Elite cruises

[vacalovers]

Anyone  ever take an Elite cruise in the past. I remember reading all the additional perqs over that of an ultra cruise. I see an offer now and it doesn't seem special please help

[icft]

We got an Elite offer today that was a lot less than past offers - no casino cash. Just free balcony and the Elite perks. We have other much better offers.

 

For Elite think a regular Premier cruise. The gifts are a bit better. Then you have free airport shuttle or free transportation from hotel to terminal. Then you have two one liter bottles of alcohol of your choice (from a not extremely small or big list) along with your choice of mixers (pepsi, orange juice and the like) waiting in your room upon arrival. Then you have one free excursion, drinks on us all over the ship (cheers for you and a companion), and social wi-fi. I probably forgot something.

 

[Cruzlover7]

4 minutes ago, icft said:

We got an Elite offer today that was a lot less than past offers - no casino cash. Just free balcony and the Elite perks. We have other much better offers.

 

For Elite think a regular Premier cruise. The gifts are a bit better. Then you have free airport shuttle or free transportation from hotel to terminal. Then you have two one liter bottles of alcohol of your choice (from a not extremely small or big list) along with your choice of mixers (pepsi, orange juice and the like) waiting in your room upon arrival. Then you have one free excursion, drinks on us all over the ship (cheers for you and a companion), and social wi-fi. I probably forgot something.

 

Icft, I think you covered the perks well. We liked all the perks, but found the casino to be way too crowded. Hard to get on popular games.  It also seemed the same people were winning all the different Elite casino giveaways.  We have better offers with casino cash and OBC, free drinks everywhere. I’ll stick with them as long as they last. 

[icft]

1 hour ago, Cruzlover7 said:

Icft, I think you covered the perks well. We liked all the perks, but found the casino to be way too crowded. Hard to get on popular games.  It also seemed the same people were winning all the different Elite casino giveaways.  We have better offers with casino cash and OBC, free drinks everywhere. I’ll stick with them as long as they last. 

I have said it before and I'll say it again; I'm looking for a cruise with a big Southern Baptist convention on board. The less gamblers the better. The worst cruise we ever went on was a $100,000 slot tournament  cruise. No empty machines till after 11pm.

[kwokpot]

6 hours ago, vacalovers said:

Anyone  ever take an Elite cruise in the past. I remember reading all the additional perqs over that of an ultra cruise. I see an offer now and it doesn't seem special please help

All the Elite perks are the same as pre-pandemic. On the Pride now in Europe where 2 of 3 cruises are Elite. What perks do you feel are missing from your current Elite offers?

 

[WKUTopperFan]

My last Elite cruise in March/April aboard the Mardi Gras was comp balcony and of course the transportation, liquor in room, platinum benefits (even though I'm already Platinum my mom isn't), comp excursion or $200 spa credit + 1 , gifts in room,drinks everywhere +1 and the ever changing Fun Play was $500. I'm sure I forgot something. Of course the only thing I care about us the the plaque I get for my cabin that proves I'm a degenerate gambler... for a 33 year old, I already have quite the collection lol. 

 

My current Elite offer is only for $300 in Fun Play and a comp balcony. I don't know what I have to do to get a comp suite on an Elite.  I get comp suites on most all my other offers (Jackpot, Plan Now, Sail Later, etc with Drinks Everywhere) and prefer sailing in suites. I don't understand their methodology. 

 

As I've said before... take the Elite Cruise. They're the best. I don't even consider Premier or Ultra cruises anymore (haven't for years).

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just saw an Elite offer pop up (first in perhaps 3-4 years). No mention of bottle of alcohol nor free play. Lots of dates, but none of them work (either not out of FL, on a ship I don't care to sail on, or too close to existing sailings) darn it !

 

Besides - I agree - the casino sailings just mean a hoard of people. I prefer elbow room!

 

Tom

[d12j28]

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Just saw an Elite offer pop up (first in perhaps 3-4 years). No mention of bottle of alcohol nor free play. Lots of dates, but none of them work (either not out of FL, on a ship I don't care to sail on, or too close to existing sailings) darn it !

 

Besides - I agree - the casino sailings just mean a hoard of people. I prefer elbow room!

 

Tom

Think I got the same offer as you. Free drinks, free balcony and that's it. And the dates sure do stink!

Funny thing is I have a "Spring into Big Savings" casino offer that is better. That has free balcony, free drinks anywhere, $500 free play and way more options when/where to sail. 

[WKUTopperFan]

1 hour ago, d12j28 said:

Think I got the same offer as you. Free drinks, free balcony and that's it. And the dates sure do stink!

Funny thing is I have a "Spring into Big Savings" casino offer that is better. That has free balcony, free drinks anywhere, $500 free play and way more options when/where to sail. 

All my Elite sailings have offered the standard amenities of the in room bar setup, comped excursion + 1, priority boarding /debarkation (platinum benefits might be new, I have no reason to pay attention to that), comped room service (does not include alcoholic drinks however), drinks everywhere  +1, limo service  to/from port and gifts.  The only discretionary item for the Elite offer is room type and amount of Fun Play. 

 

I'd verify the amenities of the offer with Ocean Players Club or if you have a a PVP you have a good relationship with he/she can get you in contact with a Carnival Executive Host directly (my preferred route). I'd wager 100 bucks you have all the standard Elite benefits. 

 

Now, if one of the itineraries work for you is a different story.  I'm not booking an Elite with this offer... the ships (with except Vista) aren't my cup of tea.

 

 

 

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Just saw an Elite offer pop up (first in perhaps 3-4 years). No mention of bottle of alcohol nor free play. Lots of dates, but none of them work (either not out of FL, on a ship I don't care to sail on, or too close to existing sailings) darn it !

 

Besides - I agree - the casino sailings just mean a hoard of people. I prefer elbow room!

 

Tom

Just because the additional amenities aren't listed doesn't mean it's not included. An Elite cruise has guaranteed benefits. The only thing that varies is the amount of Freeplay and cabin type. But the basic amenities are ALWAYS THERE https://www.cclpromos.com/carnivalplayersclub/elite/

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

19 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Just because the additional amenities aren't listed doesn't mean it's not included. An Elite cruise has guaranteed benefits. The only thing that varies is the amount of Freeplay and cabin type. But the basic amenities are ALWAYS THERE https://www.cclpromos.com/carnivalplayersclub/elite/

If they'd have dangled a couple grand of Freeplay, it could have been a motivator - at least funding the first hour+... !

 

Tom

[beef8066]

We decided to go on the Alaska cruise June 29th. This will be our first Elite cruise. I wonder if they will do anything special for the 4th of July? When do you get information about the extras. Just booked today. Our sweet PVP. Doesn't know much about casino offers. But he is super helpful and nice. The flights are more than our 8 day cruise. 

[Prismism]

Sorry if off topic- I have never been offered an elite cruise and never noticed if there were other sailors who were on theirs when onboard. I noticed some people in our facebook cruise group that mentioned they are doing an elite cruise for our cruise date. Before reading that I just assumed an elite cruise meant that ALL of the cruisers on that sailing were on an elite cruise. So, does this mean that the casino on our sailing will be packed since there will be people on there who took the Elite cruise offer?

Do all sailings have Elite cruisers on them?

[kwokpot]

56 minutes ago, beef8066 said:

We decided to go on the Alaska cruise June 29th. This will be our first Elite cruise. I wonder if they will do anything special for the 4th of July? When do you get information about the extras. Just booked today. Our sweet PVP. Doesn't know much about casino offers. But he is super helpful and nice. The flights are more than our 8 day cruise. 

About 3 weeks before embarkation you'll receive an email about choosing your amenities. The 1st email will ask whether you'll want parking at the port or port transfers. If you choose transfers you'll get a 2nd email from the transfer company asking for the details.

The next section of the email asks what you want for your in room bar selection. Each person gets to choose a bottle of alcohol from a list (wine or spirits) and accompanying mixers from a list (water, soft drinks). It should be noted that the alcohol are full sized, unopened bottles. Given that Elite cruises automatically includes drinks everywhere on the ship for 2 people for many there may not be a need to actually open the alcohol. You're free to take the unopened bottles back home with you. Just remember, if you're flying into the port you'll need to carry the bottles in your checked luggage. That's why it's important to think about what you want to do with the alcohol and plan accordingly if you want to take them home.

The last section of the email asks whether you want to take the complementary shore excursion or spa credit. You'll have a choice of 2 or 3 preselected shore excursions or you can choose $300 spa credit, which can be used by 1 or both people. Both people have to choose the same thing.

You'll be automatically given the social wifi plan and it will be on your account when you board and login the Carnival app. If you want to upgrade to a faster wifi plan you have to wait until you get onboard since you won't get the upgrade pricing from the free social wifi plan if you buy a better plan pre boarding. 

Edited May 27, 2022 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

8 minutes ago, Prismism said:

Sorry if off topic- I have never been offered an elite cruise and never noticed if there were other sailors who were on theirs when onboard. I noticed some people in our facebook cruise group that mentioned they are doing an elite cruise for our cruise date. Before reading that I just assumed an elite cruise meant that ALL of the cruisers on that sailing were on an elite cruise. So, does this mean that the casino on our sailing will be packed since there will be people on there who took the Elite cruise offer?

Do all sailings have Elite cruisers on them?

Yes the casino will be much, much busier when it's a designated Elite cruise, which is not every cruise. There will be daily and nightly events in the casino just for the Elite cruisers. 

Edited May 27, 2022 by kwokpot

[d12j28]

On 5/27/2022 at 2:12 PM, WKUTopperFan said:

All my Elite sailings have offered the standard amenities of the in room bar setup, comped excursion + 1, priority boarding /debarkation (platinum benefits might be new, I have no reason to pay attention to that), comped room service (does not include alcoholic drinks however), drinks everywhere  +1, limo service  to/from port and gifts.  The only discretionary item for the Elite offer is room type and amount of Fun Play. 

 

I'd verify the amenities of the offer with Ocean Players Club or if you have a a PVP you have a good relationship with he/she can get you in contact with a Carnival Executive Host directly (my preferred route). I'd wager 100 bucks you have all the standard Elite benefits. 

 

Now, if one of the itineraries work for you is a different story.  I'm not booking an Elite with this offer... the ships (with except Vista) aren't my cup of tea.

 

 

 

I went ahead and contacted my PVP (she is awesome) and can verify that what you say is correct. Elite perks are elite perks, room and free play offers will differ. Decided to go ahead and book in January out of New Orleans. Now to work on the casino department for some more free play! 😁

[csm5986142]

On 5/27/2022 at 2:37 PM, kwokpot said:

Yes the casino will be much, much busier when it's a designated Elite cruise, which is not every cruise. There will be daily and nightly events in the casino just for the Elite cruisers. 

 

And it's not just that way for Elite cruises - I have been on Mardi Gras twice during their "Ultra" and the casino was incredibly packed well past midnight (and it's big casino).  Crazy busy.

[WKUTopperFan]

Casinos may be packed on Elite cruises... but not by Elite guests. Unlike Premier and Ultra cruises which have about 250 × 2  guests per sailing, Elite cruises are capped at around 110 guests. We had 105 on my most previous Elite sailing in March (on Mardi Gras) and that was capacity. I commented to our executive host a rarely saw another Elite guest in the casino throughout the week (except two players I saw all the time)... there's just not many of us. The casino was indeed packed all week (the ship sailed above capacity) but the Elite guest list had little to do with the packed out slots and tables all week.

[vacalovers]

On ultra cruises you have an opportunity to pick an ULTRA card for a min of 500 in fun play but up to 1500. Why would elite limit it at 500?

[lazydayz]

1 hour ago, vacalovers said:

On ultra cruises you have an opportunity to pick an ULTRA card for a min of 500 in fun play but up to 1500. Why would elite limit it at 500?

Because the Elite perks are leagues better than the Ultra perks.  Ultra cruises are focused on the gifts. 

[dbrucern]

On 5/27/2022 at 5:33 PM, kwokpot said:

About 3 weeks before embarkation you'll receive an email about choosing your amenities. The 1st email will ask whether you'll want parking at the port or port transfers. If you choose transfers you'll get a 2nd email from the transfer company asking for the details.

The next section of the email asks what you want for your in room bar selection. Each person gets to choose a bottle of alcohol from a list (wine or spirits) and accompanying mixers from a list (water, soft drinks). It should be noted that the alcohol are full sized, unopened bottles. Given that Elite cruises automatically includes drinks everywhere on the ship for 2 people for many there may not be a need to actually open the alcohol. You're free to take the unopened bottles back home with you. Just remember, if you're flying into the port you'll need to carry the bottles in your checked luggage. That's why it's important to think about what you want to do with the alcohol and plan accordingly if you want to take them home.

The last section of the email asks whether you want to take the complementary shore excursion or spa credit. You'll have a choice of 2 or 3 preselected shore excursions or you can choose $300 spa credit, which can be used by 1 or both people. Both people have to choose the same thing.

You'll be automatically given the social wifi plan and it will be on your account when you board and login the Carnival app. If you want to upgrade to a faster wifi plan you have to wait until you get onboard since you won't get the upgrade pricing from the free social wifi plan if you buy a better plan pre boarding. 

Our bottles made it safely back to North Carolina from Seattle in our checked bags

[kwokpot]

On 6/19/2022 at 4:10 PM, dbrucern said:

Our bottles made it safely back to North Carolina from Seattle in our checked bags

In April on an Elite cruise on the MardiGras at the Cozumel port stop I went into the nearby megamart and bought a hard plastic storage box that was perfectly sized for 1 or 2 bottles to fit inside. It worked perfectly to protect the bottle from being crushed. 

[Bhern05]

We have been on elite cruises both pre and post pandemic. I will say post pandemic, the elite events are seriously lacking. Pre covid, there was usually 2-3 elite only events per day, where you could win freeplay, gifts, chefs table, etc. You were almost guaranteed to get called for at least one event per cruise. Now, there is one event per night. sometimes only 1-2 people called. It was kind of disappointing, especially when you know what it used to be.

[grimpil]

Quick question about transfer provided. We are considering flying in a day early to Barcelona prior to our first elite cruise in Oct. Will the transfer pick us up at any hotel or does it have to be an airport? Also cruise ends in port Canaveral , I expect it would cover transport to MCO, would it be the regular carnival transfer?

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, grimpil said:

Quick question about transfer provided. We are considering flying in a day early to Barcelona prior to our first elite cruise in Oct. Will the transfer pick us up at any hotel or does it have to be an airport? Also cruise ends in port Canaveral , I expect it would cover transport to MCO, would it be the regular carnival transfer?

The transfers provided on an Elite cruise are always a private vehicle exclusively just for you. Whatsmore there's no stipulations on which segment you use each transfer for, in other words it doesn't have to be to/from the ship pier. Therefore it's in you best interests to use them for your most expensive transfers. In your case it would be BCN to your Barcelona hotel, then Port Canaveral to MCO. The taxi fare from your Barcelona hotel to the ship pier will be less money than the airport transfer. 

You'll get the initial email around 3-4 weeks before embarkation, then when you indicate you're taking the transfer a few days after you respond to the initial email you'll receive another email directly from the transfer company. They are an excellent company, and we had no issues with them in Barcelona.

Helpful hint: make sure whoever is the Elite member has their name registered as a guest in the hotel. The driver will confirm with the front desk of your hotel that they have arrived and are waiting for you. If there's no one registered at the hotel under the name, it will cause confusion and possibly a cancelled transfer.

Also remember gratuities are already included, but you're always welcome to tip extra for excellent service. Tbh I don't necessarily think it is necessary to do that in Barcelona, but if there is a special circumstance that you feel warrants extra gratuities, go right ahead. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by kwokpot