M2LR

How often does AMEX usually offer this? My final payment is due May 7th so I am wondering if there is a chance I'll see another promo like this once this one has ended or is it highly unlikely and I should just pay off my balance now with a 10% off gift card deal at my local grocery store.

Even if you are the major point person I still would make sure to get your fiancee involved in the planning process. It seems like most people who are disappointed by cruises either had unrealistic expectations or were expecting something else. I do all the planning but I still go over with DH and the kids what I am thinking about before I make any bookings to make sure we are all on the same page. 

Looking at itineraries I think Princess and HAL have the best (possibly some other luxury lines as well but those are out of the price range I've looked at) and I am someone who loves Carnival/Royal Carribean in the Caribbean, NCL in Hawaii. I agree that Princess is more kid friendly that HAL. We use Princess when I was a teen and was able to meet other kids my age and have a lot of fun, my FIL cruise HAL exclusively and has said there really aren't may kids at least when he goes maybe summer would be a little better. 21 years later what excursions do I remember the most from that first cruise to Alaska as a kid? I remember the puppies, lol, we visited a dog sled training camp and going fishing. From the land portion I remember the train ride which was amazing as well as staying a resort that had a McKinley view so take that with a grain of salt but that is what stuck with me.

I would definitely get her involved in the planning. My first cruise was to Alaska when I was 16. I don't think I had ever expressed any desire to see Alaska up to that point but looking at all the brochures and books and helping choose things is what really got be excited about going. I would send her a guidebook (ebook it sounds like, haha) and brochures and have her start looking it over. Just because she can't come up with stuff on the spot doesn't mean that she never will want to engage in the process. Maybe look up some Instagram travel bloggers and find people that have visited the cities you want to recently. In the end if you really can't engage her would you think about postponing a year or two. She might change a lot in the next few years as she becomes an adult.

At what age would/did you feel comfortable letting your kid sleep on the upper berth? Up to this point my oldest has always had the upper and his younger brother has gotten the sofa bed. Talking about this upcoming cruise the youngest has been pushing to have his turn in the upper. He'll be 6 by then but he is really petite for his age (42" and like 35lbs). I know there is no official rule just curious the general consensus for comfort level. (we do currently have a bed rail at home but that is more to keep his million stuffed animals in bed, haha)

I have my boys wear long khakis and polo shirts (but they get tennis shoes). They aren't huge fans but I think it is good experience for them to learn to dress up a little and that you can't live life in gym shorts and tees, haha. Usually they order from the kids menu which is your basic hot dog, hamburger, pizza, nuggets and kid friendly dessert choices. My older son has also ordered off the adult menu too when it was something he prefers (like a good steak). I would imagine if they didn't like dinner you could ask for something else but it might just be easier to have them pick at it and hit the Lido Buffet afterwards. My only weird suggestion is to bring a couple Benadryl with you. There are a lot of new foods on a cruise and it is easy with kids to discover a food allergy. It was on a cruise we discovered DS1 has a pistachio/cashew allergy. He developed hives and throat pain but the medical center was closed due to an emergency so having a couple Benadryl in my huge mom bag of all the medicines was a really helpful in getting him better quickly (I now of course travel with an epi pen and alert our table staff).  As for the kids program my oldest had fun, my clingy youngest wasn't a huge fan and didn't want to stay longer but there were plenty of other kids there looking like they were having fun so I think it was more his temperament than Carnival. This cruise I am hoping he gets more into it going into an older age group (he'll be 6 now) and just being more mature in general. You can google online and see activity guides for the age ranges penguins, stingrays, and sharks if you want to start prepping them on the type of things they might get to enjoy.

I did the social wifi last time. It was fine for just checking facebook and uploading pics but there were times it was so slow and I had to wait and try again. I tried to video chat on facebook messenger and it wouldn't work so I am assuming facetime would also require at least the value package if not the premium.

32 minutes ago, Oldskl said:

Look for a product called Super-Brella via the internet. Usually around $40 at Walmart. Folds into a small umbrella, light-weight, and expands to this wonderful tent. Weighs less than 10 pounds. I carry it on board with me, and yes on every flight since I hit the beaches every where I go. I have to travel for business and get away with family whenever I can...😎

That is exactly what I own. The thing is still almost as tall as me when it is folded (granted I am super short). I find it a pain to haul out to the soccer field much less across the country but to each their own. The one end is like a spike to go into the ground. I cannot believe they allow that in the main cabin when I had to throw away a pair of nail scissors years ago ( I am still bitter about that). EDIT: I checked it is 54"

18 minutes ago, soonernstlouis said:

  I hope at 4 years old she is potty trained so that not only her swimmy is protecting others from raw sewage.

 

His child is 6, not 4. I remember that because my youngest is almost 6. He's been potty trained for what feels like a lifetime and would be insulted at the implication he would not be 🤣. That being said I don't think neither he nor my almost 9 year old are appropriate for Havana. I mean possibly because they are not nearly so cultured and refined but also because they are kids and I never expect them to be mini-adults.

So wait you bring that thing to Brazil and the Philippines? I mean I was assuming you were driving to your cruises and thus that kind of made sense but how do you fly with that? I have one like that I bought for the kid's soccer/t-ball games to keep the kids dry and it still is large folded. What kind of oversized baggage fees do you pay on that? You can't bring it into the flight cabin I am assuming since it is way beyond a regular umbrella. Or were you just looking to name drop all the places you travel, lol.  I was onboard for supporting your disappointment but you've lost me on this umbrella segway.

Everyone else really covered the pros/cons but I thought I would add that you also get 10% credit back when you charge shore excursions. I am doing one port on our own to save even more but one of the ports it is going to be a long day with getting back close to the ship departure so I'd rather book with Carnival direct to get that guarantee they won't leave without you. Also I charged FTTF and got 10% back. I got it for the $250 bonus but really long term for that 10% extra off for when I need it. Generally the rest of my balance is paid by better offers like Amex or my grocery store has a great deal they occasionally run that includes Carnival cards which is much better than the points system offered by Carnival. EDIT: I know 10% off isn't that much money but I have good credit so one more card doesn't hurt me and every little bit helps go into the future cruising fund.

23 minutes ago, FlyingAnchor said:

Rookie Carnival question: If you book Early Saver (or any other fare category with a price guarantee) does the new rate have to be the same type of fare? Early Saver to Early Saver? 

 

I'm not incredibly familiar yet with the different fare rates Carnival offers...but made sure on my upcoming sailing to ask my TA for one with refundable deposit, ability to move to different date/sailing, and ability to reprice should the fare go down. 

It doesn't say you have to match Early Saver but most of the time the lowest rate is Early Saver anyways (they exclude super saver and anything that won't let you pick your cabin with the exception of pack and go) but that being said it really is a moot point for you since Early Saver fares always have a non-refundable deposit so there is no way that is what type of fare you have if you TA followed your instructions. If you cancel an Early Saver you can use your deposit towards future cruise within two years minus a $50 fee but I wouldn't consider that refundable.

45 minutes ago, Shirleybird said:

Interesting. I have never filled out the form. I have always just called and the adjustment was reflected on my account right away. I'm guessing that you should call back. Let us know what going on please.

 

Good to know. I thought the form was the only way to do it but it seems like calling is the best route when they just want to quickly send off rejection emails. I called back and talked to someone else who adjusted my rate no problems. This time I asked them to email me the confirmation so I'd have it in writing. I didn't end up needing that because I checked my account and it is now updated. They never explained why I didn't get the match but the rep was friendly so I didn't want to sound annoyed. I probably will switch to calling in the future. I like my price drops since I consider them extra "fun money" for onboard the ship.

I think I do have a PVP now, that is a good idea. I normally booked on my own but I had to call this time since I was having trouble tracking down my other family members VIFP accounts so I think she became my PVP.

I think whether or not the area was busy enough to necessitate the change isn't the issue, it is about perceived value and sales. Havana is usually more expensive and if you are gone in port most of the days it is harder to sell the value in a Havana cabin for just a few hours of exclusive access. I think this move will allow Carnival to justify a higher price tag. If it something that bothers you then I would sail on a ship without Havana. 

I always book the Early Saver rate because I when I book I know I am not going to be changing dates or passengers. In the past I didn't have any issues with the price guarantee form, it was quick and early. This time though I cannot get them to accept the new rate. I've double and triple checked it is the same dates, same category, comparing both rates before port taxes and fees, etc. I submitted it again in case it was a mistake but still denied. I called and talked to someone yesterday and they said they saw that rate and would adjust it but its been 24 hrs and my account still shows the old rate. Has it gotten harder to get these adjustments since my last cruise? This experience is making me want to never book with early saver again, am I a fluke? Any ideas what I could be doing wrong?

Personally it was worth it because my kids get hungry early so we were able to breeze through the lines before they got hangry and it was really nice to set down our stuff and not have to lug around everyone's carry on. Also we tend to take shorter cruises so we want to get to enjoying our cruise sooner. I think if it was just the two of us and we had a week long cruise it would be less worth it.

I thought Carnival no longer did lobster on cruises with 5 nights or fewer ? (on elegant night that is, you can still do the upcharge) Has that changed? Also is the order of menus the same every cruise? I thought you could look at the menus to get an idea of the types of things they served but not get an exact menu for each day.

Also for lunches we'll probably avoid the buffet for him other than grabbing some fruit. Guys, the BBQ and Pasta Bella we have more control over watching the food being prepared which makes me feel better. 

Definitely be careful at the buffet. On our last cruise is where we learned my son had a tree nut allergy after he had the tiniest bit of nut off a chocolate dessert.  Fortunately he has pet allergies too so I had benadryl on hand to give him immediately.  For our upcoming cruise I made note of it when I booked and will discuss with our servers but it still makes me nervous. My plan is to have him stick to ice cream and jello since desserts are easier to hide nuts in as well as always have my purse with epi pen and benadryl on me.

I went to Alaska with Princess.  I probably wouldn't take Princess anywhere else (I prefer the more fun adventurous vibe of Carnival or Royal) but they do Alaska really well.  I feel like if you go to Alaska and just do the cruise portion you miss out on so much. Princess has a really amazing land portion whereas Carnival just has the cruises and limited access to Glacier Bay. I probably would pick Carnival 9 times out of 10 over Princess but that 10th would be for Alaska since I am very itinerary driven.  

I've done Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL and Carnival and enjoyed them all. I did a ton of research and picked them based on my needs at the time. I think it is hard to compare since it totally depends where you are going and who you are which one is going to be "best". Princess was Alaska. We did their cruise land package. The hotel locations were amazing. I probably wouldn't sail them other locations since I like more of an adventurous vibe with more fun things to do onboard but they do a great job at Alaska. NCL we did for Hawaii which they do Hawaii so well. So much port time we really got to explore all 4 islands plus when you are limited on time off skipping all those sea days is huge. Royal Caribbean was our honeymoon in the Caribbean which I really loved that experience. I think they have the most amount of onboard activities if you lead an adventurous active lifestyle (I am the type to get bored sitting by the pool so I like all the ice rinks, huge slides, rock walls, etc). Carnival is what we've used most recently when we have kids. It was much more affordable when you are looking at the family of 4 so we can vacation more often. Also we are looking for shorter cruises since our kids still want time to visit Disney or go to the local zoo and Royal tends to use their older ships with small rooms for those cruises whereas Carnival uses ships that are more spacious and have been upgraded more to include the fun amenities. Will I stay with Carnival exclusively probably not but I try to treat each trip separately and figure out which cruise line makes sense.  Sorry for the ramble but I think things like room size and wifi vary so much ship to ship you can't always fairly compare so you have to look at the big picture.

I do know from previous comments in cruise critic that the Cheers package is more expensive in Australia. It is $119 pp per day which even with the conversion still is $83 USD vs Cheers on US ships longer than 3-4 days is $51.95 USD (or $61.30 as I don't think the Australian one charges a gratuity).  So you might find it harder to justify the package as worthwhile unless the drinks are much more expensive too.

I would start here https://www.carnival.com.au/cruise-ships/carnival-splendor.aspx as well as here https://www.carnival.com.au/news/carnival-splendor.aspx. She was dry docked in October/November before sailing to Sydney so even if people sailed on her before she's has changed so this might be the best place for up to date information.

Assuming the rules haven't changed you will only have an option to buy seats 48 hrs prior if you get basic, otherwise they are free at check in. Is it important that you guys all sit together? I pay more for main cabin since I like knowing that we can all sit together as a family since that is just easier with two small kids. They do try and sit together families but there is no guarantee that one parent won't get seated with all the kids while another is all the way across the plane. Also if the flight is oversold I like to know I already have my seats secured.