Cushing985

Kids don't think dockers are as cool as jeans. That's why they don't market dockers to kids. A Hawaiian shirt doesn't look good on anybody.

You forgot to add "In my opinion...

:rolleyes:

Why ask? The OP is feeling vulnerable and scared, it's heart surgery, not a tonsillectomy. He's likely feeling quite alone with this. This thread might be reassuring that others have cruised post surgery. He'll know more about how he feels after the surgery and getting his heart fixed.

Because I also had heart surgery and I didn't get heart advice on a cruise forum. Like I said on my post...everyone is different. Offering advice to someone in his shoes is dangerous...only his doctor can determine if he is up for a cruise and listening to his own body.

I hope he can go with his doctor's blessing.

I confess I don't understand why someone would ask this question on a cruise board. Everyone will pop off about what they went through and some will say go for it and others will say stay home.

Everyone's case is different. "Mary" may have had heart surgery and she went on her cruise two months after yet "Joe", who had the same surgery, may still be off his feet months later. Every case is different and only your doctor and yourself will know if you're in good enough shape to make the trip.

We did the repositioning cruise (from New Orleans to Port Canaveral) and enjoyed every minute of it. Not sure why there are negative reviews.

Tipping is highly personal and as others have said it is the bulk of the worker's paycheck. My wife and I do the following...

Baggage Porters - $5.00 per bag

Room Service - $1.00 per plate

Room Stewards - $20.00 per 7 days (on our Hawaiian cruise we tipped $40.00)

Dining Room attendants - $20.00 per 7 days (for each waiter)

Drink Waiters - $1.00 additional per order

Lido Deck (Buffet) - we normally put a couple of bucks on the table

We have never adjusted our auto-tips up or down. If service is lousy (has never happened) I would keep the auto-tips (again, that's their salary) as they are but adjust the cash tips accordingly.

Sadly...I want to look like a hog so I'm gonna order 9on my next cruise...and try to set a new record...they're so small...

I'm starting to feel like a slacker...my personal best is 5!

It may not be fair, but do you think it is sane to spend more money, all the time and aggravation and in the end get LESS than even the amount of money you were out? Is this one of those principal things?

 

Let's see, here you are sitting almost a year later, have spent more trying to get reimbursed than you will be reimbursed, not mentioning the time and aggravation.

 

On the other hand, if you had just accepted it as the cost of cruising, you would actually be in better shape than you are now, not to even mention, you still have not been reimbursed.

It's the principle. You have employees saying it is reimbursable yet a year later he's still waiting for the check. Corporations count on us to give up in disgust.

Personally, I would have given up after a few weeks of chasing the tail. That's just me...the OP is obviously built stronger!:D

OP...you have more patience than I do especially for such a small amount of money. I guess it's the "principal of the thing." I get that but after a cumulative 2 hours on the phone and not getting the results I expect I would have chalk it up to life experience and let it go. Maybe smuggle a bottle of booze to make it up!:D

I really do wish large corporations would give their front-line employees the authority to make things right in cases like this. Sure, they may save a couple of bucks by playing delay tactics but at what cost to customer satisfaction?

Since decks 14 and 15 are closed, what are they doing for the Diamond members since the club is next to Viking Lounge......

 

I know about the pre-loaded drinks on your card, just wondering if they have designated a different area on the ship for the "cocktail hour(s) time....

I'm hopeful you'll wake up this morning and realize your comment was selfish to the extreme. I doubt it though.

As this is a RCI thread it's not hardly any surprise that if there was a poll asking "would you sail Carnival instead of RCI Oasis or Majesty of the Seas" the majority would say no, which appears to be the case when reviewing the responses.

 

Now if you asked this on the Carnival board, I'd make a sure bet the majority would vote Carnival over RCI.

 

We have to bear in mind that each board has its vocal cheerleaders, so it's pretty pointless trying to have a reasoned debate, especially as so many are so adamant that they'd never set foot on the opposing cruise line.

 

My question is, how many stating emphatically 'no' have actual sailed on Carnival (other than those who have stated they have)?

 

IMHO some of the previous comments arise from snobbery as they belittle those who sail Carnival.

Totally agree with your assessment. I suspect those who are vocal against Carnival are those who have never stepped foot onboard a Carnival ship (or just on a 3-4 day booze cruise also found on RCCL) but just listen to the noise from others. These people are lemmings without an original thought in their heads.

I had to laugh about the "snobbery" comment! These people don't seem to know they are on just another ship designed for the masses. I, for one, enjoy Cunard, Celebrity and Carnival. I haven't been onboard a RCCL cruise (yet) but suspect I will like it as much as the others.

We don't use the hot tubs because of what others have already stated...they're nothing but petri dishes full of God knows what. I've learned that too many people are slobs and too lazy to get out to urinate. Too bad they don't use a chemical that reacts to urine and turns water red leading directly to the slob.

You'll be docking. Have a great cruise...one of my favorites!

We did buy insurance and weren't really cruising for the ports...it's a Florida and Bahamas run...eh. I really don't want to cancel the cruise. Is it feasible to go under the current conditions?

I broke my ankle years ago when I was about 8 years old. Started with a full leg cast for whatever reason and ended up with a walking cast (a rubber "knob" was placed on the bottom of the cast). Got around great.

They will not be in time order but by activity type

Just out of sheer curiosity why do you spend time on the Carnival forum if you dislike them (evident by your "ABC" reference and your avatar stating "Unfun ships."? Again, just curious.

I'll take a SWAG...it looks like you just bought a SPA cabin. If you didn't mean to I would call Carnival's customer Service and explain what happened.

I don't get it though. They have juice on the Lido deck for free. If you want some for later in the day, bring a refillable bottle and put it in the fridge.

Some like to present problems that just aren't there. There are people in this world who live like that. Like that guy who lives out in the middle of nowhere in Texas but doesn't seem to understand if you are a "Prime" member shipping is free. He seems to be more comfortable putting up roadblocks.

If alcohol smuggling is such an issue and takes so much effort at the time of embarkation then why dont they just issue a warning on your ticket and all over the entrances that in the event any alcohol is found in the luggage or carry on bags when entering the ship, that Carnival will not allow you on the ship and will not refund your ticket. Most will not attempt to lose their vacation on smuggling at that point. Problem solved.

 

Penalize the smugglers, not the people taking water, soda or in my case, i can no longer take gatoraide which is what my teens drink. And as for the water price of 2.99 thats great thank you but that will be temporary i am sure of it.

Honestly, its a 4-7 day cruise (majority) and I think your kids can do without Gatoraide until they reach a port that sells it. Actually this might be called a life lesson...sometimes you don't get what you want and think you deserve.

Totally agree with your statement about the smugglers. Stick a large bin outside the front doors of the terminal and call it "Last Chance." If they're caught after that send them on their way home (on their dime, of course).

I personally don't drink from cans because I like to keep it fresh and being able to put the cap back on instead of drinking it all once I open it.

Actually someone earlier in this thread made an excellent suggestion. Bring a empty soda bottle and then transfer the canned drink into the bottle. Voila! Now you can drink a fully carbonated beverage!

Will probably impact parents of children, or those that must have organic, or those women with bladder issues that need cranberry juice.

How exactly would this impact the parents of kids? Organic water? Never heard of this before. New marketing ploy? I'm fairly sure if a woman has bladder issues her doctor can prescribe something to take during a cruise (typically 7 days).

Yeah, this wasn't nearly as bad as people were making it out to be. We can still bring a bottle of wine and a 12 pack of soda. And water is at an extremely reasonable price. No real impact for the majority of us, I think.

Stand-by...there will be plenty of drama on the boards on how this new policy will ruin cruises.

Personally I have never decorated my door and wouldn't think of it. For those who seem to have problems finding their cabins...I would think you have some serious issues either with alcohol or you might be directionally challenged.

Does it bother me? Not really other than it makes the cabin decks look like college dorms or an elementary school, For the few who leave the ship with the doors still "decorated" with the room stewards left to take it down I would charge them for the time it takes to clean up the door.

We have and would again. I never saw the crowds people complain about outside of the main pool area (crowded on every ship I've been on). It was clean, food was great, service outstanding and it was floating on the water. The only requirements I need.

Our experience has been that on shorter Carnival cruises (less than 7 days) and in particular the 3-4 day ones, the level of drunken stupor on Carnival ships is an all time high. In reasonable fairness, shorter cruises on many lines seem to be full of extreme alcohol intake citizenry.

 

We think it gets to the level of uncomfortable to be around.

 

So we either intentionally try avoid the major party itineraries (the shorties to Mexico, Caribbean) and now only book 7+ day routes.

 

Although there is plenty of partying, it has a more paced flavor to it.

You are singing my song...I would never take a 3-4 day cruise because of the reasons you stated. I'd go a bit further and confess I would never take a spring break cruise. As you said...adults pace themselves!

Before I retired a few months ago I had a 6 digit income. Now that I no longer work I still have quite a bit passive income. Was it due to me being special? No, other than having some skills that are in demand. My favorite cruise line is Carnival. The only other line we've been on is Celebrity. I enjoy them also but only go on them when they hit ports we're interested in.

As others have said...when someone states Carnival cruises are full of drunks and the dregs of society simply ask them how many Carnival cruises they've taken. I'm sure they will say others have told them how horrible it is. These people are lemmings incapable of independent thought and not worth your time.

My experience with other lines is somewhat limited...I've just been on Celebrity and Carnival. We've never had any problems with Carnival and found the service from the room attendants, bar keepers, dining room waiters and the people wandering around the decks to sell you drinks by the pools superior. The cabins are large (we typically get balconies or outside cabins), everything works and kept clean by the stewards. I've always found the food good but not 5 Star...maybe 4. You won't starve with all of the food venues available including 24 hour room service and pizza. If you want a 5 Star dining experience you can go to the Steak House onboard for $30-35 extra but well worth it.

We've always taken 7 day or more cruises. Our longest was 15 days to Hawaii roundtrip from San Diego on the Spirit. Loved it!

Ask your friends if they have ever been on Carnival. More likely than not, they are probably repeating what others (who also have probably never been on Carnival) have said. I've never cruised during the summer so avoid the kids and I will never take a cruise during Spring Break. Also, I would never take a 3-4 day booze cruise. Bottom line...a 7 day or longer cruise will have the same type passengers as a Celebrity cruise.

A note...we had a family reunion a few years back onboard the Splendor and one of my brothers sails exclusively Cunard. Yet, he loved the cruise. His only complaint was the lack of a small, intimate and quiet bar. He felt Carnival's food was on par with Cunard. That should tell you something!

We're not married to Carnival and expect to go on RCCL and Princess in the future to see how they are (interested in some of the ports Carnival doesn't get to). Enjoy your cruise and enjoy the savings!

BTW...I'm 65 and my wife is 59. We're both active and enjoy ziplining in at least one port on our cruises!