bakersdozen12

As an FYI, you don’t lose your deposit when price matching. You are not canceling a cruise and booking another. If the deposit on the new rate is higher you will have to pay the difference. And you cannot keep any OBC that was part of the old price since you will now be under the new price. 

No, they did not do away with Early Dining. And yes, it is very possible that it was full when you booked in April of this year. I am also on the Nov 30th Vista sailing and I booked in April of 2018 (last year).  So April of this year wasn’t really early to book the cruise; 6 months out is actually kind of late. In any case, since you have YTD you can just go at 6 pm every night. Anyway, three more weeks from today! I hope you are as excited as I am. 😊
 

Are you booked through a travel agent? Because I have no idea what a “noncommissioned fee” is. That doesn’t sound like part of a regular cruise fare that you pay when booking directly. I’m wondering if it’s a fee the travel agency charges to use their services. 

You can arrive at any time, though I wouldn’t go any earlier than 10 or 10:30. Boarding usually starts at 11 or 11:30, and you will have priority boarding. Your room will not be ready when you board, however. Only Diamonds, Platinums and FTTF get that perk. 
 

Enjoy your cruise!

It’s called the Havana pool area. Havana Cabanas are a type of room that has private patios instead of balconies. 

Unfortunately Early Saver doesn't allow for name changes; this is specified under the terms of that rate.  What you will need to do is cancel one person and rebook another.  Cancellation penalties for Early Saver are as follows: you lose $50 per person, and the remaining deposit amount for that person is either applied to the deposit of a new cruise if that person rebooks at the time of cancellation, or it is held as a future cruise credit for that person to be applied to the cost of the new cruise (but cannot be applied to the deposit of a new cruise that is booked at a later date).

2 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

You must have been one of the "exceptions may apply" group.

 

https://www.carnival.com/help/2633

 

Well, if you are implying it was just me in this "exceptions may apply" group, that was definitely not the case (can't tell if that's what you are implying).  It was definitely that way for the whole ship.  Maybe it's because the ship alternates between 6- and 8-day cruises.  They might find it easier to do it all one way then to switch off every other week.

Well, my first choice would be the Queen Mary Hotel.  You can walk right from the hotel to the terminal.  The place is absolutely amazing and rich with cruise ship history.  We stayed there for a couple days post-cruise and loved every minute of it. The many areas that you can tour are fascinating, especially the engine room and the propeller.  And the movies that they show onboard, showing you the history of the ship, are incredible.

But, that hotel might be a bit more than what you are looking to pay.  Pre-cruise we stayed at the Hotel Royal which was great and also a bit more affordable.  Not within walking distance to the hotel, but there's always Uber. The hotel is about 3 miles away.

https://www.hotelroyallb.com/

Never hear of “glorious” muffins, but the cappuccino muffins on Carnival’s ship are my absolute favorite! They don’t have them every morning, though. Unfortunately.  

As an FYI, your title to this thread makes it look like you are talking about Feb 11th.  Not Nov 2nd.  Probably best to spell out the date when you are on a board with a lot of Americans. 😉

Since the OBC was part of the rate that you booked under, you do not get to keep it if you change to a different rate.  You would get whatever OBC comes with that rate, and if it's $0, that's what you will get.  So you have to take into account not only the price of the cruise but also the OBC that is included.  Sometimes, it might actually work to your benefit to lose the OBC.  But in this case, that's a lot of OBC, so I doubt it.

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

My thought process was even if they had a few unfinished rooms, they probably just close off that part of the ship and don't book those rooms.

Except that they book all rooms long before the ship sails. Honestly, I highly doubt cabins are something that they finish last minute. Typically, it’s public areas that they may still be working on during the first sailing(s). Which is why I probably wouldn’t book a new ship for those first few sailings unless I’m prepared to deal with construction or even a cancelled cruise (which happens sometimes).

8 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

 

For shorter cruises (5 or 6 days or less), you have to pick it up. For longer cruises, they deliver to your stateroom the evening before debarkation.

We were on an 8 day, disembarking on 3/10 of this year, and we had to pick it up. 

For the wine you bring onboard, make sure you print out the boarding passes for both cruises, because you will have to show it to security when they question it on your way in. As for the alcohol, I don’t believe they deliver it to the rooms anymore. You have to pick it up on disembarkation morning. At least that’s how it has been for us lately. I can’t comment on whether they hold it until the last cruise because on own B2B this past spring, I only purchased alcohol on the second leg. 

41 minutes ago, April42749 said:

Thanks...

Yes, it's close to final payment.  I'm more concerned about someone having the flu that week, not about changing my mind.

If your concern is about having the flu the week of the cruise and having to cancel because of it, then you will definitely be within the penalty phase and not receive anything back due to the 100% penalty for cancellations within 14 days or less of the cruise.  Your best bet is to get Cancel For Any Reason insurance.

6 hours ago, RCLcruiser2012 said:

Because it was an accident. He will.have the guilt to live with the rest of his life...

So drunk drivers who kill people should be let off simply because they didn’t mean to crash their car, making it an accident too? I mean, by your logic, they are also going to have to live with guilt for the rest of their lives. Sorry, but negligence is negligence. No one is exempt from facing the consequences, including legal consequences, of their actions. 

Looking forward to the review!  We are doing the same itinerary on the Vista on 11/30.  Though Cozumel is first and Montego Bay last.  Have a great time!

If I had to choose between those, I would choose #3, because out of those 4 ports, I have only been to St Thomas.  But, I'm not you. 

There's not single person on these boards that can tell the future to be able to tell you if you can make that flight or not.  Also, you can have a hundred people comment that they made a flight at that time, but not one single one of those experiences have any bearing on what yours will be.  I think if you have to ask the question, it's because it's iffy and that should be a sign that you should book a later flight.  So much can happen on the day of disembarkation: delays getting to port, delays with the ship being cleared for disembarkation, traffic delays on the way to the airport, huge security lines at the airport (they don't always have the TSA Pre-check lines open, just as an FYI, so you may have to go through security with the masses) etc, etc. 

Personally, I never book a flight before the afternoon at the earliest.  I would much rather end my vacation by not being in a rush to get off the ship.  Instead, we have a leisurely breakfast in the MDR, then find some place to sit while watching people stress about getting off asap.  Then when they make the "last call" for people to get off, that's when we go.  And then head to the airport without being in any kind of rush at all. 

I’ve been on both, and I loved both ships. I don’t think you can go wrong with either. However, I would choose the Horizon. I love the extra things the Horizon has that the Legend doesn’t: all of the specialty dining venues, cove balcony rooms, the Havana rooms...really, just a bunch of things. You can compare both ships side-by-side here: https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/compare-cruise-ships.aspx

I’m really excited about this change. We sail on the Vista on 11/30, in a Havana interior. Now, if they can only change Havana rooms to be 18+ and only give Grand Suite guest access if they are 18+. That would be the best change they could make as far as the Havana access is concerned. 

It’s a cruise...do it. I’ve done a couple 4 day cruises and they were definitely not “party cruises.”  Actually, they were more what I would consider “family cruises.”  Lots of parents with kids. One was in the summer (over 4th of July) and one was in September (Labor Day weekend). Honestly, a cruise is what you make of it, so if you go to relax and have fun, it will be relaxing and fun. 

4 hours ago, Joe817 said:

I've never heard of that drink, but if Horizon has an alchemy bar, I'll bet you could get one there.

It requires a very specific type of alcohol called Cachaça (sugar cane liquor), so unless they carry that on the ship, they won’t be able to make one. 

Well, technically my 3rd cruise was on the same ship as my 2nd because we did a B2B. Then my 9th and 10th cruises were on that same ship, on another B2B. I generally don’t book for the ship. The itinerary is more important. Though I did book the Vista just for the Havana area, and the Mardi Gras for the roller coaster. 

1) No one can possibly predict the future to tell you if you can make it or not. 
 

2) A thousand people can tell you that they did, but their experiences have no bearing on what yours will be. 
 

3) Way too many things can happen causing you to miss the flight. A delayed disembarkation, traffic problems on the way to the airport, etc, etc. 

4) Don’t end your cruise on such a stressful note. Book an afternoon or later flight. Then take your time getting off the ship and enjoy every last minute of your cruise. Have a relaxing breakfast in the MDR. Then get off the ship when they make the “last call” announcement. We do this all of the time and trust me, it’s such a lovely way to end a cruise!