shortstop95

Thanks for all the responses. Would you recommend as well for the other Italian ports?

This will be our first European cruise - so looking to maximize what little time we have in ports. Being unfamiliar with Europe- Carnival sponsored excursions do hold the benefit of knowing we won't get left behind- we know with private tours you see more and pay less. Other threads have mentioned Rome in Limo. Can anyone provide feedback on the Rome Highlights tour with them? The good? The bad? The could be improved? The wish I had done this instead? We would appreciate and welcome any info.

Thanks in advance.

We both had "seats" for the tournament but neither of us made it past the first round. Still,it was a lot of fun cheering old and new friends on. It was well run and organized, and a lot of fun all week. And of course there is that $50,000 first place prize!

We just did the 100,000 tournament cruise aboard the Carnival Magic on May 7th. I can speak to how that one worked. Day 1 you register in casino. Day 2 622 folks played in first round heats of 14. Top 420 moved on. Day 3 the 420 played in another heat. Day 4 top 50 are announced who all receive cash prize. 50th place through around 40th receive $200 gradually increases from there. Top 15-50 are done. Top 14 play in more round to determine the winner.

It was high energy and LOTS of fun. I highly recommend it. You receive a gift bag upon registring. The casino was crowded like I have never seen a casino be crowded before. There was virtually not an empty seat all week. That level of crowding was challenging at times- but still a fantastic cruise. You should seriously consider going on the cruise. If however you choose not to, I would be interested in purchasing your seat certificate from you.

Only $100 are available now

So excited to receive our first ultra offer. Now would love to receive an elite. How often do they come out- any idea when the next round is due?

Loved your review and all the pictures!! We will be on the Vista August 18th!! Very excited can't wait!!

Howdy All -

Does anyone know what the date is for the next 100,000 Slot Tournament? We were just on the one in May and they were already handing out winning seat certificates for the next- curious what's the date and ship. Thanks for any help!

I have emailed Carnival and Michael at Carnival regarding this, however I have not rcvd any response. My husband and I have been cruising with Carnival since 2007 and have always rcvd emails/flyers in the mail on great casino rates that also came with a little free casino cash, however we are not getting these offers anymore.

 

We used to get these every 3-4 months. We even rcvd a free cruise offer where we only had to pay taxes, a great deal, however we just got back from vacation and unable to book at that time. We ended up booking one after the offer expired using a different casino rate offer that was not free, but still a good deal and were supposed to go last month on the Glory, but due to our work schedules we cancelled beginning of the year and rebooked for Nov using early saver because the casino rate offer was no longer valid.

 

It seems that we are being blacklisted because of not taking the free one and having to cancel the April one, which does not seem fair.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

:rolleyes:

Same thing happened to me a couple years back. Contacted Carnival several times by phone was assured nothing was wrong. Emailed the players club several times as well. Finally got a response saying that per my request I had opted out of receiving marketing materials. I stated I had not. Regardless, they opted me back in and the offers returned.

So the only way to get these is to get "The call"? We never get the call. :(

Just wondering if anyone knows email for maitre de on Vista. We will be sailing June 21,2016 and have a special request.

Did you have any luck contacting Ken? We are sailing on the Carnial Vista in August and I too would like to contact him.

It was always my understanding that if you changed levels during a cruise- you would be that level at the start of the cruise. I have 197 VIFP days. Just booked a 3 night cruise. 197 + 3 = 200 so I thought his would turn me Diamond- yet when I do my online check-in it still says Platinum. Is my logic flawed?

I can report back in August- but hopefully someone will share before then!

We just did this in March- its very cool- but it's a long day. The on,y thing would be because of the wet suit and life jacket. They were super helpful on this excursion. I would book it and then when you go to check-in inquire about the issue. The host from the tour company is going to give you the best information. If they say no- you'll get you're money back - but I can't imagine they will.

We have sailed over 40 times. While trying both early on- we made the decision to build our loyalty with Carnival. I think many threads will highlight that big lines are relatively the same in theory. Here are just my opinions on the differences between RCL and Carnival.

Ships- RCL has a better overall wow factor.

Staterooms- carnival gets the edge. Better layout more storage and far superior bathroom layout

Food- again carnival for us. We eat breakfast and lunch typically on lido and have the evening meal in either the dining room or specialty restaurants. Selection, variety, presentation and taste go to Carnival for us.

Entertainment- 5 years ago I would have said Carnival but with discontinuing much of the live music, show bands and production shows - I'm not sure anymore. I am not a fan of the new playlist production shows or using passengers as entertainment- (love and marriage show, game show, legends- are not what I want as my evening show). I miss the days of better quality singers and entertainers being brought on the ship during the week.

Activities- carnival is called the fun ship for a reason. Activities led by the entertainment staff are a blast. Activities installed on the ship RCL gets the edge with all their innovations.

Decor- we like the glitz of Carnival. It keeps with theme of party and fiesta. Sure some of it is tacky and over the top- but you're on vacation- this is the place to do it. Some of the older Fantasy class ships look dated by today's standards- but the newer ships seem to be bridging the changes from the previous glitz to a more toned down version. We prefer the RCL dining rooms for an elegant evening experience.

These are all just our opinions and I'm sure many will disagree. It's all a function of what's important to you and your family. We are looking for a quality economical fun vacation free from stress and home life issues. The Carnival teams generally help us achieve this so we loyally return.

I think we're on the same page about how it was handled.

 

By the way, this may be off topic, shortstop95, but...... what's the significance of the blue (2006 and earlier) vs. red (2007 and later) sailings in your signature, if you don't mind my asking? Apologies for being nosy!

Lol- pre and post platinum loyalty level

That's my recollection as well.... Kevin (CD) said "passed away" not "died" and mentioned prayers for the family.

 

However, even though his words were not as blunt as previously suggested, I still felt informing all of the passengers was not the right decision, so I'm not sure I would agree that overall they handled the situation well. They could have simply said something to the effect of, "It's no longer necessary to make the emergency stop in Cozumel," and let everyone assume what they will (either that the passenger was doing better or had passed away). There was no need to confirm the worst possible news. I happened to be in an elevator about 15 minutes later and two boys, probably about age 12, were discussing how the announcement was inappropriate (I'm pretty sure they used that exact word). Later, at dinner, we heard from our tablemates how much the announcement had upset them (it was a widowed mom with two teenaged kids who just lost their husband/father unexpectedly six months ago).

It didn't sit well with me at the time either. It's a difficult situation- I was just trying to inform folks the announcement wasn't as flip as the original poster made it sound.

That's funny cause I've always called them Gone With the Wind plates- as the first time I ever saw them in one of the ship's steakhouse that was called Scarlett's. I thought they were images of Scarlett O'Hara. :)

I was on the same cruise and the comments posted about the return to Cozumel are being exaggerated. The cruise director merely informed us they we would not be docking in Cozumel as previously told as the passenger had passed away. He asked for prayers for the family. It was handled well. The smoke incident was minor as well. With updates during the incident as well as the next day by the captain. Again handled well.

Others aboard can comment as well.

Was aboard the Carnival Splendor for this. The NCL and the Holland America ship had the two easier docks to pull into. Splendor had the inside dock. Was up top watching they were in constant communication with us citing high winds and strong currents as the reason for difficulty. After a couple passes- we were told the pilot was coming aboard to attempt docking.

After that another attempt it was announced with safety for all in mind we would not be docking and we're heading back to Cozumel to accommodate a medical emergency.

Every review I read on this amazing- never seen this offered through Carnival before- so we definitely want to do this- but I'm a non-swimmer- can anyone comment on how much floating it is or is it actual swimming?

Live music was great! There was a duo that sang in the atrium that were fantastic! Also pilot program going for additional live music. Three groups- 1) 3-piece string group that were AMAZING! Consisted of some of the former band leaders throughout the fleet. 2) a three piece horn group and 3) an accordion player. They popped up all over the ship. Lobby, entry to restaurant, past guest party. New program being tested out. While I wasn't crazy about the accordion player- I LOVE live music so I think it's a fantastic addition and hope to see the program expanded.

American Table is a revised menu and dining experience. Lots of opinions about it out there. My observations are its a way to cut staff. Bread and iced water are no longer "served" but are placed on the table for family style use. Table linens are gone except for elegant nights. For first time cruisers - it's probably no big deal as they have no comparison. For repeat cruisers who are accustomed to the old experience seem to view the American Table as an awkward experience now. After mediocre service the first two nights in the dining room- three tables in our section (a 10 a 4 and a 2 top) all stopped coming. As a result attention at our table of 2 increased substantially. In making small talk with the servers they shared they are not fans of the AT either.

Just back from the 8-day eastern sailing aboard the Carnival Breeze. It was a great week- weather was perfect! Couple observations. Ship shops closed mid week for renovations. Notified at embarking - not a major inconvenience for us, but there was a lot of grumbling both on board as well as in our fb roll call group. Lots of people also appeared to be sick. Both crew and passengers. Had to say I was very aware of all the coughing and sniffling around. Unfortunate but beyond our control. Not Carnival's fault- but feel bad for all those affected.

Second time with American Table. I'm still not a big fan of it- but was much more impressed with the menu selections and meals on the Breeze then I was on the Conquest last fall. Still not a fan of playlist productions. I would rather have two strong singers that can carry a show versus a troupe where all sing but none are that strong. Again just one persons opinion. The pre-show activities are a great addition though.

I'll be glad to answer any specific questions. Overall two enthusiastic "thumbs up" for the Carnival Breeze!

what is a SS card?? We are also going on Saturday! :)

Sail and sign card- your onboard charge card, room key and ID card used for disembarking and reimbarking the ship. Very handy.

Are you on board the Carnival Breeze this Saturday?

Hello all... We went to our first Chef's table last October. As we plan our trip this year we were contemplating doing it again. Does anyone know how often the menu changes?

I posed the same question last fall when we did the Chef's Table on our October cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor. The replies varied- but the general consensus was it changes about once a year and typically changes in the first half of the year- so a revised menu should pop up in the next couple months.