Mardi Gras Cruisers

[AnitaVacation]

On 6/22/2021 at 9:11 AM, TNcruising02 said:

What a mess!  Even before the pandemic, we had many flights either cancelled or delayed.  Flying out a day ahead of time is a good idea.  One time our airline delayed our layover flight, which should have been the same day, to the next day and we would have missed our cruise.  We had to book tickets on SW in the layover city to make the cruise.  It was very stressful.  Allowing an extra day helps a lot.

By 9/11, things should be much better with the airlines and flights.  I hope you have a great cruise!

This is what is stressing me out....we ARE booked to come in the evening before....but what if that flight is canceled??  We'll be screwed!!  I'm tempted to move it back another day!!  It will cost me another hotel night, but atleast we won't miss the cruise!!  

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

10 minutes ago, AnitaVacation said:

This is what is stressing me out....we ARE booked to come in the evening before....but what if that flight is canceled??  We'll be screwed!!  I'm tempted to move it back another day!!  It will cost me another hotel night, but atleast we won't miss the cruise!!  

 

If you have the time, and the inclination, you might consider driving (though that's a long haul). There's the Auto Train as well - we used in to/from Sanford, FL and Lorton, VA. Not sure if that would be of interest. We've taken that several times, though (BIG though) on our first trip we arrived TWELVE hours late! The bedrooms are tiny, but functional.

 

Tom

[KmomChicago]

15 minutes ago, AnitaVacation said:

This is what is stressing me out....we ARE booked to come in the evening before....but what if that flight is canceled??  We'll be screwed!!  I'm tempted to move it back another day!!  It will cost me another hotel night, but atleast we won't miss the cruise!!  

 

We are flying Frontier the day before the cruise, and they already changed the times once, but not the date. I feel pretty confident that the route, Chicago O'Hare to Orlando, is an important enough one that it wouldn't be a cancelled flight, if the airline resorts to that. Per the American Airlines statements, those impacted flights will be either lower impact or there will be an alternative within reasonable distance of the original departure or arrival points that passengers can move to.

[stellarose]

im hoping the flight the day before the ship leaves is good enough.  not doing two nights before. just have to breathe.....

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, AnitaVacation said:

This is what is stressing me out....we ARE booked to come in the evening before....but what if that flight is canceled??  We'll be screwed!!  I'm tempted to move it back another day!!  It will cost me another hotel night, but atleast we won't miss the cruise!!  

This happened in the winter.  I definitely now allowed a little extra time for winter flights.  A storm backed up everything.

Edited June 24, 2021 by TNcruising02

[AnitaVacation]

3 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

This happened in the winter.  I definitely now allowed a little extra time for winter flights.  A storm backed up everything.

As a general rule, we try to arrive to the area the day before, even if we are driving (park and cruise).  In fact, we prefer to drive...but our September cruise is from Florida, so that's a flight....At this point, I'll just keep an eye on the situation and see what happens....hopefully (as they predict) things will get better by the end of the summer.

[SNJCruisers]

7 hours ago, AnitaVacation said:

This is what is stressing me out....we ARE booked to come in the evening before....but what if that flight is canceled??  We'll be screwed!!  I'm tempted to move it back another day!!  It will cost me another hotel night, but atleast we won't miss the cruise!!  

If your current flight is in the evening or late afternoon, just move it to the morning so that there are two other flights going out later that day, this way your butt is covered.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

We are flying Frontier the day before the cruise, and they already changed the times once, but not the date. I feel pretty confident that the route, Chicago O'Hare to Orlando, is an important enough one that it wouldn't be a cancelled flight, if the airline resorts to that. Per the American Airlines statements, those impacted flights will be either lower impact or there will be an alternative within reasonable distance of the original departure or arrival points that passengers can move to.

Good luck.  I would not fly any of the secondary class air carriers such as Frontier, Spirit or Allegiant.  I stick to the big boys

[KmomChicago]

1 minute ago, SNJCruisers said:

Good luck.  I would not fly any of the secondary class air carriers such as Frontier, Spirit or Allegiant.  I stick to the big boys

 

I get that. I really do. I have flown all 3 of those in the past five years, and the last few times I flew United and American during the same timeframe, I was really surprised that their pricing structures are very similar to the low-cost carriers - i.e. for basic economy you get just about nothing, no seat assignment, no bags, last priority boarding, etc.  I also noticed some of their planes were looking more tired, junky, and dirty, with even smaller seats, than the cheapos.  I actually did a survey after a United flight and told them just that in the final place where you add your comments:

 

"Last month I flew on Spirit and I can honestly say this experience on United was less pleasant than that, you provided an older, dirtier plane with smaller seats, same "everything-is-an-upcharge" pricing structure, and less personable crew.  I was able to upgrade to the Big Front Seat on Spirit for a nominal fee where your business class is orders of magnitude more expensive. You need to step up your game to continue to differentiate yourself as a mainstream brand offering good value."  

 

Yup. That's what I said and it was all true.

[AnitaVacation]

20 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

If your current flight is in the evening or late afternoon, just move it to the morning so that there are two other flights going out later that day, this way your butt is covered.

yes, that's sounds like a good plan....

 

These so called 'bargain' airlines, really are not....they get you in with the low fares, then charge you for every little thing along the way and by the time you are done, you've paid as much as any airline.  We've flown Allegiant twice, they are the 'Days Inn' of the airline business 🤣....they seem to buy up old planes from other airlines and blow the dust off them and let 'em rip....I found their planes to be dirty and worn...they're fine if you can grab something really cheap and direct...

[moonbmn53]

We live in south carolina so will be driving down the day before. It is just about a 7 hour drive. I lived in Central Florida growing up so I have made the trip too many times to count over the years. Of course for this trip we stay on I-95 and I am used to getting on I-4 at Daytona Beach. It is an easy drive.

[KmomChicago]

50 minutes ago, moonbmn53 said:

We live in south carolina so will be driving down the day before. It is just about a 7 hour drive. I lived in Central Florida growing up so I have made the trip too many times to count over the years. Of course for this trip we stay on I-95 and I am used to getting on I-4 at Daytona Beach. It is an easy drive.

 

Hopefully cruises will resume from Charleston sometime soonish. While the biggest ships don't sail there, if I could get to a port in a couple hours, that would be my ship. Period.

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, AnitaVacation said:

yes, that's sounds like a good plan....

 

These so called 'bargain' airlines, really are not....they get you in with the low fares, then charge you for every little thing along the way and by the time you are done, you've paid as much as any airline.  We've flown Allegiant twice, they are the 'Days Inn' of the airline business 🤣....they seem to buy up old planes from other airlines and blow the dust off them and let 'em rip....I found their planes to be dirty and worn...they're fine if you can grab something really cheap and direct...

 

This is true enough - I am not saying Allegiant or Frontier are anything fancy - however I find even after I pay for the upgrades I want and need I tend to save money, and I have to pay for those same things a la carte now on the "better" or non-bargain airlines anyway.  I agree these bargain lines are nothing great, but neither are the other ones based on my recent experience.  I actually like Southwest the best, but it's not so cheap anymore either.

[AnitaVacation]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

This is true enough - I am not saying Allegiant or Frontier are anything fancy - however I find even after I pay for the upgrades I want and need I tend to save money, and I have to pay for those same things a la carte now on the "better" or non-bargain airlines anyway.  I agree these bargain lines are nothing great, but neither are the other ones based on my recent experience.  I actually like Southwest the best, but it's not so cheap anymore either.

I think that's it....they are just 'not so cheap anymore'....I'm okay with super economy flights if I'm getting a good price....but lately, the no frills airlines aren't the bargain they used to be....

[morningstarme]

02/26/2022:  We are looking forward getting back to our annual vacations at sea.  Sun, fun and relaxation!!   Oh and:  Mardi Gras 2022 will be the first Mardi Gras on the Mardi Gras!!!

[TravelBluebird]

35 minutes ago, morningstarme said:

02/26/2022:  We are looking forward getting back to our annual vacations at sea.  Sun, fun and relaxation!!   Oh and:  Mardi Gras 2022 will be the first Mardi Gras on the Mardi Gras!!!

 

I am on this sailing as well!  Realized it was actual Mardi Gras after I booked it! Laissez le bon temps rouler! 

[jordanaire]

On 6/24/2021 at 3:10 PM, KmomChicago said:

 

I get that. I really do. I have flown all 3 of those in the past five years, and the last few times I flew United and American during the same timeframe, I was really surprised that their pricing structures are very similar to the low-cost carriers - i.e. for basic economy you get just about nothing, no seat assignment, no bags, last priority boarding, etc.  I also noticed some of their planes were looking more tired, junky, and dirty, with even smaller seats, than the cheapos.  I actually did a survey after a United flight and told them just that in the final place where you add your comments:

 

"Last month I flew on Spirit and I can honestly say this experience on United was less pleasant than that, you provided an older, dirtier plane with smaller seats, same "everything-is-an-upcharge" pricing structure, and less personable crew.  I was able to upgrade to the Big Front Seat on Spirit for a nominal fee where your business class is orders of magnitude more expensive. You need to step up your game to continue to differentiate yourself as a mainstream brand offering good value."  

 

Yup. That's what I said and it was all true.

We have flown on Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier. We have never experienced any issues at all with these airlines. 

[Soxfan04]

Sailing August 7. Second sailing out. Flying down day before on Spirit. Couldn’t beat the price even with the extras. 5 seats, 3 checked bags, 2 carry on and the even bigger seats for $265pp RT. My preferred airline JetBlue was over $700pp and didn’t include checked bags. To be honest , just looking to get the hell out of here and relax on a ship. Sun fun during the day casino at night

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, Soxfan04 said:

Sailing August 7. Second sailing out. Flying down day before on Spirit. Couldn’t beat the price even with the extras. 5 seats, 3 checked bags, 2 carry on and the even bigger seats for $265pp RT. My preferred airline JetBlue was over $700pp and didn’t include checked bags. To be honest , just looking to get the hell out of here and relax on a ship. Sun fun during the day casino at night

The big seat on Spirit is usually a very reasonable up charge and completely worth it. That’s a great price for what you’re getting. See you aboard!

[AtSeaWithChris]

We are on the Mardi Gras for Halloween this year and for the Sailabration. We have the Rudy's Seagrill, Steakhouse, and Bonsai Teppanyaki booked. Looking forward to it all.

[lobster1313]

1 hour ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

We are on the Mardi Gras for Halloween this year and for the Sailabration. We have the Rudy's Seagrill, Steakhouse, and Bonsai Teppanyaki booked. Looking forward to it all.

Bonsai is not available on my September sailing and Rudi's just came on today.

Edited June 27, 2021 by regoodwinjr

[Cruise Related]

I’m booked for September 18th to celebrate my 40th. I’m most excited about the different “zones”, I think that’s really neat and I’m excited to explore! Not too interested in the new dining options outside of the new chicken place. I live in South Carolina so we get a lot of fresh seafood and Cajun food. But, I loooove to eat, so I’ll probably check them out anyways. The street food thing is really cool and I’ll be hitting that up for sure, loving how it’s ethnic food. One of my favorite things on a couple of Carnival ships was the tandoor, so I’m hoping for options like that as well for the street food thing. Last but not least, I’m excited to just wake up on a cruise ship and enjoy my morning coffee on my balcony. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Has anyone seen where JiJi Asian Kitchen has been an option for pre-booking? Never saw it on the 8/7 sailing. Is it too "low dollar" to worry about ahead of time (in their mind)?

 

Tom

[Cruise Related]

Just now, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Has anyone seen where JiJi Asian Kitchen has been an option for pre-booking? Never saw it on the 8/7 sailing. Is it too "low dollar" to worry about ahead of time (in their mind)?

 

Tom

Nope, on my booking I only see Rudi’s and the Steakhouse. On my Horizon booking for July 18th, I’m able to reserve all the speciality dining including Jiji. However a week or so ago they removed the ability to make reservations for Bonsai Teppanyaki, not sure if due to capacity or if it isn’t within their new protocols for social distancing. 

[jetsfan58]

Hello Cruise Nuts. We are looking forward to passengers and crew being totally vaccinated so that we can all sail safely. Covid has not mysteriously disappeared!!!!