tonyhb12

3 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

See answers above. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. 

 

 

Thanks for the answers! 

I am also considering using this.  Can I ask just a few "dumb" questions:

1. If I get the cruise talk plan, I can call and send and receive texts (0 fee for my normal texting) for no charge while connected to cellular at sea.  

2. If all my ports are included in the list, I can also make calls and send texts while in port for no charge.  I also don't have to worry about turning off roaming and turning the phone off 12-15 miles out of port so as not to roam when cellular at sea is disconnected.

3. I don't plan on getting the data option.  So my best bet is to turn off cellular data.  So no email, no internet, but what about text messages like imessage?  Will I still get these?  maybe just as text messages.  

4. Without data, video calling will not work (unless on ship or other wifi).

We have a 2 year old and a 5 year old that we are leaving for 8 days and just want to make sure everything is ok and maybe say goodnight to them.

Thanks

On 2/3/2019 at 8:15 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

My “kick-off” drink used to be Strongbow, but Carnival got rid of that several years ago. So I turned to Bud Light Lime to start off every cruise, only to find out on Miracle in December that Carnival got rid of that beer. So now I am faced with a big decision to make when I board Sunshine in less than two weeks. 

Any feedback from your recent trip?  Did they have the bud light lime by chance?  Fingers crossed...

17 hours ago, ricew001 said:

Here's that spreadsheet that was mentioned. It's math. Plug it in and see.

 

Here's what I always say:

I pay $90 for a $100 Carnival Gift Card.

Then I use it to buy Cheers at the discounted price before I get on the ship.

So now I've gotten it at a discount and I don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the trip becuase it's now prepaid!

 

Once on board I began drinking like this: Hey I'd love to order something new to try. Heck if I don't like it I have Cheers, so so what? Get it and see if you love it. IF not order something you do!

 

My frozen drink melted. Oh no. I have Cheers! I'll get  a  fresh one. Oh I wish that drink was stronger.

 

Oh I have Cheers let me order a shot to add to it!

 

As one poster so eloquently put it: it enhances your experience,

The last trip we broke even some days, other days we were close. But it was paid for and I did it as prepaid on a discount so I was happy!

 

Carnival Vista Cheers Evaluator 2018-08-02.xls

This calculator is great.  I have used it before when you or somebody else posted it.  

I updated it for the 18% gratuity now.  

But I did have a question.  If you buy drinks a la carte, don't you get charged the 18% gratuity?  If that's the case, I don't believe the spreadsheet takes that into account.  It counts the gratuity in the cheers cost, but not in the a la carte drink costs.  Is my logic here correct?

I was lucky enough to purchase for my upcoming cruise prior to the price increase.  Therefore, I'm seeing an addition 3% savings based on if I would have gone a la carte (15% vs 18%).  Unfortunately, that ship has sailed.    

Do both people in the cabin need to purchase it?  When you add it on the funshops, it pre-populates both guests.  Is this just a carnival ploy?  Can I just add 1?

12 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

 

 

Thanks. I did the fare estimate as well.  I was more curious to see if anybody had done this trip to see what they paid.  It can't be too far off.

does anybody have a rough idea for uber price from MCO to Port Canaveralfor a Friday morning?

So I have a balance of $180 on my April Cruise.  This total is less than the auto-grats which are added to the fare.  If I wait past 12/1 to pay this, will I get increased?

Another Tip is that AMEX usually discounts gift cards around the Holidays for a 25% reduction. Therefore, it would be 700 pts for $100.

Sorry I meant to say 7,000 pts for $100

Another Tip is that AMEX usually discounts gift cards around the Holidays for a 25% reduction. Therefore, it would be 700 pts for $100.

I still have yet to see my credit (got the email, had the offer added). It's been 1 month. Technically, they have 90 days. It has never taken this long. Luckily for me, AMEX gave me a separate statement credit due to loyalty and is letting me keep the credit (if and when if comes through).

I'd like to use this on my other AMEX card soon as the offer expires on 7/31, but this has left me a little hesitant. Has anybody else had this issue?? Like I said, it has never taken more than 2-3 days max. I did add the offer and I did get the confirmation email immediately.

Could somebody possibly copy and paste or highlight where, on Carnival's website or FAQ's, it says that Cheers is fully-refundable up to XX days in advance? I am unable to find this and would like to pre-purchase, but don't want to be locked in.

Did Customer service mention on how long it could take before you should call them back.

I said I would prefer the credit to post before my statement closing date and they said to call about 3 days prior to that. For me that is this friday. So I will be calling on friday if I don't see anything by then.

I was able to use this offer on my 2 cards for a new reservation, received email from AMEX "Thanks for Using offer" Instantly. Received credit on one of the card the very next day. Still waiting on the other card. Is it normal? How long does it take for it to appear. I know AMEX says wait for atleast 90 days after the promotion end but based on my experience it never takes that long?

 

Anyone else who has used this offer and still have not received the credit yet?

I have the same issue. I called and they said it should be there in a few days. In the past when I did this, the credit was there within a day for both cards I used.

I just used this offer on 2 cards. I immediately got the confirmation email. Waiting for the credit to post, but last time that took about 2 days.

As an aside, this time it says limited quantity so I would add it to your card while you can even if you aren't sure if you are going to use it.

Will a cruise the week of Easter feel like I am on a Summer cruise (crowds)? Thinking of doing a Southern route on Sunshine it leaves on April 19, 2019.

I'm on the same cruise. Wife is a teacher and kids in school. I hope it doesn't feel overly crowded. I'm accepting of the fact that there will be crowds to an extent.

Has anybody seen FTTF available for spring out of port Canaveral??

Still NOT available for Sunshine April 2019 either.

If we stay at the Hyatt Regency at MCO, can we request to get on the 1st shuttle? Cortrans website says 9:30 am is the first departure time out of MCO.

Random Question: Can this be used to purchase stuff in the funshops (if I bought sheers ahead of time)??

Yes to both.

Thank you!

I have one more question. I have about 1 year until final payment. If amex comes out with the offer again, can I do it again for the same booking? I think that's what I was reading earlier about getting $400-$500 back with multiple offers used.

If the offer was only on one card, then you only get one.

Right. I added it to both of my cards. So I can use it on each. Correct? And definitely ok on a previously-booked cruise (not new booking)?

OK I just wanted to make sure on this. I am already booked for next spring. If I make a payment on carnival's website today of $500, I should be able to get he reward, correct? I have already added the offer to my card. I have 2 cards so I just want to be sure before I put out he $1,000, but would be great for $200 back.

with my Americano in hand

Question-where on the sunshine can you get an americano? The menu for Java Blue doesn't have it listed. I'm guessing you can just ask. it's easy to make. Was it included with Cheers?

Qustion: Do they baristas make drinks not on the menu? I love Americanos. They are not hard to make (actually easier than a late and others).