Carnival now giving Anniversary and Birthday gifts

[dmdiver]

We and our friends in another cabin each got the $50 spa credit. She used hers for a manicure. I never used mine. No apparent reason for receiving it, as no one was celebrating anything. This was the first time it had ever happened - our April 30 cruise.

[poobears]

I'm not sure this is new. I received a $50 spa credit for my birthday cruise about 5 years ago, no reason for it. Have received them from my PVP before too, never used them but it was a nice gesture.

[robin13]

Just got back from the Freedom and celebrated my birthday on 9/13. I received a $50 Spa card and a coupon for a free photo. Then the next day I received a small cake in my cabin that said it was from my cabin steward. Thought that was very nice as the year before I sailed on RCCL on my birthday and all they did was wish me a happy birthday each day of the cruise.

[jamona2311]

Sweet! Ill be cruising on my birthday in 2018.

 

My mom and I celebrated her birthday on the elation in 2013. During the chefs table they sang happy birthday and she got one of those beautiful chocolate cakes :)

[Shirleybird]

Exactly! If a system can be abused, passengers will find a way to do it.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

No offence to others but we booked a cruise to celebrate our anniversary. The cruise will be in June (timing was better for us) and our 30th wedding anniversary will have been that prior February. I didn't check any "special event" box. It just didn't feel right. Just go to certain influential Carnival social media pages, the people who are asking for special perks/favors are unbelievable.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Shirleybird

[jh2360]

No offence to others but we booked a cruise to celebrate our anniversary. The cruise will be in June (timing was better for us) and our 30th wedding anniversary will have been that prior February. I didn't check any "special event" box. It just didn't feel right. Just go to certain influential Carnival social media pages, the people who are asking for special perks/favors are unbelievable.

 

Good for you? Not sure why it bothers you of people mention it is their "insert special event". Do you run across the restaurant when you are out and blow out the candles as the wait staff is singing to someone?

 

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[BigDozer66]

My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary on our cruise. :D

 

If they do anything it will be appreciated but we are not expecting anything. ;)

 

I did check the box when I signed us up for the cruise.

[amydresh]

I used a TA to book my cruise in Jan. My son will celebrate his 11th birthday on the cruise. My TA did tell me that Carnival sometimes gives gifts for birthdays but said it isn't always, so I will not expect anything but it would be cool if he did get something.

[simplelife]

On our Magic cruise recently, 3 of our party of 8 had birthdays within a Month of sailing. All three received gift cards for a free picture from the photo gallery, $30 for a bottle of wine (which paid most of the cost), and a $50 voucher for the spa (which my DH did not used because service are still expensive with the discount)

 

 

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[Sugaree5335]

No offence to others but we booked a cruise to celebrate our anniversary. The cruise will be in June (timing was better for us) and our 30th wedding anniversary will have been that prior February. I didn't check any "special event" box. It just didn't feel right. Just go to certain influential Carnival social media pages, the people who are asking for special perks/favors are unbelievable.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, my anniversary is 1/12 and our cruise ends 1/9. I listed the anniversary because it's pretty close and it it what we are doing for our anniversary this year. I might be able to justify listing it as our honeymoon, since it's really the honeymoon we never had. But that's a stretch.

[fshstck]

I got a $50 spa gift card, I don't remember putting anything down when we booked our cruise. I asked the room Steward about it and he said it was random. I told him I thought maybe it was because of our 25th Anniversary. The next day we got a $75 Steakhouse gift card. We used the Steakhous one but not the Spa one.

[maldenmusic]

How do they know it's your anniversary if you book online?

[GradUT]

My daughter and I went on a cruise in late August to celebrate my birthday which is in mid-September. ( We couldn't go in September.) She added my birthday as a "Special Event" on the cruise personalizer as a surprise for me. The surprise for her was that Carnival didn't say or do anything for my birthday. I didn't know about it so I wasn't expecting anything, but she was disappointed.

[Shirleybird]

Good for you? Not sure why it bothers you of people mention it is their "insert special event". Do you run across the restaurant when you are out and blow out the candles as the wait staff is singing to someone?

 

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First off I started my comment by say "no offence" meaning basically, to each his own. I would be the first person to help someone to celebrate there special event. What burns my shorts is when people take advantage or expect some kind of special perk. I simply stated MY opinion and MY personal situation. Keep the candles burning!! :)

[summersigh]

If you go to your booking and click on the "guests" tab in blue. Under the guests name if you will click on the modify button the choice is there to add it.

I thought I'd posted here after our May cruise but I reckon it was on another thread of similar topic.

 

We sailed in May - DH's birthday month.

If you booked on your own or with HAL you can follow the directions quoted above. If you booked with a TA they can do this for you. It doesn't seem to be enough to just fill out your birthday on the check in online form - you need to do it under celebrations as well. (see directions in this post)

 

DH received a free dinner for 2 at either the Asian or Italian upcharge resturants. A $50 gift card for the spa. A free 6x9 photo. He was given a Birthday Month card from the room stewardess as well as her turning the mirror into a birthday banner for a few hours.

 

It may be hit or miss but we definitely enjoyed it. We are always very, very nice to our cabin steward and that may have helped with getting so many "gifts" ? :)

 

PS ... signing up for a celebration does NOT bring the wait staff to the table singing "happy birthday" - that would NOT have made DH happy :D:D

[cruznjan]

I cruised on the Fantasy 1/7-1/12. My birthday was 1/16. No gift or acknowledgement ...which was fine with me.

 

Did they know about it?

[cruznjan]

I just tried the "modify" button, entered our anniversary (we are celebrating 25 years) and a pop up said it had to be within the dates of the cruise. Oh well, I'll buy my own chocolate covered strawberries[emoji3]

 

Ask John Heald.

[DaiLina]

If you still need help finding it...

 

Go to My Cruise Manager, then go to My Cruise Details.

Look for the 4 tabs about halfway down the page. Select My Guests.

Look for "modify" on the left, under your name & contact info. It's right there -- hiding in plain sight! :D

Thanks for this tutorial! I finally found it! Thanks!

[beshears]

So far, I have read pros/cons about this question.

 

My husband and I have our anniversary, and my birthday on the same date. Generally our grown children celebrate with us. Even though we will be sailing in March, and it is the middle of February, just curious one way or another if it is going to work next March?

 

If nothing else, does it have to be a certain ship???

[cruzelover55]

We and our friends in another cabin each got the $50 spa credit. She used hers for a manicure. I never used mine. No apparent reason for receiving it, as no one was celebrating anything. This was the first time it had ever happened - our April 30 cruise.

 

We were on the Freedom 9/10-9/17. I booked over the phone with just whoever answered, (not with a PVP). Then I handled the details on my own over the internet. I did NOT indicate that we had any special occasion, as our anniversary and birthdays were no where near the time of sailing. My husband received a $50. spa credit. I tried to get him to use it for a shave and facial package, but, he did not think it would be worth adding $40. to it. If it had been in my name I would have used it. Then, 2 nights in a row, we got a small, chocolate fudge, heart shaped caked, that was delicious! It had Happy Anniversary painted on the plate of each one. Neither asked for nor expected, but, was nice. Our birthdays are in Dec. and Jan. Wedding anniversary Feb. So, who knows the reasoning behind any of it?

[lindacat]

I recently cruised on the Sunshine (8/25)... There was a group of 7 of us, my moms birthday was 8/13. Other than filling out the birthday on the cruise reservation, we did not indicate it was her birthday as a special celebration as she is very shy and does not like

public celebrations. Half way through the cruise, she received a birthday card from the room steward with a coupon for a free picture and $25 bottle of wine. The same day the steward gave our friend in a different room a spa certificate with a card that said, random act of kindness. The other two rooms we were booked with did not receive anything

 

On this same cruise we spoke with a couple who sat near us in the dining room who was celebrating their 4th honeymoon this year. The said the did it because they got gifts and complimentary nights in the specialty restaurant.

[Trekker2016]

We booked with vacations to go dot com since my husband has an interline discount. This is our first cruise and also to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Reading through several posts here at CC we got insurance via vacations to go. My husband proudly told her that the cruise is for our wedding anniversary. She asked when. Then she decided that since our wedding anniversary is today, the 23rd but we are sailing this coming Sunday, the 25th, and the ship party day will be on the 27th, she decided that we celebrate it on that day. She is arranging for something to happen...or something like that...my husband did not catch that but I did, from reading posts here. And also when I checked in online, both our birth dates were connected to our room booking. How can that be missed? Go back to the time you arranged for your cruise and look at how your birthdays are connected to your bookings...maybe the hint is there? Just my opinion...

Edited September 23, 2016 by Trekker2016

[tonit964]

Were were on the Legend last month, no special occasion being celebrated and we got the $50 spa card. Didn't use it.

[fshstck]

Ask John Heald.

That poor man gets tormented enough from people trying get a couple of free chocalate covered strawberries. I use to read him blog for the humor of people begging for stuff.

[cruzeluver]

That poor man gets tormented enough from people trying get a couple of free chocalate covered strawberries. I use to read him blog for the humor of people begging for stuff.

 

I don't know that I would describe him as a "poor man". He has allowed and encouraged the begging of freebies for quite some time now.