TerReuv

Thanks for the responses. I will check after the first of the year but not expect anything until right before summer. Because we are looking so far ahead it is hard to know if they might move some ships. We are considering the Liberty or the Freedom as we are looking to leave out of Port Canaveral or Tampa. We will have to see. Thanks all!

We just got back a couple of weeks ago from our Conquest cruise and we are working on talking DH's family into going on a cruise with us. We were looking at October 2015 for the next cruise and while I see there are cruises through April 2015 I was wondering if anyone knew when the rest of 2015 might be coming out? Yes, I know it is far in advance, but that works for us and would work great for his family to plan. I was thinking they might be out after the first of the year, anyone know for sure?

We brought back 7 bottles of tequila our last cruise (listed on just my husband and my declarations page) and had no issues. They actually do not ask how many bottles on the sheet just the amount it is worth. Bubble wrap is good but if you go to Amazon.com and goggle wine diapers, they have these packs that have ziplock seal and you can put bottle of something in each one. They work great!

There's a Serenity Retreat on the Carnival Liberty, but not on the Carnival Conquest. Other than that and the decor, the two ships are nearly identical.

 

Make sure to pay attention to any differences in itineraries.

Actually, we were just on the Conquest end of October and while the back pool & hot tubs do not say Serenity there are signs there that state they are adult only. Never saw any kids there when we were back there. So, officially Conquest does not have Serenity but it seems they are working toward it.

I pretip the room steward because I usually buy a soft cooler and keep beer in it. I ask him to keep it full of fresh ice.

We also bring a cooler and the steward keeps it filled morning & night. No need to tip ahead of time. Ours did go over & above so we tipped some extra at the end of the cruise. But, they will keep your cooler filled without extra tipping.

I was told that I couldn't take cheesecake from the Steakhouse a couple of cruises ago. It was the first time that they hadn't allowed it, so I assume that it's been that way for at least that long now. I haven't asked again. Somebody probably got sick at some point eating food that hadn't been properly refrigerated. Not really sure why I can buy it at the coffee bar, but oh well.

We just got off the Conquest on the 27th and we were able to take our cheesecake from the Steakhouse with not problems. In fact, they offered before we could even ask. So, possibly it depends on your ship or server.

Off the Conquest Sunday and we got ours in our mail box also.

My only gripe is that the disembark talk on the TV the cruise director said that for cash accounts a refund check with the remaining balance would also be sent with the final statement. Not so. We did not get one and questioned our steward and were told that they mail the check for the remaining balance. We would have cashed out the night before if we had known this. Would be nice if the Cruise Director gave out the correct information!

Love your review and pictures. We will be leaving on the 20th of October and are really looking forward to it. We will be one deck below where you were and a bit on the side. We have a regular balcony. Loving the finch picture. We will be on the Western route so different ports. I wish it would be the same as yours as I cannot locate any current fun times for the Conquest for the western. Frustrating. Thanks again for all your work!

We are going on the 20th of October to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel. Would love to hae fun times for this if anyone has!

I wanted to see how others saved up. I was reading post after post on how folks have cruises booked every few months...I consider myself lucky if we can go every few years. We both have full time jobs and do not live beyond my means and do not have a credit card. So if we can't afford it, we don't go.

So, what are your tricks to saving up? Mine is the "squirreling away money" tactic. I take an extra $50 or $100 from payday and put it in an "Vacation Envelope" and I NEVER check the balance in less then 4 months. If I get a rebate check, I cash it and put it into the envelope etc. I know it doesn't seem like much but I can get a few hundred saved up here and there. Once I know we have enough to afford a cruise I will then book it and continue to save for the excursions, shopping etc.

Thanks for your tips on how you save for a cruise!!

I also squirrel away for the cruise. When I use my coupons at the grocery store, I put the amount I saved on sales, specials & coupons into a separate account. Same at other stores. Whatever I have saved over what it would have regularly cost I put aside.

My husband uses more cash on a daily basis than I do and every night he empties all his pocket change into a jug. When we get close to cruise time we dump it all out and roll it up. Before our first cruise we only did that for about 6 months and had about $350 for our S&S cards. This time, he has been doing it for just about the 2 years since we first cruised and I am hoping for closer to $800. Add that to our OBC and we are good!

Here you go!

 

Crap - I'm at work and all I get are boxes with X's in them. Guess I will have to wait til I get home. You guys have me so interested here!

What is a Twilight Zone and Mocha Chocolate Getaway? Please, for those of us novices, tell us what is in each drink you recommend. I am making notes! Not a big drinker, but I enjoy a daquiri now and then and some of these sound like something I might like to try (like that dirty monkey).

Thanks for all of us not in the know! :D

Does anyone know if you set up your on board account with a MC can you also put cash on it when you get to port? We prefer to put cash on our account as it helps us keep up with it better. Also, has anyone with Red status tried it and had it work?

Mark's site only shows Falmouth and Ocho Rios tours. We dock in Montego Bay. Will that be a problem? Does anyone know if that will change the pricing? Thanks.

Where do you guys park Sarge? We will be sailing out in October on the Conquest and have heard some horror stories about the port parking. My mom will be using her wheelchair and she would rather pay to park there instead of trying to worry about a shuttle. I have heard that you can sit in line for over an hour waiting to get in lot!

THIS!!!!! Just because you WANT the extra room, you book an accessible cabin. But Carnival WILL NOT move you out of an accessible room...their booking software just shows that the cabin is booked....not that the person who booked it NEEDS the features of an accessible cabin. In actuality unless you book a cruise well after final payment or are upgraded to this type of cabin after final payment, you could be PREVENTING someone who truly NEEDS an accessible cabin from being able to cruise.

Wrong! Yes they will bump you if you do not need the HC cabin. There are several threads on here that prove it has happened. If someone books a HC room it is not proventing a HC person from being able to cruise. Guess all those people who have been bumped are lying??

I do get irritated when some posters on here try to make the risks sound much greater than they are trying to scare cruisers into getting a passport or making it sound like they are required when they absolutely are not. Give the facts (not exaggerated what if scenarios) and let people make educated decisions for themselves.

Thank you for that! We don't have passports as we just took our first cruise 2 years ago this October and that is when we will be taking out 2nd cruise. We save a long time to take a cruise and I cannot see spending that kind of money for an every other year (more or less) cruise. I don't like to fly so there is no real chance of me needing one to fly out of the country. Not really worried about getting back home for emergency if I don't have one. I just take the old people (my parents) with me! :D

I don't have to justify my reasons for not getting one to anyone. I would not come on this board and whine if I had an issue and did not have one because I know the risks.

I also do not see the need for anyone on this board to have to say what else they do and don't spend their money on when on a cruise or not. It is no one else's business. I don't care whether they have Starbucks every day or not or whether they waste their money drinking on a cruise every day but won't get a passport. It is each persons choice to either get one or not.

Congrats but its marketing nothing is for free....

 

You say your a family of 7, do you realize that 1k really doesn't help hardly at all when you have to pay for cruise fare, tips, fees/taxes, onboard expenses, soda cards, cocktails for all the members of your cruise, not mentioning you most likely need two staterooms. I say Carnival surely has a great marketing program to get people's money so I not see it as a good thing.

Wow! Debbie downer much? $1000 toward a cruise for any number of people is great! Of course it won't pay for it all, but the point is that it sure will help. No reason for you to even post on this thread if you feel that way. Let other people enjoy their news!

None of my teams are still in the hunt but I suppose I'll root for the Dirty Birds now.

I knew there was a reason I liked you besides the fact that you are a fount of information! Loving the review and cannot wait til we are on her in October!

Hey Sarge - are your copies of the Fun Times on the website? I wanted to take a look and get an idea of when things are. Is there still a late night buffett one night? What about the chocolate bar?

I am loving this review and all the pictures Sarge! We are going on the Conquest in October. So looking forward to it and the pictures are wonderful. Love your site also! Can't wait to see the rest.

It isn't there becuase it is not available for the Conquest yet. It is not fleet wide. I read somewhere on here that it should be fleet wide by March 2013. We aren't going til October but I keep checking.

FTTF = Faster To The Fun

What drives me nuts is these people that booked during hurricane season, did not purchase insurance, obviously did not read any of the Carnival paperwork, ran into a hurricane, were unable to make ports, had a rocking ship, got an apology from Carnival, got a discount on a new cruise, got credits for ports missed or days shorted and yet they still complain and whine about wanting more! Then when people don't agree with them they complain more, say that people are yelling at them and that they are being called spoiled brats!

Come on! Read your paperwork. It has been stated over and over in this thread that Carnival does not have to give any compensation, yet they have not only given compensation they are offering discounts on a future cruise. That is great! So what if someone got more than you did? So what if you paid more than you originally did with the discount? You got more than was required and you still aren't happy. What will it take to make you guys happy? You want Carnival to refund your full fare and give you another free cruise? Lots of people have tried to put things into perspective for you guys reminding you about people who have lost their lives and all the people with a lot of damage to their property and person. Yet, you complain about it all.

Why would anyone expect Carnival to give you more credit because you booked the very next cruise and paid more than your originally did? They have already given you a lot. I do understand about having kids and getting the grandparents to sit, but you know what? Stuff Happens! Mother Nature Happens! You need to go with the flow and make the best of it. Who cares if you have taken (or should I say wasted) the time to compare your exact cruise with the other two and you deserve exactly what someone on the other cruise got? Be happy with what was offered and if you aren't then maybe cruising isn't for you. Or, next time don't book during hurricane season and not get insurance! And yes - not getting insurance and then complaining about a hurricane messing up your vacation is all about taking personal responsibility.

Brenna's Mom, please don't tell me you're "giggling" about the situation. It was a very disappointing weekend for 4,000+ people, some of whom have come here to vent and look for some suggestions and advice. To answer your question, apparently Carnival felt a 25% discount would be fair...so my question was whether I should come out of pocket more for the same cruise 1 week later even after that 25% discount. Your sarcastic opinion has been noted, I'd like to hear from others as well.

No - Carnival has gone above what they had to do (as stated repeatedly in various previous posts). You made the decision to change to the Pride and then when they did not leave, you made the decision to go on the very next cruise. Carnival did not say you had to use your 25% off on the very next cruise even if it was more expensive. You could have held off and planned another cruise at a different time that might have been cheaper. Would you then owe Carnival the extra money since it was cheaper than your first cruise?

Enjoy your cruise and enjoy what discount Carnival had given you. Honestly, I don't understand why you drove further north knowing about Sandy and expected to cruise?

I think the outrage comes when CCL cannot and will not explain the reasoning behind their rule.

 

"Because I said so" Remember getting that from your parents? I swore I would never do this to my kids and I didn't.

Doesn't matter. Carnival does not need to explain any of their rules to anyone. If you don't like the rules then you don't cruise Carnival. No company needs to explain their reasoning behind their rules. Why should they have to explain something to anyone? When it comes to companies, they can say "because I said so".

I want to know why I cannot bring on a bottle of liquor myself or why they have to double or triple the price of a bottle from Bon Voyage. Should I go up the chain to get a real answer? I will never get one because they don't have to give me one. As someone else said - something probably happened to a bike at one time and they said no. Simple.

OP is lucky they got their deposit back - not Carnival's fault they did not read the rules of what you can and cannot bring on board before they made a deposit. I think OP just needs to be appreciative that they were understanding!