maryred

;)Only time there is an across the board discount is when John H offers it on his F:):book: B page, but it's usually not that much and rarely done.

There is the first 48 hour bundle bonus offered on all new bookings. It's only available during the first 2 days after a bookings is made or a change causes a new booking number to be generated.

For Barclay FunPoint card holders there is the 10% credit back with double points offer when using their Carnival M/C to purchase excursions in My Cruise Manager. Then there is the specific excursion "specials", usually given when a normally popular tour is not selling as expected. These can have the biggest savings but the offer all depends on your fellow cruise passengers purchasing habit, as it can be for just one specific time slot on an excursion that offers multiple times selling ot quickly.

Lastly there is the limited to specific itinerary and VIFP # email that gives you a promo code to enter when ordering the excursion. Like the individual excursion "specials" it is generally only offered when sales are lagging on excursions for your ship and cruise date. These can try to be shared but don't always work for others on even the same ship as the individual receiving the email.

These work great with those plastic card holders that come with the lanyards, I also keep cash in it for extra tips, and a copy of the fun times. It works great on the wrist. [ATTACH]426052[/ATTACH]

 

^^^^^THIS is what DH and I have used. We find ones in the colors of the cruise line we are on. I generally wear mine on the upper arm like a jogger would, Dh wears his like a bracelet.

But now that most cruise lines are going with smartphone apps tied into the ships activities, interactive reservations, onboard chat, and whatnot we might just invest in waterproof armband wallets for the phones. That way we have also have something that can be used ports for water activities.

I just want to add my 2 cents to this list specific for Northern American carnival cruises (though some of this applies to other cruise lines too)...

This is a world economy so the answers depend on regions of the world.

 

Assuming you are from the US and sailing from the US.

 

Hotel housekeeping - $2 to $5 a night depending on your messiness

Parking valet - $2 each transaction

Luggage valet - $1 to $2 a bag

Dining - 20% of meal NOT total bill (ensure to look for any service charge that may have been added)

 

Cruise

Luggage porters - $5 total

(The curbside porters are not employees of the cruise line but contractual workers for the port. So we base what is tipped to them by how far they need to carry or wheel our luggage. In some ports, for embarkation, like at the airlines they simply pick-up your bags and put them on a conveyor belt or in a luggage train, for this simple middleman service all they get is maybe a $1/bag. On the other hand we have been to ports where these porters need to load a hand pushed handcart or U-cart that they personally take to the security scanner and unload there, generally we tip them $2-$5/bag depending on how heavy a particular bag is.

Disembarkation is a different story, we generally use the full porter service from collecting our bags to getting them through to whatever vehicle we are next needing. In some cases for the work that needs be done the $2-5/bag covers things nicely. While at some ports having a porter gets you through customs faster or the car waiting area is further than the curb so we will add as much as $20 on top of the per bag tip, base on time and our effort saved.

Most passengers will never see the on board porters so the a portion of the $2.50/passenger/day alternative services daily auto-grat does go to them already.)

Excursion tour guide - $5 for each person

(This really depends on the services given, we've been on tours where all the guide did was show us the check-in or ticket collect at an attraction to ones that gave running commentaries and side notes on anything. So in the past we have tip as little as nothing to over $20/person in our family. This like most off ship personnel, even when visiting a cruise line's "private island", are not employees of the cruise line.)

Excursion bus driver - $2 total

(Another area that really depends, as these are not people covered by the onboard auto-tips even when the tour is scheduled through the cruise line. Mostly depends on the length of the drive to the attraction and if they act as a guide or comedian during the road trip. Minimally we tip a $1/person in our party, but if the driver is a real character or informative person we've dome as much as $5/person.)

Bartender - $1 every other drink

(This is subjective we usually round up the 15% auto-tip to a 20% tip, which is the same as we would normally tip at a bar to the bartender or cocktail server.)

Casino dealer - the occasional $5 play on the side

(Customary only while having a good run.)

Cabin steward - 7 day cruise, an additional $20 - $50

(Cabin cleaning/refreshing/turn down should be done twice daily and Carnival stewards now often does this just once a day. The auto-grat charged is $4.05/passenger/day which I feel is more than enough for just the basic service given, just like you would get at a hotel. On the other hand if our steward does do the twice a day or brings extras like more pillows or fresh towels promptly upon request that will garner additional tipping.)

MTD waiter and asst waiter - 7 day cruise, an additional $20 - $50 each

(This is very subjective, a lion's share of the $6.40/passenger/day dining team auto-grats already goes to your dinner time team. If you feel they went above and beyond by all means do tip more. We really exceed $5/person/night for the entire team. The remainder of that auto amount goes to wait staff at your other meals or to the tip-pool for the Lido bussing and drink cart waiters.)

Concierge - 7 day cruise, $50 - $100 depending on services provided

(There are none and personnel at the Guest Service or Excursion desk will be insulted if a tip is offered)

I also want to add depending on the port and your pre-cruise plans there could be other instances where tipping is expected or appropriate. Example a few ports have a shuttle to "bus" you from the parking area to your terminal, tipping here depends on if we drop our luggage off first or if the shuttle driver needs to load the luggage on the vehicle, typically we give $1/seat taken plus if luggage is involved a few dollars more.

Thanks, Hoosier. I think so too. Their luggage (checked and carry-on) restrictions say 16x24, any length. I have a bag for it, to protect it. But I'm hoping they can open it an inspect it.

The restriction is only for carry-on bags, open baby equipment is not subject to this if carried on. A carseat will be hand inspected just like a stroller would be. I would not send it to checked luggage without a hard case around it as several hundred pounds of luggage can be piled on top of it.

Just so you know most islands do not have the correct latch attachments nor suitable seat belts to correctly attach a carseat made to USA or Canadian safety standards. (If the carseat is to an European or British standards it might fit in taxis and hired cars, on island with associations to those nations. And that's if the driver allows you to install it.) The only reason to bring one on board is if your airline requires it for an infant/toddler to be in their own seat.

I'm allergic to all seafood including sea-plants, as well as soy and strawberries. In the MDR and at the specialty restaurants I always let my servers know. On some ships I've had to order my meal the night before to avoid cross contamination, but on others there was no problem ordering when we were at the table.

For the buffet I'm exceptionally careful, especially when at the deli or pizza counter. Whenever possible I will avoid anything placed next to the chaffing dishes with seafood or even ask the buffet manager to put together a plate from items in the galley that they know have not been cross contaminated.

It’s included with Cheers, however, my last cruise, they didn’t have coconut water stocked at the bar and had to go to storage to get some. Could’ve been that they may have run out or that they don’t have the room in the coolers to keep it. I’m not sure why they didn’t have it right at the bar (it was the Red Frog rum bar on Lido on Conquest).

It's usually stocked at the specialty coffee bar along with the some other fruit and/or vegetable based bottled and carton drinks. Just like certain liquor labels and types are specific to a single bar or speciality restaurant while onboard.

Can it be used towards cheers?

Yes it can. BUT if you wait to buy CHEERS once onboard it is $5more per person per day than purchasing it before boarding. So it's better to us the Carnival M/C to prepay for the package prior to boarding (you still get double points), and use the points to pay down the Carnival charge once the CC bill arrives.

Bar Cash......If you don't use all of it, you lose whats left. Why not just use your S&S card?

The OP is referring to a point redemption from their Barclay's FunPoints credit card. Basically it's like free OBC. If there is a little left the last night they can always order an unopened beer or 2 to pack and take home or if there's a lot left ask for an unopened bottle of wine in the MDR to take home.

You can apply it on board, or you could purchase cruise cash with it ahead of time. Once it's on your S&S account it will be applied to anything, including gratuities.

 

I believe gratuities are currently about 12.95 per person per day.

If you have enough left on the gift card you can add the gratuities now and pay them off with the GC. Be warned prepaying the auto-grats are an all or nobody deal when done through your My Cruise Manager.

Confirming right now for non-suite passengers the auto-grats are $12.95/person/day. Who knows when the next increase will happen? It's been 2+ years and the other mass market cruise lines are all higher than Carnival.

Here's the prices I found currently in the FunShops under My Cruise Manager for the advance purchase of some of the bottles listed on Cruise the Vineyard choices listed in the Carnival.com FAQs. Most of the time the price is the same onboard but occasionally it may be higher on the ship. Like for our cruise in Jan '18 the Moscato listed was $38 on board and $34 for pre-order.

Basic

$29.00 - Sparkling, Barefoot, Brut, California

$27.00 - Pinot Grigio, Zonin, Italy

$27.00 - Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Helena, Chile

$26.00 - Chardonnay, Santa Helena, Chile

$27.00 - Riesling, Funf 5, Germany

$28.00 - White Zinfandel, Barefoot, California

$??.?? - Rose ‘GIFFT’ by Kathy Lee Gifford, California

$27.00 - Merlot, Santa Helena, Chile

$26.00 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Helena, Chile

Premium

$??.?? - Sparkling, Domaine Chandon, ‘Brut’, California

$??.?? - Sparkling Rose, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Washington

$39.00 - Pinot Grigio, Ecco Domani, Della Venezie, Italy

$??.?? - Pinot Grigio, J, California

$38.00 - Sauvignon Blanc, Kendall Jackson ‘Vintner’sReserve’, California

$??.?? - Sauvignon Blanc, Spy Valley, New Zealand

$??.?? - Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Cape Mentelle, Australia

$45.00 - Chardonnay, Le Crema, Monterey

$??.?? - Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson ‘Vintner’s Reserve’,California

$36.00 - Moscato, Castello del Poggio, Italy

$??.?? - Riesling, Lucien Albrecht, France

$??.?? - Rosé, Domaine Sainte Croix, France

$44.00 - Pinot Noir, Layer Cake, California

$35.00 - Zinfandel, Cline, California

$??.?? - Merlot, Columbia Crest, ‘Great Estates’, ColumbiaValley

$??.?? - Merlot, Kendall Jackson ‘Vintner’s Reserve’,California

$38.00 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Layer Cake, California

$41.00 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Hess Select, California

$38.00 - Shiraz, Peter Lehmann, ‘Portrait’, Australia

$??.?? - Shiraz, Grant Burge ‘5th Generation’, Australia

$??.?? - Côtes du Rhône, Maison Castel, France

$??.?? - Rioja, Martin Codax ‘Ergo’, Spain

$??.?? - Chianti, D’Aquino, Classico Riserva, Italy

$??.?? - Malbec, Terrazas Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina

I've cruised all 3 lines and as others have said there are more similarities than differences in the basics. Service by the stewards is always outstanding, except the 1 time we had one that was on their last week of contract. MDR staff was exceptional on all 3. But the bar staffs varied greatly from venue to venue on any ship we've sailed. If late night deck parties are more your style NCl gets top marks for that, but if you don't dress to the theme you might find yourself ignored when the give away are done or they vett people for the after party in the nightclub. RCL has good quality production shows, but flyon acts generally are the same ones as Carnival uses (same talent agency used). Carnival has the greater choice of entertainment nightly but lacks the pizzazz of Royal's larger cast variety shows. On all the casino is smokey, and non-smoking machines and tables are directly next to smoking allowed ones. Also you need to pass through it to travel between the MDR and main theater, unless you're willing to change decks to bypass.

Food tastes differ but quality wise it's like saying which is better Applebee, TGIFridays, or Bonefish Grill. In my opinion, for included meal options, Carnival has the greater variety of service hours and menu choices , Royal the better quality but less variety and strict buffet and short MDR hours, and NCL is great if into seafood options, but does meats and sides as an afterthought, and very poor buffet hours and choices.

All 3 have problems with pools and hot tubs being too small for the amount of passengers on board. But Royal does have at their pools open on a rotational basis that one is always available. Royal's adult only pool and loungers (Solarium) allows children in them for the food options and because like the casino it is needed to pass through to other areas on the same deck. NCL charges for its adult only area and not all of their ships have a water feature there. Carnival is all over the place with its adult only pools and Serenity decks. Some ships have these together is a nice neat completely child free section while other ships of the line have the Serenity seating at opposite ends of the ship from the adult only pool or worst yet have both right underneath the sports deck or waterslide area.

On all the newer, larger ships have crowds everywhere because the smaller specialized venues to attract a variety of clients to fill the ship are crammed into the limited public spaces.

What good are 27 bars if only 36 passengers at a time can fit comfortably in them? Or those that prefer a variety of nightly entertainment, what good is a single 2 hour broadway quality show if that's the only thing shown in the main theater 5 nights out of a week? Or requiring reservations made prior to boarding for open seating dinner times? Or what the sense of having a high action activity if the line for it is 1-2 hours long on seadays?

It's not so much a question of which cruise line to choose next but to find the right ship and amenities for your tastes going to ports you are interested in at a price that is agreeable with your budget.

September is still prime hurricane season, so weather delays or cancellations are always possible. Make sure you have travel insurance and passports for all on your booking, in case you need to play catch-up with the ship. Aslo make sure you have refundable airline tickets in case you change your mind based on advance weather reports, that you can easily choose a different flight before the airline announces changes.

Personally for flights out of Newark or Philly I have always found the first non-stop flights of embarkation day to be more expensive than a later flight the day before. Usually more than enough saving for a couple to cover a stay at an arrival airport or cruise terminal adjacent hotel.

See by the glass or bottle prices below in (red).

...

This will be my first cruise and my husband and I are looking at the Cheers drink package, I am not a big drinker I may have a glass of wine (house wine starts at $7, better labels rarely exceed $12.75) or fruity cocktail ($8.50-9.25) with dinner but otherwise I'm a water ($1.95) drinker, My husband can drink a beer (starts at $4.95 for a 12oz can, most domestic 16oz bottles are $5.75 and imported or craft 16oz bottles are $6.25-6.50, but buckets of 4 bottles can be purchased at a discount of $2 off combined price) for everything and be good. ... <3

Just remember CHEERS purchased prior to boarding is $51.95/person/day and if you wait till onboard it's $56.95/person/day. Both the package total purchase and individual purchases of beverages will tack on a 15% auto-gratuity.

With the FunShops soda the pre-ordered 6 pack is at a savings, about $1.67/can (+ sales tax) vs the room service bar menu price of $1.95/can + 15% auto gratuity. These are also delivered at room temp, but so are the ones kept at the bars on board.

If ordering the soda liquor mixer set you get even more of a discount per can when compared to just the price of the liquor bottle.

Nothing came up when I selected the site.

The info is posted on Barclay credit card site when you login to view your account. It's under "My Card Benefits", and it will occasionally show as an opening page pop-up.

Under The FunShops in your My Cruise Manager. They allow you to pre-order liquor and beer delivered direct to your cabin. It's delivered if you like on embarkation day, usually between 1pm-6pm (except for departures from TX & NYC).

The beer comes as a 4 pack with a logo cooler, but is at room temperature. You can either ask your steward for ice, put them in the dorm cooler (if your cabin has), or exchange at most bars for cold ones.

Sent from my STV100-2 using Forums mobile app

How explicit it gets depends on the CD, Assist. CD, and/or Comedy Club Manager hosts running the show, as well as how desperate the participants are to win.

One segment, that seems to always be part, but handled differently by the hosts, has been the inside out cross dressing. We've attended where the hosts insist that the team members go behind behind the stage curtain or backlit screen to switch clothing, while others just let it happen right on the "dance floor" area where the stackable chairs normally are. So we've seen ranges from nothing but the end results but heard plenty during the process because they miked the area (& kept it dark back there), to seeing just heads and feet clearly while silhouettes changed, to watching a scene that resembles a hidden camera in a co-ed fitting room including full frontals (or rear ends) of both genders.

Carnival gift cards can also be used prior to boarding for advance orders of excursion tickets, salon/spa reservations/pass, drink packages, in cabin liquor bottles & beer packages, and well just about anything that's trying to be sold to you through your My Cruise Manager.

It will be during your online check in process. A text will be sent to your phone, soon after you enter your cell number. You respond to the text, “ALERT & booking number.”

Just a heads up you can not do your online check-in until within 90 days of the cruise departure.

Handicap in-processing is all determined by the terminal personnel (which are not dedicated cruise line employees).

Both embarkation terminals I am most familiar with, NYC and Baltimore, use the priority lane for handicap to go through security, and use a bypass lane around the switchback queue lines to the regular check-in clerks. I've heard other terminals handle it differently.

Have done about 8 cruises with Carnival but I feel I need to try a new cruise line..was looking at NCL Breakaway or Epic and Royal's Oasis. For those that have been on all 3 cruise lines tell me what you thought about these ships.

 

Are their prices for drinks, pictures, pay for food about the same prices as Carnival?

 

Thanks

I have cruised all 3 line (plus Celebrity) and will tell you overall all 3 are just about the same. Each company has its strengths and weaknesses, and to me it balances things out in the long run. Like RCI has superior free food in the MDR but lacks the amount of choices nightly when compared to Carnival or NCL. NCL has more choices of at pay dining but I felt the quality there was lacking when compared to the more limited choices on Carnival or RCI. NCL includes the drink package (if you pick that perk otherwise it's the most expensive of the 3) but it is severely limited on what you can freely choose to drink other than alcohol and sodas, while RCI has no limit on the number of glasses you can have of alcohol it limits what labels you can order, while Carnival limits your number of alcohol drinks but has almost no restriction on what labels you can ask to be poured or mixed in your cocktail. Both Carnival and Royal add in other drinks like bottled water, milkshakes, energy drinks, and specialty coffees. SO always read the details of packages and search out menus from the restaurants.

I can not speak towards the Oasis nor the Epic, but have sailed on the Breakaway. One thing I have found with any cruise line where the pax double occupancy is over 3,600 passengers, is space becomes an issue no matter what. To be able to attract enough passengers to sell out every cruise all 3 of the "popular" market cruise lines have increased the number of venues that cater to different interests &/or tastes but in many cases have shrunk some of the more common areas. NCL likes to tout it's Freestyle cruising but to see the singular main theater show (Rock of Ages) or eat in the free dining venues you need to make your reservations prior to boarding or your stuck on standby status. Additionally the Breakaway has only one pool area that's freely accessible to all. While seeming big it includes a kid's pool and splash area, but the pool itself is no bigger than a pool on a ship that usually carries 2500 passengers. (Sorry not intentionally dumping on the Breakaway it's just the 1 out of the 3 mentioned that I have direct experience with.) If you look at the threads over on RCI you will see similar comments about the Oasis.

MY advice is pick your cruise based on what ports you can easily or affordably access, that is going to ports of call that interest you and has a price that you feel is reasonable. Then if there are multiples, pick a ship that has amenities that interests you directly then verify that those areas meet you expectations by searching out photo, blogs, and reviews of those areas on that specific ship.

As long as the gift card's TOU have no travel company restrictions you should be able to make a payment towards your cruise booking or any other purchase at carnival.com. If you don't know the TOUs of the card then, you can try and the worst that will happen is the card payment will be declined immediately.

If making a payment on your booking or purchasing something from carnival.com make sure that the amount of the total payment does not exceed the card value as only a single credit card can be entered towards a payment online. If you have a Carnival gift or e-card, make sure you enter that info first, then the balance of the payment can go on you Visa, M/C, Amex, Discover, or Diners gift card.

Thanks for the info, everyone... sounds like mine is just a bare-bones offer with no "drinks on us"... so I'll pass and keep the better rate and OBC we have already :)

The Dealer's Choice is the new name for the Pack-n-Play offer. So YES for most it is the bare bones offer, of a reduce price off the current "rack" rate with casino cash.

BUT if you hit the 5000 OPC points your last cruise regardless of what rate you book the casino should have a DOU card waiting upon boarding. A good idea prior to every cruise is to contact the OPC, http://oceanplayersclub.com/contact/, to see what comps you might have waiting for you.

I’m cruising with 2 other people in my room. If I load gift cards to my sign and sail card can I make it only for my use or would it apply to everyone in the room?

When you setup your Onboard Expense during the online check-in, just indicate your want a cash account. Also make sure you do not authorize the others in your cabin to charge against your account.

Once on board you can apply the gift cards either through the S&S kiosk or at Guest Services. On a cash account you will for embarkation day the ability to spend $50 on your account until you must make some sort of deposit to your S&S folio. After embarkation day, unless a credit card is put on as a backup payment method, a cash based S&S account is treated like a debit account. Once your available balance reaches 0 your ability to purchase anything will be suspended and you will need to deposit more funds, be it actual cash or more gift cards or put a credit card on file.

Because of being treated as a debit account it is important to make sure, that there is enough funds on your folio to cover the total amount of $12.95/day for the auto-gratuities. On day 2 or 3 the full amount of the auto-grats is posted to everyone's folio, if the auto-gratuities were not prepaid prior to boarding.

My personal favorite, since I like sweet white wines, is the Castello Del Poggio Moscato if they have the Asti blend even better.

For red I'm a little less discerning, but still gravitate towards fruity, try theFrei Brothers Merlot.

Are sanitises ineffective against norovirus? Or is it because some paxs still refuse to wash their hands or use the sanitises?

According to the CDC washing is better with gel sanitizers as a secondary defense.

from https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/prevention.html

"CDCNorovirusAbout Norovirus

Prevention

Norovirus spreads very easily from infected people to others, and through contaminated foods and surfaces. There is currently no vaccine to prevent norovirus; although, this is an area of active research. You can help protect yourself and others from norovirus by following these prevention tips.

1. Practice proper hand hygiene

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water

• especially after using the toilet or changing diapers
  
• always before eating, preparing, or handling food, and
  
• before giving yourself or someone else medicine.
  

Norovirus can be found in your vomit or poop even before you start feeling sick. The virus can stay in your poop for 2 weeks or more after you feel better. It is important to continue washing your hands often during this time.

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But, you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water at removing norovirus particles. See “Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives.”

2. Handle and prepare food safely

Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating them. Cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them.

Be aware that noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat. They can survive temperatures as high as 145°F and quick steaming processes that are often used for cooking shellfish.

Food that might be contaminated with norovirus should be thrown out.

Keep sick infants and children out of areas where food is being handled and prepared.

3. When you are sick, do not prepare food or care for others who are sick

You should not prepare food for others or provide healthcare while you are sick and for at least 2 days after symptoms stop. This also applies to sick workers in restaurants, schools, daycares, long-term care facilities, and other places where they may expose people to norovirus.

4. Clean and disinfect surfaces

After someone vomits or has diarrhea, always thoroughly clean and disinfect the entire area immediately. Put on rubber or disposable gloves, and wipe the entire area with paper towels, then disinfect the area using a bleach-based household cleaner as directed on the product label. Leave the bleach disinfectant on the affected area for at least five minutes then clean the entire area again with soap and hot water. Finish by cleaning soiled laundry, taking out the trash, and washing your hands.

To help make sure that food is safe from norovirus, routinely clean and sanitize kitchen utensils, counters, and surfaces before preparing food.

You should use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000 to 5000 ppm (5 to 25 tablespoons of household bleach [5% to 8%] per gallon of water) or other disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For more information, see EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus (Norwalk-like virus)[3 pages].

5. Wash laundry thoroughly

Immediately remove and wash clothes or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or poop.

You should:

• handle soiled items carefully without agitating them,
  
• wear rubber or disposable gloves while handling soiled items and wash your hands after, and
  
• wash the items with detergent and hot water at the maximum available cycle length then machine dry them at the highest heat setting.
  

CDC Feature: Prevent the Spread of Norovirus"