HLGW60

Here is a bit of new info from a John Heald post today "Anyway, if I survive the journey I will speak with the PVPs and share the 1400 comments you left about them here on ########## yesterday. Then it’s one last trip to Miami HQ and a lunch with all the top beards followed by indigestion and one last meeting. This is an important one though as it will be to cover the tours in Europe for your Carnival Vista and I will report back on that soon."

I don't mean to disagree with HLGW60, but what is more scenic than a Med cruise??

 

Not to say that there is anything wrong with an interior - my kids absolutely love them, but some of these Euro ports are just stunning.

I am just saying that the primary attraction of a Mediterranean cruise are the cruise excursions outside the port area such as Florence, Rome, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Athens, etc which make for a very long day. You are cruising mostly in the evening and at night.

On the other hand when you are sailing the Inside Passage in Alaska the primary attraction is the scenery of glaciers, mountains, and wildlife all.along the journey.

It is all a matter of personal preference and what aspects of cruising are most important to you. My brother enjoys just sitting on the deck the entire cruise and watching the water. Not me.

An inside room is perfect for a Mediterranean Cruise because it is so port intensive. I am prone to seasickness and always begin taking Bonine two days prior to traveling. I also book a room midship. It will be on Deck 7 for our VISTA cruise next May. I love balconies if it is a scenic route. For our upcoming Alaskan cruise, we have an Ocean Suite but there will be two sea days plus a day of cruising Glacier Bay. I plan to spend a lot of time on the balcony. However.....for a Med Cruise....an inside stateroom is a wise choice, Save the money and use it on your shore excursions!

This same exact thing just happened to me today and it is very frustrating. Same form letter telling me the rate was more expensive than my current booking rate.

 

After receiving the first denial, I resubmitted. After that denial, I emailed them directly with supporting documentation and once again it was denied. I finally had to call and got the price reduction.

 

I get people say "just call", but that's not the point. Why offer a service, but not have it work properly? I am an emailer and I prefer to do most things online...I don't want to call unless I absolutely have to. You offered a service on your website and it should work...plain and simple

Well.....guess what? The exact SAME thing happened to me too. I did email them with a pic of the rate on the Farefinder but a a few minutes ago I had my husband call them in light of what I was reading here.

They explained to him it was a "system" issue. I now have a $180 onboard credit!!! I also recommend calling them.

I talked to our Carnival rep. On Sunday. She tells me nothing will be available until approximately 6 months until the sailing... We are looking forward to viewing the excursions! :cool:

This is what a Carnival rep also told my husband a few months ago. She said 180 days prior to cruise date.

We sale in less than 2 weeks.. :)

 

Still looking for Fun Times.:eek:

Me too! I remember that last year I emailed maybe 20 people after my Med Cruise with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass. I would be more than glad to do it for the Carnival Legend but since I am on the last sailing (Sept 8 ) it would be of no benefit for this year. Just keep hoping and praying some kind soul will have mercy on us:)

To clarify.... what makes Alaskan excursions more expensive?

• Is it a stronger desire for flight and marine trips? Would staying to land excursions offer savings?
  
• Is it because of the glaciers and you are forced to use helicopters to get on top of them?
  
• Is it because of the remoteness of the ports?
  

On my first trip, I stuck to "Best of .... " itineries and I thought the prices were fair. However there was no flights.

I believe it is more expensive because the cruise season is short ( compared to other destinations like the Caribbean) and the cost of fuel is much higher in Alaska. Alaska may have oil but it has to be refined and transported. The gas prices are higher there than any other state if you Google it.

My best advice based on experience is to dress in layers. On my last trip I actually used my waterproof pants and jacket quite a bit .......so be prepared for rain. When glacier viewing, it will be cold. I had on base layer underwear and then another shirt and pants over that with a fleece jacket. Also smart wool socks that will keep feet warm and repel moisture. I also will be taking my now old Merrell hiking sneakers with Goretex along with scarf, gloves, and earmuffs or toboggan. If you get convertible pants, then it is easy to convert to shorts if it warms up or if you are doing land excursions not near water or glaciers. Carry a backpack so you can strip down as needed. Don't bring a bulky large coat.....just do LAYERS!

This is so subjective. When we went to Alaska 5 years ago' date=' we didn't know if we would ever have an opportunity to return so we booked a flight over the summit of Mt. McKinley and are so glad we did. It was really the absolute highlight of the trip for my husband. We've never done a float plane to one of the glaciers, but you really have to decide just what is going to make this a special trip for you. For us, there were so many wonderful experiences in Alaska. You just can't go wrong, no matter what you choose. We didn't spend money on souvenirs, we wanted to spend our money on experiences.[/quote']

 

 

We did the same thing with a flight out of Talkeetna. It was simply awesome flying around Mt. McKinley! However......we were doing a land tour of Alaska. We flew into Anchorage and rented a car. When you have several days in one area, then it is easy to reschedule to another time or date if there is bad weather. The weather can be so unpredictable. We are doing our first Alaskan cruise in September and I considered both the Misty Fjords and the Tracy Arm excursions. I then remembered that I was paying quite a bit of money for a tour that could not be rescheduled in case of bad weather. We once did a Glacier Tour out of Whittier and it was so foggy that you could hardly see anything. I know I am talking in circles now. My point is that you should realize that you are taking a gamble when you book these expensive tours and that the weather is a major factor when deciding if it was a good investment or not.

I will be leaving for Seattle in 6 days and cruise in 9 days. I plan on posting a review and will save all of my fun times to upload them.

Thank you so much! We are on the last sailing (Sept 8) and I'm really excited to read your cruise review and see the Fun Times schedule. Thanks again.[emoji3]

We plan to use PK travel for a shore excursion during our Carnival Vista cruise on May 23, 2016. In fact....I have already formed a group for that date under semi private shore excursions on their website if anyone cruising on the Vista would like to join us. I think the maximum is 16.

UPDATE: I had to cancel this tour because of a change in travel plans. Anyone interested in doing this tour can organize and get a group started though.

It would be an answered prayer if someone would! I read a cruise review the other day but no mention of Fun Times. Maybe some kind person will post it soon[emoji3]

I like this idea - except for the insurance thing - if they are not healthy you are looking at thousands of dollars to have them flown back to the states.

EXACTLY! If money isn't a problem then go right ahead and take them. Just be prepared for your insurance not covering any medical expenses or evacuation.

I am sorry, I lost money ($100) for each of 2 cabins, but I am curious why you would not have checked with their doctor before booking? I recently had some eye issues and was prohibited from flying and did not book until cleared by my dr

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My son fell and had to have major surgery on his foot 6 weeks before his wedding. The doctor told him he couldn't fly to Hawaii for his honeymoon because of the danger of a blood lot.

BOTTOM LINE: You should never ignore the medical advice of your doctor. Suppose something did happen to thiis elderly couple and they tried to collect a claim on their cruise insurance if a medical emergency arose. You have to document everything and have your physician fill out forms when filing claims. It would be unethical and perhaps Illegal for a doctor to sign off on someone as physically fit to travel when their medical history and present health prevents safe traveling. The insurance company probably wouldn't reimburse them their medical care and/or medical evacuation if something happened. Telling folks to ignore the doctor and go ahead and take them on this cruise is not sound advice. It could just potentially lead to more financial heartache and personal misery.

I will say I disagree with the people who say to ignore the doctor and take your parents anyway. If, God forbid, something did happen - in additional to being a horrible experience for you, your could affect thousands of other people's vacation as the ship is delayed or diverted to get emergency medical attention.

I also disagree. Besides taking a chance of endangering their lives and being a horrible experience for all involved.....you would also be violating the terms of your contract with Carnival

5. FITNESS TO TRAVEL, SPECIAL NEEDS, PREGNANCY, INFANTS, DRINKING, DISEMBARKATION

 

(a) The Guest warrants that he and those traveling with him are physically and emotionally fit to travel at the time of embarkation, and further certifies that such Guests have no medical or emotional condition that would endanger any Guest or others. Any Guest with special medical, physical or other needs requiring medical attention or special accommodation during the voyage is requested to notify Carnival in writing at the time of booking of such special need. Upon booking the cruise, guests who have special needs are requested to contact Carnival’s Special Needs Desk (305-599-2600 ext. 70025) to discuss the details of their special needs. Carnival recommends that any Guest who is not self-sufficient travel with a companion who shall take responsibility for any assistance needed during the voyage and in case of emergency

Also...isn't there a form you sign before sailiting attesting to your physical fitness to travel?

Their doctor must have been the doctor who wrote this article|

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/19/a-doctor-explains-why-cruise-ships-should-be-banned.html

FWIW, my PVP told me that if the insurance is purchased at the time of booking, it comes with a "cancel for any reason" clause. He said you can just say "I don't want to go" and it will be covered.

 

However, my PVP hasn't been the most honest, knowledgeable person related to other aspects of our booking, so that might not be true either. I definitely wouldn't give up on the insurance route! No one knows what they will approve until you jump through the appropriate hoops and try!

 

Good luck to you and best wishes for your parents.

You really have to look at a lot of variables. For instance....if I canceled my Mediterranean cruise right now then the cost of my CFAR insurance for me to exercise the claim would be more than the reimbursement for non-reimbursed expenses. It would be financially better off just paying the $100 change fee and using the $1500 deposit towards another cruise. Also I could use my insurance for another date if I haven't exercised a claim on it. Of course, the main reason I got the insurance was for the medical insurance and emergency evacuation. Plus I could lose more for non-reimbursed expenses the closer I got to the cruise date and the penalties involved.

The no refunds part is the down side of Early Saver same as the ability to collect on price drops.

You should only choose Early Saver if you are able to financially absorb the possible financial loss.

The Carnival rep should have advised you better since early saver has a non refundable deposit unless you cancel and apply it to a future cruise. As far as insurance goes, even buying insurance that exempts pre-existing conditions wouldn't have worked since your parents had pre-existing conditions on the day you bought insurance. I do feel sorry for you. It seems most people can't afford to do extensive traveling until they retire but then you are faced with the financial liabilities of failing health and high insurance costs or an inability to even get insurance at all that will pay off.

They have also credited me for the water I bought.

This lady knows what she is talking about! I speak from experience.

We booked the Best Western Amazon Hotel for 2 nights post cruise using award points. It is in a central location close to Syntagma Square where many of the tours begin. We plan on doing a food walking tour.

We plan to use PK travel for a shore excursion during our Carnival Vista cruise on May 23, 2016. In fact....I have already formed a group for that date under semi private shore excursions on their website if anyone cruising on the Vista would like to join us. I think the maximum is 16.

I just about froze myself during a glacier tour of Prince William Sound out of Whittier. On my next trip I am definitely packing my Dale of Norway wool sweater gloves, and ear warmers in addition to my Goretex rain jacket which I mentioned in another post. It gets the coldest when you are on the water and near glaciers.We took the park shuttle bus in Denali to Wonder Lake and I don't remember it being too cold there in August. It was chilly in the morning but we took off our sweater/jacket as the day progressed. I think you should always go prepared for rain. A backpack is your traveling friend!

I suppose everyone can report different experiences based on the weather conditions during their visits and how cold natured they are. We did a lot of hiking and day cruises to Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords National Park. If you think you will only be exposed for a short while then I suppose you could get get by with just a poncho. However, I still advise layering.