silversneakers

13 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Princess has a 16 day version out of NYC for comparable pricing n August of 2023 and is an even greater value besides the two extra days when you add their plus program for 40 per day, which includes tips, wifi and drink package.  

Need to take the blinders off and see what the competition offers at times.

Princess is part of the Carnival family.  I actually have the 16 day version booked for 2022 and looking foward to a few days in Greenland.!

22 hours ago, rs45thompson said:

I was thinking about getting my booster shot today as extra protection.  My cruise is on October 9.  It is my third shot but it won't be 14 days between the shot and the cruise.  Will I have a problem?  I will call and confirm with carnival once they open.  Do you think it will give me a positive reading when I take my covid test 2 days before?  I am worried that I will be creating a problem for myself but would love the extra protection the booster would give.  Does anyone have any experience with this?

Simple, call Carnival for clarification (record the name of the person you spoke to, date and time) and it will put your mind at ease.  Why spend your time worrying and risk being denied boarding??

My January cruise has disappeared from my cruises on the my Carnival website page. I have a booking number but I can't find anywhere on the site where I can search by booking number.  I don't have hours to sit on the phone calling and waiting for a response and thought someone else my have (or had) the same issue and could help???

16 hours ago, JandPB said:

We were notified about a month and a half ago about our itinerary change for our Oct 17th cruise in the Glory. 

I thought the Glory was in New Orleans housing the hurricane victims but not 100% sure this is accurate.

Pick your own cabin.  You can go to a site like cabintoolchecker and see where the cabin you want is located. I always do midship, cabins below, cabins above.  Stay clear of over the theater or night club unless noise doesn't bother you. I once had a cabin over the kitchen service area and the carts start rolling early in the a.m. and once had a cabin above the theater where the base actually reverberated in my chest. Remember there are rehearsals during the day so it isn't limited to just night time but could include nap time! Good luck!

We get offers from Carnival, RCL and Holland America.  By far, the HA offers the better options.

My next cruise is $750 free play for both my DH and myself with a free interior cabin.  Just returned from H/A Alaska with free outside cabin and $250 free play/drinks/for both my DH and myself.

RCL only offered free interior cabin, no free play.

On 8/28/2021 at 2:55 PM, Petrocelli said:

I am a complete newbie who has traveled alot, but at age 61, I have never been on a cruise.  I'm going to Alaska next year on the Konigsdam.

 

I understand there is a service charge added to my bill.  But I am not sure who it is customary to tip beyond that.  Like when room service comes, do you give the crew member a couple bucks?  Do you ever give cash to waiters at restaurants?  Or is everything included?

 

Thanks!

We usually give our cabin steward $20 when we first meet him/her in cabin and ask for anything extra we may need. If they have done exceptional service we also give money at the end of our cruise.  This is in addition to their regular prepaid tip.

On 9/5/2021 at 10:56 AM, FlorenceItaly said:

It sounds like it is.  I booked a similar and yes you receive the $200 back in OBC.  No where on my booking confirmation does it show the casino play or drinks while playing in casino.  It does show the $200 OBC per person.

I had a similar situation. I just recently sailed and went to the Casino host to verify my OBC and he put a sticker on my card for drinks while playing. I had my $200 plus another $50 which was a surprise and the drinks.  !!win-win!!

Question:  If Santa Barbara is closed and Monterey taken off the itinerary, is this city specific or will all California ports be closed?

16 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It is easy enough to find cheap at home covid tests before you fly, but it does take a slight effort.

Just make sure they are medically supervised (via your Iphone or Zoom).

On 8/31/2021 at 2:50 AM, zgscl said:

 

Can I ask how good the casino rates you have seen are? Maybe worth $25/day in the long run. 

 

$1400 for a panama canal transit is amazing! I would have taken that in a heartbeat

At times they are all inside, N category, front of ship (free cruises for inside cabin) so if you don't have a problem with that, then you are good to go.  I find I like to upgrade, choose my cabin, etc. and I end up paying a considerable upcharge.  My husband always says.....I thought it was a free cruise!!

3 hours ago, twodjs said:

In case there is a medical emergency, and the closest help is Canada, you'd need that passport.

That is a good and understandable answer. Thank you.

1 hour ago, DoggyDaddy said:

If all ports are in the USA, why are Passports required?

 

DD

When we sailed a couple of weeks ago, the question was asked why we had to go through customs and the response was "because we sail in international water"......not sure about that answer but nevertheless that was it.

I base my selection on:

1.  Itinerary

2.  Ship/age/amenities

3.  Port departure

4.  Pricing

Food is very subjective as I think most people can find something they like on each cruise line. I think we will now see a decrease in food selection and  maybe even quality with food pricing escalating. My most recent cruise I found the food not up to the standard of pre-pandemic but that could change for the better.

1 minute ago, iancal said:

In North America.

 

 But definitely not our experience in flying from Canada to Europe (Sept) and Canada to SE Asia (Jan) over the past few years.  Some of our lowest fare to both Asia and to Europe (economy) have been purchased a week to ten days out.

Good to know.  Did you purchase the airfare through HAL? Was your experience pre-pandemic?

Just now, iancal said:

In North America.

 

 But definitely not our experience in flying from Canada to Europe and Canada to SE Asia over the past few years.  Some of our lowest fare to both Asia and to Europe (economy) have been purchased a week to ten days out.

With the Signature Package, are you limited to purchasing only one non-alcoholic (coffee) drink at a time?  My husband is an early riser and usually goes to the Crow's Nest for the "purchase" coffee and being the sweetheart he is, always brings my coffee to the room.  Question is:  can you purchase 4 coffee's at one time (we like more than one cup) and must I be with him or just give him my card?

On 8/31/2021 at 9:00 AM, mcrcruiser said:

when it comes to the main show entertainment , imo  Princess ,Royal Caribbean , celebrity & Carnival do a better job . Then there is the offset  of the music walk on  HAL's newer ships  which is excellent . We will continue to search for HAL cruises but much after final payment  ;as  their prices just are too high right now  

And don't forget if you have to purchase airfare at the last minute, it could be considerably higher unless you are an airline employee that can travel on passes.  Having said that, the last 4 flights I have been on have been packed with no open seats available.

18 hours ago, PSR said:

 

No, we had to take our luggage to the lobby by ourselves, then the HAL reps and bellmen (?) put the luggage on the bus. Hope this is just temporary due to COVID. We sailed on August 21st and left from HAL's Fairmont Hotel location.

If you use the HAL hotel do they still charge you for transportation to the Port?

11 hours ago, RGEDad said:

Go by the eMed BinaxNOW test and take it with you. You can do the test from your hotel room using your smartPhone, Laptop, or iPad.

 

I would verify this as I believe it has to be a medically observed test.

8 hours ago, Minoushka said:

How much should annupgrade be when you get free cruise lets say inside .

what about from O v to balcony …is thete a way to figure out ?

i.m not happy with my pvp with Holland  my guy left , his replacement left too, now this new lady over charged me and did not explain things to me as she should have 

how cannI fix overcharge and get new pvp 

thanks 

I just had a "free" interior offer but on the sailing I wanted they were all forward on deck 1..not to my liking. I did upgrade to an oceanview, with the Labor Day Have It All package (which includes crew tips) so my new price is approximately $1900 plus port charges and taxes. Like my husband said, there is nothing "free" but it's a great marketing tool.

4 hours ago, wwwcruisers said:

Has anyone been on a cruise in between chemo treatments? Does Carnival require any paperwork from your doctor?

I would think that would be a question for your doctor as your immune system would be suppressed and that would concern me.

12 hours ago, sassy~one said:

I'm sailing on a casino offer in Jan.  Small amount of casino cash and drinks while playing.  Does this mean if i'm at a slot machine I can have a cup of coffee? Soda? Water? But I can't go up to the bar myself? Thanks 

Ask the casino host when you validate your card.  I have never tried that, always ordered from waitstaff and always provided a cash tip.

14 hours ago, CruiserTeri said:

How strict is Carnival on Elegant nights?  Could my son wear dress pants and a polo?  Or dress pants and a Hawaiian shirt?  

You will see a little bit of everything.  I think most people get "really" dressed-up for the photo opportunities as they do take really good photographs.  On a recent cruise my husband wore dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tuxedo inspired (tuxedo on front) face mask. I wore pants and an evening top with my rhinestone face mask. 

On 8/27/2021 at 12:02 AM, zgscl said:

Yes. Anything from Mildly dressed (think a wrinkled short sleeve button up tucked into wrinkled pants) all the way to to suit and tie. Might have seen a couple tuxes too. There is a very wide range! 

My husband wore dress pants and a dress shirt AND he wore his tuxedo inspired face mask (mask with a black/white tuxedo on front and I wore my black blinged mask with pants and an evening top!