spiritkat090909

As long as you are at least 2 weeks prior to sail date you get everything back. Yes, I have experienced.

I have done a no show on a different cruise line and port taxes/fees were refunded after sailing. It really depends on what the NEW rate would be and how much your CX PENALTIES would be. Your TA is probably right, since she knows what your rates are booked as.  If the penalty is more than the refund... no show.

Lobster Murano is usually fantastic. The goat cheese soufflé appetizer and the Grand Marnier soufflé dessert are my not to misses!  The Five Senses is extra, and not worth it IMO. The wine made it better, but you have less choice of meal and can get all of them individually.

I'm not a big show person, but the live orchestra makes a big difference. The guest entertainers are usually not to miss.

Make a list of your requests you made to the shoreside concierge...I've heard they don't always make it to the ship. 

After 'crickets' for 5 days... I just wanted to say SOUNDS FUN.

yes...2 hour hold yesterday

We must be an anomaly.  DH, Sapphire and myself, Amethyst in BCC... both received the offer. AFTER we had already booked  on Millie, the difference being an added classic beverage package. I called and had that matched and we are set to go.  Will be difficult to get any gambling time in with all of the port days and only one scheduled sea day.  So, maybe the offers for low gamblers are for port intensive itineraries?

Try changing the scale percentage in print settings from 100% to a lower one like 50-75%.

RS has an AMENITY of unlimited dining, not a 'perk'. You get that with moveup. Personal experience.

Here's my experience...  DH & I had 2 dif cabins with different starting prices due to casino discounts, sailing with sis/BIL. For Sky suites on Edge, if that makes a dif.  His minimum bids were different than mine were. So, yes...the amount paid made a difference in what we were offered as a minimum bid on move up. We did not bid that time.

Amethyst experience here.  

Twice I received the minimum $100. Once over $500, and last time over $700. I don't know hours played but typically I play $25 minimum Ultimate Tx Hold 'em TABLE game, not the one against players, but players against dealer. As soon as the table opens in the day until early dinner, every day that they are open. Usually again after dinner/show until maybe midnight.   No rhyme or reason.  I think I lost more on the trips where I got the minimum?!

For those of you thinking to wait until the end of the month to decide:  These offers are capacity controlled and when BCC sells 'their' cabin allotments on a particular sail date they are gone.  If you want it, book it. You can cancel up to two weeks prior to sail date for a refund of PTF. 

Bid MAX, remembering that number is double when charged. Then IF a room becomes available due to missed flights or positive covid tests or other...you will go to the top of the line.

You can book them in an inside room (or the lowest rate room)...and get 2 xtra keys at guest services. They don't have to SLEEP in that room, but they will be treated as if they are. Not dining in Luminae (xtra fee sometimes possible, space available)..no access to retreat or package benefits. Not boarding or disembarking with you, etc.

You could also book them in a suite with retreat benefits and give them 2 xtra keys. Then they would have almost the same benefits and could visit or sleep over as you/they chose.

Just remember to tip your cabin attendant & host for additional people. And tip the empty room, as well.

Then again... the additional cost for 3rd 4th pax may equal all those additional costs?

As a primarily chicken (4million lbs per year) farmer... this caught my attention. We also have a handful of cattle. In Arkansas/Texas borderland we are currently in an extreme drought and had to sell half of our small herd, 29 head. We are not alone. Prices were half of what they should be and nowhere near what the stores are getting per pound. ($1.00-1.66 per pound, a normal good year is $1.66 per pound for calves, with store prices of $2.00 lb ground. A fully grown cow should sell for about $800-1K, this sale average cow was $350.)

What this means is NEXT YEAR...beef prices will be out of this world. Our neck of the woods can't feed/hay overwinter and there won't be supply of new calves to sell. 

I discovered that the Navica ap for the covid pre-test recommended by Celebrity has a place to self report a positive or negative result. Doesn't have to be monitored or even one of theirs. It's probably collected and reported to government agencies. Maybe. 

How exciting!  My sister Laura and I are going on this cruise leaving the jelly hubbies behind... We've been trying to do a girls cruise since Nov 2019. Both tested negative today (she's freshly boosted, and I'm freshly recovered)...so meeting peeps shouldn't be too risky. Fingers crossed.

Although...we have La Petite Chef 1st night 6pm, so I don't know if the sailaway party is do-able for us to crash. However, I'm pretty sure our paths will cross at the WINE tastings!  We both like to do those. Otherwise, she's by the pool during the day & I'm in the casino. I've read ALL of your reviews...she works and has not. lol... If I see you, I will be sure to say hello. 

The Hurricane Sisters...

Katrina & Laura

Another why I would want COR...

In my situation, I am pretty sure that I will test negative on antigen test pre-cruise. (Have done so today and next cruise is 9 days in the future.) However, I will be traveling with a vaccinated/newly

boosted, previously uninfected individual. IF they were to be contact traced and tested positive... perhaps the COR would come in handy? If I were to be contact traced and they decided to test with PCR?

Why I would not...

It promises to be a hassle and more difficult to board with unfamiliar dock workers.  It may cause issues with port shore excursions.

I really don't know what the 'right' answer is, however...if I have both, then I should be covered in all instances. (Fingers crossed.)  And I could travel to/from Europe, if I were so inclined at the last minute.

I think that going through URComped initially put you on a lower rating scale. Just a guess. When you book again, call the Blue Chip Club number listed above and book through them instead. I would bet your level at the end of the next cruise is more in line with what you expect.

August

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Well just received my results

 

.....

Aww MAN! 

Normally, I keep my thoughts to myself...but... I was  little worried at the 3rd Butler/PRT change.  Typically, that is the one person that you get closest to in the upper suites...and relax around.

Here's hoping ya'll are blessed with a continuing asymptomatic 'event' and Iain avoids it totally.

Kat

So did I, same result.

I have this card.  FYI...you automatically get $300 of your annual fee back if you have ANY travel expenses that equal that amount per year. One hotel. Done. (Or one cruise deposit.) So net cost is $150. Very easy for me to make up.

I did run into a problem with my last discounted Carnival gift cards...some of the ones I had used partial amounts pre-cruise would only let me use $100 of towards my sail/sign account. The difference WAS still on the cards when I returned from cruise. My fix is to spend/buy cruise cash before the next cruise for those cards. The ones that didn't have anything spent from them were applied fine. (Two $1000 cards through Allstate.)

With Carnival...best strategy for me is buying discounted gift cards, and being careful how I use them. With Celebrity... the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

I just used $400 of CSR points for the nice Marriott beach resort property in FLL...and cashed out/applied $700 of points to the statement. So...yeah...it's paying for itself and my year just reset in January!

Of course, YMMV. Do your math.

I can confirm that Celebrity UTH was hand dealt on the Edge in November '21.  

In the BEFORE, Carnival's version of UTH was as well...unfortunately, just off the Vista in Feb '22 and the dreaded automated shuffle machine made an appearance. On the bright side, we were the last non-smoking week. There was one Royal Flush dealt, but you could definitely see the difference in the amount of normal, random hands that paid. Of course, it was the lower payout version of the game that had extra bets offered for pairs. Blech.  Bounceback offer to DH: Balcony.

So..next up..back to Celebrity! Equinox in May.

We also have a local land based offer of a free suite on Vista in September that I doubt we will take due to the 'machine'...and lackluster MDR food.

13 hours ago, CruisnDeb said:

Interesting. I may have to try this since I have never liked wine much except moscato! Maybe Jam Jar will have a red I will actually enjoy 😊 

Sweet, fizzy red... Rosa Regale Banfi Brachetta D'Acqui.  Also.. Landry's vinyard in Louisiana makes several sweet wines that are unusual and delicious. Redneck Red is a sweet muscadine wine. They also have a sweet white peach wine.  Since OP has access to muscadine grapes... how about that jelly? My mom makes the best  muscadine jelly. Nothing quite matches muscadine grapes. 

If the OBC is on your ship account, all you need do is download the amount you want to play to a machine, play for a while and cash out. Take the voucher to cage and exchange for cash. Maybe divide the amount between machines and days. Or if you want to try the table games, they charge a 3 or 5% fee (can't remember which, its waived for upper tier blue chip club).  I don't think the machines are charged the fee.