bender031177

My family and I will need transportation from Port Canaveral Terminal 3 to Disney to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. We have booked with Mercado Transportation to move eight of us and our luggage. I just want to see if anyone has any horror stories I should be aware of. They seemed professional and the price seemed fair, just want to cover my bases. 

John Heald put a post on his FaceBook page in response to a person booked on the Mardi Gras in late February who asked if it was going to be cancelled. The post was from 1:00 PM July 6th and said " Hello mate, I will have news on the ship in the next 48 hours or so so please stay tuned and I will be here if you need anything. Thanks so much and hope to see you very soon having fun you so deserve"

15 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Of what year? There is a Nov 27 sailing in 2021.

I can't believe I missed that.

5 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

I just got off of Carnival's website and made an attempt to book a cruise for January 2021 on the Mardi Gras and was not able to.  The only sailings out of PC were on the Elation, Liberty and Radiance.  Carnival will tell their people to tell you it's still a go so that you don't  cancel and wish to get your refundable deposit back.  This way they keep more money  in the coffers and more cruisers in the dark as to what is really going on.

I wonder if it's regional? I just went through the booking for the November 27th sailing and got as far as the deposit screen without any problems.

I don't understand why everyone keeps saying the Mardi Gras is sold out until March. Carnival has bookings available on November 27th, December 4th & 18th, January 2nd and March 2nd. This is on Carnivals website and has been that way for more than a month. I am on the January 16th sailing and Carnival told me last week it is still a go. 

If Carnival has a sold out cruise it still appears, it just says sold out. These cruises are just not there period. There is something different going on.

I am booked on the Jan 16th sailing. I really hope nothing has happened to cancel this trip.

Oh, and we had early dining which we have had on all but one of our cruises.

can someone please explain what the OP means by a different "setup"?

There used to be a head waiter and assistant waiter and they only had a few tables to look after - now there is a head waiter, an assistant waiter, and another helper. They have a team of 3 assigned to each table but each team of three has more tables.

It changed about 4 years ago?? Anyone remember?

In no way was I complaining about the service from the wait staff we had this trip or the last one - they have all been fantastic hard working folks. I was just reminiscing for the days when there was a team of 2 who we always got to know really well and had more personal interaction with. It truly enriched our cruise experience and, I hope, enriched their work experience.

As for those who say I won't get any better on NCL - that's my point. I was loyal to Carnival in part because of the old set up. If I can't get that level of service and must accept a less personal experience, then I will be willing to try other cruise lines. No diss on Carnival - this was my 9th cruise with them and I have loved every single cruise! We will take our 6 year old on Carnival next year because I believe they are quite kid-friendly, but the next adults-only vacation will likely be with a different line so we have something to compare them to.

Peace everyone!

:halo:

:halo::champagne-toast::champagne-toast::champagne-toast:

:halo:

I want to add...the dinner on Carnival is one of the reasons we were always reluctant to try other lines...we enjoyed the experience so much and didn’t think the setup on other lines would be as awesome, personal, and interactive.

With that gone, and Carnival prices on par with other lines now, we’ll be shopping around for our next cruise. Considering NCL.

Just back from our 7th cruise together and of all the changes, the one we miss the most is the interaction with the wait staff in the main dining room.

We usually travel with a group of 10-12 adults and have always enjoyed the interactions with the wait staff team assigned to us. They would remember your name, greet you when you arrive, place a napkin on your lap, remember your preferences, joke around, etc. They almost always came by the table at the end of the meal to share a magic trick, a story, etc

Now, you hardly get to know them at all. They are so over worked, they don’t have time to develop any kind of a relationship. They don’t place a napkin on your lap, serve the rolls, greet you by name, interact on any level other than take your order and deliver your food.

It’s not the service that is missed (I can place my own napkin), it’s the personal touch. The relationship that developed and the laughs shared. It takes away from the main dining room experience.

We usually have new cruisers with us because we tell everyone how amazing it is and we always have said one of our favorite parts of cruising is the dinner in the main dining room. It’s not the favorite part anymore - it’s just dinner.

Anyone else miss that and wish they would do away with that cutback?

We are going on an Eastern cruise next week and I will be looking for blue diamonds to replace the sapphires in my engagement ring...any tips on the best place to buy or what to look for? I'll probably bring the loose stones home for a jewellery designer here to work with.

Our stops are Grand Turk, St. Martin, St. Kitts, and San Juan. Do they sell loose stones on the ship?

Thanks!

How far is the walk? Anyone done it lately?

We're booked on the discover scuba excursion through Carnival...it's reasonably priced compared to local tour operators offering the same thing on many islands I researched ($149)

Hoping the water isn't too murky and there is still lots to see after the hurricane

we just buy the "keeping it cooler" package from the fun shops pre-cruise. It comes with 4 beer, cups, bottle opener, beer cozies and a collapsable cooler. Its only $35!

We are cruising on the Sunshine this February and I only want internet so we can video chat with our son back home a few times through the week. I know Skype is available for the premium plan but I was told we can access Facebook Messenger Video Chat on the Social Plan. Can anyone confirm this?

I booked a cruise with a large group on the Sunshine last January for cruise departing this coming February 2nd. My brother and his gf booked the same cruise over the summer.

My wife has been on 8 cruises and I have been on 6, all with Carnival. Our cruise price has gone up since we booked and we have never had on offer that granted us a price drop. My brothers gf, who has never cruised before, has received two special offers and now they are in an Ocean Suite for less than we are paying for a cloud 9 spa balcony.

Has this every happened with anyone else where Carnival extended the same offer to the rest of the group?

Either way I have a hard time understanding how Carnival ha twice given a loyalty offer to someone that has never cruised with them and the loyal customers are left out.

we’re making a stop in St. Martin in Feb 2018 and are wondering about the condition of Maho Beach?

And is there much air traffic in and out of the airport?

How did it work? Did Skype work? Is it available in port as well as at sea?

I have a cloud 9 spa cabin on the Sunshine this coming February. I have had this cabin category before but have never taken advantage of the complimentary fitness classes. Are there any classes for beginners?

I am planning our first cruise as a complete family. My son loves water slides and thought it would be fun for him to stay on board during port days and have less of a crowd to contend with. I am leaning towards a Western trip on the Magic.

I just bought it for an eight day cruise next February. I have purchased FTTF three times before and it was always well worth it, at least at the $59 I paid before. I will have to wait and see if I feel $79 is as good a value. My wife and I only have a few more cruises before we reach Platinum and we don't have to worry about this anymore.

Do all the Sunshine spa balcony rooms have a sliding balcony door rather than the swinging type? Specifically, I'm wondering if the rooms on deck 10 do.

Is there any disadvantage to being on Deck 10 for a spa balcony over deck 11?

Thanks!

We sailed on the Sunshine a few years ago, just after it was redone. There were horrible issues at the time with a sewer smell in many rooms and public areas. Has that been fixed?

Thanks!

Which amenities in the spa are free on the Glory? I know there is a hot tub in the spa...do they also have the saunas and steam rooms for anyone to use? What about those heated tiled loungers?

We are not on the spa deck.

Thanks!