jcearth

It's death by 1000 paper cuts. Individually, each change is not that big of a deal. When combined, things start to add up pretty quickly. We are cruising NCL next year to see how green the grass is over there (kids sail free and free Ultimate Beverage program). I know that the industry is evolving and change is the only constant, but sneaky changes like this are very frustrating to deal with. Now, I am on vacation and I refuse to not have a good time, but Carnival is really sliding away from being the vacation value that it once was.

Also, I am a big guy and can eat, but 3 lobsters is my limit. I do eat the shrimp that comes with it, which is probably more filling than the lobster. I know that it is not the best quality, but it eats pretty good just the same.

Thanks so much for the review! Sounds like you had a great time - did they show the football games in the Redfrog Pub or in the Casino bar or both?

On Fantasy class, go with the porthole - some of the rooms are bigger than the oceanviews. There is also a ledge that you can fit a suitcase or person onto.

I sailed with Mike last year on the Conquest. He was definitely the best CD I have ever had. He states that it is his mission to high five, shake hands, or hug every person on the ship. He spent time in Camp Carnival with my kids, was highly visible throughout the ship, and every event he hosted had a really fun vibe. His music trivia parties are not to be missed!

My parents have sailed this past year with Matt, Malcolm, Jamie, Hennie, and Mike and have said hands down that Mike was the best.

From John Heald's Facebook page:

But before I go I wanted to leave you with the Dive in Movie Big Screen schedule for the month of September. Here then are the movies you will be able to enjoy on the 13 ships that have these big screens.........3 new ones this month.

FAST AND FURIOUS 7

Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic

Toretto and his family.

Note: Men, yes men, please bring tissues for a very sad ending – sometime’s it’s OK for a man to cry, this is one of those times as ii is when a baseball hits you in the dangly bits.

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker (RIP)

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

When Tony Stark and Bruce Jenner try to jumpstart

a dormant peacekeeping program called

Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to

Earth's Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous

Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans

HE HUNGER GAMES:

MOCKINGJAY PART 1

Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters

the games forever. Under the leadership of

President Coin and the advice of her trusted

friends, Katniss spreads wings as she fights to

stop Carnival Cruise Line from turning the ice cream machines off at 9:00pm each night

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF

THE FIVE ARMIES

Bilbo and Company are forced to engage in a war

against an array of combatants and keep the

Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a

rising darkness, people in blue t shirts with the symbol CC on them.

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman

INSIDE OUT

After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Constipation and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

Starring the voices of Diane Lane and a bunch of people you have never sodding heard of.

PITCH PERFECT 2

After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld

Note: John Heald was turned down for a part in this movie as he was found to be as pitch perfect as two cats having rumpy pumpy on an electric fence in Ohio.

CINDERELLA

When her father unexpectedly passes away,

young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel

stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give

up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after

meeting a dashing chubby bent tooth Brand Ambassador who she immediately wants to have rumpy pumpy with. He leaves a pair of underpants on the floor at midnight and Cinderella travels the country trying to find out who the underpants belong to.

Lily James, Cate Blanchett

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM:

SECRET OF THE TOMB

Larry spans the globe, uniting favorite and new

characters while embarking on an epic quest to

save the magic before it is gone forever.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams

Note: London's Imperial War museum is really interesting.

It turns out the French can be quite innovative as, during WWII, they introduced the first ever tanks to have reversing lights.

SAN ANDREAS

A pilot must rescue his daughter and estranged

wife as a series of earthquakes destroy California.

Meanwhile, a Cal Tech professor attempts to warn

other citizens but like in every other disaster movie the stupid bastards ignore him and thousands die.

The good news is the dog lives.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino

INSURGENT

Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons

and continue her fight against a powerful alliance

which threatens to tear her society apart with the

help from others on her side.

Another moody teen movie FFS

Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort

THE SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS MOVIE:

SPONGE OUT OF WATER

When a diabolical pirate steals the

secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his

nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it

back.

Starring: Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Sylvester Stallone and Ozzy Osbourne.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary

teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a

disdain for the conventional, and a love that

sweeps them ‐ and us ‐ on an unforgettable

journey. Their relationship is all the more

miraculous, given that they met and fell in

love at a cancer support group.

Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort

After the movie there will be a group hug.

Enjoy all these movies with complimentary popcorn

cheers

I believe that it is 2500 points to be eligible for the Bounce Back offers - this is for slot and video poker play. For table games, they use a complex formula involving average bet, length of play, what you ate for breakfast that morning, what particular mood the casino host is in that day, and then make some calculations on an abacus to determine eligibility.

Bounce Backs are usually "free" offers - $100 plus port charges and receive $100 OBC for interior rooms (with the ability to upgrade for additional $), and I believe have to be booked within 60 days of returning - not sure, my parents do these, not me.

In addition, there are Premiere cruises that happen from time to time. Depending on your level of play, you receive a different offer code for these. Some could be free interior with $100 in casino cash, while others could be free balcony with $1000 in casino cash. They will also sometimes include a "Drinks on us" card at the beginning of the cruise.

I am sailing on the Breeze in a few weeks but I booked the Escape for next year. I simply couldn't pass up the deals that NCL was offering earlier this year (kids sail free and free Ultimate Beverage Package).

From John Heald's Facebook page:

But before I go I wanted to leave you with the Dive in Movie Big Screen schedule for the month of September. Here then are the movies you will be able to enjoy on the 13 ships that have these big screens.........3 new ones this month.

FAST AND FURIOUS 7

Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic

Toretto and his family.

Note: Men, yes men, please bring tissues for a very sad ending – sometime’s it’s OK for a man to cry, this is one of those times as ii is when a baseball hits you in the dangly bits.

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker (RIP)

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

When Tony Stark and Bruce Jenner try to jumpstart

a dormant peacekeeping program called

Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to

Earth's Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous

Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans

HE HUNGER GAMES:

MOCKINGJAY PART 1

Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters

the games forever. Under the leadership of

President Coin and the advice of her trusted

friends, Katniss spreads wings as she fights to

stop Carnival Cruise Line from turning the ice cream machines off at 9:00pm each night

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF

THE FIVE ARMIES

Bilbo and Company are forced to engage in a war

against an array of combatants and keep the

Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a

rising darkness, people in blue t shirts with the symbol CC on them.

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman

INSIDE OUT

After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Constipation and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

Starring the voices of Diane Lane and a bunch of people you have never sodding heard of.

PITCH PERFECT 2

After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld

Note: John Heald was turned down for a part in this movie as he was found to be as pitch perfect as two cats having rumpy pumpy on an electric fence in Ohio.

CINDERELLA

When her father unexpectedly passes away,

young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel

stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give

up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after

meeting a dashing chubby bent tooth Brand Ambassador who she immediately wants to have rumpy pumpy with. He leaves a pair of underpants on the floor at midnight and Cinderella travels the country trying to find out who the underpants belong to.

Lily James, Cate Blanchett

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM:

SECRET OF THE TOMB

Larry spans the globe, uniting favorite and new

characters while embarking on an epic quest to

save the magic before it is gone forever.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams

Note: London's Imperial War museum is really interesting.

It turns out the French can be quite innovative as, during WWII, they introduced the first ever tanks to have reversing lights.

SAN ANDREAS

A pilot must rescue his daughter and estranged

wife as a series of earthquakes destroy California.

Meanwhile, a Cal Tech professor attempts to warn

other citizens but like in every other disaster movie the stupid bastards ignore him and thousands die.

The good news is the dog lives.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino

INSURGENT

Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons

and continue her fight against a powerful alliance

which threatens to tear her society apart with the

help from others on her side.

Another moody teen movie FFS

Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort

THE SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS MOVIE:

SPONGE OUT OF WATER

When a diabolical pirate steals the

secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his

nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it

back.

Starring: Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Sylvester Stallone and Ozzy Osbourne.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary

teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a

disdain for the conventional, and a love that

sweeps them ‐ and us ‐ on an unforgettable

journey. Their relationship is all the more

miraculous, given that they met and fell in

love at a cancer support group.

Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort

After the movie there will be a group hug.

Enjoy all these movies with complimentary popcorn

cheers

In order of preference:

1) Guy's Burgers

2) Fish and Chips

3) Blue Iguana Cantina

4) Deli

5) Pizza

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3876) Lido Buffet

Seriously, all of the different venues are so so good, but the buffet itself is pretty subpar.

My son was a few weeks shy of his 6th birthday last September and I requested that he be moved up to the 6-8 year old group. That group was better suited for him than the 2-5 (he also had a brother in each group). They agreed on a trial basis, and he did fine all week. FYI, there were not many children on our sailing, so that may be something that is taken into account when they decide.

I know people that claim to get what they call bounce back offers after a cruise where they played in the casino quite a bit. Like free offers or almost free. As far as I know, that is the only real deal going around right now....

My parents have done 6 bounce backs in the past year. They are pretty good deals.

I start with a double and add chili -- so so good - it just melts in your mouth. 2000 is a bit overestimating for calorie count. A plain jane Guy's burger with cheese is probably in the neighborhood of 600 calories, but with all the different toppings you get get up to 900 easy.

Playlist ships:

Breeze

Conquest

Ecstasy

Fantasy

Fascination

Freedom

Glory

Imagination

Inspiration

Legend

Miracle

Pride

Sensation

Sunshine

Vista

Production Ships:

Dream

Liberty

Magic

Paradise

Spirit

Splendor

Triumph

Valor

Victory

Kerri, you should also be asking if you need 2 FTTF or can you get away with one. I have read that some of the benifits can be redundant.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

I have gotten away using only using one before, but they have now clarified the priority boarding rules, and state that you must purchase one for each cabin. I have purchased FTTF for both of my cabins for my upcoming cruise (we plan on using prioirity tender and priority embarkation). You still might be able to get away with only one, but then again, you might not.

Tip for the beach: Half Moon Cay has sugar white sand and crystal clear blue water and is amazing. However, the water at Grand Turk can be a bit rocky -- you should definitely wear swim shoes for that beach. I sliced my heel open on my last trip there just walking out into the water.

I had FTTF on the Conquest last year. We boarded and headed to our room, which had definitely not been cleaned yet. I took a picture of the stack of dirty dishes on my couch, dropped of our carryons, and headed out to lunch. Later on, I was at guest services about another matter (one of our cards did not ding through security) and mentioned it to them and showed them the picture. The head housekeeper dropped by that night just to make sure everything was okay, which it was. The next day I noticed that they gave me $50 credit. That was pretty cool - I hadn't even asked.

We cruised the Breeze in January with the kids (our first Carnival cruise, not counting my cruise in 1995 that was too long ago lol) and so of course on a brand new ship and very high expectations, what ship would you recommend for our next sailing ?

 

I've been on many cruises and to countless islands, but this would be the kids 3rd cruise, so I am interested in Turks & Caicos, St Martin, St Thomas, kinda of thing. Conquest or Splendor have nice itineraries (which include above and also San Juan and Aruba and Curcao types of ports) so its hard to pick! but both are older ships and not sure if they have activities enough to occupy the kids, like the Breeze did. We just did Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, so want to try new ports for the kids.

 

Any ship suggestions or input would be great, as in Conquest vs Splendor or another ship you would recommend after coming off the Breeze. Thanks ! :D

You didn't say when you were planning to cruise - Carnival is moving some ships around in the next year. Also, I am assuming you want to cruise from southern Florida. The following would be the ships that you would be interested in:

Carnival: Breeze (until it leaves for Texas), Vista, Sunshine, Magic (when it comes to Port Canaveral)

Royal: Oasis, Allure, Harmony

Norwegian: Escape, Getaway

MSC: Divina, Seaside

All of the above ships are 5 years or less old (except the Sunshine, which had a $150 million upgrade and all kinds of bells and whistles added 2-3 years.ago). In fact, Vista, Harmony, Escape, and Seaside are all still being built. These are the newest ships from the major players in the south Florida, family-oriented market.

Never have and probably never will - I like searching out new things. I don't even like sailing the same class of ship twice.

Sounds like you booked at a good rate..so no price drops ...

Carnival had a fire sale last fall to fill some of its ships. My final price for an 2 OV rooms on the Conquest was $259pp (about $37/day). I had booked the rooms at $549pp.

This year, I booked Lido deck balconies on the Breeze for a 6 day at $649pp with a $50 per room OBC ($104/day). The price never dropped, and my category sold out. I understand that I booked a very popular room category, but even the OV rooms are still in the $579 range.

Carnival ran a lot of commercials this past year, and it looks like it worked. Good for the stockholders, bad for the price droppers.

The itinerary sounds great for a beach lover. The Ecstasy only has one pool, but it does have Waterworks with some pretty good slides. It does not have a steakhouse, or Guy's Burgers, or Blue Iguana, or a big screen on Lido. There is also not basketball court, but there is mini-golf. The theater and aft lounge will seem huge compared to the number of people onboard (way easier to find seats to the comedy club, although you may have to share a couch area with others. The Serenity deck is in a really cool place, off the aft of the ship. Not huge, but it has two hot tubs and nice loungers.

Yes, I am very frustrated -- last year, I had over $1000 in price drops for our cruise in September on the Conquest. This September for the Breeze - nothing, nada, zilch. Our cabin category is sold out, and prices keep going up. I really wish I had to call them to lower my price.

I ordered 5 $100 cards on Monday the 3rd and received them via USPS on Friday the 7th.

Thank you all!! I posted this in the new cruiser thread and someone mentioned that I could buy obc before and put it on when I arrive and whatever I don't use, they'll send me a check. Is this an option? If so, do I just go on carnival's website and go to the fun shop? Thanks again. :)

Be very careful!! There are 2 different options in order to do this, each with its own set of consequences. The first way to go is purchasing Cruise Cash. You can do this through the fun shops on the Carnival website. It is convenient, as you do not have to bring loads of cash with you. However, Cruise Cash is a use it or lose it item. They do not refund balances. If you have a balance remaining at the end of the cruise with Cruise Cash, you have to get a little creative in order to get your money back.

The second option is to purchase Carnival gift cards. You can search for the site on Carnival to do this - they are also offered at some major retailers that carry gift cards. Additionally, if you are a Verizon Wireless subscriber or a member of AARP, 10% discounted gift cards ($100 card for $90) will pop up on these sites every few weeks - they go rather quickly, so you have to hurry when they are available. Gift cards are 100% refundable onboard and are treated as a cash balance. However, unlike Cruise Cash, you have to bring the cards with you and apply them when you check-in at port or once you are onboard.

I don't think you can make a bad choice as far as the overall entertainment on the ship goes. Carnival (and most cruise line for that matter) has moved away from the traditional dinner and a show concept for each night. They have shortened the length of the shows, but have added in a lot of other areas. On most of my recent cruises, I have caught only one show in the theater, which is enough for me. We are going on the Breeze next month, and I will try to see 88 Keys.

Carnival has invested a lot into their Punchliner comedy brand. On a typical week long sailing, there may be as many as 4 comedians doing up to 20 shows. Some have complained that the shows are tough to get a seat at, and you must line up early. My personal tip is to catch the "family friendly" PG rated shows. They are not as usually well-attended, and do not contain the language that many find offensive.

In addition, the piano bar is a great place to spend some time, if you like to sing along to your favorites. There will also be a party band, guitar soloists, and latin duo or trio on most ships playing in different venues. Karaoke is offered most nights. There will be 2 deck parties on a week long cruise, as well as movies on the big screen every night (Fantasy class ships do not have the big screens). You can also try your luck in the casino.

As for cashing out, you have a few options. If you do not go to guest services, they will mail you a check (if your balance is very small, I believe that they use it to make a donation to St. Jude's). You can try the kiosks on the last night - however my experience has been that they run out of cash at that time. Lastly, you can go to guest services to get your unused cash. The desk is open 24 hours, and if you go around 4:00 am to 5:00 am there is usually nobody there, or a very short line.