richkinkade

It looks like they pushed boarding back an hour.  I guess we'll just sleep a little later.

I know our tests were reported to the Florida Board of health because I got a message from them after we took the tests.  The results also show on the Navica app and I got an email with the results I could print out.

On 2/23/2021 at 8:01 AM, richfret said:

Does anyone know if the VA offers this in all states or just Texas?  I never received an Email like that.  I did enroll on a Florida State Email site and was enrolled to receive the vaccine.  That was weeks and I never heard from them again and now we have the weather delay.

I got this message in my email today from the Bay Pines VA.  Call them.

We have great news to share!

Veterans who are 65 and older, and Veteran essential workers as defined by the CDC (any age), who are receiving care at Bay Pines, may be able to schedule an appointment to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine TODAY. Appointments are also available today through February 27.

I'm 71 and I've received both doses at the VA in Tampa, Florida.  If you're enrolled for VA health care, check with your primary care team.  You should be able to get your shot now or very soon.  You might have to drive up to Tampa or to Bay Pines.

She doesn't need to go with you.  Guest services will make you an extra cabin key if you ask.  I've done this several times, for the same reason you are doing it. Also, it makes it easier to send her for coffee and croissants in the morning.

Usually, the piano player in the piano bar will play country songs on request, particularly when folding money accompanies the request.

You can get them at Publix. If I remember t correctly, you can buy them in lesser denominations. In fact, Publix won't let you buy larger denominations if you're paying for your purchase with a credit card.

As indicated, you can get a bus from Tampa to cruises out of Miami.

http://www.cruiseconnection.travel/rates/ft-lauderdale-miami/

Book now. I reserved for a group of 17 last Summer and they sat us all at one long table. I was worried about accommodating one picky eater (pizza mostly) who I knew would not eat any of the entrees, but they were very nice about it and didn't even charge for his meal.

The cruse line gets fined if it lets a passenger begin cruising in Seattle on a ship that ends a cruise in Hawaii without that passenger either getting off the ship beforehand or touching a distant foreign port. You can't do it, even if you plan to continue on.

Carnival is correct. You can't sail from US port #1 (Seattle) to Vancouver to US port #2 (Honolulu) without going to a distant foreign port regardless of what you do after you get to Honolulu.

Why in the world would you believe that Carnival employees in Australia would be more familiar with US law than Carnival employees in the US?

A lot of people working at blood banks and bloodmobiles don't know this, but "Travel to a malaria-endemic area" is defined by the CDC as being there for more than 24 hours.

"Travel to a malaria-endemic area - Any travel to or through a malaria-endemic area or areas, as identified by CDC (see definition above). *The duration of travel to a malaria-endemic area is defined as more than 24 hours to less than 5 years. "

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/Blood/ucm365191.htm

On a cruise ship, your time in Mahogany Bay will generally be less than 24 hours, meaning that you did NOT travel to Honduras, as defined by the CDC for purposes of blood donation deferrals.

Sure. In fact, the crew buys a lot of snacks in port because they either don't want to pay ship's prices or want something different. They carry snacks on and so can you.

Pam lost her card (but not her driver's license) in port in Nassau. The guard at the entrance to the secure area simply asked if she was with me and let her pass with no delay.

Ship's security asked for her name when she boarded and directed her to guest services to have a new card issued. That was all there was to it.

The premiums are outrageously high for the risk insured. I don't insure the cost of the cruise for the same reason I don't buy insurance on my toaster.

I can afford to take the loss myself and buying insurance is a horrible bet.

I've saved enough money NOT buying insurance to pay for several cruises.

While it's true that basic Medicare itself doesn't pay for care outside the US, many medigap policies do cover you (with a small co-pay and the same 20% coinsurance that Medicare requires).

You have to read your existing policies to know what is covered. In the incident mentioned earlier in the thread, the medical expenses were covered by regular medical insurance, not cruise insurance.

"Just spoke with my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO) and they said that emergencies are covered 100% out of the country. They said I may be asked by the treating facility abroad to pre pay, but that my insurer would reimburse 100% of the expenses once they receive the appropriate medical records if the treatment was indeed deemed an emergency."

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=626735

There is NO charge for evacuation from the ship by the Coast Guard. That's what they do.

I've been on over 40 cruises and I've never had a cruise cancelled (except the time Celebrity sold the ship I'd booked on.).

Twice, I have had newer ships substituted for older ships I had booked. In one case I knew they were going to do it. The second time, I didn't know about it in advance. I just got lucky and was able to sail on a newer ship for the price of a cruise on an older ship.

I was on the Magic last week and, for the first time, went to guest services to request priority tendering to be able to meet a non-Carnival cave-tubing excursion in Belize. We were put on the first tender and then were able to be among the first people on the river that day.

We just got off the Magic. In our group of 17 people, two used electric scooters. One booked a modified cabin so she could park her scooter in her room. The other uses a smaller scooter (Travelscoot) which rolled right in through the doorway of a regular cabin each night. She did sometimes leave the scooter outside the cabin during the day when coming back to the cabin for a few minutes.

For those of you who live in Florida, Publix is offering $10 off the purchase of $100 in Carnival gift cards through July 15. You also have to buy $50 in groceries.

You need a coupon on the back page of the lavender "Extra Savings Non-Foods" flyer, which came in the Sunday paper and is available on the rack at the front of the store. You can also print out the coupon.

http://weeklyad.publix.com/Publix/BrowseByPage/Index/?StoreID=2500591&PromotionCode=Publix-160701NF&PromotionViewMode=1#PageNumber=6

Publix now lets you pay for up to $100 in gift cards with a credit card.

I always sail without insurance for the same reason that I don't buy insurance on my toaster. I can afford to take the loss and the cost of the insurance is way more than the risk justifies. I've saved enough money NOT buying cruise insurance to pay for several cruises.

Remember the following:

1. Except for Early Saver rates, up to final payment, you can generally cancel at no cost. For a 7 day cruise, that's usually 75 days before sailing. In terms of the cruise fare, the only risk the insurance covers is that you'll suddenly become unable to travel in the 2 1/2 months before the cruise for a covered reason. If you can afford to lose the $855 (which you can because you planned to spend that amount and more on the cruise) you can cover the loss of the cruise fare. Do you really believe there is a one in 9 chance that you'll have to cancel within 75 days of your departure date?

2. Even the cases cited as arguments FOR insurance are not. In the case cited as a neighbor's husband becoming ill and being driven away from the ship in an ambulance, the cruise insurance covered, AT MOST, infirmary charges on the ship. Once the person leaves the ship in a US port, regular health insurance takes over. Even for the ship's infirmary charges, the cruise insurance is secondary, which means you have to pay the ship's charges out of your own pocket, submit a claim to your own medical insurer, have it denied, then resubmit the claim to the cruise insurance after the claim is denied.

The risk of medical care if you injure yourself and need major care in a foreign country and/or medevac costs is a completely separate question. Even regarding that, helicopter evacuation from the ship by the US Coast Guard is paid for by taxes and is free to the evacuee. Again, any insurance except for specific medevac insurance would be secondary and require you to pay upfront and seek reimbursement on a secondary basis.

This is from Carnival's web site.

Priority Check-In Program

Carnival’s Priority Check-In is an exclusive service designed to afford our Platinum and Diamond guests and those traveling in deluxe suite accommodations with special check-in privileges. Cruise documents are stamped, PRIORITY and state, “If you have priority check-in (listed on your documents), please proceed to the Priority Lounge.”

Please Note:

We offer Priority Check-In at all embarkation ports.

Deluxe Suite Accommodations include the following categories: CS ES GS SS VS FS HS SS OS JS OB

For those guests traveling with minor children alone (without an adult) in separate staterooms that do not fall into one of the three categories above, these additional staterooms may check in through the Priority Check-In Program as well.

Guests who have purchased the Faster to the Fun package do not have access to the Priority Check-In Lounge.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1380

Keep in mind that the coupon is good through May 6. I bought one gift card already and plan to buy at lest one more.

I used 5 at a time to pay for a cruise, but was not allowed to use them to pay for Cheers when I called.

You need to read the fine print. Usually, insurance that applies if the medical issue is a pre-existing condition can only be purchased very soon after you make the booking.

You're probably long past that window.

What if one booking is done thru a travel agent and the other is done direct with CCL ?

What if it's done thru 2 different travel agents ?

Carnival asks you to create a 4 digit code for each booking. If you call and know the code and booking number for both bookings, they will link them for dining.