dickinson

I have learned that ES rates have non refundable deposits (although if cancelled there is a $50/person charge to put it on another cruise). I understand with ES you can get rate reductions even after final payment.

 

However… what is the difference with Past Guest Rate? I understand deposits are refundable. The b2b cruise I am eyeing would have us pay about $100 more (can't remember at the moment if it is per person or total but think it is total). What about fare reductions? Is it only til final payment?

 

The cruises we are looking at are the one time only Baltimore to San Juan and then San Juan to Baltimore. One is 10 days and the other 11 so b2b it is a 21 day cruise in 2016. I don't know the chances of fare reductions or prices just keep going up.

[quote name='geoherb']Holland America gives double cruise day credits for sailing in a suite. Princess could do the same. Celebrity now bases its program on different credits per day per category of cabin. It ranges from 2 points per day for sailing in an inside or oceanview to 18 points per day for sailing in the best suite with varying numbers of points per day for other classes of cabin. Solo travelers on Celebrity get double points. When Celebrity converted to this way of counting, we ended up with more credits than we deserved, but I'm not complaining. And we'll probably still end up taking more cruises on HAL and Princess than on Celebrity.

There's no need to worry until Princess officially announces any changes, which may or may not be forthcoming.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. I'm not "worried". It would just be ironic that the main reason we booked the 4 day cruise in February is so that when we take our 15 day to Hawaii a few days later we would be Platinum. If it changes we probably would not be Platinum for that cruise. Anyways… I have no control over what happens so will have to go with the flow.

We cruised in June. 7 day rt out of Seattle. We had a wonderful time. Did a whale excursion out of Juneau. In Skagway on a tour to the Yukon we saw a mama bear with her cub on the side of the road. Other than that… no wildlife on our trip. We were on the Golden which did the 7 day rt from Seattle and included Glacier Bay.

 

Oh, the Golden had a covered pool but it was too cold. No one was swimming in it. Our cruise left Seattle on June 9.

Everyone talks about making Elite but I'm just trying to make Platinum in February so I'll have some free internet minutes! If they make this change before then it will be a long time before I make Platinum because of the double points I got for being in a Window Suite won't count anymore as they don't double the cruise days just the number of cruises :(

Is there anyplace I can see the dimensions of the balconies? The deck plans make the Upper deck and Empress Deck balconies all look the same. Not sure why the Upper deck (5) has narrow balconies in the 8c area of cabins 5192-5225.

the area is fine-- you can see lifeboats in the indentation of the ship

where you are looking does not have the life boats.

 

But you need to know these balconies here are very narrow.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/14/43/1443643bb3c842fe906d58949229dbc2.JPG?itok=3d-O7F-S

 

the balconies in the same area above you are all regular balconies

(from the aft elevator towards the back)

 

you can also get an 8C on the deck 6 too which is convenient for the pools and buffets plus the dining room

 

Thanks!! Good to know. So Upper deck in those cabin numbers have skinnier balconies but if I go one deck up they will be bigger? Sounds worth the price. I am short but dh is tall. Cruise we are thinking about as a b2b would be 21 days so don't want to get caught in a narrow balcony!

Thanks. I am specifically looking at the Upper Deck midship cabins from 5192-5225. They are category 8c. They are not obstructed views but the "map" of the ship shows lifeboats nearby. I think they are actually lower down on the deck below but it appears to me as if you could not look down to the side without seeing them. I didn't know if anyone has stayed in any of these cabins. If we were to move one deck higher it would cost a little more. Not break the bank more but don't want to spend it if we don't have to.

We are still thinking about booking a b2b cruise in Jan 2016 when the Pride sails from Baltimore to San Juan and then another cruise from San Juan back to Baltimore. We would want a balcony cabin midship that has cabins above and below. We have never been on a Spirit class ship. When I look at the Upper deck I see lifeboats nearby. Do they obstruct the view at all? Any suggestions on which deck is best to book? Thanks for any help.

I have worked in customer service for the past 14 years and I can tell you that people have gotten much more demanding and harder to please as the years go on. As few as 5 years ago if a person was having a minor problem and you offered them an appointment for the next day, they would be perfectly happy with that. Today if someone calls in with the same problem at 9am they demand an appointment before 10am and threaten to call another company if you won't promise their problem will be completely fixed before 11am when you haven't even sent someone to diagnose what is causing their issue yet.

 

Just remember, you are on vacation. So you have to wait in a line. So what? You are on vacation. You will get there eventually. You are on a beautiful ship sailing a beautiful ocean, why let your own bad attitude ruin it for you? Strike up a conversation with the people around you also waiting. You may make a new friend. Your room steward didn't make towel animals :eek:! So what? Your room was cleaned, your towels replaced, and your bed turned down with chocolates left on your pillow. Do you really need more? Your food wasn't Michelin star quality. So what? They are feeding over 3000 people. If it was truly inedible, I promise your waiter will be more then happy to bring you something else, or go to the buffet, or the IC, or for pizza, or room service. You have choices.

 

Smile. Be friendly. Say hello. It isn't difficult. It doesn't cost you anything. Thank the person that brought you your drink, or extra towel, or insisted you sanitize your hands before going through the buffet. If you go in with the attitude you aren't going to let anything bother you, nothing will. You will have a much more enjoyable time, and you WILL get better service. People like helping happy people. I never have a problem finding a place to sit for breakfast at Horizon Court. Why? I smile and say hello to the wait staff. They practically fall over themselves to find me a seat and bring me my juice and coffee. Just my 2 cents :cool:

 

You are so right (however, that does not mean that people don't have real issues on the ship that are not taken care of correctly). I too worked in customer service for a very long time and have seen changes in people over the years. Yes, people are more demanding these days. I think if we were on a cruise and the food was bad I would at least find something else to eat. When the cruise was over I would certainly mention it in a review but it would not make or break the cruise. I would chalk it up to that particular cruise and crew and not the whole cruise line.

That's the main reason they might change it. We also booked a 9 day trip (a 4 & a 5 day) but for different reasons. No matter what they do in the long run there are some people who will be annoyed by the change but IMO they have to sooner or later & at the rate people are making new tiers in might not be long.

 

We will get there based on points and not on number of days. That is because we were in suites on our last two cruises and got double points. If they were to change things then the double credit we got would amount to nothing as those double points counted as cruises and not days. Don't think that is fair. I hope this is all just rumor at this point and not something they will act on before the end of February.

I hope this doesn't happen. We have two cruises booked for Feb. The first one is a 4 day cruise that will put us at Platinum by number of cruise credits (were in window suites for 2 cruises so it gave us double points but days at sea don't double). That means the next cruise a few days later (15 nighter to Hawaii) will be Platinum and will give us some free internet minutes. If they change I hope they grandfather people who already booked! (Main reason we booked the 4 day is because it WOULD put us to Platinum. Also some secondary reasons too but we first thought about doing it because it would put us to Platinum).

Question about the sofa. Seems a lot of folks have an issue of no sofa. Why is that? We always book a balcony so we might be out there, if in the room at all. Princess has great storage and I found that our sofa, back in the Carnival days, was a collection point for towels, clothes and daily papers. Used the chair, bed or balcony. I can see if there is kids involved but otherwise a non issue to me.

 

In 2004 we sailed a Carnival ship with a sofa. It was an outside cabin so no balcony. The sofa was hard but it was a place to sit. Nowadays my dh gets up hours before me so a sofa would be a place for him to sit. Our two cruises on Princess we had Window Suites (no balcony) which are very large rooms that have a soft sofa. Our upcoming Hawaii cruise is in a Window Suite too but the 4 day on the Crown is an inside guarantee. We'll see how that is.

 

Anyways… Carnival was always known for its large cabins. I don't know if that is still so (although having the sofa does make it longer). On Princess you would have to pay for a mini suite to be anywhere near the same. The difference with a mini suite is the room is set up to separate a little bit the sofa area with a tv from the sleeping area. Both areas have a tv. It is more expensive though than a balcony cabin so if you compare it to a balcony cabin on Carnival the cost would probably be much higher.

I got the email with that cruise among others. Wish I could have taken advantage but it wasn't worth it to me because I would have to fly to take a short cruise going to places I don't care for. Times like this I wish I lived in Florida! Glad you could take advantage as it is a great deal!

 

Enjoy your cruise.

I guess I was lucky earlier this summer- Princess left the "10" off of the per person price of $1049 for a balcony on Regal- I booked it for $49 each for the two of us, received an email the next day, saying it was a glitch, but they honored the price!:)

 

Wow!!! What a deal! It was nice that they honored it. Enjoy your cruise if you have not yet taken it.

Dickinson, I'm 6'3" and view the balcony as a place to sit and watch the waves go by. Room for a couple of chairs and small table. Good enough. In November we have a Caribe balcony. Supposed to be the best onboard with major room and half covered. Once you go balcony it's hard to go back, just for the solitude. Princess pricing always starts out pricey and then adjusts according to demand. I was told they change pricing three times a day. Never paid more than couple hundred more pp for Princess. I find that acceptable for what they offer.

 

If you decide to go on the Royal Princess do your research first as the balcony might be too small for you. Not first hand experience but that is what I have read. I have read that on Grand class ships that Caribe balcony is desirable. Enjoy that cruise with that large balcony!

We knew about the smaller main theater on the Princess ships, but the balcony size on the Royal really surprised us (it was a last minute cruise and I hadn't done my homework). We mostly book minisuites on Princess for the room. Love the layout and the balcony size on the pre-Royal ships. As others have said you have to catch the sales on Princess. Snagged a regular balcony for under $500 during a last minute flash sale when I sailed on the Crown.

 

We're booked in a Lido balcony on the Freedom, but we'll have to see what the upgrade/upsell fairy brings. :) The last time we were on the Freedom it was awesome so I'm looking forward to seeing what the upgrades bring to the table.

Jim

 

I was lucky enough to see a mini suite on my last cruise. It was really nice. Our two Princess cruises we were in Window Suites (no balcony). They were wonderful. We have never had a balcony on any cruise. In February when we take our 4 day cruise we are in an inside guarantee. I hope we get upgraded but if not it is only 4 days. The 15 day to Hawaii is a Window Suite. With the Carnival cruise we are thinking for 2016 we would get a balcony. The Princess cruise doing a similar itinerary but out of Ft Lauderdale would be a balcony. I have checked the prices for that cruise for 2016 but also now for 2015. They don't come anywhere close to the price of Carnival. Plus… it is on the Royal with those tiny balconies. My dh is 6 ft tall. I doubt he would like it.

 

Anyways… thanks for your thoughts and experiences. Enjoy your upcoming cruise.

Thanks. The Pacific Whale watching co has a cancellation policy where you lose your money if you don't cancel w/in I think 48 hours. It is a tender port so I wouldn't know 48 hours in advance. Maybe they make exceptions ?

Thank you Toledo_cruiser and also snedecor. Lots of great info and comparisons! I am sure this is also helpful to others who are reading this.

 

Toledo_cruiser - I heard about the tiny balcony on the Royal. I also think I heard that the furniture is uncomfortable. This along with price difference is why we will probably go with Carnival. Oh yeah… we also live 20 minutes from the port so no flying nor hotel.

Is the past guest rate available for either of the 2 cruises you are looking at? That's usually only about $40-$50 pp more than ES and a lot cheaper than fun select.

 

Bill

 

It takes time to get used to a website. :eek: I just went and actually signed in to Carnival so I was able to see not only fun select but past guest rate. You are right. It is about $50/person more. Here is what it says:

 

Past Guest Offer with 2-category Upgrade

To thank you for sailing with Carnival again, enjoy an automatic two-category upgrade, refundable deposit subject to cancellation terms and no change fee.

 

My question: What is meant by no change fee? In the fine print it says as long as it is before final payment where fees start occurring. What kind of changes does it mean? Can I get price drops? What about after final payment? then no price drops?

 

Thanks for any help and if you know the answer to a question I haven't asked then please answer! :D:D

Thanks. For the two cruises I am keeping my eye on (b2b) it is a total of $500 more to do fun select than early saver. Tough decision. That is a lot of money to protect my deposit. Anything else to beware of?

I understand Early Saver deposits are non refundable but if necessary can be credited to another cruise minus $50/person. I also understand that with Early Saver I can take advantage of fare reductions (if I am so lucky ). What is Fun Select? Does that mean no price reductions if fares go down? What else should I be aware of? I tried to read the terms and conditions but my eyes glazed over :(

If they don't accept it you can go to FedEx Office, Staples, OfficeMax , OfficeDepot, etc and pay them to fax it. Doesn't cost much.

We have always gone to shows and then piano bar although I get bored going to piano bar every night. Because Carnival doesn't have the traditional shows anymore I was wondering what there was to do.

 

Thanks everyone!

Thanks! What is the Red Frog Pub? Sounds like a bar and restaurant. Is there an up charge?

I find it humorous , the difference, in the two boards. Take a look at Princess. There is no complaining about shows and food. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of complaining but is might be about service in MDR or a dish they got only once or number of bottles brought onboard. A totally different world over there. And there are CHOGS on Princess.

 

I agree with you. Even during the 8 years when we did not cruise I would look on the Carnival board and see the complaining threads. When we booked our Princess cruise I started reading there too. BIG difference. Rarely was there a long thread about how bad things were with everyone flaming the OP. There are complaints however about the shows now being 30 minutes long. Most people on the Princess board tend to be more civilized in their postings (not all of course).

 

So hard to decide what to do. Both myself and dh are frugal by nature. Not cheap but frugal. Want the best bang for the buck. Don't want to spend more for the same thing elsewhere. When we sailed Carnival all the time I could not understand why people complained about it being the Walmart of cruising, etc. And these were people who never stepped foot on a Carnival cruise! We knew better. Now that I haven't been on a Carnival ship I find it hard not to be swayed by what I am reading about the changes.

 

In the end my gut tells me we will be on the Carnival Pride in 2016 unless we wait so long that the price rises to match Princess!! Then of course we will feel bad that we waited so long to book and then will only book a 10 day instead of the back to back. :eek::eek:

 

As for chair hogs… you should have been on the Carnival Paradise Panama Canal repositioning cruise in 2004. Right after a hurricane. 500 people cancelled. You could have had dozens of chairs any time you wanted! For various reasons it was one of our best cruises.