DirtyDawg

If you believe this or can't get a card (which is hard to believe as my cat has a Visa).

So do my kids in University. I venture to say that your cat probably manages his credit card purrr-chases better than my guys do.:p

For those who haven't followed the thread about the Millennium cancellation, and in the hopes that a new thread with this info might live on,

 

We know from Cruise Critic that some passengers travel without a credit card. They choose not to have one, or are unable to get one due to poor credit ratings.

 

While its true that passengers can set up a cash account, and can prepay all cruise fare, beverage packages, gratuities etc without a credit card, when something goes wrong, as we are experiencing now, passengers who do not have a credit card are very much at a disadvantage. You might say that they are in deep weeds.

 

The problem is that many of us are having to make our own independent hotel reservation WHICH MUST BE GUARANTEED WITH A CREDIT CARD OVER THE PHONE or on line. Emphasis intentional.

 

People please, figure out some way to get yourself a credit card. You never know when something will happen to change your plans!

Are you the CEO of Amex? Visa International? C'mon, you can tell us.:D

There are always exceptions but for 99.9% of travelers a credit card is a must, even for people who regularly pay all cash - just in case.

okay you got me there.. ;)

 

except.. what do people who elope have as an excuse?! :p

I think people who elope and get right to the honeymoon are celebrating their combined superior intelligence :D

....... or lust!:p

isn't the whole point of a honeymoon to celebrate your love?

No it's not. It's to celebrate getting through all the wedding B.S. in one piece :eek: - it celebrates survival.;)

...I know many of you say buy your own at the dollar store and do it yourself, but my kids sent me the birthday decorations last year and they were such a nice surprise and I enjoyed them all week, so I thought it would be nice for the honeymooners. :D Not to mention that obviously I didn't go on the honeymoon with them so I wouldn't have been able to decorate it myself;)

:D But you just gave some some nosy CC mother's in law an excuse to do just that.:eek:;)

Huh? I always thought that freshly ground pepper was a step up from a salt shaker. And how in the world would this equate to a decline in service? Did you require your waiter to shake the pepper out for you in the past? I don't get what the complaint is about! :confused::confused::confused:

Oh Dear ...... it's spreading!!;)

WOW ! Up To 400 People Remove Gratuities

DOUBLE WOW! Almost 400 responses in this thread.:rolleyes:

If you like the new system, use it.

If you like the old one, cancel the auto and tip cash.

If you want to selectively tip for great service, do it.

If you want to tip zero, your choice.

We all have free will - use it!:eek:

I disagree, all should start with an A, if it is maintained then it stays, if not you can then have it adjusted. However, without the minimums, the dishwasher down below would never get a nickle.

 

K

In the college course I teach, the students have to earn an 'A' i.e. produce good work and get rewarded - just like in real life - on land anyway!;)

I'm glad Royal changed this system. The old one was a pain in the backside.

As for tipping, I don't care what other people do.

That's my 5 cents worth on this topic.

(In Canada we don't have pennies anymore so my cheapest advice just went up to a nickel.):)

That scam reminds me of the drawing they have in the gift shop. You have to be present and you win a not so impressive gift. They also say be at the gift shop at a given time when they reveal these Pandora look alike bracelets. That's a joke, they cram so many people there, the people go crazy looking at all the different colors of bracelets. If you go back into the gift shop the following day, they are all restocked and no crowds. Btw...I bought 4 of them and 1 broke. It's a pain to get it refunded. You have to go through a separate company called Starboard Cruise Services. I'm thinking it's not worth the money I paid for it.

It's not a scam. it's just aggressive sales tactics.

Hey these guy are people too. They are just trying to make a living.

................Just like all those telemarketers, used car salesmen, furniture sales people, time-share sales people, and those "lawyers" who offer you a piece on a huge inheritance - just send them some cash first.;)

If you can buy a dollar for 95 cents - that's a deal. If someone offers you a dollar for 25 cents - run away - fast! :eek:

dripping with sarcasm and subtle jabs......loved it!:)

Thanks, sometimes my subtleness may be too subtle for many on this bb.;)

OMG! Unlimited internet - WOW

I can just see it now. A dutiful CCer can now do real live reports all day long! Yippee!

Day 1

Embarkation was quick

Went right to the Lido deck for lunch

Wow, this sure is a beautiful ship, and I've got 7 whole days to explore it and report back to you all

My interior cabin was ready right on time and my bags were already there!

This internet works great

My room service dinner tasted wonderful - (I'm uploading pics now)

This internet still works great

Day 2

Room service Breakfast was terrific. (I'm uploading pics now)

This internet still works great

Room service Lunch was divine. (pics coming)

WOW you really can't get tired of these room service dinners. (I have 235 pics of the lobster - it will take time to upload)

Finally saw the ship tonight. Sorry, not really, but the pics of her on the internet are truely amazing.

Day 3.......Day 4................... Day 5.........................

:):D

The Love Boat really left us all confused. Julie, Gopher, Capt Stubing.........say it ain't so. You weren't real?

Brilliant!!

Now that everyone has finished guessing about ship captains, I can give you some real information.

REAL INFORMATION?????

That's the last thing people on this board want!;)

Does anyone really care where their Cruise Captain is from?

As long as he or she knows port from starboard, bow from stern, forward from reverse, and where the rocks are I couldn't care less if they are American or were from Mars.:D

And yes I know that there are no Marine Universities on Mars!;), Not yet anyway.

Any dissatisfaction with what's going on at Half Moon Cay should be directed to Holland America Cruise Lines as Holland America is the company that owns, maintains and operates the island.

 

Any Carnival Cruise Line ship that stops there is just an in-and-out day visitor.

But a in-and-out visitor with clout!:D

I'm sure that if CCL got enough complaints their COO could find HAL's COO's phone number somewhere.;)

The corkage fee is worth it for champagne, but I would feel tacky bringing my own bottle into a restaurant to save a few bucks. I will definitely bring a bottle to enjoy in the stateroom though!:D

I guess you have not dined out in Montreal. There are fabulous restaurants where you can bring your own wine. You almost feel uncomfortable not bringing a bottle in with you.:D

$25 is a bit steep but if you have a special wine you want to bring with you it's great you can now do it. I will certainly take advantage if this on our next cruise but the bottles will not be coming from Costco!;)

I find these threads just fascinating. I hate to break it to some pp here but Carnival is a business and its primary goal in life is to earn profits for its shareholders. It does this by providing a SERVICE to its customers and charging for that service in excess of the cost to provide that service. Of course they want to provide good service to their customers so that they are happy with the cruising experience and will return as future customers. Hopefully happy customers will also tell their friends and family and the company will get even more future customers – and more future profits.

Now of course Carnival is not responsible for bad weather (they tell you as much in those contracts that we sign – mostly without review by our lawyers!). But they have chosen to provide their service at a time and place where there are lots of hurricanes. Why? Because they have found it is profitable to do so. People want to cruise at this time of year and chances (and extra costs) of a hurricane are not significant to Carnival.

The consensus opinion seems be that Carnival should refund unused days, gratuities, port fees and that’s it. Anything extra the company is not responsible for and customers are not entitled to and should not expect. Hey if airlines don’t offer extra compensation for bad weather why should a cruise line. It’s not because they are bad people in anyway but Airlines don’t have offer extra compensation because there are few substitutes available to their customers. If you experience delays or a rough flight what are your options next time? Another Airline – same problems. For most people driving or taking the train is not a realistic option so there’s no real substitute for flying. But if you experience a bad cruise due to weather what are your choices for your next vacation. Another cruise line is one option. Or, and I know it is heresy to say this, but people could actually go to a land based resort. You know the ones that don’t bob up and down and don’t cause sea sickness.

So Carnival might not be technically, or legally responsible to provide any compensation over and above the basics but competition, the availability of substitute services, and the desire to retain customers makes it in Carnival’s best interest (and their shareholders best interest) to offer something to increase the chances that their weather beaten customers return with more cash!!

Now that Carnival has made the business decision to offer extra compensation in the form of a future cruise discount they need to be perceived as treating the affected customers equally (within reason of course). In the age of instant communication (darn you Al Gore and your internet!) this can be difficult. There might be some solid business reasons for the different discounts offered on future cruises but it certainly appears to be a big difference between offering a 20% discount (nice) and a 50% discount (great). As someone said early, perception is reality and if some people perceive that others are getting a better offer from Carnival that can be a problem. Maybe it’s time for the company’s marketing department to step in and convince people that nice is the same as great.