mavvie

I always take my passport along with the S&S card. I wish I could find the link, but there was a lengthy post on this forum about a guy who missed the ship in Bahamas and the horrible experience as a result. He would've been up the proverbial creek without a paddle had he not brought his passport and a decent amount of cash with him off the ship. If anyone knows the post I am talking about, please post a link because it is well worth the read.

I personally would upgrade. As an FYI, I paid $500 to upgrade from a spa balcony to a grand suite on our last cruise on the Valor last December. The large balcony, extra interior space and whirlpool tub were worth the extra cost to experience a suite at least once.

I attempted to start up a "home game" on one of our previous cruises right here on cruise critic a month or so prior to departure. 7 or 8 other people advised they were in and we set up a meeting place on the first night to hatch a plan of action. The only problem I had was that only one of the other players showed up and I ended up stuck on the electronic poker table for the whole week. I hope you have better luck.

What side of the ship were the majority of the ports of call on when entering? We are on the port side and hoping to be able to see most from our balcony in the morning. Probably one of my favourite things to do while cruising?

Thank you everyone for your overly positive comments regarding my first upsell. I am so excited to suprprise my wife when we get to the port. Everyone who says the upsell fairy never calls, be patient. Your time will come and hopefully it is a good deal that you can advantage of.

Happy Cruising!!!!

I sail on the breeze in June in a Spa Balcony i would love a call for an upsell for the Spa Balcony Suite. Can you hagle these prices?

 

If they say $500 can i counter them with lets say $400 or less? Anyone ever able to hagle or even try to hagle the prices with them?

 

thanks,

I tried haggling on the price, but it was a no go. I almost always ask for a discount becasue you never know. The explanation was that they are already so deeply discounted Carnival does not offer any further reductions.

My apologies for my previous post. I should have spell checked before submitting. I swear, I know how to spell :o

We sail out of San Juan this Sunday, Cecember 7 and the upsell fairy jsut called me for the first time ever last night. Offered to move form spa balcony to grand suite for $500 flat. So that would put the call 5 days out from sailing. Not that anyone cares, but I jumped on the upsell. Never had a chance to cruise in a suite let alone a Grand. Can't wait to enjoy the extra space and jacuzzi tub.

Four cruises and the Carnival upsell fairy finally called with an offer. We are booked on the Valor this Sunday in a Spa deck balcony. Carnival offered a move to a Grand Suite for $500 flat. I know it is a port intensive itinerary but we have never had the chance to try a suite for that price. I don't know if the extra space, sink and a tub are worth it but I guess I am going to find out. Priority embarkation can't be a bad thing either :)

I was just on there 5 minutes ago to do a mock booking and got booted out with an error message.

We started with a balcony and have always had one. I really couldn't imagine cruising without it.

Next to nothing on the ship. I usually save my money for the ports. The odd time we decide to go shopping instead of the beach I always find better deals on land. I have no trouble enjoying my cruise without dropping a bunch of coin.

Definitely emptied the lounge on both of my latest cruises. As has mentioned on CC previously they seriously need to consider moving the comedy shows to the larger venue. I see numerous people turned away due to being over capacity.

My wife and I will be doing the Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Carnival Valor this December. I am an experienced snorkeller and on all our holiday's I have yet to see any sea turtles outside of captivity. I would apppreciate some input on the best spot to have a chance at swimming with these magnificent creatures. (i.e. a particular beach etc..) Ports of call are, St. Thomas. St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Barbados. I prefer DIY adventures as I don't like swimming as a group.

Thanks

To generously tip your room steward and waiter at the main dining room on the first day. I have always received exemplary service and a willingness to go the extra mile by doing so.

I love Guy's burgers. Straight up and then add your toppings until you can barely bite through it. Awesome. I doubt I could count how many of those I ate on our last cruise. 10 pounds on the belly worth. Took alot of post cruise exercise to burn them off. So bummed our next cruise on the Valor will not have Guy's. I almost feel like cancelling and booking another cruise after reading about delicious, delicious burgers. mmmmmmm.......

I agree that with bad weather the ship is the better place to be. My daughter was on a cruise last week and it was overcast and raining when they were in Key West so they didn't get off there. If you do your research though there are many different opportunities at most ports and I don't book through the cruise line. I always look for something new to do at each port even if it is only spending a short time onshore.

Agree with the second half of this post completely. I love doing precruise research on every port. We always find something awesome to do off the beaten shopping circuit. We have even had people tag along becasue it seems like we know what's going on. No sympathy for people who wander off the ship and then complain that any given port had "nothing to offer"

Are there any plans to expand the fun 2.0 upgrades to the other ships? I will be on the Valor in December 2014 and am hoping Guy's Burgers will be avialable. After having them on the Glory last year I can;t imagine going back to the little poolside burgers from the grill. I should have looked into this before booking.

We go to Sapphire beach each time we are in St Thomas. My wife sits on the beach while I snorkel. The best areas are off to the Left and even better on the far right (if you are facing the water).

Here are some pics

 

 

 

 

Nice pics. It looks like there is some nice coral and bottom structure. Have you ever seen any sea turtles. I have read they can sometimes be found in the grassy areas. I am 99% sure this is where we are going in St. Thomas. How long was the cab ride from the pier?

If you work your way back to the FRIENDS OF CRUISE CRITIC section and then find ARIZONA CRUISERS, there is a thread there for the 4/28 sailing of Allure of the Seas. I am on that cruise and a bunch of the AZ cruisers are going to Saphire beach, all for the 2nd time and they report enjoyable snorkeling there.

Thanks, I will check it out.

I love to snorkel and usually DIY off the beach. A lot of websites recommend Sapphire Beach as a great place. I have seen some underwater pics and they show a pretty wide variety of marine lofe. My wife loves to sunbathe and the beach itself looks very nice which is a bonus. Then...... I read a few posts here saying the snorkelling isn't that good. People quote "a few baracudas and seaweed" or "schools of minnows". The conflicting reports are troubling. Any specific experiences with this location??

Personally I enjoy both cruising and A/I resorts. Both have their pros/cons. Since 2010 we (wife and I) have started alternating each year. I would love to enjoy both each year but it is not in the budget at this point in our lives.

We have done A/I resorts in Cuba, Mexico and Dominican Republic multiple times for each country. Like cruise ships they differ in quality and price by star rating and country. I will break it down as follows:

Food: 100% hands down better on the cruise ships. Even the a la carte restaurants pale in comparison. The food is sourced by country of origin at A/I and is not always what the North AMerican pallete is accustomed to. That being said, some of the best BBQ'd chicken I've ever had was in Cuba.

Entertainment: While some A/I resorts put on flashy shows nightly the varied entertainment options on a cruise ship cater to a wider audience. Most A/I resorts do offer golf courses )if that's your thing) and a casino as well.

Value: This to me is a source of great contention. Being in Canada, sometimes the A/I end up being cheaper for us because air travel is included and we don't have to book extra nights of hotel stay. If you like to drink, the bar tab on a cruise ship can quickly add up and negate any savings vs. an A/I. I will not deny that if you want a simple inside state room then the ship will always be cheaper.

Variables: This is where the individual comes in to play. What do you want out of a holiday? A cruise ship is great for getting a brief taste of different locales. If you really want to experience the local culture then an A/I is the only way to go.

If you are a beach bum, then again IMO the A/I wins. Cuba and the Dominican have beaches that compete with anything I have seen, and you get a whole week to enjoy them.

Service is about the same on both types of holiday. No matter where I go, service seems excellent. I don't expect a lot out of people though.

High levels of luxury are available on both ships and A/I, it just depends on what you are willing to pay for.

I could go on forever. Obviously I enjoy both types of vacation. I recommend everyone try both a few times at differrent locations. All resorts, like ships were not created equal. I don't think a negative experience one time should be construed as indicative for all.

My brother-in-law bought one of the "special: sets and the watch never made it until the end of the holiday. After leaking through the bezel in the shower it broke the next day in port. I think the pen lasted slightly longer. You get what you pay for though.

We collect sand from everywhere we go. Seashells to if we can find them.

The list:

Puerto Vallarta

Cozumel

Punta Cana

Cayo Largo (Cuba)

La Romana (Domincan)

Roatan

Grand Cayman

Belize

Some we give to our hermit crabs, other samples get put into candle holders and others stay in a bottle w/ different layers. FYI, my favourite is the powdery white of Cayo Largo.

We were on a family cruise in 2010 and one of the sister in-laws decided to bring her 6 month old and proceeded to compain that people weren't helping babysitting enough for her to enjoy her vacation. :rolleyes: Never again. Wife and I only from now on.