Donh44

Just got off the Valor, and our Stateroom attendant, who has been working for Carnival for 31 years (!!!!!) was sad about the upcoming changes that Carnival has been implementing. To be fair--he wasn't outwardly complaining--it just came up when I expressed KUDOS/amazement that he had been doing his job for such a long time, and asked if he was going to retire soon to spend time with his family.

 

The changes were the reason that he truly was thinking about retiring. He said that he feels like he isn't able to provide "great" service anymore, because of the increased # of rooms he is responsible for. When he started (Mardi Gras) he had 15 staterooms. It then progressed to 20, and now he's got 25. He said the next change, coming soon, will give him 37 staterooms, which is far too much for him to do, EVEN WITH the directive that they will only be servicing the cabins once per day.

 

So....there's that.

 

CeleBrat

I like (and prefer) the twice a day service. However, to be honest, where else can you go and get twice daily service. Any hotel you stay in will make up your bed (s) in the am and won't be back until the next am. I don't have a problem with no bed turndown. I can turn down my own bed. Not a deal breaker. As for the towel animal, if that is what you like, they can do it when they make up the bed in the am. I see no eal advantage to the bed being turned down. I would much rather they make it up in the am. Just my thought.

Just watched a video that said these are not usable on the ship, because they mess with the ships electronics.

 

Does anyone know if this is true?

 

I just bought some to bring for extra outlets and I bought surge protector strips because I want to protect my electronics.

A power strip is OK, but not one with surge protector.

Only on cruise casual nights.

I think that some are comparing MDR to the Steakhouse. I have been to the MDR many many times and see people in shorts. Depends on whether they enforce it or not. But in the Steakhouse, it is strictly enforced. No shorts.

What is the earliest you have printed out your cruise documents/luggage tags?

 

My cruise is paid in full, online check-in done and I still have another six months to go :eek:

I use the "final payment date" as the time to print documents. I have waited in the past until closer to cruise time and then the computer or the printer decides to act up and I have to go to the library to print them out or to a friend's house. Never fails.

The standard is 1:30, unless you are VIP, purchased FTTF, or the type to just go to your room anyway. No one stops you.

They will stop you if they see you. Take it from one who has been stopped and turned back until after 1:30.

I know I am way out for my cruise but I just purchased the FTTF because I heard they sell out quickly and I wanted to get it before that happened. I've never used this and was wondering how people who did purchase this liked it.

 

Thanks in advance.

You are going to see a lot of opinions on that. I love it. Worth every penny to me.

We have reservations on a cruise for the carnival fantasy tomorrow. Apparently our flight got cancelled and in top of that the port of Miami is closed . We are currently trying to reschedule our flight but there are two factors that are stopping us . 1. Carnival will not tell us until AFTER 10:30 am tommorow if the ports are going to be open .By the time they tell us the situation with the ports , most of the flights will be sold out . (Thousands of travelers will be trying to book flights to ft. Lauderdale/Miami that day . 2. Carnival will not give us a specific embarkation time IF THE PORTS ARE OPEN, making it impossible for us to rebook a flight . This is total bull sh-t and I wish that Carnivsl wod consider the fact that people are coming around the country and leaving us in limbo messes up are travel plans.

Carnival is not responsible for opening and closing of ports. That is up to Port Authority. They have to wait until they are notified of when the port will reopen. These things have to be taken into consideration when booking a cruise out of Florida during the hurricane season. Another good reason to have travel insurance.

I just looked at the expiration date on mine and it expires the week before our April cruise so Dh and I will definitely need to renew ours too. Guess we'll make it a family event lol

 

Sounds like there should be no problem getting them back before we go. Now if the rest of the government could be so efficient :)

I am curious. How were you able to book your cruise without them questioning the expiration date on your passport. They ask for that date when you book. Not being critical, just curious as to why they didn't question it.

There is nothing enjoyable about the last morning, everything is too hectic. We go as early as we can.

I agree 100%. Very hectic. I get up, eat & disembark as soon as I can. It's over. Need to move on. Others are waiting.

Are you sure about the playlist? Wasn't on my Dream or Triumph cruises out of Nola earlier this year.

 

 

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This may be a dumb question, but that is what Cruise Critic is for. What do you mean by Playlist? I always enjoy the shows. I don't know what one means by Playlist. Please explain. I would appreciate it so much.

Have you ever read a cruise review and wished Cruise Critic had a thumbs down, or Unhelpful button. OR even a critic button? I really get frustrated with reading reviews by members who have just joined and it's their first post!

How about a join period before you can post a review? I'm not saying a person would had to post but it just seems so suspect when someone joined in 2016 and makes their first post a review.

 

I was reading a review of the Breeze by BrooksClan418. She gives the cruise a 1/5 -Hated it. Yet, she says the ports were good.

What the problem was is she was sailing with 1 other adult, a 5 year old and 1.5 year old. Ok... are you guessing her complaint?

They provided a crib. (I've met people on cruises who have brought traveling toddler beds) But the crib was uncomfortable so the baby didn't sleep AND the room was crowded.

Are you kidding me?!? She hated it because the room was too small. If she had ever sailed on a NCL interior - she would think small - you can't even stand between the beds - you have to be facing the beds to have room to stand.

Any hotel room is going to seem small if you add a 3rd bed.

And when my son was little he never slept well in a hotel room - it's not quiet, there are distractions, its out of their routine. How can a crib be uncomfortable? I've never noticed a difference in cribs mattresses.

And if space was an issue - I've got three real quick ideas - 1) Do an exterior room for more space 2) book connecting interiors and last one is the free solution 3) push the two singles to one wall, put baby and one adult on lower beds and other adult sleeps on upper bunk. I've seen many a post that parents have posted they have done this.

 

:)MY Whole point is the posters comments are not helpful except she thinks the room is small. Sure for 3 beds but compared to other cruise lines - they aren't. And if a newbie is just scrolling through and sees - "Hated It" and 1 star - I might be scared to go on the ship and it brings the ships average down.

Haven't we all met that one person who complains about anything and everything? I know I have. I used to work with a woman years ago who was not ever satisfied with anything, and I do mean anything. It got to the point where fellow coworkers would engage her in conversation just to hear what the complaint for the day was. I had never met anyone like that before and when I read these reviews that go on and on and on about everything that is wrong, I think of Genny (fondly). May she rest in peace.

Are you joking? How is that even in the same category? Does someone drinking a beer affect you through osmosis? And yes, if you want to gamble then you are forced to be around smokers. How does gambling affect anyone except the person gambling? How does a chair hog affect your health? How does someone wearing shorts in the MDR directly affect you?

 

There is nothing else here that people complain about that directly affects anyone except smoking (in more than a superficial way anyway)

I think that you are being a bit unfair. The question that OP asked was what change you would like to see Carnival implement. Everyone has their own personal thing that they would like to change. I am sure that you also have a preference. Why would you jump on someone who is only expressing their opinion. I have preferences as well, but not going to mention them and get knocked down for mentioning them.

I've always wanted to cruise this itinerary. For Sep/2017, there are two cruises leaving the same day (Carnival Sunshine & NCL Gem) from NYC. Has anyone done the same itinerary on both lines? Just wanted to know if it would be rough sailing from NYC into Canada and while in Canadian ports. Is the weather still decent in early September. My concern is seasickness. Right now for the price, the Sunshine is the better deal. I can get an oceanview for the price of an inside on Gem. I haven't been on either ship so don't know if it makes any difference on this itinerary especially if the weather is colder. Any comments on the itinerary, weather, either ships would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

I have been on that exact same cruise twice. Once on the Carnival Victory and once on the Carnival Splendor. Both cruises were in September as well. Perfect time to go there. Wasn't cold at all. Take a jacket though just in case. Only bad day was on the Victory, the last day was a sea day and it was extremely foggy all the way back to NYC. They had to blow the fog horn every 10 in or so. But the weather and the seas were great. Haven't been on the NCL Gem but have been on the Epic. Great ship and great cruise. You will enjoy it. Have a great cruise whichever one you choose.

Heading on our first cruise where we will be travelling without a group. Dinner in the MDR has always been the highlight of our day. When booking we selected a table for 6 which means we will be with 4 strangers and are a bit apprehensive about this. Just wondering what experiences others may have had in a similar situation. Thanks

Have had great experiences on all of my cruises. Sometimes you get with someone who is quiet, but that's OK. Most all are very friendly and conversational. Everyone is there to have a good time. Try it. If it is uncomfortable, you can always see if the Maitre'D can relocate you to another table.

has anyone done this? Is it really worth the extra $$$ to get on the ship just a few hours earlier?

I had never done it before a year ago. Now, I get it all of the time. Bad back here and it is so worth it to me to not have to stand in the general boarding line in the terminal. Faster checkin. Can arrive whenever I want. Bypass the general line to a special checkin. Then, priority boarding right after Platinum, Diamond and weddings. Can go straight to one's cabin to drop stuff off and then free to wander the ship without baggage. Few additional perks as well. Priority Tender boarding if your excursion calls for it, priority guest services line at the counter and priority phone line to GS as well. All depends on the person. I don't gamble, so don't use the casino. So, I treat myself to the FTTF. Not for everyone.

We sail in 32 days and we have looked several times a day for months trying to snag a FTTF to no avail. When I checked yesterday, it's no longer being listed. Does this mean that it will no longer be offered? I had hoped that closer to the time, possibly some would open up.

 

Please note that this is not a discussion as to whether or not FTTF is worth the $$$, so I kindly ask that the conversation not be led that way. :D

I took a cruise on the Splendor out of New York last Sept. Having major back problems, I thought that I would check to see if FTTF would be available. First few times, it wasn't. Then about 3 weeks before the cruise it opened up and I got a "yes". So glad to be able to bypass the general checkin line. Just keep checking, that's all you can do. Best of luck and have a great cruise.

I don't think that would have been an upsell call. That was most likely your PVP(personal vacation planner). They will assist you with all your cruising needs, if you so desire. If you like, they can book your cruise, handle any issues that arise, take care of any price drops, etc...........

 

I personally would rather take care of those things myself, but many people like to have their PVP do it for them. As I understand it, if you have a good one they are worth their weight in gold.;)

I have a great one and have had him for many cruises. I wouldn't do anything without him. He has saved me money a few times with the price drops. Took care of everything. Calls occasionally but absolutely no pressure. We are on first name basis s well.

i am checking, cause I thought I knew everything:rolleyes: about FTTF, but when I ordered it, it states hours 11-12, but even though it is printed on my boarding pass that I have fttf, the times state 1-3 for embarking.

 

the port is seattle if that makes any difference-so do I actually get to arrive early with my fttf?

 

or are they going to stuff everyone on in two hours?

FTTF allows you to arrive whenever you want. FTTF overrides the staggered arrival time.

I'm trying to plan our usual anniversary cruise for the week of Sept 21, now that our time off has been confirmed. I've been debating on itineraries and ships for that week. We have been on the Dream and absolutely loved it, but the itinerary is the same one we did for our honeymoon. The Splendor would be a new ship for us, and at least one of the three ports (Ocho Rios) would be new for us. But I've heard and read very mixed reviews about the Splendor. One bonus is I can use my casino rate for Splendor itinerary, but not the Dream, although the cost isn't really a deciding factor. More so whether or not I'll enjoy the ship we're on. Anybody able to weigh in with likes/dislikes about Splendor?

I have been on both ships (as you can see in my history below). Loved the Dream. I, personally, did not care for the Splendor. I found it hard to navigate the ship. On the 7th day of my Splendor cruise I was still trying to figure the ship's configuration. But that could have been just me. The Dream was great.

It is confusing. I have both... a check in time and also FTTF for my next cruise.

Don't be confused. You need to select a checkin time. That way Carnival can estimate volume of passengers at a particular time. BUT! If you have FTTF, you can checkin whenever you get there. The checkin time does NOT apply to FTTF holders. Although it does not apply to FTTF, you still have to select a time for their estimation purposes. Not complicated at all.

My PVP warned me about this he said it happens a lot and I should call him before making any changes... Sorry this happened to you!

I made the same mistake but my PVP changed it back to the original booking for me. He told me that if I see another drop, to call him first. If it is beneficial to me, he would take care of it for me. I really rely on my PVP.

s

STRICTLY ENFORCED. HEAD COUNTS ARE TAKEN.

Sorry, Didn't mean for the msg to be That bold.

We are taking our first Carnival cruise soon. I was reading a review of someone on the Dream and the reviewer said when they arrived at their muster station only a couple people showed up- does Carnival not enforce that everyone must attend this drill?

s

STRICTLY ENFORCED. HEAD COUNTS ARE TAKEN.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend. In my recent spare time this weekend, I wrote a Carnival Cruise Trivia quiz that only covers basic company history and the cruise line's ships similar to ones I have shared here on Cruise Critic in the past. This is just for fun and NOT a contest of any kind.

 

Here is my Carnival Cruise Trivia Quiz:

http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-trivia-quiz.html

 

Have fun and feel free to share your score (no matter how good or bad)! If I made a mistake or error, please let me know!

P.S. I am not a travel agent nor a teacher. I always seem to get asked if I am one of those two professions and I thought I would clarify now. No, I am neither! I just do a personal cruise blog for the fun of writing!

43% That was fun and I am glad that you did that.

Do you know when it comes up? My booking is for next year November 2017. I don't want to miss it. Im handicap and want to drop my stuff off early. Tia

 

 

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I would suggest checking online every week or two.