falkcor

yes! on my cruise on triumph, we boarded somewhat late to avoid the crowds. picked up a drink and went to the room to check on bags and start to settle in. this was shortly before muster was to commence.

my travel partner and i both went out on the balcony to check out the sites before we were to head down to muster. when we went to enter the room, the door handle came off in her hand and was shut tight. there was a moment of 'well now what do we do'... i tried to fix it but wasn't able to for whatever reason.

i looked around to see if there was anybody else on their balcony, nope. i even called out thinking someone in the general area might hear me and could call guest services for us - no response (remember, this was just before muster, so nobody was outside).

we kept looking around and back into the room to see if we could find anybody - after about 15 minutes the room steward came in and i waved my arms around to get his attention and pointed at the door. he came over in a huff. i said 'thank you, we were...' and he cut me off and started chastising us for being on the balcony, 'you have to go to muster drill now it is required', he said (he thought we were trying to skip muster). i said something along the lines of 'we know, we were locked out...' and he interjected 'you MUST go now, it is REQUIRED'.

i said 'thank you, we know, we are on our way now'. i put the door handle in his hand and said 'will you please see this is fixed while we are out. the door was broken and we were locked out.' he seemed surprised and didn't know what to say. sure enough, it was fixed by the time we came back.

however, after that incident we didn't really ever trust it (even after checking with one person in, one person out, etc.) and when we were both on the balcony, we would leave a washcloth in the door so it wouldn't shut fully. :)

yes, you can book as a TBA, last name not even required, as (some) other posters have stated. i've done it. all they care about during booking is getting the money for both / all passengers booked, they don't care who sails.

as far as timing is concerned - i am not 100% sure. i think the time we did it, we never changed the TBA place holder at all. it was a question whether someone in my party would have another coming - she didn't and was solo in the cabin. it didn't matter.

what i would say though, is that given that you can book a cruise up until the DAY OF SAILING, it really should not matter. think of the 'cruise to nowhere' or with reduced ports bookings when ships are delayed and itineraries changed, etc. - you can definitely book them day of, i almost did. the only thing that matters in terms of the 'passenger manifest' etc. that is oft cited here saying it has to be days before is the actual 'final manifest' which is transmitted within 90 or so minutes of sailing.

again, not sure if there is policy about this etc. or how it pertains to specific rate types, but i know for sure you can 'add names' to a sailing the day of, if carnival wants you to book last minute, such as in the 'changed itinerary' type sailings where they get cancellations and need to fill ships.

you can input your credit card information during the online check-in process via the web site before sailing.

alternatively, you can register it as a 'cash' account during online check-in, and add the payment information as part of the at-the-port-terminal check-in when you're getting your s&s cards.

further, you can change this at any time at guest services.

in the case of a cash account, you can set that up and make payments / apply gift cards, etc. accordingly at guest services at any time.

You can't switch once it's assigned. Some said they have before but that was a while back if I remember correctly. You're not supposed to be able to. That's the whole point of a guarantee. You can't save that kind of cash and then try and dictate to them when you're not satisfied.

i neglected to address that - firemanbobswife is correct that you cannot just say 'i don't like this room / location' and go back to the pool or pick a room...

however, i believe that if you do not like the room / location, you can upgrade yourself to a different room and pay the difference in prevailing rate or booking type. for instance, if you are assigned an obstructed balcony 7A, you could call and PAY to upgrade to say an 8A, 8C, specific room etc.

think of an example of if you got a 7A and decided you wanted to upgrade to a suite, do you think carnival would say no? i've not known carnival to be averse to taking more of your money. so that's a valid option however you lose the benefit of the cost savings of the initial guarantee.

first question, which ship are you sailing on? seeing you're from MD i assume maybe the pride? i'm asking only because spirit class ships are the ones with the problem of rooms with the lifeboat obstructed views - it is not really an issue on other classes of ships.

i've booked balcony guarantee twice...

once on pride, i was concerned as you are about the obstructed view balconies. my PVP said although possible it wasn't likely, as there aren't that many of them in comparison to standard balconies, and that there wasn't a lot of them in inventory. booked 3 rooms - and all were 8C, adjacent to #6139 on deck 6 forward - good rooms, close to the forward elevators, with passenger decks above and beyond, right down the hall from the suites.

on splendor, booked 4 rooms - and all were 8D, adjacent to 8407 on deck 8 aft - great rooms, close to the aft elevators, one flight of stairs from aft lido and the buffet, with passenger deck below and lido buffet above (never heard a thing!). i've picked rooms on lido before for the convenience and this was actually almost better, because we were right at the stairs to get to the action of the aft pool or buffet area and didn't have to walk 1000 ft across the ship lol.

so there, that's my experience. i might recommend you get or ask your pvp about what inventory looks like. i've run mine through a series of questions about what availability was in different categories (obstructed, 8A, B, C etc.) just to get an idea of what kind of gamble i was making. one time on a relatively last minute cruise (within 60 days) i decided to choose my room on lido (which was great too) instead (and pay for it). if i recall correctly, for the pride sailing we knew the rooms within a few days of booking - probably like 90 days out, and for splendor also within a few days of booking, probably also about 90 days out. i might have been lucky but my experience is that we knew our assignment within no more than a week or two (i can't remember exact # of days but definitely not more than 2 weeks).

on the ship it's always 21.

in ports, it can vary. 18 is not uncommon as a 'legal' drinking age. neither is it uncommon to be served if one is 'tall enough to place an order at the bar', realistically speaking.

The following have both the Rotisserie AND the Mongolian Wok:

Ecstasy

Elation

Fascination

Imagination

Paradise

Sensation

splendor too.

At least you had paper, what about the places where you're expected to use water and your left hand?:eek:

add india to that list. i couldn't figure out why there was a veggie sprayer similar to what you'd expect as part of your kitchen faucet next to the toilet in my relatively 'upscale' hotel (they did have the smallest rolls of tp ive ever seen too, though)... elsewhere, i noticed pitchers of water... bizarre :eek:

Silly question....but if you get 'Cheers'....and if you get a water does that count as 'one' of your drinks??

no. nor does soda, juice or other non-alcoholic beverages, etc.

I'm not sure. The stores on deck 5 (where the souviner shops are)...I'm guessing that's the only other place they're referring to when they say "outside the main dining room and specialty restaurants".

 

But I guess looking closer it says the 500ml bottles are at any bar so I guess I won't have a problem. I'm just making sure I can grab a lifewater or whatever and a bottle water for the room before heading to bed. But I guess it sounds like I can get one at any bar.

no it doesn't cover purchases from fun shops. but the bars are everywhere, and will probably always be more convenient anyway. i wouldn't worry about it.

if you are mostly concerned with a supply in the room, you can get a 12 pack for 3.99 delivered to your room before you even get there - or during the cruise...

https://www.carnival.com/FunShops/item/SP4/bottled-water-sm-bottles-12-pack

don't worry about it :)

embarkation depends. it depends on when you get there, who is ahead of you (platinum, diamond, fttf, wedding parties, etc.) and how quickly they clear the ship - and the port! there is no easy answer to that. i actually like to arrive later - say 1ish, so that the lines have died down, and short of the aforementioned perk type categories you can go right to your room.

the drinks are not 'watered down', that said, some are stronger than others. if you want stronger drinks, i would recommend against the 1) drinks of the day (typically they are made en masse and not to order, you might get a less than stellar pour) and 2) the frozen drinks. i don't find the frozen drinks have the 'kick' you'd expect, more sugar. if anything on the ship is carefully measured i think it's them so they're still served 'frozen' and not 'soupy' (as if there were more alcohol) but that's just my opinion.

stick to stuff like long island iced tea or mojitos etc. for a more true made to order cocktail. also, find a favorite bartender and frequent them. feel free to tip them a few bucks and they'll remember, and may repay your loyalty (that's a good way to find a favorite, btw). and for beer (especially on cheers), the fosters oil cans are twice the size.

senor frogs is what it is - and it is fun. i wouldn't make an excursion of it for your full day in nassau, but definitely worth a stop. in nassau consider the frommers walking tour of nassau, and get some local drinks along the way. i've done that, it was fun :)

the bar / club scene can vary based on your cruise, but i've always had a blast. i typically start out at the piano bar and stay till close - so much fun, singing along (though this again depends on the piano bar player) and drinking (typically 12-1ish), then tend to move over to the club to shut it down (typically 2-3ish)... then there will be another bar, often lido bar aft, open until about 4... don't ask how i know that :D

you can have your quiet romantic moments whenever you want - plenty of options for that. spa, room amenities, 'secret door' decks etc. that's up to you. but you'll always have cruise friends available for the party and have fun part, in my opinion.

welcome to CC, hope you have a blast :cool:

I've never heard of Yeti.....

i have, but until i read further i was wondering why anybody would want a cup with something like this on it:

i honestly was thinking OP picked such an obscure type of cup so as to signal 'this is not your cup' - like i 'personalize' or pick obscure luggage for the same reason...

the stuff you learn on cruise critic... :o

you'll want to post this on the roll call section, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=336

i don't see one for your cruise so you can start one!

93%. i didn't even know 'the adventures of mary kate and ashley' was a show and missed the one about post-katrina ships.

I think it's kinda funny when people from Florida complain about the ships that are home ported there [emoji23]

I'm surprised anyone hasn't said this yet, but in my pocket, on a lanyard.

I like the one from the casino, but would never wear it around my neck. I clip the one end to my belt loop, and then put the card in my pocket.

Used that way, your card is always attached to you, but you're not advertising it. That little coil has a lot of give in it, and it's perfectly comfortable to place in a slot machine, open your room door or pull out to show a drink server without uncoiling at all, and can even be handed to a bartender at a bar with several (I want to say maybe 8-10) feet of give from where I am seated if they want to swipe it.

I think that's the second manner in which it was designed to be used. That's why there is a clip on one end, unlike the fabric type lanyards that are just a 'loop' with a 'ring' on them.

It is the best of both worlds in my opinion.

on the face, i'd pick half moon cay.

the largest single table i'm aware of is for 12.

i've seen 2 six top rectangular tables together to make 12 and if you're cool with squeezing in another chair (likely on the crack) that could work, albeit perhaps not ideal. if you have kids maybe it's a squeeze you could manage.

but for the most part no, 14 is not a standard table size.

link your bookings to be seated together in a traditional seating. you'd likely get say an 8 and a 6 top next to each other. i do not recommend anytime for a group that big. tried it once and never again. anytime is NOT set up to accommodate larger groups.

Mix the iced tea and lemonade from lido. Tea is too weak and lemonade is too strong / sweet / sour. Mix half and half and it's a just right 'Arnold Palmer'

It'd be nice if they gave more points to those who book suites, balconies, Havana Cabanas, etc.

Agreed. I also think it'd be nice if they gave more points to those who spend more onboard too.

Pax 1 could book an inside room on a 5 day from Florida last minute for say $200 and spend nothing on their sign and sail all cruise... Plenty on here say that's exactly what they do. Total $200.

Pax 2 could book a balcony room on a 5 day from New York for say $750, buy cheers, stuff from the shops, steakhouse etc and spend say the same as their fare, $750 on their sign and sail... And let's say they book an excursion too for $100. Total $1600.

Both will get the same 5 days.

Pax 1 could do the same thing they did in this example for a whopping 8 cruises, or a total of 40 vifp sail days for the same cost spent.

That doesn't exactly seem 'fair' now does it? I often think of that when people object to changing the system, regarding money spent (including in this thread). They're similar to those that'd book 10 3 day cruises to get to platinum super cheap as compared to say 10 7 day cruises.

And that said, which pax do you think carnival would want in their ship for the week? They make their profit off the onboard spending, not subsidizing cheap vacations for those who won't spend anything onboard. So why shouldn't they reward the pax 2 cruiser that makes them their profit? They already do those who do much of their onboard spending in the casino with free cruises, perks, etc.

The choice is definitely available.

 

The Carnival Fascination has 152 staterooms with balconies. 26 Grand Suites with balconies 28 Junior Suites with balconies and 98 standard balcony staterooms Category 8A thru 8D.

 

And which mass market alternative to the Fascination are you categorizing as the new ship?

 

The 15 year old Adventure Of The Seas? The 15 year old Celebrity Summit? Or the 12 year old Jewel of the Seas? All came into service during the 1st GW Bush administration. I would not consider either of those "new ships."

The carnival fascination, which is 22 years old, or in other words was christened 2 years into the Clinton administration, is even older. And it's an 'old' design that continued to be produced even after they started transitioning to the template for the destiny/triumph/conquest/splendor/dream class which have the same general superstructure.

I'm not saying those you stated are 'new' ships but let's be realistic - a fantasy class ship is an old design, which is not exactly competitive with its contemporaries in terms of amenities, balconies etc. and this one in particular is older than any of the others you went through the trouble to reference ages for.

I think there is a reason carnival can't sell these ships - nobody wants to buy them. For numerous reasons. Including the fact that many people will not buy cruises on them. Which is a valid point of view, just as much as they are a-ok for you.

I usually book ES and check the website several times per day, when I remember, lol. My PvP says the price can change up to 4 times per day so I don't feel so silly when carnival is the first thing I check in the morning and the last one at night :rolleyes:

I think that they may evaluate prices on the whole that 3-4 times a day, so in other words a human makes a decision 'insides aren't selling well let's lower the price and see what happens' - then they sell a few and up the price

But make no mistake that they can and do change in real time. I've seen before - the minute I have held or booked a cabin - bam, the same category cabin next door is 10 or 20 dollars more as supply is less. I think the computer revenue system makes those decisions constantly.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I firmly believe the decision to no longer allow bottled water on the ship was not a result of anything other than they had been finding too many people smuggling liquor in the water bottles. Heck, my neighbors sailed on a Disney Cruise recently and boasted the (empty) bottles of shampoo that they purchased specifically for smuggling vodka and rum. Cheaters and non-ruler followers in my opinion do spoil it for everyone else.

Granted. We are all allowed to agree disagree. I'm down with that, and welcome thoughtful discourse.

Sure. They were checking for liquor in water bottles. I bet once they started doing that those people stopped doing that.

It sure would be a pain to do that, though, if half the people on the ship decided to bring on their own water by the case, wouldn't it?

The whole time, the ship sells water, by the way. They now sell it by the 12 pack for an incredibly reasonable price. They sell soda, juice, most other things too!

What I am saying is that quite frankly, it is the people that chose to bring on WHATEVER that created the problem.

The fact that the cruise line allows it is an aside, but for the fact that anyone can bring on a 12 pack of whatever - that is what creates an issue of overhead in clearing all of that. Would it be ok to bring on a 12 pack of explosives instead of Diet Coke or bud light? That's also part of why they (security!) check.

My original post was in response to how it's the smugglers fault. In reality, I think the cruise line has a bigger problem with the perhaps even repeat cruisers that scheme to spend no money on board, in part by bringing on beverages for a week. They sell the same thing (most times, not counting for specialty stuff etc). Those people who don't spend money onboard imo, cost the cruise line more than those nasty smugglers, who for the most part, will still have a hefty bar tab.

And everyone can thank the people who have been smuggling their booze in over the years in water, mouthwash, soda and other kind of bottles. And as those jerks continue to do this by other means and get caught other restrictions will be given to those who live by the rules.

Ya know. All those 'smugglers' get a bad wrap as being the cause of all evil and this beverage policy...

I'm inclined to think that in the whole, the cruise lines lose out on more revenue by the masses of people that have been carting in cases of water, juices, etc. maybe that's why they stopped letting people check cases of beverages years ago with their own luggage tags etc. and making you carry them on. Can you imagine how much easier that makes loading the ship, for them?

Further, it's this 'anti-smuggler' demographic that yell vehemently that they should be able to bring on their own supply of beverages for a week. That way they don't ever have to buy anything onboard. Because 1.95 for a can of soda will add up to a fortune! I'm sure the cruise lines absolutely love this. Not. This demographic will come around here and brag how they spent nothing on their sign and sail account all week. I'm sure, carnivals most valued customers.

I don't really even have a dog in this hunt. My bar tab will attest, and I will always buy cheers. Those smugglers will spend more on drinks than the people that cart around cases of beverages so they don't spend money onboard. Just realize that it's the people that you 'anti smugglers' are complaining about are the ones that stabilize your low fares, because they spend money onboard above and beyond what they may be able to 'smuggle' on.

This is not directed specifically toward you, but this argument. I'm just so tired of beating this dead horse and the high and mighty attitude expressed in such statements.

Op, no you cannot bring on bottles of water. They can be purchased through the cruise line as others have mentioned. Just like most other things people carry on.