CA_Cruzing

you'd be better off speaking with a wine friend or retail expert, buying and bringing your own bottles on board and enjoying them than buying Carnival's offerings.

living in northern California, we drink a lot of wine. CCL's wine selection is pretty modest in range and selection.

there are many more less commercial brands that make/produce much better wine, if you're seeking to explore new wines.

we usually bring our own bottles on board (and a wine bottle opener), open the bottle in our room and bring the opened bottle to dinner.

we've never been it with corkage fees in the MDR and bring the bottle back to the room, if there's any left over, and consume it that night or at another dinner.

if you're seeking some of the better wines CCL offers, check out this package offered on longer cruises (copied from CCLs website):

Premium Wine Package (5 bottles)- $193.00 USD

Sparkling, Domaine Chandon, Brut, California

Conundrum, By Caymus, California

Pinot Gris, J, California

Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Cape Mentelle, Australia

Fume Blanc, Ferrari-Carano, Sonoma

Chardonnay, Le Crema, Monterey

Pouilly-Fuisse, Bouchard, Burgundy

Pinot Noir, Cherry Tart, California

Merlot, Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve, California

Cabernet Sauvignon, Avant, Kendall-Jackson, California

Cabernet Sauvignon, J. Lohr, Paso Robles, California

Chianti Classico Riserva, Melini, Tuscany

Shiraz, Yangarra , McLaren Vale, Australia

Terrazas, Malbec Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina

this fixes all problems:

http://www.hotsauce.com/Mad-Dog-357-Hot-Sauce-p/1163md.htm

you've been warned. consume at your own peril.

If you Google "Carnival Elegant Night" and hit 'images' you will get a visual display of various attire. Most women will feel comfortable wearing something they would wear to a wedding or banquet. I usually wear a cocktail dress. Enjoy your cruise

my eyes! they are a hurting! https://www.google.com/search?q=Carnival+Elegant+Night&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQwbOA3-DRAhUCX5QKHe9BAi4Q_AUICCgB&biw=1536&bih=744#q=Carnival+Elegant+Night&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CZGEJu9g-TIJIjiVHEJMt5H6oRK9KfKHnLYzmvBWBjho1jEZKJ_1B_1tbPIwt48FCKn2mm8vn3e8NPKmqL_1e1Lz8OigSoSCZUcQky3kfqhEROSZjeIPdKIKhIJEr0p8oectjMRVm2A-rMds2IqEgma8FYGOGjWMRHKQK4_1WvNTJSoSCRkon8H-1s8jEXO7rr5Zea5JKhIJC3jwUIqfaaYRlh3iCgfAyQEqEgny-fd7w08qahFJaNr4VSHeQSoSCYv97UvPw6KBEQeSZveR9U-8&imgrc=DXybEysOOfuFmM%3A

please don't scare the children.

personally, we prefer at least a 7-day cruise for kids/families. our kids always enjoyed a longer cruise and they make friends and go off on their own for most of the vacation.

it's not really that much more for a 7 versus 5 day cruise.

and the ports will give them more fun things to do and you as parents will enjoy more vacation time too, and adult time if your kids are independent.

we choose both ship and ports when deciding.

also, if we are flying into a port, we prefer a longer cruise than a shorter cruise.

use cost per day per person for your comparisons to determine value.

cost of room, for how many people, plus taxes yeilds cost per day.

for example, we are on the Vista Nov 2017, cost using the above formula is $2905 for two people (room/taxes and port fees). this is for a 8 day cruise.

so, $2905 / 16 nights (2 people for 8 nights each) is $181.56 per day.

this is on the higher side of what i like to spend on a vacation for two but it's still less than Hawaii or flying to an island for 7-days vacation (club med, for example).

either way, choose a tri that'll be fun and will make memories.

don't listen to 95% of the garbage people post speaking negative of Vista or Carnival. people like to complain because they have nothing better to do in life. they'll never be happy people anyway.

Wow - I really appreciate all the fast replies! So from what you guys are saying it sounds like the "no surge protector" rule isn't really enforced? I just want to make sure I don't bring anything potentially dangerous on board. Thanks again everyone.

i have seen security take and remove power strips that have a bank of outlets attached to a 3 foot cord. i'd avoid bringing this type of device.

the link i posted above is a "block" charger that plugs into the room outlet with no extension cable attached to it. the block has 120v outlets and USB ports.

we found this block style charger to me more than adequate for 3 people in a room to charge all their devices (gopros, iphones, ipads, laptops).

for convenience, we have 10' USB cables that reach the bed from the outlet that we use at night to charge the phones and listen to music or read before bed. this way no one has to get up to plug in their device once in bed. it's already done.

These are allowed on Carnival. I brought them on a recent cruise with zero issues from check-in to onboard staff.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you. It was in my spam folder. It just replied that they were unable to confirm my reservation. I was disappointed as I made about 40 days out from sailing. For future reference how far out do I need to make a reservation?

i usually make specialty reservations as soon as they come available but no less than 10-12 months out from sailing if my booking windows allows for that.

otherwise, i make any specialty reservations as soon as i make my deposit.

Carnival prices just like the airlines. They use demand based pricing which factors for days till sailing date.

A company this large has to use an algorithm to maximize its revenue and profits.

Example, a cruise I booked on Vista on Nov 27 2016 for Nov 4 2017 sailing. The price has gone down $2 since my booking.

Another example; I booked on Dec 15 2017 for July 14 2018 sailing and the price has decreased $30 and we picked up $100 OBC.

What sells quickly, rises in price quickly (demand overpowering supply). What sells slowly gets discounted quickly (so that prices can rise again once excess supply is depleted), run rate to balance the rooms left to sell and maximize profits per fare paying customer.

There's a cost of sailing a ship. Once the base costs are covered then profit maximization takes effect.

Carnival even runs models on past guest on-board expenditures. They know very well how much they'll make on any sailing.

http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer

and yes, you can see specific room category too.

choose your booking base price (Early Saver, etc) then press continue.

you room category then appears. you can see the entire pricing matrix per category.

i can only speak from my own experiences and i pretty much only book balconies at this point in my life (8C).

the best rate i've booked (cost of room, port fees and taxes only) can range from $111 per person/per day (4 people in a room booking) to $181 per person/per day (2 people in a room booking).

from there i just run my math, "is it worth it for this trip," and make a decision.

there are so many ways to go on vacation and cruises continue to be some of the best values in the market.

the season you cruise in, itinerary, ship and number of ports all derive the price and value of a cruise. and the number of people in your room will always drive down per person pricing.

if you want to be in a specific place on a certain date, book what you can afford.

as for buying trip insurance through Carnival, there are MANY better options elsewhere with MUCH better coverage. it all depends what you need/want in your insurance strategy.

most importantly, enjoy your cruise and vacations. that's what this web forum is all about, right?

Lesson; some people in life are just unhappy and cannot be pleased. I work with the general public and have a few hundred clients in my business.

In life, find people who are positive, that enjoy life, have great experiences and can manage the good times and the bad.

I find it hard to believe a successful company that rolls out >$700M ships wants to create and deliver poor experiences.

In life, what you focus on magnifies.

I am booked on two upcoming Vista cruises, 7 months apart. I've cruised on Carnival 3 times and other ships a few times. I'll wind up spending over $9k on Carnival vacations in the coming two years.

Book your cruise(s) and enjoy them. Make the best of every day you have and live life to its fullest.

And ignore the naysayers. They wouldn't know or understand happiness if it hit them like a ton of bricks.

Flying from NY, no conections. Earliest flight would get me there at 9:35. I guess better to be safe than sorry.

assuming you're flying in the NY winter, your only issue is weather (snow/ice).

i like to go on vacations relaxed and without stress.

if you are flying in winter and snow/ice is a possibility, then the earlier the flight the better. i'd even fly down the night before to build in any possible weather delays you could encounter. that's just me being risk averse and spending a few $k's on vacations and not wanting to miss my cruise.

when i fly to Miami from California, i budget arriving 1-3 days in advance of my cruise. it's just more vacation time in Miami to enjoy before cruising. this way, i'm not late or delayed to my ship.

i text with my PVP when I need something and he texts or emails me back with the info.

yesterday i picked up $100 in OBC (new sale on carnival.com) for a cruise i booked for July 2018 have and my rate decreased $30.

got an email after my text showing the new details and savings. never even had to talk to him.

he knows what we prefer and like and he's awesome to work with. he makes my experience top notch and is super easy to work with.

depends on your origin flight city, connections, if any, and month of travel.

I'll take a leap here. Carnival short cruises are different than 6+ day cruises.

I booked a cruise recently for my upcoming 25th wedding anniversary and considered Celebrity and Carnival.

After researching both potential vacations we booked with Carnival, again.

Celebrity appeals to an older crowd (55+). That might be what some people are seeking.

Being mid-to-late 40's, we were much more interested in having a fun time, being casual and not dressy, seeking a more lively crown and having MANY entertainment/activity choices at many times of the day.

My research led me to believe the Celebrity has little to no activities post 930P and that everyone goes to bed.

As for living in NorCal and someone who drinks and collects wine, I seriously doubt any ship is going to expand my wine horizons while on vacation.

Carnival has always delivered excellent food/dining options. Yeah, the lunch buffet can feel cafeteria-like at times, but with so many dining choices/options, everyone is bound to find something they like.

Dinner and breakfasts have always been great on Carnival. Even getting special requests fulfilled too have been fabulous.

I guess if one is seeking an older, more mature cruise setting, Celebrity would be a very good option.

We are seeking a more fun, casual and people-friendly environment. We choose Carnival because they attract a wide range of people and families. We like the diversity and meeting new people.

Our experiences are based on 7-day sailings with two 8-day sailings now booked.

At this stage of our lives, sailing with family and friends, we find Carnival's value hard to beat. And the fun times that everyone has are worth the price of admission.

Not condoning leaving the doors open, but aren't all the rooms on the Vista set up with their own thermostat and A/C? Propping them open, while I am sure is frowned upon for safety reasons (?), would not affect anyone else's air temperature.

i could be wrong here, but i'm pretty sure the AC system shuts off automatically when the balcony door is open.

Relaxing in your room with the balcony door open and the ocean sounds is amazing. Sleeping at night listening to ocean waves is amazing. There's no other way to get so much ocean with privacy on a ship. And the views!

We have stayed in interiors many times but would never book anything less than a balcony again.

Buy what you can afford and what you'll enjoy. There are benefits to a balcony and there are benefits to an interior.

I made a mistake in booking our return flight from Miami (FLL) after the Vista repo cruise. Our flight left at 11:44 from FLL and according to the schedule the Vista wasn't going to dock until 8:00. I felt doomed. There was nothing for it but to keep our fingers crossed and breath held. Turned out the ship docked at 6:00, we were off by 7:30-ish and at the terminal 3 hours before the flight boarded.

 

Still, I'll never book that early again!

did you fly out of MIA or FLL? I am looking at similar itineraries back to CA from MIA. I am concerned with the travel time to FLL from the ship terminal.

also, I'm seeing 1 way flights at $167 - $186 per ticket. is this close to your experience in price per ticket (one way tickets are/should be the same cost as each way buying a round trip, usually).

My only hope is Long Beach will get a replacement ship that is NOT the Miracle.

Having sailed both the Splendor and Miracle to the Mexican Riviera, it'd great to have a Vista class ship out here.

And such a ship would make for a nicer Hawaii cruise too.

Fingers crossed. Long Beach is one of Carnival's smaller ports in total passengers.

14 cruises, never have been charged a corking fee as I take out the cork in my cabin and bring the bottle to the DR.

same. open it in my room and bring it to the MDR. even share some with wait staff and have never paid corkage. take care of those taking care of you and it all works out.

Vista could be in Miami and the Caribbean but it's dependent on if Horizon becomes Miami based.

Carnival's busiest ports are:

Miami

Everglades

Canaveral

New Orleans

Galveston

Seattle

Los Angeles

Vista could move to NO or Galveston next and sail a similar route.

I'm also waiting to book a July 2018 Vista cruise (or similar to Caribbean, 8 or 10 days, depending what Carnival rolls out.)

Hopefully July 2018 will release in January 2017.

Is YTD in the upper or lower Horizons restaurant? Or both?

Also, does YTD attract more people than the fixed time dining options?

Thanks.

Hello! My four year old is obsessed with our February 11 cruise out of Galveston on Valor. He talks about the captain all the time ("the captain drives my big boat" "tell the captain that I'm being good"). I would love to have a name to go with his ramblings. Can someone who has sailed recently tell me what his name is?

 

Thanks :)

 

 

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Sounds like your little guy might be interested in a Behind the Fun Tour which is offered on the last sea day. I recommend you sign up for it when you board the boat (Day 1) as it always sells out.

You'll get a full-on behind the scenes tour of the boat AND get to go to the Bridge and meet the captain (and you'll get a picture of you and the captain on the bridge together - included free in the cost of the tour).

The tour is a lot of walking but really offers a view of what it takes to run a hotel on water and the resources involved to make it all happen.