maryred

Think of it this way if at home and authorities asked you for your ID would they accept a photocopy or picture of it. Of course not, though it might buy you time to produce the original, and it is the same for travel. The only reason to have copies or pictures of your documents is if these things get lost or stolen and you need to reapply for them, as having the original numbers in addition to whatever support documents the issuing authority needs makes getting a new one easier.

On a side note copies and photos of important documents can be used by identity thieves, and since they are only worth the paper they are printed on reporting them as stolen does little to help you get new ones issued with new numbers should there ever be a question. 

Copies should be keep in a secure location that you, a trusted friend or relative can readily access should an emergency occur. Furthermore if you choose to have someone else safeguard the copies they should be able to get the copies to you in a secure timely manner, be it by physically delivery, snail mail, fax, or email. Of course you can also keep a photo of the items at a password protected source like your email or cloud, but don't have them as a just a photo saved directly to a device that can be access, hacked, or cloned like a mobile device. 

At 90 days prior to your cruise you will be able to do your online check-in. As part of your online check-in you will be asked to pick an Arrival Appointment for your booking (and any booking linked to yours). Cabin category has nothing to do with what times are available, it's all first come first choice, even those with priority privileges need to pick an arrival appointment. Passengers in suites, have earned Platinum or higher status,  that purchase FttF,  special invitees of embarkation day weddings, the cruise line, or casino do get priority processing but that is handled by separate lines and waiting areas within the terminal. These privileges also allow priority passengers to ignore their check-in appointment and arrive earlier.

Here's some info specific to the Port of Baltimore at Locust Point...

First off docking of ships here tends to be scheduled later, at 8, 9, or 10am, than most other cruise ports. This is tide dependant as the ship must pass under 3 bridges on it's journey along the Chesapeake and the schedule can change abruptly at the discretion of the Harbor Pilot. It is not unusual to get embarkation day delay notices via text or email. Because of being later than other ports for docking most often the earliest arrival appointment is noon or 12:30pm.

Debarkation of the previous passengers usually finishes 2-2.5 hours after docking, as long as there is no medical or legal issues to be taken care of. Embarkation of new passengers will start about 45 minutes later. Because this port is small the parking lot will not open to new passengers until emptied of about 2/3rds of the previous cruise's cars, or about 1.5 hours after the ship docks. Again because of location and size there is usually a backup of traffic causing Baltimore police to start to direct. In many cases earlier in the day the police will have cars circling around on the service road only allowing shuttles, taxis/limos, and hotel van services in to the port for drop offs until all passengers from the previous cruise are in the terminal for repatriation. There is no priority vehicle entrance for passengers with priority processing or boarding privileges.

Until 2 hours prior the ship's departure the port personnel here are strict about enforcing arrival appoint times, there is no early/late line. Anyone one that arrives too early for their appointment will wait outside until the arrival appointments prior to theirs have been processed and may be allowed to process in early if there is room within the terminal. Those that arrive after their arrival appointment will be allowed to line up with the most current appointment time. 

Passengers with an arrival appointment before embarkation begins will be directed to seats to wait for general embarkation to begin, no zone numbers are issued. Once general boarding begins groups will be formed from rows of seats. By 1:30/2pm the terminal is usually caught up with getting the waiting passengers on board that those finishing the check-in process can  head immediately to the gangplank. An advantage here is by 1:30pm all cabins are ready for occupation and you can head directly to yours to drop off any carry-ons.

On 5/22/2019 at 9:05 PM, jdemps said:

I don't really like it and iced tea is really the only non alc I like.  I take my own tea bags (rasp green tea, black tea, whatever I have), use about 4 oz of hot water to "brew" it and then add ice and cold water in my tumbler cup I bring to make a nice 23 oz iced tea.  The tea bags don't take up space and weight next to nothing so I  bring them each time.  Have a great trip!

10 hours ago, twodaywonder said:

Not only do they have those teas on the ship, but many others to choose from..

The only free tea Carnival has are Liptons black, Liptons decaf black, and Liptons Green. Any other flavored teas are available for sale at the coffee bar or Blue Java cafe and are usually from ArtofTea.

As stated it does vary sailing to sailing based on a combination of, which port day the Entertainment Director schedules any deck party, when the Cruise Director has an opening to host, and the head DJ has some one to run the board up on the Lido. Most try to tie the 80's Glo party with the 80's to the Max show if your ship does that production. 

Deck parties tend to be only 1 hour to 90 minutes long so I would not necessarily call it and 80's night. It's rare to have people dress up in 80's garb for the Glo party on anything but a Journey's cruise which does a whole Throwback to 1987 Seaday (and people dress in 80's clothing for the whole day). Throws and giveaways will be handed out at any deck party to help with the theme.

It will really depend on port security personnel. If the backpack cooler looks more like a standard backpack and is under the carry on bag measurements of 16"X24" then there is a good chance it could go through never being noticed that it is a cooler as well. Then again it might not and you will need to leave it in the terminal security office (or your car if you drove in) till after the cruise. It is a gamble.

Another option to the luggage cart or folding hand-truck, is to just use a rolling carry-on bag. Most port security personnel tend to look at each can, juice box, or juice pouch to verify that there is no tampering and the bigger the bag opens the easier it is to repack after they inspect. The bag (like you backpack) can serve then as an extra piece of luggage for souvenirs or other purchases.

On the Sunrise depending on your cabin you may have a dorm style fridge in there to store the drinks you bring aboard. Check Carnival.com Explore-> Our Ships-> Sunrise-> deck plans-> input your cabin number to see the room details and amenities for your specific cabin. If no fridge is offered you can request a large ice bucket (to be refilled twice a day) from your cabin steward.

You may not know this but if you don't want to lug 48 non-alcoholic beverages on board with you at your initial boarding each passenger at each port of call is entitled to restock following the same restrictions as embarkation day. 

Then they have changed it since Sept.2018.

9 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Your comment is wrong. You can buy Cheers on day two of 3 and 4 day cruises.

On cruises that are 3 or 4 days long the sale of Cheers on board will only be on embarkation day. For longer cruises Cheers could be offered for sale until day 2.

For NYC and Galveston departures there maybe special rules that extend the offer by a day (but you may not know for certain till you board) as liquor laws prevent the use or sale of Cheers until day 2. On trips that depart from these 2 ports on embarkation day all passengers will pay as they go for drinks and then at 6am on day 2 of the cruise Cheers will be in effect, when Cheers is purchased pre-cruise. The online presale does take this special circumstance in to account and decreases the package charge by 1 day.

You would really need to discuss this with a casino host or a rep at Ocean Players Club via email. Especially if this will be the final Mediterranean cruise or the Transatlantic as they tend to have to play ply EU liquor laws and VAT taxations.

Just a heads up if the drink package you are referencing is Cheers! it is less expensive to purchase it prior to sailing at $51.95/per adult in cabin* the length of the cruise. Wait till you are on board and the same exact package is now $56.95/per adult in cabin* the length of the cruise. 

If you are referring to the the Bottomless Bubbles then the price is the same either prior to boarding and on board. Though either program is subject to price increases at the whim of the cruise line, at least if you purchase pre-cruise the price is locked in.

Remember all Cruise Cash is non-refundable and if you have the department specific ones you can not utilize the casino trick to zero out the balance. 

From the Carnival FAQs (underlining is mine for relevant info).....

"What is Carnival's Liquor & Beverage Policy....?

Purchasing Liquor During the Cruise

Liquor purchased on board and taken home may be subject to Customs duty and must be declared on the Customs declaration form. For details on your duty-free allowance, click here.

Ports of Call and The Fun Shops (on board)
All alcohol purchased ashore or in The Fun Shops ports will be stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. Items are to be collected in a designated lounge on debarkation morning on cruise durations of 5 days and less; for cruise durations 6 days and more, alcohol will be delivered to guest staterooms after 7:00pm, the evening prior to debarkation (some exceptions may apply).
                                      
The Fun Shops (pre-cruise orders)
All sold products containing alcohol have a limit of two products, per booking (whether booked online or a telephone order). This includes alcohol, wine, champagne and beer. A ‘pack’ or ‘package’ is considered one product."

Here's the deal with the salon doing the braiding, it is based on resort pricing and the styles offered will be more along the anglo-saxon styles of single french braid, a double french braid, or a Heidi cornet (swedish crown) braiding, than the corn row type done on the islands. A single french braid on an adult in the salon for long hair is $75 plus and automatic 18% tip (I've heard on short hair the same service is $55 + tip) and I don't think the have childrens pricing.

The next problem it is doubtful the salon would even accept an appointment for a child except on days when the ZSpa is being offered. ZSpa is normally for tweens and teens (I believe 12-17) but I believe the salon section has age exceptions when no cutting or chemicals (beyond mousse and hairspray) are involved.

A better bet would be to have this service done by the hairdresser you normally use for the child or yourself prior to leaving for the cruise.

Here's another piece of paper you should try to bring, a copy of the child's medical insurance card or coverage. It would be rare for the insurance company to cover services on board the ship or while in foreign ports of call but at least you have the info on hand.

Like I said in the specialty restaurants they do give a check at the end of the meal, this will include the the total for the private  table (at fee beverages will be charged as you go just like at bar). But with the Chef's Table you are sharing the table with others not on your bookings reservation, so I'm not entirely sure when they present the bill for the meal. It would be best to indicate if individuals in your own family will be paying their own when you meet the host of the event, if you are willing to pay for all on your reservation then don't worry about saying anything.

I have not personally done the Chef's Table, even though I know they can accommodate all of my food allergies, it just seems unfair that the overall menu or my meal itself would need to be adjusted to do so. Hopefully someone with recent experience will come along and correct my impression if there is an error in it.

On 5/20/2019 at 11:32 AM, alleghator said:

We are sailing with our adult children in two cabins (one for the parents and one for the children). We are planning to set up two S&S charge accounts, one for each cabin.

On board S&S accounts are by person not cabin specific. A single person can allow charging privileges on their account to anyone on board at the time, you do not even need to have booked together. Conversely each individual on your booking can set up their own S&S account with the funding method of their choice and allow whomever they want to be part of the account unless that person is already part of someone else's account. As you do the online check-in you will see the choices available to you, and can edit these choices right up to 11:59pm eastern time the night before embarkation.

If on board spending will be part of your cruising gift to anyone and they are on your "master" account cruise long spending limits can be placed on the individual S&S folio number. Also to note is there is spending an individual wants to do on the ship, but you do not wish to pay for or it exceeds you cruise long limit when doing a "master" or "joint" style account each individual can also deposit cash, cruise cash, or Carnival gift cards to their S&S account to cover that spending.

On 5/20/2019 at 11:32 AM, alleghator said:

I assume tips will be charged separately to each account (yes?).

 

This all depends on how you set it up. If you allow others to charge on your "master" account all automatic daily gratuities will be charged to you. If there is 1 "master" account per cabin the daily auto-grats for those passengers will be charged to each individual "master" account. If each individual has their own personally funded no others allowed to charge against S&S accounts their portion of the daily auto-grats will be billed to their on board account. If it is decided that your cabin wants a "joint" S&S account and the cabin with the each adult kid wanting individual accounts, all of your cabin's auto-grats will be charge against the "joint" account, but those in the other cabin will have the auto-grats charged to their individual accounts.

Here's a thought, if you want to pay their auto-grats you have until 48 hours prior to your embarkation day to contact the customer service number on your booking confirmation to this or in your Crise Manager. There is no need to do this prior to the final cruise payment date. This will reduce the amount of the the amount charged on board. Each cabin's full amount of the daily automated gratuities will be need to be paid in full at the time of the call. There is no discount for doing this, but if a price increase is made after you have prepaid then there is no responsibility to pay the difference.

On 5/20/2019 at 11:32 AM, alleghator said:

But, the four of us are all going to the Chef's Table dinner. I made the reservation for all of us. How will this be charged? Will all four be on my S&S account, since I reserved it? Or will it be split between the cabins?

 

If they handle this the same as any of the in restaurant specialty dining, when it comes time to pay you can indicate how you want he charges split. If you want to pay for all just indicate which guests are included, if you want to just pay for certain members of your family group tell them who and the others can decide how they want to split the remaining "check".

On 5/20/2019 at 11:32 AM, alleghator said:

 

I'm trying to make sure I put enough gift card credit on each account.

There are several ways to avoid having to gauge in advance how much gift spending to offer to the others for their on board accounts. There is no set reason to have to purchase cruise cash (which is non-refundable) or buy Carnival gift cards (refundable but as a new gift card) or even allow them charging access to a "master" or "joint" S&S account, especially if you don't want to fund all the spending of others in the booking. One of the easiest is to prepay everything as you can afford to do so prior to the cruise, which will be the most accurate way to pay for only the experiences you want to fund. Excursions, daily auto-grats, in cabin gifts (including beverage bottle/can set-ups), and if you choose to cover beverage, picture, or internet packages, all can be bought in your Cruise Manage in some cases right up to 11:59pm eastern the night before the cruise. The only outliers will be things like specialty dining and spa appointments which are not actually paid for until the experience occurs, though if payment is prompted for at the time of reservation or appointment a credit for the service will be placed on the passenger's account indicated at the time of ordering. Any of these prepaid experience can be cancelled if need be, some may have to be before leaving on the cruise but many others can be removed or adjusted once on board as long as there is 24 hours prior to excursion, appointment, or meal.

First off, though a generally happy ending to a situation that usually does not end well, condolences to the family of this person that must now deal with the root and fallout of this child-adult's decision. 

AS for consequences the person that jumped most likely they will spend the time until the next port under security detention either in the brig or in a cabin with no outside access, then be debarked at the next port to either authorities or a hospital. If the age reported is correct it is less likely if the parents/guardians will be required to debark as well though as a show of family solidarity I would hope at least one family member stays with him. Unfortunately how to get home from the forced debarkation as well as any expenses incurred from the early debarkation will be at the individual's expense.

The teen will certainly be banned from all Carnival Corp owned cruise lines, and if the cruise line feels that he was encouraged by anyone else on board, those person(s) will be as well. According to the rumor mill there is a chance other cruise lines can chose to ban the individual from ever sailing their lines as well, not much different than an airline reporting an unruly passenger with a recommendation to be placed on the federal "No Fly List".

5 minutes ago, secondchance said:

Normally one dining room and the Lido Buffet are available as soon as you go onboard.

NO main dining room is open on embarkation day on Carnival, even for priority passengers. 

For Carnival, beyond the Lido deck offerings, which can include (ship dependent) Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Pizza Pirate or Pizzeria del Capitano, Mongolian Wok or Chopsticks, The Carnival Deli, Salad Bar and Tandoor, there is little choice for embarkation day lunch. On ships that have Seafood Shack, (Serenity area) Fresh Creations, Cucina del Capitano, Pasta Bella, The Captain's Pasta Bar, and/or JiJi Asian Kitchen these should be open for lunch on embarkation day. On a homeport by home port basis (due to local open flame regulations) you might find these venues, if offered, open for lunch during embarkation Ol' Fashioned BBQ, Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que, and Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse.

Yes you can bring factory sealed no prep no special storage needed foods into the cruise terminal and on board the ship. Additional at most ports these seal package items can be taken off with you as snacks while exploring or tour the port of call. As for drinks all passengers are allowed to bring up to 12 cans, tetrapaks, or juice pouches that do not exceed 12 oz individually as part of their carry-ons. Adults may also take 1 750ml bottle of wine or champagne as a carry-on . IF between the terminal security check and boarding the ship, opened (individual) packages or beverage containers will need to be completely consumed or thrown out before getting on the ship.

With FttF you will process through the priority line, but if you arrive before Customs clears the ship for boarding you will be waiting to board. FttF boards after the B2B passengers, the embarkation day wedding party, those in the Captain's Lounge (Platinum+ and suite guests), any special invite passengers, and then FttF. Any priority passenger that arrives for processing after their section has board will proceed to join the next group heading to the ship after completing the in person processes. 

The unfortunate truth is some maitre 'Ds and specialty restaurant hostesses on Carnival don't ever send a confirmation prior to sailing. Some will send something within a week of the request, and yet others might not confirm until a week or 2 before embarkation.

The best thing to do is ask those on your Roll Call (here and on other social media sites or apps) if they have received any info on dining reservations. Then double check your spam folder of your email, since the reply comes from the "ship's initials"maitred @ carnival.com not customer service at Carnival corp.

FASTER TO THE FUN (FTTF)

THe luggage tags sold that specify they fit Royal or Celebrity luggage tags will be too skinny to fit the Carnival luggage tags. If they are the ones advertised as fitting Princess and HAL or general clear luggage tags you should be OK, as long as you don't cut off too much of the edges of the middle section.

You can only book 1 cabin with you as the primary passenger for discount you are eligible for. IN theory you can book a second cabin at "new passenger rack" rates with the passenger names listed as TBA with the expected # of passengers, since these are usually only at whatever special sale is being advertised to the general public. BUT if  there are special restrictions on the sale you could find out too late that you are locked in to this booking rate or have fees to add the names of the TBA if done after final payment is due.

Here's the better questions... What guarantee do you have that your adult daughter and/or her intended is able to get off from work or away from school during the cruise time? Also if you do know that they are both able to be away from home based responsibilities for the timing of the cruise you picked what is to stop them from planning other things to enjoy on their own?

This is to say this is not possible, as I booked a 10 day getaway that included a 7 day cruise for my husband and myself about 5 years ago. My PVP was very instrumental in being able from keeping Carnival from contacting him about the cruise in the 6 months prior to Christmas. Also I was able to talk directly to his immediate boss at work to arrange the time off before making the deposit on the cruise. For the actual reveal  on Christmas morning bought him a new carry-on bag and packed it with a letter from work confirming the time off, the booking confirmation, the hotel reservations, airline tickets, and an inflatable ship. At first he was a bit concerned that I would plan something this big without him, but before dinner was served he was  about it.

Conversely this Christmas my mom book me on a cruise with her for March, and I was floored. As happy as I was to be cruising it did present problems for me. Originally I was supposed to be out on medical leave because of surgery, but 2 of my care support Drs. conferred with the surgeon and wound up cancelling the procedure. I hadn't told my mom this, and had to scramble to now get the time off from work. In the end I did sail with her but it was still up in the air until about 2 weeks from the cruise date as others already put in for that vacation time.

Carnival may take pity on him but the port personnel are contract workers usually hired by companies such as Interline. They deal with all cruise lines that come through their ports, so one day they might be working for Royal then the next Carnival and on the 3rd day NCL. So they try to streamline the process with these arrival times to have some consistency in scheduling. SO if the particular port is known for being strict about arrival appointments then they will be strict, unless you can get Carnival Corp to somehow mark his boarding pass as Priority as well. In fact his info may not even be available in the priority area if they are using the new check-in processors some ports have adopted. 

Perhaps calling your PVP or Casino contact/host to try and help your family out. BTW are your bookings even linked that they know to have you at the same table for dinners, unless you have YTD, then without the linked bookings you might find out after check-in that you are at different tables.

Here's a picture I found that shows 5 beds in an interior room on the Imagination which is the same class of ship as the Fascination. 

As you can see the king bed is split apart and placed on 2 walls with the camp or trundle bed on the 3rd wall making an "u" shape on the floor. The 2 pullman beds fold out from the wall over the 2 side wall beds with the ladders partially obstructing the floor beds.  The part of the cabin not shown would have the vanity desk which is attached to the wall, the bathroom and closets.

6 minutes ago, mek said:

Also, is the kids menu always the same in the MDR?

Yes, and it has basically children favorite foods like chicken tenders, simple pasta with butter or tomato sauce, grilled cheese with fries, etc. More or less entrees that can be brought to the table quickly, to forestall hunger pains. But there is no reason that a child could not order off the adult menu if there is something there they like or the parents wish them to try.

Also I've been know to order off children's menu especially on hot days in port when my appetite isn't that great. Try the ice cream sundae for dessert.

As for deck parties and entertainment on 5 day cruise, we sailed the Paradise in Sept '18. I don't remember any speciality "fly-on" acts like the magician, juggler, or hypnotist, just 3 main production themed variety shows and the standards game shows. I don't remember clearly the themed variety shows but I'm fairly sure there was a latin danced theme, a motown music center one, and an 80's mini musical. The comedians also were less just 2 doing the days 2 and 3 and 2 more after the last port but only for the nigh before debarkation. As for deck parties I think they had the Mexican Fiesta on the night we were in Cozumel. The 80's Glo party was done but not as a deck party. It was held in the Atrium on the last night of the cruise.

Regardless if you arrive by shuttle, cab, rideshare, or by family/friend all vehicles will first go through the luggage drop off area. The driver usually pops the trunk or or opens the carriage storage area and the porters just grab any bag they see out of the vehicle. They don't always check for luggage tags so make sure A) that your carry-ons are on your lap, floor, or overhead that the porters do not take them by mistake. B) That your luggage tags are securely on, my suggestion is to get cruise luggage tag holders with metal wire loops, these can be found on Amazon, Walmart online, and some B&M stores with big luggage departments.