Pyxie

1 hour ago, pamesacruisin said:

We are bringing our 17 year old Grandson on the Jubilee.  Does he just show up at the Club 02 or make a reservation?  Please tell me about the club.  Food, drinks, games?

He can just come and go as he pleases, but highly recommend that he attend the meet and greet on night 1. That's when this age group tends to meet up with their "friends" for the week and then they just kind of hang out all over.

I've participated a few times. A couple of times we did Goo Goo Clusters candy (we're from Nashville where they are from), though, this one could be iffy due to allergies as they contain nuts.

We also once did custom tea-lights with the ship name and date with battery operated candles. These were from Oriental Trading and I really did it because I had a good coupon. Otherwise they probably would have been a little over budget.

This thread has certainly taken a turn from the original question of "is the seafood shack worth it" lol..

Personally, I enjoy it, but I don't get it every time. The lobster roll with butter is great though and I don't think the price is too bad.

8 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

Yes, I just got, a day or two ago, a casino offer for a 14 night Greenland cruise on Pride, I think, for $299 inside, $399 Oceanview and $499 Balcony.  The beverage package would cost more than the accomodations, meals, entertainment, and amenities. Crazy.

Dang! I'm on one of these cruises on a casino offer and I thought I had gotten a good deal. Nowhere near that good lol.

I agree. I'd be surprised if it was open by the end of May as speculated. I'm sailing out of Baltimore in August and assuming it will be open by then, but I'm also not worried if it isn't. I can easily change my flights (Southwest) and I have a refundable hotel. I am wondering if I should book a backup refundable hotel in Norfolk though just in case.

5 hours ago, Formal_Cruiser said:

 

Is not the early saver difference paid in OBC? I think price matching works only in the US. It might be possible to book the cruise through the US site, but Carnival also has sites for the EU countries. I wonder if I will run into problems somewhere using the US site, as the terms and conditions might vary.

 

Thanks to all for advice, I'll have to research this more.

 

 

With Early Saver, the rate is reduced if before paid in full and given as OBC after. But, to your point, I don't know that the rules are the same in Europe. I would call and ask for sure.

It won't go on sale, but even if it *did* you could simply cancel your order and rebuy it.

2 hours ago, dacsmom said:

Yes, I  cruise solo and book the steakhouse the first night for the wine. The house white is not bad, I  like it.

Finally someone else who is fine with the house wine. After being on these boards for a while, I really started questioning my taste as everyone talks about how awful it is lol.

14 nights should have 3 elegant nights. They don't post anything in the app before the cruise, but you can usually find sample 14 day menus that other people have posted to give you an idea.

If it's just you and your daughter, you don't really need the pullman OR the sofa bed. You can just split the king into 2 twins. (Assuming you do not book one of the rooms that are bunk only.)

1 hour ago, aborgman said:

 

No, there isn't. This is a choice by Carnival.

 

Other cruise lines offer the drink package immediately from the same ports - they just charge you tax on every drink you get with your drink package.

All cruises charge tax on drinks until international waters. There is a reason Carnival doesn't offer Cheers day 1 from these ports while other cruise lines do, but I don't think it's necessarily taxes. (Not saying it isn't either.)

30 minutes ago, ManyMore said:

The states that do that I don't think it really worth it for the cheers package for many. I know when we cruise we probably drink the most that first day so that is a big hit on top of the cheers package.

And I actually think it is *more* worth it because you can pay for 1 less day (and I can wait until day 2 to drink). Maybe I'm just cheap lol.

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

That's what I'm wondering... we embark on Pride Sept 1 and so far it's still out of Baltimore.🤷‍♀️

I'm on the August 18 Greenland cruise, but I'm just going to wait and see. I have Southwest flights and a refundable hotel so I can easily pivot to Norfolk if needed.

10 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Why are you all flying to Tampa?

It's a repositioning cruise from Tampa to Baltimore (as of now).

On 3/22/2024 at 5:47 PM, canes20 said:

Would never put a debit card on sail and sign and if was short on money and "hoping" some showed up, maybe would stay home.

The biggest reason is actually to avoid the holds that Carnival puts on the card. For a credit card, that's not a big deal. For a debit card, it can be a pretty big inconvenience waiting for those holds to drop off since it ties up your actual money.

3 hours ago, jsglow said:

I'm going to guess that won't be the case. The problem Carnival currently has is that far too many cruisers have achieved Platinum, for example, meaning that far too often things like priority embarkation/tenders needs to be eliminated. When ALL have priority, none do. I do think folks will be given the 'opportunity' to be grandfathered.

 

'If you haven't sailed with us in 5 years you still have a chance in the next year to retain your VIFP status' kind of thing.

I agree, but I do think anyone currently at Platinum will likely retain the "title" and the card, but may not be grandfathered in with all the benefits depending on where they stand with the new system.

I would be prepared to only get the $250, and if you get the full $500, just be pleasantly surprised.

I mean, the $500 would have been half hers to spend anyway, so her not being there doesn't technically change how much you would have gotten.

7 minutes ago, CreamsicleCatMom said:

Yes, but none of the plans say they can be used for playing on any gaming devices but I know the premium does work. It’s also different as you are not logging on to any website. All you are doing is connecting the switch to the wi fi. This allows you to play some of the games that are downloaded vs have a physical game card. 

I would not think the bandwidth of the social plan would be enough for video gaming.

24 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

No. That would be something new. Not sure  they have a legal right to keep port taxes for a port you never visited, especially if the taxes are assessed on a per passenger basis. Carnival either needs to turn the funds over to the ports or refund them to you.

But if you are assessed penalties that are greater than or equal to the port fees and taxes, they do have a right to keep that.

I'm wondering if Carnival has figured out the no show "loophole" and is cracking down on it.

They allow Crocs as "closed toe" shoes so as long as your water shoes are fully enclosed, they should work.

9 hours ago, mz-s said:

Not every ship has a final boarding at 2:30 I guess. Some that cruise out of Canaveral may leave later maybe.

 

If everything is on time and you're not checking any luggage you may be able to make it on time. But if the flight is delayed or if you're checking bags or anything goes wrong at all (like a crash on the highway on the hour long bus ride from MCO to Canaveral), you better make sure your camera is charged. The views of the ship sailing away from the pier are breathtaking.

If he makes it on the shuttle, he's ok. It's a Carnival shuttle and they will wait for it just like they wait for excursions.

Making it to the shuttle is what I'd be concerned about.

If the excursions are canceled while the cruise is underway, you actually get OBC.

2 hours ago, edrussell said:

Still new to the casino on Carnvial as we have mostly sailed on RCCL (hosts on RCCL are bloody awful and invisible), how many points usually get their attention?  Enough for an ASK of a steakhouse dinner maybe?

 

There's really no way to answer this even speaking to personal experience because it also has a lot to do with the type of people gambling on that particular cruise. If you have a lot of high rollers on that sailing, but you gamble moderately, you are much less likely to be offered anything.

7 minutes ago, Mangrove Snapper said:

 

Is this in Qaqortoq?  We did two excursions while there with Celebrity and there were no issues.  We also did the Viking ruins excursion and then later did an iceberg tour.  The port area is small so when you come back from the Viking ruins excursion, you will not have far to go to meet for the other. 

 

I hope you have a great trip!  We just booked the Greenland cruise with Carnival for next year. 

Yes it is. I went ahead and booked the 2nd excursion. 

Thank you!

21 minutes ago, Cuckoo7 said:

 

Love this drink.  Every time I order it, they look at me funny and ask if I like black licorice.  They look at me even more oddly when I say that I never really did, but I love the drink anyway.  🙂

Exactly the same with me lol. They always ask if I'm sure (I bet a lot of people send it back). I don't like licorice either, but I do like Absinthe which I guess doesn't make any logical sense but it is what it s. 🙂