Teresa T. C.

I just came back from an Elite cruise about three weeks ago. You are absolutely right, we had around 102 Elite cruisers with me and hubby and counting us, that makes 104 in all. The casino was not packed, except the first night, and then after that, I could find any machine I wanted to play. I won 300 on the Elite cruise the first night of give-a-ways and then another 300 right after that and people in my Elite group complained that the same people win all the time. I can tell you, I did not get any free play for my Elite cruise (others did get upwards of 1,000) and I wondered if I won that amount as they did not give it to me in my offer. I usually do not win anything, so I was thrilled with that first win and never even thought I would win anything else but I am grateful I did. The give-a-ways in the casino were nice and after my two-streak win, I did not win again and no one else won twice. As a matter of fact, my chances would have been improved as when they scrolled through the names on the list of Elites, people were not in the casino and so they had to call three or four names just to find one winner who was actually present. So, definitely not a bunch of Elites in the casinos hogging the machines. Just my .02 worth.

I began on Sunshine and continue to love it for the people I sail with. I have made many cruise friends on Sunshine and most of the people on Celebration were not as friendly. I did meet two couples but I met them in the specialty restaurant and not out and about. Also faster for me, as I live in Johnson City, TN and have family in Hickory NC. Also it is where my alma mater is - MUSC!

Ok, so I just took an Elite trip in August and we were on the Celebration. Before that, I had mostly cruised on board the Sunshine which is an older ship that sails outside of Charleston. Impressions/Pros: Celebration was huge, the embarkation at Miami was very nice, we literally got out of the chauffeured black car and immediately they took our luggage and we went in the port. Then it was similar to Charleston as we took our paper, showing as we went. Finally, after the initial sign in, they sent us to the Platinum/Diamond area where they have very nice seating to wait until we could board. After boarding, the areas on the ship were, of course, much larger. One of my favorite things about Celebration (a much bigger ship than Sunshine) was that there were rehearsals and shows that you could watch without a ticket as they were out in the main area. Literally, you could come out of the casino and see a show being performed. Another big plus for me is their cooking academies. I took a cupcake cooking class and it was SOOOOO much fun! They taught us how to make the molten cake and their special frosting. You are taught by one of their chefs. Next, we didn't have to pay for Cucina. On Celebration Cucina is one of your free dining options. You check in on your phone and then go sit down to eat. The same exact food I spend 18$ a person on Sunshine. If you love to shop - then bigger ships will help you do that. There were several shops on Celebration and we only have four options on Sunshine (if I remember correctly). The casinos are bigger and do have way more machines if you gamble. You could usually find a seat at one of your favorite machines as they have several of the ones that stay packed on other smaller ships. The rooms are new and the toilet does not sit sideways (as it does on Sunshine, which drives hubby crazy!) As for pools, on Sunshine there are two. One small one on lido and one tiny one on the adult only area. On Celebration, there are four. Most of them are mid size. Impressions/Cons: Celebration does have a much larger capacity and therefore, there were a ton of people on board. As we are talking about people, the people who cruised on the same cruise as me on Celebration were not as nice as people I have cruised out of Charleston with. It could be that we just had more rude people on board or Charleston cruisers are just more friendly. There were several who very rude to the staff - acting more entitled, which drives me nuts. On Sunshine I felt like the casino attendants are more personable and usually came to speak to me every day, offering comps, and just saying hello. On Celebration since it is a bigger ship, I am sure there are way more people who spend more than I do, so I only saw my casino host maybe every other day, if lucky, and comps were not as good. Overall, I would go back on a larger ship as I really liked the cooking academy and the shows that were free to all and accommodated any who wanted to watch. However, with those two things said, I have two cruises booked on Sunshine and none yet on others. Does that tell you where my heart is?

Hi, just going on my first Elite. It does not have Jack Daniels. No Crown Royal or at least not on mine.

I have a friend who is ECHO and she says there are definitely some ECHO sailings where they have more ECHO customers on board than they would with elite. I want to say she said there was a celebration sailing or something like that for new ECHO members. I honestly can't remember. I was more interested that they flew her in for the cruise. That I remember clearly. With flights being more and more expensive and them nickel and diming you for every little thing, I have gotten to where I do not like flying. BTW, I had heard the same as what you said about premier and ultras being packed, so that is one reason I do not book those. Although with ultra, it seems if they had their old program where they gave bigger gifts to all attendees then I might would consider it. For now, the free suite, 1,000 in free play has been my go to. Going on my first Elite in two weeks out of Miami.

Thank you so much! I appreciate the information. It will help me consider if it is worth it or not. I may or may not go for ECHO. I like playing at different Casinos and so I try to spread the love and it seems like ECHO might be for those who concentrate only on Carnival or have the capital to spend the excess. I guess I could not go on cruises every month and save the money to spend the bigger bank roll. It truly does help me consider the options. Caesar's has been calling asking where I am.... LOL Thank you again!!

Just curious. I spend a bunch on carnival and usually get a bunch of casino points (between 5,000 and 8,000 a day). I always qualify for Elite but I am wondering do they base echo on how much you spend in a year or do they base it on how much you spend a day/trip? Do you know how your qualified? I believe I qualified for Elite because I spend that much per day. I could be wrong of course.

Thank you for responding. That was a four day cruise. I won a small jackpot on that cruise. What typically happens is I win and then lose a lot of it back. Now I have gotten a bit smarter and bought a gambling bank. The gambling bank is a metal bank with a slot that you stick a percentage of your money in so that you don't lose it all back. The bank has two keys to it. Leave them at home! Another tip is to cash out when you get to a larger amount. For me that is 800 - 1,000. When I cash out, I put 200 of the 1,000 in the bank, then use the rest to play more. It truly is entertainment for me but I also don't want to be a dummy about my spending. With a gambling bank, you guarantee yourself to go home with some money. Now, here is a tip for that slow casino bar. Remember to tip cash or chips to your server. I usually tip 2-5 dollars. If there are fewer servers, then I tip 5 dollars the first time, then 1-2 each time I get a drink. Your server will learn your name and will be coming back to you a LOT faster! They appreciate cash instead of putting it on your account (as tax is taken out of their check and I am sure they have to split with everyone - so be kind to your personal server by giving him/her cash). I take a small bundle of dollar bills with me to tip in cash. I usually bring around 20-30 dollars in ones. If you win a Jackpot, don't forget your server and the host, give them 10-20. I am telling you, it makes a big difference. Those folks don't make as much as you think they do. They truly appreciate everything you give them. Hope that helps, Teresa

That may be because the last Elite offer expired on July 3rd. They will send out new offers in probably the next week or so.

Actually, you can. I did. I not only got an Elite, but also an Ultra and Premier. Even the booking agent didn't believe me when I called them to book the second cruise for me. I also got a free balcony and drinks in an offer left in my door the night before debarkation on my very first carnival cruise. However, I play a LOT. I have been going on Carnival now for the last year and a few month. I will be Gold this coming cruise (next week) - a testament to how many free cruises I have gotten. I mainly get free suite deals now but I am going on an Elite cruise in August. The free suite, free drinks, and free casino money is a hard deal to pass up.

It depends on the number of days of your cruise. I usually have between 17,000 and 20,000 casino points for a four day and for a five day+ then 20,000 plus. The very first cruise I did with Carnival I had over 19,000 and received an Elite, Ultra and Premiere all at the same time. I also received an offer the night before debarkation for free balcony, free drinks, etc. It is also nice that usually on my second day of my cruise, the casino host comes to me and offers a night in the steakhouse and bottles of wine -which he knows by now are my favorite. I agree with the person who posted earlier in this thread. You pay for your cruise through gambling. If you are a super lucky person (which I am not but I do win occasionally) then you come out ahead, if not, then you pay for all those cruise things like your suite, cash, free drinks and meals through gambling. It is a trade off. I am sure if your gambling decreases, then offers will decrease as well. Just my thoughts, but I think that would be true. So gamble one cruise and spend the money gambling, then you can book bunches with the free offers. But know that if you don't keep it up, then your offers will go down. T

Thank you for this wonderful description. I have another question. If you are flying into Fort Lauderdale, will the transfer service pick you up from there? Must I fly into Miami is what I am wondering? Thank you ahead of time for your answer. Teresa

The Charleston, SC port is closing at the end of 2024. Will there be an additional port for Carnival customers who live in NC, SC and GA?

I love it! I have my doctorate and I am a professor at a university. I have several guns and so does hubby - (hey, we live in TN & NC where people hunt and protect themselves....). I have been on Norwegian and a couple other fancier lines. I have bought the suites (Haven) and I have more fun on Carnival than I have ever had on any other vacation or cruise line. With that said, I have not tried Celebrity or Royal Caribbean but have comp offers that I am looking at so I may give them a chance...

Just cruised out of Charleston on Sunshine and no dog sniffing at all.