Sigyn

Is it time consuming and/or complicated to get from the port of Marseilles to the train station? I was thinking about doing a DIY tour and taking the train to Aix-en-Provence for a leisurely day.

I can't imagine dealing with the global entry interview process in a major city! I had looked into doing that originally, but the closest airport to my house was two hours away, so I decided to skip it since I don't travel internationally very much.

Anyone else's experience has no relevance to yours. One person may have had this process completed in two weeks; another in two months.

I totally understand what you mean! But it does have relevance to me in that I'm gathering information about what other people's experiences have been. Thanks!

My original question was whether anyone had done this and how long it took. Still trying to figure that out. Not weigh the pros/cons of changing your name in the first place.

Did anyone here change their name on their TSA pre-check?

If you're travelling a lot, the answer is very simple: Don't change your (legal) name.

 

I have a friend who travels a lot for work, and who's been married twice. Changing her name the first time and then changing it back were such huge battles that when she got married the second time she decided that she was simply not going to change her name ever again.

 

None of this stops her from being known as "Mrs [X]" socially, where X is her second husband's surname.

While I see the convenience of your friend's plan, I don't personally believe in entering a marriage with an exit strategy already in place.

True, and a fairly new one at that. I changed the name on my passport and it was simple. Did what they asked and, a month later, my new passport arrived. It's the vagueness of the TSA pre-check name change that is irking me. No one has even followed up to ask me for proof of identity and why my name changed.

Thanks, but that isn't exactly what I was looking for. I'm past that point of contacting TSA. I wanted to see if anyone has already done this process and how long it took.

I already called TSA back in April and they took my info on the phone and said someone would email me with questions (they wouldn't say when) and that within 1-3 months the process would be complete.

I called again last week, a month after my first call, and the guy said he saw the notation on my file that I'd called, (but he pointed out that it was really only 27 days since my original call, not a month as I said it was!) and that they'd moved it to the next step, and that someone would email me with more instructions. I said, "Don't you need my marriage license, passport, some proof of name change?" He said, "If they need that, they'll ask you when they email you."

Again, I've heard nothing.

It's so random and strange. "Put in your request and within 1-3 months it will be done."

I feel as if I keep pestering, they'll blacklist me somehow and it will never happen.

Has anyone gotten married and had to change their TSA pre-check known traveler number? I called to do that and they said it takes 1-3 months. So while I should have it before I leave on my cruise in late August, I won't have it all summer for my business travel. I applied a month ago for the name change and I haven't heard a peep. I called them to ask about it and was lightly reprimanded for asking about it before three months were up.

I'm curious how long the name change process takes, and how they did it. It's weird to just call and give your info, and then not hear from anyone again until it's done 1-3 months later.

For whatever it's worth, we debated getting a Havana room, but we only have one at-sea day on our 8-day cruise, so it didn't seem worth it to pay that premium for only one day until 5 p.m. for a private area. We won't be reboarding until at least 5 p.m. every other day at port, so by then the Havana areas will be open to the public.

I would have booked a Havana room if the private areas stayed private 24/7.

congrats!

We are on the Aug. 26 sailing, no upgrades have been offered. Our friends are on the Aug. 6 sailing, with an inside cabin. They were offered a balcony for $500, but said no.

I think an equally appropriate title of the thread should be:

 

"Dad puts kids on ship and then goes looking for his love interest"

That's brilliant! :D

Children enjoying the rest of the cruise' date=' while the parents stick it out in NY.

 

 

Children under 18 have to sleep with an adult in a cabin.

They can't be left alone, right?

Wonder how sleeping arrangements are made under these circumstances.[/quote']

 

Children can sleep by themselves in a room on Carnival. I don't know what Norwegian's rule is.

LOL. I guess I'm late to the story! :)

Yikes. Did you guys see the video of the Norwegian ship that left the mom behind on the dock with her three kids still on board? It happened April 21 in the Bahamas.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mom-cries-dock-cruise-ship-204400580.html

Does Carnival have a rule about being back in port at a certain time before departure? And if so, what is it? 30 minutes or 1 hour?

Does Carnival have a rule about when you have to embark at port? is it 30 minutes beforehand?

Where are you flying from? I saved also booking through Carnival. They were less expensive than what I was seeing elsewhere. But now I think prices are dropping, so I wish I would have waited.

We are flying from Louisville, going through Charlotte.

If we buy fruit in port in, say, Marseilles, France, can we bring it back onto the ship?

What about purchasing wine? Can we bring that back on ship? I think I read somewhere you have to leave with steward, to be brought to you at disembarkation.

Thanks!

I appreciate the advice. I guess one of my problems is narrowing it down to the best hotel for the price, and deciding whether to stay at two different hotels in two different areas, pre-cruise (one night) and post-cruise (two nights), or stay at the same place both times.

My list is long. I like the look and the reviews for each of these hotels and none of them are listed as being in the "sketchy" area of town. Here's my huge working list, along with prices for one of the nights we're in town:

Yurbban Trafalgar Hotel - $192

K+K Hotel Picasso - $178

Hotel Barcelona Catedral - $163

Olivia Plaza Hotel - $191

Hotel Jazz - $188

Hotel Nouvel - $134 for junior suite

H10 Metropolitan - $180

Acts Atrium Palace - $151

Hotel Colon - $194

Royal Ramblas Hotel - $182

ack. all those tours are $700 to $800 per tour, so still expensive even if you find 7 people to accompany you.

is there any way to tour Marseilles and the area for $50 or $60 a person?

perfect, love this plan! thanks!

I appreciate the advice. I asked our tour guide to make sure we're back at the ship one hour prior to departure and that wasn't a problem. We will sit with him and have a cocktail in port, near the ship, until then.

We have one night pre-cruise and two nights post-cruise in Barcelona in late August/early September.

I don't know where to stay. Las Ramblas looks interesting, still learning about various areas tho. Where do you think we should consider staying? Would it make more sense to stay in two separate hotels/areas to experience more of the city, or get to know one area well?

What hotels and areas do you recommend? Our budget is moderate. We don't want to spend $400 a night, but anything $250 and less is fine since this is our belated honeymoon and we want to treat ourselves to a wonderful experience. But the less we can spend and still have a great hotel experience, the better.

We have decided to do a three hour small group guided tour in the afternoon while we are in Rome. The tour will go to The Colosseum for an underground tour with the arena floor and third ring, and then we'll go to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

By the time we finish, it will be just after 4 p.m. and time to perhaps have a quick snack and head back to the train station since the ship leaves at 8 p.m.

What do you suggest we can fit in the three hours we have from when we arrive in Rome, until we have to meet up with the tour group?

Thanks so much. This is very helpful info.