Elite cruises

[kwokpot]

2 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

The transfers provided on an Elite cruise are always a private vehicle exclusively just for you. Whatsmore there's no stipulations on which segment you use each transfer for, in other words it doesn't have to be to/from the ship pier. Therefore it's in you best interests to use them for your most expensive transfers. In your case it would be BCN to your Barcelona hotel, then Port Canaveral to MCO. The taxi fare from your Barcelona hotel to the ship pier will be less money than the airport transfer. 

You'll get the initial email around 3-4 weeks before embarkation, then when you indicate you're taking the transfer a few days after you respond to the initial email you'll receive another email directly from the transfer company. They are an excellent company, and we had no issues with them in Barcelona.

Helpful hint: make sure whoever is the Elite member has their name registered as a guest in the hotel. The driver will confirm with the front desk of your hotel that they have arrived and are waiting for you. If there's no one registered at the hotel under the name, it will cause confusion and possibly a cancelled transfer.

Also remember gratuities are already included, but you're always welcome to tip extra for excellent service. Tbh I don't necessarily think it is necessary to do that in Barcelona, but if there is a special circumstance that you feel warrants extra gratuities, go right ahead. 

Another hint:It's not necessary for you to preorder a cab in Barcelona to go to the pier, cabs are plentiful in Barcelona. You can always have the front desk of your hotel call a cab for you. If you have lots of luggage, just let the front desk know you need a larger cab. Barcelona has tons of minivan cabs and also cabs with hatchbacks so it's never an issue. If you do ask the hotel to call you a cab don't worry if you see a couple of Euros already on the meter;the meter generally starts when the cab receives the call and it's not a scam. 

[grimpil]

22 hours ago, kwokpot said:

The transfers provided on an Elite cruise are always a private vehicle exclusively just for you. Whatsmore there's no stipulations on which segment you use each transfer for, in other words it doesn't have to be to/from the ship pier. Therefore it's in you best interests to use them for your most expensive transfers. In your case it would be BCN to your Barcelona hotel, then Port Canaveral to MCO. The taxi fare from your Barcelona hotel to the ship pier will be less money than the airport transfer. 

You'll get the initial email around 3-4 weeks before embarkation, then when you indicate you're taking the transfer a few days after you respond to the initial email you'll receive another email directly from the transfer company. They are an excellent company, and we had no issues with them in Barcelona.

Helpful hint: make sure whoever is the Elite member has their name registered as a guest in the hotel. The driver will confirm with the front desk of your hotel that they have arrived and are waiting for you. If there's no one registered at the hotel under the name, it will cause confusion and possibly a cancelled transfer.

Also remember gratuities are already included, but you're always welcome to tip extra for excellent service. Tbh I don't necessarily think it is necessary to do that in Barcelona, but if there is a special circumstance that you feel warrants extra gratuities, go right ahead. 

Yes... good idea and thanks for the heads up. I think we will be staying in the gothic quarter in Barcelona which is just a short drive to the port, much further from the airport. 

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, grimpil said:

Yes... good idea and thanks for the heads up. I think we will be staying in the gothic quarter in Barcelona which is just a short drive to the port, much further from the airport. 

Don't forget about your in-room bar setup and some of the possibilities with it. It all depends on how much you drink;my spouse doesn't drink alcohol, and he's the gambler, so that presents scenarios  regarding the inroom mini bar.  

Elite cruises include drinks for two everywhere on the ship, so that also includes ordering wine in the dining rooms(that's by the glass, and not whole bottles).  You are also given an initial in-room bar setup which includes a wine or spirits choice from a list and accompling mixers, which includes soda. Each person gets to choose their own minibar setup.  The alcohol are full size bottles and delivered unopened, which gives you the option of taking them off the ship at the end of the cruise if you decide not to open them. And if you are gambling on the cruise you'll probably receive other bottles of sparkling wine and/or wine. If you can drink all that, more power to you! Otherwise, you can decide if you want to take it off the ship, and if you do that, plan accordly. We use inflatable bubble wrap bottle sleeves and brought home four bottles of wine from London, unbroken, this past June.  We also gave away a couple of bottles of sparkling wine and white wine. 

https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Sleeves-Transport-Leakproof-Cushioning/dp/B0758B8RF3

[grimpil]

Do you recall if crown royal was on that list?

[kwokpot]

4 minutes ago, grimpil said:

Do you recall if crown royal was on that list?

Sorry i can't remember. There was definitely a gin and vodka but I forgot the other choices. 

[cruisinqt]

We’ve done Elite, Ultra, and Premiere cruises. We prefer the Elite cruises. Not only does the Elite give awesome perks like luxury car service to and from your cruise or hotel (or free parking for the length of the cruise), free alcohol in your cabin, free gifts (nice ones), free drinks everywhere on the ship, free excursions, an Elite party with cash prizes, free Platinum status, etc. But it’s not a gamblers cruise packed with gamblers so the casino isn’t overly crowded with them. The Ultra and Premiere cruises are more like gamblers cruises with lots of tournaments and gambling related events so the casino is packed. Elite doesn’t have that, it’s more of an upscale experience rather than a gambling cruise. I think some people that say their Elite cruise had a packed casino is either just a coincidence, bad luck, or maybe they were on a smaller ship with a smaller casino because the Elite cruises aren’t gambling cruises. That’s one of the reasons we like them so much. 

[emm126]

4 hours ago, grimpil said:

Do you recall if crown royal was on that list?

This was what was offered when I went in November.

 

1. Invited Guest’s Beverage Choice

   *

   Bombay Sapphire Gin,   Grey Goose Vodka, Jack Daniel's Whiskey, Fireball Whiskey, Seagrams 7 Whiskey, Bacardi Limon Rum, Bacardi White Rum, Malibu Rum, Dos Equis Beer, Miller Lite Beer, Coors Light Beer, Conundrum by Caymus White Wine Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, La Crema Chadonnay ,La Crema Pinot Noir ,Kendall Jackson Merlot,Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon ,Tequila Herradura
2.  

Edited December 22, 2022 by emm126

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 5/27/2022 at 12:16 PM, d12j28 said:

Think I got the same offer as you. Free drinks, free balcony and that's it. And the dates sure do stink!

Funny thing is I have a "Spring into Big Savings" casino offer that is better. That has free balcony, free drinks anywhere, $500 free play and way more options when/where to sail. 

 

I just had new Elite offers hit my account this morning.

 

I went in and took a look and, in virtually every case, I had other remaining offers which were way better than the Elite offers.

 

No thanks - I'll just continue to pick and choose. If I never have an Elite door magnet to go with my Ultra one, somehow I'll manage !  😄 

 

Having said that - at some future point if/when my other offers (all w/drink everywhere and OBC/Freeplay) dry up, I'll reconsider.

 

Tom

[d12j28]

6 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I just had new Elite offers hit my account this morning.

 

I went in and took a look and, in virtually every case, I had other remaining offers which were way better than the Elite offers.

 

No thanks - I'll just continue to pick and choose. If I never have an Elite door magnet to go with my Ultra one, somehow I'll manage !  😄 

 

Having said that - at some future point if/when my other offers (all w/drink everywhere and OBC/Freeplay) dry up, I'll reconsider.

 

Tom

Just went and looked. Same thing as last time. "Play My Way" offers are way better. I haven't booked an Elite or Ultra yet. Just go with the best offers that work. 

[rellersi]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:27 AM, kwokpot said:

The transfers provided on an Elite cruise are always a private vehicle exclusively just for you. Whatsmore there's no stipulations on which segment you use each transfer for, in other words it doesn't have to be to/from the ship pier. Therefore it's in you best interests to use them for your most expensive transfers. In your case it would be BCN to your Barcelona hotel, then Port Canaveral to MCO. The taxi fare from your Barcelona hotel to the ship pier will be less money than the airport transfer. 

You'll get the initial email around 3-4 weeks before embarkation, then when you indicate you're taking the transfer a few days after you respond to the initial email you'll receive another email directly from the transfer company. They are an excellent company, and we had no issues with them in Barcelona.

Helpful hint: make sure whoever is the Elite member has their name registered as a guest in the hotel. The driver will confirm with the front desk of your hotel that they have arrived and are waiting for you. If there's no one registered at the hotel under the name, it will cause confusion and possibly a cancelled transfer.

Also remember gratuities are already included, but you're always welcome to tip extra for excellent service. Tbh I don't necessarily think it is necessary to do that in Barcelona, but if there is a special circumstance that you feel warrants extra gratuities, go right ahead. 

Do they have a maximum distance (hotel to port or airport to port) MCO is over an hour from Canaveral and some hotels in that area also

[gkbiiii]

3 hours ago, rellersi said:

Do they have a maximum distance (hotel to port or airport to port) MCO is over an hour from Canaveral and some hotels in that area also

I live near tops hotels in Miami Beach, will they pickup from my condo building on Collins?

[Colorado Beach Bum]

3 hours ago, rellersi said:

Do they have a maximum distance (hotel to port or airport to port) MCO is over an hour from Canaveral and some hotels in that area also

We’ve done elite twice out of port Canaveral and both times we had car service from MCO to hotel near port the day before cruise and from port to MCO after cruise.  Nice perf for sure - I think black SUV service from MCO to port runs $200+. 

[rellersi]

29 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

We’ve done elite twice out of port Canaveral and both times we had car service from MCO to hotel near port the day before cruise and from port to MCO after cruise.  Nice perf for sure - I think black SUV service from MCO to port runs $200+. 

Thanks. We live in Ocala and were hoping that they might come as far as there and pick us up at home.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

7 minutes ago, rellersi said:

Thanks. We live in Ocala and were hoping that they might come as far as there and pick us up at home.

 

I wonder if, for an Alaskan sailing out of Seattle, they'd be able to pick us up here in Florida - lol  😉

 

Tom

[rellersi]

14 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I wonder if, for an Alaskan sailing out of Seattle, they'd be able to pick us up here in Florida - lol  😉

 

Tom

all you can do is ask - lol

[kwokpot]

55 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

I live near tops hotels in Miami Beach, will they pickup from my condo building on Collins?

I don't think they would allow a Miami Beach to Port Canaveral transfer. That's over 3 hours. 

[gkbiiii]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

I don't think they would allow a Miami Beach to Port Canaveral transfer. That's over 3 hours. 

The Celebration cruises are 20 min away, Port of Miami.

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, gkbiiii said:

The Celebration cruises are 20 min away, Port of Miami.

That should be no problem! 

Edited January 19, 2023 by kwokpot

[audcc77]

So I am going on my first Ultra cruise in March.  
 

I’ve never received any Elite offers.  
 

What are the chances of me receiving an Elite offer?   I only play slots.  

[CruiseMomTX]

We just booked our first Elite toady, cruising on the Dream 8/12/23 and are excited.  We have done Ultra, Premier & Getaway so will be nice to see how the Elite differs.  We also booked a different not Elite offer but an offer with $1000 free play for the Jubilee on 1/6/24.  We are last minute travelers usually and never book this far in advance, lol.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

1 hour ago, audcc77 said:

So I am going on my first Ultra cruise in March.  
 

I’ve never received any Elite offers.  
 

What are the chances of me receiving an Elite offer?   I only play slots.  

It all depends on how much you play.  I never received elite offers when I played table games but get them now that I pretty much just play slots. 

[audcc77]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

It all depends on how much you play.

I played about $1500 on the slots last cruise and got about $1000 back. 
 

Is that enough?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

57 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

I played about $1500 on the slots last cruise and got about $1000 back. 
 

Is that enough?

 

Carnival uses a Magic 8-ball, as far as I can tell. There's no telling who/when/how people get some of the offers they do.

 

If I had to guess, that amount of play does not seem to be "Elite" level, but I have no idea !

Tom

[Teresa T. C.]

What are the room gifts like on an Elite cruise?  I just began cruising last May.  I am not going on this Elite cruise until June.  I do have another offer for another Elite already and want to gauge if Sail My Way is better than Elite offer.  I know you get all Elite comps but Sail My Way gives free play 1,000 and a suite instead of a balcony.  Just curious and thank you!

 

 

[Teresa T. C.]

On 12/22/2022 at 3:54 PM, emm126 said:

This was what was offered when I went in November.

 

1. Invited Guest’s Beverage Choice

   *

   Bombay Sapphire Gin,   Grey Goose Vodka, Jack Daniel's Whiskey, Fireball Whiskey, Seagrams 7 Whiskey, Bacardi Limon Rum, Bacardi White Rum, Malibu Rum, Dos Equis Beer, Miller Lite Beer, Coors Light Beer, Conundrum by Caymus White Wine Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, La Crema Chadonnay ,La Crema Pinot Noir ,Kendall Jackson Merlot,Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon ,Tequila Herradura
2.  

If you choose the Beer do you get a six pack or a four pack?  Just curious.  Seems better to get the bottles of liquor versus beer.