PalmTree601

On 9/8/2024 at 5:17 PM, tyfullbright said:

Hi all-

 

I've splurged and booked an Excel Aft Suite on the Celebration. My husband and I are really going to use it as a private getaway for 7 days and not get off the ship nor leave our room/balcony except to go to the gym, dine, and of course...get drinks. With that said, we always buy Cheers – for folks that have stayed in these suites before, can you recommend a bar that you found was most convenient to go to and grab a drink throughout the day?

We are on Deck 11, so I imagine that The Watering Hole on Deck 8 and other bars on that deck should be sufficient, but does anyone know if they are typically open all day?

Thanks in advance for any advice. We do wish there was some sort of butler service for the price of the Excel Aft Suite to use Cheers, but hey, we don't mind running to get drinks if we have to 😁

22 hours ago, PalmTree601 said:

 ...Latitudes on 8...

 Correction, I think Latitudes is on deck 6. 

1 minute ago, dbrown84 said:

thanks for this.  If they're just gong to give me a GC back, then it defeats the purpose for me.  I rarely have any onboard charges and I already will have $88 OBC to use.  I thought I would just be able to get the cash back on the last night of the cruise.

No, they won't cash out a GC. Some people play around with pulling the credit into their casino account and then cashing it out there, but I can't speak to that personally. Have a great cruise! 

7 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

You, yourself, noted that if you put a gift card on your account and there is leftover, you will need to wait for a refund gift card, that takes weeks.  

They used to ship physical cards Fedex and I got them 2-3 days after the cruise. Lately however, I've received e-giftcards via email and they usually arrive before I even get home from the cruise. But I guess this type of delay wouldn't really bother me anyhow since unfortunately I don't cruise THAT often to need it so soon! Anyhow, to each their own - I was just sharing my approach.

18 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Better to put a card on account and then apply gift cards to charges as needed.  No waiting for a gift card

Agreed I would always have a credit card on file as well to prevent any charges from being declined early in the cruise. dbrown84 was asking about buying a $500 GC when he only needed $341, I was just trying to explain he could use the remainder for other things onboard (gratuities, excursions, purchases, etc).  I'm not sure what "wait" you are referring to, but in practice I always link a credit card pre-cruise then mid-cruise when the Guest Services line dies down (I've had bad luck with the kiosks) I apply gift cards to cover my anticipated expenses so I only go to the desk once. The advantage of the gift card is the 10% discount when you buy it.  At the end of the cruise, CCL will use any OBC and gift cards before charging the credit card. 

Recently off B2B Celebration, and although sadly not in an Excel Aft Suite (although we looked - I'm jealous of that hot tub!), we did have an aft balcony on deck 10 and Cheers. I would consider Tides on 16aft, and Pig & Anchor on 8aft. There is also Tiki on 16mid, and 820 on 8mid. These have the longest hours in our experience. In the evenings there is Latitudes on 8, Alchemy on 7, Havana on 8mid, the Casino bar (7mid?), and a few bars around the Celebration Central area that seemed to have hours based on nearby activities. In our experience, the Watering Hole had very limited hours. Enjoy your suite! 

15 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

Back in 2021, they didn't do omelets.  Thats why I was asking.  

Recently off Celebration, and omelets are on the Big Chicken menu in the breakfast section. 

On 9/10/2024 at 2:33 PM, dbrown84 said:

Looks like the discount is only for the $500 GC.  I only need $341.  Anyone know if you can put the extra amount on your account as obc?  I'm trying out carnival for the first time, and I may choose not to sail with them again so I wouldn't want to hold onto the GC for the next trip if there never is a next trip 

You can use any part of it in advance of cruise. Once onboard, just apply the remaining gift card balance at Guest Services (or a kiosk). This effectively becomes "refundable OBC". They will use this first for any gratuities or purchases (even if you have a credit card on your account), and issue you a new gift card after the cruise for any unused balance >$10 (<$10 balances are donated to charity unless requested otherwise onboard). 

We do this often - it is as easy as the Guest Services line is short (depending on when you go). We don't do it for casino offer reasons, but when we book 2 cabins for our family of 5, we book my wife and I each in separate cabins with a subset of our minor children (and we actually do sleep there). But once onboard, we get a second key for everyone at GS so all of us can enter either cabin (often one balcony and one interior). Not a big deal, and we've done it often on multiple ships. Pro tip: Take little key rings or lanyards to keep your two cards together. 

Keep checking daily before your cruise, spots can open up from people with changed plans (excursions are usually refundable before the cruise), canceled cruise, etc. I've snagged last minute spots multiple times - sometimes even after boarding via the Hub app. Good luck!

1 hour ago, thundercrack said:

On the booking order invoice details, does the PREPAID GRATUITIES appear all the way to the right in the invoice column?  Maybe you added them when you first booked and forgot?  Just a thought.

 

Good thought, but no, mine have $0.00 totals all the way across. I'm now thinking the other post might be correct about the tax/fee inclusion on the website might be correlated to why/when the prepaid gratuity option disappeared.  Thanks! 

7 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I’ve never found a way to do it online if not done at time of booking.  But I think you can call to do it.  EM

7 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

I could be wrong, but I think you have to call to have them added now.

Thank you, I agree there doesn't seem to be a way to do it now. I realize I could call, but I don't really want to, I'll just do it onboard. I appreciate the replies, thanks for the help!

9 hours ago, shof515 said:

on the invoice details page, next to prepaid gratuities they should be a small link that says Add

with being 3 days from sail date, it might be too late to do it for that cruise but you should be able to do it for the other cruise

Thanks! That's what I was expecting to find, and I just double-checked again following your advice, but it's not there for either cruise. There is a small "i" icon that explains what gratuities are, but no option to add. I guess I'll just do it onboard, thanks for the help!

Hello All,

My family are experienced Carnival cruisers but we usually pay auto-gratuities on board. I'm considering prepaying gratuities this time just to have one less thing to deal with onboard, since I did not book them originally. 

However, I can't find a place to do it on carnival.com. This cruise was booked by me on carnival.com and we're about 3 days out from sail date for one cruise, and 10 days out from another (B2B - I've checked both). We are already checked in for both cruises. When I go through the main Carnival page (Manage->Make A Payment) and enter booking#/name/etc., it dumps me in Cruise Planner (which I already tried), but I can't find a place to add prepaid gratuities! I've also searched the Planner section, Booking & Order Details, Invoice Details, Fun Shops, Cruise Cash, etc. I can't find it anywhere. I am aware I could call, but I don't want to. If I can't do it online, I'll just wait and do it onboard as usual. 

Can anyone explain exactly how to get to this option on carnival.com that perhaps I'm missing? They indicate it is possible, but I can't find it. Or is it no longer available? Hopefully I'm missing something, thank you in advance for any suggestions! 

1 hour ago, Tapi said:

Several cruise lines offer discounts for different professions. The most common ones are airline employees, teachers, first responders (police, fire fighters), and military (active or retired). There may be others not listed. 

Thanks!  

On the original topic, personally, I'm in the book-it-myself-be-in-control camp for my cruises, but I understand others point of view.  

On 9/10/2020 at 9:06 PM, Tapi said:

I’ve had the same PVP for years. Super easy to book a cruise once you’ve developed a relationship with one. I qualify for discounts not available on the website so I do need to book directly with someone in order to take advantage of those discounts. [...]

Just curious, can you share any more information about these non-website discounts?  Thanks!  

Its been a while since I've been on Dream class, but I don't recall ever having drawers under the sofa, but I could have missed them...

On 9/10/2019 at 4:20 PM, ed01106 said:

I don’t view this as a math question, but a what makes my cruise more enjoyable.

Downside of not buying:  Every time I buy a drink I will notice and feel slightly guilty about the price. 

Downside  of buy:  I will be determined not only to get my money’s worth but to absolutely maximize the value.

[Above quote edited by me, apologies to ed]

This!  I don't disagree with the opinions above on the specific situation of OP.  But in general, I think Cheers is only partially a financial decision, but also a "vacation" decision.  IMHO, there are times it's a great idea to do (despite the price), and others where it's NOT a good idea (again, regardless of the price).  For me, it depends on the type of cruise, length, ports, excursion plans, family members cruising, etc.  Consider the price, but also consider the bigger picture and decide what is right for YOU on THIS cruise.  Have a great cruise either way! 

Every time I've had a gift-card-paid balance on my Sail&Sign account at the end of a cruise, I receive a Fedex package with a new physical gift card for the exact refund amount only a few days after the cruise.  My guess is that they would use the same process for you, although I've never had a cruise cancelled on me.  I can also imagine it might take a bit of extra time since they have a LOT of refunds to process...  Good luck! 

I guess everyone is different.  Haven't been on Sunrise yet, but we like Sunshine, and have been on her multiple times.  Yes, there are peak times where lines can form (Lido on embarkation day, some comedy shows, etc), but that's been true for us on all ships.  Do I love the new "convertible" theater layout?  No, but that's the same on the new Vista class ships as well.  We like the updated features that were added to Sunshine that Destiny/Triumph/Victory didn't have.  And Sunshine has arguably the best Serenity area in the fleet.  We didn't find crowds to be worse than any other ship - and we tend to go at peak times (spring break, summer, holidays).  Not everyone hates the Sunshine/Sunrise/Radiance idea (as it sometimes seems in threads like these), so I'd encourage folks to keep an open mind and form your own opinion!  Happy cruising!  

In our experience, there is no "B2B paperwork".  It's just two cruises booked on sequential dates.  It's helpful to make sure they know you're B2B once you're onboard so you receive the special instructions for the changeover day (and help from the room steward if you're changing cabins), but that's about it.  Enjoy your B2B!

On 5/29/2019 at 2:06 PM, ober134 said:

If I understand the policy, you will be charged for the entire length of the cruise, regardless of which day you purchase it. For example, if you purchase it on the 2nd day of a 5 day cruise, you will be charged for all 5 days. You will get an adjustment in sign&sail for any applicable beverage purchases made prior to buying cheers. If I'm wrong someone here will surely correct me

No, if you buy Cheers the second day, you don't get charged for the first day.  We used to do this regularly and we would just drink our carry-on wine the first day, however since they introduced the online pre-purchase discount, this is less advantageous.  It is true that you have to buy Cheers for the entire remaining cruise days when you buy it (whether pre-cruise, day1, or day2).  Also, there is never an adjustment for drinks you bought prior to buying Cheers.  At least in our experience... 

23 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

She appears to be going into limbo, as there are no cruises scheduled for her after she sails to Singapore this October.  I could not find her under a new identity in P&O-Australia, either.  EM

Splendor is moving to Australia under the Carnival brand, similar to Carnival Spirit.  But I believe Carnival's Australia cruises only appear on Carnival's Australia site, not the US carnival.com, so that may be why you're seeing the "limbo". 

38 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I have seen children under 12 in the Havana pool area after 7 PM.  Do you know if this is allowed?  I have never stayed in a Havana cabin, I prefer the Cloud 9 Spa cabins. 

Anyone is allowed after 7pm. 

You should get 3 bottles of water. 

12 minutes ago, dcwalker said:

If I'm platinum and take a back to back cruise, do I get all the perks on each cruise?

Yep, a gift, a plate of strawberries, etc, for EACH B2B cruise.