CHMan00

For us the Havana interior is worth it. True, we could have had a balcony on almost any deck for about the same price, but the benefit of walking just a few feet and having a bar, and a whole pool deck without 2000 people on it, outweigh the benefits of the balcony.

I would never pay the premium for a Havana balcony or Cabana cabin though. IMO, there is not enough extras to justify that huge premium Carnival charges.

I have not saved 10% off when I buy my Carnival gift cards but I save it in gas. I buy gift cards at Kroger's when they offer 4x the fuel points for a $500. gift card I get 2000 fuel points. for every 100 point it is 10 cents off a gallon. So I get 1000 points and can fill up for a $1.00 per gallon up to 32 gals. Which is both mine and DH's car filled up at same time. So we have been spending about $35.00 to fill up both cars and gas can for the lawnmower. Beats $70.00 to fill up both cars and gas can. I usually get $1.00 off twice a month. Sometimes more depending on what I'm buying. Like right now if you buy travel gift cards you get 4x fuel points so I bought Delta gift cards to buy our flights. We save a little more than 10% by getting the fuel points.

This is the way to go. 2000 fuel points equals $2.00 off per gallon. We just filled up both cars, 35 gallons total, for $0.04 a gallon. Total savings of $70.00. We have done that for the entire cost of the cruise, buying one or two a month for the last six months. Total savings on this cruise is over $700.00 in gas. So basically, our whole cruise was discounted 14% off. Now going to buy a few more to pay for excursions and use for on-board credit.

Has anybody else have a problem with the Carnival website when they try to purchase the Cheers package? I keep getting an error message. I also have a question about the non-alcoholic frozen drinks.. are they free with Cheers, and will they count towards the 15 drink limit? Thanks :)

No problem with the website.

Non alcoholic drinks are included with Cheers, but they do not count against your 15. Neither do colas.

Of course you can't expect Carnival vs. any other cruise line on any given day for any given itinerary to always be cheaper.

 

I do believe that you will find that they are generally cheaper.

 

Like any other product in a store, just because there is a "SALE" sign doesn't mean it is the best value. As a consumer it is up to you to do your homework.

 

Are you saying that you always booked with Carnival just because you thought they would be cheaper without ever comparing the price of other products?

 

That would be like the people who try to bash Carnival without ever trying the product.

 

Lesson for everyone, if money is no object, buy the best. If you are like the rest of us, a little bit of research will always save you a lot.

 

Happy sailing to all

I have researched other cruise lines in the past, and find Carnival to usually have a lower starting point. NCL and RCL do advertise lower fares on their older ships sometimes. Their newer ships are usually much more expensive than Carnival's. However, this is a Fascination Class ship which I would expect to have a lower starting price, and if you look at the breakdown, after adding in the gratuities, drinks, a dinner or two in the steakhouse, the Celebrity deal is much, much better.

And no, I don't always book with Carnival, and when I do it is not based on the fact that I "thought they would be cheaper."

Curious as to what the rate category code was on Carnival. Was it an ES rate that would offer price protection? Being that the cruise is so far out you would probably get to take advantage of the price going down. Not sure that Celebrity offers that.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity a few times. Ships very nice, but the fellow passengers were not what we have become accustomed to with Carnival, NCL or Royal. I have never had so many "glares" at me when they saw we had a child. Really a turn off to us. I don't think I would take my son again.

Yes it was Early Saver. But, even if you are able to get several price reductions, the Celebrity deal is going to be hard to beat.

On Celebrity, forget about the hairy chest contest and non-stop announcements, and the cruise director in your face (figuratively) all the time.

 

Celebrity is on a different level. No better or worse than Carnival, but they are not the same by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Book them with this in mind.

I cruise to relax. I wouldn't miss any of that. I wouldn't take my kids on Celebrity though. They would miss the water slides too much.

Wow. In that example, the Celebrity deal is far superior. We have sailed twice on Constellation which is nearly identical to Summit and its a very nice ship, far, far better than a Carnival Fantasy-class ship. I would take that deal in a heartbeat.

I never book a cruise a full year out, but it is a very good deal. It is a much better deal than my 8 day Sunshine cruise next month, too. I don't know if I will like Celebrity or not, but if this deal is available closer to the time I want to book, I will definitely take it over the Carnival Cruise.

So, as an experiment, I just did a mock Booking between two cruise lines. I have never sailed Celebrity, and have done several Carnival (I am about to sail on the Sunshine in October), based on the idea that it is cheaper. However, these numbers from a mock booking show a different story. I chose the same time of year, with as similar of itineraries as possible.

CARNIVAL

Ship: Fascination

Days: 7

Deprarting: San Juan

Cabin: Balcony (Standard Deck 6)

Departure: OCT 23 2016

Ports: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Marten

Price for 2: $1,810

Gratuities: $161.00

Total: $1,971

Onboard Credit offered: $0.00

Cheers (if desired): $788.90

Grand Total: $2,759.90

CELEBRITY

Ship: Summit

Days: 7

Departing: San Juan

Cabin: (Veranda) Balcony

Departure: OCT 22 16

Ports: St. Croix, Martinique, Dominca, St. Kitts, St. Thomas

Price for 2

Go Big offer: $1,800.00

Includes choice of free Gratuities, Onboard Credit, Free Internet or Classic Beverage package.

No matter which one you choose, it is going to be cheaper, and offer more than Carnival's cheapest package.

Go Best Offer Price for 2: $2,428.00

Includes Classic Beverage package, Internet for 2, Prepaid Gratuities, and $300.00 on board Credit.

No matter how you look at it, Celebrity is offering a much better deal than Carnival.

So the question, why is Carnival thought of as the best value in cruising?

Thanks for checking KLD1019!

 

I don't want to have to pay tax on the package if I can avoid it.

It looks as if the tax is only avoided if you buy it after the ship is away from the port. I will probably wait until day two, and save $170.00.

This is what it says:

What’s included?

All spirits (including cocktails), as well as beer and wine by the glass with a $10.00 or lower menu price

Soda and non-alcoholic frozen cocktails

25% off menu price of bottle water

25% off the menu price for spirits above $10.00 per drink

25% off the menu price for wine and champagne by the bottle

What’s NOT included?

Non-alcoholic beverages other than soda and non-alcoholic frozen cocktails

Beverages promoted and sold in souvenir glasses

Bottles of liquor

Beverages offered at gangway while debarking

Beverages offered through room service

Beverages offered in mini-bars

The sharing of cocktails and floaters

Buckets of beer, pitchers of beer, and beer tubes

Beverages offered through wine machines

Coffee beverages and food items

Early Saver includes all specials that you would be eligible for. Your TA should know that.

We are sailing on the Dream in Feb. Our 1st elegant night would be on the Sunday--the same night as the Super Bowl. Will they still have Elegant night on Super Bowl Sunday or would it be another night? Which night would it be? What do they do special for Super Bowl on the Dream?

I was on the Dream in 2012 for the Super Bowl, and elegant night was moved to Monday. They showed the Super Bowl on the big screen out on the Lido and in the theatre. They will serve party food on the deck and in the theatre, and have special drinks representing the teams that are playing.

They did the same thing when I was on the Breeze in 2013.

It will be moved. Count on it.