Upset about canceling cruise (& free photo site)

[Freddie's Mama]

Well, I'm so sorry to offend you, bippy. Just worried about our students is all.

 

Carnival Triumph Here We Come!!!

[Effie]

Let me just slip in here and say that I'm not breaking my neck to get this thing cancelled. I did e-mail my Carnival agent last night to let him know my hubby wants to cancel. I haven't heard back from him yet. We have until the beginning of August to make a final "final" decision before we are penalized.

 

I am truly not worried about my kids missing school work... they'd be just fine. It's the tighter $ situation for this cruise that puts a bit of a damper on it.

 

Maybe we'll just reschedule for Summer '05.

 

As for Midway Airlines, I do miss them. We had scheduled to fly with them after they were under bankruptcy protection the first time but then the company dissolved just a couple months I believe before our scheduled flight to Ft. Lauderdale in Sept. 02. We were taken in by US Airways and they were great, too.

 

Frances

<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>

Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>

Fascination 9/2/02

Imagination 8/2/01

 

 

[Effie]

Well, I guess this discussion is officially over for me. I called tonight and cancelled.

 

Maybe I can start planning a cruise for next summer. Boy, am I bummed!

 

Frances

<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>

Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>

Fascination 9/2/02

Imagination 8/2/01

 

 

[mayrashke]

Frances, Too bad you had to cancel. Just start saving for when you can afford it. You can look very carefully and find when the prices are cheapest( and weather is good) and figure out when is a "good" time to take the kids out of school.

 

Valor Jan.23/05(W.Caribb.)-we are all going and are very excited!!!!!!!!!!!

SeaPrincess Jan./01(W.Caribb)

[Effie]

Thanks mayrashke You're a kind person to think of me.

 

I figure this is just not meant to be right now. We'll go again later I'm sure.

 

But I sure was looking forward to the breeze blowing through my hair standing on the bow, all the sights and sounds onboard, the softserve icecream machine.

 

My time will come again. I know you and your family will enjoy your cruise, too!

 

Frances

<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>

Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>

Fascination 9/2/02

Imagination 8/2/01

 

 

[mayrashke]

Hi Effie, I(and my 13yr.old) took a look at your cruise photos on the link.Nice photos!! Your girls like MKate&Ashley?? My 13yr.old has just gotten into them and Hilary Duff;could be a lot worse than them I figure!!! Maybe a cruise in 2005 will be possible for you. (The flight from our area will be almost as much as the actual cruise only price! I wish I lived in Florida or Lousiana for the driving to the pier) Take care.

 

Valor Jan.23/05(W.Caribb.)-we are all going and are very excited!!!!!!!!!!!

SeaPrincess Jan./01(W.Caribb)

[mar915]

I know where you are coming from. My DH does not want me to pull my son out of kind. last year so we scheduled it in July. I feel that once the kids are in 1st or 2nd grade it is harder, but in Kindergarten a week is really not that much. In fact our schools 3 rd grade teacher has pulled her son out of Kind. and will do it this year in 1st grade for a full family cruise.

 

Mar

 

Glory Cruise 6/26

 

 

Jubilee 6/89

Ectasy 5/91

Jubilee 6/92

Soverign of the Seas 5/93

Majesty of the Seas 6/94

Monarch of the Seas 6/95

Monarch of the Seas 7/97

Enchanment of the Seas 5/99

Imagination 6/2000

Adveture of the Seas 3/2002

 

 

 

 

[piggs]

I just have to chime in here. I agree with moxie. We have taken the kids out of school before for vacations. The kids are all good students and we might not have done it if they weren't. There is nothing they miss that they can't learn with our help when we get back. The last time we did this we had 9th, 6th and 4th graders. The 9th grader found it too hard to be gone from High School so now we only schedule during school vacations. The reason we were willing to take him out of school was for a WHOLE family vacation with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He still talks about that and the rest of ninth grade is but a distant memory. Grandma and Grandpa will not always be here so I think it was the best thing we have ever done.

Lori

 

Conquest 8/03

 

Second Cruise June 27, 2004 Conquest here we come again!

<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Just think when the kids return to school they can day dream about the vacation in the 3 day detention.

 

NEXT: Majesty of the Seas 8/23/04,Carnival Legend CTN 10/22/04

PAST: Inspiration 8/24/03

 

 

 

 

[Effie]

LOL SayHeyRenee - I guess daydreaming in detention about something GOOD you did with your family is better than being in detention for something BAD you did without them or their permission... alhto detention at all isn't good.

 

Mayrashke - My girls have liked MaryKate and Ashley always since my girls are twins, too. I don't let them dress like Mkate & Ashley though. They WOULD end up in detention then. Our dress code at school IS strict! (Sounds like I'm saying it's okay if you're not there but Do dress appropriately if you DO plan to come - not). LOL The only way we flew Midway was because for one person roundtrip it was only $105... that was cheaper ($, time and sanity-wise) than driving down (only $525 for 5 people) and getting the hotel and knowing we'd be in the car with two 10-yr-olds and a 2-yr-old for 14 hours each way! Glad you and your 13-yr-old enjoyed the pictures.

 

Mar915 - So did you enjoy your cruise? Was the weather too hot? We are a fair skinned family so we have to think of where the sun is in the sky, too! (See pics link) June was when we went last year and we all paid a price (slathering sunscreen liberally or sunburning if we didn't).

 

Piggs - I can see the point of not missing a week or less of high school. Middle would be hard enough. You must have really enjoyed the Conquest to have chosen her again. ENJOY! Not long now!

 

Frances

 

Frances

<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>

Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>

Fascination 9/2/02

Imagination 8/2/01

 

 

[TomD]

I'm sorry you've already pulled out. I've heard a lot about Kindergardeners being pulled out for a week. The teacher, if asked, can give them the work they are missing for the entire time they are gone. Think of it as home schooling. I do agree that once they reach the older grades it will be harder for the student, except if they miss the first week or so. Most of the time during the first week is spent doing review. Your child can do that on the cruise. He/she can get in the routine too, school work every day. Many students miss a week of school at sometime during elementary. That when they have chicken-pox. Anyone else here "never" miss a week of school?

 

Conquest, we will be with you

[tef43]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TomD:

Anyone else here "never" miss a week of school?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Never, ever, ever.

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Carnival Valor 10/30/05 CC Group

Perhaps something else as well. Watch this space.

 

Dance like it hurts, love like you need money, and work when somebody's watching.

[CruiseFever]

Don't wait, do it now!

 

We didn't go on any vacations at all for years then suddenly blinked and the kids were in high school making plans for college and going off on a life of their own.

 

If this is about taking your kid out of school for a week, at any age, do it. Twenty years from now they won't remember what they studied in class or even if they flunked a test (in kindergarten?) because they didn't know the material but they WILL remember your fabulous cruise vacation.

 

Your focus should be on making the most of your cruise.

 

If this is about money then cancel it right now. Today, don't wait.

 

One of the great things about cruising is that when you step on board 85% of the cost of your vacation is paid for. IMHO that should NOT be by going into debt.

 

If that's the case cancel today and plan one farther in the future then come back here for money saving tips and recommendations to make that happen

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Diamond Princess 12/22/04

Sapphire Princess June '05

Caribbean Princess 09/17/05

Carnival Valor 10/30/05

[Effie]

We, like you Chris, went for 10 years and didn't take a "big" vacation. We did small trips to the mtns or beach for a night but nothing memorable. For one thing we'd had a lot of medical stuff going on (one daughter at 4yrs old had brain surgery, and that was just the "beginning"), so we stayed close to home.

 

Then in Aug. '01 for our 10 yr anniv. my husband and I went on our first cruise. We've planned a cruise the following two years and have enjoyed those with our kids.

 

I'm not sure if there's one true reason why my husband changed his mind about this cruise. At first he was all for it, it was HIS plan, then he started having doubts, brought up the $ situation, then settled on we couldn't go because our son would miss kindergarten.

 

Who REALLY knows but if my husband doesn't feel comfortable with the plan I am all for canceling, no matter his reason.

 

All things happen for a reason... I'm just hoping this reason isn't something bigger that I don't know about... something "not good". But even if that were the case, heck, it's just a cruise. I'll make it without it (for now ).

 

Frances

<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>

Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>

Fascination 9/2/02

Imagination 8/2/01

 

 

[piggs]

Frances,

I agree with you that there is a reason you should not be going since it seems to not be working out. Hope it is a "good" reason.

We did love the Conquest but mostly chose her again because of the ports and New Orleans. The same Grandparents who took us all to Disney wanted to do this and wanted someone who had "been there" namely me, to answer all the questions. Different ship, same ship, makes no difference to me as I am hooked on cruising now.

Lori

 

Conquest 8/03

 

Second Cruise June 27, 2004 Conquest here we come again!

<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

[Effie]

Mayrashke: THANKS for signing our guestbook on our website. The girls were excited to see you and yours had been there!

Lori: You'll have to put together a review for us when you get back! Only two weeks to wait! Have you gotten everything together?

All: My husband has now decided to keep the kids in school and give us more time to save money for a future cruise. He wants us to take at least a 7 or 8 day cruise sometime next summer (or even during spring break so the kids would only miss a day or so if it doesn't snow a lot this winter and we end up cutting into spring break days to make-up snow days).

Anyone have a suggestion(s) for a 7, 8 or longer day cruise? The longest we've taken was a 6 day on the Victory out of Norfolk to the Bahamas. I was so glad to get off that ship though! The seas had 14 foot swells and I felt all of it... seasickness... which was the first and only time I've had that problem.

Frances
<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>
Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>
Fascination 9/2/02
[url="http://www.ncvaughans.homestead.com/cruise.html"]Imagination 8/2/01[/url]

[GAndie]

Frances, you made the right decision. When there's a question about something like that, it's usually an indication of something and your 6th sense takes over.

The older kids won't miss classes, the little one won't get disrupted, you'll save more money and you'll be able to take a longer and maybe even a better cruise!

Looks like a win all the way around!

[Effie]

GAndie: I think you're right! I feel better about canceling now that I've had a few days to think about it.

Now I just need ideas on what cruise to take Summer 2005. We've been to the Bahamas, Key West and Cozumel... wonder what to do next that's affordable for 2 adults and 3 kids. (?)

Frances
<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>
Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>
Fascination 9/2/02
[url="http://www.ncvaughans.homestead.com/cruise.html"]Imagination 8/2/01[/url]

[Snowball]

Effie - you should look into joining the Valor Voyagers group cruise for next summer. It is on a brand new ship sailing out of Miami and will be visiting Belize, Roatan Island, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Plus we have very good pricing for peak season. Just click on the link in my signature for more information. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[B]Debbie[/B]
[email="debwinters@comcast.net"][img]http://murray.newcastle.edu.au/users/staff/misko/envelope.gif[/img][/email]
[url="http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groups.cfm?ID=57"][B]Join the Valor Voyagers on 6/12/05 as we sail the Western Caribbean - Click here for details[/B][/url]
<font face='time new roman' color=ff0000><font size="2">
<marquee width=50%>Until the Valor Voyagers set sail</marquee>
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2005;06;12;15;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] <font face='times new roman' color=0000ff><font size="2">
Triumph (Eastern) 05/00
Destiny (Southern) 04/02
Miracle (Bahamas) 05/04
Valor (Western) 06/04

[Effie]

Hmmmm... sounds do-able. I've sent you an e-mail w/ a couple of ?'s. Thanks for letting me know about this opportunity.

Frances
<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>
Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>
Fascination 9/2/02
[url="http://www.ncvaughans.homestead.com/cruise.html"]Imagination 8/2/01[/url]

[Snowball]

Effie - I got your e-mail and sent you one back. Let me know if you have any other questions. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[B]Debbie[/B]
[email="debwinters@comcast.net"][img]http://murray.newcastle.edu.au/users/staff/misko/envelope.gif[/img][/email]
[url="http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groups.cfm?ID=57"][B]Join the Valor Voyagers on 6/12/05 as we sail the Western Caribbean - Click here for details[/B][/url]
<font face='time new roman' color=ff0000><font size="2">
<marquee width=50%>Until the Valor Voyagers set sail</marquee>
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2005;06;12;15;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] <font face='times new roman' color=0000ff><font size="2">
Triumph (Eastern) 05/00
Destiny (Southern) 04/02
Miracle (Bahamas) 05/04
Valor (Western) 06/04

[Effie]

When I called before actually canceling this cruise to inquire on how long it would take for our down payment to be returned to us should we have to cancel, I was told it would go through their accounting dept. in about 2 days and then to our bank and they could take as long as they'd like. But that would be out of Carnival's hands.

Then when I called to cancel with our PVP over a week ago he said to call Carnival back if it hadn't been processed and into our account within 7 days.

I called this morning since we haven't seen it yet and they said to call them back if it hasn't been procesed within 14 days.

Not to split hairs but "good grief"! A straight answer in the beginning would have been much easier but that's hard to come by.

Frances
<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>
Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>
Fascination 9/2/02
[url="http://www.ncvaughans.homestead.com/cruise.html"]Imagination 8/2/01[/url]

[Snowball]

Don't you just love it how if you ask the same question to 10 different people at Carnival, you get 10 different answers?!?!?! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img] That just annoys me to no end.

Well, I hope you get your refund back soon. Have you thought anymore about joining our group? No pressure - I was just wondering. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[B]Debbie[/B]
[email="debwinters@comcast.net"][img]http://murray.newcastle.edu.au/users/staff/misko/envelope.gif[/img][/email]
[url="http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groups.cfm?ID=57"][B]Join the Valor Voyagers on 6/12/05 as we sail the Western Caribbean - Click here for details[/B][/url]
<font face='time new roman' color=ff0000><font size="2">
<marquee width=50%>Until the Valor Voyagers set sail</marquee>
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2005;06;12;15;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] <font face='times new roman' color=0000ff><font size="2">
Triumph (Eastern) 05/00
Destiny (Southern) 04/02
Miracle (Bahamas) 05/04
Valor (Western) 06/04

[Effie]

Yes, it is annoying. My husband called them a few hours after me and that rep told him that the repayment was processed yesterday and we should see it in the next couple of days.

As for the Valor cruise, we've been so busy I haven't gotten to even discuss it with my husband. I'm off to my Excel class now. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] I'll let ya know soon though, promise!

Frances
<A HREF="http://www.ncvaughan.homestead.com/bahamascruise.html" TARGET=_blank>
Carnival Victory 6/8/03</A>
Fascination 9/2/02
[url="http://www.ncvaughans.homestead.com/cruise.html"]Imagination 8/2/01[/url]