pepperfeet

[quote name='TruckinMama']We've only sailed once, on the Elation with a balcony, so ours was last May. Ha!

However, we weren't impressed with the balcony, and thought it a giant waste of money. I couldn't even sit out there for more than a few minutes because it was so hot, and opening the door even for mere seconds just made our room that much warmer.

We're doing interior spa cabins, for LESS, on the Dream in December. At least I can use those amenities. :)[/quote] After fourteen cruises, 8 Carnival, 6 RC, Just got off the Liberty, lido deck balcony, We both agree with you. For $600 we could have stayed for three nights in Miami before the cruise. Back to inside.. We are outside most of the time anyway.

Like I mentioned earlier, this was our second cruise. For our first cruise,we had booked the stateroom nearly 10 months earlier than the cruise date. Besides, it was a three-night cruise with a day in Nassau and one in Castaway Cay. As a result, we had had ample time to plan whether to purchase any excursions or not.

 

This time around, though we purchased the tickets about a month or so before the cruise date, it was - for us - a last-minute decision. As a result, we did not really have a lot of time to plan out the cruise, leave alone the shore excursion. Suffice it to say that we did not even get the kids pre-registered for their respective camps.

 

Anyway, we had to figure out pretty quickly what we wanted to do so that the tickets didn't run out. As there was plenty of disagreement to go around on the choice of what to do, I hit upon an idea. We had been given a list of all shore excursions - subject to availability and guest minimums (if not enough cruisers expressed interest, an excursion could potentially be cancelled - though I have no idea how often that happens). I decided that I would - on the first night after the rest of the family had slept - read through the descriptions and X out those I definitely had no interest in (or it was too pricey in my opinion). In the morning, DW and kids could look through the one not Xed out and select what they wanted to do ... while I watched cricket at the Sports Bar. Cricket was being played - the World Cup - in Bangladesh during our cruise. The timings were ideal for me - the games were in the evening, i.e., very early in EDT/Ship's Time.

 

As a result of this arrangement, we decided the following:

 

- Cozumel: local tour and "Mayan village" (about $30 per person; three hours)

- Belize: a visit to Xunantunich (about $90 per person; included lunch; seven hours)

- Roatan: the aerial chairlift to the beach ($12 per adult and $7 per kid)

- Cayman Islands: nothing appealed to us

 

Here is some background. DS is pretty good at swimming. I am OK. DD can swim but I would put myself above her in skill level. DW is not a water person (for that matter, none of us is, but I am saying this in relative terms ;-). Besides, we (DS and I) did not have a good time with our previous snorkelling experience so we were not candidates for subjecting ourselves to more of that. Also, living so close to SeaWorld in the Central Florida area means that we are inured to the attractions of dolphins and sting rays and the like (if not turned off by the one that killed Steve Irwin). So, it was easy for us to unanimously cross out the shore excursions that involved any of these.

 

In addition, I wanted to keep the budget as low as we could while still enjoying as much as we could. So, we did not want to choose the most expensive item on the list at each place.

 

We also did not want to get really tired out after taking excursion after excursion in the sun for four days in a row. We were reminded of this on the fourth day, but more on that later.

 

Last but definitely not the least - in fact this was probably one of the biggest factors - we wanted to make sure that if we were, in fact, going on a longer excursion at one of the tender ports (Belize and Grand Cayman), we had to go with Carnival, as we did not want to get left behind for any reason! In any event, we opted for Xunantunich instead of the ruins in Mexico because a) we wanted to do one or the other, b) the Mexican one was (if I remember right) more expensive and c) the Xunantunich one took us a long way into Belize (it was only later that I realized that not only did it take us across the width of Belize, but that it also almost took us into Guatemala!).

We were on that same cruise. This was our eighth time on Carnival. We did notice all the cutbacks. For one thing. I really missed the live carribean band on the lido deck. You can listen to a loud dj anywhere. Also the food was not as good as previous cruises. One show was good, the other was so so. You wanted to walk out but you felt sorry for them. As for the ship, it was the best decorated we have ever been on. The band in the atrium was really good.

We were on the Liberty in March and that was my biggest disappointment. I love the sounds of the steel drums. This is what gets me in the mood for my cruise, not a DJ. If they are going to use a DJ then at least play some calypso music. This plus the many cuts I noticed have made me rethink if I want to cruise Carnival anymore. We are on the NCL Breakaway April 30 and I will use this as my guide to what line we book next.

I was on the Liberty March 22 and that DJ Dork was bad. That was a disapointment and also the food. I have been on 8 Carnivals.We will be looking for a different line.

YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE 2.0 DOWNGRADES. We got off the Liberty last week, food was the worst in eight carnival cruises. Pizza is like paper thin. The burgers were good. You could listen to a DJ anywhere. What so special about that. He was called Dork the DJ. I am still waiting for my comment card coming in e mail.

I just got of the Liberty last Saturday. There were 1200 kids 18 and under on the ship. Would not pick that week again. Too many parents just let their kids just go on their own. I,m talking 10 and under running, pushing buttons on the elevators, ect. you know what I mean. Brats.

We just got off the Liberty Saturday, The food was OK. Can honestly say we had better food on the seven other carnival cruises. They have cut back a way too much. I miss the Jamacan band on the lido deck. I can listen to a DJ any time. Other than that the cruise was good.

See you there on Saturday, just looked at the weather in Cuzomel. It will be 98 on Monday. Flying in from Pittsburgh.

What about the cruise? food is only a part of the experience. We will be on the Liberty March 22.

Go to Carnival web site. Check out your profile page, put your past guest number in and go to My Offers.

25 more days!

Mine says 25 days on Carnival web site. First time balcony on the Liberty on the lido deck. Have been inside for eleven cruises.

keep this thread going, my gut is hurting from laughing.

Will be going on the southern Caribbean cruise on the Valor at the end of May and was looking for some recommendations for a hotel in San Juan for the night before our cruise leaves. Looking for something within walking distance or on the beach and convenient to the cruise port and airport. Does carnival offer deals at hotels? Or are you kind of on your own?

Two years ago we stayed at the Caribe Hilton. It was beautiful and the beach area was really nice. We could of definitly stayed there longer. It is about five minutes to the pier. It is rather pricey though. They did upgrade us to a balcony just for asking if there is availability. Check it out on their web site.

All this talk about free cruises made me check my VIP club etc. I have no offers when I sign in as myself. So I decided to try my husbands VIP # It WON'T let me access my husbands VIP # though. I can't find out if he has any offers. Long story short, I have tried everything. When I try to sign on as him it won't allow it. Any ideas how I can access his VIP #? We don't get the same offers in the mail either.

Go to your profile, my offers, then got to travel companions, it will show his number. I also tried to register my wife separate and couldn't do it . I called Carnival web assistance. She was useless. She told me there is no criteria for the free cruises.

I received something in the mail a few weeks ago with Carnival's name on it. It wasn't a letter, but rather a bulk rate type of mailing that had to be opened by tearing the perforations on the sides. It looked like a third party mailing with strings attached, so my wife tossed it. :eek::eek:

 

It couldn't have been a REAL free cruise, I've never won anything in my life. :D

I got the same thing. It was thru Carnival for Mastercard. It was not for a free cruise.

Check out the post right before yours, They got two free cruises because of two different VIPP numbers. I wonder how may people that were on the Triumph disaster last year got one?

AmberTeka - You keep demanding that someone give you the criteria for receiving one of these free cruises. Has is not dawned on you that maybe there is NO criteria and this has been completely random? I have seen people with all sorts of cruising history and spending habits receive these...there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Carnival owes you an explanation about as much as they owe you a free cruise -- they don't.

 

You make it sound like that picked your name out of a list and said, "SHE is NOT getting a free cruise, but everyone else on her ship is!" I highly doubt that is the case. You are taking this so personally, when it was nothing personal at all.

 

Look at my Carnival cruising history. Did I get a free cruise? No (or not yet). Am I happy for others? Yes.

 

Let. It. Go.

Right on. Also, it is not exactly free, you are still paying port taxes, tips,insurance, air fare, spending, ext. Still a pretty good chunk of change. No I didn't get one. Booked on the Libety March 22, 7th Carnival.

If anyone has pictures of the ship I would love to see them ;)

There is a review in photos on the next page.

Is it interesting how many cruisers on CC are getting these letters considering the thousands and thousands of past cruisers.

After I got the letter, I logged onto Carnival.....clicked 'my offers'......then chose past guest offers. It was listed there along with several others, like the $50 deposit.

 

After I booked our cruise, I logged on again and it was gone. I suppose so it could only be used once. I used the other promos to book the kids' cabin.

Your right about those offers bein taken down. I am booked on the Liberty on March 22, I was chcking my offers and there was $50 slot play. I looked the next day and it was gone. I called and she told me to keep checking daily, and make a copy and take it with me.

free cruise - Was told by PVP that it also appears in your profile under My Offers . I didn't get one but was concerned that I threw it away. I just booked the Liberty for March 22 then start reading all these postand had to call. No criteria how your picked, have been on 7 carnivals.

Me too. I am a little upset because now I am seeing allure of the seas was actually a better deal! We are paying the same price for 2 ocean views that we could of got 2 balconies on allure but oh well a vacation is a vacation

I just looked on RC website, it was 788 for a balcony. I paid 739 on lido deck.

Also, 45 days to go. First time on the Liberty.