VentureMan_2000

Yup. Finished it this morning. I wish during the survey that I had the names of the comedians during our June Alaska cruise.

I'm still waiting on getting not quite bored, but not as entertained/pleasantly surprised each day of a cruise. I think 25 cruises ought to do it... 🤣

On Alaska cruises, Early dining starts at 5:30pm, Late dining at 7:45pm. Most other cruises, Early dining starts at 6:00pm, Late dining at 8:15pm.

Dinners on Alaska cruises start earlier.

You're falling into the same trap too... wanting to take "take off" a certain percentage from the on-board pricing. Nowhere does Carnival say 10% off. "save 10%" implies there is a 10% difference... not 10% off.

I have to wait until the annual shareholders meeting in April for our cruised booked in October 2024. I did receive shareholder OBC for our two cruises coming up this September.

Carnival must have heard the bickering... 🤣

If you booked thru another site or travel agent, you may need to call them to change your selection as they be the only folks who can change this selection.

Exactly what I think. I've visited the customer service desk a few times to help me with questions I had. Having to stand in line for 5 or 10 minutes did not ruin my cruise. Stand in line with a cocktail if that makes your wait more enjoyable.

This simply is not true. Carnival clearly states "during your arrival appointment" From Carnival's site: Here is what the program includes: Priority Check-in Upon arrival to the terminal (during your arrival appointment), look for the Priority line to check-in.

Yes, exactly what I remember. My last cruise was 2007. That was a real fun night -- back when formal night was formal night where everyone dressed up -- Service members wore their dress uniforms. I always thought that was a lot of fun.

Check-in and boarding are two separate events. Even if you check in early, you still have to take a seat and wait to board until US Customs clears and your group is called: First to board is Weddings, then the Wheelchair crowd, Diamonds, Plats, FTTF, Gold, Red, Blue. I'm not convinced that FTTF is that beneficial, given how many Plats/Diamonds there are.

Well, that's the thing... for those that follow the check-in rules, it could work out to their benefit. Check-in in San Francisco was very efficient. They had 6 lanes (roped off lanes) each representing a check-in time - eg. 9:30-10:00, 10:00-10:30, etc. The first two lanes were clearly full of Plat/Diam passengers as the check-in time was 9:30, if I recall. Our lane was 11:00-11:30. We arrived at the port at 9:45... dropped off our luggage with the porter and were in line before 10:00. Well, they had already started releasing lanes to enter the terminal before we arrived at our lane... went very fast. They released our lane at maybe 10:05... and as stated, the "priority" line inside the terminal was extremely long due to the number of Plat/Diam cruisers. There was no line to speak of in the "non-Priority" line... we buzzed right through to the Check-in counter and were seated for boarding by 10:15.

Crap-shoot. Could be an obstructed balcony, could be a nice room. I selected this once as the price was way lower than a regular balcony. I lucked out and got a regular balcony, actually in a nice location. If it saves you a bundle and you are prepared for an obstructed balcony stuck way at the front of the ship, over the theater or some other loud venue, then I say go for it. As many people have said, they don't spend that much time in the staterooms.

In years past, they used to have a live band and encourage folks to come up and do some ballroom dancing on the stage. So... what happened with that ? I didn't see it on my last 10-day cruise in June.

Totally worked to our benefit with the Plat/Diam's arriving early before check-in time in San Francisco. Their line was easily 4 times longer than those non-plat/diam's than ours - we are gold with normal check-in line. The Plat/Diam's seem to be totally screwing themselves with their self-serving attitude. Not enough that they get 2 extra days for online check-in selection. 🤣

Lots of off topic chatter... but why the delay ?

I would think that you should be able to drop off bags with the porters by 8:30am or 9:00am. We arrived at 9:45am and dropped off our luggage. The porters were busy... busy... busy.

Perhaps 9:30am (a guess). At 10:15 when we sat down, we noticed the wheelchair crowd were being taken aboard by Carnival staff. So, I'm assuming the Wedding folks boarded at least 30-45 minutes before them. This wheelchair boarding went on for maybe 15 minutes. At 10:30, they started boarding the rest of the list by priority.

If I recall, pre-pandemic, they actually closed off the hallways to guests on embark day until those rooms were ready. Is my memory serving me right ?

A whole lot of angst and whining going on...

or for $1 a bag... check them in with a Porter before boarding.

Yes, Carnival. I believe the only other cruise line that embarks in San Francisco is Princess, which is another Carnival Corp cruise line.

Sounds reasonable. If you have a desire to arrive early, then you need to do your on-line check-in during that first 48 hours prior to everyone who is not Platinum/Diamond and select an early time that fits your needs. On my last cruise, the Platinum/Diamond port check-in line was 3 to 4 times longer than my line... I'm sure this is the reason -- too many Platinum/Diamond people showing up early and creating long lines, like in the old days before they implemented selecting a check-in time. I was checked in before that huge priority line... 😂

It's really not a big deal to manage your carry-on luggage for a couple hours. We just find a seat or table and park our luggage there. We each take turns staying with the luggage while another goes to get some lunch to bring back, or use the restroom, etc. As mentioned, trying to drop off any luggage before 1:30 is only a hinderance to the room steward. Of course, he's going to be polite to you, but I'm sure he's wishing that you were not there getting in his way and taking his time... time that he really does not have to give on turn-around day.