Jamesatgsu

4 hours ago, sixesandeights said:

*Cough*.....just sign the form.....*cough*

 

6&8

While I'm sure that would work, the last thing I'd want to do is be giving Federal Agents false documents. I'd only worry if state law forbids foreign travel without both parents permission.

We took my 15 year old brother on the Sensation back in November, and were never asked to show any information. I doubt it would be a problem. For all they know the biological father is dead. 

I'd add, he did have a passport, so parents names weren't listed and he does have the same last name, so they could easily assume he was my child going through security. I think you are better off if they use a passport or photo ID than a Birth Certificate for boarding.

28 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

OP,  we remove auto grats, &  tip cash to:

Stateroom Attendant $6 per person per day

Head Waiter  $5

Asst Waiter   $4

For total of $15 per person per day

So for 7 day sailings, we give Stateroom attendant approx $42 first day of cruise, then $42 last day for the 2 of us.

Since we always eat late seating in MDR, we give approx $35 to Head Waiter & $28 to Asst Waiter on the first & last day.  We adjust or round up a few $.

OP, since you don't use fixed time, I suggest you give head waiter approx $20 ($5 x 4 persons) & asst waiter $16 per dinner per eve.... 

I'm curious, do you not feel any obligation to the employees that serve you on the Lido Deck or other staff on board? 

43 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

No you won't be asked for an explanation.   

 

OP, you can tip cash to whoever you want, whenever you want, and they will keep it whether you left automatic on or not.  

Maybe I'm confusing with when I went on Norwegian, or just something from the Carnival channels that discussed gratuity. I have never done it personally, despite my original intention to do so. Because of the Lido deck employees and a lack of desire to carry cash constantly, I don't see it as practical to tip individually. I do hate the automatic gratuity at the bar and absolutely despise the included gratuity on the drink package (which I feel discourages bartenders from prioritizing you and I end up tipping them anyway) because I can tip on my card what I want.

7 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Because it does affect others.  Havana used to be open to everyone after 7 pm and now it isn't due to guest behavior.  

Everyone used to be able to bring on water and now can't thanks to guests behavior.  Arrival appointments were created due to guest behavior.  Smoking prohibited on balconies due to guest behavior. Bacon guards due to guest behavior

Not really apples to apples comparisons. 

Havana wasn't changed because of guest behavior. It wasn't because rules were being broken. It was because Havana rooms aren't worth the added cost if they can be used by anyone after 7.

Waters I'll give you, but they have free water on board, and a case on board costs $4.50 now. If we were talking sneaking beer in soda boxes, I'd agree.

Arrival appointments were created to streamline the process and drastically reduce wait times. Not because of guest behavior, unless you mean the behavior of all arriving trying to get on ASAP which caused massive lines.

Smoking on balconies is because of guest behavior (and of course inherent risk), but mostly throwing them off the side of the boat. Something fair to be upset about other people doing.

I'm not sure what about the Bacon other than maybe taking tons of it? That is fair to be bothered by because it directly affects everyone behind them, but true of everything on board.

This doesn't have an effect on you. Now, if people start using wristbands they got on a previous cruise or selling them on ebay, I'll be with you.

23 hours ago, SERK said:

We may have to go over some rules if we give her permission to sign out such as only for the scavenger hunts.  Thanks for the info.

We have given our sons permission to sign themselves out for this very reason. Talk to the staff, and they will generally do their best to work with you. I haven't had any issues with giving mine permission, but we also have messaging on board to keep track of each other, which I recommend. It is only $5/per person for the entire cruise, and it just has to have wi-fi, so you can use an old phone without service if concerned about them losing or breaking it. Once night owls starts, you will have to come get them even if they have permission.

22 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

One more thing I should add...

 

The Sharks meet in other places around the ship, occasionally, as well.  I believe they would need sign out privileges to do these activities as well.  Not 100% sure on this, but if you see something on the schedule that does not meet in Camp Ocean, be sure to ask.

No, they do not need permission. There are times Sharks have to be signed out (Around 4) while not in Port, and they will have to be dropped back off (earliest is at dinner, which is around 6 in the Lido, but can be very hard to spot them hidden in the corner, or upstairs if they have upstairs seating). But moving from Dinner to Camp Ocean or to the Conference Room or Circle C or the Dance Club, they'll be escorted by staff and no need to sign in and out. Be mindful of the schedule (it is available in the Carnival Hub if you don't have the paper copy), as it will tell you where they should be.  On the 3 cruises I've taken my kids, the Sharks have rarely met in Camp Ocean. Carnival does a terrible job having adequate space for 3 age groups because at best Camp Ocean is split into 2 rooms. My best experience involved them combining Sharks & StingRays into Circle C and Circle C in with O2 (Dream in 2017). Otherwise they mostly seem to stay in the Conference Room.

I've never been held up, but I had the earliest time on my first cruise, and FTTF ever since.  I have seen other people forced to wait though. If there isn't much of a line when you arrive, they might let you go, but I'd hate to wait around for an hour if they made you wait. 

On 1/18/2020 at 2:07 PM, Elaine5715 said:

 

With that theory, several adults could switch on and off all cruise, lulling the crew who after they recognize guests, stop checking.  Same with Cheers, Spa cabins, etc

Oh the horror!
 

Honestly don't understand why people here care so much about what other people do that doesn't effect them. I'd venture to guess most guests would prefer his wife accessing the area as opposed to his son. 

On 1/21/2020 at 2:00 PM, UtahCruiser1230 said:

Thanks for the replies.  I'll probably keep my reservation the same and see what happens on the ship.  Worst comes to worst we hang out at the tides pool and still have a good time.  I'll be on vacation and worries will be minimal either way.

You are making the right choice.  You didn't mention how old your kids were, but since you older son is still in the kids club I'll assume all under 18, which basically forces you into you splitting up with your wife for the rooms, ignoring the drink package. As a family of 5 myself, I know the challenges that often come up trying to book 5 people on a cruise. I don't think you are doing anything wrong. I wouldn't suggest your wife use or S&S card while there just to be on the safe side. Of course they could also change Havana policies again before your cruise. I don't think they'll go back to opening to everyone again, but I could see them offering it for an additional fee. Of course is wristband swapping were to become a major issue, they could switch to using S&S cards for entry.

I really wanted a Havana room, but they didn't have any 2 person interior's left, and the balcony was just too much to justify when we really just wanted the pool access. We booked a Spa room instead to try and figure we could try Havana on a future cruise, since we plan on going on the Mardi Gras and Panorama.

17 hours ago, matymil said:

We have FTTF on our next cruise. We have gotten it before but never with a tender port in the itinerary. Can someone explain how the tender process works if you have FTTF because the last time we did one I remember it being kind of a cluster. Will we get called down early or have our own line? Thanks!

We did not receive instructions last cruise (Carnival Sensation), just a letter saying we would. We talked to our steward who didn't have any other instructions, so we had to go to Customer Service. Ultimately the meeting spot was in a small bar area (like the Piano bar) and had a sign posted in front of it. From there they took us to the elevators to board (we took the stairs because of the number of people waiting, which got us on very quickly, but we still had to wait for everybody else to board the tender).

If you book an excursion though you will generally be given a tender time and meeting area (usually the large multi-floored lounge/theather room where they do shows). 

What you definitely don't have to do is get in the line to pick up a tender time (I stopped by the morning of because I wasn't sure what to do and the line was crazy long).

If you request to remove a portion of your tip, you'll be asked for an explanation. Seeing as the tip is also supposed to cover for the Lido deck servers (The dining room staff works out there too), it wouldn't be appropriate to reduce the tip.

Personally I tip my servers on the last night in cash. I have a strong preference for Late Dining, as I like to have the same wait staff every night. Used My Time Dining for one night and hated it and they were able to honor our request for Late Dining, just in a different dining room. I just booked a cruise with no late dining  time available, so I might be screwed again, in which case I'll probably tip $5 cash each night (we usually eat every night in the dining room).

My frustration with the policy change is the very limited number of rooms. I prefer interior, but the cruise I want doesn't have any available and I don't want to pay an extra $2000+ for a balcony that I don't really care to have.  I'm currently looking at booking a Cloud 9 Spa room instead, but you can pay extra for the same access from any room.  Should do the same for the Havana area IMO, and would also allow families access that have kids under 12 (including myself). I'd potentially pay for access to all 3 premium areas (Family Lounge, Havana, & Thermaspa) if they were all offered a la carte.

The pricing doesn't always make sense. I've never looked for 3, so I don't know about it all.  What I can say is I'm usually booking for 5.  Sometimes that 5th person is free (it doesn't show up that way, but it lowers the 3rd & 4th guest fee, for a net zero cost, excluding taxes/fees/tips), but other times it doubles my cost to go from 4 to 5 even without a change in room type.  I'd understand if it was forcing me into a better room, but nope, it just costs an arm and a leg. I won't complain too much because they actually let me book 5 people online, while most don't let you.

When we did the Carnival Victory last October, it only cost us $1,069 after taxes for 5 people on a 4 day cruise.

1 hour ago, Schoifmom said:

 

You don't have to wait until check-in to choose your dining preference.  For future reference.

It may have asked at booking, and we'd have chosen late, but it didn't show a preference marked at check-in.

Same thing happened on a previous booking in regard to sleeping arrangement.  Chose one thing at booking, but at check-in it showed separated beds.

I went to a bachelor party 2 years ago on the Sensation and am returning to it for a family cruise in 3 weeks. There will be 5 of us in the room, so definitely going to feel extra small, but I basically limit the room to sleep and bathroom only.

Do you happen to recall if they had a happy hour? 

We were on the Fantasy earlier this year (the same week of those Health Violations, though we had no issues).

I enjoyed it, but definitely not my favorite (Carnival Dream). So many factors come into enjoying a cruise, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes anyone better. For us the Fantasy was relatively empty in comparison to other cruises I've been on.  I won 4 trivias, Trivial Pursuit, & Carnival Quest, and my son managed to be on a winning team in Hasbro the Game Show, so that aspect was great. It marked the first time we've ever gotten in a cruise hot tub (simply because it wasn't nearly as crowded).  What I didn't like is that Camp Ocean sucked for my son and daughter, and the people working it were terrible. That was a massive disappointment because my sons loved it on the Victory last October.  And it was very shocking because it was summer, so we expected it to be even better for them. 

I really want to go back on a newer, larger ship again, since the Dream is the newest one we've been on and thought it was the best. Whether it was more activities, a better fun crew, the excursions, or it simply being our first it was head and shoulders above the Fantasy, Sensation, Victory, and the Norwegian Sun.  I enjoyed them all (and will be back on the Sensation in 3 weeks), but the Dream was amazing.

Curious as to the same.  I normally check-in the day it opens up, but didn't because we didn't know for sure who was going to be in our room so I waited and the only thing they had was late dining and it has a wait list.  We prefer late dining, so no problem there, but if we don't get it does that mean we just go whenever and potentially wait and have our servers change night to night?

I'm glad you mentioned FTTF, since we have it and I forgot that we got priority for dining.

28 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

Wait!  You can actually order one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic drink at the same time with your Cheers?  

 

I was already sold on Cheers, because I want to be able to try the Alchemy Bar drinks and not worry about feeling bad that I paid for something that I don’t like enough to drink.  But I also liked the idea of being able to order a bottle of water on a regular basis, so I could have some in our cabin for in the late evening and early morning.  I thought it might be a little annoying, but had just planned on making extra stops at bars to get the bottle water, since I was under the impression that I could only order one drink at a time.

I know they gave me two bottles of water at once. They only seem to care about alcohol sharing on Cheers.

Happy hour was on my most recent cruise. Casino bar only on embarkation day and only 4 drinks were available for the half off deal. It ran like 2-4 or something like that. 

Best on board option without sneaking is to win liquor which they give to you immediately. Buying on board you will get delivered on the last night, so a great option for your last evening.

I find cheers is close to a break even for me, but I did like the not worrying about it, though I still felt obligated to tip my bartenders, because I wanted them to not forget me when they were busy and they knew they were getting money from those without the package.

We went out of NOLA in 2017, and the lines weren't bad, but had earliest possible boarding time.  That was the one cruise I haven't had FTTF.  Took forever to get our luggage, like 9pm.  They were sold out before I ever booked.  I've purchased it every time since (granted that is only 2 cruises I've been on both out of Miami, and a 3rd out of Mobile this summer).  It probably only saves you about 15-20 minutes, unless early boarding times are gone, as far as getting on.  But it definitely gives you the chance to beat food lines (but sometimes you wait for them as they are still re-setting up) and you get to use your room immediately.  So IMO, worth the $70ish on what is usually a $2K-$3k vacation.

We had it on Carnival Victory on sailing day only.  It was limited to the Casino bar and like 4 drinks, but it was still awesome.  Got just the right amount of intoxicated to start a cruise.

Would love for it to be every day.

I didn't find this to be the case on our cruise out of Miami in 2017, or the one in 2016, or the one in 2014. My husband gets twist off red wine, fills it with rum, dyes it red, and buys the heat strink seals online to reseal the bottle. They've never scrutinized our wine bottles. They don't hold flashlights up to them. They look at the bottle to confirm it's a bottle that says wine or champagne, confirm that the seal is intact, and away we go. I guess New Orleans is much stricter than Miami or Port Canaveral.

New Orleans was not for me. Even though I was told to go to the security guy because of my soda and wine, he just told me to move on even though I was trying to show him. I've now gone out of NO, Canaveral, & Miami and security has never been strict.

What I will say, is I wouldn't get mad at the cruise line if I did get caught and they threw it away. That is the terms and the risk you take even though most people seem to to get it back at the end.

Ah, and therein lies the "secret" of the whole thing! A contract with a cruise line is just like a contract with any other person or company. It is one entity giving their "word" that they will do what they have stated in that contract if the other entity goes by the rules set up in that contract. If you don't agree, then don't sign. It's just as if one of those entities leased/rented a living space to the other as long as they didn't, say, bring pets into that living space. The other party agrees and then brings a pet in. Only difference is you substitute a bottle of booze for a pet. One party doesn't keep their word.

 

Tom

Pets have free will and can damage things. If it says no pets and you have a goldfish, that is cool. The contract isn't negotiable either, so I don't compare to when I negotiate with others.

You are always going to have the holier than thou chiming in. I haven’t smuggled any alcohol onboard yet, I almost did but got paranoid and left it in the car. This year I just preordered a liter of vodka at the ridiculously high price, but still a lot cheaper than the drinks package. I will still buy some drinks onboard and maybe someday I will have the ballz to try to slip some onboard. My wife doesn’t drink and the upcoming 10 day cruise would cost $1194 for the Cheers package. No way I’m paying that, when the whole cruise she may buy $50 tops in specialty coffee and I may spend $300 or so in drinks.

I can understand why the cruise lines make each person over 21 buy the package. It’s not so much if you can’t pay don’t play for me, it’s all about cost effectiveness and in my case the Cheers package is not cost effective.

 

 

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I bought the Cheers package when on a bachelor party. Wasn't worth it for me, especially since I was sick half the time (have not had the same issue on other 2 cruises, so I don't think sea sickness was an issue). But it was tough, one person really wanted it, and so the other 3 of us who could live without it got roped into doing it. I also hate it because the bartender is better off serving a non-Cheers customer since 15% gratuity will be added to their drink, while a Cheers member may not pay because it was prepaid. I'd rather they just add the 15% to the value of every drink consumed (I tipped extra every single time though so I spent another $40ish).

My last cruise was NCL, and it was unlimited booze for the whole ship, which makes more sense if you want unlimited drinks and that was truly unlimited (unlike Carnival)

Holier then thou has nothing to do with it. When I agree to the terms of a contract I make every attempt to comply and if complying is that difficult I don't sign. The drink prices on Carnival aren't all that outlandish- 5.50ish for a beer, 6 for a simple mixed drink, 9 for a frozen drink. There have been times where our budget wasn't as robust and I only had 3 drinks a day. I still had fun.

I don't think the drinks at the bar are a massive ripoff (at least in comparison to resorts and nice restaurants, other than the cheap beer is only comparable to a sporting venue), and if they had happy hours it wouldn't be bad at all. The drink package is a ripoff (for anyone not drinking 10+ per day, which is hard to do when not drinking beer or shots). The in room pre-order is a massive ripoff. Malibu Rum is about $20 for a 1.75L bottle, but for my room it is $85/L? Jack Daniels at $95 is over $4 per typical shot. You are asking me to pay typical per shot bar prices for an entire bottle.

I'd rather they exclude the bottle of wine and the packs of soda and instead charge me half what they do for in room orders. When you consider what they sell for in the fun shops, it is clear they'd still be making a killing off of me. I'm sure Carnival has made projections, and it shows these are the price points they should use. I just wish they did it differently. So much of a cruise is excess that I don't need (food more than anything).

And it isn't about what I can afford, it is about being reasonable. I tip my porter, my servers, and my room attendant. If I wanted to be cheap, I wouldn't do that. I'd also have them remove the optional gratuity they add on at the end of the cruise.

I don't know, but to me 'smuggling' alcohol aboard a cruise ship is stealing from the guests that do not. Alcohol sales on cruise ships help defray the costs of running a cruise ship. If those that find saving a few bucks by sneaking booze aboard do it enough the cruise lines will have to cover the loss of income by increasing cruise fares. That's going to impact the 'smugglers' as well as those that follow the rules. Oops, I forgot, rules are for other people. Thanks rum runners :mad:.

If I come across [as one poster said of another poster near the beginning of this thread] as "being nasty" I'm not, but I am disappointed that some people feel cheating is clever. If you can't pay you shouldn't play. Stop stealing.

Not sure how it is stealing. And if I can't afford to pay, I won't pay.

Basically there are 2 options: I sneak on alcohol and Carnival has a chance to make money of my purchase of mixers (soda package usually) or I don't and I don't buy anything from Carnival. If they sold drinks for a more reasonable price (or not require both my wife & I to both get the drink package with its 15 drink maximum that we wouldn't hit combined or not have to get it for every single day) I'd bite. Or maybe if they would allow me to order a decent beer for my room (some beers they also don't list the size for some reason so you don't know what you are buying). Do I feel a little cheated when I see the people with 1 Liter bottles of wine get by with it no problem? Sure, but it is more disappointed that I didn't do it (and am not going to risk my guaranteed 750ml).

Sneaking it on kind of sucks because it is inconvenient to go back to the room to drink, and you are extremely limited on choice by doing so. Because of it, you end up buying some from the bar anyway because you now are a little looser with the purse strings. There is definitely a mass disadvantage. The one advantage is it is kind of fun. It is also silly that you have the same wine rule for 3 day as 7+ day, when clearly the 3 day is better off there.

I took 2 Listerine bottles no problem onto Carnival Dream and also got some more in port (which is the safest way to do it) as you can carry your drink on board and you can get on and off as you please at non-tender ports.