wemjam

Sailing in a week. Will have DOU for the first time, I think I have read on the forum that you have to be served while seated and playing only, is this correct? Or can I get up and go to the casino bar and get my own? Only reason I ask is the few times I have ordered a drink in the casino, it took FOREVER to get my drink. Mostly just trying to find a server to take my order and then a little wait while they wandered around and took others before getting them filled.

Well I don't fall into that category. I have been cruising 20 years + now with Carnival and I don't hardly gamble at all. I little bit sometimes (not even every cruise) on the slots. I did start getting a casino offer just in the last year or two, but mine is like the bottom of the barrel offer where it might save me $100 of my normal room rate and that is it. I was actually very surprised because it happened after a cruise where I spent maybe $200 in the slots the entire cruise.

I commented on the same thing too... I'm with you. Frustrates me to stand in a line behind red and blue cards for sure. Especially when you have 4 people in the room and they are all their together complaining trying to make a big deal out of stupid stuff to get money off their bill (happens every cruise I swear). The stupid crap I see these people in line taking up customer cares time for. 🤦‍♀️ At least charge PER PERSON or something for FTTF instead of per room. 1 person spends $100 and boom, suddenly 4 people in the room get all the privilege's. I will likely get flamed too but don't care. We cruised to get to this level to have specific perks, and suddenly it is diluted with all the others who can just buy in for pennies.

So stupid question, does anyone have an "feelings" about if you get better offers if you play tables versus slots? I know no one knows, but thoughts?

Wow!!!! Never realized how the points accumulated, never paid attention. I play some on the slots but not a lot. Enough that I finally got some small discounted offers for room rates and DOU for just me, but that's about it. My dad plays once a year and doesn't drop a ton (like $1000) or less and get better rates then I do. But $82,500... I am flabbergasted! If I had that kind of money to blow I would be traveling MUCH differently then Carnival lol!

OMG Seriously... is that what 33,000 points looks like?

This is pretty standard. You can't use new promos (of any kind) toward something you have booked already. Only new bookings.

It likely is going to be the gift card itself. We do this ALL the time in Cherry on Top and have never had an issue using them later (and I literally mean thousands of dollars worth over the last couple years). I would use the link someone else posted and I will bet that you will find the gift card is inactive or shows 0 balance. They may have made a mistake on board the ship when activating it. Did you keep the receipt they give you? If the card is bad only Carnival will be able to help you. You can reach the fun shops through Carnival and explain the situation and see if they can help. Just tell them you bought it on board ship/sailing and let them know it is showing a zero balance now that you got it home. PS: Word to the wise ALWAYS check your gift card balances as soon as possible after receiving them to make sure they are good (regardless of where you get them). Human error can cause the occasional OOPs when processing a gift card and it is better to know and deal with it right away then much later.

In Miami at least they have had several iterations of lounges for Platinum and Diamond. First it was upstairs where the main seating is now, then it was downstairs right inside where you go through security. I do vaguely remember lemonade and cookies 😁 I agree with you though, where I sit doesn't really matter. I only like/use my tier for a couple things. I like to get on early and be able to drop my bags in my room since we only do carry on. Then I can eat and be done and out of there before it gets too crazy. I use/like the shorter line at guest services in case I need it (and it seems like every cruise I am there at least once, usually to add gift cards - kiosks don't like me). I use/like being able to be in the first people off the ship to avoid the chaos in the terminal there. Other than that the rest of the stuff... meh

I asked, but they insisted on myself and others with FTTF go to general seating. Looked like suites, diamonds and plats were in priority seating. Was just happy they called us before general boarding. They may be transitioning away from "special" seating. Miami used to always have an area for Diamond & Platinum and now they have done away with that too. Everyone just sits where ever and has to listen for their group to be called. Wouldn't surprise me if they may be doing this in other ports, and in this particular case starting with FTTF?

I would certainly call, I have found that they will sometimes waive any penalties that might otherwise be imposed if you are upgrading to a more expensive ship/sailing. I will say though, for years I got away with it, but more recently they have been more strict with enforcing it. I think a lot depends on how far out your cruise may be too. If it is quite a ways out they might be more accommodating too. All you can do is ask. This is the time a good PVP is invaluable IMHO.

Just to add on, I think destination makes a difference too. 😁

Um? Ok that is new, I have never heard of the free bottle of wine on the first elegant night. I have heard of it on the first night of the sailing, and some sailings (that are longer, like a week or more) they extend it to the first 2nights sometimes.

Honestly not sure what rhyme or reason they use. As I have gotten my room assigned months before sailing when there were lots of rooms left, and then on a last minute cruise we didn't get it assigned until like a day or so before. Don't do this very often, but I will say I have been very happy with the few times we have done it, got rooms that we would have picked ourselves, except one time. Got a room right under the kitchen and the cooking smells were almost unbearable at times. Onion and Garlic was so bad our clothes smelled like it.

Correct, it is just for the person who has earned the credit and it is on base fare only (not port fees, taxes, etc.) Hubby was 3 behind me too when we hit our 25th. So we used mine on one cruise and then his on a later cruise. I hit my 50th in just a couple weeks on the Conquest, but plan to wait to use it until next Spring when we sail as my December cruise we have booked right now was not that expensive and I want to make GOOD use of the 50% 😁

Ya, I would buy that theory, except for the fact that EVERY single boarding pass I saw in line around me was a later boarding time. There were at least 10-15 people I watched get waved through while we were trying to get in and all their boarding times were much later (we waited patiently and I could see the boarding passes they were flashing at the gate agent).

I have not sailed out of NY, so can't give first hand experience. But, if you go in and proceed through the purchase process to buy the booze, you should be given a drop down menu of days when you can have it delivered to select from. This should answer that question for you. If you aren't ready to buy yet, just don't complete the purchase and back out.

Agreed, but they do have to draw the line somewhere. It isn't right that for $100 you can buy pretty much all the same critical privilege's that it took others years to earn. It frustrates me that there are as many benefits included as there is, which to use your word, dilutes my experience as a long time cruiser. I understand why they did it, to earn more money, and a business has to be profitable. But it still is frustrating when I am standing in a line (albeit much shorter than the general line usually, but a line non the less) because numerous people were able to purchase for a nominal fee what I had to earn over a long period of time. This is especially true at guest services if I have an issue I need to address. Can't count how many times I have been standing there in line for 20-30 minutes, and a "group" of 3-4 people all together with red and blue cards in their hand, complaining about every little thing under the sun...... and you just know hearing the conversation they are just trying to get money off their bill for really trivial non-legit things.

🤣 I always say I pack like Garanimals... if you are old enough to remember that one. That way everything just goes with everything else. One pair of sandals with everything, and a cute pair of small beachy pumps for my sundresses. I don't know what they call the fabric, rayon I think, but the best thing that every happened with that stretchy fabric that doesn't wrinkle and like folds down to nothing. Most of my sundresses are this!

ROTFLMAO! Sounds like it... does she get mad at you too when someone has the nerve to cut in front of her while you are in line? You should have heard the grief I caught when Covid shut us down. And I was dealing with all the flights, hotels, transfers, cruise stuff for 3 rooms that time because my brother and fiancé had decided to cruise with us for the first time. I had to deal with at least 3 different date changes on that one and making sure 6 people were all happy with everything.

They get pretty much all the benefits of Diamond and Platinum that have earned the privilege's by days at sea, except for the 2 days early for picking your check in time. You still get to go to the priority lines, and you still get to board before general boarding...along with the guest services line, priority debarkation, etc. To be able to pay a few bucks and buy that is a lot better than the tens of thousands that I have spent to earn it 🤣 IMHO if anything has been diluted it was the earned benefits of higher tiers.

We got you beat.... for 7 days we can do two legit size (22x14x9) airplane carry on's and two small shoulder bags. NO big suitcases needed 😁 That's a clean outfit for everyday, dress clothes and shoes as needed, swimming clothes and cover ups, sandals, hats, all our extras like curling irons, blow dryers, books, toiletry bag, liquids bag, my really cool small fan I found, and other miscellaneous - even can squeeze our own prescription snorkel masks and snorkels in when we know we will be doing that. When people ask us about tips for cruising, we always tell them. Lay out everything you think you will need.... then get rid of 1/2 of it.

Yes, one person can purchase. You can get Soda and Juices from the bar with it. I like to use mine and get mocktails (cranberry/sprite, pineapple/sprite, pineapple/sprite with shot of cherry juice).

I did on my 25th. I used it right ON the 25th cruise.

Yes, you do. FTTF has an area they can wait and they get to get off before general debarkation. It works like Embarkation. They allow Diamond and Platinum to disembark and then FTTF and each has their own "special" waiting area they can wait. You get a letter in your room the day before debarkation that explains it all.