Hello all!
My husband and me are planning to book 8 day cruise on Carnival Spirit out of San Diego on December 14. This is our 3rd cruise but first time on Carnival. We loved RCI, liked Princess but not as much as RCI,want to give Carnival a look before we settle in on a line.
On our first cruise we booked a bargain basement balcony on RCI Vision and were upgraded to a HUGE balcony (it was a wheelchair accessible balcony cabin on highest deck with square footage of a junior suite) Didn't realize our score, we kept wondering why people always complained about small cabins, then we peeked into the balcony we originally booked and understood! That's how they hook you, we'll give you the FIRST one for free...heheheh....
On 2nd cruise we booked inside cabin on Princess and really liked it, it was quiet and really dark for sleeping and cheap! I will admit to sleeping a LOT though, not a bad thing, just easy to lose track of time in inside cabin!
This time we're looking at booking either an Inside or Outside guarantee cabin on Spirit. Prices not all that different. What are the odds of an upgrade to a balcony from either of those categories?? It seems on a long ago post I read that Spirit does a lot of upgrades but I can't find the post now. We would be happy with any cabin, we really like vacations! If way more likely to get balcony upgrade from OS it might be worth it, if not way more likely then we may just pay basement price and get IS guarantee. Any thoughts??
OH YEAH--if we do the IS guarantee is there a chance we'll get a room with upper/lower beds like a bunk house? That's the only thing we really don't want,
Hello all!
My husband and me are planning to book 8 day cruise on Carnival Spirit out of San Diego on December 14. This is our 3rd cruise but first time on Carnival. We loved RCI, liked Princess but not as much as RCI,want to give Carnival a look before we settle in on a line.
On our first cruise we booked a bargain basement balcony on RCI Vision and were upgraded to a HUGE balcony (it was a wheelchair accessible balcony cabin on highest deck with square footage of a junior suite) Didn't realize our score, we kept wondering why people always complained about small cabins, then we peeked into the balcony we originally booked and understood! That's how they hook you, we'll give you the FIRST one for free...heheheh....
On 2nd cruise we booked inside cabin on Princess and really liked it, it was quiet and really dark for sleeping and cheap! I will admit to sleeping a LOT though, not a bad thing, just easy to lose track of time in inside cabin!
This time we're looking at booking either an Inside or Outside guarantee cabin on Spirit. Prices not all that different. What are the odds of an upgrade to a balcony from either of those categories?? It seems on a long ago post I read that Spirit does a lot of upgrades but I can't find the post now. We would be happy with any cabin, we really like vacations! If way more likely to get balcony upgrade from OS it might be worth it, if not way more likely then we may just pay basement price and get IS guarantee. Any thoughts??
OH YEAH--if we do the IS guarantee is there a chance we'll get a room with upper/lower beds like a bunk house? That's the only thing we really don't want,
Cross your fingers and hope for the best but don't get your hopes too high. Balcony upgrades are rare. You are going off season which helps your odds but not dramatically. If you're wanting a balcony the only way of being sure you get one is by booking the Cat BL balcony Guarantee or higher. If you book the OV Gty, you'll get something Cat 6A or higher and with the IS, 4A or higner. A 4A is not bunkbeds, the only way you can get that is by booking a Cat 1A. You're safe from bunks but do whatever you want for budget and cabin, you're not likely to get a balcony from anything but a balcony booking. Whatever you do, have a great time. I think you'll like Carnival since you liked Princess and RCCL. They're all very similar in food, service and entertainment. Some prefer one, some prefer another. They're all three good lines and excellent values.
As Neil noted, Balcony upgrades are rare from the Outside Guarantee. If the price is not that much different as you said, You might want to go with the Outside or Balcony Guarantee if the view is a factor. The Inside Guarantee cabins on the Carnival Spirit are approx. the same size, excluding the balcony space.
Good luck with your decision, and it is wonderful to see you here again.
Hello!
Thanks for the quick replies and it is good to be back! We did a land based all inclusive for our most recent vacation, mainly because we didn't feel like packing formal clothing. We enjoyed it but certainly missed the 24 hr feasting that only a cruise provides! Still deciding between OV and IS gty but your information definitely helps and will keep us from expecting a balcony for free!
Thanks so much,
Kelly
PS---I do lurk a lot even when not posting
Welcome back, Kelly. These days, it's not even necessary to pack formal clothes for a cruise on Carnival, Royal Caribbean or similar lines. Carnival doesn't call their dressy nights "Formal" any more. For Royal Caribbean, there's always the option of having dinner in the Windjammer on dressy nights if you don't feel like dressing up.
Could be that you'll wonder why you tried another kind of vacation, once you're back on a ship!
This is considered a "partially obstructed" because you can see a little between the life boats. This is cabin 4194. We have selected this cabin twice because it has plenty of room for the 4 of us and the French Doors open.
Oh yes my husband is a huge fan of the casual buffet, I talked him into the main dining room twice on our first cruise and once on our second. I'm not exactly fond of the whole sequined ball gown thing myself but do like the picture opportunity and enjoy watching the people who seem to really have fun getting dressed and made up, better them than me! I think it's the combination of wearing uncomfortable clothing while eating with strangers that makes my spouse feel like he's on a business trip when we go to the main dining room. He loves meeting people up in the buffet and on excursions and the casual setting makes it more like 'vacation' to us. We wish we could take the casual, margaritaville vibe of the Mexican resorts we love and put it into a cruise ship dining room but know that many prefer the more formal atmosphere. We've thought about trying Windjammer but really enjoy the activities on the big ships and have never once gotten sea sick on the big ships, AND the big ones are so reasonably priced. Anyway it's all good if it's a vacation!!
LHP--what category is that 5A obstructed view, that looks perfect, not to mention nice and close to a lifeboat, very handy in an emergency Kelly
I think it's the combination of wearing uncomfortable clothing while eating with strangers that makes my spouse feel like he's on a business trip when we go to the main dining room. He loves meeting people up in the buffet and on excursions and the casual setting makes it more like 'vacation' to us.
Kelly, It sounds to me like you're the perfect clients for NCL and freestyle dining. For future cruise shopping, look into their offerings. They have exactly what you described for dining and have built their cruiseline and all newly built ships around the concept.
Originally posted by keljoromo:
Oh yes my husband is a huge fan of the casual buffet, I talked him into the main dining room twice on our first cruise and once on our second. I'm not exactly fond of the whole sequined ball gown thing myself but do like the picture opportunity and enjoy watching the people who seem to really have fun getting dressed and made up, better them than me! I think it's the combination of wearing uncomfortable clothing while eating with strangers that makes my spouse feel like he's on a business trip when we go to the main dining room. He loves meeting people up in the buffet and on excursions and the casual setting makes it more like 'vacation' to us. We wish we could take the casual, margaritaville vibe of the Mexican resorts we love and put it into a cruise ship dining room but know that many prefer the more formal atmosphere. We've thought about trying Windjammer but really enjoy the activities on the big ships and have never once gotten sea sick on the big ships, AND the big ones are so reasonably priced. Anyway it's all good if it's a vacation!!
LHP--what category is that 5A obstructed view, that looks perfect, not to mention nice and close to a lifeboat, very handy in an emergency Kelly
5A is the Catagory all on its own.
And we also laughed about the life boats. WE said come an emergency to heck with the Muster...we would just step out the door!!!
Kelly
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