Herbaltees

That was a lot of fun. 

55 minutes ago, MRVEGAS711 said:

What make the most BUSINESS sense? If I'm Carnival, Waiting till July or September and filing Chapter 11. Keep all the money that cruisers have put on their vacation. Streamline the company and come back leaner. It will piss of 100-200 thousand people, but they will eventually forget. They'll have to, their money is gone. 

 

I think you're right. I'm not paying any more on my cruises, until the final payment dates. 

13 minutes ago, DaveyT said:

 

I found a screenshot from someone else, but doesn't include the rate code on it...

Many thanks this is what I needed. 

On April 2nd, the Early Saver promotion included a "Free Bon Voyage Item", it also gave $100 OBC. It was rate code OCS. I quickly called to get the promotion because the price was lower and the OBC, but I didn't take a screen shot. Now it's not shown on the website. 

Does anyone remember this promotion?  IF so, was there a coupon code or soemthing that went with it? Or will they just send an item to your cabin?

TIA.

Did you book direct?

Yes. I have the same issue.

On 11/18/2019 at 9:02 PM, 1st4our25th said:

So every ship should be $50pp except Mardi Gras?

No. The past few sales have been "Deposits as low as $50pp" which means  $50 and up, and not all sailings are included in the sale. 

My bounce back offer has been valid for about a month now. It was $50 obc for regular rooms and $100 for suites. The price was the same as the othe ES offers, but with a reduced deposit.

Yes, I have found nicer decorations for far less $$.

You can decorate your cabin as you wish. Just be sure to remove it the last night of your cruise, before you leave.

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 5:24 PM, klfrodo said:

Beware of this gottcha:

If sometime in the future you decide to do a price check to see if you qualify for a cheaper price on your booking,,,,,, you see the price is less and you go for it,,,,,,, if the new price does not include the $50 deposit,,,, you will have to pay the full deposit or risk having your booking canceled without any notification. They may or may not advise you of this gottcha at time of price drop.

Just beware.

There is no "Gotcha". That's the rule with all Early saver reduced deposit sales.  If you price match to a new promotion, you lose the benefits of the previous promo, including any OBC.

Sometimes they say "Deposits as low as $50" which means your desired sailing may not be included.

31 minutes ago, iria64 said:

We are in the pre-planning stages of a 2021 cruise.

Right now we are planning on 4 guests but one is questionable.

 

If we change the number of guests in the room from 4 to 3 would we lose the room we selected?

I know there might be some sort of penalty on the deposit but we are going with a group and and don't want to be moved to a different part of the ship if one traveler has to cancel.

I have had this issue before and Carnival's policy is that if you reduce the number of guests they reserve the right to move you to a room for the # of ppl (3) within the same cat (4D, 6C, 8B etc.) or upgrade you to the next level up within your category.

I  booked during the $50 ES deposit sale and then waited to cancel the 4th person closer to final payment, to avoid being moved. By that time, inventory is usually limited so the likelihood of being moved is slim.  Also, if you choose a category that has a likelihood of being sold out by around final payment,  there is nothing available to move you too.

Cancelling the 4th person forfeits the deposit, but I since I usually book under ES reduced deposit, I'm only out $50. (Not sure what happens if you book under refundable deposit promos.)

10 minutes ago, ishap said:

 

This was a selling point for me as well.  I have kids.  They are grown.  I get that the main pool has kids in it.  We didn't cruise with our kids till they were teens, but we chose to avoid the main pool because we didn't want all the splashing, jumping, screaming, etc.  There is nothing wrong with that and we like to see kids having fun, so we just choose other activities to do instead.

 

That being said, we specifically booked the Havana Cabana in order to have a quiet pool/hot tub experience.  We were willing to pay the higher price for that.  We sail in 14 days so hopefully it is exactly what we hope it will be.

 

 

I'm not sure this makes it elitist.  or at least not anymore than anything else.  Cruising has always been that you get more if you want to pay more.  Always.  Early cruising days had first class cabins on down.  If you could afford a first class cabin, you got the benefits that came with it.  Today's cruising is different, but the same.  Diamond/Plat members, FTTF, suites, Havana area, and the new area/cabins on Mardi Gras.  All come with perks if you are willing to pay the extra coin.

 

Other cruise lines have the same.  If you cruise a line considered a "luxury line" that comes with all the perks, you are forking out dollars for that experience.  Theme parks now have the same...you can pay extra to cut the line in front of all the other people.  

I like the concepts of the Havana Area, the FH area, the Excel suites etc. I think it provides more options for those willing to pay a little more.

I just prefer the Mardi Gras' location for the Havana area more. After seeing the deck plans for the Vista class. I had no desire to sail them. When MG was released we immediately began discussing which date we wanted to sail.

13 hours ago, DramaQueen22 said:

Vista Class ships have the Family Harbor area dedicated to families...that could be viewed as "elitist" as well.  There is a special lounge with snacks and ice cream all day.  If I opt to pay extra for a Havana cabin, then I deserve to have the dedicated area on the ship, nothing elitist about it.

 

Stayed in a Havana Interior 3 weeks ago and absolutely LOVED not having kids running around, behaving badly, and using the hot tubs as their personal jumping pads.  Would pay for it again without hesitation.

The FH being on deck 2 with it's special lounge is no different than the Excel Suites and I like the idea.

It's not elist. It's not taking some amenity normally used by all and privatizing it.

I like the concept of the Havana area as well. My issue was the chosen location for it on the Vista class.  I prefer the Mardi Gras' version more.

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Where the space is makes it more or less amenable?  They are not alienating anyone, small foot print area that is available to those clients who are willing to pay a fairly hefty price to get that space for a portion of the day.  The space is available to all after 7.  I think it probably the single best thing cabin wise they have done in 10 years.

I think you misunderstood my post.

I felt the Vista class location made it elitist. I felt the age requirement alienated families who want to pay extra for a private area.

I prefer the Mardi Gras re-imagined versions of both concepts more. The Excel Loft 19 is apart from all of the areas, giving patrons that pvt area. The Havanna cabins are not centered around Prime real estate.

We can agree to disagree, though.

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 4:16 AM, tap_out said:

What did they do to the Havana area on Mardi Gras?

I prefer the Havana design on the Mardi Gras. I do not like the set up of the Vista class with that whole rear being dedicated to an elite class.  It seemed wasteful and reminiscent of cruising long ago.

And with there being a minimum age of 12 to stay in the Havana area, carnival seemed to be alienating a huge segment of their core client, families.

This is my first booking on NCL and I am so confused by the promotions.

Is there a place where it tells you how many specialty dinners are included in your "FREE AT SEA" package, based on your sailing or sail date?

Are you able to upgrade from your package to another if you want more?

Also, if your price goes down or if a new promotion gives you more offers for your sailing, are you able to rebook?

TIA.

Do you mean the elegant dinner? 

Or the Chefs Dinner. 

i have not heard of a Captain's Dinner.

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 2:25 PM, shoptom said:

The benefit is applicable on sailings through July 31, 2020 aboard the brands listed below. Certain restrictions apply. Applications to receive these benefits should be made at least three weeks prior to cruise departure date. This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc. Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer. This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account. Only one onboard credit per shareholder-occupied stateroom. Reservations must be made by February 28, 2020.

Is the exclusion of tour conductors new? Because I got it on cruise last year where I was the TC.

10 hours ago, BigBuoys said:

 

Excepts for the weddings that are held prior to embarkation each sailing. 😮

Only very small/tiny weddings could fit in there.  My wedding was small only 50 guests and we could not fit in the chapel.

What is the cove craft area? Is this a new program being rolled out fleet wide? Sound interesting.

19 hours ago, Bluemoon319 said:

I think it's disgusting that they got rid of the chapel in exchange for an arcade.

I really liked the chapel, it was beautiful. But it was really unusable for anything more than quiet reflection. My husband and I were married on the Pride, but we could not use the chapel because it  could only seat 35 guests. 

I'm not sure if services were ever held there, on our wedding cruise they were not. 

Is there a way to know which rooms are assigned to which muster station?

My children are too small to sleep in a separate room. I always have to book two rooms in order for all of us to sail,  even though we always end up sharing 1 room.

I've always purchased an inside in the same vicinity of whatever room we're actually going to sleep in, but if I could find a cheaper room with the same muster station, that would be ideal.

Does anyone know if the muster stations are published somewhere?

I'm taking a group on this trip, so I will just need to prepare them for the worst and pray for the best.

thanks for the info and sorry to hear of your experience.

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 9:05 AM, moongal said:

What is ENHANCED TURNDOWN service?  We did not notice any extra service from our steward when we had a Grand suite this past summer... in fact I was a bit disappointed in that there was nothing special.  But now that I read it is supposed to have  had some kind of enhanced service, I am even more bent because we didn't get anything special done and I left extra tip. 😞

The enhanced turn down service for us was the little bag of cookies and fruit and cheese we received each night with the "compliments of the hotel manager".

I just learned that my cruise is the first one after a planned dry dock.

A couple of questions:

1. What were the planned upgrades given to the Pride?

2. When did they announce the $200 pp credit?  How was it administered?

3. Were any of the activities impacted or was it more inconvenience, dust and grime?

TIA.