Glory NYC 7-Night - Misc Questions

[HtomSirveaux]

Going on the NYC-Boston-Portland-St John-Halifax-NYC run next month on the Glory. The only other cruise I've ever taken was on Disney and was their 4-nighter that only did Nassau and Castaway Cay. Rather than throw up a bunch of random threads I'm going to compile the questions I have and hope some of you are able to help.

[LIST=1]
[*]When should I plan on getting to the port? I am getting a ride in, so I'm trying to plan things out. CCL's FAQ says embarkation is at 1:00, but when do they start taking check-ins and assigning boarding numbers? (I have already checked in online)
[*]In the other ports, when should we plan on getting back to the ship in relation to the "depart" time on the itinerary? (We are self-planning port activities)
[*]For those who have been to Halifax/St John - is there free Wifi within walking range of the port?
[*]Do shops/restaurants near the Canadian ports accept USD for payment, and how does that work rate-wise? I know currency exchange/credit cards involve fees which I'd like to avoid.
[*]As this is a 7-night trip, I know there are supposed to be two "elegant" nights and that one is on night two. When is the other?
[*]Are there drink specials on a regular "schedule," or is that just something I'd just need to keep an eye out for (ie in Fun Times or something)? I'm not a "big" drinker, but if I had something like 1-2/day, I might as well try to seek out what's on sale.
[/LIST]


Thanks! I'm sure I'll have more...

[sunshine002]

[quote name='HtomSirveaux']Going on the NYC-Boston-Portland-St John-Halifax-NYC run next month on the Glory. The only other cruise I've ever taken was on Disney and was their 4-nighter that only did Nassau and Castaway Cay. Rather than throw up a bunch of random threads I'm going to compile the questions I have and hope some of you are able to help.

[LIST=1]
[*]When should I plan on getting to the port? I am getting a ride in, so I'm trying to plan things out. CCL's FAQ says embarkation is at 1:00, but when do they start taking check-ins and assigning boarding numbers? (I have already checked in online)
[*]In the other ports, when should we plan on getting back to the ship in relation to the "depart" time on the itinerary? (We are self-planning port activities)
[*]For those who have been to Halifax/St John - is there free Wifi within walking range of the port?
[*]Do shops/restaurants near the Canadian ports accept USD for payment, and how does that work rate-wise? I know currency exchange/credit cards involve fees which I'd like to avoid.
[*]As this is a 7-night trip, I know there are supposed to be two "elegant" nights and that one is on night two. When is the other?
[*]Are there drink specials on a regular "schedule," or is that just something I'd just need to keep an eye out for (ie in Fun Times or something)? I'm not a "big" drinker, but if I had something like 1-2/day, I might as well try to seek out what's on sale.
[/LIST]


Thanks! I'm sure I'll have more...[/quote]


I just got off the Glory this morning, did the 4 day cruise to Saint John.

1. I would get to the Port around 11am, I got there late since I worked half a day.
2. We needed to be back onboard half and hour before the ship was to depart. It will be listed in the daily fun times.
3. In Saint John there is wifi in the terminal and lot of chairs, saw many there on the internet.
4. they took US dollars every where, right now they are pretty much about the same. Depending on the vendor it might be even money, or they might run it by the exact exchange of the day. I got some ice cream it was the same price in either currency. In a drug store they charged me a few cents more than if I had paid in Canadian money. (you might get back Canadian change) There is no fee when you use a Capital One card.

I didn't notice drink special as I did on other cruises, I might of just missed it.

[Ladyarli]

Hi,

1. I agree with the other poster, we always aim to get to the port between 11 and Noon. 2. We always aim for an hour before the ship is set to sail. Be sure to keep your watch on Eastern time. Do NOT go by any of the clocks you might see in Canada. They are on Atlantic time, and will be an hour ahead. Make sure you bring that day's copy of the Fun Ship Times with you. The phone number for the port agent is there. Very handy to have with you in case something happens and you miss the ship, or something.
3. I don't know about the WI-FI, but you can always check the Canada port board. I do seem to remember seeing people on the internet in the St. John terminal, now that you mention it.
4. Cap One doesn't charge a fee, as the OP said. And yes, regardless of the currency you pay in, you might get back CAD$ in change.
5. Elegant nights are up to the Captain, but usually the 2nd one is on the 5th night. They never do it the first or the last, as there is too much else going on.
6. There is always a "drink of the day" special. It should be listed in the Fun Ship Times. If you don't have your FST with you, just ask any bar waiter. They'll know.

[HtomSirveaux]

Works for me...

One more: we're supposed to be getting OBC from the TA we used. *IF* we don't use all of it, is it refundable (officially)? If not, will the "casino" trick work (voucher out to the casino cashier)?

[mizLORInj]

[quote name='HtomSirveaux']Works for me...

One more: we're supposed to be getting OBC from the TA we used. *IF* we don't use all of it, is it refundable (officially)? If not, will the "casino" trick work (voucher out to the casino cashier)?[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo]You can check with your TA but all TA OBC we've gotten is non-refundable. [/COLOR]

[Winnigirl]

There is no doubt that you will receive Cdn. funds in change. Do you honestly think that Canadian retailers keep special American currency, just for Americans who can't be bothered to exchange some money? I don't want to make a big thing of this - but I've seen this question time and time again here. If the tables were turned and Canadians were using their currency in the USA - how would that go over? Not well - in fact I'd bet it would be refused at least 95% of the time (and that's being optimistic). In fact, I've never seen a Canadian asking this question - ever. It simply wouldn't occur to them not to have American money. It is just common courtesy, no matter what country you are in - to at least make an attempt to have some cash in that country's currency. It's not a difficult thing to do. If that isn't the route you want to go - then use a credit card.