niciediva007

36 minutes ago, Chervil said:

Not unusual at all for this time of year.

We sailed on Princess out of Galveston a few years ago around this time of year and had a fog delay.
Updates every hour or so until about 4pm when they informed us we wouldn't be able to board until the next day.

Was checking out the ship location with a website and could see a whole cluster anchored out in the Gulf, waiting for the fog to clear.

 

Not only did we miss an entire day and have to get a hotel room for the night, but they took Grand Cayman off the itinerary and replaced it with Belize.
They did give us a small onboard credit each, but insurance never reimbursed us for the hotel room due to the nature of the delay (wrong type of insurance I guess).

Fortunately we were travelling with some pretty easy-going companions, so we just took it all in stride and made the best of it!

It was my wife's first cruise, so she just rolled with it until the last evening as we were packing up.

Then she started to get upset because she realized she missed an entire extra day of onboard pampering!

 

I did get the chance to talk with a few people who were onboard the ship when it was delayed and they said it was horrible.

Since the rooms were being prepared for the new guests, they wouldn't let them back into their rooms until after the decision was made around 4pm to stay anchored.

The food service was minimal because they were getting everything set up for the next sailing and were expecting to be able to dock "any time now".
One guy said they spent most of the day sitting in one of the lounges with their luggage and nothing really to do.
Lots of frustrated and angry people.

Hopefully I don't ever have to experience that but I feel for those that have!

Gosh I didn’t realize until his post what you guys were saying about disembarking! So there’s a whole ship full of people waiting to get off the boat for us to get on? I was thinking they wouldn’t dare turnover a ship in just a few hours but I guess so! Time is money. Goodness. I sure hope they get to debark soon! Lol. For MY sake!

49 minutes ago, obx_fintoo said:

We've been delayed twice out of JAX for fog.  Because the ship has to sail under the Dame's Point bridge, with a very tight window of clearance, this is not unusual.  Your plan to pack up and be ready is a good one.  Pack your patience, too, as it will likely be a little frustrating getting through the lines.  

 

Hopefully you will be onboard and having fun by lunchtime!  Enjoy your cruise!!

Okay this is helpful. We have FTTF so I am thinking that more than ever this purchase will be useful. Though I’m sure all the FTTF and Plat/Diamond members will be converging at the same time. 

25 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Just a couple of tech-oriented clarifications:

 

Planes do not generally take off in fog.  Yes, they can take off and land if the aircraft and airport equipment are "just right" (especially the landing bit - need a Cat IIIb ILS system for visibility down to 150 ft), but in general, conditions should be somewhere between 1/2 and 1 mile visibility.  Yes, exceptions happen, especially in areas prone to bad conditions, but it isn't the general rule, AFAIK.

 

Also, ships use radar to help in "seeing" through fog.  Sonar is used for underwater detection, usually by subs.  Also used by bats.  Not generally used by cruise ships.

 

While radar helps out in the open seas, it is not a good way to steer a ship in the close quarters of a port.

 

Unfortunately, with the nature of ports being near oceans, it means at certain times of the year, fog is going to happen.  Hopefully it clears soon.

Oh I just love science nerds! Thank you for this information! Very helpful!

23 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

Give us a wave goodbye when you're on board.

 

Happy sailing.

I certainly will! 

Our delay is now until 11am which cuts close our original boarding time (11:30). I think we will load the car up and be at the ready in the event that they clear us. Our hotel is 13 mins away. We have late checkout so there’s that.

27 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Hopefully the fog will dissipate soon. A cruise we took on Paradise out of Tampa a few years ago was delayed 24 hours due to fog.  The cruise was supposed to go to Cozumel, but that port was cancelled due to the delay.  We were given a 50% discount on that cruise and a 50% discount on a future cruise, which I thought was more than fair compensation for a delay beyond Carnival’s control. 

This is amazing! I wasn’t many to sail on time, but hey, I could use a few extra thousand dollars in my pocket!

1 hour ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Hi

 

Don't forget even if you arrived at port at 10:30 you very often won't start boarding till 11:30. So you would have been sitting around for an hour.

 

As mentioned the fog needs to dissipate for the returning vessel to dock, not for you to board.  You have to wait till the returning passengers are off the ship till you can board.

I’ve read that some people are often on Lido deck by 11am so I was thinking we could early board with FTTF.

I’m okay with a few hours delay, but I really hope we get to sail today.

Ugh okay. No doubt safety trumps convenience so I get it. I just don’t like it. 😤

We have FTTF so we were hoping to get to port around 10:30 am.  The message says they’ll update at 9am so here’s to hoping the fog dissipates before boarding. If not, I’ll reign in my impatience with a mimosa. 🥂 

Just got a text update from carnival saying the JAX port is closed due to fog. Is this a usual practice? What can i expect? I don’t know much about boating software tech but planes take off in fog. I would expect sonar to kick in.

is there a danger that we have a delay? The weather here is actually pretty awesome today.

51 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If you’ve got FTTF you don’t have to adhere to your check in time. You can get to the terminal and enter as soon as they allow passengers to enter. Then you’ll board when they call FTTF. One of the perks is that your cabin is ready as soon as you get on the ship. Just go through the closed fire doors and straight to your cabin. You won’t have to lug anything around the ship. As far as luggage goes we pack light (as in a carry on size suitcase each) and still bring home unworn clothes, but to each their own. We had FTTF in October and carried on our luggage and were in our cabin and unpacked by 11:25. Have a great cruise!😊

I don’t remember this being the case so thanks for bringing this up! We are en route yo JAX now and tomorrow ought to be able to get to port as early as they will allow.

Does anyone know what time they open the doors?

3 minutes ago, LARP said:

If you have kids and lots if clothes, magnetic hooks are a good idea to pick up on the way. There are never enough hooks and walls are magnetic. We usually get the butler suites but still end up waiting at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Yes! One of the reasons our luggage is so heavy lol. We brought all the hacks! 

I hope we wont have to wait. But even so, I won’t worry too much. I’ll load my husband up and let him shoulder most of the burden. 😂

Just now, LARP said:

I'm not sure why you are bringing so many drinks. I would get the drink package myself. That's what we always do. We always over pack and enjoy a full cruise wardrobe but you will be dragging all that luggage around the ship for hours going and coming. And because everyone else is doing the same, it gets very crowded. It is usually impossible to get an elevator and you will be going up and down many flights of stairs. Plus the extra luggage takes away from exploring the ship for those 3+ hours. Check everything except an airplane size carry-on us best maneuverable size and enjoy the ship while you wait. But as someone who takes and uses lot of clothes on shop I understand. 

Our carryons are a beach bag for myself and my MIL, my kids each have one small backpack and my husband has a backpack. Instead of lugging around my MIL’s garment bag we are now going to check it. Carry on wise that’s it.

i think we get stateroom access before 1:30 though. 

Thank you all! You’ve all helped tremendously! Our car is guzzling a few more gallons of gas thanks to our overprearedness! Ha ha!

2 hours ago, fyree39 said:

I used to way over-pack and have since changed my ways.  If possible, I'd increase the number of checked bags and decrease the carry-ons.  You'll be stuck dragging your carry-ons around until the rooms are ready at 1:30.

Yes, we’ve have world travelled and tried really hard over the years to be “Team Carryon”. On business trips I can get by, but I have resigned to the fact that I’m just just “extra” lol.

We have booked a grand suite and have FTTF so I believe we get to our rooms pretty quick tomorrow. Our check in is 11:30 so, unless something changes, we should get our luggage fairly quickly and to our room fast as well. 

2 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Hi

 

I don't know if you have heard the phrase, you should bring twice the money and half the clothes. 😀 Five days isn't a very long cruise, many people would be able to manage with just a carry on/back pack. Maybe if you are traveling into a colder region where you need to have multiple layers of clothes, but not if you are travelling south.

 

If it's not a problem for you to bring that much, go ahead. You will likely find that many items will be not be used. 

 

hope this helps

Yes, I have and we did bring double the $$, but half the stuff is more of a challenge! 🤷🏾‍♀️

4 hours ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Remember, no one on the ship will care what you're wearing.  We pack a minimum and still end with clothes we don't wear.

Eh. I dress for myself. We are not exactly minimum type people. We like to wear two outfits a day; at least until we get to the point where we are over it all and start to re-wear things. We are like this on every trip we take. We do usually have clothes we don’t wear,  but it always happens that the trips we take the conservative approach, we wish we had just packed that one extra thing! I’m in the camp of rather to overpack than under. 

We do have a lot of things that won’t return with us though...so coming home with be slightly easier unless I shop a lot.

2 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

It may be a problem for the airline.  You are not limited to number of bags or carry-ons on Carnival.

Okay I wasn’t sure. We aren’t flying so we’ve got plenty of room otherwise. I cannot believe how much luggage we are bringing. And believe me, we’ve scrubbed it down to basics at least three times! Ugh.

2 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

No problem on the number of carry-ons as long as you don't exceed the specific limits on wine and non-alcoholic beverages.  And the number of checked bags is just Carnival's suggestion, not a contractual limit or anything enforced.

I didn’t realize the one checked was just a suggestion. That’s great news, actually. I love how Carnival sets rules they don’t enforce, lol. Well, except the alcohol one, anyway.

We travel out to JAX tomorrow early AM and are in the throes of packing but have questions.

Each person is entitled to one checked luggage per person (5 day itinerary, 5 people), however are we limited to the number of carry ons we can bring? Between the Juice and soda and other items we have about 7 carryon pieces between us. Is this a problem? 

7 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

I am a terrible person - I don't regularly exercise, I don't go to the gym, etc.  I should, I know.

 

I just want to sit on one of those elliptical machines with a margarita and watch the ocean go by.

 

Am I a bad person?  Wait, I already said so: yes.

Ha ha. Fortunately, character is not defined by how reliably you visit the gym. I, too, only want to sit musing with a drink in hand, but I will feel like crap should I merely consume all the good food and drinks and not expend any energy. This is my plan; but hey, once vacation mindset kicks it, you never know!

53 minutes ago, obx_fintoo said:

Back and mostly settled!  We had a great time! Wonderful weather and very relaxing cruise!

 

As for your question, I didn't see as many classes listed in the gym.  They did a Fab Abs class a couple of mornings and on Cycling class that may be fun for you.  A few other things, but no bootcamp type things, at this on this sailing.   Hope you get your workouts in and have a great cruise!  Come back and let us know how you did!😃

Thanks for coming back! I’m glad you had a great trip! Ours sets sail in 4 days!

I think I’ve decided to try to do some tabata workouts in the gym. My husband and I together will feel like a class in a way, since it’s so fast paced, that way we can get the workout in without the monotony of a machine.

Did you sail out of Jax? How did you like the added dry dock features? Which room type did you have? Soooo excited!

3 hours ago, cb at sea said:

You may either "show up" and be seated like in any restaurant, or make a reservation...(sort of like "call ahead").....your choice!  If you eat early or late, reservations probably aren't a must.  If you want to eat at the popular time (6:45-7:30 or so), then a reservation is in order.

Is this true on all carnival ships or is your information strictly for Horizon? We sail on elation on Monday Nov 19 and have YTD. I handy heard about reservations. Is this trough GS or a special dining number from the room?

51 minutes ago, asalligo said:

 

Exactly! This thread actually made me have to get up and put my hands on my passports. 

This!! ☝🏾

In fact, I just texted my MIL and said, “I know I told you go get your passport for this trip, but grab that AND your birth cert!” This lesson is for ALL of us.

I'm in charge of my family’s documents and I walk by them every day sitting patiently on a counter. Birth certificates will be stuffed in the suitcase per another posters suggestion. 

20 minutes ago, mistyandrade said:

I appreciate all info and suggestions, whether it's good or bad.. This was our first time going on a cruise, so we did not know how important it was too take all documentation.. We both work allot and havent found the time to travel yet , like I said I had it together either way I just left it behind....  I placed everything else in my marriage license envelop but the BC cause I found it the day before our wedding. I know now too make copies and start packing in advance and use a checklist... It's a tough lesson to learn.. It just sucks my mom losing out on almost $1000.. But it's my fault.. Thanks again everyone for all the advice.. 

Don’t beat yourself up too badly. It’s a life lesson. In the grand scheme, it’s small potatoes. If you and your husband work hard, you can easily make up $1000. Don’t focus on the loss. Focus on your future and let it go. By this time next month it can be a funny joke if you allow it to be. Hugs to you.

On 11/7/2018 at 12:21 PM, pacruise804 said:

One of the perks of FTTF is priority tendering, so those not on the cabana excursion would still be covered by the FTTF excursion.

I was hoping so but wasn’t sure.

On 11/7/2018 at 6:31 AM, penguin85 said:

Carnival does not use wrist bands.  They only give you one ticket for the group which you take to the desk on the island and check in.  A few weeks ago they did ask me for the names and ages of who was in my group when I checked-in on HMC. I gave then 4 names and said nothing about our 5th person.

Okay great thanks! This is very helpful.