maryred

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

There are no kids in spa cabins so that was worth it for me.

There is no rule or regulation by Carnival that bars children in Spa Deck cabins, nor from Cloud 9 Spa cabins (OP the Sensation does not have these cabins). We book these whenever possible because we like to be up as high on the ship as we can get and every time there has been at least one cabin with kids in it.

2 hours ago, evandbob said:

On the last night of the cruise, casino staff usually make several announcements about cashing out your balance, there may even be a notice in the fun times to do this.

 

If it was a "minimal amount",  it might get donated to St Jude's.  If it was a substantial balance, I would contact the casino via email and give them the pertinent info about your sailing like date, ship, cabin #, and balance amount, etc. in the hope of getting it back.

Though not absolutely true that amounts under $10 left on a casino Player's Bank are automatic forfeited as a donation to St. Judes (though true for cash balances left on a S&S account), if the request for a check mailed from the OPC  is done in a timely manner they will mail one. The trick is determining what they define as a timely manner, it seems to be a bit fluid.

1 hour ago, JaxsMama said:

Website says visit them at carnivalplayersclub.com for inquiries on outstanding balances. It says balances over $10 will be forwarded to guests. 

I  just want to add the forwarding of any Player's Bank balance over the $10 is not automatic nor triggered by the balance inquiry, you will need to send a second email the OPC to authorize them to send a check.

12 minutes ago, FabFam4 said:

I’m platinum for the first time on my June 15 sailing. My DH and I have a balcony and directly across the hall my 2 daughters ages 14 and 19 have an inside stateroom. My daughters are gold. What are the chances they will allow them to board priority with us? 

Thanks!

The key factor here is one of the occupants of  the other cabin is over 18, and considered an adult. So that cabin would not be under the minors traveling in another cabin inclusion clause of priority boarding for diamonds, platinums, and suites. Though all 4 of you will most likely arrive at the same time at many ports the priority line is separate from the general boarding line starting at the security check. So either you have to give up on priority processing and wade through for the general check-in process with the possibility of the clerk needing to retrieve any of your credentials from the priority processing area (different ports have different priority processing protocols with some still handing out S&S cards in the terminal)  or go your separate ways for processing and meet up when done in the general boarding waiting area to head to the ship.

The easy work around here is if you did not book ES and your DH is also Platinum is to book a Priority eligible person to each cabin so each cabin enjoys priority boarding and debarkation as well as priority tendering, if visiting any tender ports. Once on board you can get duplicate cabin only room cards and everyone can sleep where they wish. If booked ES there is a $50/person administrative fee to change names and in some circumstances you may not be able to switch the names without a PVP or call center supervisors assistance.

Though Carnival is willing to accept the Visa gift card, you may want to closely read the TOUs from the issuer of the gift card. Some gift cards restrict use and can not be used for the ambiguous "travel services" or on an open ended room charge accounts like your S&S account. Additionally if you look around these boards there have been some complaints (not many but there are) that the on board "hold" placed on a credit card GC (just like they do for debit cards) did not allow as much of the S&S account to be charged against that card, and it was many days or weeks till the hold was released that the remainder of the cards available balance could be used.

Your better bet would be to use the Visa gift card pay a portion of the remaining booking balance or to buy Cruise Cash (preloading your S&S account in the form of OBC) or prepay specific items (gratuities, excursions, spa, in cabin beverages) prior to cruising through you Manage my Booking page at Carnival.com (or by calling if the Visa GC does completely cover the purchase). If the Visa gift card is over a $100 you could purchase Carnival eCard(s), with those there is no "holds" to even have to think about and if you want to use a portion of the Carnival GC on a pre-cruise purchase the remainder is still usable on board.

Just so you know it's not regulation sized lane it's more of an arcade style bowling.

3 hours ago, Psweets said:

Thank you, I will plan to head over there as soon as I board.  What time were you able to go i to the terminal before check in?

It really depends. You may want to check the port's own website Cruise.Maryland.gov about a week prior to sail away. My last cruise on the Pride was 17 months ago and at that time the website had that new passenger could enter the terminal parking/ drop off areas starting 2 hours after the returning ship docked, though the port itself opens at 8am or when the ship docks (whichever is later) for those to pick-up passengers that are disembarking.

We live about 2.5-3 hours away, so unless there is horrid weather forecast, we leave about the time the previous cruise is scheduled to dock. Usually my cabinmate stalks our and the previous voyage's roll calls here, other cruise forums and social media, the port web cam, and ships cam (when working) to gauge how disembarkation is going while I drive.  Our best experience with the traffic has had us go directly into the port gate to line up for parking then wait 30 minutes before we could actually park. Our worst experience was having to circle the terminal for over an hour, but once inside the gate there was only 5 cars ahead of us to park.

With the priority check-in we have never needed to wait to enter the building. As off my last cruise the Captain's Lounge for Diamonds, Platinums, and suite guests was nothing special. In fact you wait in chairs immediately adjacent to the corridor that leads to the bon voyage pictures and the Customs Clearing area. Since no enhanced refreshments (hot coffee or tea, with breakfast pastries or cookies) are offered, we have no desire to really wait there for an extended period of time. 

If the 5 day weather forecast near home or Baltimore is iffy for our sail away date we book 1 of the 2 Best Westerns for the park, sleep-n-cruise packages for the night before. This includes parking for the duration of the cruise up to 14 days (great if doing a B2B or Journeys cruise), shuttle van transport to and back from the terminal, 2 adult breakfast buffet vouchers (but if you prefer sit and serve they apply the cost of the buffet to the bill as a coupon), and access to their free around town shuttle (nice if you want to go down to the Inner Harbor for a few hours).

Here's what I know about the Indian food on the ship. First off the Vegetarian Indian option on the standard menu is the same every night. If you want the varies every night Indian Menu (vegan or non-vegetarian options are both available) you must request it in the special notes section at time of booking or have your travel professional request it not later than 2 weeks prior to sailing. BUT by doing this you are commiting to ordering from that menu (at least for your main course) every night of the cruise. 

Here's another little known menu fact both, Kosher and Halal menus can be be requested. Unfortunately, unlike the Indian food which is made with fresh ingredients, these are pre-made and packaged under the religious observances in the home port. In essence all the galley is doing is reheating the food.

3 hours ago, PlanoDebbie said:

The ES will only apply if there are still cabins available in the same category you booked.  If you booked an 8C, and now they are sold out, you don't really have an option to claim a lower price for credit.

Sort of incorrect. If a higher category of cabin is now being offered at a lower price under ES an upgrade and price reduction claim can be made all in one. They will relinquish the originally booked cabin all prior OBC, specials, or perks and be rebooked into the new category of cabin at the lower price.

Because this can get tricky it is best handled by a PVP or ask for the fulfillment department if calling the general CS #. (If original booked through a TA or reservation clearinghouse website then all price and booking adjustments must go through them and may be subject to that companies TUOs.) With the upgrade it will more likely than not, be treated as a new booking, with a new booking number issued, so any pre-cruise purchases made through the Manage my Booking do not automatically follow through to the new cabin. Again a well trained travel professional is more than helpful here. If the lower fare is not also an ES rate you could lose out on future price protection claims.

50 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Your statement is not correct.  Passengers  without any priority status can show up any time they want, to include arriving before or after their assigned check-in window.  Every port, at least the ones I have been to, has an early/late line for passengers who arrive outside their check-in appointment time.  Of course these passengers take the risk they could be waiting in line for a long time, but it is an option that is available. 

And based on my experience your statement is incorrect. In New York, Baltimore, anf NOLA all barred those arriving too early from entering the building, but I've never seen at these 3 ports anyone that arrived after their Appointment Arrival time told they need to go on some standby line, they just walked in. In NYC those showing up early were told to return later as there was no outside line up at all, in NOLA people just milled about trying to get past different personnel, but Baltimore does have a roped off area outside under the overhang for people to wait for their appointment time to be called. 

As for Tampa, which we sailed out of in Sept' 18, we arrived at 10:20am at 10:30am the terminal opened for priority passengers only. DH and I were among the first 10 new passengers in the terminal that morning (except for a special invitee group). Being Platinum we sat in the section with Diamonds and suites passengers which faced the general boarding clerks. At 11am  terminal personnel escorted a special invitee group on board, announced once the gangway clear from them that D, P, and suites would board. They announced around 11:15am it was time for us to board and at that point still no one was being processed in at the general check-in desks. So the port personnel must of been enforcing the Arrival Appointment times, as the earliest choice was 11:30-noon. Even though fully manned and the priority arrivals had slowed down to about 1 family/group arriving every 5 minutes or so, no general boarding passengers were being let in the terminal.

If switching browsers doesn't work try seeing if you missed a browser update, but after loading instead of doing just a close/restart do a complete shut down for at least 10 minutes and manually turning on the device. Then when you reopen the browser clear the history including cache and autoform options.

My husband is just shy of 6' tall and has never had this problem. Just recently though he discovered he likes the showers in the changing rooms at the spa (more elbowroom), and now uses those when time allows.

If you switch names on your booking all excursions, packages, reservations, and in cabin gifts purchased in Manage my Booking associated with the 2 names involved are returned to inventory with a refund being posted 7 -21 days back to your original form of payment for the service, and you need to repurchase them under the new booking configuration. Certain things like excursions may not show up as being available to the switched names until a day or 2 later and if like in the case of Cheers there is a requirement for all in the cabin that are of age the repurchased will not be able to be made without including the other occupant(s).

The on board crew does not care which cabin you ultimately sleep in, as long as you don't exceed the room occupancy level done at the time of booking, so you do not need to switch rooms. So what you do is tag your checked luggage for the cabin you plan to occupy so they are delivered there, and once the GS line is small (like after dinner) go with all adults involved and ask for duplicate cabin only key cards. 

22 minutes ago, Gari said:

Can someone please tell me how these bar cash documents work and if you gain any advantage on price or discounts.  I used to use the coupons they had years ago they were really a good deal.  I'd like to learn more

Nope no discount or pricing advantage like the old drink coupons. All Bar Cruise Cash is a form of non-refundable OBC, a great marketing tool for 3rd party TAs and reservation sites to offer, a perfect Bon Voyage gift from friends or family, and a decent budgeting tool for some, but not a way to pay in part for a drink and only be charged the auto-grat on any price difference above the coupon amount.

We just made Prime this Mach and have been receiving snail mail offers (starting in mid April) every 2 weeks or so, even though we have already booked 2 of them booked using the free offers in the flyers. Additionally we have a 3rd cruise that we booked while on board (prior to qualifying) that we were given a $700 discount on.

In each mailed flyer there is a list of free cruises by cabin class (interior-balcony) that range in duration from a 3 day to an 11 day at various different home ports. There is also a caveat that if none of these dates or itineraries work for us that there is anywhere from $350-500 off any other sailings not listed. For one of the offers we booked we upgraded from the free interior to an OV for $300 more. Just remember these cruises are free cabin fares, taxes and port fees still need to be paid and  are charged at time of confirmation

3 hours ago, zooma said:

... Alternatively, you can head over to a popular (and free!) beach such as Horseshoe Bay, where you can rent chairs/umbrellas, and there are nearby snacks, drinks and facilities.

Bermuda is a very easy port to do on your own beaches. Multiple transport options from inexpensive public transportation to attraction direct shuttles to paxis and private tour companies. The island is very safe and friendly, very much British with American and Canadian tempering. If you use their official and official recognized private online tourism resources it's very easy to plan out a day (or 2.5 as that's the length most ships stay docked) instead of relying on the excursions offered by the cruise line.

1 hour ago, steveru621 said:

...

Police Report:

A police report is not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft.  We encourage you to report the loss or theft of your U.S. passport to the local police in the country where the loss or theft occurred. However, don’t spend time obtaining a police report if doing so will cause you to miss a flight or delay your travel unreasonably.

To the OP...

Just so you know a lost or stolen copy of a passport or any other ID is not a reportable offense, as it is only worth the cost of the paper it was printed on for a police or security report. Though copies are valuable to identity thieves or having a emergency form of ID issued by a consulate, it can not be used in a foreign country as a form of ID. If your copy is stolen or lost you should request to have your old # voided and a new passport # should be issued, but without a report or direct consulate aid the whole replacement cost (treated as a renewal) will be on you. With a police or security report of your actual passport being lost or stolen the State Department will replace for free or at least at a lower cost (still have to pay the upcharge if you choose to expedite).

Think of it this way would your state police accept a copy of your driver's license if you (as a driver) were stopped for a violation or at a checkpoint? Not in most state, so in addition to whatever reason you were stopped for they could issue you a ticket for not being licensed. In the very least that means a trip back to the nearest SP barracks with your actual DL or a DMV issued paper temporary to avoid having to go to court to prove you were licensed at that time to void that portion of the ticket. 

SO your copy is only a backup document for US officials to use to issue new IDs. It is best kept safe in a place like a home firebox or safety deposit box, or by at trusted friend/relative in the same manner, so they can quickly fax or email a scan of it to the consulate. Another option is to have it accessible by a mobile device like a cell phone or tablet, but not on the actual photo on the device. Just like a copy a photo is worthless as ID, so you don't want a digital "copy" of it accessible on a device that could be stolen. (The device can be reported as lost or stolen for insurance reasons but again any proof of ID on it is not reportable.) Storage in a password protect cloud or email account will still be accepted by a consulate as proof of prior issuance.

SInce you are stating the prices in Pounds rather than US$ or CAN$ I will assume you are in the UK. I can't speak for how travel agencies there do things specifically but in the USA and Canada when they list prices for a cruise booking, in really small print they will say "Starting at" for cabin prices, then somewhere have an equally small print disclaimer that this is based on double occupancy for a interior guaranteed cabin booking only. Additional fares do not tend to include the amount being charged for taxes and docking fees or other surcharges, which will be added at the end of the booking quote.

More or less for the advert price you are being guaranteed a cabin for 2 (which can be on some ships be an upper/lower bunk set-up) but nothing in respects to which cabin layout (which could wind-up being a triple, quad, or quint) or location on the ship (could be next to the anchors or on a top deck) you will ultimately receive. Once you need something beyond this most basic cabin promise such as a cabin with a larger than double passenger capacity or a specific location on the ship then factor in the after the fact taxes and fees, it's not unusual to see a total price almost double over the advertisement for a per person rate.

There's plenty of offsite parking around the port area, but the companies that offer valet or shuttle service change frequently your best bet is to try posting the same ? in the ports section for N America under New York. Answers given by those sailing on NCL will be helpful as they use the same 3 Manhattan terminals as Carnival.

Sometimes. During the purchase process there is a line that says something like would you like to opt-in for to list any purchase as you are putting the item in your cart (not the email notification at checkout that's a separate box). If you check off that box for that item it will show in your printable cruise documents (on page 4 or 5) but might not show on screen in the Manage my Booking. It can take 3-7 days to show up in the printable docs, so if buying close to sail away it's still best to print your purchase confirmation.

On 6/7/2019 at 7:57 AM, RedRoadKing02 said:

How do I sign up for direct text travel or embarkation day alerts. 

This is done at the time of booking. You used to be able to opt in when doing your online check-in but my last few cruises since they went to the 90 day out format did not have the option. If unsure this was done during your booking process contact your travel professional or the CS# provided on your booking confirmation.

On 6/8/2019 at 7:54 PM, Psweets said:

Does anyone know when the shore excursion desk opens?

My last 3 times on the Pride the Excursion desk was open at boarding, of those 3 times the earliest we were on board after waiting in the priority area was 11:30am and the latest at 1pm. If when you board the desk is not open the Guest Services desk can handle excursion purchases or cancelations, but may not have specifics answers to questions about particular tours or ports. Purchases of port of call excursions can also be done through the HUB app and interactive cabin TVs as well. But only the excursion or GS desks will have the sheet to pick cabanas (in ports where this is an option) or purchase the Behind the Fun tour for the last seaday. 

On 6/8/2019 at 10:50 PM, Hmdecor said:

Get booking # from all the ones you want to link together. Call either Carnival or Travel Agent to have them linked together for Dinning.

 

While true, not the complete story.

Each booking that wishes to sit together needs to already have the same dining time confirmed. Those waitlisted for a prefered seating can ask but may not get it if their dining time once on board winds up being different. Then a representative from each booking must contact their own travel professional or the CS number on their booking confirmation with the all the other booking #s to have them linked. (More or less it's a security measure to make sure unrelated bookings are in agreement for the idea of being at the same or adjacent tables.) This should ideally be done at least 2 weeks prior to boarding as there are only a few tables on each ship that accomodate more than 8, and those tables will first go to those that made a multiple cabin booking (usually families). 

As other posters have stated you pick or are assigned an arrival appointment time for the the cruise terminal. That is the earliest time for those with general boarding passes that they can enter the terminal for the security and in person check-in.

FttF does give you  priority check-in privileges which means you can start your in person check-in process anytime after the terminal opens its doors to new passengers. But say if the terminal opens at 9:30am, and you decide to arrive then, it could mean you have a long wait in the terminal prior to the ship being cleared for boarding. Also up until just before the general boarding pass arrival appointments start, usually 3-4 hours after the ship docks from the last voyage, the priority line is the only area processing passengers so you will have the possibility of still waiting on a line to be checked through security &/or see a check-in clerk. Those with priority that arrive after general boarding has begun generally have no or very quick moving lines to be processed in.

Once the ship has been cleared for boarding, generally about 3.5-4.5 hours after docking, the boarding order goes like this...

Back to Back passengers

Embarkation day Wedding parties and guests

Diamond, Platinum, and suite passengers waiting in the "Captain's Lounge"

Special invitees of the cruise line or the casino (at some terminals or voyages they might go before D, P,& s)

Faster to the Fun passengers

FInally those waiting for general boarding first by zones or being dismissed row by row

What you need to decide is for what works best for your situation, arriving early as part of the priority "rush", then waiting to board to among the first few groups on the ship; or arrive a little later (after general boarding starts) to possibly fly through the check-in process (boarding delays do occur) and board immediately after completion with the next available group. Either way once on board with FttF your cabin should be ready for S&S card card retrieval, carry-on drop off & unpacking, a quick nap, and/or showers, but often things ordered through your cruise planner or special requests in your booking notes (like a portacrib) may not be delivered until 3pm. Your checked luggage should arrive before they announce the the bars are closed for the muster drill.

Though Carnival is willing to accept the Visa gift card, you may want to closely read the TOUs from the issuer of the gift card. Some gift cards restrict use and can not be used on an open ended room charge accounts like your S&S account. Additionally if you look around these boards there have been some complaints (not many but there are) that the "hold" placed on a credit card GC did not allow as much of the S&S account to be charged against that card, and it was many days or weeks till the hold was released that the remainder of the cards available balance could be used.

Your better bet would be to use the Visa gift card pay a portion of the remaining booking balance or to buy Cruise Cash (preloading your S&S account in the form of OBC) or prepay specific items (gratuities, excursions, spa, in cabin beverages) prior to cruising through you Manage my Booking page at Carnival.com. If the Visa gift card is over a $100 you could purchase Carnival eCard(s), with those there is no "holds" to even have to think about and if you want to use a portion of the Carnival GC on a pre-cruise purchase the remainder is still usable on board.

A few days ago another thread a poster asked if they could bring Sangria. Though wine is the only alcohol in it and many posters said yeah it should be accepted, and a couple of people said to get that same resonspe in an email from Carnival directly to show port security. When the poster tried confirmed with Carnival they said NO.

You will need her to call Carnival, but if she is using a TA or a PVP for her booking talking with them should suffice. To transfer her VIFP points to the new name she may be asked for the name bridge documents, in her case the marriage certificate, for others it could be the divorce decree, court approval of a name change, or adoption papers, to be scanned and emailed. It should ideally be done as soon as she has the "official" bridge document.