Bookster99

On 12/14/2019 at 3:51 PM, pmatawan said:

Just off The Sunshine 11 night Journeys cruise out of Charleston.

On the last day of the cruise, there were some plumbing issues resulting in wet carpeting in our cabin.

They brought the cleaning crew in with the "extractor" to try to remove the water and then left a fan blowing.

After half the day, the floors were still wet so I put down some towels.....Called housekeeping and asked them to bring the extractor back and try to get the carpet dryer, which they did.

Several officers also came by during the next hour and one offered to move us to another cabin... I declined as the cruise was over that night.

To my surprise, when the final bill arrived, they reversed the charges for 2 bottles of wine and a specialty dining reservation already paid for along with a nice note.

That's great to hear. Both that you didn't let it hinder your cruise, and also that they just did it. 

54 minutes ago, DubNHub said:

You never know. Most attackers don’t expect a fight, and they get thrown off their plan if you don’t act like a normal victim. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight though. Better off complying.... live to fight another day, etc. 
 

As far as getting the steak knife off the ship... grab it from the buffet before you leave the ship. You don’t get searched on the way out. And you shouldn’t get busted bringing it back on board either... after all, if they trust you cutting your steak in the dining room, why wouldn’t you be allowed to bring it on board? “I took it off in case I bought some fresh fruit to eat in port” is a good excuse. 

 

Or if you’re worried, find a trash can in port and throw it away before boarding the ship. No one is any wiser. 

I'd be the guy who stabbed myself, and get back on the ship covered in blood. At least I'd LOOK like Iwas in a fight!

1 hour ago, FiredogCruiser said:

I took the class on a recent Pride cruise to Bermuda. The way it worked for us, you signed up for it on Monday (the first sea day) at the Alchemy Bar. It was limited to 15. The class was scheduled for Friday afternoon, a sea day on the way back. You were asked to stop by the bar and confirm your attendance on Thursday. The class was a couple hours long, held in David's Steakhouse and very interesting. Discussed countries of origin, aging, distillation, blending, etc. Sponsored by Dewers. Very enjoyable afternoon.

This really sonds like fun!

On 12/12/2019 at 9:22 PM, minnieiowa said:

Has anyone had any luck purchasing airfare through the Fly2fun program?  Trying to book flights for a TA cruise next year andCarnival pricing Is outrageous.  Just wondering  what experiences anyone else may have had 

We used it for a Puerto Rico cruise and the pricing was comparable.

3 minutes ago, DubNHub said:

 

I’m not so much worried about having my pocket knife on the ship as I am having it when I’m in port somewhere. I’d rather have something better, but I can survive with a knife. 
 

Pro tip: learn some basic hand to hand self defense, as well as offense. If you feel like learning a little more, learn some knife fighting techniques INCLUDING disarming techniques. Am I advocating losing your life in a foreign land when you could just give the robber your money? No. But this will serve you and your family well at home also. I’m partial to Krav Maga. But situational awareness and common sense are the most important, at home and abroad. 
 

Also pro tip: If you don’t want to risk having your prized pocket knife confiscated even though the policy allows it, leave it at home... and before you leave the ship for whatever port you’re in, take a steak knife off the ship for your trip into port. 
 

Also also pro tip: if you’re carrying a knife (pocket knife, steak knife, pen knife, anything bladed) into a foreign land, familiarize yourself with the local laws and ordinances so you don’t end up getting in trouble for having a weapon where you shouldn’t have one. 
 

I’m not a lawyer and I’m not giving legal advice, and I’m not directing anyone to carry a knife on their person where it is not allowed. What I AM, though, is prepared for my well being and that of my family. I know a thing or two... because I’ve seen a thing or two. Or twelve. 
 

 

I can't speak for the OP, but my tiny little pocket knife would never be considered a defensive weapon or deterent! Good advice: Don't bring it if you fear losing it. Not sure how they'd feel about trying to carry a steak knife off the ship, let alobe getting it back on.

1 hour ago, naxer said:

This is what I found on this forum.   While I can't vouch for its accuracy, or really my ability to search correctly,  it looks about right. 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Fast And Furious Presents Hobbs And Shaw
Toy Story 4
The Lion King (2019)
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Overcomer
Spider-Man Far From Home
The Upside
Yesterday (2019)
Men in Black: International
Ad Astra
Detective Pikachu
Aladdin (2019)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The Grinch
The Man Who Invented Christmas

Tahnk you!

On 12/11/2019 at 9:25 AM, ilovethesparkles said:

We have always had your time dining, and for the Christmas cruise on the Dream we booked in 2 weeks we could only get late dining. Is it possible to request a private table for my husband and I for dinner or are they all only large shared tables? 

We have never done this, but my guess is if you ask the Maitre De they will accomodate you if at all possible. On our last cruise, we requested a different table becuase we were jam-packed at our assigned table, and there was no one at the table behind us. It was no problem. 

When we cruised out of San Juan over the summer, you were able to check in, go onboard, and then leave the ship like it was a port stop. We were tired by then so didn't take advantage of it, but on our cruise they left late in the day so there was plenty of time to get off and explore if you wanted too. I wouldn't drag luggage around down there: As i recall, there were cobblestones and stairs that made it difficult.

This is good to know! We are sailing on the Dream on the 23rd, and will definitely be bringing Ugly Christmas Sweaters! Didn't know there was an activity to look out for! I did feel left out last year: They had a carolling event and gave out Carnival santa hats. We missed out. Loved the cruise, but would have loved the extra souvenir. We will be on the lookout this year!

I tried to search for December movies but couldn't find them: Do you know what's showing right now? I am sailing on Monday. Not today -- NEXT Monday!

43 minutes ago, groundloop said:

 

Maybe a stupid question, but what purpose does a pocket knife serve on a cruise ship?

I use mine for all sorts of things: It serves as a screw driver, or help in opening a package, cutting string, or even opening up a toilet paper dispenser if i am somewhere where the available roll is empty.

You'll want to double check this, but I believe if the blade is under two inches they do not care. Having said that, I never carry it onboard in my pocket: I put it in my luggage or my carry on. It has never been confiscated.

40 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

I didn't think Carnival has had a cigar room for years

This was the Paradise in 2018.

4 minutes ago, serene56 said:

6  and 7 and 10 

 

BUt note that the disco is a smoking area.  (you just cant smoke on the dance floor.)   so people will be going in there to smoke

Good call. I never had that problem on the Valor: Probably I wasn't out there when the disco was in full swing. My hope is the OP will have put the laptop away and be enjoyiong the cruise by that time of evening.

On 12/2/2019 at 12:16 AM, diesteldorf said:

Boarding the Valor later today....Monday, 12/2

I've been on many cruises but never while taking graduate classes at the same time.

I purchased the Premium Internet plan just in case.

 

I know I can study in my cabin, but the table/vanity isn't very big and It'll be shared by other family members.

Laptop should have a decent battery, but I would prefer to be able to plugin if possible.

 

Do the libraries have outlets?

 

Would anyone care to give advice/suggestions...?

 

The good news is that all of my assignments should be wrapped up by Wednesday.

I don't know about plugs, but the Valor has a "secret" deck up front that's ALWAYS quiet! I forget what deck it's on.... I think it's deck 10, all the way in the front. There are benches out there.

14 hours ago, reeinaz said:

I'm taking a 5 day cruise and a recent fun times shows the sign up for the class on the 2nd day of the cruise but I don't see the actual class listed anywhere. A review on a 7 day Vista cruise said the class was the day after the sign up. That would be a port day on my cruise. I'm curious about the timing of this activity.

 

Also, is there a Martini class too? I've read about one but don't see it listed as an activity.

 

 

 

Thanks

These will all be listed in the Fun Times when you board. I believe we tried to go to the whiskey tasting on the Valor last year, but they held it in the cigar room and i couldn't take the smell. I've done the wine pairing session in the past, and that was excellent. Haven't done the martini tasting, but I bet they have one!

On 12/3/2019 at 10:59 AM, Organized Chaos said:

Currently aboard the Valor. Just thought I’d write down some initial thoughts, then go from there. 

 

Day 1:  Because of school, we hadn’t been able to take a winter cruise until now, so this is our first non-summertime cruise. We were looking forward to a cooler experience. This is also our first cruise out of New Orleans. Again, we were looking forward to the new experience of cruising down the Mississippi for a while. The only problem, the sun went down not long after sail-away,  so the change in scenery didn’t matter much anyway.

 

We have FTTF.  We got to the terminal around 10:15 and walked right inside. This time, we decided to carry on our suitcases instead of checking them to see how we’d like it. Security was uneventful. Initial check-in was fast and easy, as it tends to be now, with just a check of our boarding passes and passports. After that, there was a separate security check station set up for sodas and wine. They didn’t tear open my case of soda completely, but did pop open the perforated end to peek inside. 

 

Normally, we like to put some Cruise Cash on our account, but this time we didn’t, so they had us go to the terminal Guest Services.  We were using a single Carnival gift card to fund our three S&S accounts. Many times in the past, I’ve read on this forum that they’re able to divide a single gift card between multiple accounts, and I feel like we’ve done it before ourselves, but she said she couldn’t do it. We ended up spending a good 10 minutes at the counter while she tried to figure it out, to no avail. We ended up putting the gift card on one account and having the other two pull from that one. We won’t go through that again, we’ll make sure to buy Cruise Cash with our discounted gift cards in the future.

 

Since that process put us behind, we ended up nearly at the end of the FTTF line when called for boarding. But we were still on board, put our luggage in our cabin, and were done eating lunch before 11:30.

 

My son & I had Guy’s. They only had one line going and only one crew member on the line, so it went fairly slow. Slower than usual. We are usually big fans of Guy’s burgers, but our first ones were disappointing this time.

 

We’re used to stewards who introduce themselves right away, but we didn’t see ours for 2-3 hours. He’s friendly, but not as personable as we’ve had in the past. Probably a product of increasing their workload. We saw his list of cabins and it was huge. He didn’t offer twice/day cabin service, only told us one or the other. We know we can still have both, but we just wanted one, so didn’t press it.

 

We eventually made our way to Guest Services to see if they could straighten out our S&S issue, but she too said she couldn’t divide a single gift card among multiple accounts. She suggested we buy a new gift card or two from Cherry on Top for the amounts we want to split into, then deposit them on our individual accounts. I doubt we do it, we’ll just leave it as is.

 

First night MDR: We don’t see the option to check in for Your Time Dining on the Hub app. I guess it’s not available on Valor yet. It took 5 minutes or more before anyone approached our table, and the MDR really wasn’t that busy. Our lead waiter came, didn’t introduce himself like we’ve experienced in the past, handed out our menus and left. He came back a short time later and asked if we were ready to order. It wasn’t enough time, so we told him we weren’t ready. He left and never came back. His assistant took our orders and handled us from that point on. Again, it’s probably a byproduct of an increased workload, but we’ve never had a lead waiter who was that inattentive and unfriendly. We finished off our first night at the comedy club. Absolutely hilarious! At one point, there was a gentleman  standing by the stage on his phone. The comedian went in for the kill and started giving him a hard time before realizing it was actually a member of security. He was escorting an older woman around the ship who was looking for her husband, and she was TICKED OFF!! She snapped at the comedian, telling him, “It’s not funny!” He apologized to the comedy host, but as soon as the woman left, he had fun at her expense, saying the husband was probably hiding from her. LMAO 

 

First impressions of CD Kevin is that I’m not impressed so far. We’ll see how that goes. Weather was pretty cool leaving NOLA, so it was very strange seeing the Lido pool area looking like a ghost town on embarkation day. No one swimming or laying out.

 

About to have sea day brunch now. Took us a while to get out of the cabin. We were exhausted last night. It’s finally warmed up outside. Not hot, just right for me. People in shorts, no jackets or stocking caps like yesterday. 

 

Not sure if I’ll write a review every day, but I’m happy to answer some questions if y’all have one, within reason of course. We’re on vacation, after all. I’ll check back when I get a free minute here & there.

Enjoyed my stay on the Valor. Look forward to your updates as the cruise progresses.

3 hours ago, PekingeseLady said:

Hello everyone. 

 

So I've been on quite a few Carnival cruises.  The most current was last December.  We then had both free (included) and for a fee ($) food available on the room service menu.

 

We are getting ready to sail on the Panorama on Jan. 4th and Jan. 11th.  On one of my roll calls someone has posted the new room service menu.  Everything was for a fee ($)!!!  Is this right?  No free (included) room service anymore?  If true this is a real bummer.  I love me some FREE room service.

 

I did do a search first, but the first couple pages didn't have what i was looking for.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Happy Sailing!!!  

On our most recent cruise, which was over the 4th of July, we found both. There were some items that were freem, and some items that you paid for. For instance, you could still get coffee, danish, fruit in the morning for free. But certain items like pizza had a fee. Especially late at night. In either case, I tipped a buck or two to the steward. 

2 hours ago, cmichael1279 said:

Check out raise.com - 10% back on Carnival gift cards, you pay full price, but you get cashback to use on the site!  

Interesting. Will check that out...

11 hours ago, cruzincat50 said:

You are also limited to one Carnival Gift Card per month, and right now only the $100 card is available.  And, they are eGift Cards, which, from time to time, have issues of their own.  I won't risk it right now.

 

You can join Allstate Drivewise, without having to have Allstate insurance.  If you are new, you get enough points to purchase three $500 cards, just for joining.  You get more points for driving under 80 mph, and not doing any hard braking.  It monitors your GPS on your smart phone. So there are those privacy issues, but not an issue for me.

 

Allstate uses the same company, Deluxe, to run the program, that AARP used before the big switch.  They still sell the hard cards.  The only issue I had with Deluxe was requiring a signature to receive cards worth $500 or more, but not providing tracking numbers when they are shipped. They also still have the better cards for other things, such as restaurant discounts, with no limits on the number of cards you can purchase.

Yeah, that was the limitation I didn't like: 1 per month. I do, however, like the convenience of an e-card. Going to have to check out the Allstate option again. It looked way to confusing when I checked before...

21 hours ago, Joe817 said:

You are correct. PayPal only. That stinks.

However, Paypal will allow you to use credit cards. I bought two through Paypal and still using a credit card.

22 hours ago, richfret said:

I you are trying to buy a Carnival gift card from AARP, forget it.  They are forcing you to use PayPal and PayPal is not equipped to handle the situation.  They will take all your data and then the system freezes and no one can resolve the situation.  The word "PROCESSING" will show up across the screen and nothing else happens.  AARP says it is a PayPal problem.  PayPal says it is AARP.  They are probably both right.

 

I am sorry for your problems. I have now bought two with this new system. I hope it works for you!

On 11/26/2019 at 11:36 AM, Saint Greg said:

Avoid embarkation day crowds by taking the staircase behind the atrium bar to deck 4. Then take the empty hallway to the back of the ship. Then the elevator up to deck 11 for lunch in Pasta Bella.

Pasta Bella. Got it!

17 hours ago, simplelife said:

if you get your wine at a good price, even if they charge the $15, you still  save over buying a bottle of wine at ship's prices. AND you get ot drink wine you really like

Works every time. Great use of Two Buck Chuck!

Chef's Table. Amazing experience. I sign up on the Carnival Website ahead of time. You'll get a confirmation email back. However, why not do BOTH Chef's Table AND The Steakhouse?