robertlanajean

On 3/7/2020 at 1:02 PM, stellarose said:

I told my dear family that we were going there for embarkation lunch- best decision. no one was there. we got a nice table. food was awesome.  GO First Day!!!!

 

FREE too. 

Best kept embarkation day secret - well maybe that or half off drinks at Red Frog Pub includes cases of beer.

I'm tired of this *%#$ mask - but i still wear it so that things can get back to "normal" sooner than later. I'll wear it on the ship if I have to, but would rather wait to sail until there is no mask debate. We have a cruise booked for this October that I know we won't be going on whether the ship sails or not. 

If the ship is your happy place with or without a mask and you're down to see that beautiful sunset over the ocean regardless of the restrictions, I wish you a most wonderful time. My wife and I don't love the crowds on the ship, but the silly things we do love may not be the same. We love exploring a new port on our own, watching the partiers stagger back onto the ship, then over-indulge ourselves on soft serve in the buffet before a nice dinner in the MDR where we look forward to food being flung by napkin twirlers during "showtime". We love sharing a table with strangers at Red Frog Pub before embarkation who have enjoyed one too many of the half-off pitcher drinks. We love looking down from deck 5 onto the main floor and watching the cruise director entertain an atrium full of tightly packed folks. We love bopping around the casino and donating money to various machines - and land based casinos with social distancing are not as fun as they were pre-covid.

My wife was glued to the tv last spring as those cruisers were stuck in their cabin. I think it'll be a couple years before she is willing to step back on board for fear of that being her. To all of you willing to take the lead, I applaud you and thank you for doing your part to keep the industry afloat until the rest of us are ready to return.  

ALLSUMMER1500 as well

You book through the Value Trips website. They have a form you fill out and submit with your request. I just added my hyatt club # and note in the comment section of the form. It took almost a week to get my confirmation email from Value Trips but i could see the reservation on my Hyatt page with 24 hours of making my request. When we went the rate was $129+tax. Came up to about $144 per night.

We did a Lyft XL or whatever they call the bigger vehicles and it was $16 + tip for our party of 4. The hotel shuttle was $8 per person paid cash to the driver. 

The Hyatt was clean, rooms were nice, large, and updated. I am usually a chronic "shop arounder" when booking hotels but was totally satisfied with the room, service, and location. This will be our go to place in FLL.

Hope this helps!

5 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

I cannot log into Allstate just like the others above.

Strange this is i can get in if i click through a rewards email and enter codes but when i try and redeem i go into the login loop. Oh well hoping it's a glitch and nothing more.

Hello!

So I promised I would comment on this after my cruise but can't remember where the original thread went.

Stayed at the Hyatt pre-cruise through Value Trips for $129 plus tax. Prior to booking I joined Hyatt's membership club (whatever it's called) and asked Value Trips to include my membership number on the reservation request. I was able to see my reservation directly on the Hyatt website and track myself to make sure I didnt get walked. It also enabled us to eat their free breakfast as World of Hyatt members. 

Overall the experience was nice. Great hotel, walking distance to food, Total Wine, and a Publix and free breakfast. They do charge $2 per room for airport transportation by the way. 

Thanks!

Anyone had their account locked out? Got a bunch of points and trying to accumulate more for -- well it's like sport now. And I can't log on to my Rewards page. Something about 

• Sorry. You can only use that user id and password combination to sign in where you created it.

(which was my phone) -- but when I do the phone thing it says my points are being updated (for a week)? 

When I try to get to rewards from any page within Allstate it loops back to the main Allstate page. 

I'm sure I could call and answer a bunch of questions, but I hate the phone -- and guessing someone here has had the same happen to them at some point?

Thanks in advance!

On 3/19/2019 at 3:08 PM, jdoc2007 said:

For the current pixels package, you just get the 5 prints and the poster print.  Nothing additional.

Can you add digital for a nominal (HA!) fee? Cant decide if i want to do this or just buy diditals and order my own canvas later. 

28 minutes ago, IPlayWithString said:

How are suite pax subsidizing inside cabin perks? Whether you got to  platinum by sailing 75+ days in a suite or in an inside cabin, you get the SAME perks no matter what.

 

Suite pax are not subsidizing ANYTHING for the "lower class" pax like those who choose inside cabins for whatever reason. The suite pax are not the rich upper class subsidizing welfare for the lowly inside cabin pax, FFS.

I'm afraid to dip my toes in this pool ... but i THINK that poster is more referring to the idea that suites pay more and at the end of the day all guests cost the same to feed and entertain (based on INCLUDED items). Having said that, i think the difference is not large when you factor in the # of suites vs # of inside cabins. I think cheers buyers do more to offset costs than suites. As a non cheers buyer i appreciate their contribution! 

I would love to get extra credit for nights in upgraded rooms but think that would be a logistical nightmare with how many different room codes they have. 

I don't know why, but every time I read about Rum Runners or shampoo bottles with booze i think back to the movie "Superbad" where dude had his liquor in a poorly rinsed bottle of laundry soap. 🥂

1 hour ago, Mommawo said:

last time I had free unlimited drinks at a concert I puked my guts out sooooo there is that lol

-you didnt mention the band so it could have been the music vs the booze?

I would almost rather go to a movie alone. Watch what you want in peace. 

I think I would enjoy a land vacation alone -- like taking a month to explore Costa Rica at my pace.

17 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Why should Canival up the ante?  They currently have 26 ships sailing full time, with the majority of cruises being sold out or close to sold out.  I don’t think they would ever do this, but if they eliminated their loyalty program, I don’t think it would have a significant impact on their bottom line.   Would people get upset, of course, but people would continue to cruise on Carnival because they offer a good product at very competitive prices. That’s why every time JH posts stats on a cruise, most cruises have a significant number of blue cards (journey cruises being an exception).  Carnival does not need to depend on their highest loyalty levels to continue sailing with them to survive. 

Very valid points. The ships are full, they're profitable and growing. Great  for a business. I was more addressing the original posts " What changes would you like to see". 

JUST to play devil's advocate -- does a significant number of blue cards mean they're not capturing a huge # of repeat customers? I'm not a business owner, nor do I have a business background, so I could be (and probably am) speaking out of my a** -- Would a competitor (RCCL?) bringing a more aggressive loyalty program impact Carnival? I know they don't HAVE TO -- but if one starts something do the others have to follow suit (see airlines)?

Not trying to start heat -- love reading perspectives and always learning .. @PhillyFan33579 I really enjoy your posts on all topics too.. very well done! 🙂

I've only been on one cruise (second one coming up!!), don't gamble or buy Cheers and enjoy a variety of vacations, so perhaps I'm not the demo Carnival is after, but I have to say that compared to other travel/entertainment options the rewards for cruising are pretty lame and difficult to obtain.

frequent flyer = free flights

frequent car renter = free rental days/upgrades

frequent hotel stay = free nights

my local pizza buffet gives every 10th visit free

frequent cruise = free bottle of water and eventually .. you get on the ship faster and a blankets (left off the drink and party for dramatic purposes 🙂 ) 

They could really up the ante... free blanket for ALL repeat cruisers, free soda package for gold and up, free specialty meal for platinum (every cruise), free gratuities for diamond (once per year).. with all benefits stacking. 

As of now the loyalty programs are not enough to make me a loyal Carnival cruiser. I'm still more interested in ports, amenities, and overall value. Perhaps an aggressive loyalty campaign would create more loyalty and make casual cruisers faithful cruisers. 

On 2/11/2019 at 9:11 AM, Stacie. said:

conch fritters, cracked conch, hot dogs, and sh!tty nachos to share

We are usually suckers for nachos . are you saying they were sh!tty or is that just what they're called? 

Are there "spare rooms" on a full ship? I wonder if they keep contingency rooms available for things like this. Much easier to see on a plane that it's 100% full...  

Think there would be a problem bringing it on board? Not sure where this falls on Carnivals bring on board policy. It's not in a can -- but would be in a sealed bottle. 

On 2/5/2019 at 11:31 PM, CA_Cruzing said:

The walls are thin (if she’s a screamer). Could make for embarrassing cabin entires and exits. 

embarrassing or proud.. no worries unless your neighbor high-fives you.

19 hours ago, BoDidly said:

 

It's one burger with double patties on it.  On the ship it's known as ,

McGuys Double whammies. 

 

 

Oh my goodness he just tries too hard.

Not a fan of his but I'll give the burger a shot. Wonder how I could get a fried egg to put on top....

On 1/29/2019 at 12:58 AM, plettza said:

The only issue is my tummy usually gets a little more, how shall I say, rotund after a few nights aboard a ship.

...exactly why I bring slacks with elastic "helpers" hidden in the belt line.

On 1/28/2019 at 4:01 AM, plettza said:

For me I learnt to definitely pack a suit for cruise elegant night(s).

 

My first cruise was in March of 2017 with my girlfriend and her family and so on.  I was told to pack a suit for formal night.  Not thinking formal night was going to be such a big deal, I didn't bother.  Sure, I still had nice pants and shirt but it was pretty casual looking.  Well, when we attended formal night, there were so many people looking a million bucks, I felt out of place.  I spoke to the hotel services manager and he jokingly commented, but in a friendly manner, "thank you for making the effort to dress up".  I've brought along a suit and nice shoes along ever since.  Having said that, I certainly wasn't the scruffiest person there.  On our last cruise in November, I felt fewer people bothered with cruise elegant attire than on my 1st Carnival cruise.

On our first cruise we brought the suit and evening gown and got all dressed up, bought the pics (that wife now hates). As we're planning for our May cruise my wife keeps talking about how we over-packed so much last time and she wants to simplify for this trip. Naturally I assumed she was referring to formal wear. Nope. She still wants us to do the full dress-up so I'm not sure what she'll bring less of? Maybe 8 pair of shoes/flip flops instead of 10? 

Thanks for the story  - made me laugh as that is usually my luck.

We've only cruised once but had any time dining when we did. We liked having the flexibility of not having to be at dinner at a specific time, especially if you like MDR on port days. We didn't get the same table twice, but that wasn't a big deal to us.

Thanks for the review! 

Out of curiosity, how do you decide to do a Christmas cruise? Did you pitch it to the kids ahead of time or just "SURPRISE!"? 

I know when we pitched it to our kids back in the day (they're older now) they turned it down because they wanted their stuff and probably knew we would take a trip in the spring anyway. 

As far as Jamaica and Mexico -- been to both, loved both. I think that as long as you use your travel sense you're fine in either place. Whether that's no eye contact or head on a swivel, whatever works for you works. The big difference we experienced is the Jamaicans we interacted with seemed sincerely nice, friendly, and happy to see you. The people in Cancun and Cozumel were all nice, but they were more ummmm.... professional/polished. We saw it as "I'm at work, put on a smile" mode. Still happy, but we just "felt" a difference. Our comparisons were both on land-based vacations, so may have been much different if they were just drop in for the day visits.

P.S.. Lived in AZ for 12 years. One of the things we miss are our little excursions to Algodones.

What a nice thought! 

When camping I use truck bed tie-down straps wrapped around a couple sturdy trees to hook the hammock to. Don't think there will be anything of comparable strength on the balcony though.

Great. I'm going to spend all morning looking at images of aft-balconies now holding out hope. 

54 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Did it slow down mid-week due to the kids not having the same credit limit? Yes

You win with this quote!

10 minutes ago, NovCruisin said:

To everyone who has a flare for the dramatic - it didn't RUIN my vacation 🤦‍♀️ 

Sorry, we went off on a bit of a tangent about the drunk steward and his (imagined) choice in undergarments. I don't think that was aimed at you. 

I do appreciate your review and honest input. I would rather have than than a rose-colored love-fest or an "I knew I would hate it before getting on board. Here's why I was right!" review. The world is full of different perspectives and ideas and there are folks that do things I wouldn't even think to do (like marking the bottle) just as there are things I do that I'm sure others wouldn't consider. Not that I wouldn't  -- just never dawned on me to do that. I'm sure your experience made parts of your trip unpleasant and I applaud you for being able to make the best of it all things considered. By the way, everything I asked was out of sincere curiosity. 🙂