Mysticks1

I actually was in the process of booking with a PVP - had an extended balcony cabin on the Spirit held and was to call back the next day to give them CC#'s to complete the booking.  When I called to do that she said wait, there is a new promotion out, let me see what that rate does to your booking.  I was able to move from the balcony cabin I had reserved to a wrap around Vista Suite balcony for LESS money.  I paid less than $1600 for 2 for a 6 day cruise and the same thing right now is almost $3,000 so great savings for me on that deal. 

It only really matters when you are sailing an itinerary when the ship is going to be sailing close enough to something that you would like to see.  Like an Alaskan cruise where you want to see the shoreline.  Docking side changes so it is always hit or miss as to which side is to the pier.  I have been on both sides on Caribbean cruises and it doesn't really matter. 

1 hour ago, aqualibra said:

Received about 1/2 off cabin cost on a new booking, plus about 1/2 off cabin cost on an already booked cruise, both great rates with the promo. When I just tried to book another one, couldn't see this promo for any cruises. Is it limited to number of times used?

When I was looking at upgrading for the suite my PVP had already booked the Extended Balcony.   She told me that it could only be used once so to see those rates again I would need to sign in using my husbands VIFP number instead of mine.  That worked to let me see the rates so it may work if you have another person sailing with you that also has a number.   

I did very well with it too.  I was working with my PVP and had a bowling alley extended balcony held yesterday to book today - was expecting to pay around $1600 for that one.  She called me back this morning and said there was a new sale and prices really dropped.  So I got an aft wrap Vista Suite for $1580 - less than I was expecting to pay for the extended balcony.  

For anyone following this thread - this was an announcement here in Mobile this weekend.  The Spirit will be in Mobile in October of 2023.   https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/carnival-spirit-will-sail-from-mobile-in-october-2023.html

On 12/30/2019 at 7:10 AM, tgms said:

We are trying Carnival for the 1st time and have a 1:30 check in.   We are staying on the MS gulf coast the night before so we will have a quick drive to Mobile.   Do we need to worry about the parking being hard to find that late in the day or can we get there a little before 1:00 and still easily find parking at the cruise port?   Will it be a problem or is it an easy port to park at?   Would you get their early and just wait at the port to check in in the early/late line?  Roll up at 1:00?  Thanks for any info, I appreciate it.

I personally wouldn't wait that late to get there, the parking garage isn't that big and they do have an overflow lot that is further away.  I live in Mobile, you can always get there and park and then walk around the downtown area.  There is a very nice park right next to the cruise terminal where you could wait as well if you couldn't get checked in that early. 

13 minutes ago, danak13 said:

I'm glad it could be of help! When do you cruise?  While, like you, I am excited at the prospect of no (or lesser) waits, I am a little concerned it will be so new that NCL employees will not know how to properly provide the perks offered,  

Breakaway on March 21, 2020 is our cruise.  I am also hoping that it is well advertised to all of the crew and they follow through with everything.   The girl I talked to seemed surprised to get a 2nd request for it in the same day.   

On 9/10/2019 at 2:43 PM, danak13 said:

So I found out NCL is rolling out a new program to the Breakaway and Sun to test it out before going fleetwide. 

Thank you for posting this information.   I have bought the Faster To The Fun package from Carnival a couple of times and even though this one doesn't include the cabins being ready upon boarding I will really like not standing in all those lines and having that priority tenders is great for Grand Cayman.   I was able to call Norwegian direct and they were able to add it for me.  The rep told me that they had just received the information on this.  You don't have to pay immediately, it is added to your cruise total. 

10 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

 

We just booked on the Mardi Gras and so far, there is no site that tells which balconies connect to which balconies.  Our PVP talked to his supervisor, then that supervisor talked to their supervisor trying to figure it out.  What they came up with is that the cabins/balconies start at the front of the ship.  The first connects to the second, third to fourth, etc.  You might be able to figure it out that way.  What stumped us is that there was a suite at the very front so we are guessing that it doesn't count.  There is a site that some have mentioned on here where you can look up your cabin numbers to see if they do or not.

The information you mentioned is found on this site.   You choose your deck and then look for the cabin number.  https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5687

Just to add I ordered 2 from AARP last week (I think Wednesday) and I received them in USPS mail yesterday.  They were shipped the next day. 

We had a cruise that ended on Thanksgiving day and as we were getting off the crew had already started putting out the Christmas decorations. 

The disadvantage to 6424 is that is has a public space - a lounge below it so there is the potential for noise .  7416 has cabins above and below so it would be a quieter location. 

For anyone following this thread the deck plans on the Carnival site now show Big Chicken where the Seafood Shack was. 

help me understand this-- why would a person take YTD and go at 5:45? Wouldnt early dining be the same? with people that take YTD and do this is because you were wait listed for early and didnt get in?

We do the same thing because we have much better chances of getting a table for two. I like the flexibility of it in case we are late back from port and want to go at a different time. I am not an arrive late type of person so I don't have to worry about that with the YTD.

The Fantasy has not been able to make it into the Port of Mobile due to heavy fog. The ship is not expected in to port until 7:45 tonight and the cruisers who were supposed to board today will now be boarding tomorrow morning instead. So their 5 day cruise just became a 4 day cruise. http://www.shipmobile.com/cruises/weather-information/

Day 2

Thanks - we sail on the Fantasy in April and it will be my first cruise on a ship with a Guys burger. My last Carnival cruise was on the Dream 3 years ago.

I have wondered about that myself. I go up on deck very early in the morning to watch the sunrise and I see people (sleepy people) some in pajamas come out and put their towels and books on chairs in prime spots and then go back inside, probably back to their cabins and back to bed. One day I saw one lady put on 6 of them. It wouldn't take much for someone to get up early and walk around and "find" some to take home with you. You can find books to read too because they seem to like laying on those chairs all by themselves very early in the morning too.

Everyone was just handed a cheeseburger on my Fantasy cruise. The staff didn't ask anyone what they wanted and just assembly lined cheeseburgers to each person.

Was this on Embarkation day or another day?

How do y'all hang these? Are the doors magnetic?

Command hooks and Command strips are the approved/preferred method of attaching things to the doors. Here is the link to the information https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3256/~/decorating-your-stateroom-door-and-stateroom

Make sure that all of you go do the spa tours on embarkation day and go back for the Spa drawing right around Sailaway time. They give some good prizes away but you have to be present to win something. I won a $100 spa gift certificate. You will love the Spa Balcony cabin. I spent a lot of time in there and it was just me, my daughter and her friend so with 3 females I took all my showers in the spa. The showers there are really large and nice and you have plenty of room. I took a small bag with me to carry my stuff with me so I could get ready and do my hair there.

I agree. I am not willing as a consumer of the Carnival brand to allow the dress code to continually slip until the MDR resembles Golden Corral.

I find comments like the OP and this interesting - it seems like to me that you are unhappy with what Carnival is providing and you seem to want the "old" Traditional dining experience where everyone dressed up and you saw lots of floor length gowns and most of the men wore tuxedos and everyone stayed in those clothes for the entire night. Well times have changed and Carnival is adapting to what it's customers are asking for and more casual is the way that it is heading. If you follow John Heald on Facebook you can even see it in the Poll questions that he asks now. There was a lot of talk a year ago about how important the table cloths were and then they went away except for Elegant nights.

They have been slowly changing the menu's from what was very nice meals to now what is the American Table menu which is nothing like what it was 10 years ago when I started cruising. Nothing fancy about it - quite Casual actually to match the tables.

So my question to all of you that want the Fancier dress and dinners is why don't you start booking your cruises on a cruise line that still offers that experience rather than continuing to spend your hard earned dollars with Carnival and not be happy and come home and complain about it?

I can't stand dressing up so I would vote for Elegant nights to be a thing of the past. My husband and I wear work type clothes on the non-elegant nights and we dress up just a little more for elegant night with him in dress pants and a collared shirt and me in black pants and a top. I would never buy something new to wear once on a cruise.

I have used the clear plastic sleeves for several years now. I upgraded this year to ones with the steel cable type loops instead of the plastic ones. It is just so easy to use them and I don't have to have packing tape or a stapler. They are re-usable and I used the same ones for years. I have seen luggage outside in the rain but ours are completely protected inside the sleeves so ours has always been delivered promptly. For such a small cost it is definitely worth it to me just for the convenience.

I am also using the Gift Cards to pay for my cruise and I think I will try Cheers this time since it includes the extra non-alcoholic things now and I intend to pay for that with the gift cards. I buy them from AARP and Allstate Drivewise Rewards - all at 10% off so that is an extra savings on my cruise. I will also buy them for my tips and excursions. I buy the gift cards with my skymiles credit card too so I get miles for all those purchases too. :D

I asked a question one morning and had an answer within a couple of hours.