ShakyBeef

Just off the Carnival Legend today, April 2nd.  The title pretty much says it all, but since I've never been known for brevity, I'll expound.  We were in one of our go-to Spirit Class cabins, Ocean Suite 8271.  Normally, upon first setting up and loading up our room safe (after a thorough sanitizing inside and out with Clorox wipes) on Embarkation Day, I search all the nooks and crannies of the safe for anything left behind by previous guests.  On at least half a dozen occasions, I have found something, usually a piece of jewelry, and always taken it promptly down to Guest Services to Lost & Found.  This time, while sanitizing and unpacking the room, I was a little more hurried and must have missed this earring under the front inside ledge of the safe, under the door.  So I didn't find it until this morning, when emptying and doing my usual (and very thorough) search of the safe just prior to evacuating the cabin.  It was under the ledge, caught up against the hinge post of the door and took a bit of work to fish out.  I took it down to Guest Services this morning and hopefully it will be reunited with its owner.  Just in case that owner is you or someone you know, I thought it would be worth sharing here.  

And now for the obvious PSA:  check your safes, y'all.  Thoroughly.  Lift that little mat, and run your fingers along all the interior edges, especially under that front ledge.  Small items being left behind in there must be a pretty common occurrence, if my experience is anything by which to judge.  

There are also rental cars available.  And group shuttle buses and vans, which are cheaper than the individual taxis but you have to wait for them to get a bus- or van-load, so if you're one of the first ones on the bus, you might be sitting there a while.

I will never get in the public hot tubs on board a cruise ship.  Gross, luke-warm people soup.  The jetted bath tubs in our Suites, however, I feel OK with, but only after I run a sanitizing cycle with the bleach tablets I bring from home for this purpose.  I have seen too much funk, filth, and trash left behind from previous guests in too many of our Carnival cabins over the years to trust that the Room Stewards are actually doing the sanitizing of the tub that is necessary every time.  Once I have deemed the tub "clean," it is one of my DH's favourite parts of booking Suites.  He takes his beer and his Room Service PB&J and relaxes in the tub for a couple hours at a time.🤪  If they removed the jetted tubs from the Suites, DH might not let me book them anymore and we'd have to go back to Balconies.😨

🤣

As for me, I don't bathe.  I shower.  But I prefer the tub with shower rather than just a shower.  Also, the jetted tub was a fun 'vacation bath' for my DDs when they were little.  They'd take their Barbies in there and play in the tub for hours.😄

11 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

The bigger they are, the harder they fall ... in other words, I would not want to have been anywhere near him at that point!  🙂

 

Tom

"I do not envy you the headache you will have when you awake.  In the meantime, rest well and dream of large women".

RIP, Andre.❤️

36 minutes ago, mamiamjo said:

Do they still put stickers on the S&S Cards? When we sailed in November, I don't recall getting a sticker on the cards for Cheers.

I'm sorry, I don't know if they still do.  It's been many years since I bought CHEERS!  Hopefully someone else here can answer.🙂

Yes, exactly as lesters said, it is perfectly acceptable, allowed, and seemingly encouraged, since (although I guess they don't do this anymore since going to "virtual" bingo balls) they would invite a child up to check the balls at the beginning of a session and then give them a SOAS for their services.  My then-7yo DD got her first SOAS for this.  Take the kids and have fun.  And GOOD LUCK!🙂

1 minute ago, 1girl3boys said:

Don't let others opinions get to you.  Some people just like to be key board warriors and judge others from behind a screen.  Do as you like and enjoy your life the way you want.  Any one who gets kicks out of calling someone crazy because they may over pack that says more about them then it does about you.  I'm the type that usually needs an extra bag just for shoes and will probably have 2 smaller suitcases and a back pack.  My mom over packs as well.  Hopefully she will limit it to but I doubt she will.

Thank you.  It gets to me to see the judgment coming from people that seem to feel superior for packing less.  But their opinions will never change how I choose to do my vacation. 

The OP has been a member on CC since 2008, longer than most of us.  They are not a first time cruiser looking for opinions on how much they pack.  They asked a simple question about how much was allowed.  And when they mentioned how much they pack, a few people thought it was appropriate to denigrate them for it.

Although I fit what seems to be the common definition of an "overpacker," I don't consider it overpacking.  I use almost everything I bring, don't ever regret bringing any of it, have plenty of space in my cabin for my luggage, am not breaking any rules in so doing, don't affect anybody else's cruise experience with my amount of luggage, and am happy to do it my way.  Also, I pack considerably more 20-some cruises later than I did on my first cruise.😁

BTW, you are braver than I packing a whole suitcase of shoes.  I spread my several pairs (usually about 13 for a 7-day cruise) over a few suitcases, with my favourites in my carry-on.  If one suitcase were to go missing, and it be my suitcase full of shoes, I'd be devastated.😱🤣

Just now, ldubs said:

 

Anyone should feel free to voice their preference.  People should feel free to have a conversation.   I think the word "attack" is too strong, but when it becomes like that, or when someone says their preference must be adhered to, then it has gone too far.   A fine line that I've crossed a few times.  

I hear ya and I appreciate that.  I, too, have gotten fired up on these boards before (as maybe I am a bit, here).  I don't think anyone was "attacking" here, but definitely passing uncalled for and rude judgments on others' packing styles when a simple question about luggage allowances was asked.  Opinions will always be given here, and are not uncalled for, and can even be helpful.  But for some to speak as if their way of doing a thing is the only sane way of doing it (and to insult the OP in the process) is just so irritating to me. 

10 hours ago, Sailin_Pirate said:

 

If you brought on 6-8 for 5 people and added 5 more carrys you packed way to much.

That's your opinion.  But thankfully, for those of us who apparently pack more than you, your opinion has absolutely no bearing on what we pack, how much we pack, and how many cases we are allowed to and will bring onboard.

8 hours ago, Mic101680 said:

6-8 bags PLUS carryons for 5 people?!?!? Are you packing your whole house? I PROMISE you won't need that much stuff for a cruise, and you'll regret having to drag that all around and/or track it down on embark/debark. You also won't have enough space in your cabin to store that many bags.

Max, I would stick with 1 carryon sized bag and one backpack per person, or 1 large suitcase per person.

See above.  Also, you can't PROMISE anything about what someone else may need on their vacation, unless you want to get into semantics about the word need.  We don't really need a cruise or any thing we take on a cruise.  But I'll take the risk of assuming you weren't going to take that ridiculous tack, but rather, meant that the OP would not end up using "that much stuff" on their cruise.  And to this I say, you can't know this, let alone promise it.  Nor can you tell them what they will regret.  We are all different, with different feelings, priorities, preferences, and opinions.  I, for example, am sure I would regret not bringing most of what I bring on a regular basis, if I were to adopt the light packing style that you and others here recommend.

Also, there is plenty of room for that many suitcases in the cabins.  Here I go assuming again, but I doubt that the whole family of five is staying in one cabin.  I know from much personal experience that nine suitcases (four of which were carry-on size and nested inside the large cases) can fit perfectly well under a Carnival king sized bed.

7 hours ago, Sailin_Pirate said:

Sure that's fine as Carnival doesn't enforce policy/suggestions they make.

 

But 11-13 bags for 5 people is crazy and goes  against what Carnival suggests or wants.

 

 

A suggestion, by its very nature, is not enforced.  If it were, it wouldn't be called a suggestion.  Conflation of policy and suggestion does not lend any credence to your point.  

Who are you or any of us to say how much is too much or too little for someone else to pack?

Finally, to insult someone for how much they pack for their vacation is repugnant.   

6 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

If the OP asked for judgements about how much luggage they take, I missed it.  

 

The OP's question was if there were new baggage restrictions.  I answered that question.  There are not.   There is no luggage count "policy" to enforce, only a suggestion which is clearly intended to assist with traveler planning.  I seriously doubt anyone at Carnival is worrying about some family bringing an average of 2.5 bags/person on board (about half of would be small or backpacks).  

 

BTW, are you proposing all "suggestions" and "guidelines" should be strictly enforced the same as mandatory policies?  Or, just the ones you like?  

 

  

Darn, no matter how many times I slammed the 'LIKE' button on this comment, it would only register once.😄  I wish I could 'like' it a hundred times plus a 'THANK YOU!' thrown in on top.

The posts of those expressing their opinions about what too much luggage is and implying that a suggestion should be enforce were really getting to me.

Thank you for saying much of what I was going to say in a clearer and more concise manner than I would have used!

31 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

You can find this exact comment posted here for the past 10 years

Yes, you're correct, it's true that it has been Carnival's business plan for many years.

Just now, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Do the s&s cards come hole punched? 

Yes.

I'll never wear a lanyard.  I find them unattractive and the sensation of one hanging around my neck unpleasant.  During the day, I carry my S&S card as well as cash, lip balm, alcohol hand wipes, tissues, etc, in a wristlet.  In the evenings, I switch to an evening bag. 

Another THANK YOU!😁 to you and Patti for another great review! 

2 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

See cruise ticket contract section 9 letter F 

 

(f) Beverage Policy: Guests will be limited to purchasing a maximum of 15 alcoholic beverages per person, age 21 and over, per day while on board.

Thanks, I hadn't read the contract recently.  It's good that it's there, if that's the rule.  But I think they should have it listed on their website in the Liquor & Beverage policy as well.

40 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

I bought this beautiful frame at a souvenir shop in port. It was the last one of it's kind but the paint was all chipped but I loved the pelicans on it and really wanted it and the girl was so nice and took 2 bucks off it for the damage and gave it to me for 8 dollars. I'm going to put the Baha Mar photo in it that I posted above. 

I think those are seagulls, not pelicans.😉  Cute frame, and good deal!🙂

Just one tiny part of Carnival's business plan:  put a dent in that 3 cajillion dollar debt one fraudulent drink charge at a time.😜🤣

17 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

Wow! Sorry that happened to you! All the more reason to scrutinize the S&S account. I can't believe they added it all back on and I hope it doesn't happen to me, but I won't cry over $15 bucks now compared to what happened to you. I think Carnival needs to do something about this and hope they make some changes to provide more security to our accounts.

 

Today was Nassau and to change things up I went to Baha Mar instead of my usual Atlantis and I really liked it. It has a nice big casino and a nice alternative to Atlantis.

 

I took the city bus both ways for just $1.25 each way! Great deal....I just about lost all the money I brought until I won half of it back and then felt like a winner lol. 

 

Here's a nice picture of outside...it's a beautiful warm day and feels like summer 🤩

It may be slightly OT, but I kinda love how you're multitasking this thread into a mini live review!😁  I'm glad to see you're having such a good cruise even though it started off with a bit of a sucky situation.😊  Thanks for sharing! 

I've seen many people here reporting for a long time now that the 15 alcoholic drinks per day limit is true for all, regardless of CHEERS! or not, and I've been taking y'all's word for it.  I have no dog in the fight, because I'll never reach the limit.  But I do find it interesting that the only mention of the 15 drinks per day limit on Carnival's website is under the CHEERS! restrictions:

Program Restrictions:

• Guests must be 21 years or older to purchase and agree not to give to minors
• Each adult assigned to the same stateroom must purchase the program
• CHEERS! is non-transferable
• Guests must purchase the program for the entire cruise; this program is not offered on a per day basis
• If the program is purchased prior to the cruise, it is refundable up to 9:00pm ET, the evening prior to the cruise departure.  Otherwise, CHEERS! is non-refundable
• Price adjustments (up or down), implemented on the day of sailing, replace any previously advertised price
• Only one drink at a time may be ordered, there is a 5 minute wait time between orders and sharing is not permitted. No double shots as that is considered ordering two drinks at once
• Guests may purchase a round of drinks for themselves and friends. One drink will count towards the CHEERS! program and the remaining drinks will be charged to a guest’s Sail and Sign® account
• Program allows for up to 15 alcoholic drinks, per 24-hour period (6:00am - 6:00am). Once the limit is reached, the guest will not be served ANY additional alcoholic drinks 
• Program only applies to onboard purchases
• All bottles and cans will be served opened
• Carnival reserves the right to refuse service for any reason
• Program is inclusive of VAT, if and as applicable.
• Applicable state and local taxes will be charged to a guest folio when this program is used within US waters. The tax is based on the state's tax structure and the cost of the individual drink purchased (not the daily program rate). For example: if the drink price is $5.00 USD and the tax is 10%, the  guest's Sail & Sign® card will be charged $0.50 USD for tax. This applies to all US ports (embarkation home ports and ports-of-call)
• Due to state laws, we cannot sell CHEERS! until the second day of the cruise (starting at 6:00am) for voyages departing from our Texas and New York home ports. Drinks purchased on the first day of the cruise will be charged to the guest's Sail & Sign® card in the usual manner. When purchased on the second day of the cruise, guests are charged for the remaining days only (cruise duration less one day)
• For guests who pre-purchase CHEERS!, it will be activated upon boarding the ship (except for ships sailing from Texas and New York – activation will occur at 6:00am on the second day of the cruise). Guests are instructed to proceed to the bar, once on board, to receive a sticker which will be placed on their Sail & Sign® cards
• Group bookings (consisting of a minimum of 16 adults) can purchase CHEERS! prior to the cruise by contacting Group Event Planning (all adult guests in the group must purchase the program; all minors in the group must purchase Bottomless Bubbles program)
• For pre-purchase orders, a message card will be placed in guest’s stateroom on embarkation day referring the guests to the Casino Bar to activate the program
• CHEERS! is not offered on 2 day cruises, charter cruises and beverage purchases made at Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays in The Bahamas

...But nowhere else is any drink limit mentioned in the Liquor & Beverage Policy🤨: 

The policy below is for cruise departures from the U.S.; for cruises sailing from Australia, click here. 

Drinking Alcohol On Board

The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the bars, lounges and gift shops is 21 years of age. Carnival reserves the right to request ID prior to the purchase of alcohol and refuse the sale of alcohol to anyone. 

Bringing Liquor and Beverages On Board - Embarkation

Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages that are packaged in glass or plastic bottles.

On embarkation day, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk), packaged in cans or cartons, may be brought on board and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less, per person.

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750-ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage. Outside this exception, all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided. Guests sailing with us on back-to-back cruises are entitled to bring the same quantity as stated in this policy, per cruise. The additional quantities will be stored for safekeeping at the start of the first cruise and will be given to the guest as each following cruise begins.

Corkage Fee

Should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, specialty restaurant or bar, a $15.00 USD corkage fee, per 750-ml bottle, will be charged. A corkage fee is a charge that is assessed, at time of service, for every bottle that is served and not bought on the premises.

Bottled Water

For convenience, guests can purchase bottled water prior to the cruise and it will be delivered to the stateroom on embarkation day. Bottled water may also be purchased on board by contacting room service. Once on board, the purchase is non-refundable and guests may take home any unopened bottles.

To ensure we have an ample supply, please visit The Fun Shops™ at www.carnival.com/funshops to place your order before your cruise.

$9.95 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for a 12-pack of bottled water (16.9-ounce bottle/500-ml bottle)

$3.95 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for 1 large bottled water (50.72-ounce bottle/1.5-liter bottle)

$20.00 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for 8-pack of bottled water (50.72-ounce bottle/1.5-liter bottle) 

Distilled Water

Carnival carries distilled water which can be purchased either pre-cruise or once on board. For pre-purchase, please contact our Fun Shops department at 800-522-7648, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-10:00pm ET and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am-6:00pm ET.  For purchase on board, please contact room service. Should you wish to bring your own distilled water with you, it must be hand carried along with your CPAP machine.

Coolers

Guests are prohibited from bringing large coolers since screening and movement of large coolers through embarkation is an impediment to the boarding and security process. However, for the purpose of carrying small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and/or medications small, personal-sized coolers, no larger than 12” x 12” x 12” are permitted as carry-on luggage.

Purchasing Liquor Pre-Cruise through The Fun Shops

All products sold containing alcohol have a limit of two products per stateroom. On 7 day and longer cruises, there is a limit of one bottle of hard liquor per stateroom and on shorter cruises, pre-cruise purchases are limited to wine, champagne and beer (no hard liquor). A ‘pack’ or ‘package’ is considered one product.

Alcohol purchased pre-cruise through The Fun Shops for on board consumption is designed for in-stateroom entertainment only. Guests cannot take items with them to public areas. Only wine or champagne that is ordered through The Fun Shops can be served in the dining room or Steakhouse. If the item is not consumed on board during the cruise, the guest may take it home provided the bottle has not been opened. 

Our CHEERS! Beverage Program must be purchased for each adult (21 years of age or older) assigned to the same stateroom.

Purchasing Liquor at Ports of Call and On Board at The Fun Shops
All alcohol purchased ashore or in The Fun Shops will be stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. Items are to be collected in a designated lounge on debarkation morning. Liquor may be subject to Customs duty if it exceeds allowable amount.

While in port, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought on board. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less per person.

...It just seems to me that they should mention it in the 'official rules' if it is indeed the case.😕

1 minute ago, Jamman54 said:

 

I'm hearing it from Patti now. I'll have to stop for gas there one time and let her have at it! 

Make sure you devote at least an hour to it.  There's a LOT of ticky-tacky crap spread over several buildings!  And a restaurant.  And an ice cream shoppe.  And a whole store just for fireworks.  And a menagerie of giant concrete animals.😁

19 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

When I printed my tags on Thursday for March 11th sailing on Spirit (Deck 8, Aft, Port) they were darker than maroon, almost brown.  On Friday I noticed that in my cruise manager it changed from PLATINUM to PRIORITY, so I reprinted the tags and boarding passes.  Now they are a lighter color, the same color as the PRIORITY color, where they were much darker than the PLATINUM color the day before.  This has nothing to do with the printer, as the PLATINUM and PRIORITY are exactly the same color on both sets of tags. 

 

That is weird.

You don't stop at South Of The Border?!?! 😲 Dude, you're missing out on so much fun, fabulous tackiness!😎

48 minutes ago, ldubs said:

Ok, I understand the commission issue.   Here is what I'm not following.  Someone puts a booking on hold to lock in a particular cabin, fare, or both.  Why not just click the. button to complete the booking?  Why involve the PVP person?  Note that I have not used a PVP in the past.    

Because, when you have a PVP and use the services of the PVP (and they are a good PVP), you can get assistance, questions answered quickly, problems solved, inside information not accessible to the end-user customer from the Carnival website, offers that you qualify for but of which you might have been unaware, sail-date change fees waived, and more.  And you can get all this without waiting on hold for long periods of time on the 800 line just to possibly end up with someone who doesn't know as much about the way Carnival works as you do.🙄  Every time you call your PVP, you'll get someone who knows your name as well as your cruising preferences and habits, and will be looking out for you, working to make all the details of your booking just what you want them to be.

ETA: But if you click the button online to book the cruise yourself, or, now, even put the cruise on hold, your PVP didn't get a commission from your booking and thus it would not be right, IMO, to expect them to help you with any part of it afterwards.

4 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

One thing I really miss is the breakfast room order that you fill out and hang outside the door the night before.

I loved having my little carafe of coffee with toast delivered to the cabin before starting the day. I really hope that comes back someday as it was one of my favorite perks.

The WiFi is appalling, even the so called premium I have. If this is premium I can only shudder at the thought of having the basic plan lol.

Its akin to 1995 AOL waiting for pages to load. I can almost hear the little man saying "Welcome! You've Got Mail!!" playing in my head as I sit and wait for pages to open. 😂

From my personal experience as well as that reported by so many others, I believe the mistaken / fraudulent charges occur quite frequently.  On almost every cruise, I find at least one charge that I am certain (and can usually prove) was not mine or my DH's.  And I don't even keep that close of an eye on my folio.  I'm sure I've missed a few of these over the years, and ended up paying for others' drinks.  I've just never heard of it happening before the folio owner was even onboard the ship yet on Embarkation Day.  That's weird.