote with our feet and patronize the line with the service and perks we want and pay accordingly, or we can accept the amenities the cruise line offers at the lower price we're comfortable with.

I see Royal is planning to offer some extra service at the higher priced cabins, something like NCL Haven class, I believe. Haven't really investigated it since it's way out of my league. The only Suite I'm likely to book will be the Ben & Jerry's Sweet. Carnival has eliminated the table cloths in the MDR and is heading towards once a day room make-up/turndown. Now that's service cuts!

I don't care. I leave Saturday for 21 days on the Carnival Freedom for an average of $75/day pp, taxes, fees, $200 total OBC and gratuities all included.

Is it just me,I'm a British first time on RC, next July for a two week cruise,I'm finding the included gratuities very hard to swallow,is it wrong for me to think that it should be optional.?

It's not just you, it's all Britts and Australians and most Europeans. You've got lots of company. It seem that those of us in the US and, I guess, to some extent, Canada, are contitioned to tip for nearly everything.

We tip the porters at the port and airport, we tip the stewards and MDR servers extra, beyond the daily $12 that the ship collects. We tip the tender crew and the shuttle drivers, cabbies and bell hops, even the take out cashier in some places.

Tips used to be recommended at 10%. Then prices went up and the 10% tip increased by a proportional amount. That wasn't enough apparently, so the tip percentage also rose to 15% and now typically, 18%. I think it's getting out of hand. I can hardly imagine what folks from a non-tipping culture think.

Sorry for the rant. It seems natural to us to tip because everyone does in the US. When in Rome...

You actually can, I think, still remove the daily $12, but I believe there's nothing you can do for the 18% on drinks. If it's any consolation, a lot of Americans add a dollar or $2 to each drink order, above the 18%.

Based on information from other cruisers, I'm taking 6 bottles for our back-to-back-to-back on Carnival Freedom starting 28 Nov. I have all 3 boarding passes printed in case they ask.

There's another thread about the app here somewhere. Someone posted to be sure to have the new version on your phone when you board. The new version is 1.2.2 and was released on 19 Nov 2015.

No, they do not if you book a specific room. About the only time people have been moved that I know of are those who book an HC cabin when they do not need an HC cabin. Then they can get bumped.

 

If they could bump you for any reason what would be the point of Carnival calling and asking?

That's us. We were given a HC cabin without asking and during booking I had to check a box acknowledging that we'd move if asked to accommodate a mobility impared passenger. We'll be on the ship starting 28 Nov, but the HC cabin is for the 3rd week of a back-to-back-to-back.

You actually can make changes, but they'll cost you. If any one in the cabin cancels, Carnival takes a $50 fee and holds their deposit for use on a future cruise. It must be used within 2 years. Same deal if you must all cancel for some reason; $50 each fee and all deposits are held for use in the next 2 years.

ES is usually the lowest-priced fare that allows you to select your cabin. It is really only beneficial IF your cruise goes down in price. On a popular itenarary or a holiday period cruise, the only benefit is the lower initial price. These cruises are unlikely to go down in price.

I booked ES for my upcoming back-to-back-to-back starting Nov 28. I received a price drop a few months ago on each of the 3 weeks and a $50 bonus booking OBC on 2 of them. This was before final payment. This period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is cheaper because fewer people can cruise.

As of a few weeks ago all cabins in my catagory were sold out, so no more price drops for me. It helps to know which cabin catagories to book, as well as which weeks. You don't need a crystal ball, just compare fare prices for similar cruises over time. Pick a fare that's already lower than surrounding weeks and you may have one that'll go lower still.

Has anyone seen the update today?

The app won't open till you are on the ship. If anyone out there is onboard Freedom right now, the ship probably left port before the new 1.2.2 version came out on November 19.

You can install the new version, I did, but the only difference I can see is that the Freedom is included in the list of ships supporting HUB. As I said, it doesn't open past the introduction screen, except for the list of "Supported Ships", until you are onboard.

It seem the closer the cruise gets, the more intense the research becomes. I'm 8, er...well in 2 hours it'll be 7 days out from a back-to-back-to-back on Carnival Freedom. Our Cruise Critic Roll Calls aren't very busy, but there are 6 FB Groups between the 3 weeks and that keeps me pretty busy. Each week has 3 or 4 events, a meet, a slot pull, a cabin crawl, etc. Busy, busy, busy.

But wait, I can't forget about the back-to-back on Oasis OTS in Feb or the Carnival Breeze next November. Way out there is the Harmony OTS in Feb 2017. I try to concentrate on one at a time, but I still need to keep track of the Carnival and RCCL general forums. Oh, and I try to read the Ask a Cruise Question and First Timers forums and answer a few questions if I can.

I consider how much time I spend here and look at my post count. A few hundred. How the H-E-doubble toothpicks do people get 10-thousand, 20-thousand or more posts. They must LIVE on line.

That isn't true all the time. Yes, many times the fare will go lower than the originally offered fare, but sometimes the fare only goes up from there. Don't expect every cruise to have "fire sale" prices just before sailing.

I checked for updates a day or 2 ago and there were none. Tonight there is a new version available and it lists Freedom as having Hub. Don't know what other changes might have been made.

However if you wear clothes in the warm weather more then twice, without cleaning them, you will see people sit else where lol! so bring clean clothes please! they do have laundry service on board of course. I line dry swim suites, but the humidity isn't good for other items.

Enjoy

I didn't mean I wore the SAME clothes every night. :eek: I meant the same type of outfit: slacks and a button-down, or maybe a collared pullover, shirt on casual night. On a back-to-back, I would probably try to get a second wearing from some.

It's only $4.50 per shirt for a clean and press and on longer cruises I do that.

I do not want to take up suitcase space for formal nights either. You wear them what? once? twice? It seems like a lot of wasted suitcase space for a dying tradition.

Right. Waste of space. Nice slacks, button shirt with open collar and I wear the same thing on casual nights. My brother wears his "faux" tux...a dark suit coat, black dress pants, tux shirt and bow tie. I'm still in the minority without a tie, but we're gaining.

I posted that quote (I may not have been the only one) ant it is from January this year. I'm starting a 3 week back-to-back-to-back on Freedom on 28 November and I was hoping to find out if the HUB app has started on schedule. I'm guessing not since there is absolutely no word on the Web yet.

I just saw this mentioned on FB and looked it up.

The HUB App is currently on the Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine. It will be available on the following ships (dates subject to change): Carnival Freedom (11/16/15), Carnival Conquest (12/05/15) and Carnival Glory (12/06/15). The rest of the fleet will roll out during 2016. The Carnival Vista will launch with the HUB App.

We start a 3 week cruise in 2 weeks on Freedom. I didn't think I'd get to use Hub before Breeze in Nov 2016. Anyone know if this is still on track to start on the Freedom today.

We plan to book a hotel with cruise/park rate in Galveston. Anyone have a suggestion?

We're staying at County Inn and Suites in Galveston. For one nights stay, you get up to 30 days parking. Since we are on a 3 week back-to-back-to-back, it's perfect. They also provide complementary breakfast and free shuttle to and from the port. You need to request the park and cruise package. Our night's stay and 21 days parking is about the same as parking alone at the port would cost.

Well, don't OVER plan, but some planning can make the trip more enjoyable. When you research the ports, if you don't want to make reservations, at least have a couple of ideas on what to do in each port and what to do in case of bad weather.

We were on the Independence for the transatlantic last Nov 1st. I think we ported at FLL. Enjoy your cruise.

We cruise both Carnival (Platinum next cruise) and Royal (Diamond next cruise). I have found service, food and amenities to compare favorably. You will like some of the differences and may dislike others. All differences are pretty minor. However, I believe Oasis and Allure are a different type of ship than all the others. We sail Oasis in Feb for the first time and I think we're really going to like it. Royal has a different atmosphere, more elegant and sophisticated. Maybe a bit older average age, but not an old foggy cruise.

Typically, Royal prices are a little higher but by booking early you can usually save and for a honeymoon you really should have everything nailed down early. It just so happens that Royal is having a sale now (but aren't they always) that seems attractive with OBC and half off the second person. I did a trial booking yesterday and the price is still higher than we paid when we booked it last year.

Over-the-door organizers ARE allowed, but they have to be fire retardant. Not sure how the cabin stewards will be able to determine that.

With a match? Just kidding.

I think they recently announced "No Lobster" on less than 5 - day cruises

I bring a regular size bar of soap. I dislike using body wash and those tiny bars of soap. I also bring my own dandruff shampoo.

The cabin generally won't be ready until around 1 or 1:30. An exception might be if you are a Suite passenger, higher loyalty level or purchased Faster To The Fun (FTTF) on Carnival. Most people eat lunch in the buffet, hang out for a while, then go to the cabin.

When you get to the cabin, the TV will be on the Safety Drill/Lifeboat Muster channel. The drill will be scheduled about an hour before sailaway. If you don't want to walk up or down the stairs, take the elevator before the drill starts. Do NOT take the life jacket to the drill.

You won't miss the ship's horn as she pulls away if you are outside. Go up to the pool deck or, better yet, way up forward on deck 10 or 11, wherever the top outside deck is. You'll be sure to hear the horn then.

Another first timer to Carnival here, we also have experience on RC. On RC they had the Coke Freestyle machines, which was amazing. What do you do if you want a soda at the buffet?

I see someone has already answered your question, but I just wanted to add, if you have the soda package, the drink waiters can get you soda. At least ours did, I think all the buffets have a soda fountain at some drink stations, behind the counter, of course. It's not self-service. And I don't believe the regular servers are set up to charge you, they can only get it if you have the Bottomless Bubbles.

I too liked the Coke machines on Royal, except they NEVER, EVER had regular Diet Coke in any of the machines for the entire cruise.

Priority Boarding does not necessarily mean your cabin will be ready early.

 

Having your cabin ready early depends on how you got Priority Boarding.

 

Did you book a suite? Are you Diamond or Platinum? Did you buy FTTF?

I was wondering the same thing. On the Platinum benefits page it says you get "priority boarding", but no mention of cabin or luggage.

On the FTTF page it says "priority boarding" and "cabin ready", among other benefits, and it also says Platinum and Diamond get these benefits already so they do not need to buy FTTF.

So, can a Platinum VIFP expect their cabin to be ready? And early luggage delivery?