DallasGuy75219

I do that, but only once I've found a wait team with good service. Sometimes that happens on the first night, other times it takes a few nights to find one I like. On the Glory in December I bounced around all week because I never found a team with better than average service that was worth the effort of requesting again. Ironically, the best service I had was at brunch on the second sea day, so I asked for that team again on the third sea day.

None of them do for free. The wooden box with the specialty teas is gone from the Lido deck. They'll cone around with the box for you to choose from in the MDR, but you have to pay for those just like at the coffee shop. On the Lido and in the MDR, including at afternoon tea, only green tea and Lipton black tea are free.

No, outside of cruise lines most tipped employees keep their own tips, but in a some cases they are required to "tip out" a percentage of their sales to employees who would not normally be tipped by guests, such as hostesses, bussers, and runners in a restaurant.

Not recently when there are only 2 or 3 servers at times in the evenings. I tip cash with every DOU drink and some nights on the Glory last month there was not a server to be found at some times.

You have to pay now.

Not sure what part of "it's not an exact match if the comparable excursion doesn't pick you at the port" is so difficult to understand.

If you have a legitimate reason for cashing out immediately and/or have enough points to show you weren't charging your S&S for a fee-free cash advance, a casino host or manager (or probably even supervisor) can unblock your account.

It's actually the reverse... you charge your S&S to get credit on the machine, then when you're done playing you transfer the credit to your player bank. You can do it as many times as you wish, as long as you actually gamble with what you charged to your S&S and put on the machine. Cash out too often or for too much without playing with what you just charged and you'll get systematically blocked from charging your S&S in the casino.

Transportation from a hotel is not a "exact match" (Carnival's requirement to invoke the guarantee) to transportation from the port. Your options are to pay Carnival $120 for the convenience of port pick-up or go to a hotel for pick-up to save $120. Part of Carnival's contract with the companies that operate their excursions is that they cannot sell the same excursions to Carnival passengers. This pre-dates the best price guarantee. The company running the Viator excursions either 1) runs the same excursion for one or more cruiselines or 2) doesn't want to bother with the uncertainty of late ship arrivals, getting cruise passengers back to the port in time to not miss the ship, or ships missing port altogether.

Then it's not comparable because your 'comparable' tour doesn't include transportation from the port. Full stop.

The last bullet point could be worded better: There is no charge at the slot machines to access funds, but buying chips at a table game, or buying chips or getting a cash advance at the Casino Cashier’s Desk will incur a nominal service fee of 3% each transaction.

What is the Carnival excursion and what are the Viator excursions you are matching to? The net for you is actually $10, not $130. If you booked through Viator you wouldn't be paying the extra $120 in first place. So $120 of the $130 Carnival OBC makes you whole vs. what you would have paid with Viator, and the other $10 is your net. Is all this trouble worth $10 to you vs. canceling your Carnival reservation and rebooking with Viator?

I suspect what they meant was that from the probably thousands of claims that have been submitted, they've only found a few independent excursions that exactly match Carnival's excursion, and the Monkeyland excursion you were trying to file a claim for isn't one of them. Do the two excursions exactly match in every advertised detail? Even if yes, is this worth the extra $15 in OBC that you'll net?

You are prepaying for 3 or 5 bottles of wine, at the package price + 18% gratuity.

It's certainly not a Platinum or Diamond perk. The only time I've heard of it is on Elite or Ultra casino cruises.

Technically no, because it's a fortified wine (like sherry or port) and the policy prohibits bringing your own fortified wine. However YYMV and I'm sure people will report having brought it onboard.

I assume this is an Elite or Ultra casino cruise? If so, the offer she booked under should tell you which amenities are for just the person who received the offer and which are for both the first and second occupants of the cabin.

In 47 Carnival cruises I don't think I've ever seen it scheduled onboard.

I've been cruising too long. Before opening the link I was about to respond that the Carnival Capers is now called the Fun Times.

The priority tendering instructions distributed onboard do allow each Platinum/Diamond guest to bring a specific number of guests for priority tendering.

And that's why if you remove tips and tip the people who served you directly, they're supposed to turn in those tips to be pooled anyway. Like it or not, most crew members' wages are low because they're expected to be compensated primarily through gratuities. Those include passenger-facing crew like restaurant hostesses and non-passenger-facing crew like galley stewards, dishwashers, and laundry attendants who support the people you're directly tipping behind the scenes but are not going to get tipped directly by passengers. It's no different than a land-based restaurant where servers have to "tip out" to people like the hostess and busser who aren't going to get tipped directly. Even if you want your full tip to go to your server, they still have to tip out to others in the pool.

If you're so sure, why are you asking for inside tips?

duplicate post

Unless you were on an Excel class ship, no one knew anything about it because it's only a Gold, not Platinum or Diamond, perk.

Incorrect. Only Gold, and after 5 pm on the last evening of the cruise. Platinum and Diamond don't get this because it was a consolation prize when Golds got kicked out of the Past Guest Party (now the Platinum and Diamond Party). Exception: On Excel class Platinums and Diamonds get one drink loaded to their S&S on the last full day of the cruise because the Platinum and Diamond Party is held in the main theater, which isn't set up for full bar service.