albether7

Hi all.

 

Noticed conflicting info on buying bev pkg after boarding:confused:

 

We'll be on Grandeur early June(sailing date seemed to factor in as well)

 

Soooooo, Rumor or fact?? AND if so, which pkgs??

 

Thanks!

 

Al

Still would like to know if there's any truth to this:)

Hi all.

Noticed conflicting info on buying bev pkg after boarding:confused:

We'll be on Grandeur early June(sailing date seemed to factor in as well)

Soooooo, Rumor or fact?? AND if so, which pkgs??

Thanks!

Al

Celebrity Reflection

Category: Category C3, Concierge Class

Cabin Number: 9300

What sets this apart from standard Balcony cabins?

Thanks!

Al

I'll be in Bermuda on a Sun. (3pm) thru Tues. (6pm) in early June.

What would you think would our best options?

Anything special happening at the pubs at the Naval Dockyards?

Thanks!

Al

I've sailed on the GOS 2-3 years ago, and the pillows were small and flat...:(

Does anyone know if thry have upgraded their bedding?

For my DW... Can you request a "fluffier" pillow?

Al

I just looked at the Grandeur leaving on May 29, and for 3 in a balcony cabin it is a little over 3500. i am paying 2200 for the same week. Thank you CCL

Not if you book with a major sale...We're looking at $799pp OV to Bermuda around that time...and that's for Bermuda!!

It's all about: lack of competion, time of year, and savy price monitering!

Hi ,

Cruising Splendor soon and always bring travel mugs...

If mugs are not the current gift, are we able to trade the one for the other?

Don't want to pack them if we're getting another 2....

Thanks,

Al

Looking to move our cruise 2 months later after final payment.

Any ideas about cruiseline penalties?

Thanks!

Al

I just booked a "free cruise" for January 25th. On my previous cruises I didn't gamble, but I went on the Magic back in June, and I think I might have hit 2000 points. Most of that was because I won a little bit on the first night, but I also spent much more than I should have. I didn't get any comps while I was on the cruise, so I wasn't expecting this offer. I actually just lucked into this, as I don't pay attention to my emails and snail mail (although now I will!). I was pricing cruises when I noticed that some of the prices popping up were like $25 and $50! So, needless to say, I jumped on the offer., and booked an anniversary cruise for the hubby and me. When I called carnival, I was told that these were "casino offers."

I did upgrade to a balcony, but that was mere pennies! ($120, with $100 OBC). I'm so excited, I can't stand it!! The oddest part is, my step-mother was on the last cruise with me, and she spent twice what I spent, and was given wine and strawberries and all kinds of goodies on board, yet she didn't recieve the same offer. I'm befuddled.

So, will I be getting assigned a casino host like in land casinos? Should I email the players club, as suggested by some on these boards? Am I going to get less than par service on board since I'm not paying for the ride?

Thanks for any info!

Congrats!

What method did they use to communicate the free casino offer? E-mail, phone?

Thanks!

Al

I hope Carnival has the sense to keep all the bands the guests seem to enjoy but when it comes to common sense who knows what will happen but now that Jerry Cahill is gone and a new CEO will be taking over, that could be a good thing we'll just have to see what he/she does concerning the entertainment.

 

Gary

It appears there's alot a"buz" about entertainment in some o'f the lower level mgr's.

BUT the new VP of Entertainment has no cruising history, and incentive to do keep the best bands across the seas... check her back ground and personal FB page.

I'm in for makin' some noise to assist these great muscians and nice guys and girls.

Al out...busy searching the seven seas for non-Playlist ships!;)

Hope those helped.

Thanks! I find that is a common concern...It's rare to find those who can...FYI: Roger Conception (sp?) is very good at this.:)

Al

Just off splendor with:

 

Russell Villarin 10/16/2014 - 1/11/2015 http://villarinfamily.wix.com/pinoypianoman

 

Nice guy decent piano player. Took me awhile to get his 1 lil flaw most of his songs are sung in the same tone.

 

just my .02

Just curious...

I'm trying to understand your .02... :) A little clarification...

When you say "tone", did you mean same key or chord progression?

or octave, pitch, coloring or melody, or cadence?

Like some pianists play every song alike? Like ie. honky-tonk style?

Some, I noticed, esp the Manila bands , can sound just like the original artists and can go from Beach Boy harmony to sounding like Queen's

Thanks,

Al

Carnival has been avoiding the straight talk about this. All one has to do is go to their entertainment site used to recruit new muscians(not bands)

This "Rythm section" is to replace copy bands and develop a small song list with others who they have just been placed with!!

Hardly, a band doth a few muscians thrown together make!

Check out the wording- copied from their site:

RHYTHM SECTION

Carnival offers two unique opportunities, Lounge 2.0 and our Traditional Showband.

Our Lounge 2.0 format utilizes a four piece rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, and drums).

These talented musicians rehearse together for one month and then join their vessel for a five month contract. These entertainers perform decade themed sets, with outfits to match, and act as a nightclub style rock band.

SEE FOR YOURSELF: http://carnivalentertainment.com/musicians-djs

THERE'S MORE-THAT COULD BE GREAT IN CERTAIN VENUES

THis is sad as they look to put their entertainment future into this PLAYLIST CONCEPT:(

This meant for cruisers who enjoy live bands:

No probs if this is something that isn't part of your cruise experience:)

Maybe some can help my friends and I...

With only a few ships remaining that does not have the dreaded "upgrade" of PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS they have not had the former lounge bands removed.

Reports of reviews speak of Karaoke - quality performances, We are needing to Jump ship (or cruise line for another."

Any ideas which lines CURRENTLY have great dance and cover bands and not the random selection of singers and muscians from the show bands?

Ncl, RCCL and Princess has in the past : A true band is one that is hired as a team with a repertoire of hundreds of songs .

The Playlist patchwork quilt concept looks like this...

Soooooo...Pax yells "Hey, do you play, Hotel California from The Eagles??"

"Not sure" the're thinking, as quickly the confused 20 somethings begin to page violently through their "Playlist Bible" table of contents to see --wether or not they can...

Then they ask curiously, "Who are these "Eagles" you speak of???"

So much for band chemistry and crowd pleasing reditions of perfectly performed "FREE BIRD, THE WALL AND JOURNEY, RUSH AND other clssic rock and roll yes, Even the pop disco songs of a era.

Often they have no sound support for vocals and attempy harminizing for what appears to be a first time -which is every time they do a unfamiliar song. Not fair to them -not worthy of paying customers.

Al out

And for people prone to migraines not exactly a good thing to see all those flashing lights for such a long period of time.

I just thought I bring this one back...:)

Some great comments from those who have had the experience of sailing when the bands were something that you could count on.

My concern is- that as with gov't investing their bankroll into something new, they would never swallow their "PRIDE" and say they made a mistake:eek:

Add to that the influx of upper mgt. who came late to the party, and have no clue as to what this discussion is about....They're brought in to bring about, CHANGE!

Wait! I've heard that before ...somewhere:rolleyes:

BTW: What ships have NOT had the PLAYLIST programming, even after 2.0 eatery

upgrades?

Thanks,

AL

hi thank you for the info. i guess i would never book a cruise after dry dock after hearing what i have heard on the reviews. i am sure we will be o.k. on the nov.30th cruise. we will make the best of it no matter what. i will be sure and post a honest review of the cruise on the 30th of nov. on the pride. i still think carnival should do something for the guests on the 1st cruise (nov. 9 )what i do not know but something. i was not on that cruise however i did read the reviews and i hope carnival did too.

Wow....Walt, Have you read your previous posts?:confused:

I'm not even sure how to respond, but to guess you have to be messn' with us...Right?!

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, believe the best, and so on...

AND, blame it either on your PC having that evil "brain-phart" virus that affects the ability to put rational thoughts into words, as well as scrambling your grammer "syntax".

BTW: I heard from others that, "I'ts goin' a round>:)

See link...http://examples.yourdictionary.com/syntax-in-writing-examples.html

Al out,

pss...I wish you well and could you provide a list of your up coming cruises so we maybe could hang out:D

When booking--I was just looking at dates and ports--by luck it was the first cruise after the 2.0 dry dock. We had been on the Pride 2x in the past few years, so I was looking forward to the upgrades.

 

 

 

Entertainment: I have to say the 2.0 upgrades actually downgraded the entertainment--especially the nightly shows. We caught the tail end of the Welcome Aboard show--it was OK. 88 Keys was a song and dance show featuring piano players--it was bad. On the middle nights there was a juggler, a magician, a ventriloquist---all horrible, not funny. The Love and Marriage show was stale and had very little passenger participation. The closing night was another production show Getaway Island, and it was terrible as well. There was an abundance of trivial and other deck activities that were unchanged form previous cruises.

 

The house band played every night in the atrium, the band was good, the singers were weak--they were always checking the ipods for lyrics.

 

Hey Bud, Al here,

My first experience with the experiment of downgrading the quality of the lounge band on Carnival was downright irritating ! There's absolutely No comparison with the established Music ..... bands, who have played together for years, having a 600 + song repertoire!

These playlist /house bands are literally thrown together, not as bands, but individual muscians. Yet, even if they were great muscians, the product will sound canned and poorly executed as team chemistry takes time.... You'll see what I mean as they page through their song books/i-pads to see, often for the first time, if they can all are able do a request.

Remember the Manilla bands, and others like them, poured their lives into one thing ---their band and copying songs and different styles, with excellence... the music we love and have grown up with.

So, I'm afraid unless, Carnival's marketing is smart, the'll keep some ships with-out Playlist Productions,or they will lose those whose cruising enjoyment has been ignored.

Al out

How much lead time do you need to order , let's say, coffee and pastry, in the am.

Also, how punctual are they if a certain time is requested?

Thanks!

Al

Al here,

For people who sale Carnival for the supposed $$ savings...

This is an FYI for "low info cruisers"...

Ruby and Caribbean Princess has a Jan 24 eastern sailing with GT and Princess Cay from Fort Lauderdale -

--OV obstructed cabin for $1370 total with $100 OBC.

Also they're not "alcohol ****s" re. carry on at gate

Cheap as one can expect!!!

Al out......

Thanks for the thoughts! We will always try booking the same cabin.

Should we expect 2 platinum gifts on 3 , 4 or 5 day sailings?

One thing we miss...if we've met some fun people on first cruise, we tend to look for them on the next cruise...wierd right?:p

Al out:)

Considering same ship for 2 consecutive sailings.

Since we're allowed 1 bottle of wine per person, per cruise in carry-on...

can you double that for for 2 consecutive sailings?

Any other "perks" or hints that would be a help?

Thanks!

Al out

Ok...I know this has been beaten to death...but still would like to keep our opinions about this out there in cyber-space...

Of course, I'm glad the Pride is returning to Balt....

The Pride, as some small remnant of other ships, still have an official lounge venue for the cruise-classic bands like Music Asia, other Music ----bands, Hi-Lux, etc... rather then sticking in a hallway next to the casino...:p

Some 2.0's additions are great but, I for 1, will be staying clear of the ships that host Playlist Productions, if that means they lose the bands

The Carnival Pride dry-dock starting 10/19/14 until 11/09/14.

"In a press release that was released on January 30, 2014, Carnival announced that the Pride would be returning to Baltimore in March 2015 with new scrubber technology and some FunShip 2.0 features.

The FunShip 2.0 features that Carnival included in the press release are Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, Bonsai Sushi, WaterWorks, Hasbro the Game Show, Playlist Productions, EA Sports Bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Pub, Red Frog Rum Bar, Library Bar, and the Cherry on Top."

Any ideas?

Al

We bought a pair on a family cruise a few years ago. Found it very hit and miss and annoying and after a few days left them in our cabin and made up times and places to meet on the ship

"What mom and Dad, I can't hear you!!"::p

Didn't see much on Carnival's board...Just wondering ,

if anyone has been on any of these. VIP or general admission tickets?

 

Price is great for a music venue cruise, granted it's a single performance concert unlike the simple man cruises, but 4 day cruise for about $ 179 base price for inside, $209 outside :)

 

Thanks

 

Mike

Hi Mike,

From a pop. cruise site:

"Theme Cruise: Carnival LIVE Concert Series - Kansas - The Carnival LIVE Concert Series offers guests the opportunity to enjoy an exclusive onboard performance by a diverse roster of popular music artists in a first-of-its-kind experience in the cruise industry.

Carnival LIVE concerts take place on board the ship while in port. Artists join the ship, perform in the main show lounge that evening and debark following their show. Tickets cost $20-$40 each, and a limited number of VIP tickets are available for $100-$150 each. The VIP experience includes an artist meet-and-greet, a photo opportunity with the artist, seating in the first three rows and a commemorative concert pass. All tickets can be purchased through Carnival’s online Shore Excursion System prior to sailing or on board participating ships at the Shore Excursion Desk based on availability."

Hope this helps!

Al out

We are sailing on the Liberty in early July. I think I'll pack some Clorox wipes and Lysol hand sanitizer....just to be extra careful!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Without turning this to another Noro thread...

You do realize that the noro virus, as per CDC, is not eliminated by popular disinfecting sprays, cremes and wipes...:( You would need REAL Chlorox bleach.

Washy, Washy!!!

FYI: it is the only common virus that can infect via clothing...not just hard surfaces.

More good news, the infected are still infectious up to 3 weeks after the symptoms are gone. The crew are often unknowingly, after feeling better, returned to their responsibilities....Do the math:eek:

Question: How many people fail to rewash their hands after using tongs and serving implements, handled by dozens before their arrival?

That's like using someone else's spoons and forks:eek:

Enjoy!

Al out