cruising maniac

I think it is harder to get last minute deals anymore. Carnival is very proficient at filling these cabins up with casino deals. I have not had any success with early saver the last few bookings either. The best thing is book early and use the 10% off gift cards from verizon or aarp to save a little money.

Why do I always see complaints about this from seasoned cruisers who just can't understand this concept?

First of all, welcome to cruise critic. Second of all, you see these complaints from seasoned cruisers because they know what it is like to cruise in peace and quiet without the noise pollution interfering with their serenity. Many cruise lines really limit their announcement and I do prefer the quiet to the announcement of yet another bingo game or another sale of t-shirts.

The only thing I can suggest is to call again and try another rep. Sometimes different reps know different tricks to accomplish what you need.

Good job!!

Here's a few more.

The ding, ding, ding coming from the casino.

The very first lunch on the Lido deck.

Seeing your first port of call as your ship docks.

I always use a travel agent who offers an on board credit of usually about 8 to 10% of the price of the cruise. Also, I use the Carnival gift cards from AARP and save another 10% on the price of the cruise. I carry on additional gift cards to be applied to my account saving another 10% on my on board purchases.

I had to type in AARP reward for good and then re-enter my password. They were out of Carnival cards.

Check out the site http://www.cruisedeckplans.com and make sure you are not under the galley. If you are, move or bring some ear plugs. Could be real noisy.

I have been on 25 cruises but just went to Aruba and Curacao for the first time on the Breeze over Thanksgiving. Absolutely loved them both. Clean, friendly, and beautiful. We have already booked the Valor back to Aruba and Bonaire in October. I have never been to St. Kitts but have done St. Maarten about 5 times. As an experienced cruiser who knows what the Eastern and Southern Caribbean have to offer, I would easily choose the southern. Hands down. Period.

The Valor is being dry docked in April/ May and getting the 2.0 upgrades. We just don't know which ones. I would choose based on itinerary and price.

We were on the Breeze over Thanksgiving and dropped our bags off before returning our rental car. We had a hard time finding the right spot for drop off. Go past the ship and around the corner to the right and you will see the porters taking your bags. It was very hectic at 10am because of the 4000 folks trying to get off of the ship. I would recommend that you take your time and eat breakfast at the airport and don't get to the port before 10:30 or even 11. There are simply too many people trying to disembark and get home.

I usually do the online check in pretty soon after booking just to get it done. But, I put our account will be paid with cash because I don't like putting my credit card info out there until that last minute. On the Breeze in November, we paid our on board account with gift cards so they did not need our credit card info anyway. Also, I typically change cabins a few times to upgrade or if the perfect spot becomes available, so I don't print out our boarding passes or luggage tags until about a week before we sail. Hope that helps.

A better question might be "Which cove balconies do not have a camera mounted on a lifeboat shooting into my bedroom?" :eek:

Laundry is my favorite perk. I love coming home and not having a bunch of laundry to do. Of course, I do not allow them to launder anything that can not handle high, high heat.

The representatives don't know what upgrades Valor will be receiving in April/ May. I was told by 2 different people that they want to keep it a secret until the big reveal but that the ship would be receiving the most popular upgrades. I'm hoping for Guy's, Blue Iguana, and Red Frog pub.

Where did you rent a golf cart in Costa Maya and where did you go.

We hadn't planned to do this ahead of time. As we were walking around the port, toward the back, we saw a sign that said gold carts for rent. I can't remember for sure but I think it was like $60 or $70 for 4 hours. We went through the city and down along the beach. It was great and 4 hours was just about the right amount of time.

San Juan, Belize, and La Romana. San Juan because we have been there so many times. Belize and La Romana because we don't feel safe. In Costa Maya we rented a golf cart and had an absolute blast.

We were on the Breeze over Thanksgiving with the pay room service menu and they still had smoked salmon on the breakfast menu. We just ordered cream cheese and bagels separately. DH had that every morning on the balcony looking for flying fish. We did not order anything off of the pay menu, but I think it all sounded really good.

I spoke to two different representatives about the upgrades to Valor and was told by both that they have not made the announcement yet as to what changes will be included. Both said they like to give the customers what they want and like so I'm thinking that the most popular additions like Guy's will be included. So, this morning I booked for a southern itinerary in October. Hoping for the best upgrades.

I always use my TA because of the OBC which is usually about 10% of our cruise fare. But sometimes I feel like I am a pain in the butt with price changes or room changes. I always communicate with her via e-mail and she responds very quickly Monday through Friday. If I need something on the weekend, I call the 1-800 number and someone helps me. I always book through the cruise line and transfer to the TA within 90 days. :) I buy beer and make steakhouse reservations through the Carnival website. No need to bother the TA for things I can do myself.

I have no problem with someone "grabbing" something. By the time you go through 3 lines for your meal, everything is cold.

Wow!! What a variety of opinions. And here's one more for you. THEY ARE FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! DH and I both lover the "Ringer". Ate several on the Breeze last month. I hope they put a Guy's on the Valor during their dry dock.

On the Breeze last month, I gave ours to the wonderful women checking us in and giving us our sign and sail cards. She applied them to our account before we even boarded. At the end of the cruise I had money left over so I moved it to my casino bank and cashed out in the casino. I know that I left a couple of bucks credit on my account but I haven't heard anything from Carnival about giving me another gift card. I'm pleased with how the situation worked out with the gift cards.

Can somebody tell me the company? Not just Ebay but the store in ebay if there is one. Thanks

We were on the Breeze over Thanksgiving and we got journals. I tried to exchange them for tervis tumblers at guest services and with or steward but they were out.

Love the mac and cheese with steak. The steak is really pot roast but is delicious. My DH really likes the salmon. We go ever sea day. Nice variety from the inedible powdered eggs on the Lido deck.