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Best Deal On Carnival

lottiegreen56

By lottiegreen56,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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lottiegreen56

lottiegreen56

Posted
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I'll start, I think the sushi restaurants are always very tasty and priced cheaper than what I see on shore.

 

Honorable mentions: 

 

1) Some of the cigarette prices are great. Not everything in the shops are good deals (especially the stuff they are pushing) but as far as I can tell you can't afford not to smoke at those prices.

 

2) Workout class pass is a great deal if you know you are going to use it. If you aren't going to go 2x per day or think you are going to slide, then just don't.

 

3) Coffees/Shakes at the coffee shops. Unfortunately you can't find decent coffee for free any more on any line except Princess. Luckily, the specialty coffees are very reasonably priced. They take FOREVER to make them but they are always tasty, especially the spiked versions!

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Szoyka

Szoyka

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Cheers! program, if you use it for alcohol and can drink your 15 a day, then it's still great deal. But the way to get the bang for the buck is the milkshakes, floats, tea, specialty coffee, soda, bottled water, energy drinks, etc. They are unlimited and that's a deal. 

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Szoyka

Szoyka

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Carnival Miracle in November of '14, got a call for an upsell from an interior on deck 1 for an extended balcony, for $100. I forgot which deck it was, i can probably go back and figure it out. I wish I could get that call again.

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jbethel11

jbethel11

Posted
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4 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I wouldn't call it the best deal on the ship, but the celebration cakes are reasonable, $10, I think.  I've bought a few for different special occasions. 

I agree! Celebration Cakes on Royal run upwards of $25! Do you think the cakes are good, or worth the $10?

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xDisconnections

xDisconnections

Posted
Posted (edited)
13 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

I never really understood what that meant?

If you hate the product or aren't enjoying your cruise within the first 24 hours, you can disembark with a full refund and they will reimburse your flights back.

Edited by xDisconnections
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jbethel11

jbethel11

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, xDisconnections said:

If you hate the product or are t enjoying your cruise within the first 24 hours, you can disembark with a full refund and they will reimburse your flights back.

FULL refund? AND reimbursement of flights? I feel like some Carnival cruisers could just board a ship, grab a delicious Guy's Burger, then disembark the next day! 😂

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xDisconnections

xDisconnections

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

FULL refund? AND reimbursement of flights? I feel like some Carnival cruisers could just board a ship, grab a delicious Guy's Burger, then disembark the next day! 😂

I'm sure if you do it a second time, you may be asked not to return. Of course, invoking the Great Vacation Guarantee does come with 10% off your next cruise.

 

For someone like me who is unsure about returning to the product or those unsure if Carnival is the right fit for them, it could be the best deal on the ship. Nothing is more valuable than your vacation time.

 

If this topic were posted on the Princess boards, I would say Bon Voyage Experience. Living in a port area, it's easy to hop onboard for $39, enjoy the day on the ship, have that amount applied towards a future cruise, and pick up future cruise certificates in the process. Too bad that's going away 😞

Edited by xDisconnections
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Chervil

Chervil

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

If you hate the product or aren't enjoying your cruise within the first 24 hours, you can disembark with a full refund and they will reimburse your flights back.

We had some friends use this about 20 years ago when they took their first cruise. (it was on Carnival)
They didn't like the cramped feeling. They said there really wasn't anything to do.
They didn't care for the food.
By the second port, they invoked the Guarantee and got flown back.
Haven't cruised since.

That being said, they have seen our photos and heard our stories and agree that cruising is completely different these days and they are thinking of giving it another shot on one of the bigger ships.
More to do, better variety of things and not as cramped.

As far as the best value, we always hit the duty-free liquor and get 2 750ml bottles of crown for $40.
You can't even find them in port for $20 each.
 

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DallasGuy75219

DallasGuy75219

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

FULL refund? AND reimbursement of flights? I feel like some Carnival cruisers could just board a ship, grab a delicious Guy's Burger, then disembark the next day! 😂

They've added restrictions since it first came out.  Used to be if you were unhappy for any reason, with no restrictions on how many times it could be used.

 

Now it's limited to service issues or reasons within Carnival's control, and I believe after you invoke it two times they reserve the right to deny future claims.

 

Presumably people were taking advantage of or abusing it with frivolous reasons for being unhappy, as some have suggested on here.

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Illbcruzn4life Great Review Rare

Illbcruzn4life

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Chervil said:

We had some friends use this about 20 years ago when they took their first cruise. (it was on Carnival)
They didn't like the cramped feeling. They said there really wasn't anything to do.
They didn't care for the food.
By the second port, they invoked the Guarantee and got flown back.
Haven't cruised since.

That being said, they have seen our photos and heard our stories and agree that cruising is completely different these days and they are thinking of giving it another shot on one of the bigger ships.
More to do, better variety of things and not as cramped.

As far as the best value, we always hit the duty-free liquor and get 2 750ml bottles of crown for $40.
You can't even find them in port for $20 each.
 

 

 

Wasn't aware CCL had the vacation guarantee 20 years ago. Sounds like it was more liberal too as they let them leave the ship after 2 ports.

 

Learn something new every day.🙂

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Chervil

Chervil

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

 

Wasn't aware CCL had the vacation guarantee 20 years ago. Sounds like it was more liberal too as they let them leave the ship after 2 ports.

 

Learn something new every day.🙂

I don't know that it was the same guarantee they have now with the 10% back.

I do know it was a clause need in the paperwork that she found. (She is very thorough in reading contacts)

From what I remember it was a seven day cruise with only one sea day before the first port, with the other sea days at the end.

So only 2 days in really and they invoked the clause the third day and got off to fly home at the second port. (I probably worded my post weird).

 

Edited by Chervil
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