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DH and I just received our Moderna booster shots last Thursday and were told it takes 2 weeks for the booster to be fully engaged. I don't know about Pfizer, etc. boosters and their timelines. Our next cruise is on Jan. 16th on the Pride.

I usually make hair cut appointments online before the cruise and select a day when in port as the cost is a bit cheaper. DH always gets massages and waits until he's onboard and goes to the spa to request a deal. For example, on the Magic in November, he managed to get two Swedish Massages for $99 each, regularly $149 each on port days. We were on an 11-day Holland America cruise in Dec. and he tried getting the same deals, but no luck as they only discounted the massages a little bit. We'll be on the Carnival Pride in January and he is already thinking about massages. His birthday is during the cruise and pre-Covid, he always received a $50 gift card for the Spa when his birthday was during the cruise. Wonder if he will receive one on this cruise?

Thanks for your responses. We will wait to make reservations until we board.

DH and I will be sailing on the Rotterdam again in late Feb. and we have 1 specialty dining promotion and the free Signature Beverage Package. I just tried booking the complimentary specialty dining promo - I clicked on Complimentary, made the reservation for the Tamarind the day and time I wanted, but then it asked for my credit card information. Why did it do that if the meal is complimentary?? Do I have to pay for it now and then the amount is added back in to our onboard account once we are onboard? Help please.

Also, we have never had a complimentary beverage package before. How does that work? Do we receive the information in our stateroom?

Thanks.

Yes, there slot machines in the Ocean Bar but I never played those, stuck to the regular casino.

No, we were not tested during the 11-day cruise, but I did hear people who were continuing on were tested.

We enjoyed our Vista Suite very much. We mostly sail in Neptune Suites so the Vista was quite a bit smaller and no Neptune Lounge access, but it suited us just fine except for the tiny bathroom. We thought the balcony was larger than a Verandah balcony but not by much.

The next $50,000 Slot Tournament is Nov. 30, 2022 and as I said in my original post, I received an invitation to it while on board the Rotterdam. Monday I contacted my PCC at HAL to book it and she called me back and said the casino department does not have any record of me receiving the offer! DH and I also received two other casino offers while on board and none of them are registered with the casino dept.! That really sucks as we book almost all of our HAL cruises with casino offers. What good is it to receive the offers on board and then we can't book them because of the fault of the onboard casino host not making the connection to the casino dept. at corporate? I am going to contact HAL and complain and I have the casino host's name on one of the offers.

SueMo - since we weren't going on any excursions except one, we didn't really keep in mind which ones required Holland or govt. sponsored excursions. I'm sorry I can't answer your question, but maybe someone else on the cruise will respond.

DH and I just returned yesterday from an 11-day Rotterdam cruise and had a fabulous time. The ship is gorgeoous, the food was excellent, and the crew was over the top friendly and helpful. We had a Vista Suite mid-ship and it was very comfortable. Only complaint was the bathroom was unexpectantly tiny. We only ate in the main dining room once for dinner and twice for breakfast. Ate at the Cannelleto twice and the Tamarind once - both were excellent. Loved the NY Pizza and Deli for lunches, and DH ate once at Dive-in and wasn't impressed. I had room service about 50% of the time for hot breakfasts and enjoyed them. The rest of the time we ate in the Lido Buffet and everything was delicious. Such a wide selection of foods and the staff served everythig, no self serv.

Masks were required and most everyone complied. There were hand washing stations at each entrance to the Buffet area and disinfectant stations all over the ship.

Check-in was easy and fast. The bad thing about returning to Port Everglades yesterday was that the ship docked at a different terminal and our car was quite a distance away. They had shuttle buses to take us to the mid-port garage - so a bit of a disappointment but we managed ok.

Most islands required Holland or government sponsored excursions and on others, you couldn't go beyond the port area. This was our 58th cruise so not a hardship for us as we had been to all the islands before and done excursions. We did the train trip around St. Kitts and it was fun.

I was part of the $50,000 Slot Tournament cruise but did'n't make it past the first round. The casino was tiny (knew that from being on the Koningsdam) and slammed most of the time. I did return home with money as I had some great bonus rounds on the slots.

We'll be back on the Rotterdam in Feb. and April and already received an invitation to the next $50,000 Slot Tournament cruise in Nov. Can't wait to be back on board the Rotterdam!

DH and I cruised on the Magic for the first time in Aug. 2021 and loved it. Cruised on her again in early Nov. and still loved it. Ship was easy to navigate, great casino, and we ate at the Cuchina del Capitano multiple times on each cruise. Both times we had balcony cabins on the Lido Deck and the locations were perfect for us. These were our 55th and 56th cruises overall and 40th and 41st on Carnival. Food is subjective and Carnival food is good, although te buffet breakfasts are boring and repetitive.

DH and I are retired and are Carnival Platinums, soon to be Diamonds, and Holland America 3 Star Mariners, soon to be 4 Star, so we have a lot of experience on both cruise lines. We live in Florida near Tampa and it is so convenient for us to sail on Carnival out of Tampa and Port Canaveral. We have to drive to Port Everglades to sail on Holland, about 4 hours. We sail on the new Holland's Rotterdam tomorrow (11 days) and have two more booked for 2022. We have 4 Carnival cruises booked for 2022.

With the OP moving to S. Carolina, the Charleston port is the closest, but also not too far to drive to Jacksonville and Port Canaveral for Carnival cruises. Port Canaveral is about 400 miles from Charleston and also has NCL and Royal Caribbean sailing from there. We only sailed out of Charleston once when we lived in N. Carolina and it was the closest port for us. It was quite a long time ago but I recall we enjoyed sailing from there on a Carnival ship.

Holland is my favorite line and DH's is Carnival. I love the elegance of the Holland ships, the fantastic cuisine, and there are so many more perks as we have cruised up the loyalty ranks. Also, not a lot of kids. Carnival ships are glitzy Las Vegas, food is good, and has more to do in the evenings than Holland. They are party ships, especially on the shorter cruises and way too many kids, so we try to cruise as much as possible when school is in session.

We sail more on Carnival because of the amazing casino deals I receive (many free rooms we upgrade to balconies or suites) and because of the convenience of living close to two FL ports. If the OP has only sailed on Holland, I agree there will be a bit of a culture shock, but should definitely try Carnival.

I was wondering if you did the home tests if you got reimbursed. DH and I also live in FL and get our free testing done at the county health dept.'s special location. Went this morning for our Wed. Rotterdam sailing and the results were emailed to us within 30 minutes. Printed out the results and we are ready to sail!

I do both. I use my HAL PCC when I have to book my special casino promotions, but book on HAL directly when I don't have any promotions. Both work well for me. I'm reluctant to book through an online company after I used a large one several times with sucess and then it went bankrupt and I had a terrible time dealing with a cruise I had booked through them.

ProgRock Cruiser, I beg to differ with you regarding Florida's drivers licenses. I went on the Homeland Security Dept.'s website yesterday and Florida drivers licenses are listed in the states being Real ID.

We are almost Diamond on Carnival and almost 4 star Mariners on Holland America. HAL has so many more perks for their loyalty members. I wish Carnival would give discounts at their specialty restaurants - we receive 25% off on HAL as 3 star Mariners and will receive 50% off when we reach 4 star Mariners. On HAL, for every $300 we spend onboard we receive one sail day. Wish Carnival did that. On HAL, we receive double sailing days when we book a suite which is most of the time. Wish Carnival did that, too. When you compare the two cruise lines, Carnival is pitifully lacking in loyalty perks.

I use my own rollator while on board, but need wheelchair assistance to board and get off at the end of the cruise. I have always gone to the port and told one of the ground crew that I need a wheelchair to board and they get one for me almost immediately, sometimes there is a little wait but not long. When debarking the ship at the end of the cruise, you will receive a letter telling people where to go to wait for a wheelchair. I have never contacted Carnival's special needs dept. beforehand, just went to the port. Very easy.

I don't think our cat sitter will take care of Madelyn for a year😄 She's doing it for two months straight in 2022 and I think that is probably her limit. DH and I have done 10 and 11 day cruises and that's plenty of time to be away from home. We prefer shorter cruises every couple of months throughout the year.

We are Platinums and sailed on the Magic in August and late October. We knew nothing about the $25 casino cash! Where did you see this perk and how do we get it on our Jan. Pride cruise?

We sailed on the Koningsdam in early 2020 and we had breakfast several times at New York Deli and  Pizza. It was great and no crowds that you find at the Buffet. I don't recall what we ate but it wasn't pizza, but was breakfast food like bagels, etc. Sad to think it won't be open for breakfast on our Rotterdam cruise in Dec. if it doesn't open until 11:30 on the K.

Thanks for your post. I stopped reading the original thread about slots in the Ocean Bar because it was hysteria. DH and I will be part of the 600 passengers on the Dec. 1st $50,000 slot tournament. We were on the Koningsdam in ealy 2020 for the $50,000 slot tournament and additional slots in the Ocean Bar will be welcomed on the Rotterdam as the K's casino was overwhelmed every night!

All the cruises we take now are with casino rates and promos. The only promo that shows up in the booking details is the onboard credit.  I always contact the Players Club before we sail to verify the free drinks, Fun Play, etc. and then print out their response to take with me in case there is any question one on board. Sometimes it takes a week to receive their response, so don't leave it to the last minute before the cruise. Have a great cruise!

We have had two balcony cabins on the Magic's Lido deck recently - last week and in Aug. Loved the great location. Say hi to Agus if he is your room steward - he is terrific and we had him for both cruises. Have a great sailing!

We have always  tipped the Neptune Lounge concierges at the end of the cruises because they have always provided excellent service while we have sailed with them. Only once we didn't because we had been stuck with a disappointing Guarantee Neptune way aft on Deck 4 so we hardly ever went to the Lounge. First and last time we would ever do a Guarantee Neptune Suite. The other six times we were close to the Lounge and used it every day.

No one can make us buy a smart phone. The expense is not a problem, it's the principle that we just don't need or want one. We have been on two Carnival cruises, August and late October, and were given menus in the restaurants and our room steward brought us the printed out daily newsletter every night. We certainly didn't need a smart phone on those cruises. We do have a newer Tracphone we use ONLY when traveling in case of an emergency while driving. 99% of the time it is in my purse turned off and I only have to charge it a couple of times per year. We eat out, shop, and do many things you people use your smart phones for and we never have a problem. But, don't try to take my laptop from me😀

Have sailed twice on the Magic, Aug. and Oct., and the smoking and non-smoking areas are well defined with a large walkway between them. The Magic also now has a totally smoke free casino on Deck 4 in addition to the main casino on Deck 5.

The OP has missed the point - we are in the age of Covid and bringing extra people into the cabin to deliver our free water, free chocolate covered strawberries, etc is good sense. I don't want a lot of people coming into my cabin during a cruise now possibly brining germs with them. We have been on two Carnival Magic cruises since August, just debarked from one yesterday, and knowing we as Platinums couldn't go to our cabin upon embarkation was not a big deal - I selected a later arrival time so when we had finished lunch, the cabins were all available. The once a day cabin cleaning is no big deal  Going to a bar to pick up our free water was not a big deal either. Yes, it used to be nice to have all these things, but we have a pandemic going on that won't quit soon, so we just live with the changes instead of griping about them.  In the big scheme of things happening in our world today, these little "inconveniences" are of no consequence. It's not a point of Carnival saving money, it's a health safety thing and I'm all for it.