allfloridagirl

The comments,....why oh why did i even read them....on the CNN board are cruel, callous, myopic, moronic, mean....i could go on and on.

 

It is indeed sad that the internet is used as a tool to spread, what the comment writers think, is banter and humour. Freedom of speech is a right but to use it so maliciously ..just because you can....seems unjust and wrong...just my opinion.

 

The few sympathetic responses to this sad incident were flamed. A very tragic final action by this troubled passenger.

I wonder what those on AOL are writing, wait I mean, The Huffington Post who has hijacked AOL since purchasing them. The Huffington Post makes CNN look like angels. What vile people they have posting on AOL now.

Now more importantly, prayers go out to this very desperate woman's family and friends. I've personally have gone through this with my nephew's suicide and I deeply feel so for the family this woman left behind. Only time will lessen this dreadful pain they are now suffering.

Sorry to hear that your cabin has been switched. I marked my reservation as "no complementary upgrade", as I was able to snatch a aft cabin on the Ruby. Now, I'm going to be watching my reservation very closely.

allfloridagirl - after all of the advice we all gave you did you even try calling your TA for a price reduction?

Yes, I called and emailed my TA but didn't get a reply until today. They worked it out so that I could get the new discounted fare. Now I have an extra $360 to spend on board. Wahoo!!

My DD had an inside booked on the Ruby Princess. Yesterday she saw prices for an aft balcony that was only $49 more than her inside cabin. Call TA and now will be sailing in the aft Cabin - her first balcony.

Very nice. I've got an aft balcony too. She's getting a really nice upgrade for her money. She'll never want to go back to an inside ever again.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Forums mobile app

 

Allflorida girl check with ur TA they xan call princess and get u a credit, My cruise 4 Nov dropped and I called my TA today and was credited the difference, Never be afraid 2 ask it's either yes or no. Go get ur money:)

That is good to know. I have emailed my TA but will call them today if I don't get an answer soon.

That's a big benefit of booking early (as long as Princess doesn't take away your cabin and "upgrade" you to one you didn't want). So, I guess it's a tradeoff. You get the cabin you want but have to pay a little more for it. I would pay a little more to get a satisfactory cabin rather than booking a guarantee or getting a "leftover." Have a great cruise!

That's what I was thinking. My cabin wouldn't have been available if I waited until today to book, I already checked. My TA has marked my reservation as "no upgrades", so I'm pretty sure I won't get moved.

I have contacted my TA to see if there is anything that can be done but I really don't think so at this point. Fortunately, I've benefited from waiting to book within the 45 day window and have saved money doing so before. Sometimes you win some and lose some. On the bright side, I have a fantastic cabin and the cruise will be wonderful even though I didn't save the $300.

Ugh, I knew it, our cruise for December just dropped significantly and I had to make final payment on Friday. I booked with a TA and assume there's nothing I can do at this point, correct? Wow, I could have spent that $300+ for my on board expenses. I knew by the fact that the ship looked only about 30% sold that I should have waited until final payment was due to book.

I guess I've learned a lesson.

What makes a qualified shareholding? How much does that much stock cost?

 

You must own at least 100 shares either of Carnival Corporation stock or Carnival PLC ADRs; these may be held as certificates or you can hold them in a brokerage account, IRA or self-directed 401(k). The cost of a block of 100 shares will be 100X the prices quoted at the links above, plus brokerage fees.

Cool, did not know you can hold these shares as an IRA. Stock quote is nearly the lowest in past year. I'll get my IRA opened today.

We seem to answer the same questions on the OBC over and over and over, spawning endless threads. How about consolidating the information on this one? I've written a series of postings that will attempt to answer the most common questions about the CCL/CUK Shareholder Benefit, not only as described in the official CCL/CUK information, but also as experienced by actual cruisers.

 

I don't speak for Carnival Corporation or Carnival PLC, nor am I an investment advisor. I'm just a happy shareholder who has been through the process several times recently and sees a new OBC thread every other day.

 

Eric, AKA VibeGuy

Thank you for starting this post. All information is so helpful.

Julia

I had to look up Dirty Banana. No wonder people gain weight on cruises! It's not the food, it's the drinks! LOL ;)

Yeah, I looked it up too but will have to pass on this one. I eat too much food while on the cruise to drink that many calories:eek:!

I've tried it. Was relaxing and comfortable. But

I'd rather spend the money pampering my wife.

 

I can shave in the stateroom...send her to the spa

and have a great day after she feels so pampered.

That's so sweet of you.:D

Had the shave on the Crown this May. They just used a bog standard razor, thought they may have used a cut throat razor which gives the best shave. I can give myself a better shave. Waste of money IMO.

That's what I was wondering. If they don't do the barber shop type shave, we can just do the shave ourselves. I probably talk him into the shave but not a facial.

Thanks everybody for your input.

For those who have done the men's shave service, do you recommend the 30 min, 45 min or 55 min session? What has been your experience, good or bad? Normally, we do not go to the salon or spa but our upcoming trip in December, I would like to booked now, especially since we want our salon services on the formal night.

We've done the photos a few times in past cruises and some of our best portraits have been taken while on our cruises. Last cruise was nearly 5 years now, so we are looking forward to formal night, mainly to get another picture of us, so we're both going to get all dolled up this trip.

Knowing my husband, I'll have to drag him ticking and screaming all the way to the salon, so my gut tells me book the shortest session, as it may be more painful for him to endure than his recent dental appointment. However, he has made numerous comments before of how our photos could have been even better, if he had gotten a better shave.

Any thoughts or experiences you can share, I would appreciate it.

The big advantage of on-line future cruise credits is that you can book future cruises with only a $100 deposit.

 

DON

Thank you. I finally got the concept. It's better to keep your options open. I'll do the FCC for my husband and I when we're on the Ruby in December and book our upcoming cruise from our TA when we get back home. Our TA seems to always give us addl goodies that is normally not offered by Princess, like rebates back to use once we've completed our cruise.

You must have missed it because FCCs have been around for a very long time. :( Princess calls them "Future Cruise Deposits." You pay $100 for each FCC/FCD. It can be used to book a cruise while onboard or after you get home for any cruise within the next two years (with the exception of a world cruise or world cruise segment.) By booking with an FCC/FCD, you get OBC ranging from $25-150, depending on the length of the cruise and cabin type. It's a win/win since you get a return on your money and it gives you the flexibility to book a cruise when you want.

 

FYI, when you purchase an FCC onboard, it's charged directly to your credit card on record, not to your onboard folio. Princess treats it like an actual cruise deposit so it's a different accounting system. FCCs can be bought only for passengers actually onboard the ship. Not friends or relatives not on the cruise.

 

You can buy more than one per-person. I usually have two on my Captain's Circle account.

Okay, so it's no different than what I was thinking. I just didn't understand FCC, as I always thought of it as our future deposit for whenever we wanted to sail, including some onboard credit.

The online site is offering a few more perks than just the $50 OBC. They emailed me that I would receive an add'l $75 bucks to book excursions through them, as well as a 2.5% rebate, once my cruise was completed, which will equate to another $60 bucks off of our cruise. I will go ahead and put at least $200 FCC for my husband and I when I'm onboard the Ruby in December, as that way we'll be encourage to take another cruise within a few years.

I either book onboard or buy FCC's (future cruise credits). With FCC's you will get OBC

and pay just $100.00 for deposit. You can always switch your onboard booking to

an online travel agent later. Thus getting obc from Princess and your agent.

 

Greg

Sorry, I don't understand buying future cruise credits. I'm not familiar with this. Last time I was on a ship was back in 2008. Is this something new or have I just missed this on previous cruises? How does that work? Is it something like buy $100 now and get $150 OBC?

Hi All,

I recently booked a 4 day cruise in December on the Ruby Princess. I am now interested in booking another cruise for New England Oct '14. Question is, would I be better off to wait and book this cruise onboard the ship in December or book it now before the cruise? If I book it now, the online site is offering a $50 onboard credit and a deposit of $260 in order to book.

I've booked future cruises while onboard and remember that the deposit was like $100 bucks or around there but I don't recall if I received an onboard credit or not. I'm not as worried about paying a higher deposit with the online site but if I would get a better onboard credit with Princess, I would go that route and wait until December.

I am a Platinum member but not sure it matters either way. My husband is a vet, so we would get the $100 credit on that as well, right?

I appreciate your input and experiences with booking future cruises onboard.