Whiskey60

I agree it could be frustrating and I leave on the sunshine in a week so as you are getting off I will be tagging you out and me in. :D But as frustrating as this is, just remember we did book the trip in hurricane season so it is always a gamble on if you will have the full cruise go off without issue.

Yeah we are going on the Sunshine here in 17 days and have a spa balcony so we will have a mini bar. It will be nice but we still tend to get a beer bucket once we get on and bring that to the room and have the room steward keep that as well as the ice bucket full.

The mini bar is a nice to have but not a NEED to have by any means.

Thanks so much!

 

We were hoping to go to Maho to see the planes come in but I've heard we probably don't want to spend your entire day there - any ideas for after we see the planes?

 

Would love to have a driver for the day if we could find one that was reasonable but I haven't been able to find anything so far. This would probably be our only stop that we would actually "do" something.

Bummer and sad to hear the news. For St Marteen the last time I was there was in April and we had a group of 8 and used http://www.thestmaartenpartybus.com/ ... They were great and the price included 2 or 3 drinks per person but you could easily buy more from them for 2 bucks so not that expensive at all. They also take you around the entire island and give you a history of the island while doing so. Its a very fun atmosphere and you also had time at the end to do a little window shopping before having to head back to the ship.

I only suggest this as you did say you had a fairly large group so this would be a great one to use and a fun all day excursion.

There will be 4 of us cruising on the Sunshine out of Port Canaveral in Sept 2015. This is not our first cruise but it will be the first time we are going to bring wine. Since there are 4 adults, we plan to bring 4 bottles of wine. What is the protocol of the bottles being checked during embarkation? I plan to have the bottles in bubble wrapped carrying bags inside of a backpack to keep them from knocking together. Will I need to have them unwrapped out of the bubble wrap to go through security? I was going to try to re-use the bubble wrap bags to take alcohol purchased at the ports home to help protect them while traveling. Just trying to figure out if I need to bring extra bags with me.

I have "Wine Diapers" that I always bring our wine on with(and alcohol back in). You can leave them in there but you will likely need to remove them from the wrapping and show the bottles to security when you go through. A thing to remember if you haven't already.. Bring a foil cutter if they are corked wine bottles and a cork screw. Seems silly but that was my rookie mistake back on our first cruise bringing wine :rolleyes:

Hello,

When I booked with my Carnival agent they did confirm that 11 and 12 are covered (I booked a room on deck 12).

Also a user here did a quick video of room 12017 and you can see the balcony is covered..

Hope this helps!

Do any of the recommended cameras go down 100 feet? I've looked at underwater cameras, but so many of the reasonably priced ones only go down 50 feet. Hubby & I scuba, so we'd like something that can go a bit deeper. Considered GoPro, but it is so small and being well over 50 years old, our eyes need large function keys/screens.

The GoPro Dive Housing allows you to go down 197' (60m). The Hero4 Silver is nice as it has the screen and once you set it up all you need to do is hit the record button and it will turn itself on and start recording. Then if you hit it again it will stop recording and turn off.

And the Olympus TG-4 is rated at exactly 50'

Sadly not a "Kids" food section. The fries are great from Guys burgers and I am sure he can still get chicken fingers of some sort during normal Lunch hours. Another option is room service if he really won't eat a burger.

I have an Olympus TG-1 and that thing is a great all around camera both underwater and for excursions where you don't want to risk your nice camera getting banged up.

Olympus is on their 4th version of the TG series now TG-4 which is pricy but you can find the TG-1 on ebay for not that much and in my opinion for what you are looking to with it.

As others have mentioned, a GoPro is really nice and if you go that route I would say for most, look to get a GoPro Hero 4 Silver as it has a built in screen. This is a huge nice to have.. I have 3 GoPro's at the moment (like to do video editing and movies of the vacations and sports) and the Silver is by far my favorite and easiest to use.

Either way, you can't go wrong.

I think you might be referring to the older ships that don't have the 2.0 upgrades? The guys burger and Cantina replaced that old grill I believe (members here who have been on pre 2.0 ships can confirm). I will say however, if your son liked that grill he will love the Guys burgers you can get any kind of burger along with a ton of fries if you wish. And the Cantina has great mexican food if he is feeling that. Worst case, there is always the pizza place. :D

OK, OK. Back down, people! Yikes! Can't express an opinion? Apparently the emojies don't convey what they're supposed to convey. ;)

 

I'm sailing Sunshine because of the fabulous 8-port itinerary. I don't care about refrigerators or comedy clubs or swimming pools. I'm travelling. I want my travel experience to be different from my everyday and home life, not as similar as I can make it. For me, that's the whole point! :D

 

But then, I'm perfectly happy in an 1A cabin on a Fantasy-class ship! When it comes to the ship, I'm easy to please because it just doesn't matter to me.

 

I was simply suggesting that there are options when you don't have a fridge in your cabin.

 

OP, I wasn't going after you for asking. I was responding to the responses.

Sorry for going on the defensive as well. I am with you on the fact that I choose the Sunshine this time around more so for the ship than rooms or even the itinerary. I like seeing what all the ships have to offer and not to mention I may be 30 but the kid in me loves the damn water slides lol. So I am looking forward to the October cruise there to kind of just chill out on the ship with my Wife and our two good frinds which we have cruised with a ton.

BUT to your point.. The one think I almost can't live with out is a Guy's burger.. Would be tough for me to pull the trigger on a ship that didn't have that 2.0 upgrade. :D

From my understanding they only release blocks of rooms online and when they sell those they will release more. But, I do believe you are correct, you should be able to call and see if there is a particular room you want available and get that one. I have never booked online as I have a great booking agent at Carnival that handles everything for me and its great if you have questions to be able to reach out and talk with someone.

Hope this helps some.

Amazes me that people will pick a ship based on whether the cabin has a fridge or not! :rolleyes: Here I thought the idea of cruising was to get to beautiful ports with gorgeous beaches and tropical rainforests! Silly me!

 

Just ask for a plastic bucket at a bar and ask your cabin steward to provide ice.

 

Or here's a novel idea!! Leave the cabin, walk a few steps, maybe even climb a flight of stairs (radical, I know) and go to the buffet and get a glass or two of ice. I've heard reports that exercise is actually good for you! :p

 

If you have meds that need refrigeration, that's a different issue and contacting special needs will take care of that for you.

And I can't believe that some people are crazy negative based on what other people prefer. To me I say to each their own... I personally wouldn't choose a ship based on a fridge or not but I do base a lot on what I feel like doing for that particular vacation.

For example our October Cruise on the Sunshine we are using it more of an R&R cruise so we upgraded to a nicer room. You may say to yourself "Aren't all vacations R&R??" why yes.. to a point. Our Cruise in April for my 30th on the Liberty was jam packed with excursions and such that we were always on the go. In October however we are choosing to be much more "Lazy".

So to your point.. If people enjoy the comforts of home which include a fridge then awesome more power to you. If you are perfectly happy with a few bud buckets of ice in your room same to you!..

Happy cruising everyone!

Yeah I agree, the mini fridge is very nice to have. Part of the reason why we bit the bullet and upgraded to a spa room for our October sailing. Not the FULL reason but the added bonus of the fridge is pretty nice. Gotta keep my mixers cold you know :).

The sunshine went through an upgrade but more so for the decks and not so much the rooms. Here is the info I found on the Carnival forum but I know there are many here with the info as well just in case I missed something.

"Ship: SH (suites and staterooms on decks 3/5/10/11/12 and select staterooms on deck 9)

On Lido Deck 9 the following cabins have minibars

Inside cabins 9132, 9130, 9117 and 9119

Both Captain's Suites 9128 and 9115

All the Scenic Ocean View cabins 9107, 9109, 9111, 9122, 9124 and 9126

Just remember if you bring a cooler the size requirements are strictly followed.

12x12x12

I have read that even a 1/4 inch off will get it confiscated. So, if the cooler is 10X12 1/2x 10 it is not acceptable."

Dear Carnival -

 

I am a loyal cruiser who has learned the tricks of the trade in getting price adjustments or room upgrades to save me money. In addition, with the help of my friends at Cruise Critic, I have learned how to smuggle alcohol onboard so I don't have to pay your high prices. I also rarely book an excursions through your excursion desk, as well, us experienced cruisers know that is only for suckers.

 

However, I think you should implement programs that provide us loyal cruisers with more free stuff quicker than your current system allows. Also it would be great if you gave us something like a pin, badge or special colored sign and sail card so all those who have sailed less than us can recognize us appropriately, as could your staff, as after all we deserve better treatment once on board than those cruisers who have only sailed with Carnival once or twice, and are likely paying more than we are.

 

Sincerely,

 

Entitled Cruiser

Again you are entitled to your opinion. I agree that there are many that go on the cruise are like what you are trying to describe. I for one am not, while yes I mentioned I am lucky enough to know and cruise with a couple that both have the platinum status and get to bum a bag of laundry every now and again I however still buy drinks on board, I bring on my 2 bottles of wine and I buy either 1 or 2 bottles from the Bon Voyage store to have in my room for before dinner drinks ect. We also still book excursions through Carnival and so does the couple who have hit platinum. Mainly because we like to do things on the islands and not stay on the ship or walk around and just shop all the time... THOUGH St. Thomas is our favorite to do just that.

I feel like the Platinum members here are getting a little too worried about the letter I wrote. I am not saying that they should lower the limits to Platinum I am just saying increase the ways to earn it. Even if they don't I still plan to hit Platinum the new way they have it now. Hell even if they gave 1 or 2 additional perks to the gold level I think that would make a majority of the people happy.

I didn't mean to ruffle all of your platinum feathers nor do I feel entitled. You are just making assumptions about myself or people who think the program needs a tweak. While they may be right for a few I doubt they are accurate for the many.

 

 

So Whiskey, because I don't do excursions or get photos, but I spend a fortune in the casino and buy drinks, I should be penalized? No way!

I'm not saying penalized.. Trust me, I am with you on the spending a fortune in drinks and a good bit in the casino. Not complaining there either BUT my suggestions I try and look at both sides, Ours as a consumer but also Carnival. The reason a point for $$ spent on drinks and the casino doesn't make sense for them is the same reason people don't want to see the program get changed in the first place and that's because of the rate at which people would advance. As many have mentioned, for members that cruise a lot the amount of money they spend on the boat as far as Excursions and such goes way down. The thing that may stay constant is the drinks and casino for some. To Carnival they would like you to do that AND spend money on the other stuff.

When I wrote the letter it was more of a "Hey I like the program but see some issues". I do love that we for the most part have had a TON of good suggestions. One thing I do try and do with mine is play devils advocate where I can. Because lets face it Carnival is a business, so as many have mentioned as it sits now it doesn't behoove them to adjust it because that just means lost revenue on Platinum members that don't spend as much as Blue and Red cards.

I would even go as far to say that after you reach Diamond they should start rewarding points for $$ spent on the boat to earn a free cruise/free upgrades. This would IMO (and could be loony) give incentive again to those who already know the system or ports to spend money back on the boat. And if they couldn't care less about it then nothing changes. But I bet for those that wouldn't mind a free cruise once in a while would start looking to maybe buying a new watch or jewelry on the boat.

Oh.. Forgot to mention, I did receive an email from Carnival. It is much as I expected and in a reply to the one you will read below they are and have been looking to adjust the program. But they addressed the issue that people gained Platinum so quickly before it basically put a strain on staffing and they want to keep up the level of service. And from the sounds of it they would like to prevent a large boom from Platinum to Diamond as they had into Platinum originally. So for the time being (as expected) the program is what it is. My email to them was just a letter for all us newer customers to Carnival. :D

Dear Mr. Ford,

 

Thank you for taking the time to write to our Executive Offices and for sharing your thoughts and suggestions. Mr. Cahill shared your email with me and asked that I respond on his behalf. It is my pleasure to address your concerns.

 

We are always looking for ways to improve our product and the services we provide our guests so we appreciate your email.

 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for being a Carnival fan! We certainly appreciate your continued support.

 

We realize the importance of making our guests feel appreciated so I’d like to reassure you that we are just as committed today as we have been in previous years to providing guests with a fun-filled, memorable cruise vacation at a great value for their money.

 

We worked very hard to strike a balance that would be fair to all when working out the details of the VIFP program. Once the new program was announced in June 2012, we provided guests an 18-month grace period to get to their 10th cruise in order to attain Platinum status, which we felt was a reasonable amount of time.

 

While we’re largely competitive with other cruise lines, we created a program that best fit Carnival Cruise Lines and our guests.

 

Additionally, we want our Platinum and Diamond-level members to feel special onboard and thus, we want to ensure that we can deliver the promised benefits. If the qualification requirements were lower, the rate at which new Platinum members would qualify for elite status would dramatically hinder our ability to deliver the desired experience to these guests.

 

We trust you’ll understand that in order for us to continue to grow and enhance the cruise experience for all of our guests, we may sometimes need to make some trade-offs.

 

We would like to extend to you and Alexis a special Bon Voyage gift on your next cruise with us. Please contact us at 1-###-###-### within 45 days of sailing and we will make all the necessary arrangements.

 

Once again, thank you for letting us know your thoughts. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome both of you back again soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Margie

Special Advisor – Office of the President

This solidifies that Carnival is a great company regardless of bad press from time to time.. For anyone to take the time to respond to a suggestion is more than many companies do. Let alone from as high up as Mr. Cahill's office.

I stopped reading your post when you basically told the recipient they could not do basic math.

 

Just another I want more for free post.

 

Good luck.

Lol, my last line was more to lighten up the subject that expecting to get free stuff.

But I can also tell by your posts you just spew negativity so that's fine.

This was merely my opinion and I also completely understand why as a business CCL has it set the way it is. I honestly think they will probably adjust it in the (hopefully in the nearish) future but because the system they originally had was broken for so long they have to make sure they can staff and meet all the criteria for the Platinum and Diamond members that board now.

Also, don't get me wrong. I don't sail for perks either regardless of how this comes across. I buy the FTTF each time and I have friends I sail with regularly that are Platinum members that I get to bum a bag or 2 of laundry off of so I pay a small fee to have the same perks anyway which I am more than fine with. My post was just to suggest a way to improve something I see needs improving. I'm not saying give the Platinum away I am stating just adjust it so you can get points a bit quicker. And what I proposed even if you sailed 2 times a year on a 5+ day cruise and upgrade to a Suite you would still need to put in over 3 years before hitting that tier.

But either way everyone is entitled to their opinions. And I also know some of the people who are platinum now will hate this idea because they like feeling special but also forget the same people that feel "special" with you there are some that took 10 4 day cruises and others that took 10 7 day to get where they are... Are those equal? Is anyone more important than the other?

I have been on a couple cruises so far and even have a couple we travel with all the time who are Platinum members and I had NO IDEA this was a thing.. Well thanks to this thread and Forum I now have this purchased for my April Cruise leaving out of San Juan for my 30th birthday. Needless to say I now look like hero to my Wife lol.

Hello All,

I am new to the forum but have secretly stalked it for some time for my previous cruises lol. Well after my last cruise on the Breeze (which is an AWESOME ship btw) and after talking to some awesome people in random encounters it made me compose the below letter to Carnival. Now I don't blame any of you if you don't read it all as it could just be one man's rant for what I see as a flawed system, but if you do read it maybe if you jump to the facebook post where I placed it and give it a like and your .02 cents we can do something to change it. If you like it the way it is, then never mind lol. Either way! Looking forward to making some posts here and adding what I can!

Facebook Post -

Hello Carnival,

First I want to start off by saying I love CCL and have no intention of sailing with any other Cruise line. Also apologize for the forwardness of this email and please feel free to hit delete if you would like as I know this is a bit unorthodox. I am just passionate about CCL and also this topic. However I did want to write and express some faults I feel are in the VIFP membership. I understand that just the past year (end of 2013) the way you get into the levels were changed, in large part because some members who lived close to ports were "cheating" the system by taking short 3 day cruises and getting by the 10 cruise limit to get into platinum. I agree that needed to be fixed. However I think you might have made it almost impossible for some to get into any higher level. Granted I haven't cruised a ton but when I have I have spoken with a large number of guests that agree that they feel the VIFP point system is broken.

Again I know you want members to feel like they are working toward earning something and feel like an elite member but the gap from Gold to Platinum is pretty substantial. For instance, to get to Platinum from Gold estimating you have 24 cruise days (minimum to get into Gold) you would need another 51 days to get into Platinum. That is 10 five day cruises or roughly 7 seven day cruises. Say an average person with 15 vacation days can take two 5 day cruises a year, that is 5 years before getting into not even the most "Elite" Diamond tier. This might not be so bad if your Gold tier had a few more minor perks. But as it stands now Gold only receives an invite to a party which I doubt many attend.

I know this seems like I am complaining a lot but I promise this is just constructive criticism coming from a largely very satisfied customer. I along with many feel that while you solved one issue I think you may have created another smaller one. If you look at what I feel is probably your largest competitor in the USA, Royal Caribbean they have 6 tiers of membership status. Not a HUGE difference from CCL 5 but they increase the benefits each tier. Granted a lot of their member “perks” are already offered to EVERY person who sails CCL Red Level or Diamond (like a robe to use on board) but I am just stating the growing perks are grater each time and not just by a lapel pin.

One thing I feel they do correctly is the double your points by $$ spent. I feel that one small little tweak to your program would increase not only your revenue stream but your customers acceptance levels as well. My recommendation would be this based on what I have heard and read from others..

Now I know that is just a pipe dream and you as a company have to make money and also have a reason to your madness. BUT, I am not sure how many of these types of letters you have received thus far since the changing. Again I love your company and have no reason to or want to sail with anyone else. I am just simply sharing my and what I feel is many other’s feelings toward the current VIFP Club system.

But if at the very least I can help Carnival improve on what is already a great cruise line and also get others to sail and start working towards their perks then awesome.

Thank you for your time,

Jameson Ford

Carnival Enthusiast