3redheads

Any thought as to which smaller ship will sail the Med in Sept/Oct 2018? Looking for a sailing which visits Venice. Rhapsody is currently sailing the itinerary I'm interested in

I booked the Oct 14th sailing of Symphony for oceanview balcony $3100. I really want the ports of Venice and Dubrovnik, so I'll keep an eye out for other European sailings on the smaller ships. This price was cheaper than Carnival Vista European sailing last October, but it was one day longer.

Thanks for the responses. You've been very helpful. I never would have thought about issues after a drydock.

I'm thinking of booking the inaugural sailing of Horizon. I know there will be things that need to be worked out, but wondered if anyone regretted it.

Just looking for thoughts-good and bad.

I understand your disappointment. Look at the positives, you were married on a beautiful ship and have the rest of your lives to cruise to some of these islands.

I'm not sure what's involved when switching from one island to the next, but I imagine there's a lot involved.

Unfortunately, bad weather affects cruise ships.

October 2016 10 Day Mediterranean

Aft Havana Balcony-2 people

$3635

$240 prepaid gratuities

We are going in August 2018 from Seattle. They changed our itinerary and now we are cruising Glacier Bay. We booked early enough that we were able to get an aft balcony. It will be our first Alaska cruise!

8/28/2018 Seattle, WA

8/29/2018 Fun Day At Sea

8/30/2018 Juneau, AK

8/31/2018 Skagway, AK

9/1/2018 Cruise Glacier Bay

9/2/2018 Ketchikan, AK

9/3/2018 Fun Day At Sea

9/4/2018 Victoria, BC, Canada

9/5/2018 Seattle, WA

The only time it felt crowded was when they had competitions at the pool. Otherwise, you would never know there were thousands of people onboard.

We are looking to do Europe in Oct 2018. Any idea when the schedule will open for this time frame?

Thank you so much for posting these pic's! We are also booked in 7467 for March 2018, my sister is booked in 7465 beside us (on the left when looking at the ocean)Do you remember if there was a divider between these balcony's which we could open?

I'm not sure if it can be opened. If I remember correctly, the dividers were different on the left and right. I'll see if I can find any photos.

It's a great cabin. You will have fabulous time!

eta if you look at the first photo I took, there is a different between the left and right dividers. This photo shows the balcony below us. The dividers were the same as ours. Not sure if this helps.

We were in 7467. It is a Havana Aft balcony. Here are a few photos:

I was on the same cruise and absolutely loved it!

Food is very subjective. We ate at all of the specialty restaurants, the sushi place and Guy's Burgers. The only place which didn't impress was the Seafood Shack. Probably because we ordered fried food.

We were a couple who did not dress up, even though we brought the clothes. Plus, we only ate in the MDR one time. Is Carnival my favorite? It's right up there with RCCL. In fact, we love Carnival beds and their bedding more than any line.

We were fortunate enough to stay in a Havana aft balcony. Loved the Havana area!!!

This was my 10th cruise, and 3rd with Carnival. While I missed an atrium which spanned more floors, the ship was laid out in such a way that the only time it felt crowded was when there were events at the main pool such as the Hairy Chest contest.

I would not hesitate to book in it again. In fact, I cannot wait for the new ship to open up their bookings.

Thanks for all of the responses!

How do you find an outstanding PVP? I don't want one calling me when I check the website. Can't stand that.

Thanks for the responses. This has certainly given me insight into the other ways of booking as well as the pros and cons.

I book in a few different ways but I always transfer my bookings to an on-line travel agent. In return I get 8-10% of the cruise cost back in obc. Never can understand the reasons not to do this and I've heard them all

F

 

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Once transferred, do all changes have to be done by the travel agent? Do you have any suggestions for any online agents?

I've always booked my cruises on my own, but I keep hearing about these fabulous perks and OBC when you book elsewhere.

How do you book and why?

Here is a link to see a VB cabin:

 

I loved it! They are so much better than a regular inside balcony.

Thanks so much for the link!

We sailed on Viking on the Tialfi. We started in Basel and cruised to Amsterdam. We had the red carpet treatment from the moment we stepped out of the airport until the Viking crew made sure we connected with the cab they arranged for us at the end of the cruise (we did a 2-day extension in Amsterdam on our own as opposed to through the cruise line - cheaper that way). The ship only holds 190 passengers and 50 crew members. It was a very port intensive cruise, with guided walking tours included in every port. Some ports we paid for additional tours. In addition to the tours, the cruise fare also includes beer and wine with lunch and dinner. We also got a tour of the bridge and the galley.

 

I can't say enough wonderful things about the crew. They are all so friendly, they anticipate your every need, and they just want to make sure you are having a good time. With such a small crew, it's easy to get to know most of them. They all pitch in and help out, too. We saw the cruise director and the head chef carrying off luggage at the end of the cruise.

 

If you have some time to do some reading, here is a link to a review by someone who took this cruise in August: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2403595

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Great information! I'm off to read that thread. Thanks so much!

I concur it is what you make it, and all about your attitude. I'd rather suck it up and stay in an interior room than not cruise at all. We just got off a river cruise and that room was TINY - 135 sf, but it was the best cruise we have taken by far. We only slept, showered and changed in the room. If we had to pay for a big room with a nice balcony, we couldn't have afforded the trip. :)

Would love to hear details of your river cruise, especially since you loved it so much. Thanks in advance:)

We were on the same cruise and guest relations was ALWAYS packed.

OP-I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy your balcony. It would have been very annoying to listen to that noise until 11pm at night.

Hope you will give Carnival another try. There's good and bad with every line, every ship and every sailing.

This must be heart wrenching for the OP, especially considering that a decision had to be made about life support.

Carnival is at fault for not handling the call on the emergency line correctly, but there's not much that can be done at this point. By posting here and notifying corporate, maybe situations like this can be avoided. In the future, I will make sure family has an alternate way of contacting me.

I am the person who started the thread and am happy to say that clearing customs was a breeze.

How does the carry on luggage work. Hope it is not torn apart.

 

 

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Do you mean your checked luggage? We had no difficulty and no damage. We carried our carry ons.

I'm so sorry. We are on the same sailing and I feel so bad for you. I cannot imagine the stress due to the timing. Hoping you get a good result. Please keep us updated.

Kim

Thank you for the update. Sounds like a wonderful time.

Too bad we aren't stopping in Turkey. Maybe next time!

I imagine that not adjusting your watch to the ship time might account for a number of people missing the ship.

It is one of my biggest fears.