RoperDK

16 hours ago, PaulMedik said:

 

You steward has few assigned rooms and more to detail.

Our cabin steward had the standard number of rooms assigned.  Our Ocean Suite had no extra servicing at all.  Our OS was one of those OT rounded balcony staterooms so there were really no other suites in that area.  

I have to admit that I have only scanned the last few pages, but here is my 2 cents worth.  We are basically done with Carnival for a while.  We haven't cruised on Celebrity yet but have one booked.  We have moved over to Royal any enjoy them, especially in sky suite class. We did one NCL years ago and just haven't returned (no particular reason). We have done a couple on Princess and did cruise to Alaska on them.  In general, we wouldn't go back to Princess because we are a bit more casual and fun loving than their target group. HOWEVER, we would sail Princess to Alaska again in a heartbeat.  You need to choose an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay.  Only Carnival Corporation ships go there to the best of my knowledge.  It is an entire day of multiple glacier views.  They bring on a National Park Service person to narrate for the day. Princess has a lot of nature and history programs during the week.  We learned so much. We would choose Royal Princess over the older ships.  It is beautiful and has extra bells and whistles.  We did the Southbound out of Whittier.  We spent a couple of days in Anchorage and then took the train to Whittier and spent a couple of nights at the Inn at Whittier.  We took the 26 glacier tour out of Whittier and saw Hubbard Glacier from the multi-story high speed catamaran. Boarded our Princess ship and spent a week ending up at Vancouver.  We transferred to Seattle and spent a couple of days touring there.  We all thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would do it again in a heartbeat.           

1 hour ago, Houst said:

Why do your tips more when staying in a suite if they don't do anything different? Like twice a day? Just wondering.

Good question.  We were also on MG in an Ocean Suite.  Just a bit larger than a balcony cabin.  No extra services at all.  If you are staying in one of the larger Excel Suites perhaps the extra cleaning required could be considered a reason for a larger tip.   

I've been on different Oasis class ships 5 times and 2 times on MG.  We just disembarked MG this past Saturday. My oh my, it sure seemed crowded.  Much more that our cruise on MG last year.  We were at full capacity.  You were fine if you went to eating places after the opening rush or went to shows very early to find a seat.  Service was hit or miss and food quality was just okay for us.  The ship is beautiful and I love the neighborhood themes.  The casino is huge!  I really want to like MG, but I feel it just isn't for us.  We will be on Wonder of the Seas next month.  We really like Oasis class.  You have to really plan your trip though.  You need to make reservations for shows and dining which makes you plan out your cruise too much for us.  It does get crowded at times, but traffic flow is pretty good unless you happen to want an elevator when dining or a show get out.  I have felt that Royal has better food, but recently there have been cutbacks.  I will know more once we get off of Wonder next month.  I prefer Oasis class, but MG isn't too far behind if food isn't too important to you.      

33 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Good heavens the uproar that someone might have to go without alcohol for a few hours during the day or heaven forbid walk to a particular bar to get your fix. Makes me wonder what kind of crowd is sailing Celebrity these days. 😁😁

Geez.  🤔🙄  It really isn't about the alcohol.  It's about continued cutback surprises. 

3 hours ago, Bostwick girl said:

Couldn’t see your pictures, but we did the partial transit on Miracle a couple of years ago. Favorite cruise ever! We were on deck 4 back. Looking down at the crew watching from deck 3 was so neat, they were as excited as we were!  I’d still love to do it again!

 

Lol, did I mess up on the pics?  Sometimes tech messes with me. 🙃

Deck 3 aft on the Legend.  Only crew were allowed on this deck during the transit.  They had cables tied off all along deck 3.  

The view from our deck 4 aft wrap balcony.  We've done the transit a couple of times and it never gets old!  

So sorry for your loss.  May your memories bring comfort.  Condolences to you and your family. 

I do know there is a smoking area on deck 8 just forward of Bar De La Rosa.  That is near the center elevator bank location on the starboard side.  We had a balcony cabin on deck 15 directly above the area.  We got an occasional whiff of smoke smell even up there.  The area was quite lively both day and night.  I definitely wouldn't want to have a lower deck balcony above that area.  

Not sure about prices going down after final payment at this point in time.  I think ships are sailing pretty full.  As for casino offers, I have found they only have a limited number of cabins available for casino bookings.  Once those cabins are gone, the offer still looks available, but you won't be able to book using the offer.  In other words, there won't be any discount available for your cabin type.  You might get your extras (DOU and Freeplay) though.  Good luck.  

1 minute ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

No doubt they think - well, if they want upscale amenities, move on up to some of our other lines under our umbrella. I'm just guessing here, but does anyone know if HAL or Princess offer coffee makers in the rooms, at least in suites? 

 

Not that it comes with any great perks, but after booking our first MSC cruise (giving them a try in April), we were able to match to their Gold level right off the bat, owing to our VIFP level with Carnival. Our second sailing on Royal had us at their Diamond level, thanks to the tier we had achieved at that point with Celebrity... that's keeping the money "in house".

 

Tom

I've never been on Hal, so don't have info on that.  Princess doesn't have coffee in cabin for mini-suites like Royal does.  I don't remember seeing one in our friend's full suite, either.

Curious to hear about your MSC cruise.  We almost booked the yacht club on their new ship out of Port Canaveral but chickened out.  We are going on our first Celebrity cruise next year and with Royal's tier match we will start out as Elite.  Nice perk!      

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

LOL - yep, apparently that's just an issue that Carnival perceives that their guests would have, Most other lines offer them in their rooms, some with pretty nice setups. On Celebrity we had both a coffee maker and a tea kettle in our room.

 

Tom

Never understood why Carnival didn't include a coffee maker in their suites like other lines do.  There aren't that many suites and there's plenty of room.  Probably didn't want the cabin stewards to have to keep them clean and resupplied.  Too bad. 

Here are some pics of our bump out suite (OT) on deck 15.  We loved it.  Great views out to sea.  You can be seen from and see into a lot of balconies.  We occasionally visited with balcony neighbors, but most people just mind their own business.  I like that the balcony was fully covered which doesn't happen on deck 9.  The balcony was as deep as the overhang.  We booked this same cabin on MG for this month.

Does Java Blue offer grab and go salads and sandwiches during dinner?  How late are they open and are the offerings good?  Thought it might be an option if we want to skip dinner, but have something in the cabin for a late snack.   

10 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

On Celebrity, if you're in a RS or higher category cabin, they waive the 5% fee.

 

Tom

Lol, we might do a Sky Suite but the RS is not on our radar.  

21 hours ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

Too bad they aren't like Royal in that you can still get drinks at the casino bar, and don't have to be playing.

That is a great perk on Royal for gamblers.  We ended up getting Cheers because drink service in the casino while at the slots is iffy.  Much better for table players as they can request a server from the pit.  Royal is usually more expensive, but with easy casino drinks and getting 4 drinks per day per person for being Diamond, we don't need the drink package.  

6 minutes ago, icft said:

We are not happy with the "Stateroom Attendant" (they no longer have Stewards, just maids) situation  but it has nothing to do with once a day or twice a day. It is them trying to force us onto their schedule, and it keeps getting worse.

 

We sail mostly on the Glory. Our sailing season is September to April and we did three cruises thru April of last year and so far have done three since September of last year. Starting in September we are no longer offered evening service. It is "I clean between x (with x being some obscene early time) to noon. What time would you like me to come?"

 

So far we have done fine with saying anytime after 10 and putting the snooze sign out to cover the few times we are not out by 10. But we resent them trying to put us on a schedule for their convenience. They are now little different than motel maid service, but motel maids don't try to dictate your schedule.

 

So, do we like it? No. Is it a big deal? Not at this point - just a minor irritation. But it does make the gratuities game even more absurd. Do you tip the maids at the motel? Before the attack dogs come, we prepay the cruise gratuities and consider it part of the cruise price. The gratuities are just Carnival itemizing employee pay but they don't include it in their cruise price to keep the advertised cruise price down. We are not going to hurt the crew because Carnival chooses to play games. 

I hear ya and understand where you are coming from, but this is a tough crowd.  

Is there any benefit to priority boarding for Premier cruises?  Do they give you a handout with events or will that be in the cabin?  We are on the MG Premier in 2 weeks and we are Platinum and in a Suite.  I figured I'd just hang out in the suite area before boarding unless there is something special for Premier.  

4 hours ago, x lindsay x said:

You can use it in the casino, there are no restrictions but they will charge a 3% service charge if you use it at table games, no charge at slots. 

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I don't get that... is it because they feel that you're more likely to lose it at slots than on a table? Heck, they should encourage people even more by offering a bonus when you charge (and actually use) money, lol...

 

Tom

I don't get it either.  Why let slot players access cash for free, but not table players?  Does Carnival have a level of gambler where they waive the fee?  On Royal they waive the fee when you are Prime and that level isn't really that hard to achieve.  

3 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

he’s the best. He’s working on making different stuffed olives for the bar, for martinis and to snack on 

Blue cheese stuffed olives are amazing!

14 minutes ago, markkw07 said:

Can we get a breakdown of the “huge problems” that everyone experiences? 

I am just curious as to what they are.

Bacon?

2x vs 1x daily room cleaning?

Too strong drinks? Really?

Fries? 

Crew is miserable? VS Crew is happy?

Good Food? vs Crap food?

Why the guest services line is always a mile long? What are people's issues? Are they self created?

 

 

I can answer this after my MG cruise in 2 weeks.  I doubt that people overall have huge problems.  I just think that they wish things were like they were back in the good old days (pre covid).  Airlines, hotels, restaurants, cruises and everything else is different and sometimes it seems a bit much. If you cruise on Carnival, you should expect a Carnival "Fun", but value experience.  It is very different from Royal Suite class or the Celebrity Retreat.  I do expect mostly good service and food, especially in the lunch venues.  BTW...I like strong drinks and hope that I get some!     

6 minutes ago, Theosprey247 said:

Remember when people were up in arms about rust? Now it’s bacon and room service, and other things that don’t effect most cruisers. Those were the salad days I tell ya. 

Lol, I'm still upset about the bacon. 🤣  Now I hear that Guy's doesn't have sautéed mushrooms anymore.  Oh the humanity!!!

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I was not shaming you.  There is a big difference between asking for extra ice and asking them to do double the work for your cabin, which is basically what a guest is  doing if you insist on twice a day service.

 

Fair enough.  I know that only once a day is offered now.  Period.  Before the pandemic twice a day was an approved service.  Post pandemic, staffing is so short that twice a day isn't even offered, so no one can add to the steward's burden.  I am on MG in 2 weeks and am curious to see how it goes in all areas because I've heard so many stories of short staffing.  I am easy to please and have a positive outlook, so I imagine I will be just fine.          

6 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

Knowing how many more cabins the stewards now have to service, I would never ask for this unless I handing them a very generous tip at the same time.

This was pre pandemic when twice a day was offered. No need to shame me for asking for extra services not offered to everyone.  I've only cruised Carnival once post restart and although only once per day was offered, my wonderful cabin steward brought me ice for my knee twice a day.  He did receive a generous tip for going above and beyond.  I've cruised on other lines several times since the restart and they still offered twice a day.  Their cabin stewards weren't stretched so thin.    

41 minutes ago, choppe said:

I have never used my phone to make calls while at sea but does anyone know if I will be able to use wifi calling through the Spirit's premium wifi while at sea?  I specifically gave my travel dates to my clients and they went ahead and scheduled mediation while I am gone.  Glad it was at least scheduled for a sea day.

TIA 

I use wifi calling on Royal all the time.  I was looking forward to it on our upcoming MG cruise.  I have been told that Carnival blocks wifi calling.  If that is true, then What's App and messenger would be an option.