mfs2k

I love how people complain about free benefits. Loyalty programs are designed to keep passengers loyal to the brand at an affordable cost. It’s all about cost/benefit. When the ratio is broken they make adjustments. It’s a risky move to take away benefits from those who already have them. I don’t think we’ll see much of that. But I do see a change where there’s a renewal requirement to hold on to benefits.

Is electricity free to them? NO Is water free to them? NO Is the internet an essential utility in 2024 to most people ? YES Can most people live without internet for a week? YES. And most can live without electricity for a week too. What’s your point? Mine is that internet access is an essential utility in 2024 and no longer a luxury.

I'll be on a Med cruise on Legend in September with the Cheers package. I usually drink Bourbon on the rocks. Hopefully there will be Bulleit, Woodford, Basil Hayden or Blanton. I'll drink BT or Makers if nothing else is available..Not a fan of Jim Beam. I used to be happy with Jack D. PS: I just learned in 2021 Basil Hayden changed their brand name from Basil Hayden's. I thought I noticed the change on labels but never checked online until now..

It seems there's an easy solution that poker players figured out a long time ago.. Sell poker chips privately, play with those on the Lido deck, then cash out the winner's poker chips privately. No visible money.

if you still have a gift card balance, it wasn't saved in the Carnival app and you should do it again.

The answer is simple. And the answer pertains to cruise lines as well as other businesses in the hospitality industry. Cruise lines want to "catch" buyers by offering low advertised rates for the cabin, then want to build revenue and profit by upselling and adding on additional charges for internet, beverages, gratuities, port fees, premium restaurants; art sales; etc.. As long as guests pay for these services, the cruise lines will continue to charge for them. In my opinion, these charges will go away when more cruise lines start treating internet like other utilities such as water and electricity, and offer it for free. Imagine if Royal Caribbean; Celebrity, or Princess started advertising and promoting Free high speed Internet to all, to attract more passengers. If the trend caught on, Carnival would have to eventually include internet in the basic cabin cost. But personally i dont think there's enough competitive pressure for this to happen. This is, by the way, what happened in American hotels 10-15 years ago. Many hotels started advertising free internet, and the ones which charged $9.95 to $14.95 per day eventally caved to social media and TripAdvisor pressure and switched to free internet. The complaints were too much. Now you see it with "Resort" or "Facility" fees. This too will go away eventually and hotels and resorts will be forced to raise their advertised rates to keep the revenue growing.

It's no more criminal that 3% credit card surcharges; $50 checked bag fees; carry on baggage fees; resort fees; facility fees; 18% mandated service charge plus 5% administrative fees; $59.95 per person per day beverage packages; or a $500 upgrade fee for 5 more inches of legroom so someone 6 feet tall can sit on a plane comfortably.

well played! I wish I had that kind of time flexibility.

New York.

I wish I had the flexibility to book last minute cruises. The deals are pretty amazing.

Yes, I just got, a day or two ago, a casino offer for a 14 night Greenland cruise on Pride, I think, for $299 inside, $399 Oceanview and $499 Balcony. The beverage package would cost more than the accomodations, meals, entertainment, and amenities. Crazy.

No. I made a payment towards my Sept cruise balance

Credit received.

Friends want to sail with us on Legend 9/6/24 from Rome but it's been sold out for a month or two so the sailing doesn't appear anywhere on selling websites. If someone were to cancel, would that sailing suddenly reappear? Does Carnival have waitlists for sold out bookings? I also checked agencies which may have blocked cabins but I don't see availability anywhere. What about on the final payment date? Do people decide they'll forfeit their deposits and cabins become available then?

To avoid this issue, attach a credit card to your room for pre-arrival, for any outstanding balances, then have Guest Services post your gift cards to your folio so you have a credit balance. You can then buy chips and charge them to your room. The credit balance will offset your charges. Any remaining balance will be charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise. Not sure what happens if you have a remaining credit balance.

Yeah, Airlines charge $2000-$3,000 to upgrade from economy to Business/First on an 8 hour flight and people pay for 10 more inches of leg room and hip space. It's still just a chair. It all depends how you look at your cruise upgrade and how much you want that balcony. I guarantee that balcony cabin won't sail empty.

I have the offer on my Blue Cash (not preferred) Card. Used it. Thanks!

Bring food saver bags and a vacuum sealer.

It’s a listed perk in the Platinum program but maybe they’re trying not to promote it on certain ships which have trouble handling the laundry volume. 🤔

I suggest you initiate a chargeback with your credit card company. The PVP should have told you. They can credit your account and void the cards. Not that big a deal. It’s all electronic transferring.

Which part is unsustainable? Priority boarding? I don’t get it. Why would they offer FTTF if they can’t handle it? Maybe priority means shifting an hour for Platinum. Maybe it means a new Titanium level between Platinum and Diamond. Go with the flow and have fun. You’re on vacation. it’s all better than it was 20 years ago when no one was assigned a boarding time and 2,000 people showed up at 11am and we all waited in line for 4 hours to board and there was no such thing as a beverage package. Remember those days? Give me less than a 2 hour wait, a place to drop my bag and put on a bathing suit, and a cocktail and I’m happy. I’m on vacay.

And thought I wake up early on a cruise… 😂😂😂

Carnival has a history of not wanting to offend those who are close to, or have reached, status through old program rules. Carnival used to base Platinum status on the number of cruises (10) instead of the current program of number of nights (75). Carnival used to offer frequent 2 night cruises to nowhere and many people had 10 cruises but not 75 nights. When they changed the program to 75 nights about 10-12 years ago they announced the change well in advance and grandfathered many guests into the Platinum program with 10 cruises and fewer than 75 nights. I’m one of those grandfathered. Thank you Carnival. Im confident that any changes made to the program will be thoughtful and provide lots of notice and will not be designed to anger frequent repeat guests. To do it differently would be dumb marketing.

This entire thread is full of people who love Mardi Gras. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2996220-need-help-deciding-between-vista-and-mardi-gras/

Thank you both. Helpful information