BookDragon

I asked a coworker who cruises every year for the past 20 years what she recommended. She gave me the number to her travel agent. It was the same price that Carnival quoted. The difference was the level of personal attention we received from the TA. Not only did she promptly answer my ph calls and emails, make any changes that I requested, and she even purchased a birthday surprise pkg for my husband! We liked her service so much that I recommended my daughter and her boyfriend use her for their recent All Inclusive Resort trip. The travel agent was able to save them over $500. So I’m sold on my TA and will continue to use her for all future trips! BTW, even with using a TA, you can still login to the Carnival site, make some changes to the booking (i.e. bedding, dining, check in time), you also can purchase excursions, fun shop purchases, spa treatments, cheers, cruise cash, etc.

So let’s assume the OP is telling the truth (can’t imagine why anyone would come on this board and lie)...I would expect that to happen in Mexico as that has happened when I’ve visited. I would be completely turned off if that happened in the dining room on a Carnival ship. That would be in very poor taste and they would not get above the tips we already prepaid. No one appreciates a guilt trip.

From a new cruiser’s perspective, the following changes have occurred since purchasing our first cruise this past November:

24 hr Room service is no longer free after 10pm

Increase in FTTF costs

Increase in Cheers costs

Added Pic pkg/removed pic pkg/implemented modified pic pkg

15 % surcharge on Fun Shop purchases

Obviously as a new cruiser I cannot miss what I didn’t have (i.e. tablecloths, chocolates on pillow, no room service on debarkation day, etc.). But just as veteran cruisers feel some kind of way about Carnival’s changes over the years, I feel some kind of way about all the changes in the last 6 months. Regarding whether any future changes would bug me..I can’t think of any, but TBH I am considering a different cruise line (mainly for itinerary reasons) or an AI for my 50th birthday in a few years.

I am bringing diet cranberry in cans on board with me. I don’t know if stores sell diet tonic in cans. If so, you could also bring it on as part of your 12 nonalcoholic can alottment.

You missed the point completely. Your life will be much more pleasant if you spend less time worrying about what others are wearing and focus more on yourself. What I or anyone else wears to the dining room has absolutely ZERO impact on you. If you are really that bothered then perhaps you should spend your dollars on a more formal cruise line.

You assumed that I should think and feel like you. We’re a military family and are very accustomed to following rules of dress with all the dining outs, banquets, parades, etc. Carnival’s dress code does not stress us or diminish our vacation in the least. Matter of fact, it really isn’t much of a dress code. We would actually be dressing down on Carnival, LOL! Seriously, wearing a pair of pants is really not that difficult. But this discussion isn’t really about a dress code, imo. It is the difference between rule followers and those who choose not to follow rules.

I don’t k ow about most of you, but I don’t go on vacation to be the wardrobe police. Who cares what someone else is wearing? You clearly need to re-evaluate your priorities if someone else wearing shorts has such an impact on your life. Relax a little and enjoy that VACATION you paid to go on.

As of right now, Carnival has a dress code. That gives any paying customer the right to talk with Maitre’ds on enforcing said dress code. When Carnival no longer have a dress code, then your logic works and has merit.

well then tell them to do their job, the rules are in writing. The reality is people do not like confrontation and many people are afraid to complain.

Yes the dress code is in writing. However it is evident based on the many posts on CC: Not every Maitre’d enforces the rule even when told. At least Emcee tried. It is too bad that he/she got two Carnival employees unwilling to enforce the rules. Regarding the confrontation comment you made, again, it sounds like he/she tried. I personally would try also, but would not engage in escalated behavior (i.e. yelling or making a scene) that embarrassed me or my husband.

first of all they were posted about the same time and never saw the post. I find it hard to believe a Maitre'd would suggest he mind his own business. In my experience the front desk would also not suggest you mind your own business.

I reread Emcee’s post and the words “more or less” were used. I don’t find an employee responding in a negative or less than professional way as an impossibility.

extremely nice, been in the hospitality for 40 years, do I allow someone barefoot or shirtless in my restaurant, no. Why because there are rules and basic decorum.

So Emcee answered your question and provided the names & positions of the employees he/she spoke with. What more would you recommend someone do in that situation? Is there a better person to speak to?

Really a no win situation. If someone revives an old thread they get called out for doing so. If someone starts a new thread they get called out for not doing a search and seeing it was already discussed.

 

I personally like old thread recalls as I have not been here since inception and stuff pops up that I may have never thought of, but thanks to bringing an old thread back to life I now have new knowledge.

I agree with you, except when the same person revives like 5 old threads within minutes of each other. Then I wonder if that person is trying to be helpful or a nuisance or just bored.

Never seen that done. They do a lot of things differently on this message board and I'm just existing within the system. We usually get along Book Dragon, I don't know why you are trying to stalk me and call me out. I have no idea what you mean by cluttered the first page since posts go in sequential order but I think you need to take a chill pill!

Um...not trying to stalk you. Just trying to see if you were reviving old threads for a reason. Carry on.

Because no one talks about anything interesting anymore so I've been reading old threads? If we weren't supposed to look at them or comment on them they'd expire at some point.

No, they don’t expire unfortunately. Usually on boards, at least the ones I participate in, the Mods lock old threads preventing them from being revived and cluttering the board. Unfortunately the Mods do not lock old threads here and you have cluttered the first page with old threads.

This is the dilemma for me in a lot of purchases. My husband is usually the one reigning me in showing that it makes sense in the long run but I am always blown away with sticker shock.

This post was from 2017. Blackjack22, why are you reviving old posts today?

I think this was an incitement to smuggle! I'm in!

Just curious...Blackjack22, why are you reviving old threads today? This is like 1 of 5. So can’t describe this as a rookie move.

I think we should all get t-shirts to wear on our next cruise that say "I am not John Heald." ;p

Seeing as I am a 5’10, thin, African American woman with braids to her waist...forget it...JH and I could be twinsies! LOL!

I don't think JH has time for that nor cares.

I would think so too...until JH decided to create that FB post just about this. Plus JH visits here pretty often as you frequently see CC posts as a new topic on JH’s pg...just reworded with a made up name.

There is this thing called the "dumb tourist". The reason someone in another country will take USD is because, they know exactly what the exchange rate is, and will happily quote you a price in excess of what it is. Why you ask? Well, they know how to work over the "dumb tourist" who thinks, USD is accepted around the world, and if they collect enough on a weekly basis, they know they can make a 10 - 20% profit on the exchange. .

This is exactly what my daughter’s boyfriend and family said happens.

there are many conversion apps for phones, they definitely want your U.S. dollars more than their pesos.

Which is why I put the word “creative” in quotes because a lot of vendors are not using conversion apps. I’ll take the advice and real life experiences of my daughter’s Mexican boyfriend & Mexican family. But to each their own.

I read John's page daily, and I don't see any similarity in their writing at all. I could be being duped, but I don't really think so. I've seen several people on here accuse anyone who sticks up for Carnival of being an employee, John Heald himself, or a "cheerleader" of John. I just don't see it, and I hope nobody accuses me of being John or any of the others I listed for saying this.

Totally get what you are saying. However, I also read JH posts and have seen him respond in a similar mean, spiteful, attack sort of way. JH just deletes those posts, I guess after he realizes how bad he sounds. Whether ParrotRob is JH or someone else, what I mainly find telling is that JH felt the need to address this in an actual FB post. I don’t recall seeing him do that before.

I know what I know Mr Heald.

 

Signed: someone that’s actually been on the ship when all this was happening

So when I first read your accusation that ParrotRob was John Heald in another thread, I didn’t give it much thought to be honest. But seeing as how John Heald chose to address this issue by creating a post on his FB site solely to address that he is not ParrotRob...I am now thinking twice. Why create a whole post if this is false? Hmmmm....I do have to say that if ParrotRob is John Heald, he is not representing Carnival very well with his mean posts and tendency to call others names.

There is absolutely no reason to change your currency in Mexico. You will lose more money on the exchange and exchange back, everyone takes dollars.

My daughter and her Mexican boyfriend frequently spend time in Mexico because his family has a second home there. Her boyfriend and his family recommend bringing some pesos with you because you can get a better deal from vendors using pesos. Vendors will quote a higher price if using dollars. Some vendors are “creative” when it comes to exchange rates. Based on their experiences, we will be bringing pesos and dollars.

DRMAITRED@carnival.com

I’ve read others have experienced success by shooting an email. You may not receive a response but emailing may still work.

Love my TA too! I would buy discounted gift cards and she would apply them towards the balance. I would call or email pmts whenever I wanted for however much I wanted. Once cruise was paid off, she sent me all the docs/luggage tags in a nice pkg, and she purchased a lovely bday surprise for my husband that will be in the cabin when we board.

We chose Mr. Sanchos based on the many reviews/videos. Since I knew we wanted to get massages, snorkel, jet ski, and horse back ride (We’re active people!). I was able to choose the romance pkg (includes a covered pagoda thingie, table w/chairs dedicated server, and 30 min. massages for two, and a rose. Also based on the reviews, the drinks and food got consistent high marks. Figured it would be a good all inclusive experience.

Thank you for your family’s service and sacrifices.

:):):)