LibratPDX

you are booking a year in advance and YOU book a HC room for the extra space..and YOU DON'T NEED IT. Then you have the balls to say "poor me its not fair if a HC person bumps me from a HC room that I BOOKED a year in advance. "

 

And then we are told to dealwidthit

 

and your not snarky....

 

thats like me saying "I am not handicapped either..:)"

 

 

reality is Carnival and the other cruise lines can do more too ensure these rooms are either BOOKED by HC people OR are the LAST ones to be booked..

 

but PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY plays a role here also...its not YOUR FAULT you asked for the HC room knowing it was HC..its THEIR fault...right??

 

 

Just because YOU can.. doesn't mean it is RIGHT.

I *never* used the words "poor me". Frankly, I don't care if I get bumped or not, but I obviously like to play waaaay ahead, I enjoy knowing where I will be. I will enjoy my cruise no matter where I end up on the ship.

I did not "ask for" a HC room, I just booked a desirable cabin that the cruise line made available. I have several pain issues and could probably get approved to keep the cabin, but I know others have a greater need. I have been told that other cruisers have indeed done that.

I'll say it AGAIN, if someone needs the cabin, I will be bumped, PERIOD. I am not preventing anyone from cruising, let it go, people!

I agree with you 100%, but you might as well be preaching to a rock.

Neither one of you "get it", and I am finished trying to be understood and I don't appreciate your attitude. Your self-righteous indignation and vitriol is astounding and somewhat sad.

Try to enjoy your lives without worrying so much what others are doing!

I would guess the above is why people are replying to you with a snarky tone.

 

As for it not being "fair" that someone in Florida can book at the last minute and bump you from an HC cabin, they'd probably say life isn't fair that they need a HC cabin in the first place.

 

That said, I do think Carnival (and any other cruiseline or hotel) is wrong for letting just anyone book a HC cabin so far out.

Well, it was a sarcastic but true statement; it's absolutely NOT about any entitlement and I'm sure it hit some people that way. For that, I apologize, it is not my nature or point of view. I am very well aware that life is not fair, I will spare you the story of my life and list of my complaints....and you're welcome! :p

Obviously I will DEALWIDDIT if and when I get bumped, and I will still enjoy my cruise, no matter where they relocate me. At least I'm not lying or claiming my current medical issues as a reason to keep the cabin.

That's a good point; if enough people campaign the cruise lines/hotels, perhaps things could be changed.

Just because you travel solo doesn't give you any more rights than anyone else, and if you are traveling solo why do you need the extra room ? You're just being inconsiderate. And if someone in Florida books a cruise at the last minute and you get bumped, which I hope happens, in your own words " dealwiddit "

I did not say I have any more rights than anyone else. It's not inconsiderate to book an available room! If someone needs it, I will be bumped, and I will "dealwiddit", no harm, no foul. Thank you SO much for the snarky tone and general negativity, it's part of what is entertaining about the CC boards.

Seriously, people. I'll say it one more time. Carnival makes the rooms available so they will not sail with empty cabins. If someone does not need an HC cabin, it is VERY clear that they can and will be bumped if someone else needs one. I don't understand where the self-righteous "*I* wouldn't do such a thing" attitude comes from, it makes no sense at all.

You stole a HC room from another in need and you see no problem with that????

 

and IF there are rooms of the SAME category, same area, ect..and YOU get bumper how is THAT unfair??????

 

My understanding is carnival WILL NOT bump you if they cant either offer you the same category OR upgrade you. So if they bump you and you GET what you paid for..then so BE IT.

 

as for carnival sailing with empty rooms..RARELY happens...

 

so as you state..if you get bumped then dealwiddit!

I'm not sure how you arrived at your first statement. I booked an available cabin that happens to be HC. I was warned that I could be bumped if someone else NEEDS it. No problem, I will deal with it if and when it happens. It is mildly annoying that I have booked a year ahead and could be bumped by someone who books within a month of the cruise, but it would and will not ruin my cruise if/when it happens.

I am guessing you never had a problem with someone who is handicapped and the problems we face by booking rooms-not just on cruise ships but evrywhere in general. and I hope you never have to face that problem either.

 

Carnival does NOT always bump abled bodied people-- some agents are lazy and will just tell the person there is no rooms available

One thing has nothing to do with the other. You don't know me, my morals, or the people in my life.

It's interesting that blame is being placed on someone who booked an available room, instead of on the cruise line, TA, or PVP. It's not my fault if they fail to follow through as they should if a HC room is requested.

Several people in this thread have mentioned that they know of people who have been bumped, or were offered that opportunity. I trust that I will be bumped if someone needs the cabin. It's ultimately Carnival's responsibility to make sure that happens.

I have purchased three Citizen (NOT "Sitizen" :p) Eco-Drive watches on cruises and have not had problems with any of them. Just a few weeks ago I purchased one on eBay and it didn't keep the time after being in the dark for 12 hours, so I had to return it to be repaired or replaced. Go figure!

I purchased a sterling and simulated opal ring on my last cruise and I know for a fact that I could have gotten a similar ring at a much better price on eBay, but it was part of my enjoyment of that cruise.

I bought a few Bella Perlina bracelets (similar to Pandora) and the cruise ship price was identical to the price at the airport (in San Juan) but cheaper than I have found online. However, there are great deals for additional beads (not brand-names) on eBay.

I also bought a shell necklace and overpaid for it, even though it was "marked down" 30% or something. I just really wanted it! I found other shell and/or bead necklaces for considerably less in the stores at the ports of call. Bought those too, they made lovely gifts!

If you know what you're getting and enjoy the "gold" by the inch or the $10 sales, have fun and buy what you want! One of my $10 cruise watches turned out to be a great dive watch for me!

:::::::::::donning flame-retardant suit:::::::::::::

Sorry, but I don't see any problem with booking an HC room in order to gain more space. I trust that if someone needs the cabin, I will be bumped, no problem. Carnival DOES make it very clear AS you are booking that this could happen. Besides that, I travel solo, so I'm paying 200%, dealwiddit! :p

I DO have a problem with the idea of my booking a year ahead (AND traveling from the Pacific NW to get there), and then getting bumped by someone at the last minute who lives in Florida who can cruise pretty much any time they want! :( That isn't fair IMO.

I don't remember the doors of my 4J's being any different from any other cabin door, but there is an emergency call rope pull in the shower and a button or something by the bed, so you want to be careful not to accidentally call someone to your cabin when you're starkers! :eek:

Carnival's goal is to fill every cabin. Period. If they keep the HC cabins out of inventory too long, they will sail with empty rooms.

My wife and I have done the helmet dive in Grand Cayman some time ago. My wife doesn't swim, but she loved this. As you said the helmet weighs about 70 lbs. When you walk down the steps they put the helmet on your shoulders as you enter the water. This weight is what allows you to continue to walk down to the ocean floor. It gives you neutral buoyancy and let you walk freely at the bottom. Quite a great experience. Where we went, there was a reef area that was cordoned off. There were scuba divers that worked with the company watching the people on the ocean floor. At a certain point they started feeding the fish and we were surrounded by thousands of fish. It was an incredible experience. Walking on the sea floor like that has been likened to walking on the moon. To your initial concern, as you walk back up the steps, they simply lift the helmet off your shoulder as your head breaks through the water line. You never feel any weight on your shoulders. After this my wife was so enthusiastic that she thought it would be nice to try scuba diving, I had to remind her that to go scuba diving you have to be able to swim. Scuba diving is great, if you cant sucba dive this was pretty good (IMO). I love everything the ocean has to show us. Have a good time.

 

Hope this helps

 

Ian

Does your wife not swim at ALL, or does she just not like to?

I am not much of a swimmer, in and of itself I find it BORING, but I love SCUBA diving. If she is curious, she can try SNUBA, which places the tank on a raft instead of your back (and no certification required).

I find it odd that some adults do not have passports, but I understand economic issues.

I am a military brat, so I've had a passport since I was six years old. I consider it the same as my driver's license, I have to keep an updated passport for my own peace of mind :)

Now I'm just waiting for my TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) to make a difference when I travel!

:-P

I'm filling in, in a non-music director fashion, on the Dream at the moment. Piano Bar Bob is still here this week btw. I'm actually kinda bummed that I leave the day Brad gets here, 'cause I haven't seen him yet. Ah well.

Also, let me know if you'll be on the Splendor 4/23-7/12 or Valor 8/25-Feb. '13, 'cause that's where I'll be :-)

Brad is awesome, I hope to catch him again on a future cruise!

I sailed with Ben on the Liberty in Dec, he was a blast. He is pretty young, but very enthusiastic, and a great entertainer. I am THRILLED he is going to be on the Breeze, and am looking forward to hanging out in the PB in Aug.

 

OH, he just ended his Liberty contract last month, that's why he isn't on the list anywhere.

He looks about 15!! I'm glad to see a good review for him though, I will be on the Breeze late September :)

Hey man, full frontal nudity was mentioned, was this a bait and switch?

For the record, the stingrays are forced into prostitution because of their love of free fish, it's not their fault. I'm sure they would not choose to "massage" the backs of a bunch of tourists on their own :D

I DO love the food porn, thank you very much :cool:

I'm not sailing on the Legend in the near future but I am very much enjoying your review and point of view.....I actually LOL'd a few times:)

Glad it was good. DH is diving with TiKaye and I'm hanging out at the resort for the day. Did you get a look at the place? Pretty?

It's very pretty and nice but not posh; it seems quaint to me. But I only saw the beach, dock, dive shop, and restaurant.

Glad you enjoyed the cruise! My husband is diving with TiKaye in St. Lucia. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Did you spend any time at the resort?

I only had lunch there after my dives........very good food!

Cala,

 

I hope you will remember this thread and come back and tell us/me how it went.

Got back from my cruise last night, had a fantastic time!

Unfortunately I am not a photographer like Laurie S., my photos are few an far between and nowhee near the quality of hers!

St Thomas I dove with Blue Island Divers for the second time (dive master was Gene). We were at Flat Cay and Chrysler. It was even better than last year!

St Lucia I dove with Tikaye/Island Divers (dive master was Curtis). Both dives were near the Pitons of off Jalousie Beach. Got stung a bit by some tiny jellyfish (felt like a mosquito bite). but saw lots of great sealife.

St Kitts I dove with Kenneth's Dive Center (dive master Vijay - no idea how to spell his name!). They were a little annoyed that I couldn't go barefoot due to a medical condition (plantar fasciitis). Can't remember the name of the first dive site but the second was Donut. This was probably the best dive; the DM had a tablet and when he found something interesting he would write it down and show us. We saw two nurse sharks, two jumbo lobsters, 2 huge crabs, five eagle rays, three stingrays, and several cow fish. He also pointed out the elusive sailfish.

I had a great vacation but now I need another week off to recuperate!!

I enjoyed my dives with Blue Island last year and will be diving with them again a month from today :)

I don't remember the names of the sites (I'm taking my log book next time :p) but one of them was a wreck dive. I am not wreck dive certified but it was no problem, the wrecks were mostly skeletons (no hull), so you could see out the other side when entering.

I was lucky, the ratio of divers and crew was one to one; boat captain and two DMs for three divers.

Happy diving! :::::virtual shaka:::::

Summer; I really enjoyed this trip report. Most of all I have learned something as I have "lived" vicariously through you concerning your sons autism. I feel like I am an intelligent, educated person, but I honestly I am afraid there might be times when I judge a kids behavior without considering that there might be underlying causes I know nothing about. I am humbled by your grace as you describe the looks, comments, and lack of understanding you experience on a daily basis. I know that I will think more before I react in the future. I am glad your family can enjoy cruising, and I hope your adventures continue to enrich your son and your precious daughter. God's speed.

Very succinctly said, I agree!

I am not sailing on this ship any time soon, but this review is a joy to read. I am always touched when parents are so in love and attentive to the needs of their children, and Summer's review includes a lot of helpful hints and details.

I have 1003 booked for my upcoming Victory cruise, so I haven't experienced it yet, BUT I was in the same type of cabin (4J outer corner, HC) on the Liberty.

In my review is a photobucket link, and the cabin photos are at the very beginning and end of the album. I took pictures of the interior and the "secret" deck. Most of the port of call photos I took from the deck as we arrived or departed.

IMO there would be enough room for 3 people (if it's allowed), but I don't know if the little sofa folds out into a bed. I was in the room solo, but as it's an HC room, there is more floor space than in a regular cabin.

We have booked four obstructed view staterooms on the Glory's upper deck and expect to book the last two today. I can't seem to locate any pictures of these actual staterooms and the window. I understand the location and (very) obstructed view. I found pictures of the public walkway in front of the rooms. Everyone is wondering about the layout, how the size of these rooms compare to the inside staterooms and if we can see anything but the walkway. Hubby and I may get stuck with the modified room if everyone books, but it's just 5 nights so we'll deal with it.

 

Interested in any feedback, but desperately seeking pictures of these actual staterooms. Thank you!

I had the exact same cabin on the Liberty last year. For some reasons, I can't post photos, but if you follow my review link, there's another link for my photos on PhotoBucket. The cabin pics (and deck area) are at the very beginning and at the very end. You will love it!

I agree. The first couple nights seemed a bit ho hum at first, but I think the crowd just wasn't into it or wasn't requesting the best songs. After requesting a few choice songs (traditional crowd pleasers such as the aforementioned titles you mentioned), let me tell you, everyone was into it. The songs made all the difference.

 

I wonder if some guests may be new to the piano bar experience and don't know what songs get it going or what brings the crowd in. To some degree the piano player is at the mercy of the crowd...but at least Pollyanna wants to play and sing. The main problem with the 3 piano singers I encountered on my 2010 cruises (3 of them) was that they would barely sing any songs (the guy on the Imagination wasn't as bad as the other two--he mostly suffered from a very limited repertoire--only did oldies). The other two did more talking than singing (and none of them had playlists).

 

Other good titles to request are: Tina Turner's Proud Mary; The song from Grease (Is it called "Summer Girls"? Not sure, but you probably know what song I mean); Her Michael Jackson Medley--a big crowd pleaser every night even if you're not a big MJ fan because it is mostly older MJ songs than everyone knows from way back; It's Raining Men; and many more.

 

To some degree the piano bar is what you make it, but in 2010 we tried, but these "singers" wouldn't even sing--they spent the majority of their time talking or taking breaks, and had no playlists so we weren't even sure what songs we could request.

 

On the Freedom in Feb 2010, DH and I sat at the piano bar well over an hour (ordering drinks) after I had requested a well known Bon Jovi song (which was a common request on previous CCL cruises) and tipped $5 no less, to no avail.

 

I finally asked if he was going to play my song, and he admitted that he didn't even know that one. I was a bit miffed--at least he might have said so earlier on. Believe it or not, he actually gave me back my $5.

 

So that is why I say, Pollyanna is a joy. She likes to sing, is very personable, and does have talent. Give her a chance.

 

I wish I could post the videos I have of her but I think the file is too big or something.

Yay, another Pollyanna fan! Another thing I noticed about her is that she never took a break, she just played and sang for up to four hours straight. If tips are any indication of performance, she was very successful, I saw $20's in her jar every night, and I think I saw a $50 in there once. She was joking about getting a new car when she got home.

I got such a kick out of her, and even enjoyed her fallback excuse for artists/songs not on her list "I'm from Australia". :D

The Grease song is "Summer Nights", along with "You're The One That I Want' - definite crowd pleasers! I enjoyed her Michael Jackson Medley, and "Proud Mary" was another fun one. The ladies loved "It's Raining Men", but some of the men protested :rolleyes:

I have been lucky, the only other piano player I have encountered was Brad Alexander, and he was great too. I hope you get the chance to enjoy him some time ! :)

Just off of the Legend and sadly must say that I was greatly disappointed with Pollyanna. :( The piano bar IS our favorite nightly routine and I was so bummed that she was not as fun and interactive with the crowd(or lack thereof on this trip)

She had a decent voice but did not hype the pax. I'm use to the Brad Alexander fun type piano players. Pollyanna definitely needs some help interacting with the fans while playing.

I'm sorry you didn't have as enjoyable an experience as I had with her on the Liberty. I guess I don't understand part orf your statement "but did not hype the pax"? The piano player can only do so much to encourage participaton. Some nights people trickled in and out, and some nights were jumpin', no two were alike!

I found her *very* interactive but the much of the interaction was with specific songs, and many of the regulars were in their 20's and enjoyed the more recent songs in her repertoire. We had the most fun with songs like "Forget You", "Love Shack", "I Will Survive", "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "Sweet Caroline" among others.

http://s317.photobucket.com/albums/mm388/libratpdx/?action=view&current=100711PianoBarLastHurrah.jpg

Got this when I did the Chef's Table last week - the official recipe! Sorry, I can't figure out how to make my pics bigger but the attachment is readable :)

http://s317.photobucket.com/albums/mm388/libratpdx/?action=view&current=100511WCMC-1.jpg

any more info on disco ball sightings?

I got one on the Liberty last week! As far as I know, it was only available in the disco. The other special cups were available all over the ship on their given days.

I wanted to get the blowfish but it wasn't available, they didn't get the shipment in time. There was a tall zig zag cup bu I can't remember what they called it, I didn't get one.

Polloyanna will be at the piano on the legend.Has any one enjoyed her on other cruises ? what kind of music dose she play?

I just got off the Liberty and went to the piano bar every night. She is awesome! She has a wide variety of specific songs and provides a songlist in the bar (see the website for her list if you like).

Tell her Cala says hello for me?

http://pollyannajones.com/fr_pollyanna.cfm

You woulnt be dissapointed if you saw me... LOL.

Wife and daughter observed a 300 pound plus man in speedos on beach during our last cruise.After he jiggled and labored past them my daughter

turned to my wife and exclaimed " I saw him first " :eek:

Bwahahahaaa, sounds like me and my friends/relatives......"that's my boyfriend, I know you're jealous"........I wonder if guys do that about women they don't find attractive? Fair is fair!! :D