djb78

I'm booked on Oct16, not sure if it will get cancelled or not since it's not showing on the website anymore. 

I was originally booked on one of the original repositioning cruises, I think it was the 4th cruise after it was supposed to be completed. It was probably the best itinerary that I've ever seen. 15 nights, NYC to the Southern Caribbean then ending at PC. We would have been onboard as it rode into PC for the first time. It had a bunch of stops in the South that I've never been to, and several of our favorites as well. It's a little hard to get from Vancouver to Florida, not many direct options, so the NYC departure was great. We had lie-flat business class seats booked with points on an Air Canada Dreamliner. And we would have hit Platinum onboard. We were looking forward to exploring NY, since we've only spent 48 hours there in our lifetimes. 

Very disappointing when that was cancelled. 

Hopefully we can get on it this year. 

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I do notice that the cheers on us doesnt have price protection. ... though maybe not a consideration if prices keep going up. The more cancellations the more rebooking. More cancellations coming so maybe price protection isnt a worry. I've booked balconies in the past for less than a inside now costs.

I was a little concerned about the price protection, but I booked on the Mardi Gras and there were only a few rooms in my category that were left despite the cruise still being 9 months away.

I've been watching rooms vanish on that cruise since the first successful vaccine trials were announced, and once they sell out then there is no "price protection" anyway.

If rooms drop considerably, I can cancel, lose the half price deposit, and rebook. So I'm not totally out of luck. 

But overall, the risk was worth the free drinks to me. 

Just don't change her name on her ID until after the cruise.

Taxes are not included - but taxes are only charged while in US ports. Or in US territorial waters, or something like that. So expect to pay a few cents when in US ports.

Tips are a little less clear... when you buy the package normally, you're charged an 18% service charge  for gratuity. Hopefully when they're giving us the package for free, they're also giving the same money to the bar staff. 

10 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Was this an independent travel agent or a Carnival PVP?

Independent TA. Not sure how it happened. 

Well, I managed to get it. I've got two kids so I thought I might be out of luck. But I booked myself into my sister's room, who is a solo traveler, and her RU1 code was applied. It's about $60 more money pp than the cheapest rate, and we lost the $50pp OBC. But $110 for the drink package is worth it for me. I'll probably only have a couple drinks a day but I like to have pop. 

So my wife is booked into a room with our two kids. Since they're just 2 and 5, they'll be fine on the bench bed together end to end. 

My parents didn't have any code showing when we were searching for prices for them, I tried both their numbers searching for interior, OV, and balcony, and the option never showed up. But the TA software somehow made RU1 appear, so they got it as well. 

My key won't open my door but I'll just have to carry around one of my kid's cards, but I usually have them anyway so no big deal. 

The big question for me would come down to price.

But "One room vs connecting" and "Regular vs Family Harbour" are two separate questions.

The ocean views (or maybe it's only the "deluxe" ocean views) have a bench for one of the beds, plus a 2nd partial bathroom. That's where there's a lot of value for young families who need more space than an interior but don't quite need the space of two cabins.

From there, it's a question of whether the family harbour rooms are worthwhile. When we went on the Horizon in Oct '19 and Magic in Nov '19, it was more than $30/day difference, and we didn't think we'd get value out of that. Our kids were too young for the free babysitting night, we don't really go to specialty restaurants with or without them, and the lounge food wasn't much of a perk when a short elevator ride has even more.

But on the Mardi Gras trip we're planning for Oct, the family harbour ocean view is only $5/day difference. With our kids now going to be 5 and 2 in the fall of 2021, we're a little more likely to use some of the perks. Also, on the Mardi Gras, the kid's club is right at the FH floor, giving a bit more value.

So while we opted for deluxe ocean view non-family harbour on the Magic and Horizon, if prices hold we'll book for ocean view family harbour on the Mardi Gras for next fall.

22 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

The soda package probably costs about the same to get. Mocktails are fun, and the bubbles isnt cheap. What is a can of soda now 3.50 a can? Or give the kids the cabin across the hall without the drinks. I can understand why its limited to 2, for the price. 

Oh, I wouldn't care at all if the kids get no drink package, they just drink milk and apple juice anyway. A room for them alone would be hundreds more.

It's too bad that the discount only allows two people in a room. I would book today. I've got two kids (who obv wouldn't be drinking any alcohol anyway) and I don't quite understand why the offer is limited to double occupancy only.

On 3/4/2020 at 5:34 AM, mpacker said:

I know they do it quickly normally.  But it says must be done 14 days prior to sailing.   Anyone done it right before the cruise and still got it?

I haven't.... but given how quick they respond right now, I'd think your chances are good. Do it ASAP if you haven't already. 

My last one was sent on Feb 18 and was confirmed Feb 20. 

1 hour ago, mek said:

When is the parade?

I'm sure it varies, but I think it's usually one of the earlier sea days. The breakfast is usually one of the last sea days. 

On the Vista, was offered morning or evening, requested both, and only got mornings until I asked at guest services if "both" was really an option. He also missed one morning completely. Lazy room steward. 

On the Magic, requested both and got both. 

They also had a table set up to register after the Dr Seuss parade on my last cruise. 

Yes, same for me. 

It wasn't about value.... it was about how bad the soda is on board. Getting a hot soda poured over ice, instantly the ice is gone and you've got a watered down soda that's not all that cold. Even worse is getting the bottom half a can that's been sitting open since the last person ordered. 

And then there's the looks you get from the bartenders. Order one soda on the bubbles program and you'll never see them again. Ordering in the MDR is usually a hassle. I'd rather just bring a couple from my room. 

I'm fine paying $120 for a week's worth of soda... but not when it's terrible and a hassle to order. 

Not worth it to me. 

I usually get on with luggage, go to the MDR for lunch and put my bags off to the side. By the time I'm done my lunch, my room is ready. And I don't have much luggage, I give as much as possible to the porters. 

If I have to go to the customer service desk, I go at night. 

And I try and avoid ports that are tendered. 

But I can certainly see that others might find it worthwhile. At $50, I'd be tempted. At $100+, not so much. 

7 minutes ago, harleydudesat said:

 

Where do you send the information to?  I called Carnival and they said to email to "airreimbursment@carnival.com". Got it back as undeliverable.  Not sure if I misspelled or missed something.  Any help would be appreciated

Looks like you're missing the s at the end. 

airreimbursements@carnival.com

7 hours ago, Irish Nana said:

I was just wondering if you had non-refundable airline tickets if they reimbursed you for the cost?  We did and are not getting reimbursement from Carnival, unless we book another flight.  The only reason I had flights to Europe was to go on the cruise.  They are saying they will "consider" up to $450.00 per ticket IF we rebook another flight.  If not we are out that money.  And no one at Carnival seems to care.   

My tickets had a cancellation fee of $75CAD each. I had 3 one-way tickets there and 3 home, so a total of 6 tickets. I cancelled the tickets and sent the cancellation receipts to Carnvial. They responded that they couldn't see the original itineraries so I'd have to resubmit. I resubmitted on Monday with the documentation that showed the original bookings. Given that he last turnaround was about a week, I should see something on Monday or Tuesday.

You might want to change your tickets to somewhere you do want to travel to, even non-refundable tickets can often be changed for a fee. Any unused value in cost difference, you might be able to retain for another flight.

If you flat-out can't change them and won't use them, then you can cross your fingers that your airline changes it's schedule. United, for example, will give you a full refund, even on non-refundable tickets, if the departure or arrival changes more than 2 hours, and you don't want an alternative flight. Even for changes of 30 minutes to two hours, they will consider a refund if you can convince them that the new times don't work for some reason. I've used this to get a refund on a non-refundable ticket then rebook at a lower rate. With nearly a year before your flights, there's ample time for a beneficial schedule change.

It saved me money last time this happened to me. United changed thier direct flight from morning to evening and rebooked me onto a connecting flight in the morning. I called United and said the schedule change didn't work for me, cancelled the ticket and got a full refund. Then booked the evening direct flight at a lower price. I saved almost $400. 

And the evening flight was better. Itmeant that we could fly on disembarkation day, not stay overnight for the direct flight the next morning. I try my best to avoid connections. 

I got my official notice from xxxxxxxxxxx

Note there is no outright promise of a full reimbursement for airfare, a new cruise needs to be booked within 60 days to get the $100/pp OBC, and the cruise itself has to be within a year to get 25% off. 

Dear xxx xxx Traveler,
xxxxxxrxxl received the following itinerary change in regards to your Carnival Mardi Gras sailing.

Please be advised that Carnival has been informed by officials at the Meyer Turku shipyard that delivery of Mardi Gras will be delayed until the end of October, 2020. Mardi Gras will begin service from Port Canaveral on November 14, 2020. Unfortunately all cruises scheduled to depart prior to this date will be canceled, impacting your reservation to sail with us.

Below is some information to help you know what to expect and assist in your planning efforts:

1) Your existing reservation will be automatically canceled and a full refund of your cruise fare, including applicable taxes, fees and port expenses, and any pre-purchased items (i.e., Carnival Vacation Protection and shore excursions), will be issued to your original form of payment. (Note: This also applies to Early Saver reservations. Refunds could take up to three weeks to process through your bank.)

2) You will receive a 25% future cruise credit (FCC) on any Carnival cruise booked in the next 12 months (by December 20, 2020).

3) Rebook your cruise using your 25% FCC by February 18, 2020 and receive an additional US$100, per person, onboard credit for that cruise.

4) Please present this letter to your airline carrier to help obtain a refund or credit for your unused air fare. If you are unable to secure a refund or credit voucher, please contact Carnival with this documentation for consideration. They are in the process of reaching out to their airline partners to alert them about this change of plans and to encourage them to work with you.

5) Should you wish to reschedule your non-refundable air, we will reimburse airline change fees up to US$450, per person (flights to Europe) and US$200, per person (domestic US flights), in addition to any expenses for non-refundable hotel reservations guests may incur. Please submit receipts to airreimbursements@carnival.com.

Since Carnival is automatically canceling your reservation and processing refunds, there is no need to contact us to request your refund. Please contact us should you wish to take advantage of the 25% FCC and the US$100, per person, onboard credit.

If you have any questions, please call xxxxxxxx

Sincerely,

XXxxxxx

3M Command strips or hooks. 

Wow, this is pretty disappointing. My family was booked on the 15 day NYC to Port Canaveral run and really looking forward to finally getting to the Southern islands. 

The itinerary was awesome, some of our favorite ports and a few new ones. 

I have 3 ticket booked via Aeroplan in business class (with lie-flat beds) from Vancouver to New York, then after the cruise from Orlando to Toronto in economy and then Toronto to Vancouver in lie-flat beds again. We had extra days booked on either end to explore NYC and take my kids to Disney. My youngest will be just short of 2 years old so he would have still been a lap infant. 

We are also going to be at 60 nights getting on, so my wife and I would have turned Platinum and my boys would have turned Gold. 

We were considering it a 10 year anniversary trip. (It was slightly early, because if we waited till our actual anniversary, then we would have had to get a 4th ticket for my youngest since he would have turned 2.)

Hopefully the cover the ticket cancellation costs. 

Maybe the next Mardi-Gras class ship will have a similar itinerary in a few years. 

15 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

What is IIR?

It stands for "If I recall"

I'm glad I snagged the 15 day NY-Port Canaveral run while it was still available. It goes all the way down to Aruba and Curacao, which are new ports for me. As well as stopping at my all-time favorite port, (so far)  St Maartan. 

Out of the two itineraries after it arrives in Port Canaveral, neither are all that appealing. I just like to spend time on the beach, and in the ocean, and only one stop on each of those offers that right at the port. I'd probably go Western. There's a beach right at Mahogany Bay, there's lots of beach clubs a short taxi ride away in Cozumel, and I've only been to Costa Maya once, so I wouldn't mind going again. 

There are a couple of variations...... on Jan 2, 2022, there's a 6-day Eastern cruise with Nassau, Grand Turk, and Amber Cove. And on Dec 18, 2021, there's an 8 day Eastern cruise to Grand Turk, Amber Cove, San Juan, St Thomas. 

13 minutes ago, serene56 said:

does Global Entry work with cruise customs and immigration?

 

If there's a line for GE at the terminal, it will work. There wasn't one last time I was in Galveston (Nov) but there was one in FLL Terminal 4, which is where the Magic lives at the moment. 

I believe it was scheduled for 715 but the whole process was behind schedule. (Dec 1-6.) My wife's aunt and her cousin had a flight around 11am after our last cruise. They had booked a little too early not realizing that things are sometimes slower then expected. An airline schedule change moved departure another 20 minutes earlier. They got of the ship as soon as they could and had no trouble getting to the airport in time. In fact, my sister-in-law got off around halfway though disembarkation (group 16 of thirty-something) and saw them at the airport before their flight left.

They did have a Global Entry line, so if you've got time before your cruise, apply for a Nexus pass and get GE with it.