lostsoulcruiser

May I suggest you try AIG Travel Guard.  They usually have better coverage for better prices than Carnival insurance.  The one claim I had to file with them, I was extremely happy.

If possible, consider booking the balcony guarantee category.  Carnival may not be showing all cabins available (My PVP told me that once, cannot confirm). Worst case is the cove balcony.

On 4/18/2024 at 4:49 PM, JollyMia said:

Hello, I’m looking for some advice, my wife and I have taken a few cruises over the last few years, now I’ve been told if I purchase so many Carnival shares I can get obc on my Carnival cruise (Carnival, P&O etc). I’m in the UK if that makes any difference. Any advice and suggestions welcome.

Your UK residence makes no difference.  If you click on the link provided by a previous responder, you will see the offer is good on Carnival and Carnival plc shares.  Present price is 

CCL

NYSE$15.08

LSE1,097p

Your credit (dollars, pounds or euro) is based on where the cruise originates.  With normal currency fluctuations you may get slightly more or less than we get in the US.  

The big question that no one can answer for you is the worth of at least 100 shares for the OBC versus the appreciation or depreciation of the stock value.  

Carnival had been on an upward trend, then CCL had to reroute cruises from the Red Sea, then the Baltimore bridge accident and that took the stock from about $19.5 (December) to 13.9 (April).  (Disclosure, I bought a little more at $14).

On the plus side for the stock purchase, CCL tends to trend similarly to Royal Caribbean (RCL) and RCL just had an amazing quarterly report.

Not sure Carnival's schedule entirely matches with yours. I was looking at the same thing and there is nothing in the tradional summer months that goes from Europe to the US.  There is one in each of the following months June, October and November. The June cruise ends up in New Orleans.  

My reasons for looking at a TA from Europe to the US is silly, coming back to the US, it is  25 hour days as opposed to going to Europe which is 23 hour days.  It is a psychological thing.

Others have commented on price, book now if you are certain.  Any price reduction can be refunded in the form of an OBC.  The only problem with this is that you have to continue to follow the prices.  Carnival does not do that for you.  

Good luck on your travels.

On 4/10/2024 at 6:42 AM, Derbie said:

We are supposed to work with our advisor this afternoon, in regards to purchasing 100 shares of Carnival stock.  I am concerned, based on a thread posted on here, in regards to the OBC only being good through 2024.  We have an 8-day cruise scheduled on Carnival Magic in June, and a 10-day for  Emerald Princess next month.  If this is the case, I may not want to put out the funds, if this no longer a benefit from owing stock.  Any information is certainly welcome.  

Carnival annually renews the OBC benefit for 100 share shareholders.  Based on it's popularity, my guess is that it will continue to be renewed.  

That said, you should not buy the stock for this benefit (my opinion).  The $200 dollars you will receive for your cruises will be lost if the price of oil goes up or a hurricane hits the gulf or some other unknown factor.  

That said, in full disclosure, I own some because I think it will go up in the future. Present price is $14.74 per share, 100 shares will only cost you $1474, less than the price of one of your cruise tickets. 

Good luck with your decision.

From Carnival's website:

U.S. Domestic Cruises

For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, the following WHTI-compliant documents are acceptable for cruise travel. Please note that if the cruise visits Colombia or Greenland, a passport book (valid for at least six months beyond the completion of travel) is required. A passport card with the same validity is also acceptable for cruises to Colombia.

• U.S. Passport Book
• U.S. Passport Card
• State Enhanced Driver's License
• Certificate of U.S. Naturalization
• Native American Indian Card
• US-born citizens may also use a birth certificate (issued by a government agency) and accompanied by government-issued photo ID; a Mobile/Digital version of a photo ID is not an acceptable form of identification.

2 hours ago, NJEMT29 said:

I know this has been asked before, but I’m gonna ask anyway.

if you don’t eat in the main dining room, do you need to have gratuities prepaid? And can I have them removed  from my state room bill?

I plan on tipping my cabin Stewart in cash and leaving cash tips to the waiters in the specialty restaurants, on the Mardi Gras.  

To answer your question,  gratuities are not mandatory.  It is best to remove them at the time of booking but you can do it afterwards, up to the final payment if you have booked online.  Even after the final payment I think you can remove them, just not sure if you get them back or they go to your on board account.  

That said, watch your account when you get on the ship.  I believe Carnival still automatically adds the gratuity daily if you don't prepay, so talk to guest services and tell them your intentions.

14 hours ago, Royals Carol said:

Hello, my husband has a spinal cord injury and has to have a scooter. Can anyone with experience tell me if the Mardi Gras is easy to navigate with a scooter and does it have sufficient restrooms for a scooter to navigate?

https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/Ships/MD/DeckPlans/mardi-gras-accessible-cruising-deck-plan-pdf.pdf

This link should take you a pdf on handicap stateroom and facilities for the Mardi Gras. Hope it is helpful.  

Carnival has a FAQ section specifically for customers with disabitiles on their website.

16 hours ago, soremekun said:

My wife did not sail on my most recent Carnival cruise.  Instead, she was a no-show and I sailed solo.  A few weeks later, I noticed the taxes and port fees haven't been refunded yet.  I contacted my travel agent and after contacting Carnival, she was informed that my wife's no-show was considered a cancelation and therefore, there will not be a return of the port fees and taxes because the cancelation fee of $250 was greater than the port fees and taxes.  Has it always been this way on Carnival?

I had a similar experience on my last cruise.  

My wife was considered a no-show. I received a credit for the port fees and taxes associated with her portion of the fare.  It showed up as a statement credit on the credit card I used to pay for the trip.

On 3/6/2024 at 9:59 AM, 4x4TX said:

I usually cruise out of Galveston but heading to NO this weekend for a 5 day cruise.

 

I am leaning towards just using the port parking even though its more expensive but not too much.  $25 flat rate at day vs $19 a day at Fulton

 

It seems like for a newbie maybe the convenience is worth the extra not having to mess with a shuttle. 

 

This was the quote I got from airportparkingreservations.com 

New Orleans Parking (Port of New Orleans Only)

Parking Type: Self Indoor

Check-in: Sat, Mar 9 - 1:00 PM

Check-out: Thu, Mar 14 - 9:00 AM

5 Days of parking Edit Times

Subtotal

$95.00

Service Charge

$6.49

Taxes & Fees 

$11.40

---

Total

$112.89

Pay Now

$112.89

The $6 per day you will spend is well worth the convienence.  Parking at the Carnival's terminal is easy.  Pay, drive forward, there is a station for porters to take your bags, elevators to the terminal are right there.  

On 5/11/2023 at 2:10 PM, snowy owl said:

Hi All, I booked a cruise for September on the Horizon and got a balcony. The only option was room to be assigned. I have never had that before. I understand that It could take till even the day of the cruise to get a room. But I was wanting to hear from others that have had this. Since I booked a balcony what are the chances I get something else like an extended balcony, harbor balcony, spa balcony, or suits? Does the happen? It says the suites are sold out too. I'm platinum too, if that matters at all. Any and all info you got I would appreciate. 

With most of Carnival's ships booked near capacity, you should expect to get a balcony and probably not an upgrade,  Carnival will try to sell upgrades to other balcony passengers first, maximize revenue that way.  

On 3/12/2024 at 12:45 PM, drolltroll said:

Sister looking into a last minute cruise and all accessible cabins are full obviously. The PVP is saying since all accessibles are full, she can't bring a wheel chair or a scooter, even if it fits through the cabin door.

 Sister says Heald on facebook says as long as it fits through the cabin door, it does not matter whether your in an accessible cabin or not but PVP wants to argue that is not true..

 Can anyone give first hand experience on this and doesn't all of the scooter rentals for cruising allow for any door entry or is that something to be aware of?

You can take a chair on-board only it must be less than 21 inches wide to get through the cabin door.  Regular wheelchairs may have trouble with this width but transport chairs will fit (they tend to be narrower; I had a 17 inch chair for my wife.  

However, and the following is made without knowledge of your sister's capablities, there is also getting around the cabin to consider.  There is a step up to get into the bathroom and a step down to get on a balcony if that is the room you have.  There is also no chair in the shower however you can put a balcony chair in the shower if needed.

Best of luck on your cruise.

On 3/8/2024 at 5:26 PM, silversneakers said:

If you have your own wheelchair, do you have to push it on the ship and up the gangway OR can you transfer the passenger to a Carnival wheelchair for boarding?

 

This is my experience based on travels with my wife who was in a chair.

Someone from the port ( a port employee) will aid in getting you on the ship up to the lobby.  If it is your chair, you will then be responsible for getting around the ship.  At disembarkation, you will hear instructions as to where to meet on the ship and a Carnival employee (ship employee) will take off.  If you call Carnival ahead of time, arrangements can be made otherwise you are waiting for an available employee.

On note not on point, measure the width of the chair and compare it to the width of the cabin  door.  These dimensions are on Carnival's website.  Some chairs may be too wide for the cabin entry.  

You can make prior arrangements with Carnival for a chair if you just need assistance getting on and off the ship but you are good getting around  the ship.  You can also consider renting a scooter.

On 1/11/2024 at 2:41 AM, michaelbr said:

How do you book a single cruise? through an agency? cruise line website? or any other method?

I've seen only 1 website publishing single cruise (sorry, I'm not allowed to publish its name, there's only published price, no booking, not sure if the price is real), then I went to the cruise line website, but there's no single rate, how do you book single cruise with cruise line?

ps: there are other few sites which said has single cruise with low supplement, when you click on the link, it takes you to cruise lines' site.

Others have replied regarding T/As so I'll let that be.

When I want to see a solo cruise price on-line, I will start with the cruise line and change the # of guests to 1 (standard is 2) and you can watch the prices changes. 

As an aside and acknowledging this is not to point, renewing your passports allows your family to use the facial recognition station at reentry. On my last cruise, coming back to NOLA, all I did was stand at a specific spot and big brother recognized me from my passport photo.  Quick.  

The cruisers using birth certificates went to a longer line.

On 2/29/2024 at 5:24 PM, cacruisin said:

So are traveling in a group of 8 in 3 different rooms.  We added the last person last minute and had planned to add that person as a 3rd to our room for 2 people.  We were told we could not and had to add them to a different room.  I HAD BEEN under the impression that all couches could be made into a bed for a said "third person" but learned that was not correct.  It's a balcony room if that makes a difference.  So, I'm curious what is the difference between a balcony room for 2 with a couch and a balcony room for 3 where the couch is used as a bed?  TIA

If you closely look at the deck plan of a particular ship, it will tell you how many people are allowed in a particular room.  You may be able to change the cabin to one that allows 3 people.  Look at the deck plan to see which rooms are close (you could also ask your T/A, PVP or Carnival rep regarding this.

On 3/3/2024 at 1:14 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

Because the more people do this, the more likely Carnival is to start charging a transaction fee to charge your S&S on the slots, including for people who actually gamble with the money they charge to their S&S.

If you buy chips, say at the blackjack table, there is already a service charge (I believe it's 5 or 6 % but some may know better).  

The benefit is available on sailings through December 31, 2024.  Applications to receive this benefit should be made at least three weeks prior to cruise departure date.

Fresh off the corporate website. Benefits are the same as previous, only now they refer you to this new Stockperk app.  I have never used it (not cruised since its inception), however other posters have cautioned about how to enter the necessary data, including caution regarding entering your brokerage account number.

Best of luck.

A couple of questions/concerns:

1. How does Stockperks protect your stock account privacy, in particular the account number you were able to black out when requesting your OBC via the fax or email?
2. Did Carnival change the on-board accounting system to be able to target stockholder OBC for certain charges and not others?  Sounds like it and does that show up when you check your account on the ship during a cruise?
3. Does the stockholder OBC change also apply to a booking OBC?

Thanks for the replies.

It may be a little more complicated than that because if the ship is full at the time you need to cancel, there may not be any other cabins available to move you.

Your choice is as complicated as you wish to make it or you can boil it down to a choice between saving a 4th person cruise cost against your desire for a specific cabin.  Either way, you will receive  a refund of port costs, taxes, etc.  

You have some time, follow how full the ship is getting and see if the cabins designed for a 3rd and 4th person are filling up.  That should help determine the odds on getting moved.  

On 8/18/2023 at 2:15 PM, tigervixxxen said:

My question is what can the ship provide either arranged ahead of time or perhaps in the moment if she feels fatigued? Day to day on the ship is probably fine like I said but the travel/embarkation is probably the biggest concern for my mom. What has your experience been? Anything I can tell her to ease fears and prevent the cancellation?

Carnival, and the port of Galveston, have people to assist passengers during embarkation and debarkation.  Call ahead and they will help you.  I have needed that assistance for my wife on previous cruises. For embarkation, there is a gathering area in the port where someone can come with a wheelchair and take your mom onto the ship (the lobby area, not your room).  During the debarkation talk, you will be informed as to where to gather when leaving the ship if you need assistance. Carnival will pick you up at a specific spot on the ship and take you to the luggage area.

Your problem may be on the ship and the layout of the Dream.  Depending on where your cabin is located and where you are going on the ship, it most likely is not a straight line.  This was a problem for my wife.

One final thought, some posters are discussing renting wheelchairs and scooters.  I have seen the scooters but have no experience with them.  Wheelchairs are nice but may be problematic since depending on the size of the chair, it may not fit through the cabin doorway nor fit into the bathroom due to the half step up.  A transport chair may be a better option, they tend to be narrower.  

Good luck

The answer is: it depends (how's that for clarity).  When you change your original booking to whatever, Carnival adjusts your fare code that triggers the changes.  Maybe you get some OBC with the new fare, maybe you get a lower fare and the difference between what you have paid and your new fare is given as OBC (usually after the final payment is made), you could possibly have a new stateroom if your new fare is based on a guaranteed cabin category (say balcony guarantee) and you selected a cabin in your original booking.  Talk to someone at Carnival or your TA to check the options.

If you are referring to those bridges you see when you get to the dock, you don't go under those bridges when you depart or come back.  The very first leg of your cruise is north for a short period. You can see this better if you look at Google maps and find the Carnival cruise embarkation area.  

It is a long trip to the mouth of the gulf.

If you are driving to the port, the nice thing about the Carnival location is that the parking structure is also where you check in and board.  On building where you can give your luggage to the porters, find a spot and take the elevators down to begin the boarding process.  Same when you arrive back in NOLA.

I was on the Glory in April, the food was good ( I had late dining), the cabin was kept clean (even with once per day service) and the crew were friendly.  One of my dining servers was also working the buffet area during breakfast and lunch.  When she saw me, she would always come over and say hello.

Have a nice cruise.

As an aside, you may also want to check your travel insurance, if you have.  Some policies may reimburse you for at least the one fare plus.  I had this experience and was reimbursed.

Key statement of this issue is the savings of $120 million annualized.  That's better for the balance sheet, eps and significantly the free cash flow of the company.