queenpailhead

7 minutes ago, beachbum53 said:

 

If you're planning to book any excursions through Carnival, it would be best to book them well in advance, especially those that have limited availability. For example, you could book a Beach Villa at HMC for $599.99. There are a limited number available  (five  I think), and they get booked very quickly. Take the time to look at the excursions offered through Carnival at each of the ports. If you see something that would be of interest to everyone in your family, book it as soon as possible. If you have any questions about combining the OBC, or booking excursions, call  Carnival Guest Services at 1-800-764-7419.

Unfortunately we were told you can't use the OBC until you board so we will be stuck with "leftovers" by then.

2 minutes ago, Denverdonkeys said:

you can use the tv or the Hub app.

 

keep in mind your OBC is spread across different rooms. each room needs to spend the OBC. so if you have a room with only minors they cant cash out the OBC in the casino or buy the drink package.

 

I say this, but I am not sure how the a single "account" with one credit card would affect how the OBC is applied to the group charges.

Thanks. i need to find this out. When we did 3 rooms for Royal we could basically spend the total, not just per room. In this case the room with 2 minors (they put my husband and I each in a room with a minor, then one room has 2 minors) has less OBC so we can probably use that on Half Moon Cay to rent kayaks or something. Thankfully the 2 rooms the adults are linked to have the vast majority of the OBC.

Basically I'll just try to spend the minors' credit first to ensure we don't end up stuck with it

6 minutes ago, tennboy1981 said:

Would you typically get 2 drink packages?  Meaning do you typically spend 300 dollars per person on drinks on a cruise?  Just think about that before you do it.  Could easily buy drinks a la carte and then cash the balance out in the casino.  Id cash it out and use it towards another cruise lol

On royal you can track your spending on the tv. Can you do that for Carnival? We didn't buy drink packages on Royal but could see where we were with spending...

Yes we got $2100, $1200 from cancelling the April cruise (2 rooms) and then $900 difference in price of the 2 cruises.

We may do the cash out thing. I think 2 drink packages and tips will take over half of it so really I guess we're looking to spend a thousand or less. Since there are 6 of us one excursion will be most of that if there is anything left to book when we board.

So due to my kids' activity schedules and the spring break cancellation our 7 day cruise in april became a 5 day in November. Thus, we have a metric butt ton (an actual measurement unit) of OBC spread over our 3 rooms (4 teens, 2 adults). My understanding is none of it can be used prior to boarding. Of course we will use $500 give or take for tips (do I have to go to guest services for that? this is only our second cruise and we prepaid tips on the last one), but what are the best ways to use the rest? I'm thinking internet for the kids maybe (which plan is best for teens??), and I think my husband and I may splurge for a drink package.

Are there many excursions left by the time you board? Our ports are Half Moon, Nassau, and Grand Turk. I'm not really interested in a photo package and we're on the Sensation so no good specialty dining options.

Wow I didn't mean to start a fight on here, just came back to this and saw it became a slight battle.

I have seen transport wheelchairs online for the same cost as renting a chair for a week. Any thoughts on me just purchasing a transport chair?? As noted DD is 113 pounds.

My teen DD is having major hip surgery in February now and we are cruising in early April for a week. She may still be on crutches. I'm not super concerned because she's young and in great shape but if she ends up getting super exhausted or something are there wheelchairs available or should I prerent a small travel one (she's very tiny, like 113 pounds). I searched but couldnt' find anything on someone who really would only need the wheelchair a little bit if at all.

So, I just booked the Legend western Caribbean cruise. Due to several unforeseen circumstances, we're now on a major budget for this cruise. I'm on the lookout for reduced price Carnival gift cards, checking my AmEx card regularly for their Carnival sales, and flying on a combo of points and companion certificates (2 full price, 4 "free").

We will have some OBC though. Can anyone give any tips/tricks for cheap excursions in Belize, Mahogany Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel? 2 adults, 3 teens and a preteen.

Thanks all, I'm getting some quotes now on the Legend cruise.

Just now, jsglow said:

 

Now your figurin' this out girlfriend.  Enjoy.  May you never set foot in another Diamonds Intl., ever again.  (Unless you actually like that.)

ha no. I am definitely a shopper but not really on cruises.

I'm not in love with Cozumel but I'm sure the other 3 ports we can find unique things to do.

Just now, jsglow said:

Here's one other thought queen.  Have your kids help pick the excursions.  It'll help them develop a love for traveling and experiencing different things.  Our best one ever, a day with the native Embara indian peoples in the jungle of Panama after a dugout canoe ride on Thanksgiving day when they were perhaps 17 and 15.  Opened their eyes to folks that were very different from them

Thanks! Great idea. I definitely want one "just leave me alone on the beach" day lol. But I'll give them some choices in whatever ports we decide to do excursions. We did a snorkeling trip in St. Martin that was amazing, 4 different areas. We all loved it.

1 minute ago, mom2girls said:

The Legend was my favorite ship until the Dream Class came. The Conquest class(Glory) is my least favorite. So, I’d likely go with Legend or Magic. Because I’m doing the exact same itinerary on the Miracle in a few days, I’d probably go with Magic. I’ve also done that itinerary on the Legend once before. One of my favorite cruises. 

I see you're a mom... are your kids older and do the cruise with you? if so did they have enough to do on the ship?

14 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I think this is a tough call queen.  First off, none of these ships will anywhere approach Allure in terms of amenities.  Many Carnival loyalists (myself included to a point) actually prefer that.  I have exactly zero desire to go to sea and practically not even know I'm at sea with all the do dads if you understand my meaning.  So I'm just bracing you for that.

 

The 3 ships you mention are from 3 separate Carnival classes ranging from Legend at 88k tons up to Magic at something like 120k.  I have sailed on all 3 classes and like them all with Magic being perhaps my favorite ship to date.

 

Here's what I think I'd do if I were you.  Take the Legend.  Those are the best ports on the list and a nice ship that is MOST different from your prior Allure experience.  It'll give you a real point of comparison to the actual type of cruiser you are.  Perhaps you'll really love being at sea on a vessel completely unlike one of the big monster floating hotels.  Make sense?  Not saying it'll happen when you have a ton of kids but my wife and I now lean toward small ship cruising (so much more personal with out of the way ports) aboard brands like Windstar, etc.  By going from Allure to a smaller Carnival ship, you'll get a little taste for that at a 'mass market' price point.

Thanks so much for this! I'm leaning more and more toward the Legend simply because that takes us off the ship more days. I fear that my kids may get bored onship. On the allure we basically let them go to the teen club til dinnertime on sea days then they had a "curfew" thereafter but there was never a lack of things to do or places to explore. I'm thinking the Legend may not be the same for them.

Question- any thoughts on shows and food? We only did a couple shows on Allure but did enjoy the gameshows. We are dining room people for dinner but what about breakfast/lunch on these ships?

21 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

If I was picking a cruise for the ports, I would go with Legend. If I was picking the cruise for the ship, I would go with Magic. There is also a lot to be said for a cruise that is a day longer for a similar price.  One point you didn’t mention is traveling to the port. Would you be flying or driving to these ports?  That would be another issue I would factor into my decision. 

We would be flying to any of the 3 ports. Connecting through Atlanta on all 3. I also looked at the San Juan sailing but due to some family stuff I don't think we can get there the day before and  really really fear not making it the day of

My husband and I are novice cruisers- one cruise last summer on the Allure of the Seas. We'd be cruising with 3 teens and a preteen, 2 rooms (unless we get a great deal on 3). Has to be certain dates so the ones that work as of now are:

Legend out of Tampa- ports are Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel

Magic out of FL- half moon cay, grand turk, amber cove

Glory out of NOLA- Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

Prices are similar although the Magic is a day less. Ports are most important to my husband (and I know they can reroute us with no notice), ship is more important to me. Keep the kids in mind as well. Anyone have suggestions on which to do? I've read so many reviews my eyes are crossing. Pros/cons of any or all of these ships or ports?

I know all of these will be a step down from Allure but also half the price (and no RC cruises fit our dates and are similar in price).

Oh, thanks! I didn't know the rooms were different on Infinity. The embarkation lunch and wine seem worth it. And I think you get a slightly speedier check in?

New to Celebrity, 4 day Infinity cruise just after Christmas. SHould I book concierge class for $60 more? They just started free perks (wifi, classic beverage and $150 pp OBC). Also, I can not prepay my tips and have it deducted from my OBC right?

Man yall have given me even more to think about. For the 2 port days I'm not concerned but 2 sea days makes me more concerned. I can lay by a pool for a while but my DH is a "wants to do stuff" kind of man. I see mini golf and the casino but are there lots of onboard activities? We can of course hit some shows in the evenings, but on our other cruise there were trivia games, he played volleyball, etc. 

We love good food. We're not super fancy but food is definitely a concern. I'm a little wary hearing that the food isn't great or even good. I do like that Guy's and Blue Iguana are included. But if the food is outright bad that makes me nervous.

34 minutes ago, BoDidly said:

Well ,let me think about this for a sec  !   Warm tropical islands Vs Freezing cold weather were as I may break a leg coming down an ice filled mountain.   Tough choice 😁 !

Ha! Well the only time I love the cold is when I'm skiing or sitting in a hot tub when it's freezing cold out (seriously if you haven't gone hot tubbing in sub zero temps you're missing out, it's amazing)

1 minute ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

I'm curious where you are reading these reviews of Elation.  Got any links?  We are booked on Elation in May (out of Canaveral) for that same itinerary you are looking at (I assume - 5 Day).

 

The possibility of being re-routed always exists - Mother Nature, Poseidon of the Sea, dumb luck, call it what you will.  In late-Nov you will be at the very tail end of hurricane season, so that probably won't be a factor.

 

But anyway, the reviews you've been reading would be for cruises out of Jacksonville vs Canaveral.  So that in and of itself may be either all the difference in the world, or a complete red herring.

 

I would just book the cruise, if the itinerary was that ideal.  The ship is a bit smaller than some, which I personally look forward to for our cruise - it will be different from Liberty and Sunshine.

 

But that's IMHO, YMMV, may result in the head of a golden retriever, etc.

 The reviews were on Cruise Critic on the Elation page. I'll have to go back and see what specific sailing but they were from Dec 2018 which is what concerned me as I plan to sail in Dec 2019.

So DH and I were toying with a Thanksgiving cruise but for several reasons now we're looking at an after Christmas, and I LOVE the itinerary of the Elation post-christmas with Amber Cove and Grand Turk, 2 stops we are interested in. However, I'm reading reviews of Elation and most of the Dec 2018 ones are bad. Really bad. Our only other cruise experience is on the Allure and I know that I can't compare as she's like the mother of all ships, but this time we're going child free. It's one of the only cruises that fits our timeline and goes places we want to see. But... I also know the possibility of being rerouted are there and being stuck at sea.

Is Elation really that bad as a ship? What are the possibilities of missing those ports? Should I scrap this all and book us a ski vacation that week? lol

No kids this trip! If so I likely wouldn't consider celebrity and go back to a "megaship." 

So I've only cruised once, on Allure of the Seas this past summer in 3 balcony rooms with our 4 kids. Dh and I are looking for a shorter Thanksgiving 2019 cruise and are batting around 4 right now... another RC cruise, 2 Carnival, and Celebrity INfinity to Key West/Bahamas. We found a pretty good deal but I'm a major researcher and while info on Carnival and RC is pretty easily obtained, Celebrity doesn't seem to have the same info out there. I figured this was the place to ask...

So, a few questions (and I'll take ANY other info you think I need):

Classic beverage- I'm not a huge drinker but am I going to be frustrated by the limitations of the package?

What is the main attraction of Celebrity? (like RC is known for entertainment, Carnival low prices/party atmosphere, etc)

We may go cheap, but we've also priced out balconies through some TAs and all of them are pushing the concierge class- from what I'm reading the perks aren't that thrilling though. Thoughts?

Finally, the reason I have been considering the Carnival cruises are the ports- one goes to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios (don't care about OR but would love to go to Grand Cayman) and one goes to Grand Turk/Amber Cove, and Grand Turk really interests us. Infinity goes to Key West and Nassau, and I know nothing about Key West's port really and I've heard Nassau is the "worst" of the Bahamas ports. 

The new food venues intrigue me for Sunrise. And DH and I would totally do the ropes course. Ugh decisions! I was down to 2 choices for Nov 2019 and now I'm up to 4! 2 CC, 1 RCI, and a Celebrity

2 minutes ago, Bookster99 said:

My favorite drink deal is the free champagne at the art auctions. I always enjoy the presentation, and on my last cruise even won a bottle of champagne to take back to my room!

Yes we did that too. I realize how cheap I sound but I'm really NOT that cheap and we did buy several pieces of art. Due to our purchases we got invited back to a second private auction- more champagne. My husband actually won a bottle at EACH auction and our concierge gave us a bottle, as well as guest services (the latter 2 were due to a very, very, very minor room issue they rectified immediately and honestly we didn't need any compensation for it). We had so much champagne we returned with 2 unopened bottles.