Attention carnival miracle alaska and hawaii 2014 cruisers

[EZ4]

Gosh, I wish I got a free cabin. I sure wouldn't be complaining with a free vacation. As long as I wasn't at work and enjoying free time on someone else's dime, I'm in heaven. Thank Carnival for even offering it to you, since you seem ungrateful for it.

 

Nothing is ever really "free". You still have to pay taxes, port fees, gratuities, transportation and lodging. It still becomes a pretty expensive expedition. The cruise fare may actually be the smallest expense for some people.

Edited April 19, 2014 by EZ4

[hockeymom15]

[ATTACH]309901[/ATTACH]

 

Come on lemmings, follow me to the cliff!

 

I'm not ungrateful, I'm disappointed. But this has nothing to do with the problem at hand. You keep telling everyone to just shut up and be happy. I think most of us that are venting are here to vent. Some will canceled, some (like me) won't. But I think it is ok to question motives and kick theories around. I'm not going to just blindly accept the explanation and not question or get others feed back.

 

I guess you drank the Carnival cool aid.

 

Hello , I also am on this cruise under a casino offer . I was given a free inside cabin (paying taxes ect ) . Will we still get the OBC offer and 25% discount? D

[kennelgang]

Hello , I also am on this cruise under a casino offer . I was given a free inside cabin (paying taxes ect ) . Will we still get the OBC offer and 25% discount? D

 

yes

[Ponygal]

Ponygal,

 

Like my wife and I, are you on the May 20th sailing?

 

Bob

 

No Sir! Going after you; can't wait to read your review and hear about the great time you had!!:)

[yoollie]

When I look at a map of where Ketchikan is, it appears that if we do not go there the route will be dramatically changed. One Carnival rep told me we will still sail right past Ketchikan and go thru inside passage and another told me we will no longer be going thru inside passage but will be going thru outside passage. Knowing nothing about this area, would this be a deal breaker? (Not going thu inside passage?) As someone who gets seasick, being more in open water I am also concerned but should I be? Thanks

[Jdfireman]

If Alaska is about the land and not the Ship why does it matter what line you go on.

 

Yes I like Carnival maybe its because of the people you meet and mingle with.

Every cruise line has problems. Carnival is giving you a chance to cancel if you want.

 

If you don't want to go cancel

 

I am going on my July 22nd cruise and going to have a blast. I am hoping people cancel so we get a rate drop and more ship to enjoy

 

Cruise and have fun

[yoollie]

The keys here are the distances between ports. I do not know what exact stops you are scheduled to make, but if the ship is sailing slower than normal, the distance it can cover is reduced - obviously! So, the way to solve the problem is to reduce the amount of sailing time between ports to what can be covered, coupled with a change in the number of hours in the ports that will be stopped at. Simple math!

 

It is not actually simple math. We were told by one rep that we would be sailing right past Ketchikan as it is part of the inside passage. Another rep told us we would not be sailing past Ketchikan and would no longer be sailing thru the inside passage. To make up the time, they would have to be sailing a different route or they would not be making up any time at all. (All three of the Alaskan ports appear to be in a fairly north-south line along the coast) So in my opinion we are not only losing the port of Ketchikan but losing the sea day along the Alaskan coast of the inside passage. Please correct me if I am wrong and not looking at this correctly. I hope that I am wrong because not going thru the "inside Passage" may be a deal breaker for me.

Edited April 20, 2014 by olsonclan
reword

[Ponygal]

It is not actually simple math. We were told by one rep that we would be sailing right past Ketchikan as it is part of the inside passage. Another rep told us we would not be sailing past Ketchikan and would no longer be sailing thru the inside passage. To make up the time, they would have to be sailing a different route or they would not be making up any time at all. (All three of the Alaskan ports appear to be in a fairly north-south line along the coast) So in my opinion we are not only losing the port of Ketchikan but losing the sea day along the Alaskan coast of the inside passage. Please correct me if I am wrong and not looking at this correctly. I hope that I am wrong because not going thru the "inside Passage" may be a deal breaker for me.

 

There is alot of chatter on this thread with alot of questions that would be perfect to present to John Heald. This question was presented to him heck, it could have been you because they are almost identical questions! He will be back on Facebook on Monday, and since there is alot of chatter about the Miracle I think he may answer alot of those questions first, just my opinion. So if it was you, I would ask again on Monday, I am going to do the same! For anyone who does not FB with John, if you see the answers you are looking for on his FB page, post it here for all to see. Just from looking at Maps, I am no navigator by any means, but I am not sure how they can get ourside of Juneau without going backwards somehow, but again, what do I know? HAHA. John should be able to answer this question, and he will go right to the people who will answer it, not reps who really don't know.

[Whenisdinner]

We took the NCL Pearl to Alaska last year. Spent $1k more for 4ppl than CCL Miracle, because it offered a Tracy arm fjord stop. The stops made the trip more than the boat.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Edited April 20, 2014 by Whenisdinner

[elliair]

Well its correct to say the cruise is free, taxes are not income for Carnival, Port Fees go to the ports, gratuties i cant imagine not ever paying and they go to the staff, transportation and lodging is not income for carnival so really, the cruise, Carnivals $ in their pocket for that room you are getting free, is free. the other things you mention they collect only to remit to others, ports, government taxes etc.

we are sailing Miracle to Alaska had free interior for two, with $250 Cash as well, we upgraded to extended aft for 260.

 

Loving the idea that we will see whats on both sides of us from the aft balcony, and i love those extended on the rear, they are huge and i love to see the wake behind us

 

 

It's still money out of your pocket regardless of who gets the money. I'm sure once you board you'll be spending some money. We get free rooms at hotels in Las Vegas and Reno, but it still costs us something to get there and what we spend there.

[sjn911]

I really trust Cheng for the safety and how it gets fixed and what is good, bad, normal in fixing assessments and how "safe" that will be..Thank God for you Cheng..just putting that in for folks making decisions. It is not now the "optimal" 7 day...and a disappointment...I see good reasons for staying with or changing...especially after reading a few threads on the subject. Also you can get more Alaska in, in 7 days, by starting in Vancouver but it is so cool you can see inside passage from Seattle.

 

I would be a little more disappointed about missing the inside passage, if tht is the true case..each person will have their optimal wishes. Like everything..it is hard to do it all in any trip. Alaska is so vast even along coastline it is truly mind blowing when you look on a map and hear stories form anyone there in the 50's..or before. My dad was there then..first job after becoming a geologist...I have never been but heard the cruise and work stories from dad.. I have been to Victoria and Seattle and Vancouver, BC..all fabulous places and one is never done. The entire NW brings me to tears in joy and beauty..city, rural small town beauty of marine and mountains in temperate rainforest, flowers, flora and fauna, wildlife, wilderness, trees..OMG the trees and so many different ways to live in such beauty, cosmopolitan to hermit and everything inbetween....it really depends on each soul, how soon they think they can or will if ever return and deciding what is most important with many variables...it is too bad..I see great reasons for both staying the course or switching and each travel unit has to make them..no right or wrong..especially with Cheng's safety 2 cents...that is way more than 2 cents often given with the patience of Job..after a while we all fail in that department here..LOL..Sarah

Edited April 21, 2014 by sjn911

[twinmom38]

i wanted to thank everyone for their insightful comments. You've "talked me down!" :)

 

my family and i are booked on the 7/29 cruise. It will be our 20th wedding anniversary and we're bringing our children (16 and 12) with us. I have to say, we were pretty disappointed when we first got the e-mail and started looking around at princess and norwegian. However, as we all know, this close out the cabins can be realllllly picked over and it would be really tough to go from a lido deck balcony room to a lower deck porthole. Plus, the dates didn't match up with our flights and hotel arrangements.

 

Still bummed about missing ketchikan and kind of apprehensive about sailing on a ship with propulsion problems, but we've decided to go ahead with our anniversary cruise. We will put that 25% off a future cruise to good use. :d

if it sets your mind at ease any.. We sailed miracle in 2008 when she had the same problem.. They cancelled panama and costa rica.. We were soooooo disappointed, but we went because of all the other arrangements that we had made.. We didnt notice anything "wrong" with the ship.. Had we not known there was an issue, we wouldnt have been able to tell..

[twinmom38]

so my question is this.....if they are dropping a 6 hour stop in ketchikan then how are they adding 7 hours total time in juneau and victoria? They must be altering something else. One carnival agent said they are no longer going thru inside passage. Is this a deal breaker? Cannot decide if i should cancel! Have been planning this for years and don't want to be disappointed....

 

i think that is what everyone is waiting to find out.. If she isnt going to go thru the passage, south towards seattle, then she would likely be going back out to sea as she came up.i dont know, but guessing that there isnt much to see? It's the journey from skagway south to seattle that holds the scenery most are looking for.. I myself called carnival and was told they do not know the answer, so how someone gets a different answer is curious to me.. .

[Retired_to_Cruise]

It is not actually simple math. We were told by one rep that we would be sailing right past Ketchikan as it is part of the inside passage. Another rep told us we would not be sailing past Ketchikan and would no longer be sailing thru the inside passage. To make up the time, they would have to be sailing a different route or they would not be making up any time at all. (All three of the Alaskan ports appear to be in a fairly north-south line along the coast) So in my opinion we are not only losing the port of Ketchikan but losing the sea day along the Alaskan coast of the inside passage. Please correct me if I am wrong and not looking at this correctly. I hope that I am wrong because not going thru the "inside Passage" may be a deal breaker for me.

 

If you have lost Ketchikan, then your trip is going to be Tracy Arm Fiord, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria,BC. You cannot get to Tracy Arm, Juneau, or Skagway without going via the Inside Passage. Trust me, I have been on this trip three times with the 4th one coming up on May 13th. Anyone who tells you different has to be the ships Captain and would only happen if there was to much ice inside.

[belkin]

If you have lost Ketchikan, then your trip is going to be Tracy Arm Fiord, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria,BC. You cannot get to Tracy Arm, Juneau, or Skagway without going via the Inside Passage. Trust me, I have been on this trip three times with the 4th one coming up on May 13th. Anyone who tells you different has to be the ships Captain and would only happen if there was to much ice inside.

 

I think the concern is that people are worried that once the ship leaves Juneau it is going to cut back out to sea and not sail the inside passage as it would if Ketchikan was still on the itinerary.

[JLee1973]

I am not going on an Alaskan cruise but I was in the USCG stationed in Sitka AK. My guess if you were bypassing Ketchikan would be heading up Chathem Strait instead of Channel Strait. That would put you on the outside passage a little longer but not by much.

 

In all honesty if it is a time constraing because of the speek I would see them staying to the Inside passage more then the outside simply because sea conditions would be much better on the Inside passage.

[diverdon48371]

Just a FYI, I called carnival today they told me that the ship will still be sailing in the inside passage. At first she was not sure, but put me on hold while she contacted another department and asked them the question. I also took a look at the map and to me it looks like it would be much farther it they headed back out to open water. I would be nice to see it in writing though or see it posted on John Heald’s blog.

[TPFKAH]

Here's the updates regarding routes:

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=729250650450832&id=144285012280735

[TXAlex]

Well, I just canceled, and then rebooked with Princess for less money. I'm pretty risk-averse and I just don't want to be in a position to have my vacation ruined if whatever is wrong with the ship gets worse with nonstop use between now and July. Got a full refund and was able to use my same air tickets, so yay.

 

How did you manage to get on Princess for cheaper?! I was looking at switching to them because I am a previous cruiser for them as well, but for the same thing it was hundreds more per person!

[TXAlex]

Another "womp wooomp" moment and something people may not know/realize...the 25% off of a future cruise is only for the room rate of the individual being "inconvenienced” and you can’t book with that discount until you have completed the vacation. I figured the discount was mine to use right now, so I looked into booking my birthday cruise with it. I can’t wait until June 24 to book a July cruise if I want a particular room, darn! I also assumed (I guess naively) that I would get 25% off the whole pre-tax booking cost, meaning for all the people in the room, not just mine.

[Ponygal]

Another "womp wooomp" moment and something people may not know/realize...the 25% off of a future cruise is only for the room rate of the individual being "inconvenienced” and you can’t book with that discount until you have completed the vacation. I figured the discount was mine to use right now, so I looked into booking my birthday cruise with it. I can’t wait until June 24 to book a July cruise if I want a particular room, darn! I also assumed (I guess naively) that I would get 25% off the whole pre-tax booking cost, meaning for all the people in the room, not just mine.

 

I am sorry, but why would you expect to get a discount for people who were not Inconvenienced on this cruise? You were booked on this cruise they were not...it does not work the same as a VIFP where everyone in the cabin gets your discount.

[TXAlex]

I am sorry, but why would you expect to get a discount for people who were not Inconvenienced on this cruise? You were booked on this cruise they were not...it does not work the same as a VIFP where everyone in the cabin gets your discount.

 

I admitted above that it may have been naïve of me to think that :) It's just the way I read/understood it and thought others might have, too. Trying to help by passing along the information I received.

[rhfish3]

Another "womp wooomp" moment and something people may not know/realize...the 25% off of a future cruise is only for the room rate of the individual being "inconvenienced” and you can’t book with that discount until you have completed the vacation. I figured the discount was mine to use right now, so I looked into booking my birthday cruise with it. I can’t wait until June 24 to book a July cruise if I want a particular room, darn! I also assumed (I guess naively) that I would get 25% off the whole pre-tax booking cost, meaning for all the people in the room, not just mine.

 

I would never think that people not inconvenienced would get the same deal as me?

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[TXAlex]

I would never think that people not inconvenienced would get the same deal as me?

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

Everyone thinks through things their own way. I read it as simply 25% off of a future booking, I didn't think they split off one person's portion and only took a percentage off that. The way I saw it, before I spoke with my PVP, was "sorry we had to do that, here is a nice little 25% off for next time you want to cruise, because we value your buisness", not just a personal inconvenience incentive. When I worked in hotels and we needed to give a percentage off, it was for the whole room, not just the affected persons (even the rooms that were charged based on occupancy). Cruising is a whole different ball game, I guess!

[sona2013]

I cancelled and booked on NCL today.