LibratPDX

Sea Day Brunch is usually in the aft dining room on deck 3.  It's also the dining room for Sea Day Tea at 3pm, usually deck 4; I haven't been to tea lately, they keep cutting back on the goodies 😞  

On the Dream class (Dream, Magic, and Breeze) it's totally worth it IMO.  The thalassotherapy pool is amazing and I love the heated loungers.  The steam rooms are a little too warm for me.  I think these pics are all from the Magic.  The pools are identical ship to ship but the rest of the thermal suite rooms are a bit different from one ship to the other.  

Just FYI, due to Texas laws, Cheers is not available until the day after embarkation.  You also can't get certain Carnival-specific drinks (like the Blue Iguana Chipotle Passion Margarita blah blah, the name is so long I can never remember the whole thing).  

You can print out the page that shows your Cheers package (and anything else you added to your booking like water, internet service) if you want to, but they will be able to see it in your account.  HOWEVER, keep in mind that Cheers does not start until day two if your ship embarks from Galveston because of their tax laws.

On 11/10/2019 at 12:35 PM, stellarose said:

 

 

is the spa pass worth it for a week?

You have to decide for yourself if you want daily access to the Thalassotherapy Pool and the rest of the thermal suite.  I like the loungers in the warm room but the other rooms are too hot for me but I still get the pass if I don't have a spa cabin, but only on the Dream class ships :)  

It MIGHT be in your email confirmation from your TA......

It depends on your cabin.  If your category is sold out, there will definitely not be any changes, but if there are plenty of cabins available (usually an ocean view or interior cabin) prices can change at any time....

On 11/10/2019 at 4:04 PM, xitappers2bx said:

I wish I had a good answer as to why, except that after I wrote out a step by step on how to do it, and then added a bunch of photos along the way, when it came time to pay, the only options are for credit cards and PayPal, there is no gift card place to put it in.  That's why I said that--see the attached photo 

Next time click on the lower right "Having trouble?" link!!  I always try to prepay my gratuities but when I use a travel agent they have to be part of the booking and I can't pay it separately on the website.  For everything else I've always seen an option for gift cards.  

The only thing you can pre-pay that goes on your bill for the cruise is the gratuities. Other items are payable at the time of purchase, but with Cheers there is usually a small discount for purchasing ahead of time.  Beverages, Internet Service, Spa Treatments,  Excursions, Cruise Cash, etc.

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

In Carnival’s defense, their website is clear that Vista class ships don’t have  thalassotherapy pools.

When I booked (I think it was before the ship was sailing) they called the Cloud 9 Spa hot tub a thalassotherapy pool and there was even a sign calling it that in the spa when I was on the ship . 

Technically you could apparently call your bathtub a thalassotherapy pool if it has the right mineral water in it (eyeroll).  Looks like they were forced to change their information!

I booked a spa cabin on the Vista before I knew their thalassotherapy pool was basically just a jacuzzi with mineral water.  I was disappointed and would not bother booking a spa cabin on the Vista class.  On the Dream class they have the nicer and larger thalassotherapy pool and just more space in general for the heated lounger and various steam rooms, and if I'm not in a spa cabin I purchase the spa pass for access to them.   But it's all subjective, you have to decide for yourself if it's worth it!

19 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

And I've worked on ships for over 40 years, and have never called a ship a boat.  And I don't know anyone in the industry that does.  YMMV.

YMMV indeed, maybe we're just more casual on the "left" coast?  It's mostly verbal, in official documentation it's always a ship or vessel or even ocean carrier.  

22 hours ago, Garth2 said:

It's a ship, not a boat.

👀  👀  👀

It's perfectly acceptable to call any sailing vessel a BOAT as casual slang.  I've worked in cargo shipping for nearly 40 years and we casually call the steamship vessels "boats" all the time.

IF you want to get really technical, a ship can carry a boat but a boat can't carry a ship.

15 hours ago, StolidCruiser said:

Another Plat who expected to book a guarantee (to save around $80) and get assigned a primo cabin that they would have chosen for themselves in what is essentially a crapshoot - because of their so-called “status”.

 

Karma, baby... pure and simple.

 

 

Another poster who has nothing to contribute to the conversation other than a snarky comment.  This is why many people leave this forum and/or are apprehensive about asking questions.   Why even bother typing a comment at all?

OP, this is why I don't book guarantee cabins!  My one and only guarantee experience I got a "deluxe ocean view" cabin and thought that would be great, I got a bathtub.  But it was the last cabin on deck 1, all the way aft, and I got to hear all the clanging and banging of the ship.  No thanks!

1 hour ago, jdoc2007 said:

Or buy cruise cash with the gift card ahead of time, eliminates the need to wait in line at GS while on the ship.

I did that once but when I arrived for embarkation it wasn't immediately apparent and they had to do further checking to find my cruise cash deposit.  It was a little odd so I haven't tried it again!  

1 hour ago, Envelope21 said:

Tried to add our gift card to our account online before the cruise. We wanted to pay our gratuities with it. They said it had to go through the travel agent. We ended up waiting and doing it at Guest Services.

I don't know why they would say you would have to pay via a travel agent unless they misunderstood and thought you were just trying to pay your balance!  I always add my credit card for easy embarkation but visit GS to apply my gift cards to my account.  My understanding is the kiosks don't work for that but I haven't tried it recently.

I've done this several times!  As Lele said, there's a $50 fee but sometimes there's an on board credit deal that makes up for it.  You can then pay the balance on the due date for the new ship.

18 hours ago, JQTravels said:

Is D similar to Cucina del Capitano?

No, it's just a pasta bar; you choose the type of pasta you want, the sauce, and any add ons.  I think they have lasagne, salad, and bread as well.

To each their own!   Galveston is my least favorite port to cruise from, transportation options for a solo traveler are few and far between and stupid expensive!  That and the fact that you can't use/purchase Cheers for the first night because of antiquated Texas laws.  That said, I'm cruising the Dream from there 10/28 :P  

If you have enough time before your cruise, you can each purchase Carnival gift cards, then use them to purchase the Cheers packages on their website.

IF I am in the dining room just about every night, I hand the staff their own tips in a handshake on the last night (in addition to auto-gratuities I always leave in place).  For room service it's customary to tip at the time of service (if you are inclined) instead of at the end of the cruise. 

On my last cruise I visited the deli several times that week, so on the last day I gave a fiver to the woman who made my sandwiches.  

Right now it's Ben Gentry, the piano bar entertainer :)  He's on the ship until November 7th.

I love the Dream class spas, the thalassotherapy pools and thermal loungers are worth paying extra for if you don't have a spa cabin IMO......

If you look on the website there may be a way to cancel, but if there's not, it's a good idea to call Carnival.

Clearly I should have said it's not JUST about the money. 😶😣

Since I have cruised Carnival exclusively for a while, I'm not sure how the point systems are structured on other lines.  

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

 

Because Carnival's loyalty program is based on how many days you spend at sea, not on how much money you spend (nor should it).

True, but other lines owned by the same Corporation give double credit to solos who are paying for a double-occupancy cabin, it's not about the amount of money, it's about basically paying for two people.

Right?  I'm not sure why people get so brutal just because they can?   I know other cruise lines (even those associated with Carnival) give solos more points for paying double but I'm not holding my breath for Carnival to do it.  And what happened to the medallions that were in the news earlier in the year (in place of S&S cards)?  

It seems that Carnival is not consistent in how things are handled from one ship to the other.  Asking questions is fine but one person's experience will not match the next person's.