CruisnMom007

Our sailing son 9/29 same issue. Anyone familiar with or have suggestions for a shuttle service from Times Square to Brooklyn Terminal? 

On 5/16/2019 at 11:44 AM, maryred said:

AS I said i's up to the senior navigation crew on board. The only time we changed ship's time on Carnival to local on a NE/Canadian cruise was when we had a day at sea between the ports in the Eastern time zone and Atlantic time zone. that itinerary was...

DAY 1 - New York
DAY 2 - Boston
DAY 3 - Portland
DAY 4 - A Fun Day at Sea
DAY 5 - Saint John
DAY 6 -Halifax
DAY 7 - A Fun Day At Sea
DAY 8 - New York

The time change was announced in the printed version only of the FunTimes published for Day 3 Portland that at 2am they would reset the ships time back to 1am and to adjust all personal timepieces before going to sleep that night. Reminders were then given by the MDR Maitre'D during dinner and at all major entertainment venues before and after the shows. A similar process was observed on Day 6 Halifax about returning to Eastern time for our home port return. Still many people on board on day 4 and 7 were confused about what the ship's time actual was arriving an hour late or early for activities to the point that the CD started to announce from noon till 3pm what hour it was on board.

Also unique about his cruise was the Elegant Nights were both held on port days, again Day 3 Portland and Day 6 Halifax.  Just to note Halifax frequently gets fogged out in the late summer and fall. If you plan on private arrangement tours make sure of the refund policy.

WOW!  THANK YOU FOR THE DETAIL!  The good thing is, the tour we booked for Halifax I paid a small deposit and pay the balance upon arrival. I need to check the refund on the deposit. Thank you!

On 5/10/2019 at 12:42 PM, Sean_B said:

September in Halifax and St. John? Yikes.

looking forward to the Fall colors! 

14 hours ago, maryred said:

But were all your ports of call in the same time zone?

Canada/NE cruises tend to visit 2 different time zones for their ports of call. Some itineraries hopscotch back and forth between the 2, due to terminal availabilities.

The last 2 ports , Saint John and the next day Halifax are the only ones in Atlantic time Zone.  

This is our Itinerary: 

• DAY 1
  New York
  4:00 pm

  Depart port
• DAY 2
  Fun Day At Sea
• DAY 3
  Boston
• DAY 4
  Portland
• DAY 5
  Saint John
• DAY 6
  Halifax
• DAY 7
  Fun Day At Sea
• DAY 8
  New York

4 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

It'll stay on NYC time the whole trip. Typically the only time they change the ship time as they go is with TA/TP and the like. 

I wonder why on the CCL site where we see our itinerary it says for Halifax  10am arrival, 6 pm departure , but on the Halifax cruise terminal calendar itself it says the same thing for Carnival Sunrise, 10am arrival , 1800 (6pm) departure. That is what is confusing. If our arrival and departure are on  Ship time , then that would be that we arrive at 11am in Halifax and depart at 7pm Halifax time...Carnival is confusing a lot of people trying to get their excursions booked.  I will call CCL and find out what the deal is. Thank you!!!    When I find out, I will definitely share it. 

So does that mean that Sunrise will switch over to the Atlantic time?  Our CCL check in shows our port arrival at 10am leaving 6pm in Halifax,  when I went to the Halifax cruise ship schedule for this year, it shows Sunrise arriving 10am, departing 6pm.  We are booking excursions not from the ship so just want to be certain .  

Hey everyone!  We have a group booked on a Sunrise in September sailing out of New York.   We have 2 port stops in Canada,  Saint John and Halifax.  

The question that has come up  is this... So, Carnival is posting our port arrival time, but is that SHIP time when arrive/leave, or is that the time it is

in Halifax and  Saint John when we arrive and leave?  Both ports are Atlantic Time Zones!  

Thanks for any help!  I have emailed CCL, no answers yet.  

Hello fellow cruisers!

Does anyone have details on WHAT the laws are in New York specifically, that is not allowing passengers who purchase the CHEERS package to be able to have their drinks the first day and have to wait till day 2 of sailing? I understand anyone can go to the bar and PURCHASE a drink that first day so I am a bit perplexed as to the difference. I know Texas has an issue as well.

Thanks in advance!

I heard from our Head CCL rep this morning for us Agents that indeed Triumph is getting a new name with its over haul! We can't access ANY of the bookings we have on her, they are saying either today or tomorrow it will be back up on the system. I am excited.

I have 15 cabins booked on Triumph in Sept out of NY.. I am a TA and logged in on our sites to add a booking and noticed I was unable to find the sailing date, and then discovered I could not locate ANY of the bookings for that date. I panicked and called our rep at CCL right away. I was told they are working on the Triumph "System", they said to expect it down for 3 days. I asked if the sailing was cancelled, she said that there were no mentions of that but all sailings from April 2019 and on are not accessible. I asked if another ship was taking it's place... she said no word of it.

Today is the end of the $49 deposits per person and I was concerned about new bookings now not having that offer if we have to wait 3 days! I hope CCL will extend that to any new Triumph bookings.

On the boards, here at Cruise Critic, under "Special Interest Cruising" - "Disabled Cruising" you will find a thread that's been going on since 2005. It's about "Cruising With a Service Dog, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know!"

 

On this thread are folks who have Hearing Dogs and take them cruising with them. I don't know if you're interested but if anyone who is reading this is interested; these dogs alert you to sounds in your environment. They tell you when someone's at the door, if the phone rings, if someone is calling your name. They do tasks for you such as; opening/closing doors and drawers, turning lights on and off. They pick things up for you and they can even help you dress. Now, they can't tell you what people are saying but they sure can make new friends and influence people for you.

 

CCI [Canine Companions for Independence, in Santa Rosa, CA - 1.800.572.BARK (2275)] has a Hearing Dog for you, and they don't cost you a dime. They're paid for by generous donors. You just have to go for an interview, submit some paperwork, go for a two week Team Training course and you too can graduate with your own doggie genius. They use Labs and Lab/Golden Retriever crosses. I know, because I've had a CCI dog since 2002. I'm on my second one and can't imagine my life without my amazing dog partner in it ♥

 

Your dog can go wherever you go; airplanes, hotels, trains, boats, in apartments that say "no pets allowed" and on your cruise ship with you. They can even go to work and school with you.

THAT IS SO AWESOME!!! I call my husband my hearing ear dog! LOL

I'm just off the Legend. Like, yesterday off.

 

We DID make it into Tracy Arm. It was the first time in 2 years. It was pretty great. We did do the small boat excursion. It does get closer than the ship. I'm glad we did it and I think it was worth the price. We saw two larger ships get much closer than the Legend did so I was glad we spent the extra money.

 

MDR is a mess. Seriously, a mess. The second night it took about 45 minutes to get bread and water. The staff is as friendly as possible with the chaos, but, it's a wreck. I think it is lack of training and, perhaps, an unorganized kitchen staff that is the cause.

 

Lido deck food is okay-not great-but okay. No bacon police, but, they are out of bacon FAST! If you take a break to talk the wait staff is there to take your plate. I wish they would slow down on that a bit, but, I appreciate their hard work. The pizza is great. Gluten Free take a bit longer, but, it's worth it. I DO wish they kept Chopsticks open longer. I think they had the best food on the ship, honestly.

 

Jen Baxter is a hoot! She was born for the job. She is so easy to spot and approach!

 

The performers are great! There is one young man, Jordan, who should be on a much MUCH bigger stage. He is amazing. The shows are sung live (I don't know if the welcome aboard show was sung live but the rest were), and, we were impressed with the quality of the productions and entertainers.

 

The children's staff is great! Very patient and they seem to go out of their way for the kids.

 

The ship itself is a good size. Not so big that you get lost. But, it's good she is going into dry dock. She needs a bit of work. A deep clean will do her good.

 

Our room staff was alright. Again-not great. A couple of times he forgot to give us a Fun Time. No biggie as they are found everywhere.

 

The main lobby bar isn't stocked very well so sometimes we were searching for a bar to just get kaluha. Weird, but, again, not major.

 

 

The photographers are RUTHLESS! Seriously! It's awful. Getting off in one port they tried to stop of 4 times on the gangway. 4 times. 4 separate photo opportunities. Within about 45 seconds. TOO MUCH! That said, I bought a ton of posed family photos. LOL.

 

It's funny-people here talk about how there are no suite perks...we were given waters, strawberries, a bag of laundry. We had FTTF so we got more water. We had celebrations and were given champagne and gift cards. My husband and son did the Behind the Fun tour and were delivered a plate of treats. We felt really spoiled.

 

It's a wonderful trip with amazing opportunities for once in a lifetime experiences. We loved our excursions and really have no regrets.

Any chance you have the FUNTIMES copies to share? We board July 25th! Can't wait!

I started cruising back in 2001 when I was still just hearing impaired and took a cruise every year from '01 to '05 when total deafness took over.

I didn't cruise for years until 2014 when I agreed (with much hesitance) to do a short 4 day cruise with a long time hearing friend and enjoyed being back on a ship again so much that I couldn't wait to book more cruises.

I shared a cabin with the friend, so I didn't need the "hearing" room kit, but all Carnival staff I encountered was nothing but friendly, accommodating and made me feel welcomed everywhere I went on the ship.

I'm sure as a fellow hearing impaired/Deaf person, you know what i'm talking about when interacting with others that are initially unaware of your disability. It's usually a grab bag how they'll react to it. Many can be visibly uncomfortable in your presence, but I experienced absolutely none of that with Carnival which greatly helped to ease my fears and get me wanting to cruise again!

My friend can't come on my upcoming cruise so i'm going solo. Of course it makes me a bit nervous, but since becoming deaf, in a twisted and bizarre way it's made me more free in the sense that I no longer care what others think as much as I used to when I was hearing. I really can't explain it but it's lifted a lot of fears I used to have.

I've always been an introvert and an "observer" of life rather than a participant so i'm always happy to sit in the sidelines and watch the activity and world go by, so being solo on the ship won't bother me at all.

I'll be happy with a drink, a lounge chair and enjoy the ocean...I also love the casino, and watching the shows too....even though I can't hear the singing, I can still see the dancing! :)

For this cruise I did order the deaf room kit and will have a TTY to connect to Guest Services so I can order room service. Never used them before so will share the details on that when I return.

I don't have any tips to share, but want to thank you for providing one for me...I never heard of "Live Captions" and will check that out. Seems that would really come in handy for me!!

I have a NCL cruise also booked and read they provide personal pagers to Deaf passengers to read ship announcements as they air...I hope Carnival implements this as well at some point because it's a really neat feature that i'm looking forward to on that cruise.

Please come back after your cruise and share a trip report!! :)

I think its wonderful that you are venturing out on your own this next cruise! I LOVE that NCL has that personal pager!! I should write to CCL special needs dept about implementing that! With the speech being so distorted at this point, it should would be extremely helpful! Your post has been encouraging! Like I had said, I have been cruising all these years since the HL started and did just fine, this recent drop has now changed things. I do love people watching, relaxing and you are right, we can see the shows! I am going to make the best of this one and I for sure will post a report! Makes me feel better knowing I am not alone. Our daughter and her husband now have a family, and Grandson just turn 1 last month.... I want to share cruising with him in the future!

Oh Janey the door alarm and the emergency alarm is great. Its a flashing light in the event there is an emergency cause I won't hear that announcement at night with my HA out.

I have not yet tried those drive in pool movies yet but like going to a movie theater lately has been a challenge. The hardest for me is the accents!! It was hard before this cruise is going to be even tougher with this recent loss. I am trying to learn ASL. My daughter is a special ed teacher for Autism but she learned ASL when she used to coach special olympics and she highly recommends it, so I am trying! I hear the ships have interpreters for shows if needed.

They first thought Meniers with me at the onset, then it was just Cochlear Hydrops. Now we know I have an autoimmune disease but in the process of identifying what one. I have MRI 's and more tests with a Rheumatologist at Cedar Sinai when I get back from the cruise. Hoping and praying for a miracle! I have only had 2 vertigo attacks in the past 2 years and they were brief. I feel for you, I have friends with Meniers.

Exactly, we are on vacation on a fun ship and we find our FUN! I have 38 friends & family on this cruise next week. I am anxiously excited.

Thank you Janey!

I'm hearing impaired and have been for over 25 years. 70% loss in left and 45% in the right. I've only had my hearing aids for a little over a year (my ENT said they wouldn't help, I have Meniere's.. and he lied) and have cruised for over 20 years. I have two things I always do, even with the hearing aids. I always request a table for two (or however many are cruising with me). It makes for a stress free dinner. And I always let my waiter/waitress know I am hearing impaired from the "get go".

 

The Dive In movies are awful for me. I always ask for subtitles but they usually say the other guests don't like them. If the audio is good I'll stay but it's just too hard for me to try and understand what the actors are saying.

 

The Customer Service desk can be a nightmare if you get someone that speaks low. I normally have to tell them I'm impaired and that helps... sometimes. I won't go there by myself I need my BF's ears with me :cool:

 

I deal with the issues 24/7 so I just learn to accept these things as part of my day. My mindset is that I'm on vacation and it is what it is.

 

I wasn't aware of the alarm for the door.. I will have to look into that.

I developed hearing loss in my mid-30's, I'm 63 now and retired. My wife and I have been cruising for over 25 years. My hearing loss is so bad that I am pretty much deaf in both ears now. I had a cochlear implant(CI) about a year ago and today I got a special hearing aid for the other ear to help make the sound bilateral. I don't mind asking for one of the crew to repeat something. I tell the room steward that I am pretty much deaf and they bend over backwards to make sure that I understand. I love cruising, so I don't let my disability get the best of me. Music is a real problem with the cochlear implant because it does not sound the same. Water sports is a problem since my CI or hearing aid can not get wet. I usually take the CI and hearing aid off and leave them in the Stateroom. My wife and I usually get a table for 2 in the Main Dining Room since I can't understand the dinner conversation. I go and have a great time! Enjoy Alaska, it is a wonderful cruise!

Bob thank you for our response! I guess this next half of my life, cruising will be about finding other things to enjoy. I am certainly not giving in to it! I too will eventually have the CI, I have been studying them and training my brain to remember sounds, notes etc.. in hopes to make the best of it when it happen. I will definitely let the room stewards know upfront!

Thank you for your encouragement!

Trying to connect with other cruisers who are hearing impaired or deaf who cruise often.. your experiences onboard the ships.

My background:

I have been cruising for many years now and about 10 yrs ago while on a cruise, I was attacked by a virus that got into in the inner ear and has led to my hearing loss. Diagnosed with an inner ear autoimmune issue. Over the 10 yrs it has slowly declined, I am totally deaf in one ear since birth so I was always able to function just fine in life with one, and quite well! I am now 53 yrs young. I began using a hearing aide at 43 in the one ear and would upgrade to the better technology as it came along.

I LOVE LOVE to cruise. I have cruised and did just fine until recently. Since March of this year, my hearing was attacked once again, this time taking out more frequencies to where speech can be muffled even with the HA. I am fighting everything within me to not let this stop me from doing what I love, CRUISING!

I am about to board Legend for Alaska in a couple weeks, have had this planned for over a year now.

I am curious to hear from others who live with this and continue to cruise, what works and what doesn't.

I have always ordered the special equipment from special needs dept. for my stateroom if ever I am alone while hubby runs out to get something and alarm is going off or the door knocks.

The ship is full of background noise which makes it difficult for Hearing Impaired Cruisers.

It has been very difficult to understand conversations or hear what the waiter is asking me. This is now going to more difficult. It can be so isolating and I feel so bad always having my husband or a friend interpret everything for me. The staff look at me and don't see a near deaf person so when I ask for a repeat, it's amazing the looks one gets! Music as of recently does not sound the same, which is a new devastation to me (I love music and sing). So, the piano bar should be quite interesting this trip if I can even handle it. Oh I love the sounds of the casino, doubt I will be able to enjoy the musicals this time either :( but I am sure going to try! I am refusing to let this stop me from doing what I love and being with the people I love!

I recently downloaded an APP in my iPhone called "Live Captions". Hoping it will help when someone on the ship is trying to talk to me, it displays what the person is saying. Works great here at home we will see in loud settings!

What has helped you the best ANY suggestions..tips.. ?

We will be on the Legend to Alaska on July 25. On the 7 day itinerary, which night is elegant night? I have heard conflicting reports about what people are supposed to wear to the MDR on non-elegant nights. Some places have said that nice jeans are allowed for men on the Alaska itineraries. My husband is not a dress-up guy, and he does not ever wear a sport coat or tie. I can convince him to put on khakis, but he feels that is more for elegant night and not for every night dining. We have reservations at the Steakhouse and he will wear khakis for that night. Those of you who have been on the Alaska cruises, what did you notice about men's clothing in the MDR. We will be having YTD, if that makes any difference.

I confirmed with the Maitre'D that the elegant nights will be July 26 & July 30. I am on this same cruise!

Anyone recently sail the Alaska cruise who had Verizon cellular service ? Wondering if you get good signals in Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau? Thank you!

I know the last post on here was in Nov/Dec 2016, but I was able to purchase our CHEERS packages yesterday on line and I used all carnival gift cards! They must now accept them??

I thought what the heck lets try it, and sure enough they took them all.

Lets now hope it's applied!

No refund. When you read the description of the excursion, it states that if they don't get into Tracy Arm, they go to Endicott instead. I have all of the Fun Times, I will try to scan them in.

 

 

 

I agree with you on all of this. The ship looks close until you look back from the boat and see how much closer that you actually are.

THANK YOU!! That helped me make the decision to still do it either way!! I am excited!!!

I had no problem not going to Tracy Arm Fjord or being rerouted to Endicott my problem is the cruise ship followed us close behind the small boat so why take it if the ship will follow, when we got back on the the ship and to our balcony we took pictures of the icebergs and they were better because of the height of the ship, i went down to the tour desk to ask about this and the line was around the corner with our tour people complaining about paying to get up close when the ship also gets up close. I would check before you spend $300 for this excursion.

WOW! Thank you for letting us know!!

If you're going to be disappointed, then I would cancel. If they haven't gotten in over the past 14 months, I don't see it happening next month either.

 

 

I have pictures of Endicott in my review, it's in my signature. It was amazing! We saw wildlife, lots of ice calving, etc... it was really beautiful!

Thank you !! I am sure I will enjoy it just as much from the pics I just saw!!

Does anyone have pics of Endicott to share?

You can blame global warming for not getting into Tracy Arm. We had the same problem last year.

The problem is that Tracy Arm has a narrow opening and when there are too many icebergs, they are not allowed to take a big cruise ship into it as they may get trapped and unable to exit. No reason to try if Endicott is so close by and has a large opening. It is for safety of the ship....

I got some great photos and video...of our ship in distance as we took the small boat all the way out and up into some small side channels that the Legend could not get into, so the whole thing was very worthwhile. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Would LOVE to see pics of Endicott, do you have any to share??

Thank you for posting your review!! I am on this ship July 25th and have registered for the Tracy Arm small boat excursion as well...I sure hope we are able to get in! At $189 a ticket I would be very disappointed :( do they make you take that Endicott small boat cruise or will they refund you if requested?? Also, do you by chance have any of the Fun Times papers ? Would love to see the activities etc lined up. Thank you!!