FlaMariner

Called Carnival today....that was from the Carnival employee who answered the 800# this morning....

That is exactly what we will do! thanks for the info.

I called Carnival. Very helpful. I could visit with the dining room staff prior to dinner and ask for a table for two.....I could also provide a note on my cruise booking to request a table for two (but not confirmed). I've reached out to the TA to add the "table for two" request.... Also, I was told that having "fixed dining" is better for obtaining a table for two rather than having open seating. Thanks to all for the helpful intel......We look forward to our cruise and our table for two.

Wow, that is big....And we are traveling in a warm climate.....I'm not sure Her Majesty will allow this but glad to know it is an option.

We will be doing that....haven't done that since college. Thanks for the laundry intel.

I'd rather not lie.......but thanks for the tip. We are assigned early sitting....and nothing noting a request or confirmation for "table for two" seems to be available on our reservation. What's going to happen to us when we approach the MDR podium on day 1 and say "We would like a table for two, please"? Is it expected that we will be assigned a table with other folks for the entire 25 night cruise? I might prefer to walk the plank than endure that. Kill me now. LOL.

Hey @Taters, yes, we were with y'all on that great South American Oosterdam cruise! Thanks for the intel....as you certainly know where we are coming from....

Thanks for sharing the video & intel.......The pool seemed small? We may have to wait until we board to see for ourselves....And see what the price will be. The price is nowhere that I can discover when I log in.

It looks like we are turning "gold" during this cruise and I've read that Carnival lets you use your new level if it happens on the cruise....Don't think that is going to help out with laundry. Thanks for the details....Looks like we may be doing this dorm style with visits to the washateria. Will need to pack detergent pods. Thanks

Perfect! That will work well for us. Thanks,

Just awesome help @Haljo1935 ...and I know you would know from where I am coming from! Thank you.

Yes, our April Oosterdam cruise had the Dutch themed dinner in the MDR. I recall a great menu....pea soup is delicious....and also had an Indonesian entree...which, I learned, is very Dutch. It's good to see the "Dutch dinner" back...

It's been awhile since we boarded a Carnival ship.....We have booked passage on the Panorama reposition cruise from Singapore this fall......Can folks help us out on how these situations roll on Carnival? Holland America Line is our reference point. We prefer fixed dining (same time, same table for two, same waiters). We have early dining but no reference to a table for two. Will I be able to get a table for two, same time, same waiters for the cruise? We'd like to not stand in line each evening and simply head to our table. We enjoy wine at dinner. Are there reasonably priced wine bottle packages? Or how best economically to enjoy wine at dinner? We like the thermal suite. I do not see that it is available to purchase online in the spa listings. Any intel on the price and the experience? We enjoy the unlimited laundry service and we send out dirty clothes daily. Is that available on Carnival and how much? We'd appreciate any and all advice to help make this a great Carnival cruise!

I'd be all over that offer........congrats.

^^^This.... We just bought one way tickets thru the cruise line (Flight Ease on Holland America Line) for our TA in April for $485 each (AMS to ATL). I'll be watching the fares because (based on previous experience) the price may drop a time or two and the fare is such that you can cancel/rebook w/no issues prior to cruise final payment.

You will be fine...our last couple of cruises we have successfully boarded using the electronic boarding pass on the Navigator app....The only document we need in our hands is our USA passport. You are good to go based on our latest boardings. Enjoy the cruise.......and RVing along the way.

We saw a "rough draft" of the Origin Story on the maiden voyage of the Rotterdam in 2021. I say "rough draft" because they had many of the same slides from the Covid chaos and told the portion of the Origin Story dealing with getting the crews home during Covid. Once. It's a great presentation if you are interested in the history of Holland America Line....We love it and enjoyed it... The Origin Story has been shown on every HAL cruise we've boarded since Rotterdam 2021.......beginning with the Nieuw Amsterdam in late 2021 to the Oosterdam in 2024.

That's what happens if you don't tip the teamsters enough in Port Everglades......LOL.

Geeze...I just responded to a resurrected post from 7 years ago.....I need to get a life away from cruise critic....LOL>

We are carry on folks and I manage to wear a long sleeve dress shirt and kaki pants at "dressy night".....which meets the HAL dress code requirements..... Also, Her Majesty always looks great in her black dress......on "dressy nights". I don't think the amount of luggage hauled on board relates to what folks decide to wear onboard..... We are carry on folks but we do not own "beer ad" t-shirts. Enjoy the journey, no matter what you choose to wear onboard!

Yes We carry our luggage on and off these days.....We each manage with a carry on/roller bag and a backpack each. Why? With HAL laundry, we can easily travel with the carry on/roller bag each We avoid the wait for our luggage once onboard We avoid the teamsters and the tip when arriving at Port Everglades (and other ports) We avoid baggage fees when we fly Delta (and most flights, Delta gladly takes our bag and checks them for free at the gate) We use early dis-embarkation and love it...easy off and to the transport If land touring pre or post cruise, we can easily get around and with HAL's laundry service we either leave the ship with clean clothes or arrive on the ship with dirty clothes. I realize other folks have different experiences......but....Enjoy the journey and carry the luggage onboard!

I've used the term B2B "back to back" to define remaining on the ship for the next voyage.....no matter if it was the original port.

That's the way we roll also.....

Also agree with this.... We've done 3 B2B/Collectors cruises (since the unpleasantness/restart) and the price was always better booking as individual cruises vs the collector cruise......If booked as individual cruises, the shareholder, welcome back and other OBC offers may be more $$$ than if you just booked one cruise. Another choice is the cabin.....Perhaps one of the cruises is more port intensive and you may be fine with an inside cabin but then the second cruise you may want to bump up to a balcony.....or vice versa.... Of course, YMMV......and I'd suggest doing the math on both options.

Onboard the Oosterdam in April for a B2B..... The TA was full (as I was told) as was the 11 night Barcelona to Athens...and prices on the 11 night increased greatly in the last few months before showing "sold out". Also, Mother wanted to book a 7 night Caribbean run with the granddaughters.....the 1/4 NS price went from $565 to $850 to $1200 (inside guarantee) rather quickly......She missed out for now...still tracking.... We are tracking fall 2025 Europe and it seems the prices are higher rather early.... I agree with you, the ships seem to be filling up quicker than recent history....