N00B

I dont think thats completely true. I only booked my cruise last month and didny wualify for early saver but ibhave had 4 price drops so far. But once i make final payment i dont think ill get anymore. Whereas i believe with early saver you can get OBC for any additional price drops after final payment.

I decided to take the savings. Although i had a nice deck, there was nothing else special about my cabin. I only booked a month or so ago so there wasnt much selection even when i booked. I have looked at the worst case scenarios and discussed with DH and we are willing to risk them. We would still be happy with our cruise even if we end up with a cove or in a noisy spot. We are travelling with a young baby and seldom get much sleep at the best of times. Not to mention the trashy dive bar that lets out at 2:00am almost under our bedroom window at home in the summer. We dont ever seem to bothered by it. Maybe it will make us feel like home. lol.

Anyway, its not like we booked a cruise we cant afford (something a previous poster mentioned) but at this point we have saved almost $ 1,000 off our initial booking price and i can sure think of a few things we can spend that money on.

Thank you all for your thoughtful advice, it helped me to see what i might not he tinking of and to hink through the possibilities.

I'd like your advice. I think i have the opportunity to benefit from one last price drop before i make my final payment in just a few days (I dont have early saver).

Currently i have selected a balcony cabin on deck 7, i beleive its a somewhat premium deck because there are cabins above and below. Other than that my balcony is unremarkable. Under the conditions of the price drop i would have to let Carnival pick my room. The tradeoff is that I would save almost $300. Which is something like 20%,of my entire cost.

Should I do it? Would you? Why or why not?

I was pregnant on my last cruise. 15 weeks on embarkation for a 10 day cruise. I told the cruiseline i was pregnant since it seemed i was expected to. What a freaking fiasco!

I was with a midwife so i was the epitome of a low risk pregnancy. The wiestionairre they expected my midwife to fill out was quite privacy invasive. Also i would get a different answer everytime about whether a midwife was even allowed to sign. In the end i got a short letter from her without all the personal information they had sought. They accepted it. But somehow that acceptance didn't seem to make it onto my official file - no matter what i did.

I ended up having to hunt down the person at the cruiseline who was responsible for giving the okay. I asked for a direct letter from her so there would be no problem at embarkation. Well she sent it, or rather she said she did but i never got it. Then she was unavailable and no one seemed to want to okay my pregnancy conditions without her.

So i had a letter from my provider, i had been okayed by the cruise line and still my file showed it as an outstanding condition and no one eould okay me.

The day got closer and i got more desperate. Eventually, the day before i got on my flight, i was sble to get a copy of the letter from the lady's files and i had it in my hand as i boarded the ship because i was praying to all that was holy that they would let me board the cruise. In the end my file must have been updated because i had no trouble getting on board and didnt end up needing the letter.

I was obviously still "legal" from a weeks pregnant standpoint and i was not yet showing enough to not pass for a little pudgy but i feel that i came entirely too close to not being able to cruise.

I would strongly advise caution in disclosing your pregnancy to Carnival unless absolutely necessary.

I really enjoy assigned dining. I like being assigned a table and getting to know the people I sit with. I usually request the largest table size as well. Having an assigned dinner time gives our evenings structure, the wait staff get to know your preferences and I have had very good luck with tablemates. Last cruise DH and i became quite good friends with all our table mates and are still in touch with some of them.

That said, this time we are opting for Anytime Dining. We have recently had a baby and our mealtimes often take MUCH longer as a result of juggling her, feeding her and other necessary ministrations. We really enjoy plated and served dining so the buffet or other casual options are not appealing to us. Normally we find that our tablemates tend to wait for the last person to be finished before leaving. We did not want to be rushed or to hold up dinner service in some way. As it was our table was usually one of the last to leave and if we had taken any longer I'd begin to feel bad for the staff. At the same time if we chose early dining I'd feel pressure to clear our table for the next seating.

We went with Anytime Dining so that if our dinner happens to take 4 hours, we only inconvenience ourselves.

Can anyone use this pool or do you have to be in a spa cabin?

The pool is part of the SPA. you need to have spa access to use it. So either you are in a spa cabin or you purchase a spa pass.

Thats a shame. I have never drank on a cruise before. My first cruise i was young and broke. My last cruise i was pregnant. This time i was really looking forward to trying ALL the cocktails and indulging in wine with dinner etc. But i just dont think i can justify almost $1,000 just in alcohol.

I think we will have drnks but we'll try to focus on drink deals and packages. I just doubt that we would break even most days. This way we'll more likely confine ourselves to a couple drinks a day. Im not going to lie. I'm quitet disappointed with this news.

Thank you all for your info. It seems pretty clear that there is no special lunch in the MDR and therefore no reason to rush on board. We will be staying locally the night before the cruise and our hotel offers complimentary breakfast. This usually holds us until about 3:00pm so we will be fine for food until things die down a bit.

I'm so glad I asked and didn't just rush onboard looking for a great lunch. FWIW the MDR lunch on Princess is a little known fact and not advertised as special in any way but if you get the chance......

Thank you all for your info. It seems pretty clear that there is no special lunch in the MDR and therefore nor'easter to rush on board. We will be staying locally the night before the cruise and our hotel offers complain try breakfast. This usually holds us until about 3:00pm so we will be fine for food until things die down a bit.

I'm so glad I asked and didn't just rush inboard looking for a great lunch. FWIW the MDR lunch on Princess is a little known fact and not advertised as special in any way but if you get the chance......

How is the ouch on embarkation day in the MDR?

My only recent cruise was with Princess. The lunch menu on embarkation day in the MDR was probably the best lunch menu of the entire cruise. I was so glad we got on early, in time to sit down and enjoy it.

This cruis is obviously on Carmival. This time we are travelling with a baby and all that means. I was not able to get us FTTF on this cruise and I understand our rooms are unlikely to be ready to hen we get on board. All the waiting in the port and schlepping our myriad of belongings around deck makes me seriously consider arriving later to hopefully avoid a lot of it. But seriously the first day lunch was so good that I would feel bad to miss it if Carmival is the same. So. Please tell me. Was the embarkation day lunch menu special?

I always call Carnival directly when I think I'm eligible for a price drop. They are always very nice and helpful and I get my price drop right away. I usually have my new booking confirmation within minutes of getting off the phone. I have never heard of the form you are talking about. Just call their 800 number and get your price drop today.

Appetizers are unlimited and served complimentary in the steakhouse.

 

If you order an entree, you will be subjected to a $35 charge that includes the gratuity. If you order an extra entree, you will be charged an additional of either $20 or $35.

Are you saying that we could go to the Pinnacle for free if we only order appetizers?

Please tell me about how match play and cheers work together. I'm a little fuzzy on match play to begin with.

Apparently if I buy a drink I can play free at the casino? So if I have cheers is that still buying a drink? How does this work? It kind of sounds to good to be true from what I've put together. Someone give me the straight goods.

Following

I agree with all of the above posters....the Splendor.

 

Just wanted to add one more thing though, that was not mentioned. On the Ecstasy, (especially with a young child)....am I correct in understanding that this is a 3/4 day back to back? If so.....these are notorious for being "party" cruises. :eek:

Yes, it would be a 3 and a 4 day cruise B2B.

I am trying to book an upcoming cruise. We are trying to decide between doing B2B on the Ecstasy to make 7 days or doing a 7 day on the Splendor.

I'm having trouble deciding. The Ecstasy works a little better with our dates and if we did it we would get B2B in an Oceanview. The Splendor we would go with a Balcony (price differential is less) so it would cost us a bit more and it not quite as ideal for our dates - but still totally doable.

I'm just not sure if the extra amenities available on the Splendor are worth it. I think both are older ships but the Ecstasy is on of their oldest.

We will be travelling with a 9 month old, if that makes any difference.

Which would you choose and why? Or which should I choose and why?

You do not pay for the debarkation day.

Does this mean that on a 3 day cruise I only pay for 2 Cheers days (2 X $55) and on a 4 day cruise I only pay for 3 Cheers days (3 X $45)? Or is Cheers not available on a 3 day cruise and is 3 X $55 on a 4 day cruise?

3 day $55 per person/per day

4 day $45 per person/per day

5 and 6 day $42.50 per person/per day

7 days and longer $37.50 per person/per day

Does Carnival have a soda and mocktails card? I have seen some mention of mocktails on the Cheers program but many cruise lines include virgin cocktails in their soda packages or kids packages. Does Carnival have something like this?

Also, if I am doing a B2B and I purchase the Cheers program am I effectively paying for for the last day of the first cruise twice? or do they make some kind of adjustments for that?

And lastly (for now), if I get the Cheers program does it include unlimited virgin/mocktails? How about the shakes and floats are they included?

I recently came off that ship in Houston. I think the first group to disembark met at 7:30, not sure when they actually got off, but shortly after I would think.

Customs in the Houston Pier was a breeze. We were a later group and the line up was super long - 2 or 3 winds around the cattle gates - but I don't think we waited more than 10-15 minutes to get through it all, get through the customs officers, and get outside. They were definitley ready for us.

 

There is the Piazza which is simply too small. Also the shops are quite small and not especially well stocked while there seemed to be a large amount of lounge space that was seldom in use.

 

Interesting that it was so crowded yet a lounge area that was seldom used. hmmm...

 

I don't know if you are trying to make some kind of assertion with this comment or if it is a question.

 

The large amounts of lounge space that were not in use were that way because they were undesireable. Club Fusion (large empty space) was generally either devoid of entertainment or hosted Karaoke. Explorers lounge (also quite large) was very dark when not in use, and when in use often had entertainment that was not very popular. Wheelhouse Bar (decent sized) often had nice Jazz but was set to meat locker temperatures throughout the cruise.

 

The most popular entertainment appeared to take place in and around the Piazza (Crooners included) these are relatively very small spaces with very limited seating on this ship.

 

People do not generally just head to a space and occupy it onboard because it is empty, people are drawn by warm, inviting spaces, and entertainment they find pleasing. Thus even a ship operating at around 80% passenger capacity can feel very crowded if large numbers of passengers find the entertainment in the smallest venues to be the best on offer.

Just off yesterday. The only shower gel was in the Lotus Spa showers. The do provide bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion in little bottles.

Just came off the Caribbean Princess yesterday and the only wall dispensers I saw were in the Lotus Spa. The room had bottles - Shampoo, Conditioner, & Lotion, as well as bar soap.

We did have the new, improved beds in our stateroom though. (I know you didn't ask that).

We were also on this same cruise. This was my second cruise ever and my first with Princess. It seems I have also "outgrown" the experience.

We went to the buffet a few times, mostly for lunch when the lunch menus in the MDR took a precipitous decline near the end of the cruise. The smell coming out of the buffet was generally enough to turn my stomach and I mostly ended up picking at a few dishes that appeared reasonable. I ate a lot of fruit from the buffet as it generally appeared to be the most appealing item.

The ship did seem crowded most times. Around the pools it was near to impossible to get a lounger and around some of the bars at night they brought out folding chairs for people to sit on. Meanwhile a couple of the larger venues (Fusion and Explorers) were near empty most of the time.

We only had 4 ports and 2 of them were cut short. Depending on when you booked this cruise that may not have been part of your original itinerary. There were port and time changes that happened well after these things are usually settled.

We were not overly impressed with the experience. We frequently got answers like "this is our first time" when asking staff questions about ports or on board experiences. Presumably they expected us to believe Princess had never been to Cozumel before or similarly ridiculous things.

I had not intended to post a review because I feel it would be overly negative and as OP said it is only one persons' opinion. However seeing people question every word OP said made me feel inclined to add my voice of support and agreement with the gist of his statements. My experiences were somewhat different (I thought the chairs in the piazza were fine, only too scant for the entertainment they frequently offered there), but in general my experience on this exact same cruise was the same as OPs.

Princess has heated loungers and several other thermal suite options on most of their ships.

I'd be interested to know as well if it was in the original bottle or in some kind of after purchase "packaging" e.g a rum runner, or shampoo bottle.

Also I think I had heard that you can also bring on 1 bottle of wine per person at each port, for consumption in your room, without paying the $15 corkage fee, is this correct, and this is in addition to your 1 bottle/pp at embarkation?

Sorry one more question - what is their policy about bringing beer onboard?