KatieCharlotte

These threads are always gold - I get that folks are angry about the hogs. And they DO exist. And they do have attitudes of - I beat you here - I can stay until I get tired of it or the possibility.

 

That said - I have NEVER been on a cruise ship where I could not find a chair. Prime property snaps up quickly - I get that, but the wailing and gnashing of teeth seems a little overdone as well since there are plenty of chairs to be found somewhere out on deck.

 

Good luck out there guys - the cruise ship wars can be quite dicey....

For the most part, that has been my experience too. But on our spring break Elation cruise when we were truly at full capacity (many rooms w/ five people) there was one afternoon when I walked the entire ship looking for one lounger to share with my daughter before I put someone's sandals on the ground.

On the rare occasions when I need a lounger in a certain area to watch my kids or can't find a lounger anywhere, I will look for a lounger being held only by shoes. You can't tell me that your shoes needed to be left on the lounger or that I damaged or stole them by putting them on the ground. Should you come back, I would be happy to move. If the loungers are filling up and I just want a place to put my kids' stuff, I will try to find a dry place that is not on a lounger, or at worst will pile it all on one lounger. When we move to a different area, everything comes with us.

Everyone benefits when the loungers are used to their full capacity, rather than sitting empty for a half hour or more. I rarely want to be in the same spot for more than an hour (because of kids' needs, wanting to move to the shade, hunger, etc.), so I can use your lounger when you don't need it and we're all happy.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to completely exclude golds. If some parties are more crowded, just continue to make two parties when there are enough gold/plat/dia on board to justify it, either by dining times or color, as long as golds still get free drinks and appetizers.

Personally, I think having a joint party (where everyone claps for the ships they've sailed and the diamond member/s are introduced) makes gold members feel like they're part of a special club and encourages them to keep sailing Carnival. I would think gold members are the bread and butter for a cruise line. We're the people who have shown some loyalty, still have many ships and itineraries we haven't sailed, and are still in the enthusiastic infatuation stage in which we tell all our friends how much we love sailing Carnival. And, red members feel like gold is within their reach if they just keep sailing, unlike platinum, so why take away all the gold benefits?

I figure that if I'm occupying a chair elsewhere, I shouldn't be "saving" a chair or lounger. If I'm bringing food back from the buffet, using the bathroom, or hopping in the hot tub for five minutes, I save my lounger, but not if I'm going to brunch. I've always been able to find a new place to sit after. I have moved people's shoes off their lounger if I'm only going to be there a short while -- if the person comes back, I'm happy to get up.

Loungers that are being used at all times (except short breaks) = more happy cruisers. You go to brunch and a mom who finally got her kids in Camp Carnival gets to sit with her feet up for an hour. You return, and someone else who has gone to brunch frees up a lounger for you. If everyone follows the policy, everyone benefits.

It almost seems as though you are threatening someone. What do you mean better not be?

Um, I wasn't really being serious and I certainly wasn't threatening anyone. :rolleyes: I would be disappointed if gold members were shut out of the party, as I probably won't have enough nights to be platinum for about ten more years, but I honestly don't think that's the fun news. It may be a separation of the colors into two different parties. I can't imagine that would be for all sailings though, because my last cruise had very few platinum (and exactly one diamond).

I refuse to jump to any conclusions. But I did just fill out that survey about past guest benefits that focused on the party and asked whether benefits keep me sailing Carnival... I'm going to assume that Carnival at least realizes they needed to give something to gold members other than a pin.

My first and better-not-be-the-last past guest party this spring break on the Elation was far from packed. I doubt there were a hundred people in the room and most were gold. One diamond member was onboard. Many empty seats. However, I assumed that was mostly because it was spring break for locals and the ship was packed with families on their first or second cruise.

Yes, the Elation has a kiddie pool that's perfect for potty-trained little ones. On deck 11 aft (right above the lido buffet), there is an area with a "children's pool" that is shallow and the same size as a hot tub. There is also a "hot tub" with, at best, lukewarm water in the same area, that basically serves the same function. That area of the ship also has a deeper pool, basketball court, and volleyball court, along with loungers. Potty-trained children may also use the hot tubs on lido; however, they are much hotter.

I did see children with arm floaties, but I don't know what the rules are.

Having just sailed Elation twice, once during Louisiana spring break when the ship was PACKED with families sailing five to a room, just like us, I would add:

Anytime dining looked awful. Long lines to enter at peak hours. We loved our set dining time wait staff and think it's worth giving up a little flexibility.

When the buffet was packed for lunch on Easter Sunday, the brunch was nearly empty and absolutely wonderful. Good food, good service, peaceful.

If you're cruising that time of year, especially on a small ship, you need to like kids, although the Serenity was a peaceful escape and I always found a place to sit there. On Lido, I personally preferred the hot tubs and dance floor packed with kids rather than drunk adults, but I can see that would be a problem for some. Also, all the times we got on an elevator and all the buttons had been pushed. A sense of humor helped.

One good thing about sailing with two billion children was that the gold/platinum/diamond party was relatively sparsely attended and there were more than enough free drinks.

We had no issues with cabin temps, but I tend to be cold so my perception may be off.

My kids liked Camp Carnival on the last day. The towel puppet show pulled them in and then they stayed for hours. My teen had no interest in the club, but there were basically kids hanging out everywhere on decks 10 (lido) and 11 (sports). When I sailed in Feb, there were still kids and teens at the basketball and volleyball courts and ping pong tables, just not nearly as many, plus the club I think might be more popular with girls than boys. They held evening dance parties in the adult disco club for only certain age ranges. They looked fun; my son is just not a dancer.

I didn't want to restart the water bottle/free drink debate and was more interested in the survey (which did not have a place for comments). It seemed silly to ask whether the benefits made me want to cruise w/o letting me specify which benefits because the party where free drinks were flowing was a little more appealing than free warm water or a pin. ;)

but since you asked...our family used only one of the five large bottles of free water left in our cabin. They didn't seem very practical on a ship w/o room fridges to even keep them cool. There is only so many times I will ask the poor overworked stewards to bring ice. And no worries, we fill our reusable bottle with ice and water poured from a clean cup. :rolleyes:

This was the first time I've gotten this survey, and I was very disappointed that I didn't get to complain about the water bottles. :)

It would be simple to have a list of benefits, with the choice to mark "Yes, this makes me want to cruise again and recommend Carnival to friends." or "No, I couldn't care less about this benefit." Otherwise, the survey is waste of time.

I would get the form filled out even though you won't be showing. They sometimes ask you directly at check-in if you are pregnant.

Regarding the hot tubs -- my midwife's advice was that you should not let yourself get uncomfortably hot or dehydrated. So go ahead and stick your legs in the water if it feels comfortable, but don't go farther in for more than a minute or two unless the water is lukewarm bathtub temp.

There are plenty of virgin drink options onboard and in port, and plenty of ways onboard to avoid a party atmosphere if you want. Believe me -- my husband hates drinking and loud music and still loves cruising. But it's also fine for you to be out there, dancing with a virgin drink in hand. :) As long as the morning sickness doesn't hit you too bad (I have read that ginger is recommended but you could ask your OB/midwife), it's great to have a "babymoon" vacation before the baby arrives. My husband and I went to Europe when I was five months pregnant.

After I competed a survey for my last cruise, I received an email survey on VIFP benefits. I'm very curious what the survey will be used for.

I am gold, so several questions were about the past guest party. On an Elation spring break cruise with a low percentage of gold/platinum/diamond guests the room was uncrowded and the drinks and appetizers were plentiful, so I answered mostly positively. They replaced my drink before I even finished it, and there was bacon cheesecake. :D

However, there also were questions about whether my VIFP benefits would make me more or less likely to take another Carnival cruise or recommend it to a friend. I answered positively because I don't want the party to go away, but these questions were frustrating because they did not allow me to distinguish between the different "benefits." There was no place for comments. I really enjoyed attending this particular gold/platinum/diamond party, but the free water bottles made me LESS likely to cruise Carnival again because they were an annoying waste of money and space, a big let down after free drinks at brunch, and not environmentally friendly. We fill reusable bottles with ice and cold water for port days. Why would I carry around a large plastic bottle of warm water?

Carnival did not seem interested in getting feedback specific to the water bottles. I can't imagine how useful vague questions that lump all the benefits together can be.

I think that is where things might have become a problem. (pulling that ticket)

 

I parked for 8 days (one day before our cruise). Pulling the ticket is for those parking on daily rates and other non pre-paid rates. When you enter with your pre-paid parking and show them your receipt they hand you a slip that you put on your dash. When I drove up, I did not pull a ticket and just went up to park. I think you just drive to the left of it or they open the gate for you. (don't recall exactly)

 

When I exited, I just showed them the slip of paper that was on my dash and off I went. I definitely did not have any issues like that.

 

At least that is how I remember it. :)

 

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm sorry that I wasn't clear. We did not pull a ticket. We showed them our receipt and they handed us a slip to place on our dash. I referred to it as a "ticket" only because their employee did so. When we were exiting, there was no one to show the slip to until the woman walked by. Since we saw no one, we tried putting the slip into the machine and got the $140 message. The woman who then appeared was very insistent that our "ticket" expired but she was letting us go this one time.

I wanted to offer a review and a warning for those considering using Fulton garage when parking in NOLA.

I booked rooftop parking online. 6 days for $8/day plus a $5 reservation fee and taxes -- still under $60. We were directed to a covered level and parking was simple. As we drove in, we mentioned that we paid for a sixth day because we were going to leave the car while we enjoyed the city all day. We were told this was no problem and given no further instructions. My husband took the ticket and I did not look at it. Waiting for a shuttle was a bit chaotic because many post-cruise people were standing around waiting for their cars to be brought down, but going to the port was relatively smooth.

After the cruise, we self-disembarked and were ahead of the crowds when we grabbed a shuttle back to the garage. We explained our plans and were allowed to bring our suitcases up to our car. We tipped extra for this and were again reassured that it was fine to leave our car for the day. Then we walked off to enjoy our day.

When I reserved parking on the website, I indicated that we would be there until 4 p.m. I assumed it was probably like most parking or car rental reservations, where time is considered an estimate and the number of days is the important thing, but we made sure to be back to the car by 3:30 p.m. just in case. We fed the ticket in the machine to leave.

The gate did not open and the machine indicated that we owed $140. :eek: Fortunately, the woman I had spoken to five days earlier when we entered happened to be walking by at that moment, and I called her over. She explained that the tickets expire at 3 p.m. and the garage had nothing to do with what was done online. I explained that I had paid for SIX days and it had been five days and five hours. She overrode the gate but "warned" us "for future reference" that the tickets expire at 3 p.m. It would have been nice had they warned us one of the times that we told them we were leaving the car for the rest of the day. Or when I emailed the garage a month earlier, to make sure we would have no problems, and they never responded.

Because everything else went fine and the price was right, I would recommend the lot if you plan to leave right after your cruise returns, but I would not recommend the lot for any "outside the box" parking plans.

Edited to add: And yes, I had printed an email confirmation indicating that I had booked through 4 p.m., which I showed when we entered the garage and was ready to get out when we got stuck at the gate.

Absolutely agree. I, and many of us on here, ran around our neighborhood as kids, things aren't any different now, it's not more dangerous today. Crime is not higher, we simply hear about it more and panic. We learned to be independent and kids today are missing out.

 

My daughter is 10 and will be going on a cruise with us in June. She will be permitted to sign herself out of Camp Carnival but since I doubt many other kids will be able, I expect her to mostly stay there with friends I hope she makes. I watched other kids on past cruises participate in a scavenger hunt, small groups were trying to locate things on the ship. I thought this was great and I'm excited for her to have this opportunity. I can't shelter her forever and I'm not doing her any favors by trying to.

The scavenger hunt was how my shy 9 year-old daughter made friends and gained confidence on our last cruise. I was very glad I gave her permission to sign herself out. When her group lost the scavenger hunt to the boys, the prize they missed out on was ice cream, so her group signed themselves out and got ice cream.

My 13-year-old son saw this thread and wanted to tell everyone that kids his age should be given independence. He was going to create his own account, but he needed to start his homework. :D

My 10 year old was never in the cabin by themselves so I never had to tell them that. They Never rode the elevators by themselves because I never let the wander the ship.

 

But I also don't let them wander around my town by themselves either. Since the ship is a city, your rules should reflect the same rules you have at home.

 

Ships are a small city, with neighbors of all kinds, good and bad. However, many parents let their guard down thinking 4000 new neighbors are all good.

My cruise rules do reflect my rules at home, so we're good. :) My 10- and 13-year-old kids roam the neighborhood, usually with a pack of friends but they also play "neighborhood tag," which involves hiding from your friends. We know many of our neighbors, but certainly not all of them. Sometimes the 13-year-old walks to the store, where there are even more strangers, none of whom have to pay hundreds of dollars to be near my kids. :eek: I believe that it's a good idea to slowly prepare them for living independent lives, where they'll have to make good decisions without me. Not being overprotective can be one of the hardest jobs a parent has.

It's never a good idea for parents to look for horror stories. There are potential dangers anywhere, and we can't keep our kids from having independence. Many college professors feel strongly that we harm kids more by over-protecting them, so they are not prepared for independence as 18-year-old adults.

My 6-year-old will be using the bathroom by herself. My 13-year-old (who is small for his age) will be hanging out, hopefully making friends, and certainly will be free to go to lido by himself. He knows I check in with him so that he's not misbehaving, and he knows the rules about not going to someone's cabin, not sharing someone's drink, not pushing every button on the elevator ...:rolleyes:

We'll be on a ship without a big screen. Silly me, I thought we had no chance this year. :D Fortunately our ship (Elation) has many televisions all over lido, sports bar, etc., and I assume we'll have a place to watch. Any advice from those who have sailed the Elation for the Final Four? I will be tempted to go to the MDR to get escargot at half-time, since our ship will be on central time. (I'm assuming escargot is not served on the buffet?) Is that considered rude or is it acceptable if I'm polite and explain why I'm leaving after the appetizer?

Has Heald announced that all the ships will have TBS for the Final Four? We should be okay at least, since we'll still be on the Mississippi River.

I usually do not book Carnival excursions, but I was very glad we did in Belize. Because of the length of the tender ride, the number of tender boats available, and the size of the ship I was on (Magic), it would have been challenging and stressful to get on an early tender without priority. It was very different than our tender experience in Grand Cayman, where you basically walk out the door and onto a tender. I would also have worried about getting back to the ship on time if I was on a private excursion, considering that our tour group ended up on the last tender back.

Nothing to do with Easter, whoever the silly person was that said that.[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Some districts set spring break the same week every year. Others always have spring break whenever Easter is. Others have spring break during Easter unless it's very late or very early. That is why prices are highest during Easter week and places like Disney are packed to capacity. Perhaps it was a generalization to say that southern schools have spring break during Easter, but some southern school districts do. If you want to know how many school districts have spring break during a particular week each year, the crowd prediction calendars for Disney are a good indicator.

We watched the Final Four last year on the Victory big screen. This year, we'll be on a ship without a movie screen, but I have faith that they will show the Final Four because they know they will otherwise face plenty of upset fans. They showed the Super Bowl in the main lounge and on televisions all over the ship. People take their sports seriously. (Go Spartans. :D)

The first full week of April is always our spring break but every area is different. Many schools have spring break whenever Easter happens to be. This year, the first week of April is also Easter week, so there are a higher than usual percentage of schools who will be on spring break. Next year, the prices are much lower the first week of April because Carnival anticipates fewer schools being on spring break. Still, if you want few kids around, you'll have to sail during non-vacation weeks in the fall or winter, avoiding holidays like Columbus Day and MLK.

Carnival has adult-only areas. Some have only loungers and hot tubs, while others have pools, so you'll have to specify the ship.

Tunisia is nowhere near the Middle East...and your prejudice and ignorance is rather frightening!

Tunisia borders Libya. The definition of "Middle East" is nebulous, but certainly it can be said that Tunisia is "near" and has been included in very broad definitions of the term. See http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/381192/Middle-East

Militant Islamists are a threat in Tunisia. Recognizing that is not a sign of prejudice or ignorance. Of course, as we have seen, that can be threat anywhere; however, the political instability in recent years, the location, and the apparent rise in militants are a particular cause for concern for tourists.

I would love to travel to Tunisia and I certainly don't blame the guests or the cruise line for traveling there, but safety is a legitimate issue to raise.

Has anyone left their car in the Fulton Street garage after returning from a cruise, to explore the city all day? Is there a problem getting your car out hours after the cruise ships have debarked, if the lot is for cruise parking only? I emailed the company last week but have not received a response.

Otherwise, I'm going to need other parking for the day. We plan to leave the city around 6 p.m.

We just returned from a cruise out of New Orleans (March 2015) and have some current info for those that would like to walk to the cruise terminal from nearby hotels. (I believe there has been some renovations done in the port area since the last post here dated 2010, making it easier and safer to walk to the cruise terminal.)

From Convention Center Blvd, turn east onto Julia Street, going towards the RiverWalk Mall. (You'll also be turning toward the port itself.) Go up the escalators as if you were heading into the RiverWalk Mall. Upon entering the glass doors to the Mall, look ahead and off to your left and you will see a set of two elevators. The elevators are clearly marked with the words "Elevators to Cruise Ships". Take the elevators "DOWN" to the Royal Caribbean entrance, or follow the signs to get to the other cruise lines. When you emerge from the elevators, the porters will be right there to collect your bags and there will also be employees directing you to the entrance to begin the check-in process. We had stayed at the Hyatt Place on Convention Center Blvd and the total time it took us to walk from hotel/take escalator/take elevator/begin check-in was an easy 10 or 15 minutes.

For those leaving on Carnival from the Erato Street terminal -- you walk into the mall as explained above, but if you follow the signs for Erato terminal, you will not be directed into the elevators. You will walk outside to some steps down to the terminal. It's more than one short flight of stairs. No problem with my one light suitcase, but something to be prepared for. A porter actually met us halfway up to help those who had heavier suitcases and we tipped accordingly.