Happy0810

I was told by a Guest Admin at Carnival that there isn't an expiration date (this was via email in Jan. 2022 so it is in writing). 

1 minute ago, EllieinNJ said:

I am not familiar with all these different rates.  I have a rate that you can cancel with no penalty for a cruise in 2023.  I see the early saver rate is about $50-60pp cheaper.  Does this mean that I can change my rate two days before final payment and get the cheaper rate?

If I were you, I would keep the cancel with no penalty rate since your cruise isn't unil 2023.  Circumstances can change so much between now and then, and, in my opinion, the flexibility for your rate would outweigh the $50-60 pp savings and penalities of early saver.  As you get closer to the cruise and before final payment date, you can change your rate type if something else cheaper is available to you at that time.

On 2/25/2022 at 11:20 PM, vwrestler171 said:

Does the resident rate let you choose your room?  If so, you should be able to price match to it.

Sorry, I didn't come back and answer this question.  Yes, the resident rate allowed us to choose our room.

10 hours ago, vacruizer said:

 I was denied twice last week for matching a resident rate. Prior cruises always allowed it as long as you actually qualified for that rate.  
 

I was also denied a month or so back, well before final pay,met, on an upgrade (from OV to Balcony) saying Accesible rooms couldn’t change cabins. There were several accessible balconies available for less than my OV was selling for. It’s frustrating. Why offer Early Saver anymore if they won’t honor it?

I completely agree with this...especially since Early Saver has so many restrictions and penalty fees regarding changes and cancellations outside of final payment. 

First off - I'm such a dummy.  Yesterday was Friday so I could have called instead of posting this thread.  The whole day, I thought it was Saturday. 🙂 

Second - I got the cruise booked.  I'm not sure if it's exactly right, but I was told my reservation is notated as early saver and price matched to the resident rate.  I paid the correct rate.  When I questioned not being able to see early saver on my email confirmation, the kind PVP told me just to call him if I saw the price go lower and he'll take care of it...up until 2 days before sailing.

20 minutes ago, siestakeys04 said:

Just curious why not book the residence rate in the beginning?

You can price match to Early Saver rate up until 2 days before the cruise (meaning you have the potential for your price to go lower with OBC).  You can't price match to Resident Rate (meaning the rate you pay today is the final rate).  Both rates are valid today, but I don't know if you can price match Early Saver on the day you book.  Difference in price for the cheaper Resident Rate will buy about 5 drinks. 🙂

We are about to book a cruise at an early saver rate.  If we do, can we immediately price match to a resident rate?  The resident rate is lower, but early saver drops off in a couple of days.  Carnival is already closed or I would call and ask this question.

My experience on Magic in Aug 2021 and Pride Jan/Feb 2022:

Check-In - 16 days before starting at midnight.  I received the earliest arrival time for both cruises 10:00-10:30 with boarding zone A01 (they call zones to board....A01, A02, etc., B01, B02, etc., C01, C02 and so on).  Friends forgot to check-in during the early check-in time and ended up with 11:00-11:30 with boarding zone C03.  It put them about 20-30 minutes behind us but not a big deal.  You can drop off luggage in your cabin but room may not be ready.  Ours were ready on both cruises with cards in the box.

Water - Any bar

Ship Pin and Platinum Gift - Pixels (Luggage Tag on Magic in August, Photo Album on Pride in Feb)

Laundry - Yes (so nice to come home with clean clothes)

Chocolate Delight/Strawberries - Yes, call room service to schedule delivery.

Platinum Party - Yes.  No limit on drinks and quick service for our cruises.  No hor d'oeuvres at either party.  I have read that Mardi Gras limits the amount of drinks because of the large number of platinums on the cruise.  Not sure on other ships.

Priority Tender - Only came into play in Belize in Feb 2022.  Received a letter on where to get priority tender ticket, but we didn't utilize it since we took our time getting off the ship.

Priority Debarkation - Yes on both cruises (we use self debarkation).  Zone 1 on both cruises if we wanted to let them take off our luggage.

Whew, I think that covers everything.  Have a great cruise!

22 hours ago, odie1024 said:

Just finished catching up on the last 14 pages as we got in late last night. Flew out Friday morning Feb. 4th when Boston was getting an ice storm, thankfully we got out before most of the airport shut down. Headed to San Juan for a B2B cruise on the Epic, had a blast and great weather. Hit St. Thomas, Barbados, Antigua, St. Martin, St. Lucia - twice, St. Kitts - twice, Aruba and Curacao. 

That sounds like an amazing trip with great ports.  Looking forward to the photos. 

17 hours ago, OhioScubaGirl said:

 My PVP could not tell me what excursions are available to purchase until I book my cruise.  I want to know if I can book Certified Scuba with Carnival before I book.  I am deciding between two cruises and will only book where I can dive. 

You could "book" with a 24-courtesy hold only and then look at shore excursions (requires no money down).  I did that over the weekend and was able to see what excursions are available.  If you still have the courtesy hold at the time you are ready to book your cruise, just cancel the courtesy hold.

4 hours ago, HeyJut said:

Did my online proctored Covid test this am. Negative!! Can’t wait for Sunday morning HAL cruise-first time on HAL. Looking forward to seeing friend @jbhcw.

Didn't you and @jbhcw meet in person for lunch (along with @Greenpea2)?  How great that you're going to be on the same cruise and can meet up.  Have an amazing time!

54 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

I'm up to page 430 now on the original Ay Tee El, which is March 11 2020... Right about the time when the doo doo started to hit the fan with the pandemic... 

We were cruising during this time.  We had a side-to-side on Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  We were in Cozumel on the last day they allowed ships (3/14/20) and got back to FLL on March 16th.

Long time, no post...Seriously, it's been about 5 months since I've posted, but I do read (well I play catch-up, not to be confused with Saint Greg's ketchup).  I'm finally all caught up and am thinking of those who have lost loved ones recently or soon to be cruising for the first time without their loved ones.  And to all those cruising soon, enjoy every moment.

Life's been moving along here.  We had a 6 day cruise back in late January-early February that was a nice escape from the cold weather.  We had cruised back in August to the Eastern Caribbean, but this time I loved being back in Cozumel and in the Western Caribbean.  We also visited Belize but missed docking in Costa Maya due to high winds.  I'm already on the search for our next cruise adventure, but I'm not sure when and where yet.

Here are a few pictures from our cruise on the Carnival Pride.

Leaving Tampa, going under the Skyway Bridge, and a couple of pics at Chankanaab Park in Cozumel.

Ship from the tender in Belize and a few more pics from Chankanaab Park in Cozumel.

Random ship pictures

You can check in on the Carnival Hub app now. I believe when you're all listed as cruise companions/linked reservations, you can check your whole party in. 

I haven't had to do the separate floor check in since being on the Vista about 3-4ish years ago. 

I just did a mock booking on a cruise leaving out of New Orleans tomorrow.  It let me go through the full process to payment page so it looks like you can book the day before as long as they haven't reached their pre-determined max capacity during these COVID times. 

I will say back in August our cruise stopped showing up online about 2 days before (this was during the Delta surge).

On 9/10/2021 at 8:02 AM, odie1024 said:

 

@kpark895have fun on your cruise, cannot wait for mine-37 days to go and 27 till I go to Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Festival.

 

A hot air balloon ride is on my bucket list...I just wish it wasn't so darn expensive (but I understand why it is).

On 9/10/2021 at 1:54 AM, mommio said:

We just got home from our week in the Smokey mountains of Tennessee. A great weeklong vacation with a wedding family, fishing, and great food. Stayed in a cute little cabin and really felt like we had a vacation (first since January 2019) 

 

Good to be home with our doggy boys ❤️

Did you go to the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area? 

9 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Let the excitement begin.  Turned on our official last work day as 9/26 with departure date of 9/28.

Not much longer.  Any idea where you want to go next summer...still in SD (just another campground) or somewhere different? Is Utah for the winter or are you making your way back to Yuma?

We're currently on a month-long RV trip but go your least favorite place...Florida.  😂

8 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Did you ever get to book the specialty restaurants?  Can't wait to read the review. 

7 hours ago, kpark895 said:

 

Good to hear!  Looks like a new home celebration dinner is in order!

 

My daughter and I both had our Covid tests today for our cruise on Sunday - both negative!  Going all in on this cruise - unlimited dining package, drink package and I bid on a royal upgrade.  4 bids expired, one pending, but can't be cancelled or modified.  Hoping that's a good sign!

Have an awesome time!! 

I personally would pick a cove all day, every day....as long as it's not under the galley.  Why?  If the cruise is in the warmer months, that shade is awesome because I get enough sun while we're exploring the ports.  I've never felt closed in and like the additional privacy you get. The close proximity to the water and watching the pier runners is an added bonus.  Will you have good views?  We returned from a cruise recently and the only photo not taken from our cove balcony was the one of the rear wake.

All that said, you may not have a choice here.  The cruise line may not let you "downgrade" from the lido balcony to the cove.  Although I think a cove is an upgrade, they don't care what I think. 😜   You would just have to call and see what they say, but I've read about that rule before.  Whatever cabin you end up in, I'm sure you'll have a great time. 

About a month ago, we decided to book a 5-nighter out of Port Canaveral on the Carnival Magic now that cruising seemed to be back.  We set sail on August 16th and visited Amber a Cove, Dominican Republic and Bimini, Bahamas.  It felt great to be back on the open seas and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Here are a few pics from the trip.

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic 

Bimini, Bahamas

Misc & Docking beside the Mardi Gras

Towel Animal Invasion

As long as you begin and end in the same US port (known as a closed loop cruise), you can travel with a certified copy of your birth certificate and driver's license.  If your wife's last name changed due to marriage, bring a copy of your marriage certificate too.

Passports are recommended, but we've traveled this way with no issue.  Enjoy your cruise!

Edit:

Here's the link to show your wife that you've got it covered.  

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

Spent the day making salsa...will have to make another batch in about a week.

Just got caught up on 25+ pages. We made it home from our 6 week RV trip and took care of the jungle that was formerly known as our yard. 😂  

While we were camping, I checked cruise pricing and had a great offer on a balcony $250 pp so we booked it and head out in August.  So excited to be cruising again! 

@sid_9169 - Congrats on making it back to CC and double-congrats on the condo. 

@kpark895 - Lovely photos of you on your son's wedding day. 

@Slainte57- That hibiscus flower is huge. Enjoying the camping life! 

@deedle7544 - Enjoy the adventures!

@fyree39 - Where are you cruising to?  It's soon, isn't it?  (read so much I may have that wrong 🤣)

@meatball_nyc- Enjoy the beach!

@CallistaSkye - Congratulations on the new baby!

@Shaded Lady - Congrats on the raise and job security!

@meatball_nyc - Awesome news on your son's graduation.

@kpark895 - Such an exciting time for your daughter.  I'm sure she will love having a place of her own.

@HeyJut, @jbhcw, and @Greenpea2 - So happy you three were able to meet for lunch.  

@AKR2011 and @Slainte57 - Love the pictures.  Camping...you are my people...ha ha! 

@deedle7544 - Hope you're enjoying Hawaii.  What am I saying? I know you're having a great time.

@doctorkand @cat_eyes_rs - Welcome to the tribe.  Doc, I know you joined in the last few weeks while I was only reading along.