Gypsywych

On 12/12/2018 at 2:26 PM, Domergirl said:

Hey all, I have 2 cruises booked for 2019.  We booked them back in July and August, and I just realized that I have not been watching the fares at all for price drops.   So now I go to do so, and lucky me...Fare Viewer is gone forever.  I was going to set up alerts on the CF site that is fishy, even if they are 99 cents each, but according to some posts on their home page, it looks like the fish might be dead, too.    I realize I can do a mock booking, but there are three separate bookings I'm monitoring, so it's kind of a pain.   

 

Any other options out there (even for a nominal fee?).   No travel agent...we booked directly with Carnival.   Thanks!

You may want to recheck that fishy site again.  Seems to be up and running. 

10 hours ago, bbtbear said:

Ok, great. I didn't want to violate any rules. The vendor is ThePlaidKangaroo on Etsy. Here's a pic of the banner she did for my husband's 50th, too, just to give you a wider idea of what she can do. Great stuff and she's just lovely to work with! 🙂 

 

 

 

Thanks so much! 

11 hours ago, bbtbear said:

Oh no! I didn't realize that would be a problem. I've never tried to use the messaging system but you're right I wasn't able to message you. I don't think that I'm allowed to post the vendor name here, am I? Want to give me your email address and I'll send you a link? She really is wonderful. I also had her do a banner for my husband's birthday party.

You can tell us the name of the etsy vendor as long as you aren't trying to sell anything and the etsy vendor isn't a travel agent. 

Thanks again.

3 hours ago, bbtbear said:

I found a vendor on Etsy who made our door decoration for us for our upcoming Cruise. I was able to customize all kinds of details here including our hair length, what type of drinks we will be holding, Etc. I have to get this laminated before we go so that it passes the flammable test. I adore it. Not nearly as elaborate as many decorations, but very personalized, easy to pack, and just too cute. Free to message me if you should want the Etsy vendor's information.

 

 

Has CC's messaging system ever worked?  I'd really love the vendor information.  Your sign is just too adorable! 

Thank you!  

2 hours ago, coevan said:

if you can afford a suite, you can afford a dollar a day

Asking for details on where the money is going is not the same thing as "I can't afford it".   Way to jump to conclusions. 

Pros:

A longer cruise with new and different ports

Fewer kids

Older crowd, so fewer people just hanging out on the pool deck.

More daily activities added.

Different menus than the normal 7 day.

The Platinum/Diamond line at Guest Services is longer than the ordinary line. (For free entertainment, have a drink close to the desk and eavesdrop on complaints)

Cons:

More expensive

Older crowd, so the sidewalks roll up after 10 pm. More people hanging out in the casino.

More people to cheat at trivia.

The Platinum/Diamond line at Guest Services is longer than the ordinary line.

You tend to spend more money onboard.

Ours was amazing. Can't wait to do it again, but I think our next one will be on an updated/newer ship with more amenities. As much as we love the Spirit class, as much as we love just sitting on the balcony watching the water...... we were a bit bored by Day 10. Next time I'll bring an extra book and spend more time at the gym.

Example: Many lost most of a day in port in San Juan because he would not let them disembark until certain guests showed up in the theater so that they could all go ashore at the same time. After awhile it became clear that those guests had already gone ashore earlier and would never appear in the theater.

Never an oops! or an apology.

I don't believe this for several reasons. The CD has ZERO say on boarding and debarking, out of his bailiwick. Why would all the guests (3000) go ashore at the same time. Many times we just stay aboard.

The OP said "many" and "certain guests" NOT all.

Least beneficial piece of information on this thread.

 

Why do you come here when you’ve never sailed on Carnival ?

It's called trolling. Unhappy people need to disparage things that make others happy in order to get the attention they crave. Ignoring them is usually the best way to handle them.

Sheryl's Bahama Taxi & Tours. They'll pick you up at the port, and take you to lots of different and off the beaten path on the island. Local foods, local artists, very few crowds. You can tell Sheryl if there is anything special you want to see.

One of the best excursions we've had in the Caribbean.

Does the HUB app work on Miracle?

Yes, it works quite well.

it is plastic writstband that looks like this: https://travelwithsara.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Havana-band.jpg

A few of those have been seen up for sale on Ebay.

I looked back and just may have missed it, but what cabin type did you have and where was it located?

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/shore-excursions/port/474/

Here are some. You'll have to scroll lots to pick out the Carnival ones, but they are in there.

Here is a list from Carnival. Most have at least a few reviews.

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/havana##page=1

Carnival's "rules" are here: https://www.carnival.com/awaywego/cruising-fun/how-to-plan/everything-you-need-to-know-before-cruising-to-cuba

All the cruise lines' blurbs promote people to people as the OFAC reason to travel to Cuba so that they can sell a cruise-sponsored tour program.

However, careful reading makes it clear that any of the many choices do allow you to travel to Cuba and disembark. If the cruise line gives you a hard time and you just want to go with the flow to avoid confrontation, that's not a problem because they still cannot detain you on the ship if you do notbuy a tour and you instead decide you will disembark and be compliant with the "support for the Cuban people" OFAC category.

This!

Importantly for Carnival's passengers, you have a satisfaction guarantee and I am sure they will go out of their way to ensure your experience lives up to their promises: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478

Be careful with this. Carnival's guarantee is til the first stop which may, or may not be Havana. Also, read those rules for the guarantee very carefully.

We are booked on a Key West/Havana cruise on the Paradise next year. So far a private excursion looks better, less expensive and more comprehensive than most of the ship sponsored excursions. 8 hours is a long time. I'd much rather get my monies worth.

I'll see if I can re-find some of the excursion reviews I have read so far.

Yes, they are. We were on her in January.

It's been 5-6 years or so, but we booked a balcony on the Fascination out of Jax for a quiet anniversary trip and received an upgrade to an extended grand suite for $50 total. Completely spoiled my husband for boarding early. :rolleyes: Now he thinks he must get priority boarding all the time. :)

Is anyone able to tell me if the

Budget Rental

Westin Hotel (Downtown),L9B333 E Ocean Blvd,LONG BEACH, CA 90802 US

 

has a shuttle to the cruise terminal for carnival? Everytime that I call no one answers or returns my calls.

 

Thank you

They did not when I was researching our January cruise. We turned our rental car in the night before and called Uber.

Talk to your PVP as others have said. If you're rebooking another exact or similar cruise they most likely will work with you.

If you do not have a PVP, contact Mischelle via the Carnival Cruise facebook page, and she will put you in touch with Customer Care.

We sure did. If it wasn't for Havana I would have not been a happy camper. I only wish the casino and pizza place backed up to it. If they did, I would have had no use for the rest of the ship.

Havana, Ocean Plaza and the Red Frog Pub. Only reason we'd sail the Vista again. We didn't try the pizza place on the Vista, they couldn't keep up and people were waiting an hour for a slice. The Lido/Tides pool areas were so overcrowded they were ridiculous. It's a shame because the Vista was gorgeous.

Hey Carnival, one of the best cruises we ever had was out of Norfolk. Easy embarkation, easy debarkation, and a fantastic 7-day itinerary to Bermuda.

Just a suggestion for the future!:D:D

Where did you visit?

Will you share a few photos?

Why would you have anything IN the luggage under your bed? You know your cabin DOES have drawers and a closet or two or even three, right?

 

And yes, to answer your question, I would gladly eat a $300 hardside for a free cruise.

I can't speak for everyone, but we throw our dirty clothes into a mesh bag that we keep in one of the suitcases under the bed. Depending on what day of the cruise we're on.... that suitcase could be holding quite a bit. :)

My husband is a Type 2 diabetic and for us, it is all about the choices we make. Neither of us cares for the aftertaste of Splenda or saccharin, so we prefer to make different choices. If the desserts look good, we skip the carbs at dinner and add more veggies. An extra couple of laps around the promenade, a longer after dinner stroll, or skipping those couple of beers might offset the extra at dinner.

We did not do a Carnival excursion (or any other, for that matter). We got off the ship and did our own thing. We DID ck of SFTCP on our affidavit, and had no problem. That said, I saw many in the terminal at checkin who were made (by Carnival) to change their affidavit from SFTCP to P2P before they were given a visa. Your PVP, and all at Carnival and most cruiselines, have really mislead guests int'l thinking they MUST book an excursion through the cruiseline. Bottom line: you have to do NO SUCH THING. No one checks anything. Look at the OFAC page of the US Treasury Dept website and make your own decision. We are headed back for our 2nd visit in March; no tour either time. Relax; it's wonderful.

That's what I thought, good to have some first hand information. Thanks.