Which Cabin And Price Point Gives You The Most Value?

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Unless it's a group cruise I wouldnt pay 1400 for a inside so none of these would be a good enough value for me to touch them with a ten ft pole. Sorry.

 

Surely better prices out of Galveston? I dont care about the ship, though magic was my favorite so far. I go for the food and ocean which all ships provide.

 

I am booking for $2200 for a group spring cruise I guess and hoping prices drop. Ouch. I think that's too high for spring break but want the group. I didnt pick the date. And will fly and hotel in miami. But it's not my normal. 

 

I got a boardwalk end of the floor balcony on allure, under $1300 out of Galveston. I've been waiting for Allure OTS and think that's a awesome price. Less than your inside on mardi gras. Sorry allure wins for balcony choice and less than your inside. I just wouldnt pay that much for mardi gras. Once the $600 for being cancelled is gone, I'm hoping carnival prices come back down to ground. I think the $600 obc is artificially upping prices here. 

Firefly, we are totally opposite.  You cruise solo, we cruise as a couple.  You can drive to Galveston, we have high airfare to Houston and since none of the new ships start there, we would never embark from Galveston.  Also, the Allure is a 10 year old non Amplified ship and does not compare to the Mardi Gras, which is the jewel of Carnival.  You don't care about the ship, whereas the ship is our destination while we sail the Caribbean, and that is why our upcoming cruises are on the Mardi Gras, Joy, Apex, Discovery Princess, Celebration, Encore and Amplified Oasis. The majority of these ships are the newest and best that each line offers.  Once we do port driven cruises elsewhere in the world, the ship of choice will be secondary.

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Firefly, we are totally opposite.  You cruise solo, we cruise as a couple.  You can drive to Galveston, we have high airfare to Houston and since none of the new ships start there, we would never embark from Galveston.  Also, the Allure is a 10 year old non Amplified ship and does not compare to the Mardi Gras, which is the jewel of Carnival.  You don't care about the ship, whereas the ship is our destination while we sail the Caribbean, and that is why our upcoming cruises are on the Mardi Gras, Joy, Apex, Discovery Princess, Celebration, Encore and Amplified Oasis. The majority of these ships are the newest and best that each line offers.  Once we do port driven cruises elsewhere in the world, the ship of choice will be secondary.

I do care somewhat about the ship. I'm paying more for my dec 2022 allure balcony $12xx, than for my liberty sept balcony which I thought was high at $11xx. I did oasis twice and absolutely loved it. I cant wait for allure. Liberty was a great ship but oasis was better. I love both. 

 

I still think carnival prices are artificially high due to the $600 obc. Do you get the $600 obc if booking mardi gras? This would influence my answer. If not I'd book may, wait to get cancelled so I did get it. $600 obc would change my mind. 1400 minus 600 is 800 and then it's a good enough value, but not at 1400 stand alone. 

 

You ignored my comment about the $600 obc influencing carnival prices.

 

Also in regard to allure being non amped, yes I'm happy. The abyss on amped oasis blocks the boardwalk balconies from seeing the dive show. I booked the end one to see the shows and very happy it hasnt been amped yet like oasis and the view from boardwalk balconys blocked. But there is a 2 week blocked out space before it starts 7 days in Galveston..I am so hoping no amp blocking views.

 

Sorry I would book something else without the $600 obc. I'm betting you get it? 

Edited March 7, 2021 by firefly333

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, SNJCruisers said:

You don't care about the ship, whereas the ship is our destination while we sail the Caribbean, and that is why our upcoming cruises are on the Mardi Gras, Joy, Apex, Discovery Princess, Celebration, Encore and Amplified Oasis. The majority of these ships are the newest and best that each line offers. 

 

Newest is objective. Best is subjective. As is value.

[tidecat]

Don't overlook Porthole cabins, which Carnival sells as "interior", yet still have some view out. On the Sunshine and Conquest classes there are "Interior with Picture Window" cabins that actually look out over public decks on the ship

[sgttami]

I wouldn't choose any cabin for Mardi Gras since I have no desire to go on a ship that large or have to fly to cruise.

 

I got a Casino offer for a free balcony on Mardi Gras and turned it down.

 

So many are looking forwarding to it, including some friends.  It's just too big for my tastes these days..

[sgttami]

I wouldn't choose any cabin for Mardi Gras since I have no desire to go on a ship that large or have to fly to cruise.

 

I got a Casino offer for a free balcony on Mardi Gras and turned it down.

 

So many are looking forwarding to it, including some friends.  It's just too big for my tastes these days..

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I do care somewhat about the ship. I'm paying more for my dec 2022 allure balcony $12xx, than for my liberty sept balcony which I thought was high at $11xx. I did oasis twice and absolutely loved it. I cant wait for allure. Liberty was a great ship but oasis was better. I love both. 

 

I still think carnival prices are artificially high due to the $600 obc. Do you get the $600 obc if booking mardi gras? This would influence my answer. If not I'd book may, wait to get cancelled so I did get it. $600 obc would change my mind. 1400 minus 600 is 800 and then it's a good enough value, but not at 1400 stand alone. 

 

You ignored my comment about the $600 obc influencing carnival prices.

 

Also in regard to allure being non amped, yes I'm happy. The abyss on amped oasis blocks the boardwalk balconies from seeing the dive show. I booked the end one to see the shows and very happy it hasnt been amped yet like oasis and the view from boardwalk balconys blocked. But there is a 2 week blocked out space before it starts 7 days in Galveston..I am so hoping no amp blocking views.

 

Sorry I would book something else without the $600 obc. I'm betting you get it? 

No, 600 OBC not involved.  Our most recent Carnival cruise was August 2019 on Horizon.  Had 2 RCI cruises from June and August of 2020 cancelled with refunds and a January 2021 on Princess that we took the 125% FCC. 

The prices I quoted were for September 2021, cheaper than the inflated summer rates.  

I guess I could play the system and book a cruise that I know will be cancelled to get the OBC.  Carnival stuck it to me by never offering me one of the RU1-RU3 codes for Cheers.  I guess it's time for this Platinum cruiser to return the favor.

[crzndeb]

18 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

You have a choice of either an inside cabin @ 1,400.00, a balcony cabin side view @ 2,000.00 or a balcony cabin aft view @ 2225.00?  This would all be for a 7 night cruise on the Mardi Gras.  Which of the 3 would you choose, and why?

As a solo travel, I would always choose an interior (preferably with portholes), because I don’t like the hinged balcony doors on Carnival ships. To noisy for my comfort level.

[Mary229]

For me it is all about the itinerary.  On short cruises of less than 12 days with ports most days I am totally happy in an inside cabin.  I can spend a day or two watching movies in my cabin with no worries.  For long cruises with multiple sea days I either want a balcony or a OV close to a public deck.  Of course this would be for solo or a couple.  If I had a couple of kids in tow it would be a totally different answer.

 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

Don't overlook Porthole cabins, which Carnival sells as "interior", yet still have some view out. On the Sunshine and Conquest classes there are "Interior with Picture Window" cabins that actually look out over public decks on the ship

As I mentioned in post 1, these cabins are on the Mardi Gras, which does not have PT or 4J cabins.  Even if they did, it would not matter since as I mentioned in post 25, we need a HC cabin.

[SNJCruisers]

49 minutes ago, sgttami said:

I wouldn't choose any cabin for Mardi Gras since I have no desire to go on a ship that large or have to fly to cruise.

 

I got a Casino offer for a free balcony on Mardi Gras and turned it down.

 

So many are looking forwarding to it, including some friends.  It's just too big for my tastes these days..

Thanks much for your contribution to the thread, it's greatly appreciated. 😕😕😕   Edit..just realized your contribution was so good, you had to repeat it with a double post.  Once again, thank you. And enjoy your cruises out of Baltimore and Bayonne.

Edited March 7, 2021 by SNJCruisers

[SNJCruisers]

10 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

As a solo travel, I would always choose an interior (preferably with portholes), because I don’t like the hinged balcony doors on Carnival ships. To noisy for my comfort level.

No portholes on the MG and I believe that the 2 Excellence Class ships have sliding balcony doors.

[firefly333]

10 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

As a solo travel, I would always choose an interior (preferably with portholes), because I don’t like the hinged balcony doors on Carnival ships. To noisy for my comfort level.

We were looking on another thread for the 1A potholes and seems mardi gras doesnt have them. I tried 2 random dates and PT category didnt come up. Maybe booked up, but didnt see PT or 4J. Just regular insides. Vista is looking better all the time, or magic or dream class. I want guys burgers and the bbq. I did the pedal cars, sky cars? On vista. They shut down right after me due to wind. Scared me too death. I might try them again if we said this sept. Sept iffy. 

 

I'm not willing to fly to do carnival in all honesty. Last time was special miracle to alaska, but I'd pick a cheaper cruise to fly to. Some day I'll do mardi gras, but based on vista smaller theaters with poles in the way and comedy theater, it's still a no from me at these prices.

 

Cheers no matter the code is more, plus I'd pay double. Solo I'd pass on cheers. I'm not a every day drinker.

[crzndeb]

7 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

No portholes on the MG and I believe that the 2 Excellence Class ships have sliding balcony doors.

That’s good to know. I do like new ships, but have nothing planned for Carnival in the near future. I would like to try either the Mardi Gras or Celebration, since I have some gift cards to use from cancelled cruises,  but would still go with interiors. I won’t bore anybody with my other personal hang ups about balconies...LOL

[Cruisesfun65]

I would not choose an interior, because I'm claustrophobic and need natural light. 

I  have 3 future Mardi Gras bookings, DS Deluxe suite and OT suite. We spend a lot of time in the cabin and on the balcony. That's why the proposed restrictions won't stop us from cruising.

[SRQbeachgirl]

46 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

As a solo travel, I would always choose an interior (preferably with portholes), because I don’t like the hinged balcony doors on Carnival ships. To noisy for my comfort level.

 

According to the balcony stateroom photos on Carnival's website, it looks like they have finally gone to sliding doors, with floor-to-ceiling glass. 

 

 

As to the OP's question, value is subjective. We have an extended balcony on the "hump" booked on Mardi Gras for $2,200 (total for two people) with $500 obc. That was a great value to us. We would never book an inside cabin, even if they practically gave them away, since being able to see outside is important to us.

 

We have stayed in oceanview cabins before, but we missed having a balcony. I realize some people simply don't use the balcony enough to justify the cost, but that is not our experience. We probably spend a cumulative 2 to 3 hours on our balcony every day, having morning coffee, reading a book in the late afternoon, having a pre-dinner drink, and enjoying watching the waves and distant lights from other ships before going to bed. 

 

I almost selected an aft balcony, but I have heard it can be warm on the aft without the breeze, so I will probably only do an aft in the cooler months or for an Alaska cruise. Plus, I would rather look straight down to water rather than to a pool deck.

[Saint Greg]

6 hours ago, skrufy said:

Agree, Even though we spend little time in the cabin, we do OVs on our cruises. Enjoy the morning sunlight in the OV. Insides are out, feel to confined with no sunlight coming in. Balcony’s are also out, don’t spend enough time on it for it to be worth it. One exception , I will do a balcony on an Alaska cruise. Last Alaska cruise we drank champagne and ate cheese enjoying the beautiful sights. If you don’t go with a balcony think about the OV.

Definitely not a problem for me. I prefer it to be dark. I cover the glow in the dark signs with duct tape and sometimes put a towel on the floor by the door to block that light. I have my bedroom window blacked out at home. I was a day sleeper for 5 years and still have to occasionally. Actually tomorrow night I have to go in and work at midnight so I’m going to be sleeping during the day tomorrow.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

As to the OP's question, value is subjective. We have an extended balcony on the "hump" booked on Mardi Gras for $2,200 (total for two people) with $500 obc. 

If I may ask,  which sailing are you booked on and how did you obtain the 500 in OBC?

[JerseyGirlJen]

Everyone is in different situations regarding money to spend.  $1400 to one person might be pocket change, but for another it could pay their mortgage for 6 months.  For me, the best value is what works the best and makes the most sense for me at the time of booking. Perhaps a large home repair or car repair bill, or home expenses in the next 2 years (replacing appliances, etc.) might make me choose differently than a time when I'd feel more comfortable springing for a balcony.  

 

I often go solo, and although I like a balcony, it's not always the best value for the money spent vs. the time I'll actually use it.  I much prefer to be out on the upper decks on Serenity.  

 

However, depending on how cruises may change (ex. masks on outside public decks), I would determine it would be a better value to spend more on my own balcony to avoid the masks.  Also, there are times when I value treating myself over dollars spent, so it's all dependent on the situation. 

 

Personally, $1400 for an inside isn't something I'd spend money for, (remember I go solo so I'm paying the $1400 all myself) but I would (and have) spent $2000 on an 8 day balcony.  Most often I choose an inside on deck 7 or 8, because I don't spend much time in the room anyway.

[SRQbeachgirl]

25 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

If I may ask,  which sailing are you booked on and how did you obtain the 500 in OBC?

 

We are doing B2B on April 2 and April 9, 2022. The obc was a VIFP email offer - get $500 obc if booked by March 4, 2021 and sailing by May 2022, with $99 deposit pp. First time I'd ever gotten an offer for that much obc. Most of the time it's $200.

[SNJCruisers]

30 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

We are doing B2B on April 2 and April 9, 2022. The obc was a VIFP email offer - get $500 obc if booked by March 4, 2021 and sailing by May 2022, with $99 deposit pp. First time I'd ever gotten an offer for that much obc. Most of the time it's $200.

Been Platinum for over 10 years and have never gotten a VIFP offer like that.

[SRQbeachgirl]

2 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Been Platinum for over 10 years and have never gotten a VIFP offer like that.

 

Yeah, I was so surprised it made me go back on my vow to not book anything until sailings actually started up again. But I just couldn't pass it up. We've never done a B2B before and this seemed like to perfect offer for it.

[Knights on the Beach]

We're booked in a side balcony just behind the hump and for us, that was the best value.  All the hump balconies were already booked or I probably would have picked one of those for the extra balcony space.  We've been in inside, ocean view and balcony cabins throughout the years but I doubt we'd ever stay in an inside cabin again.  We live on the ocean and get up early for sunrise every morning - I need to see the ocean when I wake up.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, firefly333 said:

 Do you get the $600 obc if booking mardi gras? This would influence my answer. If not I'd book may, wait to get cancelled so I did get it. $600 obc would change my mind. 

Obviously booking May is out, but June and July are substantially over 1000 pp with Aug 21 sailing at 1775 total, which is 375 over the quoted 1400 for September of 2022.  So the 600 in OBC would be reduced down to 225, and I would be rolling the dice that the sailing would be cancelled in order to receive it.

[SNJCruisers]

23 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Yeah, I was so surprised it made me go back on my vow to not book anything until sailings actually started up again. But I just couldn't pass it up. We've never done a B2B before and this seemed like to perfect offer for it.

After checking out some YouTube videos, I am blown away from some of the venues on the ship, especially the interior as well as the exterior of the Serenity area.