It's a Ship!!!

As a travel agent I can tell you that there is a place for us to enter a gift card number when we go to make a payment. I don't know if it's different for e-gift cards though

silverware right on table ?:eek::eek::eek: they wipe it with soap and dirty cloth then put my forks?

Why on earth would they wipe the table with a dirty cloth? They wipe the table with a clean cloth. Having worked in restaurants, I can tell you that those cloths are put in a sanitizing solution when not in use and are very clean. You may not realize it, but they are also cleaning the kitchen in the back with those exact same types of cloths.

The fun times on the ships do allow jeans. The website is out of date. Check the fun time from any ship on elegant night for the past year

I just looked up a review with funtimes in march, and there isn't anywhere on the funtimes themselves with the dress code. However, there is an insert with the dress code for both cruise casual and cruise elegant nights. It still says for cruise elegant night that you can't wear jeans, shorts, swimwear, baseball caps, flip flops, men's sleeveless shirts or t-shirts. Maybe I'm missing where that info is on the funtimes that is different. They definitely aren't enforcing it, but some people may want to know what the dress code says.

His resident card (green card) is the basic thing he needs. If it doesn't have a photo on it, then he needs to have a separate government issued photo ID like a driver's license. The other thing he might need is a visa depending on his country of citizenship and where you are going. It is highly recommended that he have a passport from his home country as well.

 

The best thing to do would be to contact the consulate/embassy of the country you will be visiting and ask them if someone from his country needs a visa to enter their country.

 

Since you are leaving from Long Beach I assume you are going to Mexico. Mexico doesn't require a visa for permanent US residents. So really he should be fine with a passport from his home country and his US resident card. However, I'm just a random stranger on the internet, so you might still want to check with an actual authority for the country you are visiting.

Just so you know, there is a website that will give you all the info you need about passports. You can even enter the country/countries you are going to and it will tell you the requirements for entry, such as how long your passport must be valid.

 

travel.state.gov

On the Victory, there are 4 types of three person cabins with sofa beds. 3 person ocean views, junior suites, and ocean suites all have single sofa beds, while all Grand Suites have a double sofa bed.

 

The ocean views are 220 sq. ft., which is bigger than either an interior or balcony. Junior Suites are 275 sq. ft. with a 35 sq. ft. balcony, Ocean Suites are 275 sq. fr. with a 65 sq. ft. balcony, and Grand Suites are 345 sq. ft. with an 85 sq. ft. balcony.

If the delete button isn't working, you should probably just call Carnival because that is something wrong with their system.

If you don't want to worry about it, you can easily give them a credit card when you are checking in, and they will use that instead of a cash account.

We are traveling in April 2017 out of Miami how early do they let you pick your boarding time? We did our on line check in but there was no where to pick our boarding time. TIA

I don't know exactly how early they let you do it, but I picked my check in time about 10 months out for my cruise in November. When it is available it will be on the left hand side of the starting screen of your online check in between "current guests" and "stateroom preferences."

It's a hit or miss kind of thing. I would just ask at the coffee bar and see what happens. One employee there may do it for you while the next won't, but if they get to know you throughout the cruise there is a better chance of it happening.

Been reading, lurking, learning, and THANKS FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL INFORMATION!

 

Just getting a little clarification for myself (1st timer here): is there a benefit to checking in early (10am-noon ish) for embarkation? If boarding at Miami is 12:30-4, and we already have FTTF, is there any real benefit to a 10am check-in? Or is that more for the non-diamond/platinum/FTTF people who want to get on the boat faster (as in....zone 1)?

Most ships will board at around 11:30 at the earliest, but could be later depending on customs and how fast people get off the ship. So if you really want to be one of the first on the ship, then you can go early and wait for boarding, but if you arrive after they have already started boarding you will just get on the ship immediately after check in. A non FTTF person would have to arrive early to get on board early.

I'm surprised it's already sold out for 4 people this far out. October isn't really a prime time for families. The good thing is that you are far enough out that there is a better chance of someone canceling. If you just check every day you have a chance.

I just added this to my watch list.

I'm relatively new to ebay, so this might be a dumb question, but does it update you on sales if you put something in your watch list?

You can actually be put on a wait list for the dining you want. So pick your 2nd choice, and then call whoever you booked to get on the wait list for your first choice. If space opens up before your cruise, then you will automatically be placed in the dining you wait listed. If space doesn't open up, talk to the Maitre D when you get on board.

Only the Captain's suites have 2 bathrooms. The others all have one. The Grand Suite has a bidet.

I usually don't tip extra if I'm just grabbing a drink and going somewhere else. I usually do tip $1 or $2 extra when I'm sitting at the bar for a while or someone goes above and beyond. Then at the end of the cruise I may leave a slightly larger tip for a bartender who has been taking care of me for the whole cruise.

Have you looked into Carnival's Fly2Fun? It isn't like the old air program where they choose the flights for you. You actually get to pick the flights you want out of what they have available. I haven't used it yet, but similar programs on Princess and Royal Caribbean work well. Sometimes they have better deals then booking direct.

 

They also include what they call air protection, which means that they will take care of you in case of delays or cancellations and make sure you get to the ship either in the embarkation port or the next port or call. You can do either a flexible booking where you don't have to pay the air portion until the final payment date of the cruise and can cancel it without penalty, or you can do a restricted fare where you have to pay at time of booking and it is non-refundable.

 

The only problem is you can't book it online like the air programs for the other cruise lines, so you have to call.

Like the title says.

I just got off the Conquest 5-8 and while on board I asked the service desk for a Luggage Express form. They told me that CCL will no longer offer the service fleet wide starting this particular week.

I will miss this service :(

They said it wouldn't be fleet wide, but did they mention which ships would still have it? I was planning to use it in November since my flight isn't until later in the evening.

You might want to check again or call a travel agent. It is showing up with plenty of availability on Carnival's travel agent website.

 

I'm not allowed to give you my information here, but a local travel agent should be able to book it for you if it isn't back on Carnival's website yet.

 

I'm not sure why it has been gone, but it could mean they are considering moving that ship to a different home port, or it could just be a glitch in the system. Their website isn't the best.

[quote name='Schoifmom']Past guest ... normally higher fare, price drops until final payment date, deposit refundable with no penalty until final payment date

Early saver ... normally lower fare, price drops until 2 days before sailing, $50 penalty for canceling prior to final payment date (the rest remains as a future cruise credit)[/quote]
Another thing to add is that Early Saver doesn't allow for name changes. You have to actually cancel the one person and then add the new person with Early Saver. With past guest rate it is free to do a name change before final payment, and $50 to do it after final payment.

Sometimes Royal Caribbean can be less expensive than Carnival, but most of the time it is not. You never know, so it's always good to check both lines. It really just depends on when and where you are going and what type of cabin you want. You can always find deals, but it just may not be on the itinerary or time of year that you are looking at.

 

For example, if you look at both Carnival and Royal Caribbean out of Galveston on October 9, 2016 going to similar places, Royal has interiors for about $200 less than Carnival, ocean views for about $300 more than Carnival, and balconies for about $20 less than Carnival. On other sailing dates in that month, Carnival is less expensive on all cabins. So if you could go on that exact date, didn't mind going to Costa Maya instead of Belize, and wanted either a balcony or an interior, then Royal would be the better deal.

The Breeze would definitely win since it is the second newest ship in the fleet so it has more bells and whistles that the others don't have like the Ropes Course, Thrill Theater (upcharge), Sushi Restaurant (upcharge), water works with better slides, and I'm sure I'm missing a few other things.

 

Royal Caribbean doesn't go to the Key West and Bahamas route out of Galveston. So even if you find out you like Royal Caribbean better, you will have at least gone on the itinerary out of Galveston that is exclusive to Carnival.

I had read another thread where someone posted about work being done above their cabin and unable to sleep at night. So, I began to worry that being below Lido might have the same issues with noise. I'm probably concerned about nothing as we will not be in the cabin much during the day, but I always try to cover every possible scenario just to be prepared.

You should be pretty good there. The main areas to stay away from are the Night club, Galley, Casino, Show lounge, Piano Bar, and Comedy club. Those are the places that are definitely going to make noise.

 

It looks like your cabin is under the dining room area of the buffet, so that should be quiet late at night. On your Balcony you might hear some noise from the music on deck, but that would be during the day.

i don't see what the experiment proves. why would the newbie be expected to notice the lack of a table clothe since he may not know to expect one on the table. now, if he has sailed other lines that had table clothes then he may or may not notice the lack of a table clothe on carnival. of course, it may be that he just isn't observant of such things in general which would only prove a lack of situational awareness. ;)

He's been on Carnival a few times before the change, so it will show if the "average" person notices or cares about the tablecloths. We have never discussed tablecloths on cruise ships, so I just want to see if he says anything. Obviously to be a real experiment we would have to get the reactions of a lot of people, but I'm just curious.

I would call Carnival again and be persistent. Even if you have to call back a few times. Since the agent told you it would be okay, they should really waive the change fee. They actually do have the power to do it, but you just have to get someone who is sympathetic.

 

That's the problem with booking on board. The agents there aren't always the most knowledgeable and they end up giving incorrect information just to get you to hurry up and book. As others have suggested, it's a good idea to ask for a rate that has a refundable deposit when you book. Then you can make any changes you want later.

Hello friends! I like this topic, which made me think to ask this question. I am leaving for my cruise on the 29th and have everything printed out. My question is that should I just put the luggage tags on the bags being checked/scanned? Or should I also put one on my carry-on bag too? It's been 5 years since my last cruise and the person I am bringing, this is her first cruise, so I just want to make sure I am prepared. :)

You only need to put the tags on your checked bags given to the porters.