BENHANDEL

13 minutes ago, Shaded Lady said:

BENHANDEL- you will get more info onboard about the whole process, but the first decision you need to make is whether you can take all your luggage and carry-ons off yourselves. If you cannot (too much, kids too little etc) then you need to put your luggage out the night before and allow Carnival to offboard it so you pick it up in the terminal after you debark. Once you get your luggage you will still need to go through Customs and Immigration.

 

If you choose to carry everything off yourselves, you do nothing the night before, you can keep your luggage in your room til after breakfast in the MDR, as long as you're back and out by about 8:30. With FTTF you can then proceed down to the deck where you get off the ship (again, there will be lots of instructions on how to do this) then you can just walk off the ship (assuming no backlog). Customs and Immigration is still in your immediate future, but since you're one of the earlier gangs off the ship, it shouldn't be as crowded and backed up. We've usually been off the ship and through Customs & Immigration within 20 minutes of leaving our cabin when we've had FTTF or choose Self-Debark.

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of specific and detailed information I was hoping for it.

1 hour ago, drimlin said:

The machine is premeasured. I am not a coffee snob, but I found the machine coffee quality more than acceptable. Certainly better than the usual ship stuff.

 What do you mean by "premeasured?" That you cannot adjust the strength? Or the amount? 

20 hours ago, familyoutdoors said:

About your car rental, have you looked into how the tolls work? If not read up or call about this so you know what to expect. Have a great trip! 

https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalVehicles.shtml

 

https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-rental-faqs/toll-charges/other-state-toll-options.html

We have relatives in florida....so we have faced tolls before. 

20 hours ago, Moviela said:

Google Maps is easy.

 

Open program on your phone. Look for the three lines on the top left. Click on them. A menu opens. Click on "Offline Maps"

 

A new page opens on a map where you are. Pinch the map to include the whole continent. Then move to where you are wanting to download. Include an area just larger than where you will be, and click download. It will download as Map1. Rename it to the city so you can find it later. It will put all the google knowledge on your phone, so you can use it without cell service.  

Thank you!

22 hours ago, drimlin said:

It was noisy with the galley above. That said, we are pretty hard sleepers and the noise never bothered us. Other than some occasional loud banging, it was more of a consistent ship noise that for us blended into the background.

 

As far as the coffee, you had your option of hot chocolate, Expresso, latte, black coffee, and capuchino. I enjoyed the latte option with a shot of Expresso. The machine also had a frother if you prefer a different amount of steamed milk. The biggest issue was the lounge closing at 9 pm because more than one night I wanted a good coffee after dinner.

Thank you! Did you ever order from the coffee shop? How good is the lounge coffee?  We are on the fence with Cheers! and needing to go to the coffe shop for 2-3 cups each a day tip the equation in favor of Cheers! But if family harbor coffee is decent, we can probably skip Cheers!

Any updates on 6-day menus? I leave in 12 days!

12 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

 

 

Perfect! Thank you!

20 hours ago, Moviela said:

 

 

I also preload Google Maps for offline use for the areas in foreign countries I visit, so if cell service is spotty, I can still navigate the terra firma. 

 

 

What a great idea! I need to figure out how to do that...any tips?

9 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I think the key is whether or not they would enjoy the meal on the ship.  Sometimes "free" isn't worth the cost 😉 

 

 

This is our first CCL cruise...only a 6 day...are budget conscious and are "breakfast people..." so I think MDR will definitely be part of or debark day plans!

10 hours ago, drimlin said:

Just got off the horizon from a family suite. They do have hot water but a very. Limited tea selection. The express machine does make a nice cup of hot chocolate. Let me know if you have other family harbor questions. We enjoyed it.

Did you find it noisy? We will be in 2411 in a couple weeks. 

How was the family lounge coffee? What were the cappuccino options? 

TIA

8 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

Oh, and if you have a few bucks in cash, use the porters to take your luggage through CBP if the normal line-up for CBP is stupidly long - by the time I realized we should have run for the porters, the porter line was almost as long as the regular one...

 

 

This is all so new to me that I do not have the context to comprehend this. Where would I find porters for debark?  I imagine porters to be the ones grabbing luggage outside before we embark...and would thos replace putting my luggage put the night before?

.thanks for your patience. 

44 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

Just make a copy of the original one and take the copy with you. That way you're not tearing up the original one or losing it or anything. Then just fold up the copy you take with you and stick in your pocket. 😉

A copy of the original is sufficient? I keep seeing I need to get a copy from a local service station but time is running out. 4 of 5 of us have passports. The other only has a passport card (son last actual passport). I have been told the passport card will be sufficient, but want to have the birth certificate available for him as backup. But we only have one original copy.

Thanks, all! I am less than 2 weeks away and trying to make sure I have everything in place!

Please don't tease me for this dumb question. I am a nervous rule-following newbie...

The only part of the boarding pass we need is the top, right? I would like to cut it so it fits better with my travel documents but don't want it to be "voided" because it is not the full page. 

And yes I know I can fold....but 5 sheets of paper is pretty tight in my travel folio. 

Thanks for real answers and not humiliating comments!

4 minutes ago, Shaded Lady said:

Nothing different than you already had planned- all I meant was no need to rush, just take your time with your luggage and get to the spot where Alamo will pick you up, latogether. I'm not sure how they work at your port- in Tampa you often have to call the rental car company to let them know that you'll be there and how many in your party... if you were rushing to catch a flight it might be different but since you're not, take your time!

They said the Alamo shuttle is at the port and will depart every 20-30 minutes? Sounds like they have a lot of customers?

6 hours ago, crooooze said:

Here’s what we did for a similar situation... Booked the Miami Southbeach with MIA transfers from Carnival excursions... On debark morning, we got right off the ship and onto the excursion Bus. They took us to South Beach, where we enjoyed the morning peacefully. They kept the luggage on the bus, which was one less thing to worry about. Then after several hours, we met back at the  meeting point and they took us directly to the airport. Then just mosey over to the car rentals... Easy Peasy. Cost a few extra bucks, but worth it, as all the logistics were covered.

That is an intriguing option! But husband is really interested in driving around and looking at the architecture so he is set on getting our rental car right away-but south beach is definitely on our to-see list!

4 hours ago, stargate fan said:

Why pay for breakfast when the op and family can enjoy their last meal on the ship.

Exactly this! Breakfast for 5 people in Miami would surely cost a chunk-and take away from our exploration time!

3 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

 

 

You said you were planning on taking the Alamo shuttle- I'd make my way there and let them know you have a party of 5 waiting for pickup. You should be there, get your rental car and be able to enjoy your morning/early afternoon in Miami before hitting the road.

Thanks for the tip...but I cannot understand how else we would do that part? Are you suggesting that someone hustle ahead to try to catch the shuttle and ask them to hold the other 4 spots? We had all planned to ride the shuttle to that car rental pickup spot. This is new to us so I would appreciate any guidance!

Starting a new thread instead of hijacking

Another thread mentioned "relaxed" debarkation? What is that?

Looking for advice on how we should plan our debark morning, considering our group, plans and needs. 

The is our first time on CCL. We have FTTF and family suite. We have 3 kids (12, 14, 16).

OUR TIME RESTRAINTS/SCHEDULE

After getting off the ship we will be grabbing an Alamo shuttle to the airport to get our rental car and will be driving up to Orlando. But we want to explore Miami a bit. Probably not much to see super early and weather will guide our path. We target getting to Orlando by 7 or 8pm which means we need to be on our way from Miami before 3pm. 

OUR FAMILY PREFERENCES

We would like to have one more big, nice breakfast on the ship before getting off. We don't like crowds but don't want to be up at 5am. We are on 2nd floor so easy off the ship and are perfectly capable of carrying our bags. DH would rather not hand the bags over, but I dont want to lug bags to breakfast. 

Can we pack up and leave our bags in the room while we go to the MDR for breakfast? And then go grab the bags from the room and walk off the ship? As FTTF/suite, what "zone?" would we request? How does that work? What would be our timeline to maKe that happen?

TIA-2 weeks left!

So just to be clear....we can get an early slot (we have a family suite and FTTF so I think we get our choice) but still mosey off whenever we are ready? We will be on deck 2 so it seems super manageable.

On 12/3/2018 at 2:59 PM, LuckyStar said:

 

I don't think I would do that either.  I'm all about saving money.  Summer and Spring Break is very expensive.  I wonder if teachers can take time off during the school year or must they plan their vacations around school? 

In my district,  we are contractually prohibited from taking vacations during student contact days or any day directly before or after a break. Of course people lie and call in sick from the beach....or they are honest and get it approved for pay-deduct. 

I am a rule-follower who needs my full check, lol, so I can only travel during breaks....BUT I have no shame in allowing my kids to miss a couple days of school to work around my longer breaks. (They have the same number of schools days off, but more random single days whereas I have longer breaks).

How does this impact prepaid Cheers! programs? 

9 hours ago, Jrb434 said:

 

I did not see sudafedrine on my list, but she may carry it anyways. When you email her or see her, just ask... 

 

Allegra 40tabs is $7-9 (depending on strength)

Benadryl 30 tabs for $5

Claratin 100 tabs for $22

Claritin D - 10 tabs for $8.75

Nasonex 140 doses for $37

Singulair 20 tabs for $7

Zyrtec 100 tabs for $30 

 

given that we can get many of these generics at our dollar tree (exception being singulair and claritin d), it's not worth it for us -- Singulair is also free at publix. The claritin D is only slightly cheaper than the name brand here... personally, I don't buy allergy stuff because I can get it here cheaper or almost as cheap - so I don't waste the bag space. 

 

Thank you for that information. Agree that it's not worth the bag space.

Another question...are typical US OTC meds any cheaper there? I remember when I could get a bottle of 100 sudafedrine for $4. Thanks to those who have abused it, that is also much harder to access. 

Would also be interested on allergy meds...

On 11/26/2018 at 7:12 AM, Jrb434 said:

 

I tried to message you privately, but I guess it doesn't allow us to do that. 

 

One is Discount Drugstore & Souvenir Shop. It is about a 2 mile taxi ride @ $8 from Puerto Maya pier, where Carnival ships dock. We are on the waterfront, Rafael Melgar between 6 and 8th Avenue. They are right beside the well known Italian restaurant, Gudios. All taxi drivers are familiar with this restaurant as a reference.

 

Mega pharmacy, as I recall is by the other cruise dock but I cannot remember the location. There are several near Mega. 

 

I attached 2 photos - 1 of the card showing a map to Discount and the other is a photo of the inside of Discount (gives you an idea of what I mean when I say it's set up like a convenient store). Most of the pharmacies are the same. 

 

If you are able to private message me somehow I can give you Bobbi's email and you are able to contact her directly and ask about pricing and stock availability. -- Usually I hit her store last because a few of her prices are higher than other stores. But, from what I've seen, she has the bigger selection as well. 

 

 

 

Thank you so much! CC does not allow pm-ing...

Earlier this year, someone posted Bobbi's email address. Assuming that has not changed, I will try to contact her. 

On 11/26/2018 at 9:26 AM, c-leg5 said:

 

MEGA

Av. Rafael E. Melgar 799, Centro, 77600 San Miguel de Cozumel

 

You can put this address into Google maps to find location. It is at the other end of town from the Drugstore.

 

Here is the website for the Drugstore.

 

http://www.cozumeldrugstore.com/#location

 

These are both in town - a taxi ride from Puerta Maya, if that is where you dock. There are smaller pharmacies in and around the port but I have no experience with them.

Thank you both so much!