douglanglois

On 1/19/2020 at 11:49 AM, mafig said:

Miami doesn't add an additional day.

I believe Port Canaveral does.

Can confirm that Miami doesn't (unless you leave after your arrival time, presumably, at which point it's only fair since you used more than 7 days...) 

I arrived at 10:30am on Sunday 19th, left at 9:50 am on Sunday 26th, paid for 7 days ($154)

1 hour ago, brandy3415 said:

May I ask a question as I was recently upgraded also via bid.  My edocs still say "Bella" on booking info page, on embarkation sheet, and luggage tags.  Is this case with you? Original experience still on docs?

 Futher back it has a page that lists all the plusgrade amenities. 

 

Trying to get Q answered, CS with Meraviglia gave another number to call, cant reach that.

Thanks if anyone can answer this one.  

When I view my reservation online, and on pages 3&5 of our E-ticket packet, our experience is listed as yacht club.

Did you try clicking "Request E-Tickets" on the website again after you got the upgrade notification?

According to this toll calculator it'll be $3.25 each way.

FLL to Naples, you should be just fine by the look of it. So long as you don't veer off toward downtown Miami.

This should help - https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/tollsSunPass.shtml

Outside of metro areas there's often a cash option at the off-ramp. In metro areas it's generally Sunpass or toll-by-plate to keep traffic moving.

8 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

 

Exactly why we decided on Brightline.   Plus, it just sounded kinda fun!

Looks like an interesting option, but for 2 people, that's still $90 ($154 to park on port). For that $64 savings, I'd now be transferring from my car to a train, to a Lyft (which it seems I still have to order myself?). It's also introducing a third party to getting my baggage on to the ship. I've been involved in enough project management to know that every link you add to the chain adds risk and delay. Not to mention that if this was our family vacation, not our mom and dad only vacation, it would cost $180 while parking would be flat at $154.

Shortest critical path to my vacation = drive to port, check bags, park, get on ship.

14 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Congratulations on a scoring an upgrade. Was this complimentary or did you bid?

 

IMO, the best part of YC is that there is zero crowding in top sail lounge and the pool. No need to secure a chair. We didn't find service exceptional in YC, but we seem to be in the minority. We didn't ask our butler for anything really as I'm just not that type. For us, the ONLY time being in YC had a great benefit was debarkation. We got into Miami several hours late and it took until 2 p.m. to debark the whole ship. We had a flight out at noon and our butler escorted us to the front of the line. That was worth a bunch!

 

Oh, you can over ride the elevator with your YC card.  Some people like doing that. Personally, I think it's in extremely poor taste and would never ever attempt this. Ever. Seriously, who can't wait for an elevator to stop at a few extra floors?  But again, I seem to be in the minority as many YC guests liked to use this feature. 

We bid for the upgrade. 

I was having the same thought about the elevator override. We were on the Seaside in the summer, and when it was busy, it was quite annoying seeing the elevator zip past with the YC-override symbol showing. I think most of us have come to terms with the fact that money buys privilege, but this particular upgrade feels like something taken away from regular passengers, rather than just an extra bought by YC passengers. Felt a bit 'in your face'.

To make matters worse, I was told there were a bunch of teenagers in yacht club that had decided tying up the elevators was great sport.

1 minute ago, Fogfog said:

I guess my thought is.. we are already in YC... and the Royal suite is above that

Is there anything on the ship bigger/grander with ore perks that the RS in YC? So what does one "upgrade' to from RS in YC for a currently "booked" RS in YC to come open?

No idea. In the case of RS, they are probably just hedging against cancellations.

Just had this same dilemma myself. I decided it was worth the (significant) premium to park at the port. I don't want to start my vacation hanging around for a shuttle bus, and I don't want to end it wondering if my car's still there/ok. Off-port parking would probably be ok, but I want my vacation to be about relaxation, not risk-management. YMMV.

This way I just drop my bags at the collection point, then park the car, and saunter down to check-in. It's a big upgrade to day 1 of the cruise, and the extra cost hurts less when considered in the context of the cruise as a whole. And on debarkation day, we can leave with our bags, head straight to the car, and be on our way.

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

We've gotten invitations to bid, and when I look online it is "booked".

Have wondered if it is their corp offices "fishing" for what people will pay 

IDK

Same as you $1699 or whatever over our YC room... 

Beyond the cabana ON the ship (not OC) and a bigger room/balcony.. we don't see the value. 

It doesn't include wifi or any upgrades beyond what we already have in YC.

 

Like you, we wonder what we are missing

A room type could be fully booked, but if one of them upgrades they could be left with an open room with little time to sell it. Or someone could cancel last minute. They're making sure they have people on the hook for any eventuality.

Worked out for us, we just upgraded into Yacht Club for Sunday's sailing. The Royal Suite's a bit rich for my blood, though!

4 minutes ago, Preziosa said:

How did you get that upgrade....what did you do....

Well you know, I'm kind of a big deal...

Kidding. After much discussion of the relative merits, we put in an offer via the plusgrade program.

Any tips on getting the maximum benefit from the amenities of MSC Yacht Club? The wife and I are generally pretty low maintenance, so left to our devices there's a good chance we'd never even think to ask and end up missing out. I'm not sure we even get the full service from a regular cruise porter, never mind a butler!

Brilliant. Thanks for the reassurance.

We're embarking the Meraviglia on Sunday 19th. To hopefully start the cruise with minimal stress, I'm coughing up the dough for parking at Port Miami.

Question is, since I can't book in advance, do I need to be worried about getting there and finding no spaces? I'm driving down from Tampa, so won't be there until between 11am and noon. 

We're sailing on the Seaside on Saturday, but the online check-in isn't working and hasn't for sometime. Tried two laptops and three different browsers.

I'm currently stuck on hold trying to call them to get checked in.

Any ideas? Anyone else having the same trouble?

Going on the Miracle in February, and I'd love to see some examples of the entertainment schedule. If you can take some pictures of the daily newsletter, that would be awesome!

1 hour ago, TravelE said:

In both terminals, there is a separate waiting area but not a separate room.  The put Platinums/Diamonds in first rows, then Suites, then FTTF. In Terminal 3 (Paradise), they had water out but not pastries.

Great, it's nice to know what to expect. Thanks.

I just know this must have been answered, but none of the topics I can find on it seem to give a straight answer. I apologize for the duplicate posting.

Is there a Carnival Captains/Priority lounge in Port of Tampa? I'm a suite passenger, with priority boarding - not FTTF.

12 hours ago, #1TravelMom said:

Just a suggestion.  The biobay on the coast is incredible.  I haven't checked on it since the hurricane.  But, if it's still "glowing", it is a great trip.  Contact kayakingpr.

This is a wonderful suggestion for making the best of a less than ideal situation. Thank you!

On my summer cruise, the MSC Seaside is scheduled to dock at in San Juan at 5pm, then leaves at 1am the following day. I checked out other sailings, and they also seem to list 5pm as the dock time in SJ.

Anyone have experience of this? Do they really not dock until 5pm, or are they normally early? We were looking forward to seeing more of PR than just the SJ nightlife. They also have 5 hour excursions available - are they really starting these at 5pm and continuing until 10pm? 

10 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

On the contrary, gratuities just recognize service - while exceptional gratuities recognize exceptional service. 

 

In your home state of Florida, gratuities are recognized in your minimum wage law as a part of fair income.  Florida's minimum wage is $8.25 --- however for employees engaged where tipping is customary, that minimum wage is $5.23 -- with the assumption that the employee will make at least that  $3.02 differential per hour in tips.  So, in an environment where tipping is part of the system, considering them part of total income is appropriate.  The opportunity to work for gratuities is something which the employer (be it Florida restaurant or cruise line) gives the worker in addition to the cash wages paid by the employer.

 

 If you want to agitate against the practice of considering tips part of "the dignity of a basic wage for their labor",  you might start closer to home than with a foreign flagged cruise line.

I am not agitating against anything. Merely stating an opinion that a person is entitled to a fair wage for their labor which is not subject to the whim of the customer. I'm not going to petition cruise lines to change their practices. Instead, I shall control the one part of the equation that I can - my own behavior. I'll leave 'gratuities' in place no matter what, and recognize exceptional service individually. To me, personally, that is the decent thing to do. How you personally choose to react to the practice is your business, and I'll make no comment nor attempt to change it.

Finally, given that I do not personally set the minimum income laws in my current residence of Florida any more than I do on a foreign flagged cruise line or even my birth country of England, I'm not really sure why that comment is relevant to anything. You seem rather affronted by my opinion on this matter, and I'm unsure why.

Not on a cruise ship, but I have had kidney stones. Most painful thing I've ever experienced, they have my absolute sympathy.

Best advice would be to ensure they make the requested lifestyle changes to reduce the chances of another stone on the cruise, drink plenty of water while on the cruise, and definitely make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. 

Regarding handling them on the cruise, my guess is that since kidney stones are rarely life threatening, the on board doctor would treat for pain until the next port, at which point you'd have to decide if they wanted to get off to seek treatment, or stay on board in pain until you reach home port.

I'd say it's certainly possible, but I wouldn't want to bet the farm on it. Too many possible reasons for delay.

You have a 30 minute drive through Miami, with multiple large cruise ships debarking in Miami AND the Fort Lauderdale ports.

If it were me, I'd book a later flight to avoid instantly destroying the relaxation of the vacation with the stress of getting to the airport, even if it cost a few bucks to do so.

On 11/30/2018 at 8:19 PM, navybankerteacher said:

 

You fail to grasp the point that for the gratuities to be treated as gratuities (and therefore not taxable income) they MUST be subject to being removed. If they are built into the fare, they would not be voluntary - and therefore not gratuities —- which, by definition, are voluntary - and therefor necessarily subject to removal.

 

 

With respect I don't fail to grasp anything.

In fact, my entire point is that when gratuities are used to bring a server up to a bare minimum basic wage they cease to be gratuities. Gratuities recognize exceptional service. Wages recognize basic labor. When 'gratuities' are used to hold down wages, removing them denies servers the dignity of a basic wage for their labor.

25 minutes ago, serene56 said:

I booked an excursion for 4 people this week.   says two was charged   so I looked and it only charged for the adults   I went in and rebooked the 2 kids--     I was double charged for everything.       so be careful

Good to know. I shall keep my eye on that.