Ireallyneedavacation

We received a phone call to upgrade to an ocean suite for $600 on the Magic a couple of months back. It was an accessible cabin, so it was even a little larger than the regular ocean suites. It was amazing! There was a separate changing area, two sinks, a tub and a shower. The room was huge! I am not sure how big a regular ocean suite is in comparison to the accessible, but you would most definitely enjoy the extra space. However, like you said, $1300 is a big jump. If you have the extra money, I say do it! But beware, you will never want to stay in a regular balcony cabin again! If it was me, I would stick to the regular balcony and book another cruise with the $1300! The $600 we spent to upgrade was split among myself and two of my sisters. It was a no brainer for us! Plus, I booked that cruise during the 50% off 50th birthday sale! I don’t think we will ever see those prices again.  Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide!

8 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I think most people enter that club via stairs from the deck above.  There are also OV cabins on deck 4, although they are called Interior with French Door (but it’s now a window and views a lifeboat).  EM

We booked this interior type cabin for our upcoming British Isles cruise. Our PVP just made sure we were between the lifeboats. These are actually cheaper than the OV cabins. If you go on that You____ site and do a search for Carnival Legend 4141, you can take a look. This video is a few years old when it was French doors, but you will get an idea of what you will have. This particular cabin does give you a view.

My sister and I knocked out the power in our cabin on Mardi Gras last year because she was using a blow dryer while I was using the flatiron. We called our room steward, and he got it fixed while we were at dinner….just be aware, one product at a time!

We do not port in Aruba until 1:00 pm.  From what I have read, this will be 2:00 island time. Are there any Jeep rental companies near the port that will allow after hours drop off? I have found that Thrifty is open until 10:00 at the airport, but if there is something more convenient, I would rather go that route. Thanks for any info!

On 6/30/2022 at 3:44 AM, em-sk said:

 

It is disappointing they are being restrictive on the changes.  I did that 6:00 am flight about three weeks ago but was connecting domestically in Calgary.  That is the first flight of the day for WestJet out of Vancouver.  It has a high likelihood of being on time.  When flights start to run late, they tend to be later in the day.

 

I have not done a US connection in Calgary since the pre-COVID days.  Assuming everything is still the same, you follow the signs for US Connections (US Flag).  The bags are automatically transferred.  Photos of them show up on a computer screen and the US customs agent hits a button to bring them up if they want to see them.  Usually they don't and he/she hits another button and releases them.   

 

Calgary use to have two segregated departure halls, domestic, US pre-clearance and international.   With the drop in international traffic they removed international being segregated from domestic.  I don't know if that impacted anything with the transfers to the US.

 

 

Just wanted to let you know we made it! We were flying back to Atlanta, and there was no possible way to get there any quicker, as we did not sit down at a gate to wait. We had to see an agent before making our initial flight in Vancouver. I’m not sure what was going on, but the West Jet agents did not start checking people in until after 4:00, then the agents were continuously having issues, maybe they were new hires or maybe there were computer issues. Then, most of our carry ones got pulled to search. We literally got to this flight as final boarding was being called. Thankfully, in Calgary, customs was quick and easy. We walked onto this flight as well with no waiting. All in all, we had good experiences with Air Canada and after initial check-in, West Jet. We had never flown either airline. Thanks again for the information you gave me. It did help my nerves!

16 hours ago, em-sk said:

 

One more thing to mention.  Is Calgary has A, B, C, D and E gates.  

 

E is exclusively US flights and segregated.

D use to be exclusively international and segregated Now it is international/domestic and you can walk back and forth to A/B/C.  

A/B/C are all domestic.   

 

If you come in at A or B it is a long walk to E.  You will notice Link stops for this weird looking electric shuttles.  Wait for one of them and grab the shuttle.  They may look weird but are quite fast.  

 

For that 6:00 am flight I arrived on a D gate.  However there is no guarantee that will happen on any other day.

 

Also Calgary is one of WestJet two main hubs.  There is going to be lots of WestJet people around you can ask.  

 

Thank you so much! This is great information. I will make sure to look for the electric shuttle. We will range in age from 5 to 78, so I think this will spend up the process. Hopefully, we we will be lucky and get that D gate!
 

You have been quite helpful, and I do feel somewhat better about it. I will have to come back and let you know if we made it!

On 6/28/2022 at 10:04 PM, em-sk said:

 

There are a couple of routes in the Air Canada network that are what they use to call "rapid air", in the us some of the airlines called these "shuttle" routes.  Vancouver to Calgary is one of them.  With the exception of the very lowest cost tickets they offer free standby on earlier flights.  When you get to the airport if you tell them at the check in counter your worked about the connection, they will likely put you on standby for an earlier flight.  That route pre-covid was hourly.  Likely they are back to that.

 

If your on WestJet there is a good chance they will do the same.

 

Calgary is also a smaller airport for international travel.  It is dominated by domestic.  Your not going to have long lines for US customs pre-clearance.  Connecting passengers are also a separate line from the passengers leaving locally from Calgary.  

Looks like 6:00 AM is the earliest flight out of Vancouver. Hopefully, we will make it. Since we booked through the cruise line, it would have been $250 change fee US, plus the going rate of the flight. My response to the rep was, “so, it looks like we are going to just try and make our connection”. A lot can happen. We will see how it plays out. If it was just me, I wouldn’t be as worried, but I booked this same flight for 6 of my family members as well. A few of them have work to get back to the next day….including me, but I work from home and could at least catch up on emails.

On 6/28/2022 at 10:04 PM, em-sk said:

 

There are a couple of routes in the Air Canada network that are what they use to call "rapid air", in the us some of the airlines called these "shuttle" routes.  Vancouver to Calgary is one of them.  With the exception of the very lowest cost tickets they offer free standby on earlier flights.  When you get to the airport if you tell them at the check in counter your worked about the connection, they will likely put you on standby for an earlier flight.  That route pre-covid was hourly.  Likely they are back to that.

 

If your on WestJet there is a good chance they will do the same.

 

Calgary is also a smaller airport for international travel.  It is dominated by domestic.  Your not going to have long lines for US customs pre-clearance.  Connecting passengers are also a separate line from the passengers leaving locally from Calgary.  

Thank you, we are flying West Jet, but it is worth a try! Plus, it is good to know that Calgary is smaller for international flights and customs should not be long….knock on wood! We are flying on Monday 6:00 AM out of Vancouver, so I hope this is in our favor as well.  Would you happen to know if we have to pick up our luggage and check it again?  We are flying West Jet the entire way. The rep from Royal Caribbean said no, but he had no idea you could go through US customs in Canada. He put me on hold to confirm what I told him.

5 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

If your route is YVR-YYC-USA, it will be in Calgary.  If it is YYC-YVR-USA, it will be in Vancouver.

Thanks, that is what I was afraid of. I booked these flights thinking the entire time we would go through customs in Vancouver. It dawned on me last night that YVR to YYC is a domestic flight. We have a little over 1 1/2 hours to get through customs and make the flight in Calgary. I hope it is doable! I would have never chosen this connection had I been thinking sanely! Maybe we will luck up and our flight be early and the lines be short. 

We are flying back to the US from Vancouver with a connecting flight in Calgary. Will we go through customs at YVR or YYC?

On 6/1/2022 at 9:47 PM, texas bound said:

Would you give me his contact info please?

3 hours ago, JasonC said:

I would love the contact as well if you have it!  Did they have a large van or car to accommodate 5-6 people?

 

Thanks!

He did have a van that would accommodate 6 people. You can find him at caolito using gmail. Got it? Not sure of all of the rules of this site.

We are back! We used Hector Caolo Alvarez in San Juan.  He picked us up right outside the port. He gave us a private tour of del Morro Castle. Took us around Old Town and out to a market where we got very tasty smoothies. My mom hurt her ankle right before the cruise and then fell down the stairs the first night of the cruise, so she was not at 100%. Hector was very patient with us. He took her easier ways through the fort and directed my sister and I other ways, so we could see more of it. He did a great job. I would use him again!

15 minutes ago, Jring said:

Do Platinum members get to get off earlier? or was the 7am for anyone on a certain deck/ those who carry their own luggages? we always carry our own anyways.

It was between 7:00 and 7:15. It anyone with a certain muster station with self assist, along with Platinum/Diamond self assist.

I turned Platinum on the last cruise. I got Platinum luggage tags but had a gold card. I was treated as gold all week, until I was invited to the Platinum/Diamond Party and was allowed to have early disembarkation. When there was no line, I asked guest services about it. They just told me I would be Platinum next cruise. When I went to pick up my gift, I was told I could only be given what my card signified….so the answer to your question is, maybe.

You don’t have to use VeriFLY to board. Take all your paperwork and show them your vaccine card with your maiden name.  We just cruised last week, and we just took all of our needed documents.

BTW, if you haven’t already, check flying into and out of Melbourne. I did this, because it was cheaper. This airport has much less foot traffic than MCO and my limited experience, shorter lines. The drive is about the same.

I just got off of this ship last weekend. They started disembarkation a little after 7:00 for specific locations for those carrying off their own luggage. I’m platinum. We received a letter to meet at 8:00 to be escorted off, but we did not carry off our luggage. It was waiting on us with zone 3 tags. We could have left sooner, if we had carried it off.  If you book the 11:00 flight, you should carry off your luggage.

8 hours ago, PandaBear62 said:

I know I'm late to the party here, but this is what our contract says with Juneau Car Rental:

 

Thank you for your reservation! We are thrilled that the cruise ships will be returning to Juneau  this year. You have chosen a great way to explore Juneau independently. Please follow the  directions below to determine where you will pick up your car. Due to some changes in our  routine, we will not have our satellite office at Dock A open this year. Even so, you will still pick  up and drop off your car at the Dock A location. Please follow the instructions below to pick up  and drop off your car. 

1. Determine which dock your ship will be docking at. There is Dock A through E. You are welcome to contact  our office to verify your docking location. Dock E is the furthest away at just over 1.25 miles to Dock A. 2. If you are not able to walk the sidewalk to our office, you are welcome to call a taxi(numbers below), UBER or LYFT. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you instruct the driver to take you to the AJ dock to get the car, so  they do not bring you to our airport location. The address is 1118 Jacobsen Drive. 

3. When you go down Jacobsen Drive, you will take the first left into the parking lot of Dock A.  4. See the satellite map where there is a red circle along the fence line. 

5. Your car will be parked in one of the spaces along this fence. 

6. Look for a vehicle that has an envelope hanging from the rear-view mirror with your name on it and your  rental agreement will be inside the envelope. 

7. The key will be above the driver’s side sun-visor. 

8. You will return the car to the same parking lot. Please make sure it is full of gas or we do charge $10/gallon  to refill it for you. 

9. Put the key above the driver’s side sun-visor and lock the doors from the inside. We have a spare. 10. If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please call our office prior to your arrival.

 

Thank you for your reservation! We are thrilled that the cruise ships will be returning to Juneau  this year. You have chosen a great way to explore Juneau independently. Please follow the  directions below to determine where you will pick up your car. Due to some changes in our  routine, we will not have our satellite office at Dock A open this year. Even so, you will still pick  up and drop off your car at the Dock A location. Please follow the instructions below to pick up  and drop off your car. 

1. Determine which dock your ship will be docking at. There is Dock A through E. You are welcome to contact  our office to verify your docking location. Dock E is the furthest away at just over 1.25 miles to Dock A. 2. If you are not able to walk the sidewalk to our office, you are welcome to call a taxi(numbers below), UBER or LYFT. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you instruct the driver to take you to the AJ dock to get the car, so  they do not bring you to our airport location. The address is 1118 Jacobsen Drive. 

3. When you go down Jacobsen Drive, you will take the first left into the parking lot of Dock A.  4. See the satellite map where there is a red circle along the fence line. 

5. Your car will be parked in one of the spaces along this fence. 

6. Look for a vehicle that has an envelope hanging from the rear-view mirror with your name on it and your  rental agreement will be inside the envelope. 

7. The key will be above the driver’s side sun-visor. 

8. You will return the car to the same parking lot. Please make sure it is full of gas or we do charge $10/gallon  to refill it for you. 

9. Put the key above the driver’s side sun-visor and lock the doors from the inside. We have a spare. 10. If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please call our office prior to your arrival.

 

So while it's true there is no office, you can still pick up a car at the cruise docks

 

Panda

 

Thanks for the info! That is great news!

When are you going? I have booked a private tour for my family for the end of April. It is not cheap, but if he good, I can come back and give you the information when we return.

1 minute ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

The proctored tests I bought in January expire in November.

Thank you!

Can those of you with proctored tests give me the shelf life? We have a cruise in April and another in July. I am weighing if buying the 6 from Emed would be more cost effective…..that is if testing is still required.

Ok, thanks for confirming my assumption about the car rental. We rented from Avis that was located in a hotel last time we were there. I was looking at Juneau Car Rental for this time but then read about them losing their location at the AJ Dock. We will most likely get a taxi to Mendenhall Glacier to try and beat the tour buses and skip the car rental. Hopefully, Juneau Car Rental can secure a location near the docks for future seasons. 

3 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

We love renting a car in Juneau and have done it a number of times. But, given your itinerary if you are interested in a whale watching trip, Juneau really is your best option. The tour you mention is nice in terms of the fact that it drops you at Mendenhall, but hopefully allows time for you to do the hike to Nugget Falls. It really just depends on your priorities. If you want to explore the area outside Juneau a car is great, but if for this trip seeing whales and Mendenhall Glacier with some time in town at the end of the day is higher on your list, the excursion seems like a better option.

 

Would you mind sharing the car rental company you are using? I can’t find one that is located downtown, near the port. 

Will anyone share how much they are paying for their tests?

6 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

Where? How? Screenshots?

In book a flight, type in your booking number, last name, departure date for cruise, your ship, preferred airport, then tap search flights. It will show flights for your day of departure, but in this screen you can change your departure and return dates to whatever dates you want.