Lizzybell1960

Hi-My family and I are sail on Royal to Mexico in April, I booked the trip months ago & we had confirmed 715pm res for party of 8.  As we are traveling with a baby(10 mos) DIL thought 5pm might be better.   

Yesterday I called Princess to pay for the cruise.  While on the phone I asked the Princess rep about the availability of switching to 5pm.  I asked her in advance "Please ck availability of 5pm first, do not drop our 715 as I don't want to lose it in case 515 isn't available"  

Rep proceeded to dro0p/lose my confirmed 715pm res, & tell me both times 5pm and 715pm are booked & waitlisted and yes, she kicked me off the 715 dining list.

Angela, the rep, tells me she will"reach out" to cust service to resolve this issue.   Another 40 min waiting for her to come back and tell me there is nothing she can do

to reinstate me to the 715.

She tells me that cust service will em me about our dining reservation,.  So, after 1 1/2 hrs, I have paid our fares and lost our confirmed dining time.

I am a platinum member, others are all first time cruisers& this is an important part of the cruise.  We were on the Royal a couple of wks ago and the 

anytime dining wait was far too long, esp with a baby & 7 yr old.

What should I do in regards to solving this issue that I did not create?    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.   Much Thanks, Liz

I think it depends on the itinerary of the ship.  For the Mexican cruises beginning 3/23/19, per Princess early dinner begins at 445pm on the Royal.

My travel agent called and Princess has set back early seating to 4:45, that's LUNCH time :(  Far too early and speaking with the rest of our group.  

I was told during the same  phone call that late seating is now 7:15pm.

40 million people live in CA, with a big percent in the LA area That's a huge population, aka a huge market to pull from. That's a lot of potential cruisers but I do get the reasons why.

What I have realized is that there are a huge number of ships in Alaska for 5 months, that cannot be good for that area, too much :(

This topic is routinely discussed here on CC. The West Coast has several factors that tend to minimize the number of cruises, especially shorter voyages of less then 2 weeks. One needs to look at the geography and couple that with the PVSA which severely restricts the ability of cruise ships to move between US Ports. And the West Coast weather just about eliminates cruising North of Vancouver during the winter months. This leaves Mexico and many cruisers either do not want to go to Mexico or eventually get tired of the limited number of cruise ports accessible on shorter cruises.

 

A few years ago there were many more West Coast cruises down to the Mexican Riviera. But cruise lines discovered that they could not fill ships unless they cut their pricing. There were also cost related issues caused by the West Coast Longshoreman and the unique California anti-pollution regulations (these meant that many ships had to burn special more expensive low sulphur fuel when near the coast). And also consider that the most popular cruise ports are not convenient to LAX. And then we have San Francisco which has increasingly become a city to be avoided unless folks want to trip over homeless folks, smell urine, see syringes, get constantly harassed by homeless, etc. San Francisco used to be one of my favorite cities in North America and now, DW and I can't get out of the city fast enough :(. For those of us on or near the East Coast its just as easy (or easier) to fly to Europe then to the West Coast...and the cruise/travel opportunities in Europe are amazing.

 

Hank

Hi Hank-isn't the Med wonderful :) We did it on NCL in 2015 and last year in 2017 & we fell in love with Barcelona and Spain. That is an exhausting cruise as every port I wanted to see all I could!

I agree with all of the reasons why & now as there is only one weekly 7 day cruise, the prices are high and the weekly cruises appear to be selling out.

I think a weekly Ca Coastal cruise in the summer would do really well So many people want to just be onboard & have that experience as well as more r/t to Alaska from LA.

Thank you all for your responses. We are excited to try Carnival and cruise the Mexican Rivera in a couple of weeks.

Hi-I have been wondering why Carnival is the only cruise line that sails on a reg basis out of the Los Angeles/Long Beach area ???

I tried to find a cruise originating out of LA/LB r/t to Alaska this summer, there were 2 dates. One in May and one in Sept, dates not good. I would pay double to NOT fly and have 10-14 days onboard the ship, but really nothing to choose from.

I am surprised with how popular cruising has become that there are so few cruise options out of LA/San Pedro/Long Beach ports throughout the summer months esp.

I would be thrilled to take a 7 day coastal cruise hitting San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco etc. For me, the ports are but a side note of the real vacation...being onboard and sea days. And to not have to fly to go aboard the ship.

Is it that every company and their 90% of their ships are up in Alaska for the summer season??

Does anyone know why so few cruises are offered out of the West Coast??

Thanks much

Liz in Long Beach

I tend to agree with other poster, the quality has diminished on most of the affordable cruise lines. The nickel and diming on NCL was irritating, imo. I haven't sailed Carnival in many years but have 2 upcoming cruises booked to Mexico on Carnival Splendor.

The main reason we chose this cruise is we didn't want to fly and Carnival is the only company sailing out of LA during the summer. I am a bit dubious as the Splendor is older and seems to be in need of refab, but that's not going to happen til 01/20, I think.

Some cruisers have said she looks worn, but everyone still has a great time. Mostly great praise for a wonderful crew etc. so we are going with realistic expectations.

I will say I am impressed with the way Carnival handled and compensated the passengers on the Bud hurricane cruise, very fair compensation.

There are so many cruises from back East/Florida/Texas and so few from Los Angeles/Long Beach. With such a huge population to pull customers from, I am surprised that none of the other cruise lines sail reg out of our local ports?

We took a cab from the pier to Rio Cuale. Next time, we'll got to the street as it was more expensive from the pier. Walked across a rickety bridge..yikes! We were a little early for the flea market so we wandered. Bought some stuff..:). Then we stopped at a dress shop across from the Mercado on Calle Matomoras and bought more stuff. We wandered to the cathedral. Then down to the Malecon. Had a fantastic oyster/beer centric lunch (total 50.00 US!!) at Cerveceria Union, which we went to by chance. Walked around a little more and then went back to the ship. We had never been to PV before but I made my loose plan beforehand using Google maps. I'm sure we missed stuff..which we will hopefully hit on our retutn visit this Decemeber. Our day was relaxed..really really fun...Best day and best port of the cruise for us.

Hi-you mentioned a flea market & this is the first time Ive read @ a flea market in PV. Can you please tell me, if you know, if the flea operates daily??

Also, we are a party of 6, do the typical white/yellow cabs hold 6 or should we plan on getting 2 cabs?

It sounds like you guys had a great time in PV, thank you for the tips/advice.

Its refreshing to hear about a business, Carnival, that responded quickly and imo offered good compensation to their paying clients.

From the medical emergency to hurricane Bud, none of this was Carnivals "fault" but by all accounts, they stepped up to the plate.

We haven't sailed with Carnival, but have 2 upcoming Mexico cruises booked with them. As a customer, I am very happy to see Carnivals prompt reaction & good compensation for what happened to the passengers on the Splendor this week.

I

I recently read an article on Oriana (1959) in the magazine of the Ocean Liner Society. How I wish I could have sailed on her and her contemporaries.

I remember as a kid, the passengers on Oronsay talking about the Oriana & what a wonderful ship she was. I had been on her when I was younger, but didn't remember details.

All of the old school P&O liners were very special, they had heart and soul and they felt like you were aboard an actual ship, not a giant floating hotel.

Ive spent my last few cruises walking around the decks, hoping to recapture a sense of what it was like back then, to be on an actual "ship" I find the quiet part of the fwd decks, usually by the ping pong area where there is just a deck, a wooden railing, old school opening/closing door. Its quiet, simple and it takes me right back :)

Lots of stuff on pinterest.com, great pics of all the old liners. I have a page on Oronsay alone.

Smooth Seas

Liz in Long Beach CA

RE Oronsay, she will always have my heart. My mother, Maureen Moss, immigrated from England to New Zealand on Oronsays maiden voyage.

Many years later, July and August of 1975 along with her family, we sailed from Los Angeles to Southhampton(22 days). We stayed in England for 3 weeks visiting family and then back on board our beloved Oronsay for another 22 days back to LA.

This was to be Oronsays final cruise & Mumsy got gifted 2 old school deck chairs by the captain in honor of her being onboard both Oronsays first and final voyage. We had those chairs for years and wore them out. I still have my P&O sailor boy :)

Tourist class F267 was our "cabin"-bunk bed total in a small closet plus NO bathroom people!!! Public restrooms in the hallways. We were def sqished but never spent time in the closet.

We had the best 6 weeks on Oronsay during the summer of 1975. I had been on her twice before as well as other liners as a kid, but I fell in Love with cruising and her, with all her wee quirks and creaks during that summer.

Its been all these years and I remember so much of the trip and I do miss the old school liners of yesterday & Oronsay captured my heart forever.

Sorry. Haven't sailed Splendor since the infamous Swine Flu cruise, however we are booked for a 14 day Hawaii cruise with the family.

 

DH and I are a bit wary. as she had several issues when she was here last. I did like the décor--DH not so much, and CCL does have fairly large cabins.

Basically, we are hoping the kids program and the Seuss at Sea will be a hit with the Granddaughter. :)

 

Patti

Hi Patti-we are going in March with our 7 yr old gd & the family, none of which have cruised before. Splendor looks like they have a wonderful kids program and def a big factor in choosing Carnival. We can wait for March 2019

We are all very excited about the cruise & after watching the Splendor leave her berth in LB sat, I booked hubby & I on the same cruise this July for our bds, no presents just water please.

Your 14 day Hawaii cruise will be amazing, I wish for you the best time & many wonderful family memories to be made.

Liz in Long Beach

Perhaps they meant Serenity and there is now a buffet being served on Horizon at Serenity during lunch hours.

Yes, at Serenity, thank you.

I think I read that the chopped salad is avail on Splendor at the spa during lunch hours, but not 100%

Thanks much, I love spark water, so by PV I will need more.

ok, thanks for clearing that up. I'm glad Splendor is staying w/ Carnival.

Does anyone know if P&O & Carnival "share" past booking cruises?

I have over 15 with P&O and would love to be able to add that to my Carnival history, so to speak

Thanks much

question-is the Walmart still right by the ship in PV? We are on Carnival Splendor 7/18 & might check it out if its convenient for vanilla & forgotten items needed.

We did NCL Epic Med cruise last year and we loved going into all the markets, so different !! There were some amazing markets in Barcelona as well as open air market in Cannes. sigh.

Carnival allows each passenger to bring aboard a 12 pk of soda at embarkation. Does anyone know if Carnival allows passengers to bring 12 pk soda back onboard from port for consumption on cruise?

I know booze is kept til the end of the cruise, but does Carnival allow reboarding with sodas water etc?

Thanks much

Liz in LB

That's wonderful that your grandson will be celebrating his birthday while onboard. My granddaughter turns 7 on the day we embark on Splendor. Its noted in the reservation for a bd celebration, so call Carnival and let them know.

In addition, we are bringing a few presents, door & room decorating items that we will put up first day which will make the day even more special. I am giving her a real camera which she has been asking for forever, perfect timing.

Enjoy your cruise with your family and grandson, what wonderful memories will be made!!

Liz in Long Beach

I posted another thread about yesterday. In watching the Splendor leave her berth in LB yesterday and sail away, just that and I'm hooked :)

I love that she isn't a mega ship and after reading all the reviews and posts, feel very comfortable about sailing on her in March 2019 with our family.

So much so that I booked us on 7/21/18 Mexican cruise for our birthdays! The cruise in 3/19 is with family and we are getting balconies. This one we are trying to do on more of a budget.

Yesterday thru Costco.com I booked an int cabin towards the aft, with travel insur and a $120 Costco cash card for under $950 pp out the door, very happy with price, location of cabin etc.

Today in looking at available cabins, I see that on Deck 2 all the aft picture window cabins are still avail at what looks to be very little difference in price. I called Costco who called Carnival and for $100 total we switched to cabin 2477.

2477 is at the very aft of the ship, which we love. Pictures windows and by the deck plans, it appears this cabin does have weird angle due to being the after corner, it also appears to be a bit bigger...yet still in the same cabin cat.

So for a little bit more I think we got a way better cabin.. Has anyone stayed in these aft cabins on the Main deck?

Now we are really excited, we can suss out the Splendor before our big family vacation 3/19/19 and have an actual vacation this summer, which after this past year we def need :)

So when I booked int cabin, Costco site went down & lost orig cabin but was able to complete the book with the new cabin just 2 doors down. Thru Costco, travelguard insur that was so very affordable plus a $120 Costco cash card :) Win win

Cut to this am & looking over available cabins left. I noticed that all the cabins at the aft on Main deck were still available & it appeared only slightly more $ than int cabs. These are oceanview windows.

For $50 more each we switched our interior cabin to 2477 which is aft w/large windows. The cabin appears to be larger than some others, odd shape as its at the very corner/stern.

For $100 total, I moved us to this cabin. I know the dining room is above us, but in reading reviews, a bit of chair noise wont bother us and we love the aft location & esp having the natural sunlite and windows.

We are tying to do this cruise on a budget, but I couldn't turn this down and I'm happy I called Costco & made the switch.

Has anyone stayed on the main deck in these aft cabins & if so, what was your impression?

Thanks much

Liz in Long Beach

She isn't being sold. She is being moved to Australia. She is still quite a large ship. The only ships larger in Carnival's fleet are the Dream class and the Vista class. She is also Carnival's 6th newest ship out of 26 so she certainly isn't that old comparatively speaking, she just hasn't had all the newest food and bar updates added to her.

I think the Splendor is being sold to P&O who operate out of Australia. She is being trnf/sold, she will no longer being in Carnival fleet after 2019. At least, that's what I have read on these boards.

Hi-I booked a family cruise for 3/30/19 on Splendor after we found out that we would embark at Long Beach....but that's so far away.

With no summer vacations plans I decided to look at availability for July of this year and saw the cruise we wanted was almost sold out :( 5 cabins left in the area/price cat we like.

Cut to 430pm-Its been a beautiful day in Long Beach, we walked outside and there she was, the Splendor pulling out of her berth, setting sail for beautiful Mexico for 7 fun filled days and nites....

I'm so happy to see such a lovely ship but so sad it would be over 300 days til we set sail on her, we watched til she disappeared into the horizon.

At 415pm, 5 cabins left in desired area-went outside and watched ship, went back online at 530pm-3 cabins left, I grabbed the one we wanted. Seeing her sail off did it for sure.

Yeah, we really need a vacation and so happy we don't have to wait til 3/2109.

Liz in Long Beach

1st Carnival Cruise-7/21/18:cool:

2nd Carnival Cruise with family 3/30/19

25+prev cruises with P&O, Princess & NCL

and no one posted....I am very interested. We are booked with family on 3/31/19 LB to Mexico. We are thinking about trying out the Splendor over this summer & would love to see the above.

Thank You.

Hi-I saw this thread re Splendor & we are book for Mexican Riv, 3/2019!

First off, how were your voyages on the Splendor? In reading someones post about how she has more of a feeling of being an old fashioned/old school liner, I was delighted.

I have sailed on NCL Epic twice and she is far too big, in terms of everything imo. My heart will always belong to the old school P&O ships I sailed in the 1960&70s, amazing way to grow up and travel.

I found myself seeking areas on that mega ship that felt like an actual ship while on deck. The ping pong areas, certain tucked away corners, the stairwells, weird little things.

Does anyone know when she is being sold? She is in port tomorrow & we live 10 min away, gonna suss her out in person.

Thank you

Liz in LB

It all depends on which line you sail on. Last summer we sailed on NCL & got the drink pkg-free with paid grat. I don't drink and my husband does while on vacation. For us, it was a total deal despite me never getting an alcoholic drink. I had mango smoothies & virgin drinks while he had prob 4 drinks a day.

Downside of NCLs booze program is that they do NOT include spec coffees, bottled water etc. Those were a totally sep charge. Its all included with Carnival, & if it wasn't so darn expensive, we would buy it.

We will be taking our first cruise in March 2019 and we will NOT be getting the Cheers package. Its just too much money & we would not get our monies worth thru Carnival, even with waters, sodas etc.

That being said, we will order a bottle of Jack for our cabin for hubby as that's his fav and all his really drinks, so it works out. I think that $110 is over 3X retail price, that's a damn high mark up but better than per drink.

I'm sure Carnival is the same as NCL & Princess, if you buy booze in ports, do they hold til debarkation?

One perk I do like is that Carnival allows each passenger over 21 to bring aboard 1 bottle of wine and 12 cans soda & kids can bring 12 sodas/juices etc. The 2 wine drinkers in our group of 5 are happy as the other 3 are "packing" for them so they are set up

Thanks to all for such helpful hints and suggestions, very much appreciated..