bubbles1209

That would be me! I don't drink at all until vacation time.......and even then I try not to overdo it. I did, however overdo it once & was passed out right after muster:eek:.....didn't drink again the rest of the week, lol.:p I enjoy it on vacation (not enough to get the the cheers pkg) because driving is not an issue, and letting loose a little is what vacation is for......Lord knows we all need to let loose a little :D

No. We had some friends that were doing a S2S and the first leg was delayed arriving due to Hurricane Sandy. They got a full refund for the second leg and the airlines adjusted their return home flight for no additional charge (I think CCL has a "deal" with major carriers for them to forgo such charges in situations like this).

Not really sure if CCL has a "deal" with the airlines for situations like that. We were returning home behind hurricane Sandy, got an extra day at sea because of the hurricane (wasn't safe to dock), and when we got ahold of the airlines, and told them of our situation, they wanted $1200 per person to change our flight by 1 day......we wound up renting a car to get home. We had trip insurance, and they did not reimburse us because we turned down a flight and rented a car instead, which was way cheaper. They would have reimbursed us for the flight had we have taken it. They would have rather paid out more money than less money......go figure

Is there a seperate check in & waiting area in Galveston for the Platinum, Diamond, FTTF, people that have suites, etc..........or after check in is everyone in the same waiting area? Never been, and curious, thanks for any input :)

Everyone has their own choices,but we (can't speak for all) prefer using our PVP because any questions we have or price drops we're eligible for, we can call Carnival at any time and speak with them about our reservation. When you book your reservation through a TA, everything has to be done by the TA, if you call Carnival, they'll say have your TA help you....which, if you're hoping to get in on a price drop late on a Saturday night, & your TA is out of the office until Monday, kinda makes it a little tougher to do I've read. I think that pretty much sums it up. TA's offer lots of incentives from what I've heard, but we have always used our PVP just in case anything should come up & we want to speak with them directly. We always book a price we're good with, but should a price drop come up, it's always icing on the cake so to speak if we're eligible. As far as booking the excursions & fun shops, I would think all you need is your booking number once you log in on Carnival's site to do that. If it works differently using a TA, I'm sure someone will come along & correct me, have only used a TA once, for our very 1st cruise, and we did all that onboard. Hope this helps. :)

We have always used cash and have never heard of this, nor have we ever been told or asked to do it.

Grandma always told me not to ever say never, hahaaaaaa. Time has proven to me time & again she was right. Hope ya'll have a great cruise!

Was also interested in what people had to say on this topic, was wondering where was good myself. We're gonna give Drury a try, sounds great. Got it for a good rate too, thanks guys!

I've stayed at the Edgewater Hotel before, the terminal is literally right up the street from there. We could see the ship from our room, it was just like it was in our backyard, with our backyard being the ocean. Beautiful hotel, atmosphere, close to everything.

But what does it matter if you pre pay or just leave the autos in place.

 

Makes no sense to me, what does it change?

 

And if there's no difference between pre paying and paying at the end why would they need to know?

I just like having it out of the way. It's $ spent either way, but like not having to worry with it once I'm there. Not sure why the need to know or not, doesn't matter to me if they know whether I prepay or not. I just know they work hard & deserve it.......now for some popcorn over here in the recliner to watch the show.:D

We always prepay ours, they all work hard, customer service is no joke

What special/rate did you book with?

What is your airport/port? That will determine the best way! For instance, between MIA and POM, a cab is the best way (or, Uber....) Same with Ft. Laud and Port Everglades...a cab is fast and cheap.

 

If you're going between MIA and Ft. Laud...a cab is WAY TOO costly...a shuttle there is the best option...same with Orlando to Canaveral......

 

It really depends on where you fly to, and where you cruise from.

Flying into Houston the day before our cruise out of Galveston

True most of the time, but OP mentioned Port of Galveston, which is quite far from any of the airports in Houston (either HOU or IAH)....but we are with you in most cases riffatsea!. We too are independent travellers where cost, timing and location makes a difference.

 

However, for Galveston, we are actually using the CCL transfer one way (due to COST, believe it or not), something we rarely do, and using a private shuttle service the other way. Bubbles1209, check out Galveston Express, they ended up cheaper for one of our legs....so we are using a combo of CCL transfer and private shuttle for our upcoming Liberty cruise in Nov. Just takes researching (timing, location and $$cost for us).

Had been looking at Galveston Express for sure......until I read some of the reviews, you may wanna check that out, and look at more than 1 review site;)

I would never book a Carnival transfer!

It is not usually cost effective.

You cannot be on your own schedule but are at the mercy of the bus and other people.

We are too independent to deal with this sort of transportation!

I've learned over time not to ever say never.

I normally don't book the Carnival transfers either, but Galveston is expensive no matter who you choose to go with it's looking like. Normally we grab a cab because we're right there at the port, rather than do the hotel shuttle which is a lot of waiting, but this time we will not be. The cost of getting to the port is expensive no matter who you seem to choose, and it's looking like the shuttle services are mostly shared and the issue of being at the mercy of the bus & others will be a factor no matter who I choose. Yes, we can purchase more private transfers, but they are more pricey than the Carnival transfers by quite a bit more, which is money I can be enjoying our vacation.

So did you book your transfers online, or just get them at the airport?

 

Have read lots of people have done it, it's the 4th sentence in the below quote that bothers me I guess.....yes, I'm a worrywart:o

 

Conditions and Restrictions

Transfers operate on the day of embarkation or debarkation only. Cruise only guests will be required to provide flight information via Online Checkin when purchasing transfers. When flight details have been recorded in Online Checkin updates are the responsibility of the guest. Carnival is not responsible to provide transfers for guests who schedule flights outside of the service times or provide incorrect flight information. The vehicle operator is an independent contractor. Carnival assumes no liability for losses, damages or injuries in connection with the use of the operator. Carnival reserves the right to discontinue transfer service at anytime. Prices and acceptable flight times are subject to change without notice.

OR...........they mean they're not responsible to provide transfers outside of the service times.....which means if I get there a day early they aren't responsible then, but if I book a transfer & head back to the airport the next morning which is the day of the cruise, THEN they'll provide transportation:eek:......yep, I think the lightbulb just clicked on for me :o

Thank you for your reply & your help

You mis read. You are responsible for your transportation if you fly in the day before on your fly in day. If you return to the airport on the day of the cruise, you can indeed use Carnival transfer to the port. ( done it more than a dozen times). Some people think that they can use the Carnival transfer when they arrive days before their cruise to get to the port city or their hotel. The transfer people have a list the the "hotel" people and people on incoming flights.

So did you book your transfers online, or just get them at the airport?

Have read lots of people have done it, it's the 4th sentence in the below quote that bothers me I guess.....yes, I'm a worrywart:o

Conditions and Restrictions

Transfers operate on the day of embarkation or debarkation only. Cruise only guests will be required to provide flight information via Online Checkin when purchasing transfers. When flight details have been recorded in Online Checkin updates are the responsibility of the guest. Carnival is not responsible to provide transfers for guests who schedule flights outside of the service times or provide incorrect flight information. The vehicle operator is an independent contractor. Carnival assumes no liability for losses, damages or injuries in connection with the use of the operator. Carnival reserves the right to discontinue transfer service at anytime. Prices and acceptable flight times are subject to change without notice.

So, in doing online research, I've read you can purchase the Carnival transfers for the day of the cruise......but have also read in Carnival's fine print that they aren't responsible for transportation for those that fly in a day early. :confused:

Have also been told you can just purchase the transfers at the airport & it will just be charged to your S&S account.......but in Carnival's fine print, it says for those who have booked 5 days or less before the cruise. We're thinking of going in a day early, but want to get the transfers. We got a pre-night hotel with airport shuttle, so which way to go with this one?:cool: Shuttles to Galveston I'm learning isn't cheap

We always take what prescriptions we have in the original containers and carry them on the ship when we board. Our reason for doing so is simply because once on a cruise, dh got dizzy, felt sick, & passed out on me, outta the blue. They called the medics, they asked me what all he took, I went to the room to get his pill bottles only to find, he had put the different meds he took into a pill sorter, and I had no way of knowing the dosage of what he took, the names that you can't pronounce of what he took or anything. When I went back to the infirmary where he was, thankfully he was awake, and it turned out to be dehydration according to them. He couldn't name off but 2 of the 4 he takes, but after a day of rest and lots of rehydration, thankfully, he was fine. My point being, it's not a question of being questioned about the meds and whether or not they're yours, but what if in an emergency situation? Will your significant other or other family members be able to tell paramedics what they need to know? Will they know you took a pic on your phone of the labels? Will they know you brought a printout of the pharmacy instructions? Something definitely worth thinking about.

4 more days!

go to the casino

1. Insert your sail & sign card into the machine

2. Press set up pin number & follow the directions to set up a pin number (this is for your casino account) follow all prompts until it says you are done.

3. When done, press the button that says charge your sail & sign account

4. punch in the amount you want to get & press enter

5. Wait for the amount to show up on the machine as a credit

6. Either spin or press cash out & it will go on your casino account you set the pin number up for.

7. When it's done uploading your credits, make sure your credit balance is 0 on the machine (so you'll know you did it right)

8. Withdraw your card from the machine, go to the casino cage & cash out.

The only toll road heading south to Fort Lauderdale is on the Florida Turnpike. If they stay on I95, no tolls.

Great, thank you so very much! Can you tell I always fly in? Had no clue & knew I would get the answer here, huge help, thank you :)

The gate security should tell you when you arrive.

thank you :)

Are there toll roads going into Fort Lauderdale to the port? Family coming into Lauderdale the day before the cruise and didn't think to tell them they may run into this:eek: If so, does anyone know how often you have to pay & about how much? They're driving in from Georgia, thanks

Does anyone know which terminal number in Fort Lauderdale is being used for the Conquest? It's not listed on our boarding pass or in our cruise docs, just curious.

We'll be in Fort Lauderdale at the end of next week for our cruise :D but we have family meeting us at our hotel (Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel). We've always just flown in & grabbed a cab or done a shuttle. They want us to ride with them so they can park at the port.....great with us, but just curious.............is it easy peasy to get in & out, or can it be confusing? :confused: Just don't want to get all turned around in a strange town. :o We can't give them exact directions because we've never driven. Anyone out there that has driven to the port & was it easy or a hassle? I'm probably overthinking this, but that's what I do, can't help it, part of the planning process for me I guess. Thanks in advance, all help is appreciated. :)