queenerin

Lmao! Well, better late than never!

Enjoy the Magic! Looking forward to the review already! :)

How did you know I have one of those!?:eek: That describes her very accurately!:p

 

I have to say, all three of your options have a lot of merit.:D

Haha, your sister and I got all the confrontational "skills" if you will, and you and my sister got left with the "quiet and sweet" demeanors.

It's life's way of balancing the scales :p

I'm a 5'5", 135 lb. woman. Not big.:o Nevertheless, I tried to stick up for myself to this hateful woman while also trying to be helpful to her. I have never forgotten that I have the freedom not to speak - so no lesson needed, thanks. I just sometimes make the wrong choice, as I already owned up to when I related my story.;)

I have absolutely no issue with confrontation...that being said my sister is very similar to you, in that she HATES confrontation and unless you REALLY push her into a corner, she will avoid it at all costs.

I'll tell you the three options I'd give her for the next time that occurs:

1) Ignore the snarky shrews...get your GS business taken care of (in a much quicker fashion than them.. :) ) and as you walk away, while they're still standing there being the 'lovely, polite ladies' they are, smile...wave...and walk away. If they attempt to talk to you, don't turn your head, don't give them any reason to think that their nasty demeanor is going to stay on your mind. People like that have nothing better to do than to make other people as miserable as they are.

2) Take your meaner, more vocal big sister with you next time you go to the GS line to ward off any bitter shrews that may try to rain on your parade. :p

3) The only way to avoid ANY chance at confrontation is to pretend you didn't hear a thing and ignore them completely. Even with option 1...if they're persistent in being nasty, they'll try to drag it out if you give them any sign you give a crap.

Try to remember that people that act like that are basically bullying you. By them making the comments that loudly to make sure you can hear them, they're banking on you either letting them get away with it, or attempting to 'fight back' -- and since there's more than 1 of them, they think they'll win either way. Similar to how people have more backbone online, people in groups seem to feel untouchable as well. Just be glad you're not associated with them, and only have to deal with them for that short wait in your FTTF GS line. ;)

My least favorite ship was the Glory. The lido deck was always crowded/congested, I wasn't a fan of the CD (Cannot even remember their name), and the debarking/re-boarding process in the ports always seemed very unorganized.

With that being said, I still had a great time. Just in comparison, it was my least favorite cruise overall. (I was on the Glory in 11/2011)

On the flip side -- my favorite ships are the Pride and the Legend. Maybe things were laid out in a way that there never seemed to be "overly" crowded areas on the lido, etc. on these ships. It's been a long time, but I didn't have any issues that stayed with me on either cruise. (I was on the Legend in 1/2011, the Pride in 10/2004)

It really comes down to what kind of consumer you are, in my opinion.

I like to know what I'm buying if I'm spending a significant amount of money. That means reading the fine print/terms and conditions. Which is probably why ES has always been a great deal for me. I've had at least 2 price drops on every cruise I've booked with Carnival. (Sometimes it amounts to $50 OBC, sometimes $200)

Sometimes ES just isn't going to be a fit for some people for whatever reason. If that's the case...don't book it. There are other rate options available.

I checked the Mahogany Bay website...and they're saying the "all day pass" is $12.00 per person and allows unlimited rides on the chairs. That's the only price I saw listed. (Not sure if there's a one way/two way option...and it's been years since I was there.)

I've been told it's by age and the group you're sailing with. (Married couples, vs. single cruisers)

The only time I've been with a group small enough that we were seated with other cruisers...I was with my mom and my grandmother. The ladies they sat us with were a daughter, mother, and grandmother. So it seemed pretty perfectly matched.

It seems something is being overlooked here. When you book (cruise, airline, hotel, rental car, etc) you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of a written contract that you have the opportunity to review. If you voluntarily fail to actually review the contract that is your fault and not the fault of the carrier.

 

Most, if not all, contracts contain wording that states the written contract is the final agreement and any statement by agents or employees can not modify the written contract. Even if that wording is not in the contract it is a long standing legal concept that a written contract can only be modified in a written manner and not verbally.

 

So, regardless of what the employee/agent has said, the contract is the binding agreement. A person is wrong to demand the company adhere to verbal statements made by an employee unless they have those statement in a written format like an email or text.

 

Having said that, Carnival could do a little more agent training. I spoke to a Carnival agent a couple of days ago who didn't even know what Faster To The Fun (FTTF) was.

 

Just my opinion and thoughts.

I completely agree with this.

An additional thought...someone that KNOWS what the fare stipulations are, calls for one reason for another and receives information they KNOW is false and attempts to hold the company to that...is taking advantage of the situation.

"I know what stipulations my rate has, but because I spoke with a poorly trained individual that unintentionally gave me incorrect information, I'm going to demand compensation for price drops that I'm not entitled to."

I mean......really?

Mongolian Wok (every day) and the Wild Mushroom Soup;) Pink

Ugh! I love mushroom EVERYTHING! On my last cruise I had the wild mushroom soup and I had my first allergic reaction to food. My throat closed up and I had to go to the medical room where they gave me a shot in the rear and put me on a nebulizer.

The Maitre’D checked on me later that night and had the recipe delivered to my room – but it was about 3 pages long and I have NO IDEA what caused the reaction.

Sad that I have to avoid it….but definitely not worth the outcome!

It was very good though…before the lack of oxygen set in. 

A few favorites:

The prime rib on formal night

The warm chocolate melting cake with ice cream (Not a huge chocolate fan, but I liked it.)

The panko shrimp

I always have omelets from the omelet station on the lido deck in the mornings…mushroom & cheese.

Yes, it is.

I prefer balcony cabins because it's a nice place to relax in the morning, and before bed...without whatever may be going on in the main deck areas. It's a nice perk.

I like choosing a floor that is between two floors of cabins, so I am not directly below the Lido deck, or directly above the atrium/dining rooms/bars/etc.

I like choosing the room location as well. I avoid being right by the doors between the elevators and the rooms, as it's a high traffic area and is prone to a lot of noise most of the day and night. I also avoid being directly across from the laundry room -- same reason, noise.

It's obviously impossible to control ALL the possible interruptions and annoyances, but I try to avoid the obvious ones. I still pack earplugs, and refuse to let other people ruin my vacation. :)

There is absolutely no obligation to book with a PVP. Regardless of how many times they call or e-mail you.

If I had a PVP that was rude, pushy, or incompetent I would book online. End of story. A sob story is not going to make me book a cruise when I am not interested, and it is not going to make me work with someone that I don't want to. Insensitive? Sure. But that's the bottom line.

I choose to book with my PVP because I'm often booking more than one room and need my dinner reservations linked, etc, etc. I also like my PVP. She has always returned calls and e-mails promptly and been great over the years. If I didn't have a positive booking experience with her, I would find a new PVP or book online.

Anyone that attempted to make me feel bad for not going through them would lose future business from me. I will handle my vacation planning as I see fit, and I do not have to answer to a PVP.

I had a great PVP that I used for all my past cruises. In the past 6 months or so I've been receiving e-mails from a different PVP claiming to be my rep. I dug through all my old saved messages...found MY rep's e-mail, and got in touch with her. She stated that when new people are hired in...Carnival re-assigns accounts...basically taking accounts from the seasoned reps. She immediately put me back into her accounts and thanked me for remembering her. (She actually remembered my Mom specifically as she has booked a lot more cruises than I have.)

Just as an FYI for anyone that has had this happen...it's an easy fix if you still have the contact information for your prior rep.

Also...if you don't like your rep or they aren't responding in a timely manner...find a new one. Why deal with someone that you aren't receiving good service from? There are too many alternatives. I'd rather book online than have to wait a week to get a response from a PVP.

I'm LOVING the review so far!!!!!!!!!!!

I just booked on the Valor for Dec 14, 2014 -- these will be all new ports for me -- I can't wait. :)

Looking forward to the rest of your review -- It's helping me plan. I already have an idea of what I want to do in each port, but a few things might change since I'm seeing things I like better now...haha.

Which port do you think had the best shopping areas? I know you said shopping isn't YOUR cup of tea -- but did your friend Emily mention any favorites?

Thanks for being detailed and posting so many great pictures!