lovebelle

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Their website says that online orders take 2-3 weeks, plus mailing.  Since you don't supply your date of birth, or place of birth when you apply for an appointment, I'm afraid the appointment is merely a face to face version of the online application, and they will still require 2-3 weeks to process.  A lot of this is not computerized, depending on your age.  As I said, it took 3-4 weeks before we received an email notification that they could not fulfill the request for my wife due to name mismatch, so that shows how long it took to process her name in the system.

I got worried and called today and the people were very helpful. A representative in the office said in most circumstances they can hand the Bc to you the same day. The BC i lost I ordered from vital stats in the past (2006ish) online and so I’m hoping it’s a seemless process this time since they had to process it electronically back then. 

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never had a birth certificate.My mother had a letter from the hospital I was born in stating that she delivered a male child on ………My name is not on it.That sufficed for many years until I needed a passport.I went to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Manhattan with the letter and several weeks later I had a birth certificate.

I really they can hand me the birth certificate that day.  Did it take weeks because they had to essentially register your birth? 

8 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@lovebelle, do you have a copy of your birth certificate?  While not ideal, even a copy of your birth certificate might be enough.  While I can only reference what happens on Alaska cruises, when a passenger shows up at the pier without the proper travel ID, they are asked if someone at home could look for and send a electronic photo of the birth certificate to the pier.  Staff prints it out, makes sure it matches the photo ID (married women first & middle names and birth date).  if the birth certificate copy is acceptable to the Check-in Supervisor (or maybe the ship's Documentation Office), then you are allowed to be embarked.

 

The ship, the shoreside staff all want to get you on the ship, as long as they can legally do it.  It is possible that the protocols in Florida could be different than in Seattle, but if you showed up with even  a copy of your birth certificate, your current gov't issued ID, and your expired passport you probably would be allowed to embark.  The flip side is you are denied and you don't receive a refund.

 

Good luck.  Keep us updated.

 

 

I’ve seen these scenarios play out in peoples favor looking at various boards, but with new protocols and stricter guidelines due to Covid, I don’t even want to take a chance. According to my PVP from carnival he basically said not to even risk it and get the proper documents by any means necessary so that’s what I’ll do. Until I have papers in hand I’m going to be extremely anxious, but remaining hopeful. 😬

29 minutes ago, mondello said:

We're pulliin' for ya, kiddo. Please let us know how this ends.

There is still a chance your new BC will arrive before your flight to NYC, regardless of any projected date.

Omg that would be a relief if it did. Fingers crossed!

39 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Did you call them?  Sometimes there are two options to secure a birth certificate and one will offer expediated service.  Here, you can't get expediated service from some counties but you can from the State of Mich.  

most states offer this but NYC does not. Most agencies are closed until Monday so have to wait til tomorrow to speak to someone. 

Since getting an appointment with the passport agencies seem to be hit or miss these days I went ahead and scheduled an appointment to get a BC in person in NYC the week of the cruise (earliest appt they had). I’ll have to fly up for a day from FL in order to do this, but can’t take any chances at this point relying on online services to get me documentation on time. 

35 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

You will need to find your birth certificate, get a new one from Vital Records, or get a renewed, expedited passport. They WON'T accept an expired passport. Good luck. I keep my important docs in a safe. That way I always know where they are, etc.

Yes I usually keep everything in my safe. Everyone else’s birth certificates is in there but mine for some reason isn’t which is odd. Honestly haven’t used it in over 10 years since getting a passport. 

32 minutes ago, mondello said:

@lovebelle Sorry I missed you now live in Florida. Surprised you got an appointment in NYC as their site says in person appointments suspended due to Covid. You'd probably receive the BC before the 28th if you use Vitalchek online as Elaine advises.

Yes there was conflicting Information. On one part of the page it says no in person service, but then another part says few appointments available due to Covid and I was able to get one 4 days before cruising. I’ve already purchased a plane ticket to fly in for the day, so hope I don’t get turned away when I arrive even with the appointment. 

45 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

They will not under any circumstances accepted an expired passport.  You won't get past online check in.  Use the expediated option  here https://www.vitalchek.com/birth-certificates/new-york/ny-state-vital-records and you can get a BC is a few days

I did this option last night and there were no options for expedited service. After confirming order it said projected delivery is 2/11/22 which will not be on time. 

As of now I have an appointment scheduled at the vital statistics office in NYC scheduled on the 28th, but Since I live in FL would have to fly in for a day to get this done. I hate the idea of flying up there so close to the cruise especially with so many flight delays and cancellations, but the earliest i could get an appointment was that week. When I get  2 weeks out from travel I’m going to try to get an appointment at the Miami passport office to renew. I have given myself a headache, but I’m praying oneof these options work out.  

I also plan on speaking to Carnival just in case. If the previous interventions don’t work, i hope as a last resort they can just accept my expired passport and my daughters birth certificate which has my place of birth on it, but I’m not holding my breath on that at all. 

2 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

I think your best bet is to try to get an expedited passport. Are you in New York? Isn’t there a passport office you can go to? I was thinking the bigger cities had them than you could actually go to and pay for an expedited passport. You’ll pay good money but that’s what I’d try to do. 

No I don’t I live in FL. I can try to get an appointment at the Miami office which is a 4 hr drive but it’s not guaranteed I’ll get an appt and they only let you schedule within 3 days of travel. 

My cruise is 3 weeks away and I decided to gather documents together tonight and noticed my birth certificate is not where it should be. My child and partners BC are right there where mine should be but my documents are missing. I went ahead and ordered a copy from vital statistics in NYC but it’s not guaranteed to get here in time. I do have a passport that expired last year that I was planning on renewing after my cruise. But In the event my BC doesn’t arrive on time, what are my options? Has anyone had success proving citizenship with an expired passport?  

 

 

Sounds like you should have asked to invoke the great vacation guarantee and got off the ship. 20% seems generous especially since they are not obligated to credit anything except the missed port fees.

 

 

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I agree with you. The complaints are all a matter of perspective. If you are wanting a port intensive cruise, I can see how this would be disappointing. But I personally would gladly take my 20% and book another cruise. I sail in 5 days on the sensation and am looking forward to HMC. If I miss it I would be disappointed but I understand there is no guarantee and will enjoy myself anyway. I think people need to be realistic in their expectations.

Thank you. I see the rates for early booking. BTW, what's a "Havana Cabana" and why do I want it?

 

EDIT: Is is a 12-pack of soda per room or per person?

It is a 12 pack of canned soda per person.

I just returned from a one week land based vacation in Jamaica where the virus is also an issue. Being a post-transplant patient and immunosuppressed I had to be extra vigilent with the bug repellent and even got the repellent bracelets. So far I have been fine. So with that being said, you should be ok but as always, I say use your best judgment and do what is best for you.

You can add it at anytime as long as its still available. Just go under excursions to check availability.

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How many formal nights are on the Freedom eight day cruise?

There were two elegant nights on my 8day on the Freedom.

At this point I would probably just go alone and let your husband no show. If you cancel him and receive a small portion of his fare as a refund, they will still charge you a single supplement. So in essence it would be like paying twice for yourself. Anyway, that would be my advice but someone else may have a different suggestion.

Do you still have your original confirmation email from when you booked your cruise? The rate you booked is usually in the fine print under "notes".

I've had waiters bring my daughter apple juice. Don't know if this is the norm or an exception since she is only a year old. But they offered which was nice.

I went to Junkanoo beach in september and had a great time. I am a single mom and was traveling alone with a toddler and never felt insecure or unsafe. In fact my daughter had a good time playing in the sand with some local children. The beach itself was very clean, the bathroom had an attendant who kept things tidy, and the water was beautiful. I highly recommend it.

It seems to be the new norm. The more the rates fall and allow a new set of cruisers to cruise, that lower skill set is climbing on board, and bringing their lack of social skills with them.

I hate the implication that those that are lower income are lower class. I know plenty of people who would be considered wealthy that have no manners or common social skills. My best friends parents would be a perfect example (going into a fancy establishment with wife beater shirts and frayed cut offs, speaking at innapropriate levels and brash...but very very well off). But generally I agree that people in general have become lazier and more selfish/self-centered which often translates into the experiences posters relate here. But I think the problem is among ALL socio-economic statuses.

There is also a pretty detailed review on the Bahamas Ports of call page.

I can't speak for Paradise cove, but I really enjoyed the tour through Pat & Diane. The snorkeling spot was amazing and saw so many colorful fish. I had gone to the Florida aquarium a few weeks before my cruise and was excited to see some of the same tropical fish out there. :)

I've only been on the Dream and I am going again on the Dream next week. But this doesn't sound like an improvement. They will be adding pool space, but taking away Atrium to add more cabins. So more people, no more space. They will add more paid restaurants, which would mean less public space. One thing I didn't like about the Dream was the indoor spaces all felt confined. Taking away the one large place isn't the best bet, imo.

I agree with you. I especially don't like that they are adding so many more passengers, but not more space. Plus removing the atrium I feel may make the indoor spaces feel even more confined.