wemjam

Yes, because 12am really isn't Friday anymore... it is Saturday morning. 😄

Restaurants seem to be the worst for some reason. I just cancelled an excursion for an August cruise and literally had the refund back on my credit card in 2 days. I have cancelled some other things in the last 6-12 months and it took maybe 7-10 days to get the refund (this was to get gift cards back). Cancelled Steakhouse once and it took forever, and a phone call to get it dealt with. I actually called the fun shops and they were able to help me. If it has been 3 weeks I would try there and not wait 45 days for an email. PS: I fully agree anyone has the right to cancel anything they choose. We all change our minds for various reason - just ignore anyone that gives you grief otherwise. We travel a lot and I change stuff all the time.

Actually, in my experience they do automatically add the gratuity to your bill if you prebook. You can request it be removed if you want though, and if you don't "notice" it you may fill in that tip line again and actually double tip. Kind of sneaky how they do it... because it is added in the bill section as a line item, but then there is ALSO a tip line at the bottom to fill in. As far as pre-booking. I do this ALL the time because I prefer to make sure I can get my pedicure as soon as I board the ship so I have nice toes for the cruise. These time slots go fast. So, I prebook and then once on board they recharge the total cost of service (pedi & tips) and then issue a credit for my prepaid amount that comes back off my account. Example: $60 Pedicure prepaid (no gratuity) before I board. $70.80 bill charged to sail and sign once service is rendered ($60, plus 18% gratuity - I usually add more but will use this for simplistic example purposes) $60 is Credited back to sail and sign (shows on my statement) You should see the credit within a day or so of the service. If I do not see it by the end of the following day after I receive the service - I go back to the SPA (not guest services) and ask that they make sure it is dealt with promptly - usually they make a call to accounting right then - and then it is on there within an hour or two. The reason they do it this way is because you are prepaying Carnival, but the Spa is actually a separate independent company. So the prepay really just "holds" your spot. For billing they then bill the service when it is rendered and refund the original pre-purchase. Which is crazy they have to do it this way because it is still all on your sail and sign card. So if there is a time slot you REALLY want you can pre-book, with this knowledge. Otherwise as others have said I would wait until you are on board.

You PVP is going to have all options for you. They have access to all rooms for sure. I have even had my PVP contact someone and get a room "released" for just 2 of us. Never used a TA so not 100% sure they do. I prefer the benefits of a good PVP and having direct access to my own booking.

Yep I am crazy too, I do this too, even though we are Diamond I still get up at midnight 16 days before. PS: In case you didn't know. You don't have to do the entire check in process at 12 midnight. Just go in and select your boarding time, and the system will save that. Then you can go back at a reasonable time when you want and do the entire "check in" process. 😉

If you are not Diamond/Platinum/Suite you can check in 14 days before departure.

Report back and let us know please. I am guessing that might be it. This will help others know to watch for this too.

Ya, but all you have to do is walk through any casino and see how many people are just sitting there at a machine smoking and not playing (often sideways in their chairs not even facing the machine). All removing the bar area did was encourage more people to take up machines to sit at while the smoke. And as in all things Carnival, they never enforce this rule! I have to laugh because my husband smokes which I hate! He always has to go to the outside smoking area now. He got lazy a couple cruises back when it was pouring rain outside and decided to "break" the rules once and sit down at a machine and just have a quick ciggy, and the one old man he sat down next to started giving him all kinds of grief for smoking and not playing. Even flagging down one of the bar staff members and complaining to him. Guess the guy just shrugged and walked away. He told me this when he came back from having his cigarette - I looked him square in the face and said "serves you right," I hope that old man complained at you nonstop lol! PS: Something else I will say as a non smoker. On ships we sail on (not Excel class) they have a non smoking section too (not an actual room, but a section), and it is useless. Again as someone who hates smoke it aggravates me because you will see people smoking in this section regardless with no one telling them they can't... and the smoke drifts everywhere so it is useless to have a "section". I don't gamble a lot but like to play slots every now and then, and I can't stand it for long for this very reason.

I do have a suggestion for you, and you may have done this already. I thought I had the same issue but realized I did not. I had prepaid a spa appointment for a cruise (like a couple months earlier), then decided to cancel and rebook something else instead. I had the confirmation page and was going off that looking at the total. It listed the price on my confirmation of the service AND gratuities (example purposes only as I can't remember exact numbers) - $98 - pedicure $80/gratuities $18. So looking at the confirmation it looked like when the refunded me only $80 I was shorted $18. I too reached out to them and was waiting and was a bit peeved. However, at some point while I was waiting I went back and looked at the initial charge to my credit card months earlier, and even though the total on the confirmation showed $98, they only charged me the $80 (actual service amount - NOT including gratuities). I went and looked at some other prepaid, and saw this happened to me at least twice! The confirmation showed the total with gratuities but the actual amount charged did not included the gratuity. This could be the case for you too. Check the actual original charge on your card and see, don't just look at your confirmation.

Actually if you are pretty sure you may use a credit card for part of your expenditures, I would just set your account up with the credit card in advance. Once on board you can go apply the gift cards that you have at anytime at guest services or a kiosk (though I will say kiosk for me is hit or miss working right, I just go to guest services), and then whatever balance you have left will automatically be charged to the card. We do it this way for every cruise.

This! Easy to cash out in Casino. Another option, I use sometimes, is I go to Cherry on Top and just buy Carnival gift cards I then take home and apply toward my next cruises (I always have a couple booked coming up). If you plan to or have another cruise booked this is a way to use any left over Cruise Cash or OBC you might have.

Yes you can use your OBC before hand. When you go to check out it will say you have "XXX" in OBC and you can opt to use that. Insurance is subjective as to what is covered, and what price and what works for you.

There have been several posts in last couple months on this very thing (bad behavior), I myself have witnessed out of control behavior as well. It is becoming more and more prevalent unfortunately. It seems like parents "check out" because they are on vacation. YOU are NEVER on vacation from being a parent. Do your @&*%!# job! For those that always come back with "I have never seen this" you are lucky, because I guarantee it is happening and it disrupts the cruise for everyone that has to deal with it. Why do you think Carnival had to actually institute a written policy and curfew for kids?

We are actually looking right now at booking this cruise for next year for our 25th wedding anniversary. 49 Carnival and never have done Alaska Please DO come back with lots of reviews and pics

Yes you get points. It is based on the number of days you sail not how it is paid for.

I was thinking the same thing! Yes the verbiage makes it confusing. What they mean by cartons here though is not the outside cardboard carton that holds the 12 pack of cans. Some waters are sold in paper type cartons, I believe this is what is meant. The cans and cartons of liquid itself can not be open in any way (thus prohibiting individuals from dumping them out and filling them with beverages of the adult variety).

When you go into to cancel, it will tell you the penalty you will be assessed for cancelling. It should have given you a specific dollar amount, and then you have to confirm that penalty. It can take a couple days to get the email. In that it will also confirm the penalty amount (not the actual refund amount). Be advised, though, depending on your booking code, etc. you may or may not get actual monies back. Sometimes it is held as a future cruise credit, sometimes it is a refund. Penalty amounts also very widely depending on your booking code - some are completely non-refundable at all and if you cancel you just lose your paid amount. I would strongly suggest you call Carnival to get clarification on what you have coming back to you and in what form (future cruise credit or actual refund).

Actually we must have got part of that same storm that hit the Sunshine. We were coming back from Grand Cayman our last night at sea (on the 24th) and it was raining, lightening, storming like I have never seen it in 50 cruises. Took video out my balcony door and it looks exactly like one someone posted of the Sunshine out their balcony door. Except the waves. For us though - NO waves, it was crazy. Ship wasn't moving more than usual but it sure was ripping outside!

Yes, we had copies of the fun times again everyday. First cruise this year that has happened.

Just got off the Sunrise and kept commenting how exceptional the food was in all venues. Even though what is served is usually the same, from ship to ship it can very in execution. The Sunrise, everything was very good.

Well, the QR code in the room didn't even show the breakfast selections on it when we scanned it. All that came up on the QR menu were the non breakfast type foods. So that is very interesting. I wasn't referring to breakfast anyhow, used to be you could at least get a few different sandwiches, salad, a couple deserts, etc. delivered throughout the day for free. NONE of these are free now, all items are pay.

I have received all my refunds via hard gift cards that were FedEx'd to me. Took about 7-10 days.

Just off the Sunrise, just some random thoughts that stood out to me. Overall great cruise and we enjoyed ourselves. 1. No more "FREE" items on the room service menu. Everything is pay now (used to be all free, then went to some free some pay, now all pay). Also No more Sweet Potato Fries 😪 2. Fun Times was back. We actually were getting a hard copy of the Fun Times in our room again - that hasn't happened for a while now 3. Boarding was Weddings/Diamonds/Suites..... (again, always thought Wedding/Suites/Diamond..... but this is two sailings now Diamonds went on before suites) 4. Rooms were ready about 1:15pm (a little early). We (as Diamond) were able to drop our luggage in room when we boarded - we were "headed off" coming up the hallway with a "rooms not ready yet," when we said we were Diamond and were just dropping the luggage they were alright with us proceeding 5. Got our $25 each at the casino - was handed cash Tried new things (decided after 49 cruises I am going to set my mind to trying to find some new things each cruise 1. Went to Tea! Was Ok, and I would do it again. Very obscure event (doesn't show in hub app, but was on the fun times). I had known it existed before, just never got around to doing it. Offered 2 types of finger sandwiches (cucumber and salmon), and then the dessert cart with about 6 choices. Was at 3pm the last day while at sea and killed about 30 minutes 2. Tried two new foods loved them both: Sweet and Sour shrimp main, quesadilla app HMC: Was on HMC all cabanas were not full (there was a lot of discussion on this before I left about the new pricing and if they would sell them at that price like normal - sold out every time). Service and equipment was also lacking. Staff provided the normal food, but in much smaller qtys (which was fine as that huge bag of tortilla chips was always a waste, but like the veggies and dip was a single serving size for one - not meant for more than that). Also did not supply any napkins, plates, silverware like usually so had to eat everything with fingers. Table was broke really bad underneath on one side and could not sit there as the rattan would scrape up your legs if you did. Snorkel equipment was wrong. Service staff came by exactly 2 times in 4 hours - had to go get drinks ourselves. Equipment: they asked for fin size for Men and Women's but then provided all the fins in men's size (so my woman's was too big)... also provided one regular snorkel vest and one small childs (like that did any good for two adults). Didn't really matter though because they have pulled in the swimming buoy line in closer to shore and you can pretty much stand up everywhere. Snorkeling used to be pretty good along the jetty wall and around some sunken pots, but not anymore. Not worth it to even bother. Nothing too see. Saw like 6 fish over an hours time frame. Very disappointing. HMC used to be one of my favorite ports, has slide down this list now.

As bigdog1958 pointed out you can PREpay for your cheers and use your OBC. This will allow you to save a little bit more as pre-purchasing is cheaper then buying onboard for cheers. Look in your booking and you will see "Drink Packages" this is where you can prepurchase it. At check out it will prompt you that you have OBC you can use and you just click to apply it, then you will pay the difference with CC or Gift Card.

Not alone, we have received "upsell" offers and when I priced it direct it was more than if I just upgrade my room myself and paid the difference.