mjonis

We're using Southwest points, so our flights in and out for our Jan 27th-Feb 3rd cruise out of Galveston means we will be flying in and out of HOU/Hobby.

We're arriving the day before (Jan 26th) since weather out of Albany, NY can be tricky that time of year.

However, due to schedules, we have to return home when the cruise ends on 2/3/19.

And, due to lack of enough points (not to mention the routing), the "early' flights are too close (for my comfort), although the 10:50 a.m. flight would've worked had it not been 3x the points and no food for 9 hours (with the short connections, SW doesn't let you de-plane).

So, we're on the 2:45 p.m. from HOU to BWI and then onto ALB.

Since there's no lounges in HOU (we're not military), what do we do for say, 6 hours? (assuming we stay on the ship as long as possible-haha).

Do we lug the luggage around Galveston while "doing things" there?

Or just go to the airport and then kill 3+ hours (I figure an hour to get from the port to the airport, and depending on how busy, 30-60 minutes to get through security/etc.) and Southwest boards like 30 minutes prior, so figure about 11:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. of "free" time? (assuming we leave the cruise port around 9:30 a.m.)

Never been to Galveston or HOU. Airport doesn't look like there's any comfortable place to sit/relax (just food court chairs). I may need to bring my butt cushion seat with me. LOL.

5% of $500 is $25 not $50.

You are correct. I misstated the offer:

"Activate this offer now to earn 5% back in a statement credit**

(up to a total statement credit of $50) when you spend $500 or more on ALL eligible purchases and use your Sears Mastercard® from 8/1/18 – 9/30/18."

I'm not sure how "targeted" this bonus is, but I have the Sears Mastercard, and got an email to activate a 5% statement bonus (up to $50, so it's good for up to $500 in charges) for "eligible" charges.

"The following types of transactions don’t qualify as purchases that earn statement credits: use of checks that access your Sears Card Account; balance transfers; cash advances; travelers checks, foreign currency purchases, money orders, wire transfers and similar cash-like transactions; lottery tickets, gaming chips and similar betting transactions; interest and account fees; unauthorized charges; and items returned for credit. The Sears Mastercard account must be current and open at the time we determine whether you qualify for the statement credit in order to receive the statement credit. Please allow 2 billing cycles after the end of the promotional period for the statement credit to be added to your account."

Doesn't appear to exlcude AARP gift cards, so I plan on getting like $500 of AARP Carnival gift cards at 10% off (and then maybe charge some other thing to it), and get an additional 5% back.

Then maybe use that $50 statement credit for another GC.

Thought I'd pass along in case anyone else has the Sears Mastercard.

I got an email about this and almost deleted it, so I guess it pays to read sometimes.

:)

Hopefully you purchased travel/trip insurance that has "work reasons" included. Typically you have 2 weeks from *initial trip payment* to get "cancel for work reasons" (ie, if you tried to buy it now, odds are the insurance will not cover this as it's kinda "after the fact").

Hope it all works out for you (you get to take your cruise and stuff).

While I'm a little bummed that they may not have the swing chairs back, they should, at the least, provide a replacement lounge chair or something in its place (they may be doing this already, I don't know).

Fortunately, our cruise (well unfortunately as I'm sick of work already--haha) is 188 days away, so there's plenty of time for Carnival to do something sensible (replace them with something else, re-engineer the swing, etc.)

OMG! That looks fabulous!!

Reminds me of the MSC Divina. Reasonably priced gelato as well.

Thanks all. The keycard sounds like it'll do the job.

Dumb question, but after my last trip to Hawaii and sweating up a storm at night, I finally discovered that the hotels we were at put motion sensing thermostats in the rooms, so that when you went to sleep, it would shut off the AC and you'd wake up in a pool of sweat.

Does anyone know if the thermostats in the Carnival Vista cabins are motion-controlled?

(FYI, the Hlton Garden Inn in time square is also that way, which we didn't know when we stayed at like the hottest day--haha)

I'd make a list of what's important to you, and if the Havana offers a lot of what's on your list (vs. standard cabin), then I'd check the pricing.

Perhaps an interior Havana room would meet your needs at a lower price, but perhaps not.

I cannot tell you that, but we did book a Havana Cabana (we've been wanting to do this since Vista came out years ago), and finally pulled the trigger.

For example, some folks on MSC would ask: Is Yacht Club worth it?

The only way I'd sail MSC again would be YC (unless they fix the issues on Divina, but doesn't look like that's happening anytime soon), but is YC "worth it" for me?

Not for $4,000/per person. Yes, cheaper than than say, NCL Haven.

For *me* I'd rather take 2.5 more cruises for the same price (or maybe even 3 cruises).

But everyone has a different list of things they want/like and everyone also has a different budget.

If I could afford it, I'd take YC. But I'd rather take a vacation every year instead of having to save up for 3 years to afford it.

Thanks for the info!

I have a total of (4) Carnival eGift cards.

$100 - from AARP

$300 - from the 15% eBay digital gifts.

My cruise is not yet paid off (final balance not due until this November), and cruise was booked via third party TA, not Carnival Directly.

Now, as I understand it, it seems that most folks say to apply the eGift cards ASAP so that people can't "guess" the number and use your balance.

My understanding is also that if I apply the $400 in gift cards, it will go towards reducing the final payment amount, yes?

My issue/question, is if I do that:

a) will the third party TA know or just go ahead and charge my card the original balance owed?

b) If they do charge the original balance, will this cause problems with Carnival or will they simply apply the extra as "OBC" or something?

I just don't want my cruise getting cancelled due to some oddity with the system.

My original intent with the GC, BTW, was to use as OBC for adult beverages and things, but I suppose it all works out the same, regardless.

Thank you!!!!

I used PayPal that was linked to my Chase Freedom card, as supposedly I get another 5% cash back from Chase (well it's Ultimate Rewards points).

but even if not, 15% discount is pretty nice.

Ever since Carnival did away with the live orchestra in the theater and switched to doing the Playlist Productions, the entertainment in the theater has gotten dreadful. Don't be surprised if you see people getting up and leaving before the show is even halfway over. We prefer to go to the Atrium or one of the lounges and listen to the live music being performed.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if we ever saw live orchestra on the two other cruises we've been on (I have to look at my signature now to see when they were--LOL). Although out of all the cruises (not many) we know that Carnival's shows aren't the best in terms of quality compared to RCL and MSC (personally I like RCL shows the best out of the 3 cruise lines so far).

Thanks again!

Lots of changes and none for the better.

Could you please elaborate? It's been a while since we cruised Carnival, so I'd like to try to set my expectations (always easier if you know beforehand).

Thanks!

I booked a balcony on the Divina in Jan for 11 days for 399. It’s possible.

Excellent price, BTW, but the OP and the discussion is about Seaside, not Divina.

Enjoy your sailing though! That is an excellent price! (IMO). Heck, any time I can get $100/pp/day for a balcony I consider that a good deal, LOL!

Cruised on Vista in November and Seaside last month...so I think I'm qualified to provide some feedback. We stayed in Havana balcony cabin on Vista and YC suite balcony on Seaside.... Literally the same price but YC on Seaside was like being in 1st class while Havana was nice and allowed some privacy (separate pool area until 7pm each day) but was like economy plus. No comparison between the both. I can say both ships offer similar outside activities..... MSC Seaside is much more stylish in design and more of a glitzy/modern feel. Ship seemed huge eventhough Vista and Seaside were similar in size. I think that had to do with all the inside common areas on Seaside having outside views to ocean (lots of windows looking out). WE are Platinum on Carnival...so I know the product they offer. Seaside Food was excellent...but in fairness we ate in YC dining room. Seaside Drink prices, excursion prices, general gift shop prices...were the lowest I've seen on a cruise line.

 

Based on the current pricing offered by MSC....I would go MSC. They offer several experiences....but they've thrown in beverages for their carribean savings which is a big savings. Either way they are both new/nice ships....However the Seaside definitely gives off a "Wow" vibe!!

Yeah, if you can get the YC for the same price, go for it.

Although I'd be surprised if you can get YC for "literally" the same price.

Nov. 2019 on Carnival Vista for Vista Havana Premium Balcony is $2684.80 for 2 people all-in (taxes/fees)

Nov. 2019 on Seaside YC Deluxe Suite is $4455.12 for 2 people all-in.

Almost double.

Thank you for your comments, very much appreciated!

 

 

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You're welcome! IMO, if you like the itinerary and have never sailed on a particular cruise line, give it a try. You might really like it, and you might not.

But at least you'll have ventured into new territory.

Myself, would like to try NCL one of these days, along with Celebrity, Princess, and HAL.

LOL!

We always choose based on itinerary (mainly because we don't have that many cruises under our belt and want to see new and different places).

We've cruised MSC once (it was the Divina).

In regards to extra costs once on. Not really, IMO.

their pricing for the internet package (at the time we went) was excellent and the speed was very good. (your mileage may vary).

Drink pricing (when they had the 18-coupon book), was like $4.50/drink or thereabouts. Higher end drinks it wouldn't cover (it was basically anything under $9 or $10 I forget which). But MSC no longer offers those any more.

Upcharge for the specialty restaurants (just like everyone else, IMO). But they had a package you could get (or USED to) for like 4 specialty restaurants for like $75? That was a pretty decent value (we were on a 10-night cruise, BTW).

Photos. OMG, very expensive (but probably inline with other cruise lines). If you want photos, make sure to get the expensive photo package and pre-purchase it. (I say "expensive" as there's two packages to choose from).

The issues with MSC, IMO are not the costs, but rather what you get. I'd say expect:

1) Very unorganized customer service. God help you if you have to go there. You'll be blamed for anything (it's your fault of course).

2) You may not get what you pay for. They'll try to tell you that you don't get a digital CD with the photos (if you got the package that had that). They'll tell you you don't get ABC, etc. Make sure you print out everything before you go on the cruise. Especially if you pre-purchased it.

3) Refunds/issues - nightmare. Has to do with the fact they can't actually do anything on the ship. They have to email "corporate" and if you're lucky, it'll get resolved BEFORE you leave the ship.

4) Some folks consider the behavior of the other passengers to be rude. Expect a lot of line cutting, etc. It's a cultural thing, apparently, just know this going in and take a deep breath.

But the pricing is good, it's just not for us. We'll only go again if we can afford the YC. But your experience may be different.

Check out the MSC board and read the Seaside posts to get a better feel for what to expect.

You can see my review there as well (again, this was on the Divina and it was in Dec. of 2016). Unfortunately for the Divina, doesn't look like they've fixed many (if any) of the issues we encountered. But Seaside is a different ship.

I am a cranky old fart....LOL. Did Havana on Vista in November...thought it was awesome....but only a upgraded/quieter Serinity vibe. Just cruised Yacht Club on MSC Seaside at a similar price point to Havana....no comparison...Now that is Heaven!!! Economy Plus for Havana...1st Class for yacht Club

One of these days I hope to be able to afford YC. LOL!

The "cheapest" I've found for a 7-nighter was around $2,000 pp including taxes/fees. So $4k total.

But I'd agree on the analogy. :)

Bingo, the breakfast of champions.:hearteyes:

I thought that was mimosas?

LOL!

I agree with most of what you said. But for me, the reason that I am teetering on the verge of looking for a new line is the absolute REFUSAL of Carnival to do ANYTHING about the out of control kids. Each cruise that I take (1 or 2 a year for the last ten years) has gotten worse. It came to a head on a recent cruise to Australia where a pack of young teenage kids were basically terrorizing the ship. They were more than just rowdy. They were verbally abusive, and physically dangerous to some smaller kids and older passengers. I saw them knock down an elderly man and just keep going. They stormed into the serenity area most nights and would verbally abuse the adults there until security came. Then they would stand on the deck above and continue the abuse.

 

On U.S. cruises, there are entire sections of the ship that I have to avoid now, like the main pool in the afternoon and the pizza place late at night.

 

The one common thread is that every single time I go to the staff, they tell me there is nothing they can do. After begging the staff for help on that Australia cruise with nothing done (the Cruise Director herself said "well what do you want me to do about it, throw them off the ship?") we departed. On the very next cruise a young kid threw a ketchup bottle from the lido down 10 decks and narrowly missed a passenger in the atrium.

 

It has to stop. I can put up with all the little cut backs, but Carnival clearly does not care about returning customers like me as much as they want new cruisers with 5 out of control kids.

Do not sail MSC Divina then. OMG, kids are amok and nobody cares. (Probably due to their kids sail free--at least on Divina). I would've thought on a 10-night exotic cruise there wouldn't be a bunch of unruly kids around, but I was wrong. (And then there's the adults). LOL!

Which is why we're doing Havana Cabana on the Vista next. I guess I'm a cranky old fart now. haha

Although to be fair:

Every cruise line is different.

Every ship within said cruise line is different.

Every sailing even on the same ship is different.

Obviously things can change before our Jan 2019 sailing, but as of currently, does anyone know if there's a magic show (I know it won't be one of the nightly ones in the Liquid Lounge), or a magician still?

As you can see, it was a long time ago that we were last on Carnival and they did have a small show (I think it was in the library) and that was pretty neat.

Thanks all!

I finally found the spot on MSC website to be able to search Seaside cruises by cabin type.

Too bad Divina doesn't have the "Deluxe suite". The Seaside itineraries don't appeal to me as it's the same ports I've already been to (although the pricing is decent, in that a YC Deluxe Suite is about $2,000 per person).

Divina has a wonderful 11 night cruise but all sold out now I think. When it was available was closer to $4,000 per person (ouch). But that's the only way I'll ever step foot on that ship again (looks like they still haven't fixed the majority of the issues we had problems with before).

Maybe eventually Seaside will do some different itineraries, though, and I'll try to save up a little extra in the next few years. Just hard to justify $8,000 for an 11 night cruise, IMO. I know, compared to Haven, it's cheaper. But I wouldn't pay $5,000 per person for a 7-night cruise either. LOL.

More power to anyone who can afford it though (not disparaging anyone who can and does). Just too expensive for my beer budget.

:)

So moving (ha!) this over from the Carnival forum to here.

Anyway, another MSC guest and I were going back and forth about some stuff.

I know on the MSC Divina that YC is Suite only.

Or so I think (the newly re-designed website leaves much to be desired).

What about Seaside?

I was trying to see if they had a Balcony (non-Suite) YC, but every sailing I've clicked on (January 2019 - Feb. 2019) just says:

"this experience is only available for certain stateroom types"

Probably because YC is sold out all over the place, but hard to find out.

So, assuming Seaside had space, what YC options (since it's an "experience" not a room)?

Inside

Ocean View

Balcony

Suite

?

Not sure what time of year your cruising, looks like end of January which would have lower prices (FYI...best I can do with my internet agencies is $2900 before OBC for the same cruise your on?????) ....but we always cruise over holiday periods (high season)... Havana balcony cabins were $3700 (for 2) for our Thanksgiving cruise (not included OBC)....Similar cost for the week leading up to Easter. Of course Havana does not include alcohol nor have food/restaurant/butler/concierge,etc...like MSC Yacht Club. I cruised on MSC Yacht Club last week for $4000 (for 2) with $450 OBC..... and this was all inclusive. Wasn't charged anything extra as a matter of fact my grandson (who cruised for free) was only charge $6.25/day for service charge (1/2 adult price)!! There is no comparison.... Until MSC jacks up Yacht Club prices....No more Carnival for me. This past cruise on MSC Yacht Club was our best cruise ever.... in 25 years of cruising. The experience is second to none and at half the price of Haven on NCL

Not to sidetrack the thread, but:

Booked the Jan. 27th 2019 cruise a few days after Carnival opened the booking window. Prices have obviously gone up since then (no surprise, it's a high demand area), although I mis-added, as that was the price after down payment. So total price was $2500 (via SFX with my discounts).

I'm more interested in your $4k pricing for Yacht Club (balcony I'm assuming since that's equivalent to the Havana Cabana). AFAIK, Divina only has YC rooms in Suites. Seaside doesn't seem to have YC in balconies at all? Perhaps that price was for a 7 night inside room on YC?

Now, granted, YC is (IMO) on-par with Haven, but much cheaper (well relatively). I think last time I priced Haven out for a 7-nighter it was like $6k (ouch) for a suite, per person. Obviously if I could afford that, I'd take the $3800 per person for an 11-nighter Divina cruise (more for less is always better, I say).

Too bad I can't find a website that'll let me search all Seaside cruises that have YC Balcony availability (but indications from MSC's website are that it's not a configuration that's available at all--but again you and I know their website is notoriously buggy). Although that's only for comparison sake. All the Seaside cruises I've looked at seem to be the same 1-2 itineraries and we've already done those ports.

Perhaps I'll have to inquire over on the MSC forum so I don't further hijack the thread.

LOL!