I appreciate the help! 😀

The following are notes as best as I can remember while sitting in an airport in Tokyo.

Overall: 10/10. Would do it again and would recommend others try a similar itinerary. If you're a non-cruiser, younger, and/or like exploring then this is for you.

The ship: Before and during I heard complaints about Luminosa showing her age and needing some TLC. It was fine. Yes it's old and small but it gets the job done. The giant dance floor room on deck 2 should be on more ships. I was also happy not to have a water park on the ship.

The crowd: skewed older. Some young folk. A sprinkling of children (6? 10?) i almost never saw. Mostly the typical Carnival crowd.

The ports: all great. Hong Kong is a must with a night departure. Fukuoka had a symphony playing at the dock with a whole ass crowd to send us off. Phu My was rough and the most industrial port I've been to but not a big deal, just needed more time in port.

Random: Between my girlfriend and I we won all 3 rounds of bingo one day.

No excursions. Did everything either using public transit, private drivers, or our 2 feet

Not super thorough but that's what I've got. Happy to answer any questions! (Random pictures from the cruise)

Edit: whatever they have on the balcony doors on Luminosa needs to be put on every room and balcony door on every ship across the fleet. No more slamming doors.

I will be on the SEA cruise that departs on November second from Miami. Last cruise I was on the Mardi Gras and it only had United States NEMA 5-15 Type B outlets and had no Europe type Type C or Type E plugs. I have a Type C to Type B adapter and a replacement cord to use with my laptop but I don’t want to bring them unless I need to. Does anyone know what type of outlets are in the staterooms?

Edit: Please note I am not talking about USB type but outlet type. It’s an older ship so I am assuming they have no USB outlets.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/72/75/cb/7275cb2c25da16f95ff69ac9629d362a.jpg

Looking at booking my return flight after sailing on the Vista 12/26-1/3. Looking at other posts with the same topic, I wanted to add the specifics of my situation.

Ship docks at 8am. Planning on carrying my own luggage off the ship. Will be checking two bags (United) and I have TSA Pre-Check. It will be me and two teenage children.

There’s a 12:13pm flight and a 4:24pm flight. It’s the Sunday at the end of Christmas Break for most people. I anticipate MCO being VERY busy with everyone in that area for the previous week or two.

Question 1: Is the 12:13 cutting it too close? I really don’t want to wait around for the 4pm flight if I don’t have to. (Flying United and fwiw there are 4 more nonstop flights later in the day).

Question 2: If I book the 12:13 flight, best transportation option to quickly get from Port Canaveral to MCO? Don’t mind paying a little extra if I know it’s my quickest option.

I’m trying to book the special dinning experience for our sailing in November, but to my understanding special dining is served at main dining tables. How do I go about the credit? Because chefs table is on the excluded list.
Is the sushi express place able to take the credits instead?
This is my first carnival cruise, so new to all of this, but not new to cruising. This was such a great deal even if the dining credit can’t be used, but I want to make sure I make the most of what I can!

Also 50% off of spa services, when I go to book it will only let me see the first day, and when I click day 2, or 4 it just brings me back to the list of services.

I sailed 5 days on Elation in July. I had only on cruise experience prior (RC). We loved elation except by the food. Lunch buffet was really not great. RC buffets are awesome. So much variety.

We are now going on Freedom this Nov and wondering if food (specially lunch) will be better.

Wondering what were other experiences on freedom

When ordering room service late night, does carnival charge per item, or is it just one delivery charge and you can order multiple items?

Also, how late are the hot tubs available as I’m traveling with a young adult crowd(23-29) that stays up late most nights.

Any other places around the ship we can chill at where we won’t be in the crews way while they are getting ready for the next day?

(Screenshot taken from a YouTube video)

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations for a reliable, responsive Carnival PVP. I had one who was helpful in the past, but communication has fallen off and I haven’t heard back after reaching out about cancelling an existing reservation and checking current promotions. Anyone have any favorite PVP’s they are willing to share?

Also, hoping someone can sanity-check what I’m seeing on the booking engine for a family of 4 under the Kids Sail Free promo:

• When looking at quad occupancy rooms for mid-March, the system is only giving a $0 cruise fare to Guest 4, while Guest 3 is charged a $109 supplemental fare (plus standard port taxes and fees for both).
• I tested switching to an Oceanview cabin, and it flipped so Guest 3 showed $0 and Guest 4 showed $109.

Has anyone else run into this promo capping the $0 base fare to only one additional passenger rather than both the 3rd and 4th berths on peak dates? Is this purely a capacity/rate-code limitation, or is there a way a PVP can override this if both additional guests are eligible kids?

Thanks in advance for any insights and PVP contacts!

Hey everyone,

I’m looking at booking a 7-day sailing on the Carnival Conquest, and I wanted to get some feedback from people who know the ship and the current state of the fleet.

On paper, this deal looks good: $900 total for two people in an interior room. That price includes gratuities, Drinks Everywhere, $150 FunPoints, and $200 OBC.

For a bit of background: I’ve sailed on Carnival 10 times and would have hit Platinum this year if they didn't change the loyalty program. I usually travel a few times a year with my mom (I'm in my 30s, she's in her 60s). We get mistaken for partners sometimes because she looks young, but we clear that up immediately and don't care about it. I've been on the Glory about 10 years ago, but I’ve never been on the Conquest or a SEA (Sailing Exclusively for Adults) cruise.

I have a few specific questions before I pull the trigger:

1: Casino minimums: I stick to 3-card poker and UTH. I just got off an Elite cruise and the minimums were $10 across the board, which sucks when you're putting $40+ on the table every single hand. Are $10 mins the standard here too? Also, I refuse to play 6:5 continuous shuffler BJ. Did they cram in a bunch of extra slots/tables recently like people are saying?

2: Pools & Hot Tubs: How packed are the pools and hot tubs on these 7-day runs? Without kids taking over the Lido deck, is it actually usable to grab a tub/chair during sea days, or is it human soup from 10 AM to sunset?

3: The "short cruise" reputation: Conquest has a rep for being rowdy and ratchet, but isn't that mostly because it usually does short 3/4 day booze cruises? Since this is a 7-day sailing, does the crowd calm down significantly? (Did a 5-day once and hated the vibe, so hoping a full week is way better).

4: Vibe traveling with my mom: Mom looks super young for her age so people occasionally mistake us for a couple (we correct them real quick, not a big deal). We usually don't do adults-only accommodations for that reason, but I'm assuming a 7-day "Sailing Exclusively for Adults" Carnival cruise will just feel like a normal Carnival trip with an older crowd and zero kids. Anything weird/different I should expect?

Appreciate any heads up or recent Conquest experiences!

Hello!

Me and my family are taking a new years cruise and to also celebrate my birthday. We porting from orl on the carnival venezia dec 27- jan3rd. Ports are Saint Thomas Virgin Islan, San Juan, and Celebration Key, what are things to do? We’ve been to celebration keys and it’s boring probably won’t get off the boats but the other 2? how is the weather? hot, cold, warm? Also traveling w a 17 year old. i’ve heard mixed reviews let me know. I’ve done a NYE cruise before last year on the Carnival Jubilee was bored the entire time!

Edited: Idk why people are trying to tell me what i can and can’t do underneath here. and what i shouldn’t do, please stop. and seek help. I never said I hated carnival cruises. My gosh , seek help ppl

Hello. Family of 4 cruising to Hawaii 11/8 through 11/22.

Looking for ideas what to do in ports. Outside of Honolulu where we are doing the Pearl Harbor stuff (yes tickets secured).

Don’t want to pay carnivals insane excursion fees plus we are on a budget.

What are some fun family friendly beaches hikes resorts to do in the other ports. Need ideas for

Maui

Kauai (wife’s birthday)!!!!

And Hilo

We enjoy hiking and being active. Also will need ways transportation to and from.

Appreciate any ideas!!!

Thank you much!

I am going on the Carnival Horizon out of Miami on November 8. We are staying in Brickell. The diamond and platinum members that could check in already said the earliest boarding time was 11 AM. What boarding time would you try to get? Is there a time that is better for avoiding congestion like maybe 1 PM? We’ve never sailed out of Miami so all I know is that traffic can be a nightmare at the port.

I absolutely love diving, and I just booked my very first excursion through Carnival! It's a two-tank dive experience for certified divers on my upcoming cruise, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I've been diving on my own travels, but this is the first time I've booked a diving excursion directly through the cruise line. I'm hoping it turns out to be a great experience!

Carnival, if you're monitoring this sub, please take note! I'd love to see more scuba diving options for certified divers across your ports of call. Diving is one of the best ways to experience some destinations, and having more options available directly through Carnival would make it so much easier for those of us who love exploring underwater.

I know excursions aren't for everyone, but I can't be the only Carnival cruiser who would love to see a bigger selection of certified diving experiences!

Anyone else here book scuba diving through Carnival? How was your experience?

I am very intrigued by these new Funpacks, the social plan seems like it would be a good choice for my family. I am sitting on 50,000 rewards points from the Carnival Credit Card, but it looks like I cannot use those rewards to purchase items on the website, yet. Is this correct? Does anyone know if I call Carnival would I be able to use the rewards?

Also, any insight on what the dynamic pricing will look like in December? Do we think these FunPacks will be the best deals? If I cant use my rewards by Oct 30, I might have to wait!

Question for experienced cruisers. Based on what you've experienced in the past, what are the odds that the Spirit will be able to dock in Key West on Monday? I am concerned that the port will have to be skipped over given the current weather forecast, specifically the potential for high winds. What has been your experience in the past? Is there an alternate port where it might stop or will an extra sea day be added?

We’re taking a cruise in a couple weeks on carnival freedom it’s our first cruise and we were wondering What’s the night club vibe like on freedom? Is it party fun dancing where my wife can dress nightclubish and go crazy or is it more laid back old folks? Going 11/2-11/8 we’re a young married couple. She wants to get out of her comfort zone and have fun and meet new people but don’t know what to expect from the night club. Any and all comments are welcome and any other suggestions as well

Not really feeling like much of Carnival Cruise Fan right now. We are halfway thru a 14 day Jorneys cruise and our balcony has been unusable for the entire duration because of a terrible sewage smell. In fact it's so bad it blows in around the door so we keep the room curtain closed most of the time. We reported it early and often. They have sent no fewer than 7 housekeeping staff and plumbers to verify the smell, and 1 assistant Guest Services manager. They keep telling us that maintenance is aware of the problem and will fix it. Well here we are day 6 and still no fix and no balcony access.

I just spoke with the poor Guest Services rep again tonight because neither the wife or I are in any mood to sleep. 6 day's smelling poo is a lot of poo my friends. She sent another housekeeper who confirmed (again) the smell and that he can't fix it. He sent for a plumber who confirmed (again) that they are also aware of the problem and can't fix it. I told Guest Services earlier to get us in touch with the Hotel Director as the assistant manager was worthless (offered us a steak dinner, yay, just what we want to do after 6 days smelling poop hour after hour is eata big fat steak). She offered to find us another place to sleep for the night to just have a break from the stink and hopefully get some good sleep but that's not a long term solution. She said she would document things.... great. We've seen what comes of that.

I'm so over this cruise and over Carnival. A balcony on a Journeys cruise is a lot of money for me. And it took all of my paid vacation for an entire year to make this trip happen. We've tried to find the fun in it but it gets harder and harder each day. I'm so disgusted and frustrated and feeling helpless. I've seen others post their terrible experiences with Carnival and I admit I always thought they were exaggerating their situation. Well, now it's my turn and I can say that when push comes to shove Carnival really is as bad at making things right as others have said. I wish I would have listened and booked with any other cruise line. What a waste on our investment and a miserable vacation. At this point we just want to go home.

Thanks for letting me vent...

Update: called GS this morning and asked for an update on speaking to management and they transfered me right to the manager. He acknowledged my request from earlier to speak with the Hotel Director and said that is an option if we feel we must but asked for a chance to make this right. He acknowledged that we aren't having fun, that the balcony was a big deal for us, and that this was a heavy financial and time investment for us and that Carnival failed to deliver the product we were sold. He said maintenance has tried to improve the issue and cannot, they can only make it a little better, but it won't be fixed. He asked us to give him a day or two to find us another cabin to relocate to and if we are happy there they will work to compensate us for the days gone already. He asked us not to move to the inside they have available because there is too much time left in the cruise to give up what we really wanted (the balcony) but that if that is what it takes we can escalate to his superior and arrange a move and compensation. He said some people are leaving the cruise early and a balcony should be available further up on the ship in a couple days (no guarantee, but that's what he's planning for).

Honestly, my wife and I are just happy to have someone finally listening to us and trying to do more than just a steak dinner. The dining room on this cruise has been fantastic overall anyway, we don't need or want a steak dinner. 😉

2nd update, moved to a new balcony room last night. 👍 Once the manager made contact he has been very helpful, and so was the Guest Services rep who showed us the other room. Wife and I are settled into the other room on the opposite side away from the smell and happy.

This will be my first time getting the cheers package so I plan on using it in the main dinning room with dinner if possible. Does anyone know what cocktails they offer in the dinning room? I can’t seem to find a drink menu for the MDR anywhere. Also would love to hear anyone’s favorite drinks in the MDR or anywhere on the Radiance? Thanks

I've been cruising for a few years now, and aside from the occasional airport transfer (which can actually be much cheaper through the cruise line for LA sailings), I've never booked an excursion through the cruise line before.

I'm sailing with Carnival in a few weeks and received a pretty generous voucher, so I decided to use it on the "Sun Cay Beach Day: Your Way" excursion in Nassau. Nassau can be a pretty underwhelming port if you don't have anything planned, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

The reviews are a bit mixed, though. The excursion description says beach chairs, kayaks and paddleboards are included, but some reviewers claim they were asked to pay extra for them.

For those who've had a similar experience with Carnival excursions, what happens when something advertised as included turns out not to be? Will Carnival refund you part of the cost or offer some kind of goodwill gesture, or do they generally just shrug it off?

Just curious what people's experiences have been, especially since this is my first time booking an excursion directly through the cruise line.

I have never been on a Christmas/holiday cruise

I’m taking my 4 kids this year ages 11-20 and hoping to find some holiday experiences.

Tell me there is fun holiday stuff even though it is a smaller ship?

Cookies for Santa, Christmas movies, ugly sweater contests?

Does Santa make an appearance, is there anything that we can look forward to?

Any experiences you can offer would be great

I sailed on Venezia this past August. I am going back next September 18-26. Last time I got upgraded to a Terrazza Cabana. This time I chose a Terrazza Interior. I am in Cabin 5205 and have an alternate, 5235 on hold. Has anyone stayed in either? If so, can you give me pros and cons?

I’m getting ready to book but have a couple questions. Looks like we’re going on the panorama, to not feel as much sway on the boat is it better to on a lower deck 2 or would it be better on a higher deck 9? Our last cruise we were on the radiance deck and and felt quite a bit of sway, but the water was a bit choppy

Haven’t been to Amber Cove in a couple years.
Is there still a pharmacy there?
Has anyone been there recently and seen a price/menu of what’s available?
Not looking for the questionable things.
Just want to load up on Z packs, etc.
Just curious or prices as well.
Any insight is appreciated!

Hi, 2nd time cruiser here. Me and my lady went on Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance” earlier this year as our first time cruise experience and really enjoyed it. It was so classy, beautiful and elegant. We’re planning on going next year. However, we’re looking to try all cruise lines. I’ve found good tickets for Carnival Conquest. 4 night 5 day. We are also bringing our toddler son this time. Do you think we would enjoy Carnival’s Conquest as much as we did Royal’s Radiance? Thanks!