DallasGuy75219

She's correct based on Carnival's website: Guests graduating into a new level during a cruise will receive the benefits of the new level they are graduating into from the beginning of the cruise (e.g. those graduating to Gold on the 3rd day of a 5-day cruise will receive Gold benefits for the entire duration of their cruise). Please note that ‘debarkation day’ is not considered a ‘cruise day’, therefore, points are not earned for that day. https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2938/~/vifp-club---carnivals-recognition-program

Corporations aren't charities. They exist primarily to make money for their shareholders. You can be sure Carnival would charge more of a premium if more than their 3 newest ships were competitive. They have (relative) value pricing not because they're altruistic but because they're otherwise pretty noncompetitive, because when Royal and NCL were trying to outdo each other with the biggest ships with the most bells and whistles, Carnival sat on the sidelines.

Carnival tried that already, at least I believe on the Conquest class when it first came out. If they were popular/successful you'd still see them on the ships.

Really? We're blaming the sexual assault victims? Were their swimsuits too provocative? That must be their fault too.

No. It tells me they send marketing materials to previous cruisers.

I'm surprised it hasn't been confiscated, because the only bottled water Carnival permits you bring onboard is sealed distilled water (in its original container) for a CPAP.

They charge tax on a discounted price for bottle, which is approximately the package price divided by the number of bottles in the package.

You should get an email before the cruise letting you know you can drop off your bags before the time cabins are officially ready, but you can't stay in your cabin. Also the same early access is a FTTF benefit, and that FAQ or info page says Platinums and Diamonds needn't buy FTTF because they already get all the same benefits for free.

Yes, tired of the older generation complaining about "those kids these days", meanwhile some of the older generation (especially with higher status) need to check their own entitlement onboard.

Exactly. I'll take Royal and Princess' free bottle, but the ship's water is much closer to distilled (in terms of mineral content) than your tap water at home. Using ship's water for 3-7 days won't do any long-term damage, so on Carnival I just use the ship's water.

They only charge tax if you're not in international waters when you order an actual bottle of wine with a voucher from the package, not when you buy the package itself. This happens on New Orleans sailings, because after sailing you don't reach the mouth of the Mississippi until close midnight. So you're still in Louisiana waters if you use a voucher for a bottle at dinner on embarkation day. But again you only pay tax on the bottle you order while in LA waters. This should not happen out of Galveston because the ship should be in international waters by the time you're at dinner, unless it was late leaving port.

You can wish for it but simply not going to happen from a security perspective.

Another consideration is that if the ship is at maximum lifeboat capacity (probably not common) or the stateroom's assigned muster station is at maximum capacity (which does actually happen), you can't add additional occupants regardless of when it is in relation to sailing date. Even if the ship or muster stations aren't at maximum capacity, if they're getting close to that point and there are still available cabins for sale, Carnival will stop adding additional passengers to existing reservations so they can allocate the remaining lifeboat or muster station capacity to new bookings and sell the remaining available cabins.

Apparently someone never took basic economics courses.

For the Platinum and Diamond party on the Excel class, they have pre-poured wine as you enter the theater, and they put a voucher for a free drink up to $10ish dollars on your S&S on the day of the party (possibly redeemable only after a certain time, I don't exactly recall). The Excel class has scaled down theaters without full bar service, so that's the reason for only wine. The voucher is to make up for not having a bigger choice of drinks or an open bar at the party.

No, I'm quite certain. I have the Barclays Carnival Mastercard and get double points on Carnival and Princess spend. However points can be used for a statement credit against charges only from Carnival. When applying points for a statement credit against a Carnival charge of $1,500 or more, you pay 33% fewer points. So a $50 statement credit against a Carnival charge would normally be 5,000 points, but if that charge is at least $1,500 you would just pay 3,333 points for a $50 statement credit.

Same answer--no.

Yes, being the lowest provider isn't always the most profitable decision in a market. For example in today's travel market people are increasingly looking for a more premium and less no-frills experience. See for example how Spirit and Frontier Airlines are currently performing with their no-frills business models.

The point is people were sticking their hands in a communal bowl.

Agree. Diamond here and the only upgrade I've ever gotten on a guarantee is a porthole instead of interior on my second Carnival cruise. If people knew (or thought they knew) how Carnival determined who gets free upgrades, it would decrease the number of people who paid for upsells.

They disappeared around the time some new GI virus was making the rounds or when there was a surge of norovirus outbreaks on cruises. That was the official line, that they didn't want people eating out of community snack bowls and potentially spreading those viruses.

As long as it was booked at a rate offered to the general public, not a VIFP rate (for example a casino offer) that the no-show qualified for.

Which is why Carnival is filling ships but still underperforming compared to its competitors. Carnival waited too long to try to start meaningfully competing with the latest and greatest from Royal and NCL and is now paying for it in the current high-demand cruise market. Yes they are filling ships but they could command a premium on more than the 3 Excel class ships, if only they had more competitive ships.

To a point, until you feel like you're slumming it at a Motel 6, kinda like my last Valor cruise.

It's very clear from the outside alone when you're in a port with multiple ships from multiple lines, like Cozumel or Nassau. From the condition of the exterior alone (i.e., visible rust), older Carnival ships don't appear as well maintained as similarly aged ships from their competitors. Granted it's primarily cosmetic, but not the best first impression for someone on another cruise line who may be considering Carnival in future.