I Wish Someone Had Told Me On My First Carnival Cruise.....

[Muumuu]

That it would become my second addiction.

Reading has always been my first

 

Also, I am born and raised until the age of 24 in Miami.

Never and I mean never knew about cruising.

So when did I find out about it!!

Age 52!! 52 !! And no longer in Miami. Moved north.

Just look at all those cruises I missed.

Still shake my head when I think about it.

[StarryFish07]

For everyone who is having trouble getting the giftcards from Verizon or AARP, I found great luck from Allstate's Rewards program (and no, you don't need to be a member of their insurance to get the giftcards). I was able to get the giftcards same day and even have them emailed to me for immediate use! I used the giftcards to purchase the Cheers program.

 

How do I do this? I tried signing up for their reward program but it required a policy number, Thanks!

 

ETA: nevermind I figured it out!

Edited March 30, 2017 by StarryFish07

[eeudj]

Citicards also has gift card go to citideals

[KevnSue]

Seriously: am I a complete freakin' moron? I am unable to locate any of these deals.

[Rhea98]

Seriously: am I a complete freakin' moron? I am unable to locate any of these deals.

I don't know what StarryFish07 figured out. I saw the registration that asked for policy number so I installed the Drivewise app on my phone. With the app, I could register without an account as that is one of the options. I didn't have any points, though, so I went back to the browser and logged in at the rewards site then did the Click here to log in. Once I logged in, I was given 5000 points. The $100. Carnival card is still available under Gift Cards>Travel.

[ski_mom]

Just wanted to mention that there are other threads that are dedicated to the details of getting these deals.

 

Not that we shouldn't talk about them here also, but some of the other threads really spell it out.

[Rhea98]

Just wanted to mention that there are other threads that are dedicated to the details of getting these deals.

 

Not that we shouldn't talk about them here also, but some of the other threads really spell it out.

[emoji106]

 

Nexus 9 on Tapatalk Pro

[sturderick]

I wished I'd know that even if you book an excursion through Carnival they basically dump you off at port an expect you to figure out how to get to where you are going. I still hate that part even though I've been able to figure it out each time. It is stressful not knowing what is going on and if you are in the right place.

 

Oh wow! I've never had that happen in 15 cruises so that was definitely a fluke. I've always had someone to direct me to my excursion or there has always been a staff member at the end of the gangway to ask if I wasn't sure. Where were you when this happened??

[dcwalker]

That it would become my second addiction.

Reading has always been my first

 

Also, I am born and raised until the age of 24 in Miami.

Never and I mean never knew about cruising.

So when did I find out about it!!

Age 52!! 52 !! And no longer in Miami. Moved north.

Just look at all those cruises I missed.

Still shake my head when I think about it.

 

This has to be the saddest thing I've ever read. I didn't discover the life-enhancing miracle of cruising until I was 53, but at least I wasn't raised in Miami.

Edited March 31, 2017 by dcwalker
missed a word

[JaedensMimi]

Quick question. I did not prepay our gratuities when booking, how does this work, is it by the room or number of guests and do they consider a child to pay gratuities the same as an adult?

[kyboymom]

Quick question. I did not prepay our gratuities when booking, how does this work, is it by the room or number of guests and do they consider a child to pay gratuities the same as an adult?

 

It is by each guest. Yes there are still gratuities for the kids and the gratuities are the same for adults as they are for the kids.

[JaedensMimi]

It is by each guest. Yes there are still gratuities for the kids and the gratuities are the same for adults as they are for the kids.

 

That does not seem fair, since they won't actually be doing anything for my grandson. His mother and I take care of all of his needs. He may say hello to a crew member, but he won't be asking them for anything, they won't be serving any of his needs, I or his mother will.

[HLNFan]

That does not seem fair, since they won't actually be doing anything for my grandson. His mother and I take care of all of his needs. He may say hello to a crew member, but he won't be asking them for anything, they won't be serving any of his needs, I or his mother will.

 

I understand how it might should be less than adult gratuities, but the breakdown for the gratuities are as follows.

• $3,70 Cabin Services (cabin stewards)
  
• $5,80 (MDR) Main Dining Room Services (wait staff)
  
• $2,00 Alternative Services (kitchen, entertainment, passenger services, other hotel staff members)
  

Your grandson will still be eating, and using towels and activities onboard. This is the way these employees are paid, and you are always welcome to adjust the gratuities as well.

[bnorris10]

I agree with the above statement he will be using all those services therefore he should be paying just like everybody else

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Forums mobile app

[JaniceB]

That I would be addicted to cruising!

[Starfinn]

This is a great thread! One thing I haven't seen mentioned that I wish I knew before my first Carnival cruise is that the MDR host will work with you in advance if you have food allergies. We are gluten free and, for very serious medical reasons, we need to make sure what we eat is 'safe'. In a world where waitstaff will take an order with all bread, pasta and buns removed then return with a basket of bread, this can get frustrating. Add in breading, etc and it can be tricky and can make buffets a bust. Anyway, on my last CCL cruise, after our meal the first night in the MDR the hostess sat with us with the entire menu for the next day and let us know what could be adjusted and what could not. It meant ordering your meal early but the care was priceless for us. We were even able to enjoy the Molten Cake (OMG!) with no GF hit.

 

We leave in 22 days for our next cruise and I can't wait!!

[sturderick]

That does not seem fair, since they won't actually be doing anything for my grandson. His mother and I take care of all of his needs. He may say hello to a crew member, but he won't be asking them for anything, they won't be serving any of his needs, I or his mother will.

 

Sometimes it's more trouble for them to accommodate a child than an adult. They provide and/or set up pack and plays. The dining area is usually a little messier after children have been eating there and if they are small a high chair will have to be provided. Special food for children is provided. Pools have to be monitored in case there is an "accident" by a child sometimes requiring that the pool be emptied and cleaned. I personally think everyone should have to pay the same gratuities. Some adults do not require extra services or attention and they still pay.

 

Just my opinion. I would rather handle a cabin with adults only than one with a child. I have 4 children and they definitely get benefits from the crew.

[nhsails]

sometimes it's more trouble for them to accommodate a child than an adult. They provide and/or set up pack and plays. The dining area is usually a little messier after children have been eating there and if they are small a high chair will have to be provided. Special food for children is provided. Pools have to be monitored in case there is an "accident" by a child sometimes requiring that the pool be emptied and cleaned. I personally think everyone should have to pay the same gratuities. Some adults do not require extra services or attention and they still pay.

 

Just my opinion. I would rather handle a cabin with adults only than one with a child. I have 4 children and they definitely get benefits from the crew.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[nhsails]

That does not seem fair, since they won't actually be doing anything for my grandson. His mother and I take care of all of his needs. He may say hello to a crew member, but he won't be asking them for anything, they won't be serving any of his needs, I or his mother will.

They still have to do everything, adult or child is of no consequence. Towels, linens, food, trash, general cleaning, wait staff. Unfair to expect less. Travelled with our kids and now grands for years would not dream of not tipping. Staff is amazing with kids and almost always go out of their way to entertain them. Usually give them more at end of cruise. Part of cruise cost.

Dee

[tch912]

Take half as many clothes. Take more money than you think you will need. Spend $20 in the casino to remind yourself why you dont gamble. Join in a Lido game, join a line dance. Get up early and watch a sunrise. Find the "wind tunnel" door at the front of the ship and take silly pictures! (Our 1st cruise on the Paradise we spent probably 20 min every morning doing dumb stuff at those doors!) And HAVE FUN and TRY NEW THINGS! :cool:

 

drgonzogoo, I love your advice:D

[KevnSue]

I don't know what StarryFish07 figured out. I saw the registration that asked for policy number so I installed the Drivewise app on my phone. With the app, I could register without an account as that is one of the options. I didn't have any points, though, so I went back to the browser and logged in at the rewards site then did the Click here to log in. Once I logged in, I was given 5000 points. The $100. Carnival card is still available under Gift Cards>Travel.

Thank you - this worked perfectly (although I'm sure I'll be inundated with marketing from them).

 

Just wanted to mention that there are other threads that are dedicated to the details of getting these deals.

Thanks - I did a search for Gift Cards and found several threads.

[cruising_along]

Awesome news! I wasn't expecting this til possibly after dry dock next month! This will be SO much more convenient!

 

On Breeze, this feature and facial recognition(really cool!!!) is available only on iPhone. Also in Breeze you can buy the digital copy of the pics from the app and it will download and add to your gallery on iPhone. Also you can book shore excursions from the App. But none of the above features work on Android App( Samsung s7 edge).

 

Another cool feature in the app if you are travelling with friends or family with combined dining reservation, they will automatically show up as friends in the hub. So you can favorite an event and it will show up on your friends app.

 

HUB app makes a lot of these tips related to fun times, highlighting events, S&S acct review kinda outdated.

[bluefins]

Take a good pair of binoculars. We enjoy using them as we approach the ports and when we pass other ships at sea.

[Parrothead_82]

I've been a nurse practitioner in psych for 38 years. What kind of nursing do you plan to do?

 

That's wonderful! I just completed psych rotation last semester and it was pretty tough. Labor and delivery for me, no question. Interested in eventually getting my APRN to become a women's health NP. Or maybe a nurse midwife. It can be crazy, but it's my life's passion to help women have babies as safely as possible!

[Parrothead_82]

1) I wish someone would have told me to bring lanyards for everyone in our party, so that we didn't get stuck paying $10/ea for them on the ship! Purchased a pack of 4 from Amazon for $5 this time around!

 

2) I wish I had known to bring a battery-operated fan for standing in line to get on and off the ship. I get overheated easily if there's no breeze, and became really sick from it on the first cruise. Bought an 8-in personal fan that has a neck strap and takes 2 "D" batteries. It has saved me on every cruise since then!

 

3) I wish I hadn't packed so many hair products and styling tools with the intention of fixing my hair everyday. I have very long hair, and so does my daughter. We learned the hard way that ocean wind makes any attempts at styling long hair futile. Also the ship's hairdryers are ancient relics in today's beauty industry, where 2000 watt dryers are the minimum standard. We'd have been better off if we'd just brought a bunch of nice clips and claws and threw our hair up everyday instead.