It's a Ship!!!

It seems like most people are pointing you in the right direction. I just wanted to clarify on why it is highly recommended by the cruise lines and most travel agents to have a passport valid for 6 months or more after the dates of travel.

Since your friend's passport expires only 3 days after the trip, she could run in to problems if she doesn't get back to the ship in time at one of the ports or has an emergency back home. Even though not all countries require your passport to be valid for 6 months, some have lower requirements like 3 months that would still not work in your circumstance. So in that situation, she wouldn't be able to fly home or catch the ship in the next port. There is a website where you can check each country to see the requirements. It is travel.state.gov

So basically the worst case scenario is she will be allowed on the ship, but she may have to get an emergency passport if she needs to fly out of one of the countries she visits. A lot of people take the same risk with just taking their birth certificates and ID or a passport card. Of course the chance of something happening is rare, but this is the reason many people use their passports in the first place.

It is currently sold out. If anyone cancels, it will pop back up in the system until that cabin is taken. You just never know when a cruise will sell out. Sometimes it is over a month before sailing, and sometimes it is the last couple days before sailing.

Well since I am bringing my big cup I guess I will be making my own sweet tea. I saw that if you get cheers it covers honest tea but I did not know if that was bagged or bottled.

The Honest Tea is bottled and I have only seen it available at the coffee place.

It's a pretty easy walk as others have said. There is also a nature trail you can take that will get you down the hill toward the beach. It's not very long, but it was a very nice little trail with a good view.

My last cruise was a 7 day with 4 ports and I did Cheers. I definitely drank well above the point where it was worth it. Drinks at the Alchemy are around $11 each. Wine is usually around $8-$11. We always had at least one glass of wine at dinner, and at least 3 drinks at Alchemy before and/or after dinner. So just with that we broke even. Not to mention the occasional bloody mary or mimosa in the morning, the beer in the afternoon, the specialty coffee every once in a while.

It was definitely worth it to me, but it may not be for you. I know the Chef's Table would make that day a pretty light drinking day, but you should break even without much of a problem on port days, and really easily on sea days.

I know they usually do the nationally televised games like Sunday night and Monday night football on the big screen outside. I think since it is a playoff game and there is only one at a time that they will probably have it, but you probably won't know unless someone who has sailed during a playoff game chimes in. Like others have said it will usually be on in your cabin.

It will also probably be on in the Casino, but since it's going to be on right before you sail, you might even get away with the kids in there since the actual gambling part of the Casino won't be open until later.

P.S.

Go Cowboys!!!!!!!

Thank-you.

 

 

 

 

After you get past the basics (eggs, bacon, toast, etc.), I'm not sure what could be changed. Maybe a squid omelet? Shark steak and waffles? :D

I think the changes would mainly be made in the lunch choices. They have a pork chop, chicken, and salmon. They could easily change those up a little, as well as the things like the tomato soup and Caesar salad. Maybe do a different fish, a different kind of soup, a different salad, and different recipes with pork or chicken. They could even add a sandwich or burger or something. They used to do lunch every sea day, so they could bring out a few of the types of items that they used to have. Don't get me wrong I like all of the items I've tried on the menu, but like people have said it has been the same for 5 years.

Hi

 

We will be on the Liberty in April and are considering eating one night in the Steakhouse.

 

Is it worth the extra money to do so? We are not planning any excursions so I was thinking of splurging one night.

 

I never have never paid extra to eat in one of the specialty places so I want to be sure it is worth it.

 

Thanks

It's worth it to me. You will get varying opinions on quality, but I would compare it to a nice steakhouse on land where your meal would cost at least twice as much per person than the fee in the steakhouse. When you factor in the soup/salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert, you get a great value. The rest of the food on the ship is good and you have already paid for it, but I think the value of the steakhouse meal is much more than $35 so it balances out in the end.

My daughter will be 16 when we cruise in April and may or may not have her Drivers License by then. Carnival says a school photo ID along with a birth certificate will be ok to travel with. Has anyone used a high school photo ID without any problems? I'm just trying to decide if I should go get her a non-driver ID before we sail.

She can absolutely take her school ID as long as it is a public school. The requirement is a government issued photo ID so a public school ID counts as long as it has her picture. It has been years, but both my sister and I used our school IDs for cruises in the past.

My extended family and I are booked on the Pride in May, and we all booked Early Saver last year. In my brother's cabin it was supposed to be him, his girlfriend, and he girlfriend's daughter. Well (surprise!) they have broken up. I told him I am sure he will incur change fees in order to remove their names from the reservation since we booked ES, but now he also wants to move from a cabin for 3 to a cabin for 2 and find another travel companion. All he has paid thus far was the deposit- final payment is 3/14/17. What's the best course of action to suggest to him? Thanks in advance!

 

 

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Early Saver can be very confusing, but I'll try to help a little. When you book Early Saver, the deposit is non-refundable, but only $50 of that deposit is completely non-refundable with the rest going as a future cruise credit. Do you know who paid the deposits? If your brother paid with his credit card, then he can usually keep the girlfriend and daughter's deposit on his booking minus $50 per person. If the girlfriend paid the deposit, then she and her daughter will get that minus the $50 per person as a future cruise credit and he will have to pay an additional deposit to keep his booking (solo bookings need double deposit).

They don't always let you keep a cabin for 3 when you have only 1 or 2 people in it. If he is allowed to stay in that cabin they can move him to a different cabin if they need the cabin for 3 people (although it is rare). One thing he can do is cancel both of them and change to a 2 person cabin, then add the 2nd person whenever he knows who it will be. You can add a new person in the cabin up to about 3 days before the ship sails. If the ship has reached capacity (amount of seats in the lifeboats), then they will not allow you to add another person, so it is usually better to add someone as soon as possible.

On the carnival website it says that under 21s must travel with a over 25 gaurdian but it also says certain exceptions can be made would a 14 y/o boy travelling with 18 y/o sister which are both platinum be ok with no parents / relatives onboard?

 

 

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The guardian doesn't have to be a legal guardian. It just has to be anyone that is over 25. Are they traveling with anyone that is over 25 in the group? If so, then you can put one adult in a cabin with one of them, and one adult in a cabin with the other, and then fix the room keys at guest services when you get on board.

After 13 cruises with Carnival over the past 15 yrs, we have a simple question of what's the cost/penalty fees if we have to change one person for another in our balcony stateroom.

Can't get a hold of my TA all day, so figured we can call Carnival's 800# to ask the simple question.

Well, not so simple. Spoke to 3 reps, all the way up to Supervisor, all said that they can't give me the "simple" answer since I booked through the TA. It's against Carnival's policy to give me any answers without TA's permission.

Would take One minute to answer, rather 10 minutes to repeat that they can't answer my question.

Never been so frustrated, figured in today's Tech & online world, the TA are virtually gone from airlines, hotels, & other travel agencies. As a customer, calling directly into Carnival, figured they could give me a simple answer without much hassle...

As many others have said your question isn't simple. I can give you the answer but there are going to be a lot of ifs in there.

If you are before final payment date, and booked a rate with a refundable deposit (usually most rates without the word "saver"), then there is no change fee.

If you are after final payment date and booked a rate with a refundable deposit, then there is a $50 change fee.

If you are before final payment date and booked a rate with a non-refundable deposit (usually early saver) then there is a $50 change fee and what happens to the rest of the deposit will vary. If the person who paid the deposit with their credit card is the one cancelling, then the rest of the deposit will be held as a future cruise credit for 2 years from the cancellation date, and you will have to pay the equivalent of the full deposit to make the change. If the person who paid the deposit is the one still in the cabin, they can usually keep the rest of the deposit in the booking, (Carnival's customer service reps aren't the best so it may take 2-4 calls to make it happen), or the credit card holder can get the rest of the deposit as a future cruise credit.

If you are after final payment date and booked a non-refundable deposit rate, things have changed recently. Earlier this year, they would allow you to make a change for the cost of the full deposit you originally paid (again it would take a few calls sometimes), but now they have stopped doing that and changes aren't allowed. So now in that case you would have to cancel the second person at the cost of whatever the current cancellation penalties are, and then add the new person and pay the amount of the cancellation penalty. Cancellation penalties go up the closer you are to the sailing date of the cruise. So for example if you were 15 days before the ship sailed, you would be at 75% penalty, so you would have to pay 75% of the original fare to make a change.

If you booked a rate where the full amount is non-refundable, then no name changes are allowed. You would have to cancel the second person and then pay their entire fare again to add another person.

If you booked any rate through a travel agency that charges change fees, you would be subject to those fees on top of what Carnival charges.

In all cases of name changes, at least one person who was originally in the booking has to remain on the booking.

I actually have some friends that did just this on a couple nights. They didn't even realize it wasn't allowed. One night they missed their dining time and went to the Your Time dining room and the hostess sat them without a problem. Then another night they did the same thing and the hostess told them that they really aren't supposed to do that, but she would seat them anyway. It seems like it's just one of those things where it depends on who you ask.

That being said, I don't see how you could possibly eat at the dining room and then eat at the Chef's table later. I was so full after Chef's table that I could barely move. Maybe I misunderstood the question.

Hi,

 

Does anyone have any experience with an upper/lower interior cabin? My family of 4 is looking at a last minute cruise on Carnival Elation and the only options left are 2 cabins that are both guarantee interior with upper/lower accommodations. Would these be two Pullmans or one twin and one Pullman? Are these rooms they've kicked the crew out of for the week to sell to last minute passengers like me? jk but ahhh! :(

 

#ShouldHaveBookedEarlier

 

Thanks in advance!

Nicole

Upper/Lower cabins have one twin bed and one pullman. If you are choosing a guarantee rate (meaning you don't get to choose the specific cabin) just remember that one or both cabins may actually get upgraded, which could cause your 2 cabins to be in completely different areas of the ship.

I was also there last week, and the locals have put their loungers with umbrellas on the front row. We went and sat down at a couple in the front row for about 30 minutes and no one said anything. Then when we got up to go in the water a guy came up and said it would be $20 for the 2 chairs. I guess he didn't see us earlier. We then got up and moved a few feet away to the free chairs. Just remember the Green umbrellas that say Grand Turk Cruise Center are free and any other umbrellas are set there by locals.

In the past 2 months, we have gotten no less than 60 messages from MATTHEW, A PERSONAL CRUISE CONSULTANT at CCL....it's almost a daily message on my machine when I get home from work....and I gotta tell ya, it's starting to get pretty annoying....

 

When we book a cruise, we usually use our regular travel agent or just book it directly on their website...

 

We have never returned 'Matthew's' calls....and never will....he has annoyed me to the point that I would never do business with him....

 

Does anyone else get these calls??

 

(and yes, I am about to shoot a message to Carnvial about their marketing practices)

There is a very easy way to make it stop. Just call the number when you get home from work. He probably won't be there but he will have a voicemail so you can leave a message. Just tell him that you use a travel agent and he will stop calling you. They can actually get disciplined/fired if they keep calling you after that point.

Ok thanks for the advice. I checked and it is actually the same price as ES and has a $50 OBC Booking tomorrow!!! Does anyone know what military info I will need from my step-son to provide to the carnival agent while booking?

For active military, he needs to send a copy of his LES (leave and earning statement) with his social security number blacked out within 72 hours of booking. You can email that to interline@carnival.com

Thanks for your review, I'll be on the Glory in 9 days! Did you spend any time in the Piano Bar? If so how was the piano player?

If you go on another Carnival cruise, remember that there is breakfast in the dining room on port days and brunch in the dining room on sea days, so you can avoid the breakfast buffet. The Blue Iguana Cantina also has breakfast burritos.

Not that it's anyone business but, I'm more concerned about my ability to buy drinks for friends, etc. We like to buy drinks for friends and I'm just trying to clarify the rules.

And by saying "buy" I mean actually purchasing them. I'm not trying to scam, I just want to know if I purchase too many drinks for my friends, will I be refused service?

When I did Cheers last they didn't have all of the non alcoholic drinks like coffee and bottled water, so I don't know about that part. However, I do know that you are allowed to buy drinks for others even if you have Cheers. The drinks that you buy for others do not count towards your 15 drink limit. Just remember that once you have reached 15 drinks they will not let you buy anymore.

I did exactly that last year when I was at 14 drinks at the end of the night, and some new friends in the night club bought me a shot. I was able to return the favor and get shots for all of us. Mine counted as my last drink on Cheers and theirs were charged to my account. The bartender also mentioned that I wouldn't be able to buy any more after that since I had reached my 15 drink limit.

I'm kinda a picky eater. We did reserve for the chef's table on our next cruise in December, but now I am beginning to rethink it. Or at least rethink my participation. I don't really do seafood, and I do know they meet with you to discuss the menu, but whether it is the old menu or new one, I'm just not sure how much I would eat/try. I'm a chicken and steak kinda guy, so not sure on duck, lamb, veil, quail, and all the other goodies that they serve. I already have 2 reservations in the Steak House, but if I was only going to take a bite of everything and find myself on the lido deck for pizza afterwards I would rather save the money.

 

Have any of you who have gone on this with picky eaters had any issues or how do they handle those?

Honestly if you don't think you will like those kind of things it probably wouldn't be worth it for you. That being said if you have never tried any of those things, you will probably like them. The only question is if you are willing to try it.

Really though, most of the things on those menus are similar to things you already eat. Quail and Duck are very close to chicken. Veal is just a young cow, so there really isn't a huge difference. Pork Belly is bacon. Lamb may be the only one that is completely different, but you might like it. As far as not liking seafood, I'm sure they would be willing to substitute something for you.

Unfortunately people always say that the prices will go down the closer you get to the ship sailing, but they don't understand how it works. The people who told you that may have gotten a last minute deal one time, and if they did, they just happened to get lucky. The prices change based on availability and demand, so each cruise is different. Since this cruise is during a Holiday, the prices are much more likely to go up instead of down. So if you looked at the same itinerary a week or 2 earlier, the prices might be going down every day, but this one is probably going to go up and get sold out pretty fast.

If this is the cruise you know you want to go on, then I would recommend that you book now. You might also want to book through a travel agent, who will help you find the best cabin available that isn't in a noisy area.

Cozumel Plus also has additional excursions that are not available to those that just have Cozumel on their itinerary. I'm so excited that my cruise next year had Cozumel changed to Cozumel Plus because it means we get to go to Chitzen Itza.

 

 

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The new excursions all look pretty good. There is a swimming with Whale Sharks excursion that looks amazing. It's expensive and a lot of travel time but it's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities.

That is really the reason for Cozumel Plus. They wanted to add some shore excursions that take longer to get to, so they had to stay in port a little longer. So if you don't plan on doing an excursion it doesn't necessarily do much for you, but now you can do some pretty cool excursions that weren't possible before.

There are lots of pros and cons that people have given you, but the biggest con on your time dining for me is the wait time. Since you are a group of 8, you will be more likely to have to wait. Even though it is convenient to choose your own time, you don't really get to eat at that time, so you have to guess when you are going to be hungry.

The biggest con on set dining for me is that you may miss certain activities that only happen during your dining time. For example, the movies under the stars never coincide well with late dining. You can usually catch one that starts at 10:00 PM if your waitstaff is fast enough but otherwise you are out of luck. Early dining is a little better, but even then, you almost never have a chance to see the early movie...which is usually the movie for kids.

That being said, I've done both and I prefer a set time, but you will just have to weigh how much the pros and cons mean to you. For me, not having to wait in line and having waitstaff that get to know me in set dining overcomes the flexibility of your time dining.

Been booked for Carnival Sunshine (out of Charleston) for over a year now. Cruise in November. Just checked in recently when I received an email. Normally I am in no rush to check in. When I did, I discovered this new (to me) staggered check in process. Check in starts at 3pm but the earliest available was 6:00-6:30pm. I have 2 young children and their bedtime is soon thereafter. I called into Carnival and explained my scenario. We are basically gonna lose a whole day, prob miss dinner, etc etc because of this late check in. They would not make an exception. I have cruised with Carnival many many times but this new "rule" is not sitting well with me under these particular circumstances. This will prob be our last time with Carnival. When did all this start? We are arriving in Charleston at 3pm as normally scheduled...so I'm gonna have to wait in the car/parking lot with 2 toddlers for 3 hours???!! I'm so NOT happy. Any advice? Thanks.

You have gotten some rude responses so I have a feeling you won't be back here, but just in case I have 2 suggestions for you.

First, just try calling Carnival again. A lot of times you will get a different person who is more sympathetic to your problem. Since it is important to you, maybe you can even try calling twice more just to see what happens.

My second suggestion is to reach out to people on your Roll Call here or on other social media sites. People with FTTF, Carnival Transfers, or Platinum and above still have to choose their check in times and a lot of them may have chosen an early time even though they can go whenever they want. So just ask them if they are willing to switch their time to one of the later times so you can switch to their time. You can even create a post here asking for help and maybe someone will be nice enough to change their time. I don't know exactly how that would work within Carnival's system, but it's worth a try.

In March I was on the Norwegian Spirit and they had this cool game which I called the Chuck E Cheese game (you know where you drop a quarter to move the other quarters forward). I loved it because I kept winning free bottles of champagne tokens. Does Carnival have them....mainly the Magic?

The magic does have them, but they don't have the tokens like Norwegian does. My friend won like 4 bottles of champagne with those on Norwegian.