SailAway1959

Me too please!  We are sailing on 11/16, Western Caribbean.  My email is warren.vicki@yahoo.com and thank you so much!

Glad to hear you had a good time. My (adult) daughter and I are taking advantage of a "free" cruise on this ship (same itinerary) on the 16th. Can't wait!:D

We'll be there too! SO looking forward to this getaway and getting back on the Imagination. :-)

Vicki

We're going back on the Imagination in 4 days and chose it because we had such a wonderful time on the ship in February of this year. We thought the service was awesome, the piano bar was a blast, the food was good and the bartenders were generous. We liked it so much that we are repeating the exact same cruise again and we can't wait!

I haven't received notification yet but some friends who decided to go just told me about the change. Never been to Mazatlan. As long as we can get some sport fishing in while docked at Cabo I guess this is okay... I'm just annoyed that I had to hear about it from someone outside Carnival.

How is the weather there in November?

That's why we picked November... the weather is perfect! Mid 80s and sunshine. :D

Vicki

Me too, Vicki. See you on board!

Absolutely. 236 days, egad.

I would love a longer sailing out of Long Beach or San Diego again! Disliked Mazatlan the one time we went but would simply stay on the ship if we went there again.

Looking forward to PV in November for sure.

Vicki

I love the fun, relaxing atmosphere that Carnival offers.

And, with only one exception MANY years ago, Carnival has always provided an excellent vacation so I see no reason to try any other.

Vicki

OP asked why do people keep coming back to Carnival? For me and my family and friends, it's not just a matter of pricing... we stay with Carnival because we enjoy the ships, the crew, the food, the other passengers. We don't cruise for the destination, we cruise to be pampered and to enjoy the trip and Carnival delivers in spades.

As for entertainment, we don't go to the shows... the piano bar though, that's where we find our entertainment. And in the clubs. And the deck party. And just walking around trying EVERYTHING there is to try.

We are in our 50s and our next trip will be our 8th with many more to come.

V.

I didn't even notice if there was a hairdryer when we were on the Imagination in February, but I do recall having one on other cruises and thinking the same thing... that little cord isn't going to work out. ;-) So, I bought one for travel and that's the one I use.

I'm interested in the Any Time Dining comment since we have booked that for the first time on our cruise in November. A meal in the MDR typically takes 1.5-2 hours, I've found, but the comment makes it sound like this is unusual? Maybe we're just slow eaters.

My only worry about ATD is making sure our whole group meets up at the same time. That was always the best thing about eating our meals in the main dining room each night.

Vicki

My husband and I are both "ample" size and have stayed in inside, outside, window, porthole, balcony and vista suites and have never felt claustrophobic in any of them. We prefer balcony for the breeze but I have to say, there are times when I miss the darkness you get in the inside cabins... especially when we're heading to bed as the sun comes up. ;-)

Vicki

How id you all like the food in Main dinning rooms and did you use anytime dining or specific seating time?

We all thought the food was very good in the MDR and disappointed ourselves by not visiting the buffets as often as we'd planned! Breakfast buffet (who doesn't love a custom omelette?) was always good. We did have midnight pizza of course, and the soft serve was enjoyed often so everything balances out. ;)

We sailed over "superbowl weekend" and looking back should have opted for anytime dining to fit around the game. We're sailing in November (longer cruise) and have chosen anytime dining for the first time. We'll see.

V.

I think maybe the point you are missing is priority boarding and debarkation is one of the few platinum perks left that are cared about by platinum cruisers. When you start giving them away, the already crowded priority boarding lounges that platinum and diamond members check in at will be even more crowded. Cheapens the platinum status that many of us took seriously at one time but now not so much!!

Pat

No Pat, I did not miss the point at all... I just don't subscribe to the philosophy.

V.

Nor:

 

ship pin

priority spa res

BOGO casino

arcade credits

logo gift

laundry

 

This promotion for 'one time Platinum' is over now. They'll probably do it again sometime.

Ah, so it really didn't tarnish the platinum and above cruisers too much after all, and still gave some potential plantinums a chance to get a little taste of what it could be like. That's a smarter marketing ploy than I originally gave them credit for. :D

V.

Thanks for the review. I will be on the same sailing as Vicki. I cant wait. I dont think Nov is ever going to get here.

Ohhhhhh no kidding! It is agonizing.

Yes, quite right. FTTF gives some nice perks, but not the chocolates. I'd forgotten about those.

V.

Oh, I am so sorry I didn't save the FunTimes this time! We took this cruise a couple weeks ago and had a blast. Yes, the clubs let 18 and older inside and plan to dance until your feet hurt.

And then do it again the next night!

Oh, and if you happen to find Hrvoje tending bar on the Lido deck, give him a hug for us. He's awesome. And Parveen was our favorite server on the Lido deck and he's awesome too. They both made it an even better cruise with their ready smiles and cheerful greetings. Oh, and Marty in the piano bar. Find it right away and make it a destination... you won't be sorry.

Have a fabulous time!

Does Faster to the fun temperlary give you Platnium Status?

Indeed it does, Jay. But be sure to book that early because those "excursions" sell off quickly. We are sailing in November and there were only 2 left last time I looked.

Have fun!

Vicki

Remember the promotion and just another slap in the face to us platinums.

I am truly sorry that you feel this way.

I guess it's a matter of how you see things. I love it when I get special treatment, but not because I want to be the only one getting it. I just like how it makes me feel and I'm pleased as heck that someone else will be able to enjoy that special treatment, no matter how it came to be. Everyone deserves a little piece of that from time to time and hey, if there's a way for a select few to get it and maybe entice them to strive for it all the time, even better for the company making the offer.

Oh well, to each their own. Enjoy.

Vicki

What a wonderful review! Thank you so much for posting it. We are sailing on the Miracle in November and you review makes the wait even longer. ;-)

I'm glad you had fun and I'm going to see about upgrading to one of those aft wrap around cabins. We had one on the Spirit once and absolutely loved it.

Thank you again.

Vicki

It is (or was?) an offer that went out to some past guests. I have no idea what criteria was used to choose who got the offer, but I'll bet it was nice for those who did.

The special status is not permanent. It is just for whatever cruise they have coming up.

I think it's a great marketing tool, just like offering a balcony or suite to someone who has a window cabin booked. It gives the guest a taste of what they could have, right? We were offered a cabin upgrade and haven't slipped back since. I'm sure Carnival is hoping the same thing happens with people who are granted special status for that sailing... they'll love it so much they'll add more cruise days to get it all the time.

I'll bet if they offered it to people who hadn't cruised in a while they'd start getting a whole new run cruisers.

Well played, Carnival, well played.

V.

Interesting topic. I completely agree with leaving on the auto-tipping and love the idea of the cruise lines changing the definition from tipping to "service charge." I think fewer people would have the charges removed.

I believe strongly in tipping and always tip well, because the people I tip are doing a job that enhances my life/vacation in some way. To me, that is worth the price. When the steward makes sure I have ice in my bucket every day on the off chance that I will FINALLY take a sip of my bottled soda, that makes my day. When the waiter automatically brings white rice to my cousin who casually mentioned that he loves to have that with every meal, that makes his day. When the Carnival bus boy insisted on carrying a tray laden with drinks from the back of the boat to our tables on the Lido deck without being asked to, that made all of us smile. He refused the tip we all offered, by the way.

My point is, even when the task is "part of his job, that's what he gets paid to do" if those tasks have made my vacation better in some way, darn right I pass on a little something extra.

Vicki