wannagonow123

Let me begin by saying I usually cruise with 2 different cruise lines. We recently cruised on the Grandeur, and I was disappointed. I think it was because it was different than what I am used to. We ended up spending so much time in the casino, that we ended up with rather large dollars off a next cruise. We really had no plans to use them, but found out there was a cruise on the Majesty that we could get for free, prior to another cruise we had paid for. (We paid gratuities & port fees only).

 

That being said, we are going to give RC another go. We are now prepared for the differences, so I have a few questions about the Majesty.

 

1- Are the burgers at Johnny Rockets cooked there, or are they the nasty burgers they have at the Windjammer?

 

2- Is the smoking area outside the Windjammer? We found that to be very pleasant on the Grandeur. Met a lot of nice folks there.

 

3- Ice cream @ Lattitudes?

 

4- And finally, we will be on the ship on Halloween. Do the smaller ships do anything special worth me thinking of a costume?

 

Thanks

It is not Carnival cancelling, but the tour operators. Most of them have a minimum # of people they want in order for the excursion to be profitable for them. We were recently with another cruise line and we were cancelled 3 times at one port, due to lack of people signing up. For them, we were told the operators require a minimum of 30 people.

 

We ended up staying in town and had a fabulous time wondering around and having lunch.

We booked the cruises at vey reasonable rates. If you are not picky about room locations, and can stay in an interior cabin, prices are cheap.

First off, no, we do not get insurance. My husband says no, so no. I don't even try anymore.

 

I know ships can & will change ports & destinations due to weather. That is not a problem. I cruise for the experience, not the ports. My concern, question, is what if a hurricane/TS is due to hit an embarkation port on the day a cruise is to leave/ arrive. I know with SS Sandy, ships left early to avoid the storm. Did people got refunds or compensation if they cannot get to the port earlier?

 

I have 5 cruises booked & paid for between now & November. If I have a day or 2 notice, I can get there earlier, but I was just wondering what SOP would be.

On Holland America, except for suites, you get one cruise point for every day you cruise. No matter the price you pay for a room. This includes the RARE complimentary cruises. Suites get 2 per day. You also get extra days for incremental spending on board. I think it is one day for every $300 you spend. This includes excursions, coffee shop, gift shop, wine packages (not individual bottles) and specialty restaurants. Does not include alcohol at bars & lounges, bingo, casino. I don't know about the spa, but I know there is no way I have cruised enough to be a 3 star Mariner with them, but we purchase everything on the ship, not pre-purchased.

2 years ago, we did B2B on the Glory. We only needed 3 days to turn Red to gold. When we boarded, we were red. When we got our new keys on second leg, again we got red keys. We were quite bummed, even though you get nothing special. (At that time they did have the gold reception party).

 

I was told by Guest services that it took 3-5 days for Carnival Corp. to get the info that we did travel, and at that time, our gold status would kick in. days before we got off the ship, they called and asked if we wanted our gold keys, as Carnival corp got our info.

 

Will be nice if they have changed their policy.

I wish there was a way to omit a particular person from the daily gratuities. On our 21 day Journey cruise, our cabin steward was HORRIBLE!!!! (Yes, I reported him to guest services and the hotel manager). The only reason we left the tips on was the dining staff, and they did a bang-up job.

We need just 8 cruise days to reach platinum level. We found an 8 day in September on the Splendor, and booked it. My husband then decided to add a 5 day, and we were able to get the same room. We will not be getting off in Miami, except to zero the ship.

 

So, after the first leg, we will complete our 8 days. Will we be eligible for the laundry perks for platinum? That is the only perk we really want. I don't like to do laundry while on vacation, and pretty frugal with my money so I can go on all these trips. (We have cruised 76 days so far in 2016, 56 with Carnival and will have 103 total cruise days by the end of the year).

 

It would be really nice to only pack for 8 days.

We did our last B2B in New Orleans. We had a choice- meet in showroom at a specific time, and go through the above process, or leave the ship anytime before C 10am, and return after the ship zeroed out. (you are given "In-Transit" cards). We chose to get off and take our "goodies" to our car. Really easy getting off, and we were sent to Clear Choice customs. Off the ship and on the streets in 45 minutes.

 

Had a wonderful morning in New Orleans. Returned about 1:30pm. After being chastised for missing our 11:00 am check-in slot, we were sent straight to priority security and check-in. Back on to the Triumph in about 30 minutes. We got the fruit basket & bottle of bubbly in our stateroom on our return.

 

Very Easy.

Makes sense. Thank you.

So how do the replenish machines recognize the cups from one cruise to another? Are they different weights? The reason I ask is on the last RCI cruise I was on, I saw a few different cups being used.

Carnival has a few ports where they do staggered check-in. (Not boarding). I know Galveston, Nola and Miami for sure. There might be some more, but anyway......

 

When you do your online check-in, you select a check in time. That time is listed on your boarding pass. At the three locations listed above, there is someone at the door checking , and they will not allow you in to begin screening if you are early. Diamond, platinum and FTTF are exempt to the rule IF you selected a check-in time. No time selected, you check in after 1:30pm.

 

The stupid thing is it allows you to select an early time, then arrive at your leisure, which does back things up. On Carnival, some folks are determined to have Drinks of the day (DOD) before 11am, and get very antsey. In NOLA, we chose a 10:15am time, then showed up at noon. (we found a casino). There were people all over outside waiting for their time.

 

The lines to get through security were a pain, but check-in was a breeze. You do not get your rooms until 1:30pm unless you are a high status or FTTF.

Does anyone know how often you can replenish your beverages with the package? Some cruise lines allow every 15 minutes, and some every 30 minutes.

 

Also, if I wait to purchase onboard thee Grandeur, will I pay Maryland sales tax while in Baltimore? I know people n this board are expressing displeasure over the 20% sale if you purchase in advance. I would think not paying sales tax would be incentive enough. Md. sales tax is pretty high.

Thank you. Sounds to me one of the drink packages will be purchased.

Leaving in 25 more days for our first cruise with Royal. We have always cruised with "the other guys". I know I am in for a few changes from what I am used to. I swore I was just going to "go with the flow", but I just can't help myself asking a few more questions.

 

1- Does anyone know the current prices of sodas & lattes if I just walk up any pay for them? I might consider one of the drink packages depending on the walk-up price. I don't drink alcoholic beverages. Also, what beverages are included with admission?

 

2- Do they have daily trivia? At least on sea days.

 

3- Are there activities on the Grandeur while in port in case I don't want to get off the ship?

 

4- Where exactly can we smoke. I know not in cabins/ balconies. I keep reading "designated areas" but where are these areas?

 

5- Is there somewhere to get food late at night?

 

Finally. I looked an the RCI website and saw the Crown & Anchor society. When you look under a category, there is a number.(Gold- 3, Platinum-30, Emerald -55 an so forth). Are the numbers cruise days or number of voyages?

 

 

Thanks

My cruise next week is a Premier Casino offer, which gives us priority boarding. We have done these before, but on Holland. I have early check-in.

 

My question is, will the rooms be ready? I assume we will boarding with FTTF customers. I want to bring some sodas aboard, but not if I have to lug them around until my room is ready.

Many times I have felt CS is horrible because I could not accomplish what I wanted/ needed. The problem is the person on the phone does not know, or won't explain their inability to complete my request.

 

Earlier this year I wanted to upgrade from an interior to an ocean view. After 2 calls of the rep saying no, or quoting me a huge fare jump, the 3rd person explained that the fare I had originally booked stated "no changes after booking or penalties would be incurred". My fare was non-refundable, so they would have had to cancel the old fare, I would get no credit for original booking, then rebook.

 

Once it was explained to me, it made sense, and I kept my original booking. Just request an explanation.

 

I have 4 cruises booked with Carnival upcoming, and I don't think any of the PVP's I booked with are still with Carnival. When I call their extensions, I get transferred to someone else.

My keyboard is acting up so forgive any typos.

 

What about converting Northern Lights to a smoking lounge, then make the casino non-smoking? On all the cruises I have been on with HAL, the only time there is ever more than a handful of people in NL is when they have trivia. Such a nice place, underutilized. The bar is never open. They use the casino bar is service is even offered.

 

I play I the casino a lot. I also smoke a lot. If HAL makes the casinos non-smoking, and I have to go all the way to the Sea View Bar to have a smoke, I will forgo the casino however, if there was an area nearby to smoke, I would still play and slip around he corner. NL is not near a main walkway

We sit there, because we have to. I could just sit in the casino and smoke, but I do understand that smoke travels to non-smoking areas, so I try to sit outside whenever possible. When it is raining however, the least HAL can do is leave some towels so I can dry a seat.

 

Yes, it gets that bad.

The smoking area on the Lido deck is a joke during inclement weather. The cover is a tarp that leaks badly when it rains.

Will be doing the partial Panama Canal in 13 days. I booked a veranda on deck 4. Are the lifeboats going to block our view during transit? We are in Aft section.

We are doing the 11 day partial Panama Canal trip in 2 weeks. We have done the trip before, but the price was too awesome not to spend 11 days on a ship.

 

Does anyone know if the casino is open at Gatun Lake? I know I will watch the transit for a while, but we have no plans to get off the ship this time.

Make sure if someone is going to remain in the cabin to watch TV or a movie, their card is the one in the slot, particularly if it's a decent movie, and the other person wants to leave. PITA to try and find the channel again.

 

We spent 2 weeks on he NA last year, and if we left anything in the slot, our cabin steward removed it and randomly placed it in the cabin so we had to play hide & seek. This continued even after complaints to Guest Services. And yes, we pulled it up to shut lights off.

Both my husband & I are heavy smokers, and while we enjoy smoking on our balcony with HAL, we do cruise with other lines. It's all a matter of adapting. We just finished a 21 day cruise with Carnival, on the Dream, and they did an excellent job accommodating smokers. With the exception of a few e-cig folks that felt they could some anywhere, smoking was confined to the areas Carnival provided. They had 2 large covered areas with tables and ashtrays that were maintained and the area was clean all the time. Clearly marked.

 

Then there was the casino. Half was smoking, half as not. Without fail, I would be sitting in the smoking section and someone would come up and start the hand waving, intentional coughing, and horrible remarks complaining they wanted to play a certain machine. If I am in a no-smoking section, and there is a machine I want to play, I don't smoke. Why can't I play a machine in the smoking area and smoke. Come on!

 

Anyhow, I do not choose a cruise because I can/can't smoke where it is convenient. It's about price & itinerary. Ban Balcony smoking for all I care. Just give me a nice outdoor area where I can smoke & enjoy myself away from folks that do no like my vice.

Holland America just recently stopped handing out any lanyards, coiled or regular to get folks to purchase them in gift shops. Luckily, we had some old ones in our suitcases, and my stapler has a punch.

 

Anything to make money.