jaylau17

If I book a cruise now, will I get the OBC? Or is it only for existing bookings.

I have a question about the shareholder on  board credit requirements:

When it says “anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer” does this mean that if you are sailing with a discounted casino offer or some other discounted VIFP offer that you won’t be eligible for the shareholder on board credit? That’s how I’m reading it but that seems extremely limiting.

2 words: BAKED ALASKA. The desserts overall were not that great in the MDR, but the Baked Alaska was out of this world - not only the best dessert I’ve had on a cruise ship but one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life.

Well...that's rather insulting...stating I have a lack of decorum and manners. I'd venture to say I'm as mannerly and have as much decorum as anyone who claims they are somehow "better" than me because of the way they demand others dress in their presence.

 

 

I was taught at an early age that respect isn't something you demand. For someone to demand respect from me, particularly if it's demanded from someone I don't even know, simply will not happen.

 

I'm not background fodder for your delight at dinner. Dress as you like. I'll do the same and not give a 2nd thought to how you or anyone else perceives me or any of my other cruise mates who won't equate the way we dress to "manners or decorum".

+1.

I make an effort on formal nights, polo and khakis for instance, but I am not going further. It’s my vacation and I am going to enjoy it the way I want to. I dress up formally at my job all the time and the last thing I want to do on a cruise is get all dressed up again and remind me of my “real life” back at home. I go on cruises to escape this.

I don’t know how some people in this thread are getting suits and tuxes on in the first place with their heads so far up their own you-know-whats.

Carnival may or may not have lost the bag. Most times for us they are left outside the door. More than a couple of times, I’ve seen our bags on a cart on the way back from the boat drill and just grab them.

 

And Carnival said they did not find the bags and have no idea how they got there. So I think you’re way off on your first point.

 

I agree with your second point. All these people who say airlines won’t do anything for you if they loose your bags.. not sure what airlines they are flying, but on AA, when they misplace my bags for 12hrs or more, I get to go buy new work boots, work jeans and and have money left over for a couple of tools.

 

But comparisons to the airlines are really not appropriate. There is a control number, tracking systems and a limit to the number of bags you can have. If the airline showed me tracking information that showed my bag was delivered to the correct carousel, then it would be clear to me that somebody took it and I would be SOL with respect to the airline comping me.

 

 

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With all due respect, your first bolded part makes absolutely no sense. There is no way in heck a suitcase would be taken from the outside of the correct cabin by someone other than the owner of the cabin and then returned at the end of the cruise, either on purpose or on accident. It would never happen accidentally because you would immediately notice if you weren't at the right room because your key card wouldn't work and you wouldn't be able to get in, so you certainly wouldn't accidentally take the suitcase sitting outside of the room that doesn't belong to you. This would also never happen on purpose, because if some thief intentionally took the wrong suitcase, why would he return all of the contents in full at the end of the cruise? Unless you're suggesting the middle ground, that some prankster picked this suitcase at random and took it just to torture these poor guests only to return it at the end just to ruin their trip... I'm sorry, but Occam's Razor is pretty sharp in this case -- Carnival either lost it or brought the luggage to the wrong cabin (completely the same as losing it in my book, and still Carnival's fault).

As to your second bolded point, assuming that's true, that reflects even worse on Carnival -- at least in my scenario they actually were the ones that ultimately fixed the problem!!! But somehow I don't think it likely that a cruiser inconsiderate enough to keep the wrong luggage for a whole cruise would have the wherewithal (if kept accidentally) or moral compass (if kept on purpose) to return the luggage to the correct place. I personally think it's more likely Carnival found it (or had it returned to them) and returned it surreptitiously. I have no proof of this; this is only my gut telling me this.

For the record, I brought up the airline example in the first place because Nic made a completely false statement about airline compensation for delayed luggage.

Technically, the airlines only owe you what you have to purchase due to the delay, up to the maximum (now $3400). We’re talking actual expenses, not “frustration” or “inconvenience”. (Not taking sides here, just clarifying what the airline industry standard is.) In this situation, if OP incurred any actual expense because of the temporary delay Carnival should cover that. (If we are to hold them to airline standards. However, OP actually had trouble spending money to fix the problem, as there just wasn’t anything to be bought.

 

The future cruise discount seems to be the offer of compensation for inconvenience. OP does not find that offer to be very satisfying (I can understand that). Why CC wants to consistently expect people to be satisfied with only the bare legal requirement is something I don’t quite understand. (I.e., “they can change ports and you should be happy” or “your cruise contract says ....”). In the other hand, why people also seem to think they are entitled to compensation for every little inconvenience mystifies me as well. (NOT SAYING OP’s SITUATION IS A “LITTLE INCONVENIENCE”).

 

 

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This, at least, is true, unlike what Nic said above that the airlines aren't required to pay anything for delays. For the record, people who complain about minor, or even moderate, inconveniences and expect the moon in return tick me off. As I stated above, I wouldn't have at all expected a fully refunded cruise for a 6 hour flood delay -- I can happily spend that time in the MDR and throwing back drinks in the casino. Carnival ended up giving even more than that -- an additional 50% off the next cruise as well. Please flood my floor on my next cruise, Carnival!

My May 26th-June 2nd Seaside booking disappeared as well. I assume there's a glitch. I finally talked my fiancé (who is also going on the cruise) into not procrastinating anymore and to complete the web check-in...and what do you know, the website isn't working. Lol.

Hi

 

You are just ignoring reality. Carnival owes them nothing.

 

They said Carnival lost their bag. The bag wasn't lost.

 

They said Carnival doesn't care. Carnival gave them $200. They said they had to fight for it. Of course you have to ask for compensation, when basically they owe you nothing. At best this was a case for an insurance claim...not to Carnival.

 

Carnival still offered them more...a 20% discount on a future cruise. How much do you think is fair for something that wasn't lost and at best would be considered inconvenient.

 

Once again I ask for the benefit of all of us...What have other companies done in similar situations. I suggested that if this happened with an airline they would have received nothing. Please tell us what other companies that you know of do or have done, so we can ask for the same in the future.

Carnival did lose their bag. They then found the bag. That's often how the "lost and found" process works. ;)

You are also extremely factually incorrect that this compensation for delays isn't the standard in the airline industry. In fact, the US Department of Travel itself issued a directive making penalties against airlines more strict in terms of having to compensate customers for not just permanently lost luggage, but also delayed luggage.

https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/10505773/guidance-on-reimbursement-of-passenger-expenses-incurred-as-result-of-lost-damaged-or-delayed-baggage/

Now that you've educated yourself, consider the fact that this is a cruise instead of an airline, which makes the situation even worse. At least when you land somewhere on an airplane without your baggage, you have more options to replace whatever is missing, like clothes in this case. These customers had virtually no shopping options for 5 days since they were quarantined on a boat.

EDIT: I want to add one more thing. Carnival doesn't seem to have a blanket policy of not compensating their customers for "ruined" vacations, at least, as long as there isn't press about it. You know, the Carnival customers who were in the flooded cabins on the Dream were given a full refund of the cruise plus 50% off their next cruise. According to Carnival, it took 6 hours from the time the flood began to when they dried out out the carpets so the affected cruisers could return to their cabin. This, to me, is far from a "ruined vacation". Let me tell you something, I would much rather be out of my cabin for 6 hours and get compensated a full cruise and a half than be without my luggage for almost the entire cruise (which would ruin the experience for me), get no refund, and only get 20% off my next one. The difference in Carnival's reaction, of course, stems from the negative press Carnival got for the flood... So I would say the OP is very much doing the right thing by making a stink out of it. It seems like it's an effective way to get Carnival to make amends for its mistakes.

It surprised me to learn this, but Fun 21 Blackjack actually has a lower house edge than regular Blackjack (even 3:2 Blackjack), when played correctly.

However, for Carnival, it is a more profitable game than regular Blackjack because most people who are used to regular Blackjack don't change their playing strategy when they play Fun 21. For instance, in standard Blackjack, you generally stand on a total of 12 against a Dealer's up-card of 4, the idea being that dealer will bust with a 4 up-card with enough frequency to justify not taking the risk of busting your own hand of 12 by taking a card. In Fun 21, you are actually supposed to hit 12 against a 4, since you are less likely to bust on your 12 (with the Kings taken out) so you have a better chance of making a hand, and the dealer is also less likely to bust with their "bust card" of 4 and is more likely to draw out on you. Another thing people misplay are Fun 21 Double Downs and not surrendering when they whiff their Double Downs. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a player Double Down on 11 against a strong dealer card (like an exposed 10) in Fun 21, snag a useless deuce and ride out the hand hoping the dealer will bust, which will rarely happen in Fun 21. These sorts of mistakes tilt the scale overwhelmingly to the house, since the dealer busts less often but very few people change their gameplay with these new parameters.

I meant to say hand-shuffled or auto-shuffled. Thank you for clarifying.

I hope they fix these unfriendly casino rules. I may have to leave that in my review after my cruise -- MSC seems to respond to constructive criticism!

Yeah, Spanish 21 can have a lower house edge than regular Blackjack, depending on the specific rules. It actually is a pretty fun game, since you get more double down opportunities by being able to double down on any number of cards. The 10s being missing means you are more likely to whiff on your double downs however, and it makes the dealer less likely to bust when you do miss your double downs.

Is the Spanish 21 game autoshuffled or hand-dealt? That game (as well as any game where specific cards are missing) is virtually always hand-dealt.

I am shocked at the ignorance and lack of empathy of these replies.

When I think about what my clothes on a cruise are exposed to (salty air, sweat, sunscreen, smoke from the casino, even maybe the occasional spilled drink), the idea of wearing the same clothes over and over again (even if washed with some frequency) makes my skin crawl, and I'm just about the furthest thing from OCD that there is. I just wouldn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I feel for your wife -- that must have been extremely unpleasant for her to the point of ruining the trip. This is completely Carnival's fault, and while "cross-packing" may be a good practice for minimizing the chances of it happening again, chalking it up to, "Well, now you have learned your lesson for the next time" is nothing short of misplacing the blame and shaming the victim.

If Carnival delivers to the wrong room, they are completely responsible. If a suitcase is delivered to the wrong room, the guests of that stateroom have an ethical responsibility to return it, but Carnival has a financial responsibility to ensure it gets delivered to the right room in the first place. The fact that they even have a reimbursement policy in place for lost luggage in the first place -- even if it is only a meager $50 -- implies they know they are financially at fault if luggage entrusted to them goes missing. They slip that little stipulation in to protect themselves from exorbitant lawsuits. But asking for more than 20% off a future cruise is far from exorbitant given the circumstances -- their cruise was ruined. Remember, the $50 reimbursement is a LOWER bound -- they can reimburse as high as they want to, and 20% isn't much better. 20% off most 7 day cruises is at most $100-$150 per person. They certainly suffered more than that in inconvenience. These customers paid full cost for a cruise that they only got (at best) half the enjoyment out of due to a Carnival mistake. Carnival should have done more. Heck, Carnival has offers for about 20% off a cruise for everyone if you book at the right time. I personally wouldn't have been satisfied with less than 50% off a future cruise.

Yikes! Not liking what I'm hearing!

Autoshufflers for <$25, $10 minimum bet (most times), no single deck/double deck (apparently), and no variety games except for Spanish 21 (that's the game that Rob-Bob described above!)

At least tell me that Blackjack pays 3:2 and not 6:5?

Hi guys,

I am sailing on the fabulous Seaside in less than 20 days, and I was wondering if someone could tell me a little more about the Blackjack games available on the cruise, as that is the only game I really play in the casino.

I've heard they have a game that is pretty similar to Spanish 21. Do they have any other specialty games of Blackjack? Do they have single-deck or two-deck Blackjack? Face-up Blackjack? Blackjack Switch? Etc.

From what I've read you can do it at either one. My cruise isn't for another 19 days.

 

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We are on the same cruise! The next 19 days couldn't come any quicker! I have been reading the reviews of the Seaside daily! :hearteyes:

Does Cabin 13043 look to be a different size than the standard cabin on that floor? It looks a little different according to the floor plan. That’s the one we will be on for our cruise at the end of May.

I can happily confirm that Hyatt Explorist does match to Gold as I used it to match to Gold. Yay!

IHG Platinum Elite = MSC Silver

Carnival Gold = MSC Silver

Hyatt Explorist = MSC Gold

Marriott Silver = MSC Silver

 

Hopes this helps.

 

Bret

Thank you everyone for your replies. Based off this advice, I submitted a match for Hyatt Explorist. I will let you all know what comes of it. :)

Hi,

I am new to MSC and will be sailing with them for the first time in May on the Seaside.

I wanted to see what my best option was for status match to get the highest match. I am a Platinum Elite with IHG and Gold with Carnival and from what I read online, those match with Silver.

Does anyone here know if Hyatt Explorist or Marriott Silver Elite match higher than that?

Hi everyone, first post!

I have a couple of questions about the Spa stateroom benefits on Carnival (particularly, the Dream). I'm hoping to verify what I've read online... Are the following amenities included at no extra cost when booking a spa stateroom?

-Thalassotherapy pool

-Laconium heat chamber, Tepidarium heat chamber, Oriental steam bath, Aroma steam bath

Another question, are there any other Cloud 9 rooms you have access to at no additional cost with the purchase of a spa stateroom?

Third question, I would primarily be interested in getting the spa stateroom exclusively for the complimentary Cloud 9 benefits that come with the stateroom. Has anyone who booked a Spa stateroom felt any sales pressure from Cloud 9 staff to upsell you to costly spa treatments? In fact, how much interaction do you have with the staff? I'd prefer if they were actually rather aloof (available when you need them but otherwise out of your way.)