Carnival Elite casino offer

[MissMichelle]

Just booked out first Elite cruise! So excited! It comes with a free excursion. We are going to Nassau, Half Moon Cay (my favorite!) and Freeport. Will I be able to pick any excursion? Cost limit? Do they pick? Offer also mentions free gift. Is this the same as the platinum gift I already get? Something different? Can't seem to find any information. 

Edited August 23, 2022 by MissMichelle

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, MissMichelle said:

Just booked out first Elite cruise! So excited! It comes with a free excursion. We are going to Nassau, Half Moon Cay (my favorite!) and Freeport. Will I be able to pick any excursion? Cost limit? Do they pick? Offer also mentions free gift. Is this the same as the platinum gift I already get? Something different? Can't seem to find any information. 

About three weeks before your cruise you will get an email asking about several things. One is what you want for your In Room Bar setup. You'll choose from a list of Wines and Spirits, each passenger gets to choose one bottle. There will also be a selection of mixers for each of you to choose from a list, which also includes sodas and water. The bottles are full sized and unopened, and since you'll be getting drinks everywhere for two people you MAY want to decide whether or not you actually want to open and drink the wine/Spirits or take it home with you, which you are certainly allowed to do.    Just remember if you're flying into and from the Port you'll need to place the bottles protected in your check luggage. 

Second thing you'll be asked to decide is whether you want the complementary excursion, which there will be a preselected choice for you (usually 2 or 3 different excursions which both people have to take the same excursion) or you want a spa credit of $300 total, which can be used however you want by either both or just one passenger. 

The last thing you'll decide is whether you want Port Parking or the transfers. If you choose the transfers, you'll get a second email from the transfer company asking for details. 

The second email will ask what kind of transfer you want. You are given two transfers to use however you want, there's no restrictions. So if you're flying into the port you can use the two transfers for any combination you want; airport to hotel, hotel to pier, pier to hotel, pier to airport. The transfers doesn't even need to necessarily coincide with the cruise. For example, we used a Elite transfer from our London Hotel to Heathrow 3 days after the cruise ended. The transfer company didn't care the cruise already ended three days prior. All you need to do is decide which two points you want them to take you from and to, and give them the dates, places and times. To get the most value, if you have multiple transfer needs, for example you're staying in a hotel both pre-cruise and post- cruise, decide which segments are the most expensive and have Carnival pay for those and any other transfer needs you have you use a cab, car service or Uber/Lyft.

The transfers are a private luxury car service, in a SUV, luxury sedan, or something similar. They simply pick you up and drop you off. Carnival pays the gratuity, but you are obviously welcome to pay additional tips.

 

The gifts you receive are several Carnival Players Club Logo gifts. Recently they have been a suncare kit, Beach blanket, Cards and dice set. 

[rondl1]

On our last Elite they actually gave us the option of 2 different excursions OR Spa treatment.

 

Since we had drinks on board, we actually chose bottled water, which really came in handy.

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, rondl1 said:

On our last Elite they actually gave us the option of 2 different excursions OR Spa treatment.

Probably had to do with the $ value of the excursions. 

[cruisingguy007]

On 8/23/2022 at 3:02 PM, kwokpot said:

About three weeks before your cruise you will get an email asking about several things. One is what you want for your In Room Bar setup. You'll choose from a list of Wines and Spirits, each passenger gets to choose one bottle. There will also be a selection of mixers for each of you to choose from a list, which also includes sodas and water. The bottles are full sized and unopened, and since you'll be getting drinks everywhere for two people you MAY want to decide whether or not you actually want to open and drink the wine/Spirits or take it home with you, which you are certainly allowed to do.    Just remember if you're flying into and from the Port you'll need to place the bottles protected in your check luggage. 

Second thing you'll be asked to decide is whether you want the complementary excursion, which there will be a preselected choice for you (usually 2 or 3 different excursions which both people have to take the same excursion) or you want a spa credit of $300 total, which can be used however you want by either both or just one passenger. 

The last thing you'll decide is whether you want Port Parking or the transfers. If you choose the transfers, you'll get a second email from the transfer company asking for details. 

The second email will ask what kind of transfer you want. You are given two transfers to use however you want, there's no restrictions. So if you're flying into the port you can use the two transfers for any combination you want; airport to hotel, hotel to pier, pier to hotel, pier to airport. The transfers doesn't even need to necessarily coincide with the cruise. For example, we used a Elite transfer from our London Hotel to Heathrow 3 days after the cruise ended. The transfer company didn't care the cruise already ended three days prior. All you need to do is decide which two points you want them to take you from and to, and give them the dates, places and times. To get the most value, if you have multiple transfer needs, for example you're staying in a hotel both pre-cruise and post- cruise, decide which segments are the most expensive and have Carnival pay for those and any other transfer needs you have you use a cab, car service or Uber/Lyft.

The transfers are a private luxury car service, in a SUV, luxury sedan, or something similar. They simply pick you up and drop you off. Carnival pays the gratuity, but you are obviously welcome to pay additional tips.

 

The gifts you receive are several Carnival Players Club Logo gifts. Recently they have been a suncare kit, Beach blanket, Cards and dice set. 

 

That's not too shabby for $18,750 wager over the course of a year. That's less than 5K for four cruises or 2.5K for eight cruises or some combination over 12-months. If you're already spending the money anyway, it's better to gamble it for a chance to win some back and those are some good perks. Plus a lot of folks talk about all the free/reduced cabins and drinks in addition to these special cruises. I can see why some folks do this, makes sense in some cases and some may even come out ahead vs just paying for cruises/drinks and other perks.  

[ochelli]

Elite cruise sounds great! We were just offered ultra cruise. Does it work the same way where once you go on a ultra then you’ll be offered an elite cruise?

[icft]

1 hour ago, ochelli said:

Elite cruise sounds great! We were just offered ultra cruise. Does it work the same way where once you go on a ultra then you’ll be offered an elite cruise?

I don't think anyone knows how it works these days. Pre-covid we went on ultras fairly often but never got an invite to an Elite. Upon reopening we got a number of Elite offers with free balcony rooms and casino cash. Lately we get Elite offers with the balcony room but no casino cash.

 

So I think we are not in normal times and the offers have more to do with what they have to offer to who to get the rooms filled. And it would appear they are starting to offer a bit less lately. If there was any normal progression I think covid has thrown that out. When it is once again "normal" we may find we never get another Elite offer. Who knows.

[samiam0403]

7 hours ago, ochelli said:

Elite cruise sounds great! We were just offered ultra cruise. Does it work the same way where once you go on a ultra then you’ll be offered an elite cruise?

Nope. I started getting Elite offers long before I received any Ultra offers. 

[justafem]

I'm not to elite or ultra status yet, but was thrilled to get my offer of a free room, modest casino cash, drinks and onboard credit.

 

Hubs really despises me spending money in the casino.  But when I book under a casino rate, he's always amazed that I get them so cheap.

 

Point in hand.  I paid $800 for our upcoming 10 day Alaskan with all the benefits previously mentioned.  A friend of mine booked the same cruise, same room category and it was $3500, with no drinks.  So IF I spend 2-3 grand, it's exactly the same cost.  And I'll get more offers.   

[Elaine5715]

59 minutes ago, justafem said:

I'm not to elite or ultra status yet, but was thrilled to get my offer of a free room, modest casino cash, drinks and onboard credit.

 

Hubs really despises me spending money in the casino.  But when I book under a casino rate, he's always amazed that I get them so cheap.

 

Point in hand.  I paid $800 for our upcoming 10 day Alaskan with all the benefits previously mentioned.  A friend of mine booked the same cruise, same room category and it was $3500, with no drinks.  So IF I spend 2-3 grand, it's exactly the same cost.  And I'll get more offers.   

There is no "status", just marketing offers.  Check your Carnival. com account for offers and be sure you always opt in for marketing.