PalmTree601

1 hour ago, Tapi said:

Several cruise lines offer discounts for different professions. The most common ones are airline employees, teachers, first responders (police, fire fighters), and military (active or retired). There may be others not listed. 

Thanks!  

On the original topic, personally, I'm in the book-it-myself-be-in-control camp for my cruises, but I understand others point of view.  

On 9/10/2020 at 9:06 PM, Tapi said:

I’ve had the same PVP for years. Super easy to book a cruise once you’ve developed a relationship with one. I qualify for discounts not available on the website so I do need to book directly with someone in order to take advantage of those discounts. [...]

Just curious, can you share any more information about these non-website discounts?  Thanks!  

Its been a while since I've been on Dream class, but I don't recall ever having drawers under the sofa, but I could have missed them...

On 9/10/2019 at 4:20 PM, ed01106 said:

I don’t view this as a math question, but a what makes my cruise more enjoyable.

Downside of not buying:  Every time I buy a drink I will notice and feel slightly guilty about the price. 

Downside  of buy:  I will be determined not only to get my money’s worth but to absolutely maximize the value.

[Above quote edited by me, apologies to ed]

This!  I don't disagree with the opinions above on the specific situation of OP.  But in general, I think Cheers is only partially a financial decision, but also a "vacation" decision.  IMHO, there are times it's a great idea to do (despite the price), and others where it's NOT a good idea (again, regardless of the price).  For me, it depends on the type of cruise, length, ports, excursion plans, family members cruising, etc.  Consider the price, but also consider the bigger picture and decide what is right for YOU on THIS cruise.  Have a great cruise either way! 

Every time I've had a gift-card-paid balance on my Sail&Sign account at the end of a cruise, I receive a Fedex package with a new physical gift card for the exact refund amount only a few days after the cruise.  My guess is that they would use the same process for you, although I've never had a cruise cancelled on me.  I can also imagine it might take a bit of extra time since they have a LOT of refunds to process...  Good luck! 

I guess everyone is different.  Haven't been on Sunrise yet, but we like Sunshine, and have been on her multiple times.  Yes, there are peak times where lines can form (Lido on embarkation day, some comedy shows, etc), but that's been true for us on all ships.  Do I love the new "convertible" theater layout?  No, but that's the same on the new Vista class ships as well.  We like the updated features that were added to Sunshine that Destiny/Triumph/Victory didn't have.  And Sunshine has arguably the best Serenity area in the fleet.  We didn't find crowds to be worse than any other ship - and we tend to go at peak times (spring break, summer, holidays).  Not everyone hates the Sunshine/Sunrise/Radiance idea (as it sometimes seems in threads like these), so I'd encourage folks to keep an open mind and form your own opinion!  Happy cruising!  

In our experience, there is no "B2B paperwork".  It's just two cruises booked on sequential dates.  It's helpful to make sure they know you're B2B once you're onboard so you receive the special instructions for the changeover day (and help from the room steward if you're changing cabins), but that's about it.  Enjoy your B2B!

On 5/29/2019 at 2:06 PM, ober134 said:

If I understand the policy, you will be charged for the entire length of the cruise, regardless of which day you purchase it. For example, if you purchase it on the 2nd day of a 5 day cruise, you will be charged for all 5 days. You will get an adjustment in sign&sail for any applicable beverage purchases made prior to buying cheers. If I'm wrong someone here will surely correct me

No, if you buy Cheers the second day, you don't get charged for the first day.  We used to do this regularly and we would just drink our carry-on wine the first day, however since they introduced the online pre-purchase discount, this is less advantageous.  It is true that you have to buy Cheers for the entire remaining cruise days when you buy it (whether pre-cruise, day1, or day2).  Also, there is never an adjustment for drinks you bought prior to buying Cheers.  At least in our experience... 

23 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

She appears to be going into limbo, as there are no cruises scheduled for her after she sails to Singapore this October.  I could not find her under a new identity in P&O-Australia, either.  EM

Splendor is moving to Australia under the Carnival brand, similar to Carnival Spirit.  But I believe Carnival's Australia cruises only appear on Carnival's Australia site, not the US carnival.com, so that may be why you're seeing the "limbo". 

38 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I have seen children under 12 in the Havana pool area after 7 PM.  Do you know if this is allowed?  I have never stayed in a Havana cabin, I prefer the Cloud 9 Spa cabins. 

Anyone is allowed after 7pm. 

You should get 3 bottles of water. 

12 minutes ago, dcwalker said:

If I'm platinum and take a back to back cruise, do I get all the perks on each cruise?

Yep, a gift, a plate of strawberries, etc, for EACH B2B cruise. 

23 hours ago, emm126 said:

I had trouble last year trying to use visa gift cards onboard. You shouldn't have any trouble using a carnival gift card. So for my other cruise last year, I bought cruise cash with the visa cards I had and had no problem. 

The only thing to be aware of with this strategy is that I believe cruise cash is non-refundable.  So you'd want to be sure you'd use it all. 

On 3/22/2019 at 4:21 PM, bjd2 said:

We just got off of the Horizon on Sunday and we received blue blankets.

Interesting - we were on the 3/23 Horizon cruise and we got Tervis tumblers in both of our cabins... 

The aft pool on Horizon is not adults only.  Lots of kids in aft pool last week. 

9 hours ago, bahacca said:

Just take the gift cards with you to customer service when you board and apply to your account. Any balance left will be refunded on a gift card. You can spend any amount on anything. I think bar cash is non refundable. Not sure about the other.

Agree!  I recommend OP skip the cruise and bar cash, and just apply the gift cards you bought to your Sail&Sign card account once onboard.  That way, you can use it for any types of purchases, and anything you don't use will be refunded to you in gift card form after the cruise. 

17 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Do they remove the trundle all together during the day?

We did five (2 adults, 3 kids) in a balcony cabin on Victory (this config is not available on many ships) a few years back - they folded the roll-away bed each night and moved it to the side, but did not remove it. 

On a similar note, on other cruises, we have NEVER had the "couch" bed returned to a couch during the day, which we sometimes wish they would.  Has anyone had (or requested) their couch-bed returned to a couch daily? 

Normally most people will add kids to an adult's cruise account (every passenger must be attached to an account), so any charges will just appear on the overall account under the appropriate name.  When you do online check-in prior to the cruise, you can choose which cards have charging privileges.  Once on board, you can set a spending limit for each card, either at Guest Services or at the Sail&Sign automated machine.  From memory, I don't think you can set limits during online check-in, but this might have changed.  Hope this helps, have a great cruise! 

Not much to add about the Steakhouse, but I will say that (different from Camp Ocean) in the Circle C (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17) teen clubs we've found it is very important that the teens go to the first night activity.  That's when they all meet new friends and usually end up hanging out with those same kids for the rest of the cruise.  If you miss the first night, the next day it's a bit like starting at a new school mid-year!  So just something to consider as you make your decisions.  Good luck and enjoy your cruise! 

If you want some kind of pre-payment personally I'd get Carnival gift cards if anything, because they are refundable (back to gift card) if you don't use it.  As I understand it, Cruise Cash is not refundable (use it or lose it). 

We use it to pack roughly half as much, since we send out laundry around mid-cruise.  As others have said, we don't send anything important or delicate.  Assume it will be  washed/dried hot with others' items.  We carefully inventory and keep pictures of the forms, but have not had a problem.  Have a good cruise! 

1 hour ago, nybumpkin said:

Our experience as well on Horizon. We had a Havana cabin while our adult sons, in the next cabin, did not. We had thought about letting them use our wristbands, but they weren't interested in the Havana area.  They wanted the sports deck. ☺️

Thanks for responding.  We are NOT trying to "share" the Havana.  We could just book the two adults in one Havana cabin, and the teens in another.  But we would prefer to have an adult in each cabin, thus my question if we can allocate the Havana to the two adults, and the teens would NEVER enter the Havana area (at least not before 7pm). 

14 minutes ago, DramaQueen22 said:

Easy answer is no, your sons cannot gain access to the Havana area unless they stay in a Havana cabin.  Don't try to share wristbands or sneak them in somehow.  It's truly not fair to those who pay a premium for those cabins, or for the ones in Family Harbor.  Your best solution is to do all in a Family Harbor (I hear the lounge is pretty awesome btw!) and let the adults access the Serenity area.

Thanks for responding, but please read my post again.  I am NOT trying to achieve what you are implying.  I am just trying to get my wife and I access to Havana, which we would be paying for, without leaving my teens unsupervised in a cabin alone overnight.  I am aware of Serenity, and of Family Harbor, both of which we have used in the past.  Thanks for your input. 

Absolutely, yes.  We've done similar things - they will accommodate you happily (even if he JUST orders the soup) and it will not be a problem.  Enjoy your cruise! 

I'm considering booking a Havana interior on Horizon.  But I have 3 teenagers, and there are no cabins for 5 in the Havana area so I need 2 cabins.  Additionally, I am not comfortable letting my teens stay in a cabin alone (not because I don't trust them, but for general safety reasons).  So, if I book one Havana interior (last Havana cabin available) for two (1adult + 1teen) and one Family Harbor room (1adult + 2teens), can I give the Havana wristbands to the two adults so that they have access to Havana without causing a problem?  I'm not trying to cheat the system, just trying to accommodate and responsibly supervise my family while still being able to access the Havana features I'm paying for.  At no time would my teens use the Havana area.  I'm interested in others practical feedback on how this would work.  Are the wristbands the only check, or will the fact that the S&S card of one adult not being "Havana" cause a problem?  I don't want to cause problems or break rules, just trying to accommodate my family.  I would appreciate any constructive feedback from those who have experienced the Havana area.  Thanks in advance for your information!