maryred

I'm not a fan of GTY bookings, BUT if the price is absolutely right and it is close to the sail date we will do them. As of right now we have not been placed in a horrible location, but we have not ever receive what we would consider the best of a category cabin either. We do balance the price vs the chance of being in the worst cabin for that category, like a with booking a GTY interior, we might wind-up in an Deck 2 upper/lower or in a bad location like under the Lido pool area, so like I said the price for us must be a significant savings over a choose your cabin rate.

Technically Cruise Cash is supposed to be on your account as soon as you finish the physical check-in and have been processed as being on board. BUT in reality it can take up to 24 hours to post to your S&S account especially if you have bought the max amount of $500 for the cabin in several smaller incremental transactions over time. Carnival knows not everyone wants to wait on the long GS line at boarding on embarkation afternoon to deposit cash or verify that OBC (which is what Cruise Cash is) has been posted, so they let each person that is on a cash account to purchase up to $50 before requiring some sort of funds being put on the account (or show proof of Cruise Cash purchase).

We inadvertently left a small insulated bag in one of the departure lounges on the Vista (years ago) at disembarkation. Didn't find out until we arrived home, DH though I packed in another bag and I thought he was carrying it. So once the opps was discovered we made a call not only to Carnival but to the port authority (in case another passenger found it and turned it in at the terminal). Well about 4 months later we receive a call from our PVP, apparently Carnival guest relations had tried call us for about a month to but our call blocker bounce them as an unknown caller (have since add their number to the allowed list) to inform us the bag was found. The PVP connected us with GR and once we confirmed the bag description and contents we gave them credit card info to send the piece back by overnight delivery. We were very happy to find out that the gag gifts we purchased at the Belgium Chocolate store in Phillipsburg, for my cancer care team, were not only all there but intact.

Here's the link from Carnival.com FAQs https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4252/~/for-your-eating-pleasure... 

It lists all of the dining venues available across the fleet and which ship they are located on and if you scroll past the grid certain meals and restaurants have a link to a PDF menu.

They do not tend to list hours of operation because this can vary itinerary to itinerary, even on the same ship. One year I had enough luck to sail the Pride 3 times (won 2 free cruises in the casino) and on 1 of the sailings (Bermuda) the seaday brunch ran from 9am till 2pm for seating, while the other 2 it was held at it's more accustomed hours of 8:30am-1:30pm. One of the 2 sailings that had the same seaday brunch operational times was a Journeys cruise and because of the 3 seadays down and the 3 seadays back the seaday brunch was alternated with the old way of having the MDR open for 2 hours separately for breakfast and lunch with individual menus.

Also for those that don't know if you want to attend the seaday brunch 2 twice in 1 day they will not turn you away. We routinely go at opening and order breakfast items and then again between noon and 1pm to order lunch items.

On 6/25/2019 at 8:58 PM, Prewittsgal said:

Can someone please explain to me the amount of time you can spend off a ship if it is docked versus no pier facilities? One thing i did not enjoy on the Anthem was having to be back a certain time for the tender. 

When a ship ties off at a dock you need to be back aboard at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled sail away time,  and depending on the size of the port facility you may need to get back to port as early as an hour prior to make that deadline. When anchored off shore and needing to take a tender between the ship and the port you still need to back on board at least 30 minutes prior to sail away but you also need to heed the last tender time to be in line for the return tender. At some ports the last tender pier line-up will be only an hour before the sail away time while at others it could be as much as 2 hours prior to sail away.

Consult the printed daily (Compass for Royal) activities sheet for the details for each individual port stop.

On 6/25/2019 at 8:58 PM, Prewittsgal said:

 How does it work in Bermuda?

90% of the ships that stop in Bermuda do so for at least 1 night, with many having 2 overnights in dock. In this case the ship acts as a floating resort and the Royal Naval Dockyard is the grounds. As a whole, the ship does not have a curfew for returning on the nights it's docked. BUT during heightened security alerts the gate to the Dockyard may have a lockout time. It doesn't happen frequently and in 6 trips there I have experienced a notification of that only twice. Both times the road gate locked at midnight, allowing people to walk up or arrive at the marina section by water after that time until 6/7am in the morning. The notice of this might be in your daily activities sheet but do also look for notices posted on the "Customs" kiosks you need to pass through to and from the ship.

But unless you are on a tour, visiting friends that live locally, or miss the final ferry back from Hamilton, there really isn't much nightlife in Bermuda, to prevent you from return by then. There is very little to do after 7pm on the greater portion of the island. Most stores, beaches, and attractions (even in the Dockyard) close up between 5-7pm, and though there are restaurants, a movie house, fine art theater, pubs, and sports bars that stay open later , beyond the night club in the Dockyard, Harbor Nights in Hamilton, and a few resorts with dance clubs (mostly restricted to their guests) there little to do after dark. The Dockyard itself has onsite 2 pubs, a beach nightclub, and a movie house (second run and art films). 

10 minutes ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said:

 

I would say they are worth it for $499, We did one earlier this month. I will skip it for $1299 though.

Supply and demand pricing is well practiced by Royal, not only for their cruise fares but for beverage packages and excursion tickets as well.

So buy any of these as soon as you can afford the "listed" price ethen watch your emails for any discounted or cruise planner sales to cancel and rebook at a lower price.

The info should be in your Cruise Planner under the Excursions tab. We have 2 cruises this year going to CocoCay and the price of the cabanas is different depending on which location you want to be in, and for the sailing date. Ex. our depart on Halloween cruise cabanas are:

Oasis Lagoon Cabanas

PERFECT DAY AT COCOCAY, BAHAMAS

DURATION: FULL DAY

Relax in a private cabana at the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean.

While our cruise in early december are:

Oasis Lagoon Cabanas

PERFECT DAY AT COCOCAY, BAHAMAS

DURATION: FULL DAY

Relax in a private cabana at the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean.

SO December is $100 less with no discount/sale and this is on the same ship with the same itinerary and the only difference is date.

13 minutes ago, purplephenom said:

The one time it really got to me was when it was someone I knew.  Their arguments were "it's too expensive for a family, the youngest doesn't care about service so why should I tip for him, I'd rather give more to my room steward (and the "more" amount was significantly less than prepaid gratuities were), and real cruisers don't tip."  This person also came back amazed at how hard the crew works.  I was at a loss for words on that.  

 

If it were up to me, tips could be reduced/removed after you returned home, but you'd need to write a letter- not an email, not a phone call- explaining why.  People could still make up reasons for removing tips, but I think you'd reduce the number of people who removed just to lower their overall bill, because that would still need to be paid before leaving the ship.  Also, people tend to get off the ship and get caught up in daily life, so if you really wanted to remove tips, you'd have to put forth some effort.  Not everyone will agree, it's not up to me, so just my idea which is probably worth less than 2 cents. 

 

 

 

NCL makes people wait till home to receive the refund of their auto-grats, but they must fill out a form at Guest Services prior to debarking. They started this practice 2 or 3 years ago and there was such an uproar on the forum at first, but now you just see the occasional complaint about it taking 3-6 weeks to get the check (cash accounts) or 2-3 billing cycles to see the charge reversal on their card/bank statement.

1 minute ago, nwo4life said:

Ginger beer is not included in Bottomless Bubbles.

Ginger beer is a soda, just like root beer or ginger ale is, so it's is included with BB or you can buy it by the can for the same price as a coke. My husband tends to overeat on cruises and routinely drinks the ginger beer straight (no ice) to help calm his stomach and has never been charged as he never cruises without the BB package.

12 hours ago, lennythenose said:

@maryred thank you for such a thorough explanation. I have never heard of or tried most of the drinks you listed. My brain just automatically thought only of the virgin drinks from the menu. Many of these sound wonderful and I know my sons would enjoy trying them. I’ll have to save this list fir them. 

There are many mocktail recipes sites out there, have fun "Googling" for them. To narrow the search returns try including the name of your favorite soda or juice as the base.

What N7786W Flyer is essentially true. Once you get the CS call center (presuming you self booked or didn't use a PVP or TA)  to get you on the waitlist for YTD. FttF will get you moved up on said list, but the tiered waitlist is still based on first asked first listed. Diamonds and special invitees of the cruise line are the only ones that get guaranteed choice of dining time, so there is always a small percent of seats for each dining time reserved for last minute bookings. FttF will be waitlisted right behind those in suites and that are Platinum. 

Actual I beg to differ, at least on the method of refund if the auto-grats are adjusted down. Once on board any prepaid expense for the cruise if cancelled or a price adjustment is requested will be issued as OBC. If the auto-grats are prepaid by GC and cancelled prior to sailing then it will be returned via the same method of original payment, in this case a new GC issued 7-21 days after the cancelation..

4 hours ago, beachgal58 said:

Ugh.....no. The sheets/pillows and towels are washed in very high heat to kill any human pathogens with BLEACH! And dried with VERY HIGH heat, get it? Sure, the items are still warm when they arrive to yr cabin, but they are not washed or dried in high heat, nor are your items washed with bleach! 

I would hope my clothing is not washed with bleach, but you are wrong about the industrial machines not using  VERY HIGH heated water and air. Only the white linens and towels are washed with bleach and the blue colored towels and table napkins are not.

Is this the tour you are referencing?

Best of Bermuda Island Tour
     (40 Reviews)
Starting At:

$119.99 / Person
*Prices may vary by sailing

See the best of Bermuda on this shore excursion including its famous pink sand beaches, Botanical Gardens and the residence of the Premier of Bermuda. Read more
Port: Bermuda

Duration: 5 Hours

Activity Level: Moderate

No Minimum Age

 Favorite  Compare

 Best Of Bermuda Island Tour in King's Wharf, Bermuda
The Best Price Guarantee
Find a better price for any excursion we offer and we will refund you 110% of the price difference!*

The Best of Bermuda Island Tour lets you see the entire length of the island of Bermuda and its highlights, including the famous pink sand beaches along the Southern Shore. 

Your journey begins as you board your air-conditioned transportation and head out into Somerset Village. As this shore excursion in Bermuda gets underway, you’ll pass over the smallest drawbridge in the world, and make a photo stop at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. (Snap away so you’ll have plenty of memories of your cruise to Bermuda.)

Continue your coastal drive, viewing the pink-sand beaches, azure waters and the imposing barrier reef that encircles Bermuda island. Enjoy the drive past the Botanical Gardens and the official residence of the Premier of Bermuda. You will arrive in St. Georges, a World Heritage Site, where you can enjoy 45 minutes on your own to explore or shop in this unique old town, with its narrow winding alleys, cobblestone streets, picturesque cottages and museums. Your drive continues along the North Shore Road, through Flatts Village, and on to the City of Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, Bermuda, before returning to Kings Wharf pier.
NOTES
Shops in Hamilton are closed on Sundays. 

If so let me deconstruct the known times:

15 minutes to get everyone on the tour bus

25 minutes from Royal Naval Dockyard to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

20 minutes from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse to the Botanical Gardens via South Road (Horseshoe Bay Beach is between these 2) 

30 minutes from Botanical Gardens to St. Georges

45 minutes on your own

15 minutes to get everyone off/on the tour bus

45 minutes from St. Georges to Hamilton via North Shore Road

45 minutes from Hamilton back to the Royal Naval Dockyard 

240 minutes or 4 hours

That leaves about an hour of unaccounted for time in the description. Since the notes section mentions the shops in Hamilton being closed on Sundays they may very well be giving you shopping time while there (like at St. Georges 45 minutes of free time and 15 minutes to organize everyone off and back on to the bus). BUT it could just as easily be taking traffic slowing the tour down, the general speed limit island wide is 35 KPH (about 20 MPH).

If you wish to just visit Horseshoe Bay Beach my suggestion is the $14 round trip beach shuttle. You go spend as much time there as you want then line up to return on the next shuttle to the Dockyard. There other alternative is to get a daily unlimited transportation pass at $19/adult for a 1 day or $32/adult for a 2 day, to visit multiple locations. That way you can take the public bus to HBB then when done there grab one to visit the Botanical Gardens or head directly into Hamilton. From Hamilton you can take the ferry back to the Dockyard or get on a westbound bus to head towards St George, or visit attractions along that route like the Aquarium/Zoo or  the Crystal Fantasy caves.

58 minutes ago, coevan said:

I bought a bucket for some new friends in the sports bar. I asked the bartender if I could buy these guys a bucket? He knew i had cheers and charged my card accordingly. Maybe it depends on the bartender.

This is the most common outcome I have witness. Though most charge you for the 3 others as a round (no bucket discount) and do the 4th as included to Cheers, some (more common when ordering through a wandering server) will charge you at the "normal" bucket price as a sharing drink. Usually once they notice the one ordering has Cheers the servers tend to open all 4 beers.

SInce Amber Cove opened does Carnival or any of their 9 associated cruise lines even dock at La Romana anymore?

It would be nice to reassure everyone that Amber Cove is over 4 hours away from Punta Cana where most of these unfortunate deaths and severe gastro-illness have happened, but in the long run since this is an island there is a chance that some of the businesses at  Amber Cove and Puerto Plata could be supplied by the same wholesalers as the resorts being investigated. 

For those that are worried my advice would be to bring canned or bottled beverages off the ship. On most islands there is no restrictions on taking bottled libations, though specific tours, excursion, or attractions may ask that you don't. You can also bring manufacturer sealed factory made foods or snacks, if you need to eat while on land and are distrustful of the local offerings. Remember they suspect (hence the investigation) that some of the deaths over the last 18 months may be linked to tainted beverages (not just alcohol) or beverage containers that may of been coated with a pesticide, and the distressing gastro illness (all they know is it was not noro) that struck many on that HS senior trip could be from food poisoning (at least that is what that particular resort is stating).

1 hour ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said:

 

@Cru1s1ng2009and @SRF. Thanks for the responses makes sense. My wife broke her leg just before our last cruise, she was basically mobile, but it would have been nice to have the assistance with the longer lines at embarkation and debarkation.

I'm surprised that the port authority personnel did not direct you through the HC accessible line and ask if she needed a wheelchair to assist boarding. My DH uses a cane when we have lines to wait in  but is otherwise mobile (it's the standing without moving much that aggravates a heel surgery he had years ago) and every cruise port has processed us through the HC dedicated check-in line or told us to go through the priority line (both of which tends to have a straighter route to to the check-in area). Additional they ask him if he would like a the courtesy wheelchair and crew member to get on board but he usually declines but will accept the use of the HC accessible alternative dock level boarding ramp (to the crew deck) at ports it's available at. 

Not only does BB cover soda and juices, but it covers lots of mocktail concoctions. BUT it does not cover bottled water, speciality coffees, frozen drinks, energy drinks, vitamin water, non-alcoholic beer, glasses of sparkling grape juice or cider, or coconut water.

Most bartenders will know how to make a Shirley Temple or Roy Rodger, but there is no "official" mocktail menu. If you can walk a bartender through and they have the ingredients to make the soft drink mixture without using a blender they will do so.

Some of my favorites are:

Virgin Sunrise = orange, pineapple, and grapefruit juices mixed with sprite and splash of grenadine.

Afterglow = orange and pineapple juice with a heavy dose of grenadine syrup

Virgin Mimosa = orange juice and ginger ale or sprite

Cranberry Kiss = club soda or seltzer with cranberry juice, ginger ale or sprite may also be used

Cinderella = ginger ale w/ orange and pineapple juices and fresh squeezed lemon, simple syrup or agave syrup may also be added

Other mocktails I've seen others order:

Virgin Mary = tomato & lemon juice accented with Worcestershire & Tabasco sauce

Pineapple Mule = (non-alcoholic) ginger beer, pineapple juice and a squeeze of lime and mint leaves

Mango Mule = (non-alcoholic) ginger beer, mango juice/flavoring, lime juice, and simple syrup
Virgin Paloma = sprite (heavily stirred or shaken), grapefruit juice, and simple or agave syrup  

Virgin Gimlet = club soda or sprite, lime juice, and simple syrup 

Whiskey-free Sour = club soda or sprite, pineapple juice, and sour mix

Spiced Coke = equal parts of coke and Dr.Pepper or Mr. Pibbs, strained through ice, with a splash of pineapple juice 

Basically any combination of available  juices &/or sodas (think along the lines of a the freestyle machines but made by hand) with modest additions of bar syrups or sauces should be covered as long as the blender or shaved ice (or ice cream) is not needed to make them.

9 hours ago, TNShadyLady said:

If you have Priority boarding (casino offer) do you still have to abide by the "arrival time" printed on your boarding pass? We are traveling in a group and all have the casino priority boarding, but different arrival times to the port. Can we still all go inside by virtue of the priority, or must we wait until our official arrival time?

This depends on the offer. As long as your boarding pass has "PRIORITY" on it you can ignore the Arrival Appointment.

6 hours ago, beachgal58 said:

I am platinum, no way would I ever use the free laundry service, they wash yr items with many others. EEWWWW I can't imagine how many pax undergarments would be in the same load, or big sweaty stinky junk...gag. The strawberries r ok, usually kinda melted and stuck to the plate. 

I guess you also bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels to use while on board as the linens are washed using the same machines, sometimes right along in the same load with the personal clothing.

Though the cruise line only has a recommended weight limit of 50 lbs per bag and a recommended number of bags I too find that 2 or more lighter checked bags and a very lightly packed carry-on to the ship is better. My own personal rule of thumb is; what is my personal carrying or lifting limit and which is the smallest bag(s) to accomplish this in.

My rationale is at least at 5 points in the vacation I'm going to have to pick-up or lower these bags from something that is at least hip height. Even if I use door to door transport companies with drivers that load and unload my bags to/from the vehicle and easy glide roller bags, I still have to lift the bags. These being off and up to the surface at home that I pack/unpack from, again repeating the same unpack/repack at my destination, not to mention having to place the carry-on(s) on a security scanner conveyor belt at the very least at the cruise terminal but perhaps also the airport. So do I want to risk pulling a muscle possibly causing discomfort for my vacation. 

12 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

 Both ship and cruise terminal can affect boarding order/groups.

Tide conditions can also affect mobility impaired boarding. Some ships at some ports will have those using mobility assistance devices board at the crew deck gangway as their "normal" accessible boarding option to avoid having to use elevator(s) in the terminal or speed up crew "pushers" by not having to travel up and down very long, possibly crowded gangways. If a port normal follows this and an extraordinary tide causes access to the normal crew deck entry to be unusable it throws  the whole "normal" accessible boarding into confusion.

Here's what I know in certain cases you are always better off with the ship bought excursion and reserving/buying them through whatever is comparable to Royal's Cruise Planner. BUT most of the time you will save by going with independent companies or 3rd party consolidators, with usually the biggest savings if you book or plan to visit an attraction directly on your own. This (savings) is especially true if you have earned or purchased priority port of call disembarkation privileges, and have some guarantee of being able to leave the ship as early as needed for the tour. But the key is in depth research to start with. 

To me here's when you are better off with a cruise line backed excursion: When the attraction or historical site is more than 90 minutes away from port, not that the tour itself is that long or longer but that you will be traveling on whatever transport for that amount of time to reach the primary point of the tour (use Google maps to estimate as some tours make "picture" stops that extend your travel time). When the tour company giving the experience needs to rely on publicly available modes of transport, an instance like this would be tours on the mainland from Cozumel to the ruins or resorts there since then everyone including the ship and independents need to use the ferry which is owned by a company outside of the control of any tour provider. And tender ports, in part because here is where you can run into very last minute port cancellations and sudden delays in reaching the actual dock (both usually sea condition related), or just long waits to get on the launch to get off the ship.

Of course as many things in life there are exceptions to almost everything and it depends on individual circumstances. Like with tender ports, if your heart is not set on a vacation make or break excursion, you can many times wait till you are on the dock or in town to grab a last minute tour or resort day pass. A good example is Stingray City in Grand Cayman, plenty of private boats offer a trip out to just there or with a little bit of snorkeling time for about 20-50% off any pre-purchased/reserved package once you get into port.  Or in cases of tours with long travel, if like in Bermuda, where the dock time is extended or overnight, as long as there is plenty of time to get back to the ship, private arrangements will usually get you a better tour at a lower price. Conversely there are times when not planning ahead is the better financial deal, but makes you do more leg work on your own, like for resort day passes. There are many resorts and tour consolidation websites that greatly undercut whatever the cruise line has or will charge, but the trade off there is you need to get your own transport to/from the port to the property. Or their cancelation policy might be lacking as in the case of at least 1 .com multi-island resort day pass seller that requires 11 full days to get a refund on your upfront cost if you change your mind or take months of back and forth emails (providing proof) to get a refund if the port is cancelled. Again doing your due diligence as a consumer and researching as if you were staying at an airBNB on the island is the key to having a tour or experience that is both enjoyable and on target for the cost.

I've also seen the cooking demo done on embarkation day around 2pm but that was 4 maybe 5 years ago.

All I know is to use any of gym equipment they want full foot enclosing rubber soled shoes (you'd be surprised how many get told to leave the gym because they only packed "closed toe" trekkers or lesser covering sandal like shoes). There used to be an additional rule about the shoes being lace up but they seemed to have dropped that as more "trainer" type shoes are becoming velcro or elastic slip on.