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Carnival premier cruise - first-timer questions!


TNShadyLady
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I've had BB offers and other premier offers, but this is the first time the dates/departure ports were something I could book. So I'm excited to be taking my very first premier cruise.

 

All I really know about a premier cruise is free DOU cards for me and cabin mate, plus priority embarking.

 

What does priority embarking mean, exactly? When I enter the terminal, do I tell someone I'm on a premier cruise? Do I go to a VIP section?

 

What kind of gifts can I expect in my cabin? Will they be for both of us, or just me?

 

What kind of events can I expect? Special tournaments just for premier cruisers, etc.?

 

I'd love to read a review of someone who has actually gone on a premier cruise. Maybe I'll write one myself after I get back! But in the meantime, I'd really like to know in advance what I can expect, so any advice or personal experience is appreciated.

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Had a premier cruise last year. Both of you in the cabin get the DOU card and are both entered into the drawings. Must be present to win. The gifts I received included chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, champagne and a nice beach towel. There was a slot tournament on the next to last day. You had to reach a certain # of points to be entered. You also have priority boarding, that's all of the FTTF perks you get. Also you'll get a lanyard that says premier VIP waiting for you in your cabin. You'll have a good time. I know I did. I have another premier booked in December and can hardly wait.

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Thanks for your reply! Sounds great and I'm excited to finally take one. But now I have more questions. :) Was the champagne decent? What was the prize for the slot tournament? Was the number of points required a great amount, or did just about everybody qualify? Any other perks for premier VIPs, for example, do you get steakhouse dinner faster, or the same as a regular player? Or do they skip some of those perks because you're already getting other things?

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Thanks for your reply! Sounds great and I'm excited to finally take one. But now I have more questions. :) Was the champagne decent? What was the prize for the slot tournament? Was the number of points required a great amount, or did just about everybody qualify? Any other perks for premier VIPs, for example, do you get steakhouse dinner faster, or the same as a regular player? Or do they skip some of those perks because you're already getting other things?

 

Champagne was the cheap stuff. Gives me a headache so I don't drink it. I have had them sometimes exchange for a white wine (also cheap stuff).

 

Prize for slot tourney was a free cruise. I think you needed 1000 points to enter but not sure.

 

Depending on your play, the hosts may find you and offer steakhouse, spa, send wine to your table or offer steak option in main dining room.

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Also would like to know how you exchanged the champagne for the wine that comes to the cabin-brought it back to the casino?

 

I've exchanged red wine for white directly at the bar. I brought it to the bar and they gave me a couple choices of what I could switch it for. (Note: mine wasn't from the casino, but from a travel agent; however, I can't imagine the process being any different. The bartender had no idea where that bottle of wine came from.)

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The Champagne is Chandon which is ok. It's def a step up from their cheapest ones

 

On the first day at approx 5pm there's a Premier cocktail party with Free drinks and the servers walk around with lots of hot n cold appetizers. Usually lasts about a hour and then they have a drawing where 1 person will win some cash

 

The casino hosts walk around during the party and introduce themselves. Always good to know them and mingle with them throughout the cruise. They are the ones who can comp you additional things like the steakhouse

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I saw recent mentions that the cocktail party was now a buffet line for snacks and they are no longer brought around by the waiters but unknown if fleet wide. I'll be on premier next week so will see.

 

When I changed the champagne, I was in the room once when they delivered. Told the guy I couldn't drink champagne (gives me a headache) and asked if they could send white. He said he'd check and white was delivered next day. Another time I took the bottle down to the premier host and gave it to them. But simply going to a bar is a much better idea.

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I saw recent mentions that the cocktail party was now a buffet line for snacks and they are no longer brought around by the waiters but unknown if fleet wide. I'll be on premier next week so will see.

 

 

 

When I changed the champagne, I was in the room once when they delivered. Told the guy I couldn't drink champagne (gives me a headache) and asked if they could send white. He said he'd check and white was delivered next day. Another time I took the bottle down to the premier host and gave it to them. But simply going to a bar is a much better idea.

 

 

 

So how was the premier cruise you took?

 

 

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I was on a Premier cruise on the Miracle 8/12 out of Long Beach. You need 2000 points for free entry into the slot tournament. I don't know what the tournament winner won. The cocktail party was nice. You could get any drink you wanted. Waiters were circulating with appetizers. The hosts were Tadej and Hazel. They were introduced at the party. They were helpful if you approached them for something in the casino but I didn't exactly see them working the crowd. They never spoke to me and I didn't go introduce myself to them either. This was much different than my Premier last year on the Ecstasy where the hosts were constantly out talking to the players on the floor. However my Ecstasy cruise was right after hurricane Matthew and less than 800 guests were on the ship so I think service was extremely personal everywhere, including the casino. I order OJ from room service and made mimosas with my champagne. My gifts were a USB hub and a beach towel. My guest also got a beach towel which was nice since he was not Premier. I had about 6400 points and I got a bounce back offer and a bottle of wine. I was really surprised to get anything since I'm a relatively small dollar gambler, especially compared to the other players on a Premier. I hope that info helps.

 

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I see that you also asked about priority embarkation. I think that depends on the port. In Long Beach, we were directed to the priority lounge and we boarded ahead of the general public, but after diamond and platinums. In Charleston, there is no such thing as a priority lounge so you wait i the terminal with everyone else, but you still board after diamonds and platinums.

 

You also asked about what the guests get. On the Miracle, I got 1 USB hub and 2 beach towels. There are a lot of drawings for cash in the casino so plan to spend a lot of time i there. Your guest will be included in many of the drawings but many of them are based on points earned. For every 100 points, you get 1 entry. On my Premier last year, a guest (not the Premier person) won the free cruise drawing on the last night. Also a guest who had never cruised before got called twice - once for hot seat while he was playing at a table and once for something else but he wasn't in the casino that time. So your guest can definitely win in the premier drawings.

 

The energy in the casino is at a higher level on a Premier cruise. You're going to have a great time.

 

 

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LOL-one more thing. For debarkation the casino sent us group 5 luggage tags. Because we also had FTTF, we also got group 2 tags. And randomly they left us group 4 and 5 tags as well. We were nervous about our 12:55 flight out of LAX since we've never cruised from Long Beach before so we did self assist which means we didn't use luggage tags at all, but the luggage tag collection was kind of funny. In summary, as a Premier guest, you get priority embarkation and debarkation, but you won't get priority tender or access to the priority line at guest services.

 

 

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This all sounds great, thanks! I spend a lot of time in the casino every time I cruise, so upping the casino experience will be a bonus. :) Also nice to know that my companion (my sister, actually) will be included in the festivities. She also plays but not quite as heavily as I do.

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Thanks for the info from your premier cruise sounds like you had a ball. If I may ask did you feel the bar service was slower in the casino during your cruise, many people complain about it during a premier cruise. I'm on my 1st one in December!

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Thanks for the info from your premier cruise sounds like you had a ball. If I may ask did you feel the bar service was slower in the casino during your cruise, many people complain about it during a premier cruise. I'm on my 1st one in December!

At times it was slow, but not too bad. Go to the bank and get two dollar bills to use for tips. This will help you stand out to the servers and keep them on the "lookout" for you. One night I had a server bring me a drink every fifteen minutes without asking. :cool:

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  • 2 weeks later...
Can someone explain to me what a premier cruise is?:confused::confused::confused::confused:

It's a cruise invitation issued when you've played quite a bit in the casino on your last cruise. I think there's a points level you have to hit to get a premier invitation, but I'm not sure what that level is. Also the offers may vary based on level of casino play. You may be offered a free interior cabin or you may be offered a heavily discounted cabin. Some offers come with casino cash as well, and some don't. It's really just like a land-based casino: the more you play, the better the perks.

 

Premier offers come in the mail and by email if you've signed up for that. The invitations are for a select number of cruises, which will be shown when you check out the offer. They are usually for certain cruises up to about 5 or 6 months out, so you can usually find something not at the last minute. They do go quickly, however. There are only so many invitations sent out for each premier cruise, and once those are taken, they're gone. You will be cruising along with other normal regular cruisers, but only the premier participants are eligible for the premier perks onboard, which include special casino drawings, tournaments, etc.

 

^^All of that above is just based on what I've learned through research. I'll be taking my first premier cruise in February, so if anyone can add anything, please do! :D

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