Ferry_Watcher

I think you did the TA's work and answered your own question. Were you looking for professional validation, having narrowed the choices yourself to the two cruise options? Did you want the TA to recommend one over the other?

As everyone said, it indicates that you upgraded your beverage package.

The OP is a Platinum level Carnival cruiser. Why is this question even being asked - if you don’t eat in the main dining room, do you need to have gratuities prepaid? And can I have them removed from my state room bill? Seriously?

Hey @sparks1093, we just got our NEXUS cards. We had our interview up in BLaine WA (just at the border), and as promised, we received our cards in a couple of weeks. Since we are usually discussing EDL's, passports, etc, I thought you would appreciate hearing about NEXUS. ; )

The Easter Bunny came early! LOL Have a great cruise.

Just an FYI, passport holders from Mexico are now included on the list of countries who need a Canadian Visa to sail to Alaska (US Permanent Residents /Green Card Holders are exempt). Visa Requirements For Mexican Citizens Entering Canada By Sea Effective February 29, 2024, all Mexican citizens entering Canada by sea, excluding those with a U.S. permanent resident card, are required to present a visitor visa at embarkation in order to board the vessel. The visitor visa can take several weeks to obtain. As such, guests are strongly encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible. For additional information regarding the visitor visa, guests can visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/about-visitor-visa.html Please note, guests are not permitted to remain on board the ship while in Canadian ports without the Canadian visa. Failure to present the appropriate Canadian visa at embarkation, will result in denial of boarding.

You don't have to add her to your credit card. If you are doing all the on line registrations, you could indicate that her account will be 'cash', and when you both arrive at the pier for check-in, your friend will be shown as 'incomplete'. At that point your friend will be asked to see a counter agent, where she can register her own credit card, or set up a cash account. If your friend is agreeable to giving you her credit card information, then you could add her card on-line. Or, you could just have her handle it at check-in.

The Canadian Gov't issued new a requirement for cruise passengers who are traveling on a Mexican Passport to obtain a Canadian Visa prior to boarding a cruise ship at a US Homeport that has a port-of-call in Canada, which is essentially all Alaskan bound cruises. Mexican nationals who are US Permanent Residents, aka Green Card Holders, are exempt. Mexican passport holders (non US Green Card Holders) who do not have the required Canadian Visa will be denied boarding. If anyone is planning an Alaskan cruise with friends or family who are Mexican passport holders (Green Card Holders are Exempt), please make sure that they are aware of the new travel requirements. I know that on an upcoming HAL cruise in October that I am booked on, HAL sent out a email notification to everyone sailing letting them know about the new requirement. Sadly, not everyone reads email messages. It is important that this information gets out. This is not an electronic visa, so it is crucial that passengers impacted have enough time to obtain the required visa. Visa Requirements For Mexican Citizens Entering Canada By Sea Effective February 29, 2024, all Mexican citizens entering Canada by sea, excluding those with a U.S. permanent resident card, are required to present a visitor visa at embarkation in order to board the vessel. The visitor visa can take several weeks to obtain. As such, guests are strongly encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible. For additional information regarding the visitor visa, guests can visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/about-visitor-visa.html Please note, guests are not permitted to remain on board the ship while in Canadian ports without the Canadian visa. Failure to present the appropriate Canadian visa at embarkation, will result in denial of boarding.

I am always happy to see Glaciers, Gardyloo, and your thoughts and insights, as well our Canadian friends, Martincath & Heidi13.. Also sparks1093 w/document posts. No doubt I have missed many other WCD Board posters. I like that we all have different gifts and talents that we share with our fellow CC'ers. ; ) What was so cool about this thread is that we commented on a simple question about using an Enhanced DL on a closed loop cruise to Alaska. This prompted the usual discussion about EDL's and what they really are (versus Real ID), and what US states actually have them. That led to the OP discovering that her MIL didn't actually have an EDL. It's great that the OP asked the question, it's great that a few of us responded, and it is really wonderful that the OP followed up with her MIL now, rather finding out that there was a document issue while at Pier 66. It was a teachable moment, and I always hope that someone who has read the thread takes away a little bit of knowledge, and helps someone else. P.S. Your Canadian train journey sounds amazing! We were just in Blaine for our NEXUS interview, and our cards just arrived yesterday.

@psuboater, LOL, I am just a lowly servant on the WCD Board.

Those of us who help out on the West Coast Departure Board, know and respect @psuboater.. I know that I appreciate all the time, effort and detail that Psuboater puts in to help folks who are planning to sail out of Seattle. Besides, how could anyone with an avatar of a happy Corgi be anything but nice?

As well as New York and Vermont.

OMG, thank goodness that you checked!.. This happens all the time on cruise days. So glad that you/she has the birth certificate option. This is a good teachable moment.

@cruiseny4life, thanks for sharing your NY EDL. For folks who are looking at this photo above of an NY EDL, the word 'Enhanced' is in yellow below the words Drivers License, and above the first line of blue. Actually, I find that the NY EDL is the hardest to read because the yellow lettering is so subtle, that (at least for me) it takes a few extra seconds to read. Thanks again!

My friend, check-in agents are well trained when it comes to qualifying citizenship documents. There are only 5 US states that offer an Enhanced Driver's License: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington State. When the OP said that her MIL had an Michigan State Enhanced DL, I just wanted to make sure it truly said 'Enhanced' on it, because I already knew that it was from a state that actually offered an Enhanced DL. As for 'little golden bears or gold circle with a white stars', it doesn't add anything to our check-in process - maybe it indicates that the DL is 'Real ID'. but it's not an Enhanced DL. We (check-in agents) know what to look for, and what is acceptable to get on a cruise ship (closed loop).

Our first ship at Pier 91 is April 23rd - Carnival Spirit.

I check-in passengers at Pier 91 in Seattle, and as long as your MIL has the Enhanced DL from Michigan, that all that she needs. The Enhanced DL clearly states "Enhanced Driver's License" at the top of the license. I only point that out as I have sadly dealt with a number of folks who will argue that their DL is an Enhance DL, when it isn't. When you are doing the online registration, you can enter/scan in the EDL info. As for bringing her BC, she shouldn't need it, but if it is located, if might be worth the peace of mind.

I usually find interesting things in museum gift shops.

Yes. We did this last May '23.

It would be denied boarding. Boarding can also be denied for passengers who lack a required Visa to visit a particular country on the ship's itinerary. For example, some foreign passengers (example: from South Africa, China, Vietnam), who are not US Permanent Residents (Green Card holders), would be denied boarding in Seattle for a cruise to Alaska if they did not have a Canadian Visa. (US citizens, of course don't need a Canadian visa). So, it is very important that you check to see what types of documents you need to travel. US citizens should look at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html

@seattle-steve, my friend (and fellow PNWer), as someone who works at Pier 91, I can say that @doghog's #26 post is accurate. The reality is each port / terminal is run a bit differently, and the folks at the call centers may know what the 'official' policy is, but the situation at the pier/terminal is quite different. Example, your assigned arrival time is 1 PM, but in reality it's been 'open boarding' since 11:30 AM. As with most cruise lines, having the assigned arrival times does help with the passenger flow, the congestion in the ground transportation area, and helps with the back ups in the security screening areas. That said, the combination of Celebrity's check-in program, the robust terminal staffing levels, the high percentage of passengers who do their on-line check-in, and the fact that the ship is usually ready for boarding around 11 AM, together allows passengers to arrive whenever and generally not experience long wait times. Now this is Seattle, and we are only in operation during the 5-6 month Alaska cruising season, so we may have a little more leeway, but I think Celebrity tends to treat their embarking passengers like responsible adults, and if they are there early, they are taken care of. That said, not everyone arrives early. We have passengers flying into Seattle the day of their cruise, and we can be still checking in the last arriving passengers at 3:29 PM for their 4 PM sailing.

If the beverage package, gratuities, and WIFI, are all included in the booking fare, then they (your son and GF), shouldn't have much in terms of extra on-board expenses. If this is the case, I would suggest to your sone and his GF, that she should be prepared to register her own credit card at check-in, or be prepared to use her debit card or cash to settle up at the end of the cruise. You can just cover yourself, your spouse and son with your credit card, and request that the GF be responsible for her extra on-board expenses. As a check-in agent, I have seen passengers who are treating other family members and their 'plus 1+' to just cover the family members. You are correct that, as the card holder, you are financially responsible for any purchases made on your credit card: spa treatments, jewelry, art gallery, gift shop, etc. I wouldn't feel bad about asking her to be responsible for any 'extra' purchases.

As someone who checks-in passengers in Seattle, I can tell you that @doghog's experiences are spot on with the embarkation in Seattle. Celebrity passengers begin their embarkation process basically once the terminal building opens. Upper suite guest are met outside and are escorted to check-in. Sky Suite passengers are directed to the suite entrance. All other passengers (except ADA passengers) are directed thru the regular entrance as they arrive. Once thru check-in, Seattle suite passengers have a small sitting area with light refreshments, and the ADA passengers have a small waiting area. For everyone else, after being checked-in they are directed to a large waiting area. I think the first couple hundred of passengers/staterooms receive a numbered boarding group card. This helps with the orderly line up to get on the ship. After that, it is a general line up and open boarding. In Seattle, the ship can be ready for boarding anywhere from as early as 10:30, to 11:15 AM. Honestly, probably more than half the passengers are already on board by 12:30 PM for a 4 PM sailing. How is this all possible? During the shut down (2020) many of the cruise lines like Celebrity and Royal, upgraded their check-in systems. The new system allows the passengers to pre-check on-line, which expedites their in-person pier check-in process. Also, having the stateroom card keys waiting for the passenger outside their stateroom also contributed to a quick embarkation.. After the pandemic, there was a push to keep passengers from spending lots of time congregating in large waiting areas. The cruise lines worked hard to open up the ship's public areas so passengers could spread out once they got on the ship. So now many of the passengers are able to go from Uber drop off, to walking on to the ship (car to bar). Some lines, like Celebrity allow passengers to pick up their room key cards and drop off their carry-on bags even though their stateroom isn't quite ready. I would encourage folks to fill out your on-line registration completely. If you don't register a credit card, or an emergency contact phone number, then you will be sent to a counter agent. Little things like that makes the overall process just flow better for everyone.

My two favorite cruise lines are HAL and Celebrity. When I am on HAL, I am happy. When I am on Celebrity I am happy. This October I will be on a 21 night HAL cruise, and three days after disembarking our HAL cruise we will be on a 12 night Celebrity cruise. It will be interesting to see/experience the differences between the two cruise lines.