Booking our first family cruise - HELP

[MilaMiah]

Hi. I'm MelaMiah. I'm attempting to book our first family cruise at the last minute, no less.

 

We are planning to travel in a little more than two weeks. Probably to the Bahamas out of Jacksonville or Charleston for five days.

 

Not all of us have passports - will that be an issue?

 

We are a family of four, with two being 17 and 15. How do you know your room will accommodate 4? Everything I'm reading says 2 and sometimes 4. Is it better to book 2 rooms for this size group? I don't see much difference in the cost.

 

Any advice on booking last minute? Things to avoid, things to be aware of, most likely places to find these deals; on line or through a TA?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight. I feel like I will never be able to get it worked out in time. And we have no passports - will that be an issue?

[GTO-Girl]

Hi. I'm MelaMiah. I'm attempting to book our first family cruise at the last minute, no less.

 

We are planning to travel in a little more than two weeks. Probably to the Bahamas out of Jacksonville or Charleston for five days.

 

Not all of us have passports - will that be an issue?

 

We are a family of four, with two being 17 and 15. How do you know your room will accommodate 4? Everything I'm reading says 2 and sometimes 4. Is it better to book 2 rooms for this size group? I don't see much difference in the cost.

 

Any advice on booking last minute? Things to avoid, things to be aware of, most likely places to find these deals; on line or through a TA?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight. I feel like I will never be able to get it worked out in time. And we have no passports - will that be an issue?

 

You can board with a "certified" birth certificate (not the hospital one) and a driver's license. (I believe anyone under 16 does not have to have a photo ID, but verify that with Carnival).

 

TA's are not allowed to price below what Carnival charges although they may be willing to give up some of their commission for some perks. I always book directly with the cruiseline because I like to have total control over my own booking.

 

If the cost would allow two rooms you may want to do that. An extra bathroom and a little extra room is always nice......;).

 

If you are able to go to Half Moon for one of your stops, it will be like Heaven on Earth, it's so beautiful.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!!

Edited June 9, 2014 by GTO-Girl

[cruisingmimi]

Lots of things to consider here. First off, if you are looking to cruise in a few weeks then you need to get your cruise booked ASAP. Whether you use a TA or book yourself is your choice at this point. Go to cruiseline website and see what they have for cabins, prices, etc. It might be worth your while to book directly with cruise line. You will need passports as far as I know. We just did a Caribbean cruise in April and went to St. Thomas and St. Martin and definitely needed passports. Bahama ports are out of country. What cruise line and ports are you considering? You would have to get expedited passports at this point and will pay significantly more to do this, no other way to get passports that quickly. Again, the cruise line can advise you on this.

 

If it were my choice and we had two teens going on the cruise and price was not a big factor I would book two cabins so you can be comfortable. Cabins are not all that large unless you can book a suite (have you considered this) and everyone will be more comfortable. You could book adjoining cabins. Think your teens would love their space too!

 

If you want to travel that soon it may be difficult to coordinate, especially w/ the passports but I say never say never! Can you go later on the cruise to give you more time to coordinate everything?

[Eris0303]

Hi. I'm MelaMiah. I'm attempting to book our first family cruise at the last minute, no less.

 

We are planning to travel in a little more than two weeks. Probably to the Bahamas out of Jacksonville or Charleston for five days.

 

Not all of us have passports - will that be an issue?

 

We are a family of four, with two being 17 and 15. How do you know your room will accommodate 4? Everything I'm reading says 2 and sometimes 4. Is it better to book 2 rooms for this size group? I don't see much difference in the cost.

 

Any advice on booking last minute? Things to avoid, things to be aware of, most likely places to find these deals; on line or through a TA?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight. I feel like I will never be able to get it worked out in time. And we have no passports - will that be an issue?

 

Do I Need a Passport

 

*"Closed-Loop" Cruises: If you are a U.S. citizen, and you board a cruise ship at a U.S. port, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S. port on the same ship, you may present government-issued photo identification, along with proof of citizenship (an original or certified copy of your birth certificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization). Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the foreign countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

 

This information is from the government but I would call the cruise line to ask. Personally, I wouldn't cruise without a passport because of the reason stated above - you might be asked to show it in one of the countries you're traveling to. I was asked to show mine in Aruba once.

 

Regarding the room - on my last cruise I stayed in an inside cabin with three other women. Two twin beds, a sofa that turned into a bed, and a bed that folded out of the ceiling. It was a nightmare. We were constantly on top of each other and the woman who slept underneath the bed that folded out of the ceiling was constantly hitting her head.

 

I don't know you or your kids but it might be best to put them in one room and you and your SO in another. Everyone might be more relaxed that way.

[GTO-Girl]

You do NOT have to have a passport for any cruise that begins and ends at the same port......that has not changed.

 

Sure passports are preferred (have them myself), but please do not make them think they cannot sail without them.

 

Passports.....preferred yes.....required..........no......

Edited June 9, 2014 by GTO-Girl

[MilaMiah]

Thank you for your quick replies.

 

The only downside to booking the two rooms is availability of adjoining rooms. At this point, we are considering the "best guarantee" or something like that and I'm not sure if they attempt to book multiple cabins in the same party on the same level at least or not. It definitely is the best price and the price doesn't change (Per person) whether we book all of us in the same room or two rooms.

 

Cruisingmimi, unfortunately our schedules work out that this is the only time we can do our summer family vacation. We all want to just relax and be pampered a little bit and a cruise seemed like the best option.

 

We are considering Carnival and just whatever ports are available on the dates we need to travel. We aren't picky. We are just looking for some relaxing time for the least amount of effort at this point.

 

We were planning to go to NYC for this vacation, but that is going to require a lot more energy than any of us have right now. So we are putting that off until December and are looking at cruising to fill this gap right now.

 

I just talked to a couple who just went to the Bahamas and they did not have to have passports. I hope that is not an issue, because at this point, getting them in time is not an option.

Edited June 9, 2014 by MilaMiah

[cb at sea]

You do NOT need passports for the cruises you are considering. NONE of the Caribbean ports require passports for cruise passengers...NONE!!!

 

With kids as old as yours, I wouldn't be adverse to them having their own cabin within a door or two of the parent's....they don't HAVE to be connecting, unless you know your kids will misbehave! I'm not sure, tho, with a GTY booking that they can guarantee rooms in close proximity.

 

Once you book and know your ports, hit the library, and get a guidebook...that will stand you in good stead when you go ashore!

[Flatbush Flyer]

You do NOT have to have a passport for any cruise that begins and ends at the same port......that has not changed.

 

 

 

Sure passports are preferred (have them myself), but please do not make them think they cannot sail without them.

 

 

 

Passports.....preferred yes.....required..........no......

 

 

ABSOLUTELY WRONG! Some cruise lines require that all passengers on all itineraries must have a passport. Check with your cruise line regarding what they may require above and beyond government regulations.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You need to book ASAP ...

[GTO-Girl]

ABSOLUTELY WRONG! Some cruise lines require that all passengers on all itineraries must have a passport. Check with your cruise line regarding what they may require above and beyond government regulations.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

She is going on Carnival to the Bahamas......which has does NOT require a passport.

 

There may be some cruiselines that do require it, but none of the four different cruiselines I have ever been on required a passport for the Bahamas or the Caribbean.

 

And before you ask......I have had a passport for many years.......

[Sauer-kraut]

Instead of booking GTY cabins, go for specific cabins. You might not need connecting but how about an interior cabin across the hall from an Ocean View cabin.

 

You need to make sure ALL birth certificates are the new type -- CERTIFIED by the state or county you were born in. Some have a water mark, some have a raised seal, but you need to make sure they are certified.

[cruisingmimi]

If this is the only time you can go on a family cruise then GO FOR IT! You will have a blast. Call the cruise line and listen to their advice, they do this all the time. If you only need birth certificates then that is an easy fix. Go to your local town hall and get the certified ones and you should be good to go.

 

We have booked gty cabins several times for ourselves and friends and the cruise line is usually pretty good about trying to keep cabins together or at least on the same floor. Our last cruise my sister traveled with us and we could not get adjoining cabins but they put us on the same floor and we were pretty close together, not a problem at all. If this would make you uncomfortable then perhaps as suggested, book an inside (your kids won't care) and an outside if you can get them fairly close together.

 

Good luck. Hope it works out for you. Keep us posted.

[CruisinEars]

Don't forget that your 17year old will also need a government issued photo id in addition to the birth cert. Your 15 year old will not.

 

I say do a last minute booking and go enjoy your cruise. We just booked our AK cruise that leaves in 2 weeks.

[Cruisin' Chick]

This close to the sailing date, you may not have much say as to what cabins you can get. Once schools let out, the demand goes up, and many who are intent on a summer cruise have already booked -- some months ago. If you go with cabins, you need to be able to have two close by and then emphasize to the booking agent or TA that you are requesting "no upgrade." Even though disasters at sea are very rare, you don't want to risk Murphy's Law by being at opposite ends of the ship or on different decks from your kids. And it could be possible that all of the cabins that accommodate four passengers may have been booked by now.

 

Another issue is that there is a maximum capacity for life boats. Not every berth (bed) can be sold for this reason. So families need to book earlier for the most part.

 

A cruise specialist (a TA who really knows all about cruising and is experienced with many cruiselines) can look at a deck play and know which cabins can accommodate more than two passengers. Usually most deck plans will have a legend so that anyone should be able to figure this out. And since it's your first cruise, it might be best to use a cruise specialist to help you make the right decision, bring the right docs, etc. (if you don't have the right documentation, such as a valid birth certificate for each member of your family, you can be denied boarding and lose the cost of the cruise)

 

I actually did book a cruise eight days prior (my hubby was ticked off about something at work and wanted to get away for a while, but we were talking about this ship and a specific post-cruise land trip for a time before so we knew what we wanted), and managed to book within a few days: the cruise, the flights, the pre-cruise hotel (no way is it smart to fly in the day of a cruise), three post-cruise hotels among Miami, Key Largo and Key West, the rental car for travelling to the Keys, the pre-flight-home hotel. All booked within a few days and this was in 2001 before we had high speed Internet. But we had plenty of cruising experience and I tend to be pretty meticulous.

 

At this point of time, considering it's a high demand time to vacation, I wouldn't depend on getting a bargain price. Of course, one thing that may help is that you're talking about booking a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season. So if you really want to go to a specific area of the Caribbean, it be better to go at a different time of year: if a hurricane looks like it may pop up in the eastern Caribbean, the captain will try to get the itinerary switched to the western Caribbean.

[MilaMiah]

Thank you for all your great feedback. I'm more confident already and getting more excited. I really appreciate your candor and I'm happy I found this board.

 

We already have all of our certified birth certificates, both my kiddos have their government IDs and DH says we will just split up and sleep one adult and one teen in each cabin just to be on the safe side no matter where the cabins are located.

 

I am a little concerned about it being hurricane season and growing up in Florida we are all too familiar, but I don't think this will keep us from going.

[sparks1093]

Thank you for all your great feedback. I'm more confident already and getting more excited. I really appreciate your candor and I'm happy I found this board.

 

We already have all of our certified birth certificates, both my kiddos have their government IDs and DH says we will just split up and sleep one adult and one teen in each cabin just to be on the safe side no matter where the cabins are located.

 

I am a little concerned about it being hurricane season and growing up in Florida we are all too familiar, but I don't think this will keep us from going.

 

You certainly have to book one adult to the cabin but once you are onboard you may obtain extra cabin keys and sleep in whichever cabin you choose to, so you and DH may sleep in the same cabin if you wish. It comes down to how far you are from the kiddos and how well they follow the rules.

[cruisingmimi]

So call the cruise line and book it! Sounds like you have everything you need except your boarding passes. As noted, you may not have many choices for cabins at this point just pick the best ones for you and your family.

 

I would not be concerned about hurricanes at this point either. Cruise lines are aware of this and take appropriate measures for everyone's safety.

 

Keep us posted when you book!

[Winnigirl]

There is something really fun about booking a last minute vacation - some of our best have been arranged in a week or two. Don't worry about hurricanes - we've cruised many times during hurricane season and it's never been an issue. Ships can change their course if unsettled weather is indicated. Have a great time!