carsaw

After researching for days I picked Kauai for our helicopter tour. Just booked yesterday for our Pride of America cruise in October. :)

We have called so many times to get our reservations straightened out.....we are sick of it. At this point going to just wait for a while then hope we can get what we want. Every time any adjustment is made something gets messed up more and it's just too frustrating. As previous posters said, now double booked a couple nights or times that are too late a couple nights. Hopefully it all works out...........:rolleyes:

Thanks for starting this review since I just booked this cruise for October. Booked air, hotels and starting to look at excursions. After going back for forth with options for first time Hawaii vacation, decided this was the best for us. We can see more in a short time and if we really enjoy a certain island, we can go back later on a land vacation. :)

I could not believe the choices for dining times were so limited this far in advance. I was advised to book now because on board would be worse. I don't know how it could be much worse than this. Can't even book entertainment yet since cruise not until April. I don't know what they were thinking with this one :rolleyes:

A few minutes ago I tried to see/book entertainment on the Feb. 2, 2015 Quantum and it tells me "Sorry, we cannot reserve right now" & added "Please try again onboard ship." I hope this is one of the glitches because if we wait to book onboard we'll never see any entertainment.

Tried also and same message. This is going to get really crazy when everyone books all their shows and then have to try and change their dining times. I told C&A this was ridiculous that everyone can book dining without show times. I could not believe the dining times were so limited when we booked them and now have to go through this. :eek:

You are correct about the April 12 showing as all categories except suites are available for booking.

 

It looks like the April 24 sailing is actually sold out as there is still one cabin that is available to book. When you go to the RCI website it shows N/A but if you click on that it shows availability in the balcony category only. When you try to book a balcony it will only show you availability for a SB cabin.

 

You have to be careful about the n/a on RCI's website as it will show up as n/a if the interiors are all sold even though there are other categories available.

I agree, think the April 24 is sold out. :)

Thanks for the fast replies. I am going to review more information about NCL before I make a decision. I booked the Solstice because that was my favorite ship out of all our cruises but in the end it may or may not be the best choice for us for Hawaii. We can always do another option for Hawaii, then maybe the Solstice class for our next Europe cruise. :D

After booking a cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver on Celebrity in spring 2016, I am rethinking the decision. A couple people told me it can be very cold sailing back from Hawaii. I don't know if I want to waste the time or money on a cruise if I could be sailing back for 5 days in the 50's. I feel that's a waste of 5 days sitting on the balcony in cold weather clothing. Can anyone tell me their experiences that have sailed the spring cruises Hawaii to Vancouver? :confused:

I have heard so many bad reviews about Pride of America with the food, service etc....don't know if I would even consider NCL to Hawaii even though the itinerary is wonderful.

Price wise it is great to book so far out. The only issue we have had is twice we have had cruises cancelled on us that we booked a long ways out, and we have only been on seven cruises. Not a great track record.

But getting the cabin and a decent price is a good trade off. :)

I was getting a little nervous with our Quantum cruise since we are on the ship right before it goes to China but it's not leaving until after our cruise. (of course things are always subject to change)

So, are you going to be on the April 26, 2016 sailing? Awesome! We are definitely going to book while on the Jewel as soon as we can get an appointment with the LA!:cool:

Yes. Can't believe I booked this 2 years in the future (think we did that with Quantum also). It will be our first time to Hawaii so very excited about this cruise. As it gets closer I will start researching hotels, shore excursions etc. It's a good thing we have a few cruises in between to help us pass the time. :D

As I stated above, the April 20 date will not work for me. Bummer, as I do love the Radiance Class. However, the clincher this morning is is that despite the one extra day (Kauai) the pricing is way high compared to the Celebrity Solstice. Cabin for cabin the rate for a basic balcony cabin a E2 is $1828 higher than the 1A on the Solstice and a D2 is $2,000+ higher than a SV on the Solstice. I haven't even looked at suites! Since the land time in Hawaii is just about as important to us as the cruise itself we will be able to stay in Hawaii at a nice resort on the north shore or a hotel in Waikiki for 5 days for that difference.

We felt the same way, will just spend a few extra days in Hawaii. We loved the Solstice so much and wanted to go on the ship again. We called and booked a cabin before the prices increase. I was surprised the Radiance is starting so much higher for balconies but it worked out for us since the Solstice was our favorite ship. :)

Mine too!

 

There is no food that will beat a lobster bennie from Blue Heaven for breakfast.

 

Get there early and bring your wallet cause it ain't cheap.

 

Mike:)

I agree, best breakfast in Key West but if you don't get there early heard you can wait up to 1-1/2 hours. :eek:

I can't believe they have not released the Hawaii itineraries yet. I am checking out NCL since their itineraries are so good for Hawaii even though NCL is not my first choice.

I kind of feel the same way. Plus, if the Radiance goes just a bit later, after May 1 even better for me due to work restrictions. However, I would like to try the Solstice Class. I just hope the itineraries are released before we disembark the Jewel on May 17. I just may have to keep watching while we are on our B2B cruise.

Actually, the Solstice was our favorite cruise, we did not want to get off the ship at the end of the cruise :) I think that is the only reason I almost booked the Hawaii cruise on that ship. I'm sure I will be doing another Solstice class cruise soon. The food, service and the entertainment were the best out of all the cruises we have been on. You will love the Solstice class.

I'm still waiting for Radiance - Hawaii. Trying to figure out if radiance or the Celebrity Solstice will be a better fit for us for the spring of '16.

I am also waiting for the Hawaii 2015/2016 cruises to be released. I called C&A yesterday and was told no idea when itineraries will be released. Almost booked Solstice 2016 but it does not do enough of Hawaii for me. As much as we enjoyed the Solstice, we would like to go to Kauai. I think the 12/13 night cruises Royal is doing currently are perfect for us and I hope they do the same itineraries again. Keeping my fingers crossed :).

I also get very seasick and have tried to take 1. Doesn't work as good as 2 at once but I only have to take them once a day, first thing in the morning starting the morning of the cruise and they work great. I have found Walmart has the best prices. Never go on my cruises without them :)

I have sailed on 11 carnival cruises , i am wondering if i am missing something by not trying the other lines? I feel its the same thing every cruise, its getting old and always the same every cruise. 2 of the couples we go with want to stay on carnival , 1 reason is that i am platinum and shouldnt lose my perks. Dont really think the perks are a big deal. we just went on the dream they we ready to board before us with our so called perks lol. Myself and another couple think we should try another line , was thinking of the allure with royal. just wondering your thoughts if you have tried other lines....

Have tried the Dream, Magic, Breeze and others on Carnival. The Allure was amazing and it's difficult to compare that to a Carnival cruise. The shows, specialty restaurants and variety on Royal Caribbean is so different than Carnival. We have booked the Quantum for next year and plan on going on the Oasis (sister to Allure) since we enjoyed the Allure so much. The Allure really does have a WOW factor you can't get on Carnival.

After my last cruise on Dream I was pretty sure I was done with Carnival. Although my only 2 Carnival cruises were on Dream and we enjoyed them, I wasn't completely happy. I forget some of my complaints but the only real thing keeping from going back was a lack of things for my kids to do. They are boys, 13 and 11. They will not absolutely not do the kids club. So please don't post how they will enjoy. It doesn't matter because they won't do it and every time I post that I get at least a few people telling me to force it on them. Anyhow, that's out. So they spend money in the arcade all day and night. The basketball is always filled with teens that won't let them play. Mini golf is bore city after a while, and honestly the water slides didn't really entertain them much, at least not to keep them busy for a week. It was so noisy outside you couldn't hear the movies on the big screen so that kind of sucked for them too.

 

We planned on our next cruise being Oasis or Allure. We really like Royal Caribbean and there is lots for the boys to do. They like to skate and things like that. They will go to the shows and somewhat enjoy them.

 

Anyhow, this is where my conflict arises. We have friends we cruised with last time. They book Valor Southern in July. We weren't sure we could go on a vacation this year, but taxes worked out so we may be booking something. We can go Valor for about $4500 (2 balcony staterooms, I snore badly) or we can go on Allure in August for $5000 with 2 balcony (boardwalk, not ocean).

 

The problem is no friends on RCI. Our friends have a son that my kids love hanging out with. I don't know what to do. The kids aren't sure either. They want to see Allure or Oasis as well. But they like having a friend. Valor has a great itinerary and is port heavy, so less time on ship. But that will also mean more money.

 

Advice? How are the shows and other things on Valor?

There is no comparison between a Carnival ship and the Allure. I have been on a number of Carnival ships including the Dream, Magic, Breeze and others. The Allure is wonderful and your children would love it.

With the lottery the odds are never in your favor-Besides the lottery is gaming. This wasn't. Not a contest, not something I entered, nor did anyone else.

 

And PLEASE read and comprehend what I wrote. I NEVER said Carnival owes me anything. Death and taxes are all that I expect out of life.

Hello. This is exactly why people need to direct their comments to the appropriate place, not on these boards. So many people are reading comments on here that are opinions and jumping all over people. If they went back and started from the beginning, everyone just stated their opinion, they didn't attack anyone. Then they have numerous people criticizing them when they were not being rude to begin with. Of course some people get offensive at that point and attack back. Any other opinions I have are being directed elsewhere. I will probably get negative comments for this too :)

Hi everyone

 

I was hoping someone out there can help with this! I emailed a complaint to Carnival regarding our recent Splendor cruise. The response I received left me very frustrated! I sent a calmly worded reply back to the adviser that sent it but surprise surprise she has failed to reply!

 

Does anyone know who I can escalate this complaint to. I feel that Carnival have fobbed me off with the standard proforma letter and I don't feel my complaint was taken seriously!

 

Also, I would be interested in hearing how others that have had cause to complain got on?

 

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

gcahill@carnival.com I believe he is the CEO of Carnival Corp so hopefully that will get a response for you. Good luck

Your thinking is just not in the right place here. This isn't a reward. This isn't like a "yay, you did something we like so here is a free cruise" deal. It's a marketing promotion to get cruisers with specific demographics (that seem random because nobody seems to know or be willing to tell what the criteria are) on board their ships. Do you get this angry when a restaurant sends out free meal coupons to certain houses? It's the same thing. You might eat there every single day and spend thousands of dollars a year there, but if they are marketing to people who live on a different street than you, you aren't getting the coupon.

 

People who cruise with Carnival often are offered loyalty rewards with their VIFP program. This is not a loyalty reward. It's a marketing directive that happens to involve past guests.

I don't have time for people that are rude. I am not rude to anyone on the boards and I expect the same consideration. You obviously received the offer and took advantage of it, good for you.

I did that. Again it said..........No Special offer for YOU. So I called Princess ( Carnival owned) and cancelled the cruise we had booked for November 2014.

 

Carnival won't notice that I cancelled. But I felt much better. I hope all of their free cruise folks........turn out be as good a customer as I have been. And sail as much. As stay as loyal as I have been. it is disgusting to treat loyal customers like this. Disgusting and bad business. So................I am not following the line anymore. I do have one cruise left...cannot get my money back. Even knowing that the people in the cabin next to me probably paid less than $400 for their cabin....while I paid a lot for 2 cabins...I will know that it will never happen to me again.

And I will enjoy the cruise. And it is not the fault of the people who got the free cruises. I am sure many are very nice people. but Carnival has put a bad taste in my mouth.

Good for you. I am considering cancelling my booked Carnival cruise also based on principal. Have you voiced your opinion to anyone other than these message boards? I also don't blame anyone for taking advantage of something that was offered to them, anyone would do the same.

I agree with a lot of replies from people like myself that have cruised with Carnival and haven't received this offer. Yes, it sounds like sour grapes but I feel justified in my feelings.

 

We cruised for 20 days in the last 5 months on Carnival (3 x cruises) flying from the UK to do so. I spend $1000+ onboard during my cuises, although minimal amounts in the casino. I'm not saying that by right I'm entitled to one of the free cruises but if Carnival are trying to lure back some of its previous customers then they are jeopardising the loyalty of their current customers!

I think you are totally justified the way you feel. Has nothing to do with casinos, past cruises or future cruises booked. If anyone got offered a free cruise of course they are going to take advantage of the opportunity. What Carnival should have done is give money off to all VIFP members (or some kind of perk) instead of picking certain people to reward. What they did was make people very angry knowing people on their cruises paid maybe $300 for a cruise they paid $3,000 for. :mad:

I heard Carnival will be completely removing the balcony railings in some cabins and charging a little extra for a new "Faster To The Fish" perk.

 

and, Yes... Diamond members will get that too!

Good one! :D This woman is so ridiculous, she doesn't deserve the attention this is getting. Getting drunk and stupid then wants to sue. Too bad people are suing for everything and anything they can think of. This is just sickening.

We did at least 6 balcony rooms before we decided to try an inside for the price difference. I was very worried it would be too small and we would hate it. It did not bother us at all since we are in the room very little anyway. Very dark to take a snooze in the afternoon to get ready for the evening. Since then we book interiors and balconies depending on price/itinerary. I have the same problem with oceanview rooms on Carnival, don't want to be that low on the ship.