tea4ular

Agree...quiet rooms and hallways. There are fewer cabins on deck 11 and 12, so fewer people And beyond that, families with kids generally don't spend the extra money for a Spa room, so fewer kids, if any kids. Feels very secluded and private.

It really does feel like a secluded area. Now if I can just gently remind everyone to please close your balcony doors, rather than letting them close themselves...be extra careful if your balcony door is open and you open your cabin door...there's a vortex that happens that is intense! And last, but not least, please use indoor spa voices in the spa.

I also use fish dot net - it costs $5 to monitor 5 cruises ($1 per cruise), and the $ doesn't expire. I'm on my 3rd $ right now...the first time I used it, we were alerted to several price drops amounting to well over $400 p/p - the second time, we saved about $280 p/p. This time, we reserved 18 months out and the fares have simply gone higher and higher (right now they are $480 p/p more than when we booked, for our category).

What I like about the site is you set the parameters and forget it -- their system runs 24/7 and immediately sends an e-mail when the price drops -- I've have to include in my e-mail, which you can customize, "if the price is lower than $954!" - because otherwise I was getting excited over nothing! :p

Even though we aren't seeing price drops for this sailing, at least I don't have to think about it...

I do love the fish!

Are you saying that if the price drops $80 your TA will match that $80? If not your TA isn't really matching anything. The cruise line is giving you the reduced rate.:)

 

Bill

What I'm saying is this...assume my fare (NOT early saver) was $1000, for category Q. It is before final payment date. Fare for category Q drops to $900. I call my TA, show her where I see $900 for category Q, and my new fare is $900.

Of course "my TA isn't matching anything" -- what my TA is doing is "matching" the current pricing that the cruise line is offering. To nit-pick (which for some reason you're choosing to do), the cruiseline isn't "matching" either...they're simply lowering the price.

Touche!

My TA will match the price drop (even if I don't book early saver), but it needs to be before I've made my final payment. Also I've had to show him where I see it. My assumption has been that he cancels me, and rebooks me immediately into the same cabin.

Is the spa room available when you board the ship? Debating on if I should get faster to the fun

It is not - we purchase FTTF

We're nearly walking distance to LA port (a long walk, but walkable) and haven't cruised out of LA since Splendor changed its home port. The idea of going on an older ship after being on Splendor (when she was spanking new) simply does not appeal to us...we've gotten spoiled with Cloud 9 and a few other more up to date features.

So we had to step outside OUR comfort zone and fly across the country to sail. We'd only done that once before. With the exception of the cost involved we've been happy stepping out.

But boy oh boy we cannot wait for a newer ship to come back.

I hear ya OP!

I would love to get your feedback on your spa experiences. I'm trying to choose in purchasing the full cruise pass or not.

What did you like and use most in the spa?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Each afternoon around 4 we have a Cloud 9 "ritual" (we found that 4 was a sweet spot for quiet time). We'd head up, hit the T-pool for a bit, and then make our way from steam rooms to cooler rooms (they all range in temperature), and then finally the heated loungers, where we would just let it all just melt away. In total somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half depending on what we'd done earlier (how active, etc.). From there we'd head back to the cabin, and take turns getting showered, each of us taking the opportunity to relax on our balcony (one of us with a glass of wine, the other not) while waiting for our turn. Then we'd make our way for dinner and/or whatever we decided to do -- we have always had ytd so this has worked out for us. Honestly the Cloud 9 spa ritual is something we look forward to, and we find it difficult to even look at ships that don't have one. Our first time was on the Splendor, right when she started sailing, and we were gifted a spa balcony cabin by our long-term travel agent -- smart move on his part!

Someone asked about robes...for me, the spa robes are too heavy and bulky. I travel with my own waffle style robe for use when I go to the spa. I'll use the Cloud 9 robe on our balcony at night or early morning.

Someone mentioned buying 3 days worth of spa access. Right now, that would cost $120 ($40 x 3) whereas for our upcoming (7 day) cruise Carnival has a 20% off "spa sale" and a one-week pass for a solo is coming in at $119 - so check your sailing and see if there's a special offer.

We will be sailing on Earth Day this year. Our door decorations will pay homage to the earth. We love not only decorating our door, but seeing the creativity on others as well.

A couple of $ goes a long way with your steward. The first time you ask for extras hand over a couple of $ bills and you'll never run out again.

Do you get a discount on spa treatments if you've booked the spa room?

We did get special spa cabin offers but never used them so can't say specifically what they were.

I find the same thing with the "regular" hair products. The "upgraded" is Elemis...it also dries out my hair...I think it's the water rather than the products. I've taken to bringing my own products - it sort of helps.

Warning from a Cloud 9 cabin purchaser...you may never go back to a "standard" cabin again. The quiet location, and more subdued decor make it an "upgraded" travel experience. :p

Vegan is a little harder on a cruise ship simply due to the many passengers being served at once. I have found as a vegetarian it was not as difficult to enjoy every meal. That said...there are some very good vegan choices, some already mentioned...

The Indian fare offered in the dining room is incredible. As is the Indian selection on the buffet - you may have to hunt around or ask where they've put it, for some reason it seems to be kept separated from the rest of the buffet.

If your ship offers it...the made to order Mongolian Wok is worth the wait - veggies galore (you choose what and quantity), and they offer tofu as a protein source - you may need to ask for the tofu - they do have it, don't be shy about asking.

Soy milk is available - room service, the buffet, the dining room, and the (paid) coffee cafe all have it - in the dining room, let your service team know on day one, and they will have it each time from then...it may take a little long the first time.

If your ship has Cucina de Capitano (Italian restaurant) at lunch it is no extra charge, and you can order marinara sauce (no meat products) as well as several pasta choices. At dinner there's a nominal per person price - and again, there is marinara as a sauce option.

The pizza stand will make vegan pizza, and I personally have brought a few extra veggies from the buffet and had them add them to my veggie pizza (during buffet time, not when the buffet is closed).

And of course there's salad, unfortunately the selections of toppings are pretty meager, but I'm also someone who will put hot veggies on my salads, so I get them too add.

You can absolutely ask for no butter or sauce, and steamed veggies in the dining room. Not an issue, not a problem. A baked potato with some steamed veggies that I mix together is a personal go-to.

The fruit is pretty darn good on a ship, there's a good selection, and as goofy as this sounds, the best pineapple I've eaten (outside of Maui) is on cruise ships.

There are many choices for vegans on the buffet for breakfast, you're just going to have to be aware, and hunt. There's always a variety of boxed cereal, and soy milk.

There is peanut butter available at the breakfast buffet. I enjoy it on the gluten free bread/toast (I'm not GF, but it's yummy...lots of seeds and nuts).

Veggie burgers might have cheese in them, so if you're a strict vegan, they're off limits. You can ask.

Never be concerned about asking for something or what the ingredients are. I have found the crew all to be incredibly helpful. :)

Thank you - I saw a video clip & it looked the the ship was moored off shore.

Is St Thomas a tender port? Carnival Magic for reference.

HAL had a large puzzle for all to engage with - it was pretty cool - if I saw one on. Carnival I'd play for awhile. I love puzzles!

Anyone had a problem like the one below?

Yep. We had booked a B2B several years ago for Alaska - I don't recall the specific logistics, however my husband is a quadriplegic, and we were wanting to avoid flying (we live near Port of Los Angeles) - grabbed our cabins, started making plans, were more than 50% paid off, and about 3 months before sail date got a call from our TA, the trip is off due to the Jones Act. We would need 24 hours between sailing to alleviate the loophole. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't going to work. We got some slack about getting a full refund, but boy did we fight that one! :eek:

It's an antiquated maritime law and one that needs to be reworked or abolished -

I'll agree that making a reservation gives you peace of mind that you're all set. You can always cancel, but it's never a given that you'd be seated within a short wait (or even at all) without a reservation. Due to the more relaxed dress code of the first night, and the wine offer, I would think it's one of the busier evenings.

The hot water spigots at the coffee stations have always served the purpose for making tea for us (tea drinkers) - it's not boiling, however, you don't really steep tea in boiling water either (boiled, yes, but no longer boiling). And yes, we travel with our favorite tea.

First time to submit shareholder request and need to know how far in advance we can send it in via fax (or email?) On Princess it is after final payment and by fax only and there is a form we use. Is there a form for Carnival and, if so, could someone direct me where to find it. This is for my Horizon cruise on April 2, 2018.

I wouldn't submit any earlier than 90 days out - no form per se. I have always e-mailed my request; within moments of e-mailing I receive a confirmation that the e-mail was received and I will hear back within 3 business days...I write something like this:

guestadmin@carnival.com

Please accept this e-mail as a request for shareholder benefits applicable to the below cruise.

My name is XXXX and I am booked to sail on the following Carnival Cruise.

Carnival XXX (xx nights) out of XXX on April 22, 2017, booking # XXXX.

I have attached a PDF file (file name here.pdf) of the relevant pages of my stock account statement as proof of ownership of xxx shares of Carnival.

Please send an email confirmation of OBC applied to my folio.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you and looking forward to my trip

Compass? I don't have a compass. I let the Captain drive. I don't need to know where we are going.

I'm a control freak - I always have to know! ;)

Just submitted my shareholder credit request...THIS is when I know it's getting closer to sail date!

What's yours?

:p

Great! Thanks!

 

DH is a sleeper, and I'm an early riser...sitting out on the balcony with my book and a carafe of coffee while he sleeps sounds about like heaven!

Each night before we go to bed we hang the door hanger for morning coffee, fresh fruit, yogurt and occasionally croissants - We mark the time we would like the delivery (we're early risers) and it has always been delivered within 15 minutes of the time noted. We bring $1 bills and always give $2 cash (one for each of us) to the person delivering.

As an aside, we usually request "coffee for 4" (even though it's only the 2 of us) and that ensures a large carafe. We also request 1 non-fat milk (it comes in a sealed container, otherwise they send some kind of non-dairy creamer.

Balcony coffee is divine in the morning! :p

If a friend gave me a $50 gift card to someplace I wouldn't normally go/shop, I'd enjoy the experience, and enjoy the fact that I had a $50 discount. What is the problem?

22 sailings and counting across all the major lines, and have never been double charged once I've prepaid the gratuities.

I would take that worry off the table, call and prepay them. It also means one less charge to come home to at the end of the trip.

Is it hard to learn how to ride them???

My one and only time, was in Atlanta - I was just under 50, and not particularly athletic. I found it very easy once I stopped being anxious. They have varying speeds they can be set to, and my tour guide put us on the lowest, which is equivalent to a fast walk. It's an interesting experience riding one, and I would actually like to try it again someplace.