AngAndBoys

Oh man, I was really REALLY hoping they would find him. I feel so bad for his family. I can only imagine how horrible this is for them. RIP young one.

Thanks. Mine says up to 35% off and it says casino cash but like you said, no amounts listed.

 

I am going to call and check into it. Maybe I will get something in the mail soon.

Well, since we're both gamblers, how much you wanna bet your cash amount is $350?:D

I have a premier offer right now, says up to 40% off and $400 cash for 6 days or more, $300 for the short one. Don't know if everyone gets same amount? I received this information in the mail. It doesn't give me a cash amount online either, and I can't get the sailings to load online at all.

Man oh man! I would have been completely livid over the whole thing, including the snarky customer service reply. I guess your health issues have taught you how to roll with the punches better than some of us. :D

I'm sorry you won't be sailing NCL anymore, mostly because I will miss your posts here. You're funny! I hope that whatever line you try next, it works out a lot better for you.

Happy Sails!

Thank you, I'm making my second trip on Magic in June. It's been a few years and lots of ships in between. I just remember I liked it very much! This has been a nice refresher course for me. :D

There are many threads on this topic. I will save you some search time and tell you that the vast majority of people say it is worth it.

Personally, I am Platinum now, so don't need it anymore. Got it when I wasn't though and still buy it for everyone that cruises with me (in separate cabins, of course) as a gift. This way I know they will pretty much get to stay with me for boarding and will have a little bit of an enhanced cruise experience.

Go for it! All you have to lose is $50. If you don't like it, don't get it next time.

Wow! That is pretty cool! I'll check into that. Thanks!

I think....sometimes, sometimes not. If you have a tender port and want to get off early, worth it. If you use guest services and don't want to stand in line, worth it. If you want to get off early when you get back, worth it.

I have been on many cruises (before I was Platinum and got to use VIP) were the regular line was quick quick. I have been on a few where I stood in line for over an hour to get on. On my last one, it was pouring rain at embarkation and the regular line reputedly took 3 hours. It was LONG when I got there. VIP line was quite empty and I was on in 15 minutes flat. The thing is, I think it depends on individual variables like what time you get to port and the weather.

I must be somewhat unlucky in there.....last 2 times on Triumph, just slow service in the casino...I was tipping dollars with each drink, but it just seemed worse and worse.....next week I am on the Epic, so at least I can play video poker at the bar and get all the service I need. :)

Jealous! I love Epic! My next up is Triumph. Again. In April. Can't complain though, I love it! Like a home away from home.

You guys have fun on that one!

A LOT of people dress up! Bring a costume!

I'm not platinum so I don't get those, but every time I log in and look it always says no special offers currently available or something like that. Every single time.

I can't imagine the reason is because you are already booked on a cruise? How many of us are booked on more than one or book one while booked on one? That's a dumb reason to not have offers...

It is not true. I always have something booked. I get offers anyway. Just few and far between. I guess I shouldn't complain. Looks like others are getting even fewer and farther between.

I have 15 or so, am Platinum, got the Vista and the Ensenada offer for $25. That is it for that. Got a bunch of casino offers in the past, then none, then a whole bunch of great ones recently, which I took advantage of to book 3 cruises between now and July.

Currently, I have NOTHING, not even the Vista offer. I think the trick is maybe to check very often. They seem to come and go without rhyme or reason.

Question about Alcohol purchase/policy for Triumph out of Galveston. You mentioned you were drinking a beer by 12:15...Carnival rep is telling me that there is no alcohol sales on day 1 of the cruise and that you can't purchase drink package. Can you purchase alcohol while in Galveston, can you bring a bottle of wine that you carry on to dinner.

Oh they LIED! Haha! You can get a drink the first day. It is just that they give you a can of beer instead of a bottle....no idea why? So far as I know, all other drinks are available for purchase in their usual form. And you can't get any unlimited drink packages until day 2 per Texas law. But you can certainly buy all the individual drinks you can drink.

EDIT: The second part of your question, yes you can bring wine. I don't know if you have to pay a corkage fee to bring it to dinner with you. Not a wine drinker myself. I'm sure one of these folks can tell you.

I was on that cruise with you! I had better luck in the dining room, great wait staff, but I've gone many times as well, and it seems to be luck of the draw with waiters and room stewards. We were also seated directly in front of the galley, which made our table faster. Also tipped the casino waiters and they came and found me pretty often, but there WERE times when it was a long wait and then 2 or 3 in a row asking if we needed a drink. Um, yeah, for the last 20 minutes! Haha! Seemed worse at the tables than the slots, for me at least.

You are lucky you got on so fast. We had to deal with torrential rain all the way there, normal 1.5 hour drive was 2.5 and I was terrified we were not going to be let on because we were past 2:30 getting there! Anyway, when we finally got there, the line to go through security was CRAZY. I am platinum, so got to go VIP line, which was empty, but others told me it took them 3 hours to get on!

I believe you about the crowds. I wouldn't go on Sunshine, myself, because you gotta figure with the added cabins and 2.0 updates taking up space, it's going to be a crowded mess, even if it looks pretty. Thanks for the review!

Can some of you imagine how ashamed you might feel if you found out his mother was reading this board right now and read some of the verbal diarrhea in this thread? The only thing that is appropriate here is sympathy and concern for the people involved. Yes, it is absolutely tragic that some people missed a port, but seriously, show some respect.

I cant think of anything offhand. Chateaubriand maybe...but for me, I think there is more than enough new offerings to offset anything that I might miss.

Agree. The new menu has more that appeals to me as well.

We saw a guy jump in at the Cozumel port from our balcony on the Magic. He was given a rope ladder and an escort through a different gangway - and I suspect a few hours in the security office or the ship's jail!

Ships jail, I'd guess. Don't know first-hand but on an Elation cruise 2 years ago, there was a bachelorette party onboard. I did see them at Senor Frogs and know they were very drunk. Anyway, rumor was, the bride jumped off the pier on the way back and was kept in brig for the rest of the trip. Again, knowledge is not first hand.

Hi, I see you are fairly new. The Moderator is going to move your thread to the ports section. If you look there, you will find much more info. I liked Bernards tour. It was around $40, went to several places on the island, including Mayo. Google it and check it out.

I would book one of the parents into the studio and the 18 y/o and other parent in the regular cabin. Once onboard, no one is going to "police" who is sleeping where.

I don't know if that would work because the studio area is locked. Not sure they'd give an extra key or if it would open outer door?

How does one go overboard on a ship unless copious amounts of alcohol are involved? Well, it's one of the Spring break weeks, so no surprise.

 

Sorry if I do not sound sympathetic. This just messes up everyone's cruise. :(

Uh yeah, especially the kid who is most likely dead. This is just terrible. I sincerely hope they find this poor kid, but I'm afraid it's not that likely.

Ok, so I've sailed Triumph a lot because it lives in my backyard. I have also sailed Epic, Getaway, and Jade, so I may be able to help you.

Food: on Triumph, you will find no pay food venues except at the coffee shop where you can get sweets. Choices to eat include main dining room (food comparable to NCL), Guys burgers (seriously yummy), a deli, a Mongolian wok, buffet (less choices overall than NCL, but always carved meat and good soups and salads), room service with sandwiches, mostly, but free 24/7, Blue Iguana Cantina with burritos made to order, breakfast and lunch, Pizza open 24/7, no delivery. You CAN pay $20 for a steakhouse selection upgrade in main dining room. It gets you a better steak and lobster tail.

ENTERTAINMENT: I'm not much help as I never ever see shows, except the comedy, which is superior. I hear mixed reviews on the production shows. Like NCL, they have contests, trivia, dance lessons, sail away parties, towel folding lessons etc. There is one slide, putt putt, 2 or 3 pools, one adult only, but no real Serenity area. I spend most of my time at the casino or by the pool reading, so I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with all of these things.

FELLOW PASSENGERS/ENVIRONMENT: The demographic is about the same, COL dies have a bit more of a party/ fun atmosphere. When you walk into a Carnival ship and see the decor, it becomes immediately obvious that the don't take themselves that seriously. For that reason alone, I prefer Carnival over NCL very slightly.

SERVICE: on Triumph is usually excellent. They remember me from cruise to cruise, which I think is cool. Crew seems to be happy you're there. Have always had helpful people at guest services, good waiters etc.

Overall, the cruise is fairly comparable to NCL. It is not totally freestyle, but you can choose anytime dining. They will make you dress up a little on formal night, but it is very laid back. As long as you don't show up in jeans, t shirt, or flip flops, they won't turn you away.

From what we could see, probably 20's. She wasn't a kid. Also she could not swim at all.

Oh! When you said girl, I thought kid. Makes more sense now.

I'm confused as to where this girl's parents were and why a stranger had to get in and help her? If it was one of mine, I'd have been in there before security ever showed up with a life ring. How old was she?

I usually stay onboard for at least one port on a 7 day cruise, for the reasons listed above, and also for the money saving aspect. As far as I'm concerned, the minute you get off the ship, you're losing money. You have already paid for your food and entertainment for X amount of days in your cruise fare. Once you start paying for things in port, you've lost money. Call me cheap, I don't care. :D