DramaQueen22

On 4/6/2024 at 5:00 PM, jhp8 said:

I found out I have a $200 OBC for a cruise 60 days out. I have already made final payment and prepaid gratuities with that payment. I also plan to buy the drink package before the cruise. Here is what I want to do, is it possible?   1) Get a refund for the gratuities I already paid 2) Use that refund to buy cheers (along with some extra money) 3) Use combination of OBC and $ to pay for gratuities on the ship. The main blocker is getting an actual refund for the prepaid gratuities. Otherwise, I will not be able to use the OBC for Cheers or Gratuities unless I wait to board to buy Cheers, which would be more expensive.

None of these options make any real sense to me.  Your grats will be the same amount for the cruise, as will Cheers.  Getting a refund of those prepaid grats so that you can purchase Cheers with your OBC still leaves you having to pay for the grats in the same amount.  Just buy Cheers ahead.

Free wine (the cheap stuff) is only on night 1

All of these musical references are cracking me up!

I once did a nonstop from Philly to Miami on a solo...in January no less...and had no issues.  Grabbed the Carnival transfer bus at MIA and was onboard within an hour of landing.

Have a great time!

On 3/12/2024 at 1:45 PM, drolltroll said:

Sister looking into a last minute cruise and all accessible cabins are full obviously. The PVP is saying since all accessibles are full, she can't bring a wheel chair or a scooter, even if it fits through the cabin door.

 Sister says Heald on facebook says as long as it fits through the cabin door, it does not matter whether your in an accessible cabin or not but PVP wants to argue that is not true..

 Can anyone give first hand experience on this and doesn't all of the scooter rentals for cruising allow for any door entry or is that something to be aware of?

The man's name is John Heald.  Be a bit more respectful.

No.  Ambre Cove in in the DR.  And if there were concerns, I'd likely stay within the port area or on the ship.

You could use the showers I believe, but the hot tub in in the thermal suite area and you have to pay for that.

You will have a table to yourself.  Depending on the ship, other tables may be close to yours as well.  You can choose to interact with other diners or not.  I've done both and it's always been a lovely experience.

On 2/27/2024 at 5:12 PM, JDCMN said:

Hello! Has anyone used the new smart elevators, specifically on the Carnival Horizon? If so, your thoughts on them? Do they work the way they said they're supposed to work?

Thanks and Happy Cruising!

They're not new and they work great!  Problem is that many think they work like regular systems and just jump on.  If you have 2 in your group, you do have to press the floor for each person.

On 2/20/2024 at 8:56 PM, NV-Joe said:

I've found several older threads about how to go about booking a Havana class room online, but none gave any specifics on how to actually book one of these rooms.I've selected dates 2 years in advance.. and cannot find the option to book one.   I saw the Havana pools for the first time on a cruise to Mexico on the Panorama.   My wife and I go on several short cruises each year...but in all of those bookings online... I never saw mention of Havana rooms.    Do I need to call customer service to book one?  

 

I'm guessing they'd probably sell more bookings if their website was better.   But that's just me I guess.

 

Anyway, if one of you who has successfully booked one of these rooms knows the "secret sauce" to book one of these rooms... let me know.

 

Thanks in Advance 

 

Joe

I literally just did a mock booking for the first Panorama cruise on a search and Havana Cabins are listed.  Interiors are sold out, but there were balcony cabins available .  Don't understand why you cannot find them.  

We've done multiple trips in the Havana Insides.  Yes, you will hear some noise from the band.  The closer you are to the bandstand (which is about in the middle of the bar area), the more noise you will get.  The band stops at midnight.  We've never found the noise too bad, but I suppose it would depend on your personal taste, and your preferred sleep time.

On 3/1/2024 at 7:48 AM, jimbo5544 said:

 On the other hand on Vista class ships we think they are THE best rooms on the ship.

100%.  We've decided that too!

On 2/21/2024 at 11:08 AM, csoud68 said:

just a random observation but i think those suckers are way overpriced. 

For some yes, but to us it is well worth the private area and bar...especially without kids.  We factor the price of those cabins in and enjoy our trip!

4 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

That's interesting, must have changed after the most recent drydock I guess. The forward dining room has been YTD on every Fantasy class ship I've been on or seen until your post. I wonder why the change.

I goofed!  You are right...I got myself all turned around thinking about the Horizon!  It is the forward MDR on Elation.

On 2/3/2024 at 5:12 PM, mz-s said:

Forward dining room and you can ask the hostess to be seated with the same team every night. Usually they seem to try to automatically, but not always possible.

 

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1513/~/carnival-elation-(el)-ship-features-and-public-areas

I was just on Elation and YTD is in the AFT dining room

1 hour ago, Pyxie said:

I wish you could add Cheers at the time of booking and roll it into the payments you make like you can with things like prepaid gratuities. While I understand the cost in the end would be the same, I'd have a much easier time paying it if I didn't have to pay it all at once and would be much more likely to buy it (the only time I ever had it was when it was free).

 

THIS!

On 1/25/2024 at 4:20 PM, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

We cruised the elation last summer, and did not deal with that line outside the terminal. We went around it, showed our boarding pass to the agent because it was our check in time, we skipped 3/4 of the line, which was outside the building.

This was very unusual to me.  There's typically a line for the arrival time, then an "early/late" line.  None of that the day I embarked.  Maybe it was just that day.  No matter...I still got on!

I sailed on the Elation January 13-18, visiting Nassau and Princess Cay.  Thankfully the norovirus outbreak occurred AFTER I left the ship!  Here's a brief review of my experience:

I flew into Jacksonville the night before and stayed at the Courtyard on Duval Road.  Great hotel!  They had a free area shuttle that not only picked you up at the airport, but took you to local restaurants or shopping in the area.  This was a great feature!

EMBARKATION

Arrived at Jaxport just about noon.  Ugh.  The port check in process is chaotic here. Everyone  was in one line, regardless of arrival time appointment.  The line snaked its way into and through the terminal.  We had to stop to have our bags  checked by the dog.  Cool thing there...right after I went through, they tested the dog with a dummy bag.  It was  interesting to see how the dog alerted to the bag.  After going through the rest of the line, you finally reach an agent who checks your documents and sign and sail info.  You finally get to board after that.  That entire process took 45 minutes.  Definitely NOT the streamlined boarding I'm used to through Miami.

THE SHIP AND MY CABIN

Elation is the smallest ship in the fleet.  Great for a 5 day trip, but anything longer than that would leave you looking for things to do.  Hardly any trivia on this trip.  Punchliner is tiny...you have to line up for a seat before the show or you will be out of luck.  Duke's Piano Bar was my absolute favorite hang out this trip.  Felicia was amazing.  (she's headed to Freedom next!)  Crowded dining rooms, but that doesn't bother me.

I originally booked an Inside, but was offered an upgraded ocean view for a small price.  I was in R195, just off the aft elevator bank.  I thought that would make the hallway loud, but with only a few exceptions the cabin was very quiet.  My steward, Lloyd, was great.  Lots of storage and room in the cabin and a great location on the ship.

DINING AND BARS

I had YTD with a single table.  Most nights the folks around me were nice and we enjoyed good conversations.  Food was very good from the buffet, to Guys, and to MDR.  Service could be a bit slow, but I tended to eat around 6:30 and that seemed to be the busy time.  Alchemy is always my favorite and this ship was not exception to that.  Pizza and sandwiches were available later at night, both were good even if lines were sometimes longer.  I never waited very long.

PORTS

Nassau is SO MUCH BETTER with the new port complex open.  I chose an excursion to Arawak Cay which was a great beach day.  Princess Cay was lovely and another great relaxing day on the beach.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Playlist cast on this ship was PHENOMENAL.  We sailed on the Horizon in September, and this cast was a million times better.  Shows were Heart of Soul and Epic Rock.  Do not miss Epic Rock!  The violin duo were excellent, and the solo guitar player was very good...smooth voice!  I loved Felicia in the Piano Bar, again one of the better performers I've seen in 10+ cruises.

Cruise Director Gabe was truly wonderful.  He was everywhere onboard.  His Motown and Farewell parties were so much fun.  This was his last cruise on Elation.  Not sure where he's headed next but if you have a chance to sail with him, do.

DEBARKING

Elation uses the new digital debark through the Hub.  So easy.  I chose the time I wanted to get off, luggage tags were delivered right to me.  When the number was called, off I went.  No fuss.  Caught a taxi to the airport right from the curb.

I am sailing on the Carnival Elation starting on Saturday.  I am looking for some ideas on what to do for a few hours after debarkation on January 18.  My flight isn't until 4:35pm.  I'd rather not sit in the airport all day.  I would need someplace that can store my suitcase while I am there.  Id love to do the Zoo, but I am not sure if they can store the luggage.

Any suggestions appreciated.  TIA

Probably not.  Best bet might be the internet package then livestream it on a laptop, but even that might not work.

Think about your own personal grocery buying for a minute.  If you bought 3 big steaks figuring you'd eat all of them, but then only ended up using 1, and had to throw out the other 2 because they spoiled before you could use them, you'd probably only buy 1 next time, right?  Carnival is really just doing the same.  Food waste is a huge issue, that actually costs us more in the long run.  Smaller slices mean less waste.  You can go back for more if you like, but you're not likely to waste this way.

We were on Horizon in September, cakes were plentiful and good...served by the slice there.  I'll be on Elation next month and will see what they are doing there.

We cruised on the Celebration in January, and I have to say your review is spot on.  ChiBang was a disaster, and the food wasn't very good.  We enjoyed Cucina.  I was not impressed by the shows and normally I love them.  The whole layout of that CenterStage area is just not conducive to a full show.  

Looking forward to following along!  I'll be on Elation in 50 days for a much needed solo trip.  

Probably going to be the Jubilee out of Galveston.  I'm on Elation in January, then hubby and I are on the Vista in October 2024.  Gotta get something for 2025 on the books!

That is it.  There is a small seating area as well.  In my opinion, Havana is way better on Vista Class ships.  I wouldn't pay for it on Excel Class.

You may need to actually sign up for VIFP Club to get those offers.  You can do it on Carnival's website.  I get all of my offers that way.  We cruised in September, and I got an offer with $200 OBC and booked that for January.