Lem_On_Ade

2 hours ago, jbhcw said:

Way to go Sid!!  We leave for Hilton Head on the fourth....if we survive Election Day.....and I really splurged yesterday.... bought light bulbs for the bathroom!!  But oldest bought me the charger things where you just lay your phone and apple watch on it and it charges it?  They came Sunday...he will set it up today....we are going to see lawyer today....people shouldn't have to do all this stuff when they are grieving the loss of someone...your brain turns to mush...

I hope you enjoy Hilton Head @jbhcw! I went for the first time last month and fell in love, it was so relaxing!

I'm booked on Mardi Gras for 1/22/22. I'm excited for this ship because it of how different I think it will be compared to the rest of the fleet. I sailed on NCL's Escape this past January, and while I didn't love the overall vibe of NCL, the ship was beautiful. I'm thinking Mardi Gras will be similar to it in some ways. I'm looking forward to having 3 port stops on a 7 day cruise also. I cruise for the ports and not the ship but 4 days in a row does wear me out. We picked the Western Caribbean route this time. I was hoping for different itineraries for Mardi Gras, but I feel like I need a do over for January's cruise because we didn't love what we did in Roatan. We decided to go with a Havana interior cabin this time (first time for Havana and interior). I was hoping it would be the same layout as the Vista class ships but now see that it won't be. I'm a little disappointed about not having the pool but am sticking with this cabin since I like the idea of having a private, hopefully guaranteed, deck space to lay out on. The Lido and Serenity decks can be overly annoying when trying to find a decent place in the sun or shade. I was beginning to think I was getting burnt out on cruising, but with this pause in service and being booked on the newest ship over a year out, I am building up excitement to be able to cruise again. I can't wait to see videos and read reviews of her first sailings!

I noticed that the above article said that she would spend 10 days at sea then back at dock for final preparations for US arrival. Anyone know how much longer she will be in Finland before embarking for the states? Is she ahead of schedule? Just wondering since she isn't scheduled to depart for cruises for another 4 months, if we are cruising by then. Wonder what she'll be doing here in the states if she comes over before February...

I got this email too, my cruise is 498 days away. I clicked the link anyway, but didn’t see any place to select a time.


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I had an October 2020 cruise booked that had me on pins and needles waiting to see if it would sail. I knew it wouldn't, but waiting on an official cancelation was stressful. I decided to go ahead and rebook the Mardi Gras for 2022. I have a feeling the prices will be very high once cruising restarts so I booked at a price I am comfortable with, but also far enough out that hopefully all this "will we ever cruise again" talk will be over. 

My check was for $20 and some change, can't remember the exact amount, only one phone.

Well, my October cruise was cancelled, no big surprise, so I just pulled the trigger on a Havana room on Mardi Gras for January 2022. Only 535 days to go!


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My 10/31 cruise that was cancelled was being handled by a travel agent. I assume that I am able to book a new cruise on my own and have the FCC that I requested from Carnivals email applied to the new booking with any assistance from the travel agent, right?


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I checked in for my 10/31 cruise today, but wasn’t given an option to select an arrival time.


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I plan on taking a vacation somewhere beginning 10/31. Previously, I have been dead set against sailing that soon, even though I doubt anyone will be by then. Now I'm starting to think if the ship sails I'll be on it. I've come to the conclusion that I have just as much a chance of catching Covid vacationing anywhere else and at least my cruise is much cheaper than any land vacation I book, so why not. I still don't think Carnival will be ready by then though.

Well, I wasn't originally scheduled on the Sensation, I was moved to it from the Fantasy. As of right now, I can't access my booking. I have a final payment due 8/17 but the email I was sent said they would have everything transferred by 8/23. I'm honestly hoping it gets cancelled by then but who knows.

Good luck, and I honestly mean that! I used the same rate to book my next cruise but I don’t have any hope that it will be transferred when I reschedule.


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I have one scheduled for 10/31 but I probably won’t set sail til at least 2022


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The finger stick is also the “rapid test” at least it is where I live. The only problem is that the rapid tests are less accurate. We have a 26 year old female in our county that has had symptoms for weeks and has had two rapid tests come back negative. She was finally confirmed positive today with the nasal swab but she is doing so bad now that she will need to be placed on a vent.


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1 hour ago, Shaded Lady said:

So all this talk of canceled cruises, I am seeking the Tribe's sage advice...

 

We have a Thanksgiving cruise scheduled this year on Carnival Freedom out of Galveston. We owe about $1600 on it, final payment is Sept 7. I'm pretty confident at this point that it will be canceled, but I don't know for sure, obviously.  I'm not sure with hubby's health issues that I'm even comfortable cruising in November, but if we pay it off and they don't cancel, I lose pretty much everything!

 

My question to you all is, assuming that we won't be going, would you make the final payment and hope/pray that Carnival cancels so we can get a full refund or OBC, or go ahead and lose our deposit and cancel before final payment is due (about $250)?

 

Second question is- if you bought cruise insurance from an external vendor (not Carnival) and you cancel or reschedule your cruise well in advance, do you get a refund or credit from the travel insurance company? I looked at my docs from them and it's not terribly obvious one way or another...

We are in the same situation with our 10/31 cruise with Carnival. Final payment isn't due until 8/2 but I am pretty sure it will be cancelled. I was told yesterday that Carnival is allowing those of us with cruises in October to reschedule without penalty (we booked under early saver) so maybe that applies to November cruisers too. I am holding out for now thinking it will be cancelled by then, but if not I'll have to decide if we will go ahead and pay it off and reschedule if we have to or just take the $100 loss. I will most likely just pay it off and hope for a cancellation so I can get the onboard credit offer. It's not like I'll never cruise again so no point letting them keep my $100 deposit. 

Both@Willdra and@GaPearl are amazing reviewers. I would read Willdra’s grocery lists if she wrote them, she’s hilarious!

The same thing happened to my husband. He kept getting credit for cruises he didn't take and couldn't figure out what was going on. One day, I got an email confirming my booking for a cruise I never booked so I logged in to my account and added it to my cruise manager just to see what was going on. It turns out there was another person with the exact same name as my husband, and when they gave their name to the agent booking their cruises they never realized that my husbands account was being selected instead of theirs. To beat it all, the person who had the same name as my husband was married to a woman with the same name as me. It was wild to find out but our PVP eventually got it all straightened out. 

I have an October 31st cruise booked and I’m hanging on to hope that it will be canceled. Final payment isn’t due until August 2nd, I guess I’ll start panicking then. I’m not really interested in taking this cruise with the possibility of being quarantined to my interior room or having to quarantine for 14 days once we get home. If final payment does come without a cancellation I guess I’ll decide then if it’s worth losing the $198 deposit. I have Carnival Vacation Protection, does that mean I could get 75% in a fcc if I do pay final payment?


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1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

With the reduction of administrative staff in CCL Headquarters, they can only process cancellations through September. As soon as this volume is processed, the 4th quarter cruises will be cancelled. They need the 4th quarter cruises to pay in full before cancellation. The cancellation process is all about cash flow. When will the public catch on? The CDC cancels cruises through July 24 and CCL was booking cruises with June departures (back in May). People are still giving CCL money and they will continue to take it.

I believe this, it makes sense. I'm one of the ones waiting on a cancellation for October. I hate being held up because I'd like to make other plans but it is what it is. 

36 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

That first link says not available. 

It says built in 1996, must be the Inspiration.

I was hoping for a bit more information today but not surprised. I’m booked on the Fantasy 10/31 and wondering if that is a ship they are planning to dispose of within the next 90 days. Also, I wonder if when they do start sailing again if it will be only be the 8 ships that were previously mentioned. I know they are doing their best and wanting to get back to sailing ASAP but it is still frustrating for those of us with cruises booked. I’m honestly wishing they’d go ahead and cancel mine or tell us we can cancel ourselves and just put our deposit towards a future booking. My final payment isn’t due until 8/2, hopefully we’ll know more by then.


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I am trying to make my plans for my Eastern Caribbean cruise in February of next year. My Best Friend and I are going together.   I think I lost my mind deciding to go on this cruise.  It is on Windstar and over $2500 for just me! But that does include a drink and WiFi package. But I decided you only live once, so why not. It is a small ship,  with only 312 passengers.  The rooms are huge and I am really looking forward to the small ship experience.  We get to go to really small ports that the big ships can't get to. It is sailing out of Puerto Rico with stops in St. Thomas, St. Barts, Montserrat(never hear of this island until I booked this cruise), St. Maarten, Jost Van Dyke, and Virgin Gorda. 
 
Can anyone recommend shore excursions in St. Maarten?

2 hours ago, pcrum said:

I just discovered something to take spaghetti sauce up a notch.  To the ground beef, sauce, and garlic, I add in a can (or two depending on the amount of ground beef) of Rotel Hot tomatoes.  You have to appreciate spicy food to like this, but it sure makes spaghetti sauce taste good!  Gives it a little extra kick.  I do Keto so don't do pasta, but will use zucchini noodles as a pasta substitute or just layer the sauce with ricotta cheese (mixed with an egg and parmesan cheese) in a baking pan and top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.  

This sounds awesome. I'm a sucker for Rotel, I'll have to try it!

Thank you for this! It pretty much confirms my thinking that my 10/31 cruise on the Fantasy won’t be happening. I’m not terribly upset about it though, I’ve got my eye on a cruise in 2022 (hopefully we’ll be cruising again by then).


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I have a cruise booked in October and I’m hoping it will be cancelled. It’s not that I’m afraid to catch Covid, but I don’t want to be quarantined in my room for any amount of time either. Even if the ship sails, if given the opportunity to cancel or reschedule I will.


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