pjfnme

Hi all. We’re looking for an independent tour operator for our stop at Amber Cove and want to do a city type tour with food, drinks and sites. I’ve read about Iguana Mama and Ismael tours and have also found a couple of tours that look good via Viator. Iguana Mama was my first choice, but the Eat Drink and Be Merry tour doesn’t go to Del Oro Chocolate Factory. Not a lot of info on the other tour operators so I’m not sure which direction to go. For those who have been, do you consider the Chocolate Factory a must do? Thanks!

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone has ever used Irie Trails and Transfers while in Jamaica? 

I had assumed that since the priority boarding was reinstated for Diamond/Platinum VIFP, the boarding pass would go back to listing "PRIORITY" under the Boarding Zone, but I just checked in for an upcoming cruise and received zone A02. Also, nowhere on the boarding pass or luggage tags does it list Priority...but it does show Platinum on the luggage tags (where it used to state Priority). I haven't sailed since the announcement so can anyone who has sailed recently please shed some light on this for me? We're leaving out of New Orleans, and (Pre-Covid) they've always done well with the Captains Lounge and priority lines...just wondering what to expect. Are the D/P still boarding by zones or is the priority boarding TRULY back as they claimed? Also, as a side note...my daughter purchased FTTF for her cabin and her boarding zone is stamped FTTF only - no zone. Quite confusing.

5 minutes ago, JAGR said:

It would depend somewhat on the ship and the room type.  For example, on some ships the average deluxe interior cabin is about 178 or up to 183 square feet.  If you qualify for a handicapped interior room, they range from about to 301 square feet for non-YC and about 230 in the YC (Yacht Club).  Depends on the ship, as I said.  Pick a ship, and google the ship and "interior cabin." It will take to a listing of the room types and the size.

Thank you. I was looking at the new Seascape and the sister ship Seashore. I've googled for the size but they only list a range "starting" at 150sf. I would love to be able to click on the particular cabin that I'm viewing and see what the size is. I was just wondering if they were sized according to deck, experience, etc. I don't want to inadvertently reserve a tiny room.

Hello all. I have never cruised on MSC and was wondering if there was a way to determine the size of a particular cabin during the booking process? I'm recently retired and would consider an interior cabin however the size range is throwing me off. I definitely can't do a 151sf cabin so I need to know that the one I'm booking is one of the larger ones. For the record, I'm speaking of the standard Fantastica level interior cabins - not the YC or the premiums. 

Thanks!

Thanks everyone! After waiting all day my PVP called me back and had it all corrected! Such a weight off of my mind! I appreciate all of the suggestions! I’m glad that I didn’t have to go any further. 

14 minutes ago, Bostwick girl said:

Only thing I know to do is call the main number and when you get someone, ask for Guest Resolutions.

 

I plan to do just that if I haven’t heard back from her by tomorrow. I just can’t believe that an experienced PVP would have done something so stupid!

I am absolutely beside myself right now! I have been discussing a booking change with my PVP for a couple of days now. She was asked to remove a guest from a booking and add another.  The primary guest was remaining. It was very straightforward and not at all confusing. I received an email this morning that since the cabin had been booked under the guest’s name that was being removed, it would have to be canceled and rebooked. Well, I would agree with that completely IF the cabin had been booked under the removed person’s name. In REALITY,  it had been booked under the person who was not canceling, and to add insult to injury, they had booked under the free cheers package offer from 2020 and had a great cabin rate to boot. So without waiting for any response or confirmation from me, she took it upon herself to cancel the existing booking and rebooked for a rate that was almost $500 higher than the original cabin with NO CHEERS PACKAGE! I am absolutely livid! I immediately pointed out her mistake, but the damage had been done before she even sent the initial email. Her response was that she would “see what she could do”.  That was four hours ago and still no word. I can’t believe this has happened! Is there any recourse???

7 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

That was unethical of the agent not to inform you. Any respectable travel agency carries errors and omission insurance for just these situations. The agent erred when omitting to inform you they were no longer with Carnival and have their own agency or work for a travel agency. If this doesn't get resolved to your satisfaction the onus is on the agent to make you whole. Usually your invitation to "invite" them to a small claims court near your home city gets quick results. Good luck.

Completely agree!!  

47 minutes ago, urbanhawk said:

 I  feel bad for the O.P.'s situation, and their frustration. I have a question, so I may avoid some of the similar issues. I booked a cruise on my own, using a casino  promo. Who do I contact to change my booking to a later date? (a pvp?  or the casino, directly?). Thanks.

Thanks so much.  Yes, you will go through Carnival if you booked it yourself.  If you have a PVP you can contact them...otherwise, just join the multitudes on hold. LOL. The rate "shouldn't" matter if you're just changing the date however they may want to switch you to the casino reps after you speak to one of the regular operators.  Be prepared just in case.  Carnival is currently able to make changes to dates, itineraries, etc for only 2021 and 2022.   

9 minutes ago, Don Kehote said:

You can always choose how you treat other people, especially people who didn't cause the trouble you're experiencing.

I know...I was being facetious. 

I probably wasn't very clear in my initial post...sorry about that.  But, my old PVP had been "downsized" by Carnival last year.  He just didn't bother to tell me that when I booked the cruise so I inadvertently booked it under his travel agency rather than through Carnival! Mad about that...but, normally I LOVE using a PVP.  I never have to do anything more than send her a text or an email to get whatever I need taken care of.  This entire situation has been a comedy of errors!  Every other large corporation at least has a call delivery system that will let you know how long of a wait you have, or what number you are in line.  Heck, they could always do that "schedule a call back" option!  Something more than THIS!!  I'm over two hours and counting now.  I'm afraid I might not be too nice if and when they finally answer.  

So, I finally received the notice that my upcoming sailing would be mandating vaccinations and was told that I had 14 days to reschedule if I chose to do so.  The DH refuses to wear a mask on our vacation so I relented and agreed to push the date out a year.  I immediately contacted my current PVP (who is fast and amazing), and was dismayed to learn that she wasn't able to help me.  Apparently the old PVP whom I made the reservation through, was no longer working for CCL and had booked my sailing under his travel agency!  I was told that I would have to contact him to make the change.  After waiting for two days, he told me that he was getting "push back" from Carnival about changing the date and that they needed to speak to me directly!  WTH? So,  NOW I've been on hold for over an hour and a half trying to get a "supervisor" on the phone to get this taken care of within their required time limits!  This is BEYOND frustrating!  Has anyone else experienced ridiculously long wait times or have I just been transferred into Carnival oblivion??  😠

Hi all.  I just booked a Lido deck cabin on the Splendor for a 10 day Great Barrier Reef cruise out of Sydney.  We usually stay on the port side, but as I've never been to Australia I wanted to see what you guys thought?  There are a few cabins left on starboard so any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Hi all.  I need some advice regarding a pullman cabin.  My DH and I always book a balcony cabin on the Lido deck, however as there is nothing available for the sailing that I'm considering, I thought we'd move up to the Panorama.  There are currently only two cabins left (in the mid-ship vicinity) both of which have pullmans.  I've seen photos of stowed pullmans that stick out over the bed - to be honest they look like they could present a hazard to someone getting up in the middle of the night.  Does anyone know where the pullman is located in a balcony cabin on the Glory?  If it's above the couch it won't be much of an issue.  Are there any other negatives to having a pullman cabin when one isn't needed?  My only other option is to move extreme forward which I usually try to avoid.

1 hour ago, Aerospacemom said:

My PVP told me the same thing and I also was very hesitant to believe it.

I just got off the phone with my PVP. He said that it was still showing as optional charges and sent me confirmations that reflect that. He assured me that the charges would come off if I decided I didn’t want it prior to final payment. Maybe it’s a commission thing?  I don’t know, but as long as I am able to remove it I’m okay. Still seems kind of strange to me.  

I certainly thought so as well but thought my PVP would not steer me wrong. He knew I didn’t want it.  I’m concerned now. 

I have never purchased this insurance however when I re-booked my cancelled cruise, my PVP added this "optional" amount to my totals.  I advised him that I did not wish to purchase it, but he said that he only included it as an optional amount just to show that it had been offered to me.  He assured me that it could be removed at any time and would not compute towards my final cost.  Fast forward two weeks later, and I checked my booking Monday night (to see if my credits had been properly applied), and it certainly appears as though the vacation plan amounts were included in the final balance owed.  Additionally, there is a notification that advises that the vacation plan cannot be modified as it is within the "cancellation period"?   I haven't been able to get back in touch with my PVP about it so I thought I would ask here first...does anyone happen to know how long you have to cancel these charges?  I did not agree to them in the first place, and I certainly don't want to be stuck with them.  Final payment isn't due on this cruise until next year.

Hi guys.  Kind of a long story, but hopefully someone will be able to provide a little clarity on this for me.  I've tried to call Carnival, but with everything going on it's impossible to get through to them right now.  So, here's my potential dilemma. I booked two cabins for an upcoming European cruise in May.  One for myself and my DH and the other for our 20 yo daughter and her friend.  As neither our daughter or her friend were yet 21, we booked the cabins with myself and my daughter in an interior cabin and my DH and her friend in our suite.  I was originally planning to re-assign the cabin names once my daughter turned 21, however I was advised by my PVP at booking that I should wait and do it once on board - stating that if I moved my name from my booked cabin to my husband's that we would lose the offer and OBC that we booked the interior cabin under.   I decided to take her advice , but given the current situation with the European itineraries I'm wondering if I made the right decision.  My primary concern is what happens to the FCC if we end up cancelling/postponing our cruise to a future date or if we are awarded an FCC due to itinerary change.  Would the FCC have to be used by the persons assigned to the cabin?   Needless to say I would want the FCC for the suite to be under my and my DH's name.   Also, if I wanted to go ahead and swap the names on the cabins now, would it even be allowed since I have already made final payment? This is my 16th cruise with Carnival, but I've never had an issue such as this - I'm hoping that someone will be able to provide some insight.  Thank you!   

On 7/11/2019 at 10:13 AM, margbem said:

Have you looked at Tuscanybus.com? Their trip to Florence and Pisa is €40 pp. we have booked with them for Lucca and Pisa in October. They have been very responsive to any queries I have had.

I checked with Tuscany Bus and they said it should be doable to do David as well as the tower climb.  How was your experience with them?

I checked with Tuscany Bus and they said it should be doable to do David as well as the tower climb.  How was your experience with them?

15 minutes ago, CruiseDigits said:

@pjfnme I have 14 photos for you that I'll upload here tonight, I need to figure out the best way to get them here for you!

 

The neighborhood seems like most of the other Barcelona neighborhoods with restaurants on the corner, the small local grocery, and mix of shops below living areas.  It's a nice way to live.  I had a nice stroll, it took me just under 16 minutes to walk from the Barcelona Cathedral (I had a meeting near there this afternoon) to Casp 74.  I started taking pictures just before I made the right turn on to the street with Casp 74 and then I took pictures for the next three or so blocks until I arrived.

 

Let me know if you've previously been to Barcelona, I'll include brief comments with the pictures and will share more context if this is your first trip.

 

More to follow.

That sounds wonderful!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate how helpful you've been.  It is indeed our first trip to Barcelona so any information that you can provide would definitely be useful and appreciated! 

9 hours ago, CruiseDigits said:

 

Agree that reviewers give the CASP74 great ratings, especially the high marks and comments about the location.  I wouldn't have any concerns, especially when you keep in mind things like comments made by @hkto, which are spot on.

 

I'll be near that area late this afternoon (Thursday, Barcelona time, it's super early now) and will walk by to take some pictures for you.  Not because I have concerns, I'm just curious!

Thanks so much and the pictures were awesome!  Very beautiful!   

Thanks so much for that information!  

On 8/25/2019 at 1:36 PM, CruiseDigits said:

Happy to answer any other questions!

Thank you for the wonderful information!  Would you know anything about the area around the CASP74 apartments?  I have searched the forum but don't see any reference to them.  Their map shows that they are a block south of the Gran Via between Placa Catalunya and Placa Tetuan.  Would that be a decent area?