tjsmama

Thanks so much for responses. I had not seen the John Heald's post and wasn't sure where to go to find the info. Figured the CC people would have knowledge/experience on this.

My son and his wife are cruising on the Fantasy sailing on December 7 and was wondering if the ship will be decorated for Christmas by this time? Has anyone sailed this ship or another Carnival ship after Thanksgiving but before the actual week of Christmas and would know if the ship is decorated during this time or if they wait until the week of Christmas?

I have a girls trip planned for December 11 through the 16th to Cozumel and Progresso. Just trying to find information out about the Grand Suites and excursions and dress codes for dinner. Please help

For really good info on the suites..check out the website cruisedeckplans dot com.....you can see pictures of actual rooms on the specific ship you are sailing. As for dress code...it is pretty casual..i was on it about 2 months ago and wore capris and casual shirts to dinner every night...except elegant night..i wore a dress and heels...actually changed after dinner before the show...and my husband wore jeans and polos to dinner..except for elegant night. For excursions...Mr Sanchos is always highly recommended...or there is always Chankunaub Marine Park/beach for Cozumel. I do not know much about Progresso as it has been sooo long since we cruised there and we only got as far as the market place...it was a new destination when we visited and not much to it...it may be alot different now.

I never said i wanted the money back on my credit card. I would've liked Carnival to send me a check. This was not a cruise I cancelled...which if i did i would not expect them to refund me (unless i bought insurance). This was a cruise that Carnival cancelled, so instead of having to get money back on a gift card that can only be used for Carnival, i was hoping to get an actual refund so that i was not out the money i spent for the cancelled cruise. Again, had i known of the policy, i would not have bought the cards and used them for payment...just in case the unexpected happens and the cruise is cancelled. I spoke to my PVP about using the gift cards and how to use them and was never once told about this policy ...i guess unless you know the questions you need to ask, you don't ask the questions you need to ask. I am not looking for something for free. I was simply putting this out there to see if anyone else experienced the same thing and maybe had some advice or information i could use....i guess i should've know there would be people to get snippy or uppity and have attitudes w/me. I usually only post whenever I have information i can provide or whenever I have a question. And...i usually search all over b/4 i ask the question...for the very reason that people tend to jump you on CC.

I have a separate question here. How long did it take them to get you the gift card? I had the same thing happen to me. I used gift cards for the whole purchase and I am anxiously waiting....The cancellation letter said up to 3 weeks. I don't like the thought of a gift card worth so much being shipped to me.

It took longer than 3 weeks...maybe 4 or 5.

You're going on another cruise? That's important new information! Just apply all of those gift cards to your S&S account. Use the casino trick to cash them out. Problem solved :)

No, we dont have another cruise booked/planned...that was the problem..having to wait until we cruised again to use them and now having to cruise with Carnival instead of maybe trying another cruise line which have been wanting to do. It is what it is. I didn't bother to check the website for information as i relied on my PVP to make sure i was completely informed.

What is the casino trick?

Every refund I've received was returned to the original form of payment. So I don't think them returning your deposit via credit card and balance via gift cards is unreasonable. I assume you got the gift cards at a discount and that's why you used them. So technically you would have made a profit to get it back in cash. Any chance you could try selling the gift cards if you don't wish to cruise carnival again.

 

 

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We didnt get the gift cards at a discount..not really. We purchased them at Kroger which allowed us extra fuel points, which saved us money in gas. They did not save me enough to ever do this again. I have learned my lesson. If we had been told/advised by our PVP to use the value of our balance toward the new offer (4 day cruise for port fees, taxes, and surcharges) then MAYBE any left over onboard credit would've been sent to us in the form of a check....BUT we were not advised. Due to the different forms of payments and the short notice of the next cruise we just gave her a credit card for the new amount and patiently waited for our 'refund'. Had i been aware that the refund would not come as a check but in another gift card, i would've done it differently. Lesson learned, i guess.

As of right now, we are not sure what we are going to do, but selling them sounds like it might be an option...i hadnt thought of that. Thx

I wish i would've known about this. I booked my cruise the a PVP and we paid the deposit with a credit card. We then bought gift cards to pay the balance. I even asked my PVP questions about how to use them and she never once mentioned that if we used gift cards to pay for the balance and the cruise had to be cancelled (it was cancelled by Carnival due to Hurricane Maria) we would receive the refund in gift cards. If I had been aware of this, I would never have bought the cards to use that way...just in case. So, now i have gift cards to use and am not sure when i will be able to use them and still have the charges on my credit card from where i purchased the gift cards. So, i'm kind of SOL until we are able to take the time/money to cruise again.

We were scheduled on the Fascination Oct 8 sailing from San Juan that was cancelled. We paid our deposit with a credit card and then paid the balance with Carnival gift cards. When the cruise was cancelled, we were told we would get a refund. We received our refund in the form of gift cards. In my opinion, that is not a refund. That is just Carnival holding onto our money for future cruise. So, essentially, we are out that money (bought the gift cards with a credit card) until we can cruise again. Has anyone else had this happen to them? Was Carnival willing to void the gift cards and send you a check? I have emailed my PVP and Carnival Guest Care and am waiting to hear. I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar experience and what the outcome was.

The Triumph, that left out of NOLA, today is doing a cruise to nowhere. It was to go to Cozumel but will not be due to the storm and there are no other available ports.

We cruised out of Mobile about 3 weeks ago. We parked at the terminal and it was a breeze. We pre-paid the parking so we did not have to use the kiosk. We pulled in, dropped our luggage off w/the porter, parked the car and walked right in...easy peasy...and very easy when leaving..didnt have to wait for a shuttle..walked off the ship, through customs, up the elevator and into our car.

We got the 'once in a lifetime email' offer to upgrade to an owner's suite. The pics they sent were amazing..but the cost to upgrade was just more than we wanted to add on to our total. Was told they only offer them to those that are booked in suites and they do not offer them on the website. It was so hard to say no because they look awesome.

We are renting a car with Hertz and dropping it off next to our hotel (Residence Inn Cape Canaveral) which is also not far from your hotel. The cost is about 60.00 and there is no drop fee. We have 4 people, and the average cost of a shuttle was about 12.00 per person..so its about even and we have the freedom of having a vehicle for the evening.

All Houston Airports are NOT open.

Summary

As of 1200 Aug. 30, a number of airports remained closed in Texas due to the effects of Tropical Storm Harvey. Authorities now expect both Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) to remain closed until Aug. 31.

Airports in Louisiana will likely experience significant flight disruptions as Harvey moves through the state Aug. 30-31. As of 1200 Aug. 30, all major airports in the state remain open, although all flights to and from Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) for Aug. 30 have been canceled.

Significant flight disruptions are continuing at other regional airports that handle a high volume of flights from the Houston area (IAH, HOU). Significant airline network disruptions are expected to persist through at least Sept. 2.

Airport Status:

• Incident: Airport closures
  
• Location: Texas (Greater Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Conroe, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Victoria) and Louisiana (Lake Charles, Alexandria, Lafayette, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans) (map)
  
• Start Date: Aug. 26
  

Houston Airports

• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): Projected reopening 1200 Aug. 31.
  
• Houston Hobby Airport (HOU): Projected reopening 1200 Aug. 31.
  
• Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (CXO): Open
  
• David Wayne Hooks Airport (DWH): Open
  
• Houston Ellington Airport (EFD): Open
  
• Houston Executive Airport (TME): Projected reopening 2359 Aug. 30
  
• Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR): Projected reopening 2359 Sept. 1
  

Corpus Christi Airports

• Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP): Open
  
• NAS Corpus Christi (NGP): Projected reopening Sept. 4
  
• Port Aransas Mustang Island Airport (KRAS): Projected reopening 0500 Sept. 2
  

Other Texas Airports

• Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS): Open
  
• Beaumont - Jack Brooks Regional Airport (BPT): Projected reopening 0900 Aug. 31
  
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): Open
  
• Dallas Love Field (DAL): Open
  
• San Antonio International Airport (SAT): Open
  
• Victoria Regional Airport (VCT): Open
  
• Waco Regional Airport (ACT): Open
  

34 til Fantasy and 57 til Fascination. Woo Hoo

I just double checked with him. He says it was $60, went from about 9-noon, and he highly recommends it! He signed up onboard the day before. I don't know if it is something you can book ahead of time.

Thank you. I knew that I would have to go to guest services as soon as I got on the ship to try and get a spot b/c space is limited...told my hubs that is the first thing I am doing when we board. I am glad to hear that it is less than I thought...about 30.00 less for the 2 of us.

Just checked and it's not available. We're used to eater later so maybe we'll just keep it. LOL Choices and more choices - I love it.

 

 

Divag

We are also cruising on the Fascination, in October (we are on the 8OCT sailing) and were able to get Your Time Dining. We initially chose Late seating, when we booked with our PVP but I changed it through My Cruise Manager to the Your Time Dining.

Tuesday-

 

After a great nights sleep, I woke up at 7:30 ready to move around! The beds, comforter and pillows were so comfortable that we slept good every night. Probably the only complaint we had about our room would be that Hubby thought the room was too warm. I didn’t. But since we couldn’t change the temperature that was an argument avoided J If you remember I was originally concerned that the room would be noisy because the galley was above us, but this didn’t turn out to be the case. We were in E143 and the only noise we heard was what sounded like a metal patio chair being moved outside our window. That happened only a couple of times while we were getting ready for dinner, so it wasn’t a big deal. The kids had no complaints, and we all really loved having the ocean view, so I believe the upgrade (for $35 pp) was totally worth it. Also, the window sill was wide enough to sit on, so that was fun.

 

 

Anyway, I dressed in workout clothes and left Hubby sleeping to head up for a cup of coffee. I took a look at the Hub app and saw a yoga class was about to start so I headed to the gym. Or thought I did. I found myself on the exact opposite side of the ship. I know people say this ship is small, but its plenty big enough to get lost in! At least for me. By the time I got to the yoga class it was almost 10 min into the 45 minute class, so I decided not to spend the $12 and fooled around with the weights and machines for a bit. But I really hate working out inside, so I gave it up pretty quickly and went upstairs and outside to the track. Running around the track 11 times was 1 mile. I made it through 3 miles. I thought it would be more boring, but because we were cruising along pretty fast there was an uphill into the wind side, and a downhill breeze at your back side. Besides BF came up to drink his coffee and walked a few laps with me so that broke it up. He was on his way to the Ships Tour. A 3 hour, $55 adventure that he was really looking forward to. Look what I saw on my adventure!

 

 

When I got back to the room Hubby was ready to get up and go for the Sea Day Brunch. We texted the kids where we going (no answer) and headed to the Dining Room. It was fun just being the two of us, so we joined 2 other couples at a large table and made some friends. Before we got our food though D#3 texted and wanted to join us. We moved over and she was allowed in. I haven’t mentioned yet how strict they were at the Dining Room reception desk. If your whole party wasn’t there they wouldn’t let you in. It makes sense I guess, so the tables aren’t held for long periods of time. Also, the servers really want to give everyone food at the same time. I was really glad D#3 sat down and ordered quickly so we didn’t mess up the pattern!

We were almost done eating when daughters #1 and 2 woke up and wanted to join us. So we went back to the reception desk, met them, and were seated (again!) at a table by the window. By the time brunch was over it was after 11 and I had drunk a solid pot of coffee.

 

 

 

BF really enjoyed the ship tour and was full of trivia for the rest of the trip. It was very interesting to hear about the behind the scenes working of the cruise. D#3 needed internet for some school contact, and Hubby really wanted to watch the finale of Super girl, so we got the internet package for a day. We all used it at times, only one person at a time though, to check email and send a few messages to family back at home. It was really slow when it came to watching the movie, but it gave him something to do that was not in the sun. He isn’t the pool kind of guy really. And with perseverance he made it to the end.

 

Ice carving-

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I noticed that the cost you listed for your BF's Behind the Scenes tour was 55.00. My son (14) are really wanting to do this when we sail on the Fascination in October and I had read the price was 75.00...is it lower on the Fascination or are there 2 different tours..one being 55.00 and one being 75.00. I would love know.

So excited about this thread. I am looking to do an Alaska cruise for my 50th (2020) and hoping the Bliss is still an option. I am loving hearing all the different stages/comments.

We are booked in cabin V27 on the Fascination, which is located on deck 11, forward. Has anyone every stayed on deck 11, forward? Is it real rocky (either side to side or up and down)? I was just wondering how much of the motion we will feel. I have only ever gotten sea sick one time, years ago...but i have never booked on a deck up this high and we usually get cabins more midship. Just need to know if I should MAKE SURE to bring sea-sickness prevention.

Hey all! My husband and I have sailed 7x with Carnival, though it's been a multiple years, as we have had 2 boys. We are looking to book a cruise summer 18 (possibly on the Dream), and I can't seem to find any pics of what the rooms look like for 4 people. Our boys will be 5 and 1 (nearly 2) at that point. Carnival seems to just have the typical rooms on their webpage. Can anyone help me out??

 

Thanks!

Susanna

Try cruisedeckplans.com. There are pictures and descriptions room offered on the different cruise lines.

To give you an idea what our friend is up against in terms of answers to the accessible cabins on the Fascination.

 

He asked about cabin E68. On the phone he spoke with two different reps that told him that this particular cabin has no lip/step up into the bathroom and the shower is roll in, BUT it is noted that a step will be added and the cabin doorway narrowed during the Fascinations next dry dock. They specified the time is unknown.

 

So, I guess now we need to find out if Fascination will be going into dry dock between now and our cruise which is March 11-18.

 

Anyone?

If I am not mistaken, the Fascination is going into dry dock February 2018

anyone have a good email address for him? Thanks!

I would love to know, as well...i thought I had found him on Facebook, but i dont think it's the same guy/company

Apologize if I missed posts about this...

On all of our previous cruises the hours for Sea Day Brunch were 8:30 - 1:00/1:30.

Received an email from Carnival about "all the fun things to do on your cruise" :) and it mentioned Sea Day Brunch from 10 - 1. Yikes, way too late for us, as we really do it for breakfast-ish. (Hate Lido buffet, LOL)

Did they change the hours or was this just a typo?

(This is for Fascination in October, so only 1 sea day)

TIA.

On which date will you be sailing? We are on the 8OCT cruise.

Absolutely love this. Going in October and got to see exactly what my room would look like.

Thank you