mredandchis

i use the carnival master card for everything. I use to just use a debit card all the time. Now i just pay the card off each month. Even you cell bill will earn you points. Now when you look at the rewards when cashing them in there is slight differences in the point value. Sometime each point is worth a penny and other times more like each point is worth .85 of a cent. I dont get the cheers package as we arent heavy drinkers but we do enjot a few here and there so i get the $100 bar tab. I get the first 100 dollars of drinks free. It doesnt take long but frees up money for other things. But to answer you question i havent found anything that doesnt generate points.

Getting our 3rd set of headphones in a month, my wife asked guest services if they had anything else, and on our ship they had the nightlights as an alternative! Each ship usually has some different items if you ask!

Now that I didnt know.

Per Matt Mitchum this will be the new Platinum/Diamond gift. Looks pretty cool, not going till November oh well.

 

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interesting. I got them on a cruise last spring around mothers day on the Conquest. Got 4 cause we did a back to back. Gave the grandkids each one and they do work well and are very comfortable. Last week got tote bags.

i have repeated cruises on a different ship. Really , i dont care where it is going as long as it is in the water. Been to Cozumel so many times I think i am considered a regular at a resturant. Staying on board aint bad. The hot tubs and pools are pretty empty. And it over all quiet for a little while but people start to drift back earlier than later.

Ask me anything!

 

 

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How late did you leave Charleston? I was on her when we got back late. We had some heavy winds coming back from Bermuda. Isnt she well kept? And the crew were great. We had a lot of motion but I didnt see anyone really sick. Just some people feeling a little queezy.

halloween cruises are a blast. People are so original and you see everything. I wonder sometimes how the manage to get the stuff on board. I mean a old time southern bell dress got to take a large suitcase alone. A couple that won one of the awards were scary. They were some sort of ghouls pushing a baby carriage with a automated ghoul in it. The man had a tall top hat and then a creature at the end of a stick that moved. It was like they were out for a sunday stroll. They never spoke, just grinned. People gave them a wide berth. As for a dress up idea....... Dress like the crew of a different cruise line. It would be good for a lot of laughs

"

Cruise ships are essentially mini cities, no real reason to believe they are devoid of thiefs."

I guess I just wasn't raised with this kind of attitude. We routinely leave, iPhone, iPad, camera, S&S card in our bag by our lounge chair. I would never think twice about someone reaching into my bag and stealing personal belongings on a cruise ship. I would relate a cruise to a resort, not a city of thieves.

On the whole you are correct, most people are pretty honest. That being said there are reports of theft. People are people, there are always some bad. I have heard of diamond rings going missing in a blink of an eye. Security does a good job but do be aware. I saw a camera sitting on a table in the pool area. I kept an eye on it and about 30 min later i picked it up and took it to guest services. No one questioned me when i walked off lido. I just think the person forgot they had it with them. I am sure if they reported it lost and found would have been checked.

We cruise in less thank 2 weeks for the first time! I have a few questions about the S&S cards...

Do they require everyone in your family to have one? We have two daughters ages 11 and 9 who will be with us the majority of the time, except for a tiny bit of time in kids club...they will not be on their own on the ship.

We plan on putting $1000 cash on our S&S cards in total...is it true that gratuities will be taken out of this during the cruise or I think I read I can prepay those? Can we adjust the amount when prepaying and then also tip cash onboard? I don't want to have gratuities taken out of our cash while sailing as I want there to be enough for spending and dont want to scramble to cover that kid of stuff.

Other question....I saw the long thread on lanyards. I guess its easiest to get one and wear it. I was thinking of just bringing a small bag with our towels and having it with us on loungers but if we get up to do water slides etc as a family...I dont want to leave the bag to be stolen and/or have to carry that around. Are bags generally safe left alone? Thanks for any help you can offer this newby! We are excited.

Ok I always prepay gratuties. When you get that receipt, print it and take it with you. Just in case it pops up on your bill. I actually usually with great service tip cash to the hand of the person that is deserving. Even the bar waiters, stewards and the coffee girl. They dont have to share that . also as for leaving stuff on a pool chair, they will relocate you items after a set time. I never saw anyone steal anything but if it goes missing usually staff has set it aside. You can watch your account spending at the kiosk, it is always good to keep track of it before it gets outta hand.

i did one many many years ago. Reading this a lot has changed. I had my camera but this was before cell phone cameras. What i remember most was going thru the kitchen and a couple guys were making a pretty dessert in tall glass cups. there had to be 500 of them. Just the number was amazing. I was disappointed then cause it wasnt the entire ship. Bridge and engineering were not part of it .

i have been on 2 journeys. You get to go deeper like the last one we stopped and Grenada and Tobago. Pretty much they do east west and south all in one cruise.

As soon as we boarded the Carnival Liberty in March, we were bombarded by people from the spa department. They told us to go to the Spa immediately to enter to win a $500.00 gift certificate for the Spa. So we went and entered. We were told we had to come back at 5:00pm for the draw. (have to be present to win). So there we are, ship is leaving Miami, and my GF and I are jammed pack in the "gym" portion waiting for this "draw" to take place. Must of been 300 people jammed in that space. All of a sudden, we get a lecture on services they offer, and then they do a draw for $50.00. They go on and on and tied up close to an hour drawing $50.00 every 10 min. I WON!!! Go to book our Spa package and use the "$50.00" certificate, and was told it was only good on regular priced spas! LMAO everything was on sale, and if you wanted to use it the spa packages started at $205.00. What a scam! What a way to force you to see what the Spa offers.

 

Don't waste your time with this "draw" as its bogus.

 

BTW we never did see a $500.00 winner.........:cool:

Yep, been there done that. Even in the fun shops you get tied up with a sales pitch but then that is why they do it. It wouldnt be so bad if they just accepted it even on sale prices. When it happened to me years ago I never have gone back. I probably have now saved 2 or 3000 in massages i didnt get.

If you have late or early seating, go see the Maitre d' ASAP when you board on day 1 and see about getting a table for 2. If you have anytime dining, get there right at 5:30 pm or around 9 pm and you will almost be guaranteed a table for 2.

Totally agree, works everytime. Sometimes they will make a reservation for you at anytime dining. Depending on the factors on that sailing.

Personally, I don't understand why you would buy Alcohol, cigarettes, or jewelry on a ship. The island prices are much better and no one is reporting you to customs. The watch prices on the ship are outrageous compared to St.Thomas, not the crap $10 watches, good watches

It depends on where you go. Yeah St Thomas is a good one. And that is a go to place. I went to Bermuda and prices on that island are a tad high. So each cruise is different. And since Effys started to do the jewelry store I talked them down to a good price. Man told my wife it was on sale and that was as low as he could go. yeah yeah yeah, 10 mins later they dropped the price 200 more. She had been looking at that same ring for 2 years. And you know what they say about a happy wife. So maybe one day i could have gotten it cheaper but the price became right and that is what matters

Hi

 

I hear what you are saying, but those things you mention...the singing, the dancing, the food, were always somewhat secondary. Going to the ocean, stepping onto the ship, knowing that tomorrow I will be somewhere different. Standing on deck, enjoying the sea breeze, watching the waves. Watching those sunrises and sunsets. Staring up at the sky at night looking at the moon and the stars, as well as anything else I can pick out, doesn't seem to get old for me.

 

I understand the thing about travelling solo. My wife died last year and change is really hard.

 

As you said, you find a balance. Instead of sailing many times, you just go it feels right. I can't see the food or the entertainment, or the taxes, turn me off from cruising. When I hear people complain about "another cutback" :), all I can think is, please, get real, find something important to complain about.

 

have a good day

I like you. Yes there are still other things besides food and entertainment. And yes there are cutbacks and like in the early years i seldom missed a show , now i seldom go to a show. Cruising changed and then i changed. I love the seaday brunch and I love the ocean. I have been to most every island, some so much i know some of the merchants. But I get to watch for sunrises and sunsets. I dont expect the CD to entertain me. I entertain me. It is what a person makes of it. Yesterday is gone, enjoy today. My wife will say, here is a cruise going to x y and z. I say if the boat will be in the water I will be happy.

Ive been hearing that they are reporting sales to customs. I bought 3 bottles of expensive scotch but I got thru, but I think they are reporting things to customs these days.

 

And the guys in the shops assured me that it was a gallon, or 2 bottles with no tax coming into Galveston. Surprise, now its every bottle into Galveston is taxed. Its now cheaper to just buy it here.

 

The guys working in the shops will lie or dont know and say sure buy this, you wouldnt be taxed. I asked the cruise director on Freedom if he knew the rules last dec when i cruised, i even went to the debark talk which i usually skip to find out (and i even stood in line to only be told to read the form myself) He told me to read the paper and could get it from my cabin steward to declare. I asked my cabin steward so i could see what i was supposed to declare and he told me to go to guest services lol. Though he did finally get the paper that said what needed to be declared, and sure enough no bottles were exempt. the people giving the debark talk dont even know the home port rules of where they sail from. If the cruise director doesnt know who does?

 

I wasnt impressed with the CD to be honest. I came home debating about cruising, but came up with a friend who was interested so im cruising, but only because a friend said yes.

 

But Big Brother is breathing down on you more and more.

 

Im glad you posted this, as I had been thinking they were doing this, and now we know. thanks for the post.

 

Im long since finding less fun in crusing and think you are right.

 

I also had a incident where i found a bottle of the scotch i bought onboard cheaper in the port of cozumel and they wouldnt let me take a picture of the price to price match, they said their manager has a policy of no pictures allowed.

You know, I didnt know they did that but it could be a requirement that Carnival must report it. That is on Big Brother. and you mentioned the texas tax, that is on Texas. But my problem is being falsely reported. And I wasnt alone. Now mind you, yes they tried to sell me the buy 3 get one free thing. But this wasnt my first rodeo. It is a 11 dollar tariff on additional cartons. There were a few people in there for that issue. Some bought more than allowed liquor and others exceeded the duty free. You know, if I was over allowances I would have said my bad. I think when i say i am a bit miffed I am being kind. I have never had this issue before, and i really dont like it.

You are miffed with Carnival because of taxes?

Taxes actually had nothing to do with it. I didnt owe any before , during or after. Neither did my daughter. What ever the "selection" process is that Carnival used was in error. Basically I was turned in and falsely accused. I was just wondering if this was a new thing or just a one time computer glitche.

Hi

 

I am just trying to understand.

 

For the OP...how is this something that Carnival is responsible for?

 

For Firefly...how does this make cruising "less fun".

Well. I got the letter in the stateroom from Carnival. The letter stated I owed customs. For instance, you are allowed 800 dollars duty free per person, you are traveling with your SO, which makes that 1600 for your party. You spend 900 in merchandise at the fun shops. Carnival sends you the midnight mail that says you will wait to disembark because you are over. Even the customs guy in a matter of less than 2 shakes of a lambs tail said i wasnt over. There was a lot of angry people down there that couldnt figure out WHY they were there. I just never ever saw this before in any of my cruises. Oh i got tapped by customs many years ago for a search but I was honest and had gone over my 1600 dollar limit by about 100. That issue was between Customs and myself. The cruise line wasnt part of that one. This was a Carnival preselection that wasnt done with much thought.

Been on the Vista and it is a nice ship. It did seem a little tight. It is hard to explain but seemed like a lot was crowded into it. Unlike the Dream, which is like the Magic you were on and i believe is a dream class. So it was a little hard getting around, but wasnt a bad experience at all so yeah, I would sail on the Panorama.

I just got off Carnival Ecstasy last saturday coming back from Bermuda into Charleston. We were late getting in due to bad weather which is understandable. But I got a letter overnight telling me i had to report to the Neon Bar at 1030 because I owed customs. I had bought 2 cartons of cigarettes on board and spent some money at the jewelry store. I was under any limits even with the few bucks I spent on shore. My daughter was traveling with her family seperately and spent like 1300 on jewelry on board. She got a letter saying she was over limits also and to report the same as me. There were easily 30 or 40 people standing in line. We waited for over an hour untill a custom guy came on and started to see people. He asked about the jewelry and the cigarettes but saw i was in good shape in about 45 seconds. Of course leaving the ship security was turning someone around that was suppose to see customs also and held up the line. then when i got to him he stopped me and asked to see the card and the stamp the customs placed on it. My question is "Is this something new?" and why were we selected when things are calculated by number in party. For me I was with my wife , hence 2 cartons without duty. For my daughter 4 persons hence 3200 and she didnt have more than 2000 total. Just wandering if this is something i need to consider on the next cruise. It was a PITB. And really delayed our departure. Thanks

bad behavior? been on 3 carnival cruises this year alone. Does a lady getting food from the lido line before it opens count? I have never saw anything worse than that. Honestly.

i was loyal to Royal for years, also did Princess, Norwegian, HollandAmerica, and one other. My brother in law introduced me to Carnival. I also heard the party crowd thing also but was surprised it wasnt like people said. That was back in 2007, and i now have a bunch of Carnival sailings. And Carnival is like the rest that i avoid things like spring break and all but overall cruisers are cruisers and most are great to be around.

Ok i have been on the sunshine for a journey cruise and have been on the Dream a few times which is the sister ship. I like both, but what i look for are recent reviews and see how the crew is on each. I find the crew will make or brake a cruise no matter where the ship goes or how pretty it is. That is just my thoughts.

It is a ship, close enough. I just got back yesterday, and I find we dont have a next one planned, I am borrowing your cloud and working on it .

I took my wife to the steakhouse for mothers day this year. Neither of us could finish it all. It is like 38 dollars for all you can eat. I never had such a large meal, with the exception of thanksgiving.

We do it both ways. Both work and i havent seen any difference in price either.