salty dingo

Maybe they will play sounds of fireworks over the PA 😁!

The two cruises on a B2B are linked for the purpose of the special handling you get when disembarking the first cruise and embarking the second. Other than that they are separate cruises, separate onboard accounts and all. So I would not expect any perks from the second leg to be offered on the first leg - at least their systems won't notice. Maybe if you make friends with the hotel director before the cruise?

I'd go for the Paradise. The 3 day will be a nonstop deck party.

Take note of your earliest check-in date. If you are going to turn Platinum on the cruise, the date will be 16 days before sailing, otherwise it will be 14 days.

If your cruise is in 2024, you may have some luck.

Unfortunately they have not yet renewed the shareholder benefit for 2025.

14 hours ago, CruiseHealing said:

So you are allowed to leave and you receive a pass re-board.  Will they allow you to bring on two bottle of wine and 12 pack of can soda?  If so, I would just go to my car to resupply.

Yes, you can do this.

I have four cruises B2B2B2B booked on Splendor next year. My plan is to exit the ship and explore Sydney during the turnover days and return to the ship toward the end of the boarding window with a 12-pack of soda, each time.

Carnival would have taken an authorization hold on the payment account before you left the ship. They usually leave you a paper copy of the account on the last night.

I'd check that account statement if you saved it, and also check any other cards you have which may have inadvertently been used.

I heard Carnival ordered a pack of 10 disposable funnels for Freedom 🤪!

Most of the info in the online check-in can be completed in the days after you check in and before your cruise. You don't have to fill out everything right when you check in.

20 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Your experience was ten years ago and no longer reflects Celebrity's requirement for stops in Cartagena.

 

A passport is required.

The ship has the ability to flag a traveler so they would not be allowed to pass off the ship when they tried to exit at the gangway. I suppose this is not sufficient for some countries.

I did a B2B on Horizon in October. You'll get a letter in your stateroom detailing the process.

With the letter was a pass to let you back on the ship if you opted to disembark with the other passengers and spend the day ashore.

The other option, which I chose, was to wait in the designated area (one of the MDRs) until the ship was empty of non-B2B passengers. There they distributed the Sail and Sign cards for the next cruise. When the ship was clear of non-B2B passengers, the staff led us off the ship where we scanned out with the old S&S card for the last time, went down to immigration and did the face scan, then waited in line until it was time to re-board (not very long). For a short while we had the ship to ourselves.

I took the opportunity to enjoy the Havana pool area, since I was not staying in a Havana cabin it was my only opportunity to check it out before the passengers arrived.

Have fun!

On 3/27/2024 at 4:24 PM, dacsmom said:

Why start this again. Tip if you want, don't tip if you don't want. Don't ask for justification to remove tips.

I have to agree. Do as you see fit. I would tell you what I do, but nobody cares 😄!

They don't have any reserved seating and there are a limited number of tables for two - at least that was the case on Panorama recently.

So, arrive early for best seating, or be prepared to sit at a shared table.

10 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

How do you feel about rooms that hold 3-5 people but only have two booked in it? 

If you're talking about the cabins with upper berths that fold down, those would not be used if there were only two people booked, so no extra work for the steward.

While the cruiser in the solo cabin is only paying gratuities for one, we're often paying for the entire cabin for two!

Carnival does not have too many discounts for solo cruisers, but if you look hard enough there's a deal to be found every now and then.

This is good info - I'm planning a long trip in Spendor next year and didn't realize I would need a different adapter than the Euro-style I am used to seeing on Carnival ships.

I cruise solo and I appreciate the convenience of the auto-gratuity. If the steward does something above and beyond I'll leave them some cash too.

I do try and keep a tidy cabin, and I'm sure the steward appreciates that also!

When I cruised on Horizon in October I was given cranberry juice at breakfast free of charge. This was on a B2B total of 14 days, so it must have been many times. Looking back at a breakfast menu I downloaded in June, cranberry was not listed - so I guess I just got lucky.

2 hours ago, bafinegan said:

Many laptops can be used as wifi "hotspots" too

And just about every smartphone can as well.

Carnival wants to limit you to one device per Internet plan. If you use a router, then that router may be the device and it would allow simultaneous Internet access to multiple devices for the price of one plan. Obviously this is not something Carnival wants their guests to do.

You may find them during the school year also. My Feb. 18th cruise on Panorama was chock full of kids

On the Panorama and Vista recently, there are kiosks where you can do whatever you like without standing in line and talking to guest services.

The machines accept cash too. It was a time-saver for me!

The shower is right there and the water is free! I would pick that over some wet wipes!

11 minutes ago, cacruisin said:

Is it correct that fresh squeezed is included on the bubbles package but not the cheers package?  I'll want to let my teen know if so...

 

TIA

No, the fresh squeezed juices are not included in any package that I know of.

Here's a link to the package details. Interestingly, cranberry juice is included in the package whereas it's not on the breakfast menu.

2 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

It's not included in the list of complimentary juices on the MDR menu in post #6.

That's true, and I wasn't paying attention. I am frequently surprised about what the wait staff will bring when asked that is not on the menu.

A couple of cruises ago, a tablemate at dinner was asking a Filipino waiter about a specific local dish for breakfast. The waiter replied the crew has it frequently. When the tablemate said he wished he could try it the waiter said he would arrange for it, and the Filipino meal was specially prepared for the guest and served to him the next morning.

Ok, well I got way off topic for a juice post. I guess the moral of the story is that it doesn't hurt to ask for the juice you want, and if they tell you it costs extra you can reconsider.