Thought I'd ask you guys...

[mikechass]

Morning everyone and Happy New Year.

We have done quite a few cruises and it all started off with a 4 day Carnival Cruise way back 16 years ago.

We haven't been back on since. Not because we didn't like it, more because of the groups we were traveling with.

We have since taken our kids on 3 RCCL cruises and they were all wonderful.

I am BEYOND intrigued with some of the 2017 prices for a family of four.

I have asked "real life" friends about Carnival and hear over and over that we will be disappointed with the line.

We aren't drinkers at all, we don't smoke and we don't gamble. (yikes rereading that we sound super boring but we aren't haha)

We love beaches, swimming, lazing around, shows, movies under the stars and most of all food/ dining room dinners..

The kids who will be 15/12 when we go, just love being away with us. They don't do the kids clubs, arcades or rock walls etc and last time we were on a winter trip they skated once (we are Canadian and they both play hockey 6 times a week here all winter long)

They liked the inline skating, mini golf and basketball/ping pong court etc

So please, tell me... will we be disappointed??

The prices make me worry a bit because they are soooo low.

Also, we would be at the bottom of the barrel for "memberships levels" so to speak. Is that a big deal?

I am going to talk to my travel agent tomorrow so I thought I would pick your brains here and get some advice...

Thanks in Advance.

Chass

[Schoifmom]

Morning everyone and Happy New Year.

We have done quite a few cruises and it all started off with a 4 day Carnival Cruise way back 16 years ago.

We haven't been back on since. Not because we didn't like it, more because of the groups we were traveling with.

We have since taken our kids on 3 RCCL cruises and they were all wonderful.

I am BEYOND intrigued with some of the 2017 prices for a family of four.

I have asked "real life" friends about Carnival and hear over and over that we will be disappointed with the line.

We aren't drinkers at all, we don't smoke and we don't gamble. (yikes rereading that we sound super boring but we aren't haha)

We love beaches, swimming, lazing around, shows, movies under the stars and most of all food/ dining room dinners..

The kids who will be 15/12 when we go, just love being away with us. They don't do the kids clubs, arcades or rock walls etc and last time we were on a winter trip they skated once (we are Canadian and they both play hockey 6 times a week here all winter long)

They liked the inline skating, mini golf and basketball/ping pong court etc

So please, tell me... will we be disappointed??

The prices make me worry a bit because they are soooo low.

Also, we would be at the bottom of the barrel for "memberships levels" so to speak. Is that a big deal?

I am going to talk to my travel agent tomorrow so I thought I would pick your brains here and get some advice...

Thanks in Advance.

Chass

 

It sounds to me (FWIW), that you would be happy with one of the larger Carnival ships that offers the outdoor movies, ropes courses, etc. I would suggest sticking with those.

 

As far as the "membership levels," absolutely no worries! They aren't worth much anyway until you are platinum.

[sandij]

I don't drink, smoke or gamble and will be on my 16th Carnival cruise in a couple months and love each and every one. A cruise is what you make of it not the people you cruise with or even the line you cruise on. There is plenty for the kids to do if you pick one of the newer ships with all the extra trappings. I love the under the stars movies and just the cruise experience in general. I don't think the membership level will make any difference, everyone eats together and except for some cheap free gifts everyone gets the same service and care. I hope you all enjoy yourselves no matter what you choose.

[Cruisegirl6]

Hearing what you expect and want the only Carnival ships I would suggest to you are the Vista, Breeze and the Magic, but the shows are very lacking in quality, you can't compare Carnivals shows to RC shows at all, if shows are important you have to consider this...but Carnival does have better comedy shows both adults and family.

 

I am unsure about the Vista but the Carnival pools are all salt water where the RC ships are fresh water, not sure if this means anything to you.

 

I am also unsure whether you do specialty dining, if so, Carnival has a wonderful steakhouse they may just have one specialty restaurant, but just so you know its always been excellent and we generally always dine there on our ships that do offer the steakhouse. RC offers you more special restaurants, on the Allure/Oasis I have to say only two places we really enjoyed, the others were just good nothing special at least to us.

 

Have you ever considered a Princess cruise, we love Princess and the shows are just as great quality as RC shows only RC is the only one that offers the skating show. They also have fresh water pools and great specialty dining.

 

If you stay up late and want a very late snack (excluding sitting in your room waiting for room service) you generally only have the pizzeria,, where Princess and RC as you know offers more food options. Another thing that we prefer Carnival is their brunch offered only on sea days its wonderful and you can walk in even up to 1pm.

 

Happy New Year to you too!

Edited January 4, 2016 by lyndamr

[mikechass]

So heres my next question.

I looked at cruises on Dec 31st, got a price for two cruises, checked this am and they have both gone up $200 a person!! In 4 days for a 2017 cruise.

Called the customer service rep, asked about the price jump and she said they go up and down lots.

I haven't seen cruise prices go DOWN really ever.

I see them go up all the time.

Is it worth doing the "early saver" or whatever they mentioned or is that just trying to calm my already annoyed nerves with such a massive hike in 4 days??

It was on the Magic by the way.

Is that the kind of "newer bigger" ship that's been mentioned?

[Cruisegirl6]

First of all every holiday cruise including New Years eve will be most costly thats normal with all cruise lines.

 

Secondly, which ship (the Magic?) and how many nights are you thinking about, what is the category you want to choose if you give me the cost I can let you know whether I personally feel the price go lower or not (I am very experienced cruiser took my 60th cruise last month). Also do you have any free upgrade offers?

 

Thirdly,, always get the early saver, your able to make one change should the price get lower.

Edited January 4, 2016 by lyndamr

[thinfool]

Usually pricing is better if you make sure that Xmas and/or New Years day is not in your plans.

 

Demand drops in January and hence, prices.

 

Carnival ships sail full, so they must be doing something right.

Edited January 4, 2016 by thinfool

[patti226]

I always get early saver if you do just watch the prices and you either get a price drop if not paid in full or a OBC if you already have your cruise paid off. You can do this as many times as the price drops up to 2 days before tou set sail. You are not limited to just one price drop

[Cruisegirl6]

I forgot to add why I only get one chance, my other half usually always gets a casino offer with cash back, so with this type of casino offer early booking deal we only given one time but your correct, if you don't use a casino offer, your able to get the price drops as much as you can get as long as you didn't make final payment.

[mikechass]

Sorry, I looked at prices on the 31, but the cruises were for March 25th and April 1 2017. Eastern and Western Caribbean.

I wasn't very clear. My apologies.

I do think the March 25th cruise is a spring break one so I expected a bit of a higher rate but saw it was $379 inside per person.

It was out of PC on the Magic

Now its up to $599 per person for that same exact cruise.

 

I am now looking at those same dates, out of Galveston on the Freedom.

I called and spoke with customer service, they too suggested to get the Vacation Protection plan as well.

I always just did a $100 per person per room deposit before, now they are saying it will be $1000 per room for just the deposit.

Maybe the girl was confused? She also said my final payment was due january 30th of this year Which made me think maybe she wasn't getting the right dates... Does that $2000 deposit for 4 of us for two weeks sound correct? (it is $2800 for me since we are paying Cdn dollars as well which also stings.. ha)

[mikechass]

I always get early saver if you do just watch the prices and you either get a price drop if not paid in full or a OBC if you already have your cruise paid off. You can do this as many times as the price drops up to 2 days before tou set sail. You are not limited to just one price drop

 

That's an excellent option. So that's part of the "vacation Protection Plan" that you pay $256 for I assume... the lady wasn't very clear.

Thanks for that!!

[Cruisegirl6]

I love the Dream class another reason why we are going this year on the Magic.

 

That is what the price should be....it could go higher in fact, but right now for this year that is a good price, I seen it higher, I did a dummy reservation as you wanted inside and noticed the price is decent, I am unsure whether it go lower maybe just a little bit somewhere around July 4 and in October sometime, but if I were you and the Magic is your choice, I would lock into it now, choose the cabin and deck you want and book on an early saver, should the price go lower they have to honor it for you.

 

They should only ask for a deposit of $250 p/p, the representative is correct but remember, your final payment isn't until three months before you take your cruise so your able to get the deposit refund (do confirm of course). Your payment can't be due this year, I believe she quoted you the wrong price and gave you the rate for this year, this would explain why your final payment be this month. Call back again and stress the fact you want to go in 2017.

 

I highly suggest getting the protection plan that is a long way ahead and one never knows what could happen best to be safe than sorry. I assuming you will fly in the day before the cruise? If you considering Galveston, first check the airfares see whether that is better and lower cost compared to Pt. Canaveral. I do believe the airport may be a bit further from Houston to the pier in Texas than Orlando is to Pt. Canaveral, I could be wrong it could very well be the same but check all the options out then make your decision.

 

The Magic is going into dry dock next month, she will get the upgrades such as the Guys burgers and such and she be all renovated too and the Freedom last in dry dock was last year (just something I consider). Some people must have Guys Burgers so the Magic will have her I don't think the Freedom does.

[thinfool]

Sorry, I looked at prices on the 31, but the cruises were for March 25th and April 1 2017. Eastern and Western Caribbean.

I wasn't very clear. My apologies.

I do think the March 25th cruise is a spring break one so I expected a bit of a higher rate but saw it was $379 inside per person.

It was out of PC on the Magic

Now its up to $599 per person for that same exact cruise.

 

 

You have selected, dead-on, the high season dates for Spring Break. Now that dates are available, college vacation planners are booking group space like mad. Frats, sororities, etc are all after those weeks.

 

It is no wonder you are seeing wild pricing.

[mikechass]

You have selected, dead-on, the high season dates for Spring Break. Now that dates are available, college vacation planners are booking group space like mad. Frats, sororities, etc are all after those weeks.

 

It is no wonder you are seeing wild pricing.

 

Thanks. I should have jumped when I saw it on the 31st.. ah well you live and learn I guess.

I just have read suuuuuch yucky thing about Galveston and the flights are $1300 per person to get there.

I can get to Orlando for $200 per person if we drive to North Dakota to fly out from there.

Seems like it may be a better choice to stick to the Magic and go that way.

Thanks everyone!

So appreciate the help!! Love this forum

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

I haven't been on RCCL, but I have been on Celebrity. This is my two cents worth....Celebrity has better MDR food and theater shows. Carnival has better buffet, lido deck food, and comedy club. Celebrity has very little to do outside of the theater. Carnival has much more to do out and about on the ship, both free and for fee. FWIW, we are in our 50's, drink very little and have never been in a casino on a cruise. Oh and if you are into watching TV in your cabin Carnival definitely has better choice.

[beshears]

I don't have time to read all the postings to you, but we are just like you folks. Not drinkers, gamblers, or smokers, and we ALWAYS have a great time on Carnival ships. :)

 

One thing I like about Carnival ships are the inner or oceanview staterooms. They are a tad larger than other (Princess, RCCL, NCL, Holland American) cruise lines.

 

If you do Carnival, enjoy yourself, like we do.

[crusinpsychRN]

That's an excellent option. So that's part of the "vacation Protection Plan" that you pay $256 for I assume... the lady wasn't very clear.

Thanks for that!!

 

Vacation protection is insurance, not anything to do with price protection. It's cheaper elsewhere than Carnival. Early Saver will get you price drops but you have to ask for them. Check fare viewer to see if price goes down or just mock book the same cruise.

 

You must have caught the lower price during a sale.

[bakersdozen12]

We aren't drinkers at all, we don't smoke and we don't gamble. (yikes rereading that we sound super boring but we aren't haha)

 

 

My husband and I don't drink, smoke, or gamble at all, and we loved our Carnival cruise on the Dream last October.

 

We love beaches, swimming, lazing around, shows, movies under the stars and most of all food/ dining room dinners..

 

 

My husband and I enjoy all of these things (except my husband doesn't swim), and we loved our Carnival cruise on the Dream last October.

 

So, take what you want from this. I think that a cruise is what you make of it. There is so much you can do onboard, and nothing that you have to do, so I think pretty much anyone can enjoy a Carnival cruise as long as they don't go into it assuming they are going to hate it.

 

My only suggestion is make sure that the ship has a Dive-in theater and a Serenity deck. They are the best parts in my opinion!

[mikechass]

Thanks everyone for the notes.

I have to say, Carnival's follow ups and customer service puts RCCL to shame.

Although I called yesterday and spoke to two people and had talked to one other lady on December 31, I received a call last evening ( 830 pm) from the same lady I spoke to on New Years Eve.

She honored the prices we discussed back then plus added OBC and an upgrade in positioning on the ship for all the trouble.

She also spent quite some time trying to figure out why things were so confused earlier and although its been 16 years since we last sailed she managed to find us (when they all said we weren't there) which I found so nice.

Apparently, she had seen the call logs from my earlier two conversations and knew I was getting incorrect information. She wanted to make sure I knew that Carnival is a company that honors their word and whether it was smoke up my arse or not I was quite happy!!

I have the cruise on hold till tonight to be able to ensure my time off from our jobs and then we are heading out on Magic.

Can't thank everyone enough.

I am so excited and think this will be a wonderful trip for our whole family.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Chass

[winddawn]

Thanks everyone for the notes.

I have to say, Carnival's follow ups and customer service puts RCCL to shame.

Although I called yesterday and spoke to two people and had talked to one other lady on December 31, I received a call last evening ( 830 pm) from the same lady I spoke to on New Years Eve.

She honored the prices we discussed back then plus added OBC and an upgrade in positioning on the ship for all the trouble.

She also spent quite some time trying to figure out why things were so confused earlier and although its been 16 years since we last sailed she managed to find us (when they all said we weren't there) which I found so nice.

Apparently, she had seen the call logs from my earlier two conversations and knew I was getting incorrect information. She wanted to make sure I knew that Carnival is a company that honors their word and whether it was smoke up my arse or not I was quite happy!!

I have the cruise on hold till tonight to be able to ensure my time off from our jobs and then we are heading out on Magic.

Can't thank everyone enough.

I am so excited and think this will be a wonderful trip for our whole family.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Chass

Congratulations, Chass! Sounds like you had a great experience. I have to say that Carnival staff are awesome and most will bend over backwards to please you, especially on the ships. I hope you have a wonderful cruise with your family. Be sure and come back after your cruise and share your thoughts with us.

[17andacruiseaddict]

If I were you, I'd sail on Carnival's newer ships (Magic, Dream, BREEZE, VISTA).

They are bigger. They offer more kid friendly stuff (ropes course, Vista will have some sort of thing you can peddle around the ship on, 3D and theater,water slide, water park, etc)

 

Newer ships will help you really see where Carnival is.

 

And these real life friends of yours must only sail other lines and just repeat what they hear. Rumors and gossip is for people of all ages. I've cruised The Big Red Boat,RCCL, and Carnival. Majority on Carnival. When sailing on RCCL, I too hear these snooty comments, but I don;t take them into consideration at all because I know how awesome cruising on Carnival is.

 

 

I do have one personal experience from a sail away that sums up RCCL compared to CCL for me. Back in 2007 my mom and I were on Freedom of the Seas and the daily itinerary of the day said to head up top for the sail away party. So of course we did. Drinks in hand, after about an hour or so we started pulling out of port. There was music playing on the speakers but that was about it. Then we hear a lot ship horn and people cheering and dancing to loud lively music. Looked across the way and it was coming from a Carnival Ship. Me and my mom both said we would have to get back on Carnival. Haven't looked back since. Now, I have a great time on Royal for about 5 years. The big didderence for me between the 2 is that on RCCL, you have to make your own fun (as with anywhere) but on CCL, they pride themselves on doing their best to make sure you get out of your seat and have fun.

 

 

Check out pictures and youtube videos of these ships and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed. Especially if you choose something newer. Although Carnival's Conquest class ships are pretty amazing too. I personally wouldn't go older than those.

[katiel53]

One thing I didn't notice is that Early Saver deposits are non-refundable, so if for some reason you decided to cancel, you will lost $50 per person and the balance of the deposit will be held for you to book another cruise within 2 years.

 

There have been many posts where circumstances changed and the cruisers weren't able to go and wanted to know how to get their deposit back, but that's the one big disadvantage to the Early Saver.

 

We have sailed on both lines for many cruisers and find enjoyment on both. Carnival cruisers seem to be more party people than Royal Caribbean as well as less formal. I might suggest you read a few customer reviews of the Magic and take them with a grain of salt. If you do the same thing with ships you have sailed, you might be able to get a better idea of how you feel as opposed to others.

 

Good luck.

[mikechass]

Since everyone has been so helpful maybe I can ask a few more questions.

Does the Magic have Free Style Pop machines? I saw the "bottomless bubbles" is the pop package.... is there an option for mocktails and milkshakes?

Also, is it better to have the early or late seatings for dinner on this line?

When will the evening shows be taking place.

I assumed its much the same as the other cruises we've done.

They offer a before and after show for each night?

Lastly, if anyone is familiar with Port Canveral could you give me some insight into where I should look to stay pre and post cruise. We always fly in the day before a cruise and last time we stayed one more night after and found it very relaxing. We will be renting a car from the airport

I am sure I could find all this but have been so thankful for the advice on here

[trvlgirlmq]

Since everyone has been so helpful maybe I can ask a few more questions.

Does the Magic have Free Style Pop machines? I saw the "bottomless bubbles" is the pop package.... is there an option for mocktails and milkshakes? No freestyle machines. If you get the soda card you will have to do to a bar to get your beverage (you or kids can go to any bar and show your card and be served). No option for mocktails or other non-alcoholic drinks.

Also, is it better to have the early or late seatings for dinner on this line? I've only done Your Time Dining so can't comment.

When will the evening shows be taking place. Sometimes there are 2 shows but most often I have found there is just one and you may miss it. We usually make sure we hit the family comedy though. Lots of fun.

I assumed its much the same as the other cruises we've done.

They offer a before and after show for each night?

Lastly, if anyone is familiar with Port Canveral could you give me some insight into where I should look to stay pre and post cruise. We always fly in the day before a cruise and last time we stayed one more night after and found it very relaxing. We will be renting a car from the airport

I am sure I could find all this but have been so thankful for the advice on here If you will be returning your car then make sure you find somewhere with a shuttle. A close friend always stays at the Country Inn & Suites. I know the Radisson is popular as well.

 

Hope this helps!

[katiel53]

The Radisson is very close to the port as is the Country Inn and Suites. The Radisson has a beautiful pool area and when we stayed there there was a tiki bar and we had a great time out there.

 

Many people prefer to stay in Cocoa Beach so they can be at the beach. The Hampton Inn is very nice there. If you go to the FL departures board on here, you will see places people have stayed and what they think of them.

 

Port Canaveral is my favorite port for sailing. Usually boarding is very easy from there.