travlin

I didn’t think we could name companies. Allianz or Travel Guard/AIG are large companies that are excellent. You don’t need a broker. You can just go online and enter the information for options. You can call them directly. 

I suggest you check with other travel protection companies…especially for such a long cruise. There are extremely reputable ones out there. I know I can’t list them. They will cover items that the cruise line’s insurance will not. They typically cost the same or less than the ones offered by cruise lines and have better coverage. You want to look for things like medical coverage, evacuation coverage etc… Helicopter evacuation can cost up to $100,00. 

One of the reasons for price difference is that Princess and Celebrity often include their plus packages with initial pricing. Once you add similar perks to HAL, the pricing is much closer. You can price Celebrity and Princess with the packages. They are much closer.

TA’s often grab cabins and create a group when the prices are low. They can then offer a further discount of 10 - 15%. Additionally, they may be able to offer additional perks. These groups are simply a group of cabins and do not necessarily have anything in common other than the TA. Of course, they can also create a group for a large family, business trip etc… 

I am on Ruby now. They are very late disembarking. I am in Michelangelo. So many people coughing. Lots of people without masks. I just don’t understand why they are not wearing a masks around all these people. Self serve buffet is ridiculous given the number of Covid cases on the cruise right before this one. They should have had a mask mandate at least the first few days of the cruise.  I had a 10:20 disembark time. It’s 11 now. I am listening to so many people complaining about the cruise. Princess did not live up to its usual high standards. As an Elite member, I have had many cruises with Princess. This was very disappointing. 

Just now, azbirdmom said:

Red means do not disturb.  Green means room can be serviced.  You can activate these by clicking the icons down at the bottom of the screen.

I had NO idea! Thank you!

What does the red banner on the top of our electronic welcome door sign mean? I see some doors are green, others red and then others have none at all. 

Hmmm Interesting Yes. I wonder about the breakfast too. 

Are there any perks with a club balcony or is it just a larger room?

Thanks so much!

I haven’t sailed on the Gem. Are there electrical outlets next to the bed? I have a CPAP machine and am wondering if I need a longer cord. Thanks in advance for your help.

Anyone know the the Jewel is due for a refurb?

Thanks!

Do you need to pack beach towels for a Caribbean cruise with HAL?

HAL used offer a cruise  purchase a package of 16.9 ounce bottled water to your cabin at the beginning of trip. Is that no longer a possibility with HAL?

How many Gala nights are there on a 14 day cruise?

I meant to post more than I did. I bought the platinum internet package, but it can only be as fast as satellite allows. I am back in San Juan. I enjoyed the cruise. The islands are gorgeous, but they are recovering from the hurricane. The devastation is still very apparent. I won’t spend time talking about excursions since I didn’t do many of them.

As I said, this was my first Carnival cruise. I have been on 16 cruises so far. There are some things Carnival does very well. I did FTTF. That is well worth the price. Debarking today was a breeze. Actually, the entire process once in the port was the best I have ever encountered. I did see the drug dog “hit” on two couples. They were removed from the line. That was a first for me. Hopefully they were false alerts,

Dining: I only ate in the dining room twice. Remember, food taste varies from person to person. The first night my chicken must have worn a training bra because her breasts were tiny. The sausage stuffing was not good and looked very unappetizing. The first dress up night I had lobster. It was very, very good. Both nights, the service was fast and friendly. Other cruises lines seem to overwork the servers. As a result, I have waited a long time for each course. This is not so with Carnival. I ate on the Lido deck the rest of the trip and found food I enjoyed. The potato salad is yummy. I ate it every night.

Cabin: As I mentioned, I had a grand suite. I used my balcony a lot. The bed was the most comfortable cruise ship bed I have been on. My cabin steward, Kris, was the best. He is super friendly and has a great sense of humor. The shampoo is terrible. I expected that since most cruise lines have terrible shampoo. The towels were huge! I did smell cigarette smoke while on my balcony. I couldn’t tell where is came from. That isn’t Carnival’s fault.

This is by far the friendliest cruise staff. Everyone was super nice....well...except the sandwich guy who was cranky. That’s ok.

Cons: 1. I was frustrated that I could never hear announcements. Typically I have been able to tune the tv to a channel once I hear those chimes and listen. I felt out of the loop. I was told I missed announcements about Tropical Storm Isaac. 2. The ship isn’t as open and airy as other ships I have been on. 3. This was a party ship. There was a lot of noise late at night from people who were obviously very drunk. I witnessed a physical fight between two women one afternoon. They were drunk. I know that Carnival sells itself as Fun ships. So, I expected it. Of course all cruises have drunks and party animals. This one was REALLY one big party. That is a con for me and a pro for others.

Please don’t flame me. I probably will choose another cruise line next time, I am just too old and boring for the party atmosphere. This has nothing to do with the cruise line. They offer a very, very nice product. I am glad I checked out Carnival.

Hi All! This is my first Carnival Cruise. I have sailed HAL, NCL, RC, Princess and Disney. I chose this cruise because I wanted to try Carnival and this itinerary is new for me. I am in a grand suite. I usually am in balcony rooms. I am not a partier so I won’t be offering opinions on those type of things.

Check in was easy with FTTF. Everyone was extremely friendly from the entry to my cabin. It was by far the

most pleasant check in I have ever experienced. My cabin wasn’t ready; it just needed vacuuming. I dropped off my carry on and went to try the famous Guy’s Burger Joint. It was sooo yummy! I plan to revisit.

The ship is a bit different from others I have been on. It doesn’t feel as open and airy in the public spaces. The halls are a bit tight on Lido Deck. However, my cabin hallway seems much wider. These are in no way criticisms. I have yet to explore everything and may find I am wrong.

I am back in my cabin and found my luggage waiting. This cabin is fabulous! I feel like a princess. The closet is a cruiser’s dream. Their are at least 16 drawers in the room. Plus there are shelves galore. The lamps have USB ports to charge phones etc. That helps a lot with the lack of plugs. Of course, that seems to be a cruise ship problem across the board.

I won’t update a lot, but I thought a new Carnival cruiser’s fresh view might be interesting. I am excited for the week. We haven’t heard if we are following our itinerary because of Tropical Storm Isaac.

Well. I am a dope. You are absolutely right. I read it as Barbados not Bermuda. Ugh. Sorry!

 

 

There was a link in the first post - about TS Florence heading toward Bermuda. Nothing at all about Barbados, which is what you seemed to be worried about. So still not sure where you got info about Florence heading toward Barbados??

I wonder where the OP got his weather forecast from?[/quote

 

I tried to include the link in original post. I guess it didn’t work. It was from Accuweather.

I alwys watch stormcarib for weather updates. They discuss florence and three storms to follow...

Thanks!

I haven't had any experiences with tropical storms. There is a possibility this one will head close to Barbados. Anyone know what Carnival does? I leave Sunday for a Southern Caribbean cruise on the Fascination.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/where-is-tropical-storm-florence-headed-in-the-atlantic/70005957

Hi

 

Of course we all have heard about people being left behind. You do realize that very often this happens to people that aren't mindful of the time.

 

Quite often if people are overdoing it at a local bar. Maybe just forgetting while shopping. Very possible when one forgets there is a difference between port and ships time. Often people involved in accidents. Agreed.

 

I have been cruising many years and have followed on these boards for a number of them, and I can't remember posts (not to say that I may have missed one) where busloads of people have been left behind because they went on a private tour. So, I imagine it is possible, just not likely.

 

You do need to use some judgement in your planning, but there is no reason to feel afraid. The cruise lines have used this concern, specifically brought up by them, just to take advantage of people's fears. They get their excess fee at the same time that they get their additional kickback from the local provider. It makes perfect sense for the company and it's bottom line, but for a family of five that just wants make their vacation dollar go further, a little common sense and some research will go a long way.

 

hope this helps

Please reread my posts. I don’t believe I said that busloads of people were left. I did say we all have different levels of comfort with excursions. I am far from a cruise newbie.

This makes no sense at all. Why would they call a name on the intercom if they are ashore. They know who is aboard and who is not.

Yes, that makes sense from what we passengers experience. However, as it was explained to me by a cruise director, they are making certain there wasn’t a mistake with scanning cards.