michaelandjoanne

This is just a guess but I imagine Carnival tracks everything about you onboard. How much you gamble, how much you drink, how much you shop, how you tip, shore excursions, spa services etc. They then profile you as a customer, give you an internal rating and target market you. A long time cruiser who carries onboard drinks, has done all the excursions and doesn’t spend much is not as profitable as a red card cruiser who has a big onboard account at the end of the cruise.

I know the companies I have worked for know all these details of their customers.

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While I agree with most of your post, the one thing I take issue with is the "toss when done". Trash disposal in the Caribbean (and in the oceans) is a BIG problem. A blow up floatey thing is useful for more than one use. Please don't leave it for the locals to find proper disposal. Take it back with you and use it again. Please people. let's be conscious of not ruining what we love.

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The electronic table’s speed means you see about twice as many hands per hour compared to playing with real cards so instead of seeing a good hand every 20 minutes you are seeing one every 10 minutes which makes it seem

less random.

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Thanks for the tip. Very helpful to know you can see the entire cruise activities and not just the day of. We are traveling on pride in August. Can't wait!

 

 

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Yes, that was really great, especially in planning things with my son like bed time, meals etc. We also were able to schedule some spa services a few days in advance knowing what that day was going to look like.

MichaelandJoanne,

 

Did you get a chance to utilize the chat feature? If so, what were your thoughts on that?

 

Also, was the app able to know where you are on the ship? Kind of like a 'You are here' on the deck plans.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

 

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Hi,

We didn't use chat, only because my wife still uses a Blackberry LOL. It did not have location services, however it had all the deck plans and a search feature so if you were in the lobby bar and searched the lobby bar, the red dot on the deck plan would turn green.

Hi,

I am just back from a week cruise on the Carnival pride and wanted to give people a few tips I learned on this trip.

The main thing that I did on this trip that I hadn't done before is download the carnival app before I sailed. It is free to use when connected to the ships wifi and has many great features. You are able to view your sail and sign account in real time and are able to drill down to the transaction level and see all the details that would be on your receipt. (For example, on a bar charge it will show the drink you ordered, the tip amount and any extra tip. If you bought something at the shops, same thing, you would see an itemized bill). For me this was great because I its easy to forget something when you make lots of little purchases throughout the day. The app summarises the your total, then by sail and sign card (useful for checking on your kids) and then line items and then details in the line items.

The app also has the daily activities for the entire cruise so you don't have to wait for the news letter every night. You can plan ahead and favourite the activities you want to do and have a customised itinerary for yourself. For each activity you can click on the map and it will show you where it is on the ship. (The deckplan is also on the app).

The app also has a lot of information on dress codes, smoking areas, opening times etc. I used it every day on the cruise and it was very helpful.

Some other little tips.

The card room had tonnes of board games (all the classic and a few new ones)

The Red Frog pub had bar games (such as darts and table soccer)

The minibar no longer comes stocked. We had to order from room service - the cabin stewards no longer fill them.

On RCL the ocean view rooms have the beds with the head of the bed against the window wall. I find it more comfortable to sleep in rough seas this way. On Carnival the layouts are the same so I get the balcony and just sleep on the couch if I have trouble sleeping in rough seas

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Although every ship is different, a written mention by name either through guest services or the survey after is far more valuable than any gift (this is of course on top of the normal tips). On one cruise I was on crew where able to bid on perks based on the number of compliments they received. Our favourite bar tender was able to get an unused cabin for the duration of the cruise. A huge perk of privacy and comfort. They were really happy too since this was a 12 day cruise.

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They do usually have one elegant night. I am a 5XL and can usually find my size at Walmart and get a nice shirt and tie for under $40. It is not mandatory and you are still fine but it is fun to dress up and get some nice pictures.

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I normally book a year out in advance so for me this is a first. The stars aligned with money and time and I just booked a cruise, the Carnival Pride for April 2. I am excited to have such a close date.

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I have gotten the upgrade deals on every cruise I have taken with Carnival. I have no idea if these are the reasons or not but I have always done the following:

a) Booked my first cruise with Carnival through one of their Vacation Planners.

b) Always took the upgrade deal when called a couple weeks before the cruise date (balcony to suite)

c) Always pre-paid the gratuities (making them non-adjustable on the cruise)

For me it is the children's program. My son loves camp carnival, especially the late night parties (he is 7). We practically need to drag him out he is having so much fun. It also allows my wife and I to enjoy lots of time going to shows, the casino and relaxing.

Book through Air Canada vacations (Westjet or Air Transat if you prefer) and you will get a price in CAD plus a deal on flights. For AC vacations you get added perks like seat selection and free checked bags. You can also upgrade to Businesses class for far less than you would pay through air canada.com

Also, seasick is different than motion sickness. On large cruise ships the motion is slow, much like you would feel on a regular elevator in a mall, unlike in the car where there are quicker changes in speed and direction. I sometimes get motion sickness in a car but never on a ship. As mentioned on this thread there are medicines and bands that can help. Also, if it is minor you can "reset" your self by floating in one of the pools for a while.

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Be aware if you are a non-US citizen that you may be the last of the self-assist passengers to be allowed to leave depending on customs wants the ship to disembark. It has happened to me once but may not be for every cruise/port.

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I agree the breakfast buffet in general lacks the quality and variety compared with the lunch and dinner choices, but there are a few gems. My last cruise on the Splendor had smoked salmon eggs Benedict. I had them when i was not have breakfast in the mdr.

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I've sailed both and they both have better points and worse points, but that is only in comparison to the other. They are both top notch cruise lines and you will have a great time no matter which you choose. The Serenade is a great ship and they have glass elevators overlooking the Ocean. A really neat thing to experience. The only caution i would give is that Carnival has a more structured kids program, particularly in the evening and nights. If you are travelling with kids and they love the late night camp carnival activities then that is something to consider. Otherwise you can't make a bad choice here.

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I've posted this comment on other similar threads. I treat the auto/prepaid tips as their Salary and any cash tips as a bonus. Just like at my work employees are ranked from needs improvement to exceptional. For the needs improvement I would still leave the auto tip on place but would complain to GS about something serious or leave a comment on the end of cruise survey for non-serious issues. If they are average, no bonus, if they are great or exceptional I usually tip 50% to 100% more.

This is just what makes me comfortable and I can afford it. No one should feel any guilt or obligation to provide bonuses.

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I can confirm on Splendor you need quarters. It cost $6/load for wash, dry and detergent.

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This may sound like a dumb question, but is there any restriction to bringing a bottle of nail polish remover on board? I read the list or prohibited items all I saw was this:

 

 

?

In these times of flying etc. there are no longer dumb questions, only dumb policies 😜

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Trust me it matters when you hear somebody take the time to let your company know they appreciated the service you provided for them - it helps with staff morale if nothing else and makes the workers more likely to keep going the extra mile for customers. Now off my soapbox, there is a section where you can complain about bad service and I list my bad experiences there also if it negatively impacted my cruise. This is just one way, I am sure emailing the customer service department works also and surely letting their direct supervisor onboard know they did a good job works also.

It is also how they determine promotions, contract renewals and preferred assignments (some assignments may allow for more shore leave etc.)

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When I booked and prepaid my gratuities online I remember something that said it could not be reversed (meaning you couldn't remove them once on board). It didn't matter to me since if I had an issue serious enough that I would want to remove the tip, I would complain and have the issue resolved instead. That aside, I always wondered how the staff thought about it. I have almost always received excellent service. From the staff point of view does it get you started on the right foot since they know upfront you are not going to stiff you on the cruise? Does it indicate to the staff you are more likely to be a seasoned traveller who understands the unwritten etiquette on how the cruise industry works?

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My son 6 loved the midnight and fun to one parties. It was $20 for the three hours and the bag of of stuff they get is worth the money too. I only sent him to the three theme nights we had on our 8 day cruise. When we talk about our next cruise it is the thing he is most excited about.

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We travel a lot with my son and when the seas get rough sometimes my son wants to sleep with mommy. I have skeps on the couch a few times and didn't find it any better or worse than the bed. On the slendor they turned over the couch part so it was different than what what you sit on.

One thing you may want to check out is on some ships right at the front the last room on each side of the ship is considered an inside room since it has no windows. It also connects directly to a balcony stateroom (like doors between 2 hotels rooms) so you essentially have a 2 room suite paying for one balcony and one inside. Something to check out if it's in your budget.

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We usually tip the room steward double the suggested amount (prepaid the tips plus handed a an envelope at the end of the cruise) on our last cruise, he introduced himself the first afternoon and asked if we needed anything and asked about our preferences. I had forgotten an extension cord for my CPAP and he brought me one in 10 minutes. He was always friendly and greeted us in the hallway, giving us tips on the ports or activities on the ship. Once my son wet his bed and he had to change the sheets. All in all he was very pleasant and genuine through out the cruise and an example of competent service and excellent people skills. He earned every bit of both tips. For me the prepaid gratuities are salary and the extra tip a bonus.

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