GranthamMommy

We have a lot of obc for our next cruise, so we will book a three night package for our next cruise. We have been to the Tuscan Grill. Book this one and go hungry. We had one evening where it was phenomenal (the waiter was great) and another night where the food was okay, but the waiter was not so good. We enjoy QSine with friends although you can do it as a couple. We have done Murano's once and loved it as well. We leave next Friday !

Well, I went on my first aft balcony last year. It was on another cruise line. I didn't notice much change in the motion. I enjoyed my extended balcony.

What I didn't like or would consider for next time:

While the wake was nice to watch...

Consider which way your bed is facing. Instead of rocking from side to side it could be front to back when you're in bed.

I rarely got any sun and could not see any sunrises or sunsets from my balcony. We were headed south most of the time.

If you are on port or starboard you can look ahead to see what's coming and get your camera ready. By the time you see something aft, it's already going past you and no time to get the camera ready.

Would I book an aft again- maybe. I did enjoy my huge balcony. I think you said you had an ocean view so most of what I said isn't applicable.

My best advice is to NOT overplan. Everyone vacations differently.

You're going to enjoy your first cruise. I promise!

Cheers program- really depends. My coffee, bottle of water and two or three per day don't seem to make it worthwhile. We were on a cruise where we had a free drink plan. I realized if I had to pay for it, it probably wouldn't do it- especially if you have kids in tow or a lot of time in port.

Enjoy!

It really depends for us. $5 if we pack light, $10 if we have a bit more, $20 for a two week when we had 4 large suitcases.

I

In 1983 I went on my first cruise on the brand new Carnivale Tropicale. Cruising was expensive, Love Boat was still on the air and I booked my cabin through Single World. My bff and I were put in a shared four person cabin on the Riviera Deck.....and we were happy.

I became friends with the roommate from Texas and went to visit her for the holidays.

Long story short, a year later I married the engineer she was the admininstrative assistant for......31+ years later, we're still married!

Interesting thread. My Carnival Cabin Stewards have always been the friendliest and most accomodating. They have always been seen from day 1 and have always filled any requests, although we don't usually ask for anything more than the occasional ice bucket. I do love my twice a day visits- for towel replacement and I just love the turn down at night and that silly towel animal.

As a comparison, I was on a Celebrity 15 day cruise and my cabin steward was rarely seen, less than friendly and did not go out of his way to please us.

The rest of the crew was superb.

I love my Carnival - "good morning Miss Cheryl"

Able to choose a check in time for our Nov 27 sailing from Miami!

If you stop in Colon Panama, there are a number of restaurants at the port that had wifi. Although by late afternoon there were so many people that it was sketchy.

We switched to an international plan for our Verizon iphone. $40 well spent.

We were on the Infinity a year ago. At that time Select dining was on the upper floor of the dining room. Our favorite tables for two were to the left, along the railing. We had the railing to one side and the aisle on the other. We didn't feel like we were at a table of six.

Not near a Window, but not claustrophobic.

If you buy the Cheers package on board, do they adhere to the everyone in the room must buy the package?

I try to save money as well but I have some limits.

We went on our Dream cruise in April of 2015. We flew in a day early and stayed at the airport and the hotel hooked us up with a driver to go back and forth in to the FQ.

Walking on the day of the cruise. Nice if the sun is out, or as least doable.

Our cruise, torrential rains. Traffic was at a stand still. There was a major accident on I10 that backed people up for hours. If I had been driving in I would have had a nervous breakdown.

You will love your Dream cruise. Like someone else mentioned, we loved Acme Oyster House.

Happy Sailing.

I just received 3, $500 gift cards from Verizon. This thread had me a tiny bit concerned, so I went ahead and paid down the cruise.

1) The cards were not consecutive, only the last two numbers were different.

2) The Carnival website did NOT ask for a pin.

The use of a pin number (like the new chip cards) is more secure. It just depends on whether the software being used for the payments require a pin.

And maybe just maybe it wasn't a scam.

Probably all the cards in the pile at the fulfillment center are for $500.

You type in the number, make a typo, but hey, it takes it and it was for $500. No one realizes there is a mistake.

Read the Terms and Conditions on the card:

Cardholder bears all risk of loss in the event this card is lost, STOLEN, damaged or used WITHOUT THE CARDHOLDER'S PERMISSION.

So, I guess there isn't much you can do unless you're within the time to contest your credit card bill. (NEVER use a debit card)

I'm sorry this happened to you OP. But thank you for sharing because we are now all more aware,

Grantham Mommy

I just want to add my best wishes for how things turn out tomorrow.

Karma is a b*tch. Go on the cruise. You know you will have a good time, you're cruise professionals. Letting your friends have the balcony will bring good things to you - at the very least a fun time with friends that may turn in to life long cruise buddies. Ask for something REASONABLE from the TA and pack your bags!

Thank you for sharing your story. This could happen on any cruise and few of read the very fine print.

Happy Sailing.

i dont see that area for my feb cruise on the Vista

I am on the 11/27 Vista cruise and I could not pick a time either. I believe the FAQ page said the Vista would be set up for check in about three months before the first cruise.....so....that would be a week from now.

This check in time is new to me too.

Happy Sailing.

I am sailing in July. Faster to the Fun is already sold out for my ship.

I have heard that I may be able to book closer to the cruise. Has anyone had experience with this? Should I keep checking back?

I successfully got an fttf closer to the cruise date. Just keep looking. Look at odd times, like after midnight. If you're on your roll call, people are usually looking out and posting. Once I got mine, I would IM others if I saw some available.

I'm hoping the same is true. I just booked a November cruise. I'm not hopeful, but I check when I think of it. My husband has mobility issues and I like it just for the fact he can rest a bit once we get on the ship and drop our bags in the room.

We're a bit older than you, mid 56 and 62, but we love Carnival for it's prices and activities. The food is pretty good too. Yes, some one is bound to overdue with the Cheers! package. We were watching a Dive In movie and a woman passed by us, and then well...lets say she wasn't feeling to good! But that isn't the norm.

We sail Carnival for fun and laid back. We sail Celebrity for the itineraries, few children and better food.

Have fun!

fttf - we can get a little crazy. But in our case, my husband has some mobility issues, and it's worthwhile to have our cabin ready so we don't have to deal with our carry on items and he can relax for a few minutes after a day of travel. It makes our cruise that much nicer. We still have a way to go for diamond/platinum .

My first cruise was in 1983 on Carnival Tropicale - Their first new trip. Cruising was still "expensive" My good friend and I booked through a travel agency that had you share a cabin with other women...strangers.

Can you imagine that happening today?

Well there were four of us in an inside cabin on the Riviera deck. No planning. No cruise critic. Lots of clothes and makeup.

We had a blast. Take an upper bunk, better air circulation, at least that long ago. One of the strangers - we became friends. Visited her the next winter, and ended up marrying one of her co-workers.

Get up early. Find a place on the deck to call your own and go crazy!

Shore excursions web page has changed since my last cruise. When I log in to my cruise, I only see the home port advisory. I'm assuming it means the fttf has been sold out, I keep checking to see if it shows up.

We did the two week repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Valparaiso in December 2015. We loved the Infinity. If you haven't been through the Panama Canal before, try to add this and do a b2b. Loved the canal. We enjoyed Cartagena, Lima and Panama City. Manta and Arica were small, and well, just stops to us.

We had an aft facing cabin, which was huge and we thought we would enjoy, but it rarely got sun since we were mostly heading south.

Pool area was nice, loved Café al Bacio and the food in the MDR was great. Enjoyed the Tuscan Grille and QSine.

The Casino was nice, but relatively quiet.

Spent time out by the pool since we weren't getting any sun on our balcony. Very nice.

International mix of passengers.

Have fun!

LFK might be my favorite spot anywhere. Just remember your sunscreen and reapply. The breeze makes it so comfortable you forget about the sun.

Have a great time.

Keep checking. Especially after final payment is due. I had luck checking around midnight a few times on one of my previous cruises.

If you're on a roll call, a few of us would keep and eye out and let people know.

Good luck.

We were on the Infinity in December 2015 for two weeks. There are not alot of bells and whistles as someone said. But if you're looking for good food and relaxation, this was the ship.

The food was very good in the MDR and the buffet. Don't miss the poached egg station on the buffet for made to order eggs benedict.

To each his own. Just booked my 3rd Celebrity Cruise. Movin on up to the Equinox.

Happy Sailing.

Depending on your financial standing....

I know for my next cruise I have $600 obc. I have the premium drink package, paid gratuities and free internet. so....I want to use my obc. In my case I would call it 'free specialty dining'

If I booked ahead of time, it's out of pocket and I don't want to spend more money. So even if it's more expensive to book on board, it's still cheaper unless it's more than $600.

I would never spend $600 on photos and purchases etc....although I might find me a nice purse on this trip. I feel sorry for those that had the equinox cruises cancelled, but what a deal.

We did a 15 day Panama Canal Cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Valparaiso last December.

I still work and I was just happy to have all the down time! I read a really long novel, took naps and watched movies because I did have so much time.

Definitely spend some time lounging at the Thalassotherapy pool. So relaxing, especially the day after a busy port day.

Buy a three dinner package once you get on board and try QSine and the Tuscan Grill if you haven't tried them before. Love the poached egg station at the OceanView café for made to order Eggs Benedict.

But I didn't find too many "different things" The usual trivia contests, bingo and such.

If you're on a roll call, you may want to ask there and find others with like interests.

Enjoy your cruise.