cruizinisthebest

We stayed in a forward extended on Mardi Gras. Yes it was windy, but it didn't bother me at all. Balcony is huge. A lovely cabin. The only thing I didn't like, and why I probably won't book one again, is the obstructed view. Now you don't have to worry about that on deck 17. The panels are glass. 

I know the turnoff for me is equally the length and cost of the flight. I figured prices are noticeably lower in order to attract people to go. Helps lessen the blow of the flight portion. Honestly if I didn't have such a phobia for long flights, I would go in a heartbeat. I have great offers and don't even gamble. 

Booked guarantee inside in late December. Casino comp offer. Assigned obstructed oceanview about 3 weeks ago. Last week we were offered a balcony upgrade for $700. Turned it down. We'll take the room we have. This is for the Meraviglia in April, 2024. 

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

That is the Carousel Lounge, which is a separate venue from the main theater. The shows in the Carousel Lounge are an upcharge and do include a drink(s) and there is a bar. The main theater does not have a bar and drinks are not allowed to be brought in.

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying!

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I am not sure if it is the same on every ship, but on the Meraviglia, you can book shows through the app or on the touch screens around the ship. They did seem to fill up well in advance, but if you arrive at the theater they will open up any remaining seats around 10 minutes before the show. Reservations are not for specific seats. There are no drinks allowed in the theater (one of my least favorite things about MSC!).

 

I thought the theater tickets came with a drink? So where do you drink it then? And online you can only book the show. The specific time I assume you have to schedule once onboard. 

15 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Yes, you do not have to provide CC information in advance.

 

We just completed the check-in this morning and did not enter a payment method as we know the online system doesn't handle the debit card we wish to use, but onboard it isn't an issue.

Thanks. Enjoy your cruise.

1 hour ago, quattrohead said:

Photo and credit card info is not required ahead of time.

And thinking they should do better with their IT...priceless 🤣

Was wondering about the credit card part. Can I load cash onboard (Meraviglia)? Thanks.

If the photo isn't important then why are they asking for it? I'm not white either. I guess I should snap the pic in the brightest room possible or outside in broad daylight and hope for the best. Lol. Can you just skip it during check-in? 🤦‍♀️

Scheduled to be on Meraviglia in a couple of months. I'm already bracing myself for the terminal chaos I see reported often. As well as the not-so-good food. I'm glad to be pleasantly surprised. Thanks for the information. 

On 1/10/2024 at 8:37 AM, Brighton Line said:

Yes back in 1995 I got envelopes, since auto tips I have never gotten an envelope no matter the cruise line and I sailed most mass market. 

Right. I didn't know this was still a thing, handing out envelopes.

43 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

No dumb questions, only dumb answers 😉

All the bars have QR codes on the tables for you to scan, and there are usually paper menu's available on the bar too.

Perfect. Thank you!

Sailing on Meravigilia soon. I've seen the drink menus posted and how they breakdown by drink package. Are they available at all the bars or is there a QR code you use with the app or something? Just trying to get my bearings straight. First time on MSC. Sorry if it's a dumb question. Thanks. 

Once the noticed the bottleneck, they usually will stop people from coming. Then there's people who simply do not listen. They want off period.

Sounds dreadful. Unless we have an early flight, which we avoid, you'll find us amongst the ones they are throwing off as late as possible!

14 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

If the suggested gratuities amounts are too high at $16 per day person...  divided between a minimum of 2 cabin attendants and 6 dining room (because there would be no reason to eat more than two meals) team members, works out to $2 average per person

 I would rather give one person $10 than 5, $2 each. I'm tipping how I choose and doing so directly. That's the way I prefer it. In an effort to tip what I saw was a more deserving amount, I would always supplement the auto gratuity. No more of that. At least not for us. 

16 hours ago, cruiserbrianj said:

Possibly an unpopular opinion on here, but I/my family tip as we would on land and that's for those are are directly serving us. We do remove the auto gratuities and then tip accordingly. Room stewards get more. Sometimes the bar service folks get more (than the auto 18%). When we dine in the MDR, steakhouse or other specialty restaurants, they get more. If others behind the scenes don't get something, I'd argue that their salary should be more and it's not up to me to supplement that. I tip as I do in the US and that's for those that are directly servicing us. If they (cruise lines) decide to include it in the price, then fine, but until then...I'll tip as I normally do.

With the last gratuity increase, that's what we started doing. We travel as a family, and I am no longer playing the auto gratuity game. We used to pre-pay then tip additional. It adds up. All of that is out now. I tip who I want. I can't afford to tip every single crew member working onboard, which is the case many make for paying the suggested amount. I have no problem with tipping but as I wish to who I wish, which is the way it should be. And that's the way it's going to be for us unless or until they add it in the price of the cruise. And I'll only do it then simply because I won't stop cruising so I'll have no choice. 

Whether cash tips are pooled or whatever the case, that is not my concern. I tip, say please and thank you, and enjoy my cruise. Period. 

90% of my Carnival spending is done with gift cards. I log them all on a spreadsheet, which is password protected. The only thing you must keep in mind is that once a gift card is purchased, that money is Carnival's forever. Any refunds come in the form of a gift card. Fine with me. It makes planning and paying for my Carnival cruises so easy.

John Heald said today on his live that there would be some black friday specials coming. 

My sister sailed the Venezia. And while she said it was a different experience than most of her cruises with Carnival, she enjoyed her vacation and said she would sail Venezia again. This time armed with the benefit of experience. 

And she wasn't in a comped room either. There isn't a ship in the fleet, any fleet, that hasn't been trashed. Usually with few details. Just headliners to get people to look (like me). And always, my advice and what I would tell anyone is to book the ship and trip you want and to go experience it for yourself. Don't let other people's opinions determine where you spend YOUR MONEY. 

Literally every week since I booked my upcoming cruise over a year ago, I have to go back and add it in again at some point. Meanwhile, my cruise companions bookings' stay. Only mine disappears. And it does it all of the time. Sorry but Carnival's website is....nevermind. 

never been but have heard lots about it. How big is this place and how crowded does it get when ships are docked? I think we are the only ship in port. 

11 hours ago, babyclaytonmom said:

Wondering if anyone's gotten this error before.... Cruise is 8/18/2024 so within the 321 days. Keeps saying "Guest Name not allowed to book air." 

Odd. Have used it before with no issues. I am the one who did the booking and am passenger 1 if that matters.

Is your second passenger TBA? That's the only time I've gotten that message. Or if the other person already has a flight booked using Fly2fun. 

spotless all 3 times I've sailed her. One of my favorites despite being on newer, much bigger ships. 

14 hours ago, DGP1111 said:

 

 

As answered by cruizinisthebest, Yes you can . . . and I'd done it several times as well right there at the embarkation terminal . . . but would no longer recommend doing that.

It was certainly an anomaly, but a big big big one.  The agent goofed up the input, and when I was asked to sign the small receipt, I looked at it closely and started, "That's not me". It was a completely different name, and the agent and supervisor explained that a message would be sent to the ship, and it would be taken care of. "Don't worry". I advised that I was worried, but they were kind with the situation and the promise. 

The other passenger spent the (my) onboard credit very soon after boarding. Guest Services said they'd research, but eventually said it would have to be addressed with corporate after the cruise, since the error occurred shoreside. 

Had I done it all once onboard, the ship would have had total control for finding a solution.  At the Diamond invite event, the Guest Services manager was quite apologetic, but said nothing more could be done, and added, "Good luck with getting that done once home".

End result:  Multiple post-cruise communications fell on deaf ears, and I was out the entire amount of intended onboard credit.  Live and learn. 😟 😟

 

.

 

 

that's pretty terrible. I cannot believe they didn't give you a refund for their mistake! 

Thank you. Most of the time I use my gift cards and buy cruise cash. I will continue to do that or just wait till I get onboard. Last time I remember I had a crap load of onboard credit and the workers made us go to the counter in the terminal anyway even though I kept telling them I had a cash account. That was in Port Canaveral and very annoying. 

yes you can load digital gift cards in the terminal. I have. 

The whole website is one big glitch. Their system update has made things worse. Imagine that. lol.