AngAndBoys

Sounds like you're going to have a blast! Bon Voyage!

Forgot to add, at top of escalator there is a carnival rep who will ask for your Ebola form and point you to the fttf check in lines. After that, I don't know what happens, that is the point where fttf and platinum/diamonds separate. My understanding is, you board right after them and you wait in separate area. I've never gotten there before boarding started, so going by what I hear.

Depending on when you arrive at the port in Galveston, the lines can get pretty long. If you have 3 cabins, you have to buy 3 fttf. Early tends to be crowded, after 1, not so much.

They know you have it because the fttf symbol prints on your luggage tag and boarding pass. Point it out to the porter because they will also mark your luggage with orange tape. Before the main door to the terminal, you will see a door with a roped off walkway, this is for you. Go there and you will be directed to your security line. After security clearance, you will see a roped off escalator, this is yours, show your pass and be on your way. I'd so do it.

The fttf symbol is also on you sail and sign card, so that is how they know for tendering. I have not had a tender port with priority status yet, so don't know how you line up for it.

I don't think it is a matter of rights to use the elevators so much as learning and employing a little bit of etiquette with it. If a clearly handicapped person is waiting, they SHOULD be allowed on before those who COULD use the stairs. I have seen a person in a scooter have to wait as 2 elevators filled before they could get on. That is wrong. I've also been stuck behind 2 seriously old people (think 90+) rolling up the middle of the gangway so nobody could get by. The crowd behind them was actually kind of comical.

Anyway, I just think a ship is a fairly small place for a lot of people and we should just remember to be thoughtful and courteous. I take stairs if it's a flight or three up, unlimited down, but it's mostly because I want to fit in my dress on formal night without 20 pounds of lykra impeding my ability to breathe.

Not me! Even before the negative reviews started coming in, taking an older ship and cramming more cabins in it never sounded good to me. That being said, if the circumstances dictated that the ship was best choice at the time or places I wanted to sail, I'd go and be fine with it. I just wouldn't seek out this ship as one to go on.

Ah, it'll be fine. Just resign yourself to the fact that some parts are not going to be ideal, like space. I'd definitely get an overdoor hanger for everyone's toiletries, designate a spot for laundry, and stay on top of the clutter. Otherwise, I imagine your room at night will be wall to wall people, much like camping only not as hot, way more comfortable bedding, AND you will wake up somewhere fabulous and tropical in the morning.

Because I know how my own boys are, I'd also probably ban them from eating in the room at all. Just because 3 boys eating equals 4 to 6 trays or so and that is just too much messy clutter to introduce to the mix.

That's all the advice I can think of besides don't worry and have a good time. It's just a place to sleep and store your clothes, really. It'll be good incentive to get out of the cabin and enjoy the vacation!

Who knows? This differs from person to person. And even with the same person. A few years ago, I got some casino offers then nothing until recently. Then I got the great ones like you and lots of them. I pretty much spend a lot of time but probably not a lot of money in there, relatively speaking. I DO know that I only got enough points for drinks on us twice. And after both of those cruises is when the offers came. So I'm guessing that at least triggers them to look at you. Interesting aside, on the 2 I got the drinks on us, I spent less of my own money than usual because I was winning at slots. Otherwise I play tables almost exclusively and have little to no points on my card. So even though I go on the same cruise all the time and the workers in the casino know me by name, usually no offers.

Anyway, all my offers are gone again now. Back to scouring for deals. :cool:

That's what photoshop is for! If your tooth is pulled, you can always photoshop one later!

Or just try to go through the entire cruise without smiling! Which might not be that hard with the granddaddy of all toothaches.

I agree it should be a plus one. Who wants to go alone? But it doesn't sound that exciting to me just to get a drink or 2. Speaking with the Captain would be nice.

It is not that exciting. For people like me, the very idea of missing the opportunity to get something (a drink, whatever) free is painful. Haha! I KNOW it's stupid compared to the cost of a cruise, but I don't want to "miss out". I'm going to be in the boat of going to it alone or giving it up as I don't know or cruise with anyone else who is Platinum. I HAVE gone by myself when I cruised with my kids who had no interest whatsoever in going. I found a nice couple to sit with and it was pleasant enough...just prefer to go with someone I know. The issue for me on the next cruise is...do I or do I not ditch my own mother to go? I'm not mad though, just mildly disappointed.

Yeah, get to the dentist ASAP and get on some antibiotics at least. This might cut down on the pain and keep you from dealing with a potential abscess and/or major infection in a foreign country. You can also get some pain meds. Good luck!

You can still save .95 a day on Carnival. Everybody run!

Is tea time still offered on sea days in the dining room.....I don't care for tea but like the desserts :)

It was on at least one of the sea days on my 4 day 2 weeks ago on Triumph, so I'd say probably on yours too.

As I mentioned, the front desk was filled with guests and on the last day it's extremely difficult to speak to anyone. We were disembarking and I knew that I would contact NCL head office or post directly to a thread to see if anyone would respond. Why would I want to keep an engraved ring... there's no reason for anyone to pass negative comments on this.

Unfortunately, negative comments seem to be part of it. Pretty much anything you say can and will be used against you. Try to bear in mind it's probably some fat old turd sitting around in stained underwear posting it and don't let it get to you. I think you did the right thing trying to make sure the ring was taken care of. I found a laptop once stuck down next to the side of the couch. I gave it the steward. Always wondered if it ever got reunited with its owner.

What is the order normally called? We are platinum and do not do self assist. Usually 1 or 2 depending how many diamonds/platinums. Where does the FTTF fit in?

 

Just trying to figure this out for future cruises. Normally when we are in Galveston we wait until they kick us off the ship but with flights/shuttles it will be different.

 

TIA

Now that I'm not sure about, but I think the fttf self disembark after plat/diamond selfs. If I remember correctly, fttf people get zone 1 for disembark and go at the same time as platinum if not self assist? It might be 2? I'm a little fuzzy since I have usually just done self assist. Maybe a recent fttf person can tell you what zone they got.

Your age group is probably the least represented on a typical cruise. Generally, people your age don't have the funding unless they're with mom and dad. That being said, if you guys are single and looking for a cruise, go check out the singles cruises available. They host some for different age groups, some for all age groups. Even if you don't book through them, you'll know which cruises they're offering and hence which cruise will have an abundance of single 20something's. Now whether you'll find one in the timeframe you're looking or not, I don't know. There are 2 websites that I know of where you can check them out. As we are not allowed to post websites here, I'd advise you to just Google singles cruises.

I have never been on one, but I did meet a lady in Miami airport coming off one a few years ago, and she thought they were great! Had a ton of fun. Seems to me that she was around 30. Good luck to you!

I hosted one that ended up being around 30 people who showed up. One thing you need to plan for is how you are going to divide the money out if the amount involves change when it's divided. Basically, I had a spread sheet type thing, tracked who had the highest spin and then gave them any remainder over and above what I could divide equally (without any cents involved) amongst the players.

The other thing I did, to speed it along was a: recruited an assistant, and b: got a whole lot of small bills to take with me so that when it was over, it was easy enough to give people their winnings and they didn't have to wait for me to figure out what I needed and go to the cashier to get it. Also, a fun little prize for the highest spinner, which was a big chunky "gold" dollar sign necklace from the party store.

We used a shuttle pick up and arranged for a 10am pick-up. We used self-debarkation and ended up getting in line early to get off before our deck was called (deck 7) and were still not off until 10:30. At that point they had not called (formally) any luggage tag numbers but I suspect there were people getting off anyway just because it seemed to be taking so long to get things moving. They seem to be in no hurry to get you off the ship. Great cruise though!

Agree with this. It was slow last week when I got off. I'm Platinum and did self disembark, so first off and it was around 9:20 by the time we got off.

Hi all, I was on Triumph on April 30 cruise. Went at end of January as well. Between January and April, they got rid of an entire pit of table games, the ones in the back, by the sports bar, were gone. The automated blackjack tables, also gone. Carribean Stud, gone. The did add a Texas Hold Em table game that was fun. It appears they added a game machine the kind with the claw that you try to grab stuff, it is full of bundles of money. During embarkation I saw them unwrap some brand new machines and set them up. I think they were the new style animated type and I didn't pay any mind to the denomination.

Overall, the change appears to add more slots and less tables. It WAS a little harder to find an open table game at peak hours, but not impossible.

Anyone seen any similar changes on other ships? Or heard anything about this?

From the sounds of things, I better stick with Carnival. While I do like and appreciate luxury and upscale food, my mentality is more burgers and fries. I've looked at some of the more upscale lines and decided not to try them because I'm pretty sure I'll be bored with the more sedate atmosphere. I have done NCL several times and will do at least one more on Vista, but they don't really have the same "fun" atmosphere as Carnival either. For me, most reviews I see on other lines, positive or negative, sort of prove to me that while other lines have some really great features, Carnival is my best fit. Thanks for taking the time. :D

Exactly my thoughts! All the other stuff is pretty much true, but if I had to drink ship's water for a week, they'd be carrying me off on a stretcher. Fifteen bucks or so spent in the Fun Shops pre-cruise for bottled water is money well spent. I'd also add that if you drink more than a few drinks a day, Cheers can be money well spent. Especially if you enjoy indulging on a cruise on drinks you probably wouldn't have at home.

This is how I handle the water situation too. For a four day cruise, I order 24 bottles from Bon Voyage. I don't like water from the tap much and there is no way I'd haul my own, the whole onboarding process is stressful enough without carrying heavy stuff.

I also would not do my own laundry onboard, that's just me, but if I'm on vacation, I don't want to do chores. I'm in the over packing group. Like someone else said, I like lots of choices and pack it all, on hangers, wrapped in dry cleaners plastic. It really cuts down on wrinkling and unpacking is pretty fast since its all hung already. Word to newbies, there are only about 20 hangers in each cabin, not sure if you can get more?

I like self assistance disembark. I invested in a good spinner suitcase so it's not bad at all to haul around even though everything but the kitchen sink is in it. I Actually find it more cumbersome to carry a smaller bag containing all my toiletries and stuff I had to keep if I pack up the night before than to just have the giant roller and my purse to contend with. Also, I just don't like the worry of my suitcase gone and what if I need something? And I like to suck out the last bit of fun the last night, so I don't want to think about packing just yet. :D

I think newbie advice threads are good things. I found one recently about what to bring and my first time cruiser friends found it very useful. It's always good to know how other people do it. I learned that packing method on this board and pretty much haven't had to iron anything since.

I think afts get Sun most of the time if that is what you're wanting. I seem to remember the one time I had one, the floor was always burning hot.

No. It's clear. I disagree. It should be willingness to spend (that means actual spend for the purposes of loyalty programs) not ability to spend and here is why:

 

This discussion is within the context of vacations and corporation that soley exists for the purposes of travel, vacation and hospitality, not any essential life or survival purposes or services such as housing, energy, medicine, etc...

 

If customers frequently only buy inside cabins and have no other spend, then the actual amount of their carriage spend is accumulated (like everyone else's carriage and on board spends are) and is applied to a loyalty chart. Pretty straight forward.

 

I don't think it's whatever the 6 and half one dozen or another means.

 

The company is in business to make money, not make you or I happy.

E,

Yup, we have to agree to disagree. KevinPit summed up what I've been saying. A couple of things, you differentiate vacation dollars from living expenses. Even those who can afford to vacation can't necessarily afford a top of the line cabin, so it's still not really a choice.

The other thing you're forgetting is this. I have 5 cruises booked this year, 6 if you consider I purchased 2 cabins for 1 of them. 3 4 day and 2 7 day. 1 inside, 3 OV, 2 balconies. I brought 1 person in January who would not have gone otherwise, 4 who had never cruised before in April (and spent like newbies do!), I've got 4 more coming with me in June, including my mother who generally prefers Princess, and my kids plus a friend, for a total of 3 balcony cabins booked. The kids won't generate much as they don't even like soda, but they will have money and shop in the fun shops, at least $100 each. July is me and only me unless I can think of someone I can tolerate in close quarters for 7 days :D October, bringing 3 more people I took on their first cruise last year and they invited 2 more, all heavy drinkers/gamblers. I spend more than the cruise fare in the casino every trip.

So, my suite sailing friend, you gonna generate that much revenue for Carnival with your planned sailings this year? I think I'm going to write Carnival and see if they'll hire me as a cruise recruiter.:D

That's true about unexperienced cruisers. The newbies get S&S shock when they see their final print out. We met one couple who spent too much the first 3 days, that they couldn't afford to have a good time the rest of the 4 days of the cruise. I think newbies get onboard and are caught up on the sales pitches and all the merchandise, that they lose all sense of controlling their spending. No one is making them hand over their S&S, they let their feelings control them. If one plans to become a frequent cruiser, you learn fast the first cruise.

Oh this made me smile. On my first cruise I almost fainted when the bill showed up under the door the last night! We bought ALL the pictures, babysitting, drinks, souvenirs, I have 2 of those stupid inch of gold bracelets from that trip that I never wear for shame! One thing they had then that they don't now is the henna tattoos. I did like those because you could get a cool design that would be there after the cruise because it wouldn't tan. That was kinda cool.

These days, I still spend in the casino and bars, but that's pretty much it.

OK, then the programs should be based on overall spends. That's the point.

No, it is not the point. I don't know if you are not hearing what I'm saying or just disagree. Basing rewards on spending level rewards ability to spend, not loyalty. I am not even saying that's a bad thing, I'm saying I think Carnival is rewarding people who choose them over and over without regard to their spending level. It's 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. If they reward based on spending, people who cruise a lot but don't have a lot of extra money for suites and drinks, pictures etc would then be upset about those able to "buy" their perks. If you want rewards based on spending, the casino is the place to go. They will give you hella better than a few free drinks!

Let me apologize for so many questions - just a couple more.

So, I take $300 from Sail and Sign; all $300 appears on the slot machine I am on. I cash out and go to another machine. When I put the card in this machine it will register all the funds?

I can of course, go to the cage, take out the cash and play accordingly, right? While you are playing with cash, do you use the S& S card too? Similar to a land casino players card?

Thanks so much for the info. Its been may years since I gambled on a cruise ship!

No worries about the number of questions.:cool:

1. Once your card has funds on it, you will be given an option to get money from your players bank every time you put it in. There are a series if buttons to do this. They are where you put your card in. You will be given option for amount to put on the machine. All the funds are in your player account from first machine, but you don't have to use them all on subsequent machines.

2. Yes, but I have heard of people getting flack for cashing out without playing at all. In other words, using the slot like an ATM. I always give at least 2-3 spins before cashing out, never had issue with cashiers.

3. Yes, your sail and sign is just like land based and should always be inserted when you play.

4. Good luck!!!