Davey Wavey

Mine starts with 6. I do spend enough in the casino, $1000 budget for gambling, that I don't exceed. I have had a $6000 S&S balance. I have sailed with Carnival 5 times before, most recently in November, 2013. We are Gold level. I do fill out the email surveys they send every time, and have never been critical on them. I never have gone to an upcharge restaurant. I have bought Carnival excursions, but only on our first cruise back in 2006. My offer looks like the other letters that have been posted, but mine says it was from Carnival Players Club.

When some PVPs say it is a casino offer and some say it is random, maybe it is because it is different marketing efforts at the same time with a similar offer? Maybe it is all the same offer that Carnival (needing to fill up some underbooked ships) floated to different divisions and asked them to offer up some people to receive it? Maybe we should DEMAND Carnival give us answers for all the chaos and tears (happy and sad) they are causing some people? Do you HEAR us, Carnival???

Go ahead, hammer away people. Guess I'm the fool for thinking the food I get on board is not contaminated and have no common sense related to food safety. How I managed to live 50 years is beyond me :rolleyes:

Just lucky I guess. :p

Where is your proof that the offer was sent to Random people, or are you just regurgitating what you've heard/read on other threads?

Regurgitating...because that's all we have.

It is interesting to see some people think it is some sort of reward for undeserving people, or a promotion to lure back dissatisfied customers, or a lure for long absent customers, or a punishment for good customers, or a random drawing of stones from a hat, or comps for casino spending, or perks for shop spending, or targeted marketing for certain regions/age groups.

There is no proof that I have seen, yet some people are certain enough to alter their cruise plans. Some say they are canceling, some say they are booking where they would not have otherwise. And only Carnival knows for sure what they are doing...maybe.:rolleyes:

On our last cruise, we had zone 2 through the premier casino cruise program. We were not leaving until the following day, so we hung out on the ship until the cruise director came up to us and said, "If you're trying to be the last ones off the ship, you made it!" You don't have to go during your zone, but you know most people are trying to leave asap.

^^What Prospector said. FTTF stuff didn't show up until about 5 minutes after I had purchased it. I reprinted the luggage tags and boarding pass a few times before it showed up.

It really looks random who got these offers. I was on 2 Carnival cruises last year, the most recent in November. I didn't complain. I did complete the online survey after each cruise and had nothing but great ratings. I do spent plenty in the casino and in the shops. I have booked Carnival excursions, but usually use 3rd party. I have received Players Club offers before, notably that cruise in November was a premier cruise.

So this promo looks to be just filling some underbooked ships with previous random customers.

Was this offer from Infinity Travel or Carnival? We received something from an Infinity travel and threw it away because we thought it was a scam.

I got both. I received that scam letter from Infinity Travel first. It looks very similar to the one from Carnival, using Carnival logos all over and saying free cruise.

Congratulations on your good fortune!

 

From everything I have read, it seems like Carnival is using this incentive to get past guests back on board if they haven't cruised in a while.

 

It seems really odd to me that Carnival rewards those that are not their best customers, but isn't rewarding its best customers in the same way.

 

I guess the underlying message sent is that if you want the offer, you have to jump ship and avoid Carnival. :-)

I just booked my wife and I on an 8 day balcony S. Carib from Miami on the Breeze for $408 total including gratuities. I went on 2 cruises last year and decided that was enough for awhile. This offer just arrived 3 months after our last cruise. Maybe it is some sort of random thing for all past guests?

I think anytime I have seen someone 20ish even standing to watch (table games), they ask to see the S&S card to verify age. I don't know how tightly they police standers-by at the slots.

This was an old post...

But, RCI used to offer a good program of 1 week of timeshare for a 7 day cruise for 1. Now, that 1 week of timeshare will get you about $100 off rack price. Better to just let the points expire and get a better price elsewhere (at least through RCI).

I have had better luck with their travel agency's prepaid cruise vouchers, but even that is hit or miss unless you already have a specific cruise and price in mind.

So, more info on dealing with the Fun Shop jewelry store on Carnival Legend:

My original post

Two weeks after returning the ring and pendant, the company (Starboard Cruise Services), called to say they had the merchandise but needed the sail date, ship and room number to process the refund. "Carnival won't give us this information." Another 3 weeks passed. I called my bank to ask how long to wait before filing a dispute. They asked for copies of the warranty, tracking info, and details of contacts with the company. They issued a credit right away and sent a chargeback to the company. Apparently, some companies try to hold up refunds until the 30 or 60 day dispute period has passed. Another 2 weeks went by when the company called to ask about the chargeback. She said they had no information about me or my purchase or any return. In her words, "And if you returned something to us, where is the merchandise?" I told her I provided the tracking info, store receipt, return form, and info about their previous call to my bank. She put me on hold for a minute and then came back...now suddenly aware of me and my purchase...and said, "You need to call your bank and cancel the chargeback. We processed your return just this morning. You should see a credit on your statement today or tomorrow. So, call right now and cancel the chargeback. Goodbye."

Obviously I wasn't going to cancel anything, especially since a credit from the company would resolve and cancel the chargeback. That was 2 weeks ago now and no credit has ever shown up. I am SO glad I used that Chase sapphire card with their good customer support and SO sorry I ever bought something expensive like that from a cruise ship jewelry store. I will share this with Carnival about their vendor and warn everyone I can to just be very careful in buying expensive stuff on the ship with the potential for having to deal with problems remotely. I am guessing and hoping this was an exception to how they deal with problems.

Well, thanks for the advice. It is hard to have a good relationship with a jewelry store when the only jewelry I ever bought was our solid gold wedding bands for $80 from Target 20 years ago. :) My wife is a nurse and was never allowed to wear anything but a wedding band, so never wanted any jewelry. And the wedding rings cannot have raised stones that can tear gloves. So we never looked until now at rings with embedded stones in a flat surface. I will look at Sam's and Costco first and then a few local stores before I get her involved again.

I will say the salesman wanted me to put the purchase on my sign and sail card but I used a Chase Sapphire card. I always use it for anything travel-related or questionable or internet or problematic. It has THE best customer service when there is any problem. They are absolute bulldogs in getting your money back. It's nice to have the "big bad bank" on your side sometimes.

I really didn't like not knowing anything about diamonds when purchasing such an expensive thing, which is actually why I was looking in those places in the first place. I figured that between Carnival's guarantee and the "big name" store's guarantee, I would at least not end up with pretty glass or fake gold. That was also why I was so interested in the 1 year "any reason" return policy. I was going to have it appraised to make sure the diamonds matched what the certificate said (VS1, E-G, 2 ct is what I remember even if I didn't know what that meant). I didn't necessarily expect to get a better price aside from avoiding the 9% sales tax here.

Just back from a cruise for 20th anniversary and had decided to buy my wife a wedding band. We have only had our plain gold bands and it was time for her to have a really nice band. We looked in the Fun Shops just to compare before looking in ports. Of course she found a perfect ring, but we still looked at stores in Belize, Roatan, Cayman, and Cozumel. Diamonds Int. said if we picked one, they would have it sized by the time we returned. But she was set on the one on the ship.

The jewelry has a 1 year "return it for any reason" guarantee and a 2 year "defect or loss of gems" warranty. The salesman said it would take 14 days for mailing, sizing, and return...postage and everything would be paid by them. However, they couldn't send it directly after purchase. We would have to do it. He kept saying we could get it done by a local jeweler at home for about $25 if we didn't want to wait the 2 weeks. He didn't mention that the warranties are void though if you don't get all repairs and sizing done by them. But we noticed. So we bought the ring and as a surprise I got a matching diamond pendant.

We got home and pulled up the form and mailing instructions to find that: 1) we had to pay postage and insurance ourselves -- $69 for regular mail and enough insurance to cover the high price of the ring, 2) the wait was 4 months! We called the company to make sure it was really that long and they confirmed 4-5 months for just sizing. So, we used that return it for any reason guarantee and sent them both back at our expense. The good news is now I have to schedule another cruise to find another ring in port. :D

If you put a scoop of Vanilla ice cream (go dairy!) and 2 fresh raspberries (yay fruit!) on top of the chocolate melting cake, it becomes very healthy. Just try it and feel the pep!!

Not nosey, curious !!! lol I wasn't offered anything, nada, nothing probably because I already have a cruise booked... I did, however, mention to Marti that we are considering cancelling the Sunshine and booking either the Breeze or Victory for a b2b as its cheaper for us, no airfare and she did tell me to call her back if we were going to do that but didnt mention why...

 

The only thing she told me is that there would be cash waiting for me at the Casino Cage but nothing else was mentioned... I would definitely call, and let me know if they offer you anything different with the same code... Good luck

At the end of our last cruise, we got the BBC code letter on the last night. The letter actually stated something like "we see you are already booked for a cruise...please call us and mention code BBC to see what amenities you will receive." Before I could do that, there was a postcard waiting on home with the premier cruise PC4 code that applied to the cruise we had already booked for November. I called about the BBC thing and they told me to call back in a few days as they hadn't received the records from my last cruise. Knowing the premier cruise thing books up fast, I switched my booking to PC4 then called about the BBC thing later. That wouldn't tell me what a BBC code offers and just kept telling me the amenities we received from the PC4 code. I called a few times to ask. I even asked about booking a cruise BEFORE that November sailing using the BBC code and they still never said what I would get. SOMEONE needs to find out what's in that code!

I love roulette and always tip the guy that spins the wheel, but I do not know how to place a bet for him/her. Any hints on how to do this? dot

Just place your normal bet and put a bet down for the dealer. If it wins, give all of it or split it halfsies with the dealer as a tip. But of all the times I have seen people tell the dealer, "this bet is for you," they have always taken the winnings and walked away and left nothing for the dealer.

I was still surprised how few people were tipping the dealer (or even the drink servers).

I have sat at roulette all day long on a sea day and would bet that the dealers received less than $50 tips all day. At at typical 2 hour rotation they would cash out 3 or so $1 tips plus my 15. My wife and I were just aghast to watch people come through and play out a few hundred and not even toss a $1 chip to the dealer. But I guess tipping is a personal thing...

The players club does really suck :)

I love em. They have only been good to me. :)

This is an interesting thread. I did a little research online before considering it. I read in a few places that most people can only eat about a tablespoon or two of food per meal, sounds like that's a myth based on this thread.

Immediately after surgery, the stomach has been reduced to the size of your pinky. So, yes, people will only be able to eat a tablespoon or two of food per meal. But the small stomach will eventually stretch out with 2 years being the average time for it to reach its final size. People who cannot control their eating can stretch it out to the size of their original stomach. Some even go back and have the surgery again. But people who follow the program will end up with a stomach that holds about 2 cups. Last I checked the surgery had a 70% success rate.

I had a roux-en-y and have traveled a Carnival ship 4 times since. As you know, you may experience dumping syndrome if you eat refined sugar, honey, or high fructose corn syrup...or you may not. It is different for everyone. For me, I have severe reaction. Here is a story of my first cruise after surgery:

We slept well the first night and woke at 10am for the first sea day. DW and I went down to the main atrium bar to listen to music. DW ordered a pina colada, so I did the same. They are made with a mix with plenty of sugar. Within 5 minutes, I had to run back to the cabin and collasped into bed for a 3 hour nap. The ringing cabin phone woke me up. It was Camp Carnival calling to say my 6 year old was crying and wouldn't talk to anyone. "Oh there she goes! Sorry to bother you!" Next thing I know, DW keeps yelling my name over and over. I said, "WHAT? Don't you see I'm on the phone??" But no words came out because I was face down in the carpet. I was literally ON the phone as I had pulled it off the wall and was laying on it. I fainted so quickly I didn't even know it had happened!

So, that was my only sugar since I had surgery back in 2006. I ask the cooks or chef what is in items on the buffet. Sometimes I just ask if it is sweet (stuff like breads, soups or salad dressings). Sometimes I ask to see labels if possible. But I have no trouble finding plenty to eat, especially from the good variety of main dishes and entrees and from the many specialty restaurants. Nice thing about the buffet is I can get the really small portions and don't have to through away half the food like I do in the dining room. Dessert they usually have a sugar free layered cake (the sugar free cheesecake is a jello concoction that I cannot tolerate from taste to texture) on the buffet and on the dining room menu, but this last cruise I had to ask for it most of the time. You can also request sugar free vanilla ice cream in the dining room. Any type of juice, I ask is it 100% or is it a juice "drink." I never try the rum punch or mixed drinks as many use a juice drink or a sweetened drink mix. If you have sensitivities to any food item, let your head waiter know and they work very hard to accommodate you. You may also consider that you can carry on up to 2 12-packs and may want to bring your favorite diet soda. The only "free" sugar free beverages are water, coffee, and tea. Milk is available at meals and on the buffet. Orange juice (very strong almost like concentrate without enough water...great in Mimosas, needs more water otherwise) is available at meals in the dining room and from the dispensers during breakfast...otherwise it is charged just like any other drink from the bar.

My biggest advice to you is a few months after surgery, your stomach will still be very small. Don't let all the food make you eat too much. Know how much you can eat at a sitting and what your food limitations are. Experimenting on a cruise ship is not a good thing. If you get sick, your care could be a really big expensive problem. Request small portions when you can so you don't feel compelled to eat more than what is comfortable. Don't eat until you are full or you will probably be miserable. Your doctor will tell you to drink lots of water anyway, but be prepared to increase drinking your water. It'll probably be hot and you may be more active than normal. My next near fainting came after drinking only 7 bottles of water on the morning we hiked through the Belizean rainforest...and it wasn't that strenuous.

Hope all that helps.

I tip the roulette dealer $2 for every win on a $44 bet. The pit boss usually starts offering free drinks within a few hours. I get the Drinks card on day 2 or 3. I don't drink so they usually laugh if I ask for an orange juice. I have never tipped the waiter. The pit boss signs for the free drinks that they offer directly, so I thought the gratuity for free drinks came from them...guess I need to fix that. I order pina coladas for my wife and the pit staff run em down to her at the BJ table for me. As a side note, I would be very concerned with the price if they weren't comped. I have seen the receipt be anywhere from $4.25 to to $5.95 to $7.25 for that same drink. Maybe they go on sale from one hour to the next.

Last year we rented an SUV from Dollar at the Orlando Airport and with 1 way rental fee was $68 (caught a sale $35.99 per day plus $32 tax stuff) plus $20 to top off the tank for the five of us. Can't beat the price for a big family. It's even a good deal and convenient for just two people. They have free shuttle to the cruise port. Did the same thing for the return trip. It was so very quick and painless especially if you sign up for that free Dollar express loyalty program. You can walk right to the checkout booth with no lines and your car is sitting right there to jump in and go. Longest wait was about 10 minutes to load the shuttle, and they had 3 shuttles waiting at the cruise terminal for the return trip that were constantly running. And I believe all the rental companies do it. We're doing it next week in Port Canaveral (no 1 way fees) and again in November for Tampa. The bad thing is, no chauffeur...you gotta drive it yourself. :)

Hi ej. We are doing very much the same as you, flying into FLL at $500 less than MIA. We are renting a car from Dollar at FLL, free pickup from the airport, and returning it to Dollar at MIA, free shuttle to the Miami port. We are doing the reverse on return. We will pick a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami since the location isn't important with a rental car.