Out to sea!

few years back they use to shut the doors after 10 minutes. but now they let anyone in up until the next serving. they are scared they might remove the tips if they refuse anyone!:(

Another good reason to make the gratuities a non-refundable service charge.

If you are more than 5-10 minutes late, they MIGHT still seat and serve you, but it can really mess up service for tablemates. We had a family of 4 show up 20 minutes late one night and we were not served our entrees until they were "caught up". I like YTD because on port days I don't have to stress. If we don't do YTD, we always planned to be back on ship an hour before dinner or just hit the lido.

On a cruise a couple of years ago we had a couple that arrived between 30 to 45 minutes late every evening. They still seated and served them. I wish they would go back to when the closed the doors 15 minutes after dinner service started and if you didn't make it you went to the buffet.

We will be sailing on the Carnival Valor August 8th. We are two couples. We requested "Your Time Dining" but have been waitlisted for it. It seems we will be assigned to Late Dining.

 

Our problem is if we indeed are assigned late dining we want it to be a 4 top table. We don't mind dining with others at a larger table. But we will not use the MDR on most nights (due to Steakhouse, Lido, etc). We don't want others to have to wait for us when we will not be there or have empty seats at a 6, 8, or 10 top table. So we thought having a 4 top would not inconvenience other guests.

 

Can anyone give me an email address or way to contact the Valor Maitre D (or anyone else) to have us assigned to a 4 top if we end up with late dining?

 

Thank you!

If you won't be there on a certain night, just let your server know you won't be there and they won't wait for you.

The saga continues....back in May I began having problems with my VIFP status which for some reason put me as a first time cruiser even though I had cruised 8 times. After numerous calls and emails I found out that they deleted me when they upgraded their VIFP program. Fixed with a new number but it showed me as blue so it was back to square one. More calls and emails. Then I am given yet another new VIFP number and I'm finally back to gold. Cruised June 2015 with no problems. Since I have returned I am now getting separate emails and snail mail and it seems that now I have 2 different VIFP accounts-in one I am gold and the other I am red. Seems like this should have been an easy fix but every time I called, no one had any record of my previous contact with them in spite of having names of people I had spoken with. Guess I'll just stick with my gold status because I sure did like the big bottle of water and the free drink :D

Why are you taking it out on the wall? ;)

Many of you keep posting about the differences between Carnival and other cruise lines and how Carnival doesn't have this or that etc.. But something I think you are missing is that Carnival Cruise Line is part of the Carnival Corporation that owns several cruise lines and all of them offer different levels of cruising experience. So Carnival Corporation has the benefit of not having just one cruise line .. it can market to the entire spectrum of cruisers. So they are not as worried about offering every gimmick that the other lines do on their cruise line since they can match it to the particular product they want on any of their lines.

 

Which just reinforces the need to allow for their loyalty program to have benefits on more than one or even all of their cruise lines, so as cruisers grow beyond the experience that CCL offers they could stay within the Corporation's cruise lines while still getting some perks for their loyalty.

As I said before, as long as their ships sail full there is no reason in the world to increase costs by doing this. If they actually ever started losing market share then they might evolve to this but until that happens it won'y happen.

NCL also gives you double points for being a suite guest. You can even earn up to triple points if you take a Latitudes Rewards Rate. NCL has also been offering a choice of free drink package, dining package, or excursion credit for the past 8 months.

 

To be honest, Carnival really isn't that great of a deal. Their sales and specials are confusing, and really not that good. I get emails from them every day about sales, but when you click on it, it is all of these obscure sailings on ancient ships, and sometimes brief cruises. I'm sorry, but $50 OBC (on select sailings) isn't a big deal for me. NCL has clear cut promotions across all sailings. I know the quantifiable value of a drink package. I know what kids and friends sail free means. I can get these deals on any NCL cruise I want, and not just a 4 day cruise to Nassau leaving from Jacksonville on October 15th on a ship that Kathy Lee Gifford filmed a commercial on.

Actually you can earn up to quadruple points by also booking and not modifying your booking 9+ months out from the cruise. But NCL sucks compared to Carnival so it doesn't matter how many points I have with them. Carnival is a great deal if the promotions on other lines are useless to you.

NEWS: MSC Cruises has announced a new loyalty program that will match your current loyalty status from your favorite cruise line, even if you are a first time MSC cruiser.

http://cruisefever.net/0720-cruise-line-will-match-loyalty-perks-from-other-cruise-lines/

 

If MSC can reciprocate loyalty programs with all cruise line brands,,,why doesn't Carnival Corp reciprocate it's loyalty programs across all it's brands?

Because they don't want to (additional costs) and they don't have to (ships keep sailing full the way it is).

I still view Carnival as the entry level Cruise. When people learn more about cruising, they move on. The argument about price has zero value because other lines can be booked at or cheaper than Carnival. It must be a comfort thing because nothing is gained in Carnival loyalty.

I disagree. Some people enjoy the Carnival product the way it is. Some people move on thinking things are better elsewhere but some of us realize that other cruise lines, for the most part, are just more expensive, not better. That being said I am only loyal to my wallet but for the most part, my wallet chooses Carnival and I'm happy with that. :)

we've never had to wait for boarding a tender returning to the ship. Only wait was for the tender to fill so it could leave to the ship :)

It depends on when you show up for the return tender. I've boarded a return tender before with only 3 people on it and no waiting. I've stood in line for over a half before as well. If you return 3 hours before the ship sails most likely you will not have to wait. If you try to return 15 minutes before sailing you most likely will wait a while.

I actually made a spreadsheet, lol - My husband is a light drinker, and I don't have to drink at all but I CAN be a heavy drinker if I want.

 

So I did the math on it. Turns out we had a bunch of gift cards coming our way and we decided to just use those and buy cheers so we don't have to think about it at all on the boat. But in case you want some extra data...

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MzzUPeiO7-4NNis0hQdLxtflx7viiQel4RSzrJ667Vo/edit?usp=sharing

The only problem with the spreadsheet is that you are violating Carnival contract by attempting to take on a bottle of rum or vodka from the store. Just an FYI.

Can't imagine all the changes by then…

 

Especially the menu!:D

As long as they still have lobster tail on the MDR menu I'll be good to go. :)

With global warming you might start your cruise from Atlanta:)

Or the North Pole. :D

BTW, you didn't have to pay the "forced gratuities," you simply could have chosen a different package.

I didn't have a package. I chose to go to 3 specialty restaurants on different nights paying for each individually. I then subtracted the gratuity that was required to be paid at the restaurant from the DSC thereby paying what was expected when I booked the cruise.

That's wierd, because gratuity for our UDP (that we paid upfront) for a 14 day cruise was $40 pp.

UBP and UDP are different packages. :rolleyes:

That is your excuse, mmm explanation, for stiffing.

 

As for anybody watching you remove the charges....YOU proudly proclaim it here on the board!;)

I never knew stating fact was considered being proudly. Hmmmm, go figure. :p

I make no excuses. I stated factual information. Whether you agree with or like it or not really doesn't matter to me. So you are free to adjust that disapproving gaze in a different direction because I really don't care what you think. ;)

I booked in april with no fee

 

still not bad if you want to drink like a fish:cool:

The program changed for bookings made at the beginning of June.

Eh, you guys are being a bit too hard and a bit too general about Millennials. There are a lot of "millennials" who aren't affluent white spoiled brats. The older end are settling down with careers and family, and the younger ones are having a very hard time finding jobs while simultaneously carrying unprecedented levels of student loan debt due to the astronomical cost of modern education. They may have high expectations, but they're also often cheerful, optimistic and civic minded.

 

Source: Wikipedia, and I work in an office full of them, and date one.

 

Put another way, if what you mean is "spoiled suburban kids" that's one thing, but no reason to assume there's a whole ruined generation out there. Buck up.

 

(And a further disclaimer: I myself am a grouchy generation X-er whose generation was once accused of being shiftless coffee-shop workers who only cared about tattoos and piercings. Then we got into technology.)

So there were no blacks, asians, indians, or hispanics born during the millennial period? Or are whites (in your mind) the only affluent ones? :rolleyes:

Awesome. Ask your doc or therapist about a knee scooter. So much easier to get around. Also ask about what kind of cast you will be in by cruise date. There are some that can get wet.

Another thing you might want to think about is changing to a handicap stateroom. Mom just sailed in one and it was really nice to not have a step up into the bathroom and the seat in the shower was great. I don't get why people want to book them if they don't need them cause you lose some cabin space to gain the larger bathroom but I really worked well for mom.

Maybe it's the location they desire and not the fact that it's an HC cabin.

Supposedly, he was writing a sequel, about moving to art sales (Park West Gallery) on a cruise ship and his relationship with another worker. He also used to post on here.

Just checked on Kindle. He actually has 4 cruise confidential books out.

You have to purchase a cruise to get the UBP in the first place.

 

Does forcing someone to buy a cruise to get free alcohol mean it can never be considered free even if the gratuities are also paid?

Obviously, since alcohol isn't served in any terminals, one has to be on an NCL cruise to have the chance to even use the UBP (free or not). Of course, no one is forced to purchase a cruise so that is really a moot point. On the other hand, there is always someone out there looking to rip off a business any way they can so I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread about someone moaning that had to buy a cruise to get the "almost free" UBP. :D

We just have a differing opinion. Shout your opinion from the top of the mountains and I'll shout mine. Fact remains for me, drinks are free, gratuity isn't; still a free beverage package.

Sorry but you don't get to make your own facts and the "beverage package" as you stated includes required gratuities therefore it isn't free. If you had stated "the beverage is free but the package isn't" you might have had a better argument but you stated the "package" is free when it obviously isn't. Nice try though, thanks for playing. :)

The beverage package is indeed free (you can have all the alcohol you want with not additional charge), it is the 18% gratuity that is not free.

 

I have to wonder, if this change didn't come about because some or many of those that got the UBP as a free perk didn't tip the bartender, which I think some of us would have thought was appropriate, when getting a free drink.

If a promotional "free" item has a "required" gratuity attached, it is not FREE. You can shout your opinion to the top of the mountains if you wish, but FACT remains, if you must pay something for your "free" gift, it isn't free. It may be cheaper, but it ain't free.

A friend of mine won a "free car" on a TV game show. He still had to pay the taxes for it, but the vehicle itself was free... Same thing with the UBP. It's a very small price to pay for an unlimited amount of drinks while on vacation. I'm not sure why people are having such a problem with this...

Paying taxes (mandated by law) and paying "forced gratuities" (mandated by cruise line policy) are two completely different animals. One is dictated by law, the other by greed and ability of slick marketing to think someone is getting something free when it's not. Most likely (at least it is my belief) the "forced gratuity" will most likely cover the base price of the alcohol as paid for by NCL and therefore they don't really lose anything in the deal.

BTW, your friend didn't have to pay the taxes, he simply could have refused the car. Even he had an option.

Either way, you stiffed someone and are proud of it!

You obviously missed my last sentence. If someone is taken out of the DSC pool and paid separately by an 18% surcharge, then no one was stiffed by removing the equivalent from the DSC. True, I didn't pay a raise via the DSC to the fewer number of workers now in the pool but I stiffed no one.

Funny but I don't remember seeing anyone standing next to me at 5 in the morning when I was at Guest Services adjusting my DSC so I didn't think anyone could see me jumping for joy over the pride I felt at stiffing someone. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

they are 15 and 18, so i am getting less worried about where they are these days, but they seem to be oblivious to why a door might be locked.

 

Hey mom and dad's door is locked, i wonder why? Mom and dad are you in there? Why is this door locked?

r o f l!!! :d