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Few "easy" questions from new cruiser

Chill_1

By Chill_1,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Chill_1

Chill_1

Posted
Posted

My DW (I had to google what DW was) and I are leaving Sunday morning on the Breeze and have a few questions that I assume should be easy for the pros here.

 

1. The FAQ says that we can bring up to 12 - 12oz non-alcoholic drinks each. The standard small water bottle size is 16.9 oz. Those will not be permitted? I need my Zephyrhills!

 

2. Do people check garment bags with formal wear or lug it around until the room is ready?

 

3. We are not silver, gold, platinum, diamond or fttf members, it's our 2nd cruise ever, first with Carnival. If we get to the Miami Port at around 11:30 for a 4:00 PM cruise, how long should we expect to wait before us and the rest of the peasants get to board?

 

4. This one is not that important, but we like our morning coffee with that Dunkin Donuts "extra extra" creamer. Can we bring that on board with us?

 

5. Do you check bottles of wine or carry-on? I don't want all of our cruise clothes covered in red wine from being crushed under the wait of 3690 other passengers luggage.

 

6. I plan on the two of us bringing home about 2 bottles of Cuban rum and 2 bottles of Jamaican rum. I know the first two are duty free, but appx how much will I have to pay in Miami to bring the other two home?

 

7. Most importantly for me because I am a bit paranoid with stolen identities and putting personal information online. How will early check in help me? Any time I have previously checked in early, I have still had to wait in the same lines. I don't remember any steps being skipped. I would rather not type my passport number online. Can I just show up and check in at the port? Do I get sent to the back of the line or anything?

 

That is a lot more questions than I thought I had considering the cruise is 2 days away.

Thanks for your help

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A&Jfamily

A&Jfamily

Posted
Posted
My DW (I had to google what DW was) and I are leaving Sunday morning on the Breeze and have a few questions that I assume should be easy for the pros here.

 

1. The FAQ says that we can bring up to 12 - 12oz non-alcoholic drinks each. The standard small water bottle size is 16.9 oz. Those will not be permitted? I need my Zephyrhills!

 

2. Do people check garment bags with formal wear or lug it around until the room is ready?

 

3. We are not silver, gold, platinum, diamond or fttf members, it's our 2nd cruise ever, first with Carnival. If we get to the Miami Port at around 11:30 for a 4:00 PM cruise, how long should we expect to wait before us and the rest of the peasants get to board?

 

4. This one is not that important, but we like our morning coffee with that Dunkin Donuts "extra extra" creamer. Can we bring that on board with us?

 

5. Do you check bottles of wine or carry-on? I don't want all of our cruise clothes covered in red wine from being crushed under the wait of 3690 other passengers luggage.

 

6. I plan on the two of us bringing home about 2 bottles of Cuban rum and 2 bottles of Jamaican rum. I know the first two are duty free, but appx how much will I have to pay in Miami to bring the other two home?

 

7. Most importantly for me because I am a bit paranoid with stolen identities and putting personal information online. How will early check in help me? Any time I have previously checked in early, I have still had to wait in the same lines. I don't remember any steps being skipped. I would rather not type my passport number online. Can I just show up and check in at the port? Do I get sent to the back of the line or anything?

 

That is a lot more questions than I thought I had considering the cruise is 2 days away.

Thanks for your help

 

I have never brought on water, so can't speak to that. As for "formal" wear, please be aware that CCL is not truly formal - you really no longer see tuxs and gowns; at most a cocktail dress and coat and tie for men. So we opt for the wrinkle free stuff and pack it in our regular luggage.

 

They typically start boarding by 11:30; 12 at the latest. Sometimes earlier, depending upon how quickly the previous cruise debarks.

 

You need to carry on your wine; 1 750 ml per adult.

 

Don't know the fee on the rum, sorry. I assume you are not flying with simply carry-on bags?

 

You need to check in on line because that is where you get your boarding pass and luggage tags. That needs to be complete so that you can print them and attach them to your bags which get taken from you curbside before you head inside to check in.

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Sixtytwo

Sixtytwo

Posted
Posted

Hope this helps:

 

#1 You should be ok with that size water. They are not that attentive at the security check point.

#3 If I wanted to get on board a little early, I would plan to arrive around 10:30. If getting on board early is not the result you want, getting to the port around 1:00 should put you behind the thundering hoards and allow you a fairly easy boarding experience.

#4 I expect if you pack the creamer in your carry on and it is an un-opened container, you should have no problem.

#6 I once brought 13 liters of booze back from St Thomas. Declared it all on the customs forms and did not pay a dime in duty. Now, others have had to pay duty on amounts over the limit but the duty is generally cents on the bottle. With just 2 bottles over, you will likely not have to pay anything.

#7 Early check in online is a MUST! This is where you get your boarding pass that you have to have to even get into the terminal at the port. I am sure you could do it without it, but why chance it and endure the hassle? You also will have luggage tags that will allow you to just drop your luggage and not have to worry about chasing down tags at the port.

 

Hope you have a great experience and enjoy your cruise!! :D

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AngAndBoys

AngAndBoys

Posted
Posted (edited)

You do NOT have to do online check in, but we will all agree that you are sorta asking for trouble if you don't. At any rate, it might be too late now since you leave tomorrow, right?

 

Here is the FAQ from Carnival on this topic:

How do I get my boarding pass on the day of my cruise?

 

If you have not completed Check-In (FunPass) on the day of sailing you will have the ability to print-out the embarkation forms. Simply select the option to print boarding pass (Individual or All-In-One) and the required embarkation forms will be displayed. Simply print and complete the forms, then submit to the Embarkation Agent at the port during check-in.

 

 

I have heard that you can also get your luggage tags from the porters when you get there, but I have no idea as the VAST majority of cruisers just check in online like good boys and girls. :p

 

 

Good luck.

Edited by AngAndBoys
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keepap

keepap

Posted
Posted

I do know from experience if you still have two days you can still do online check-in; which, like the others, I suggest but is not mandatory. I checked in on my last cruise the day before due to having to wait on my friend to get her passport (which really bugged me b/c I'm used to having things done early!:rolleyes:)

Anywho...... your water will be fine..... I put my formal wear in the plastic "drycleaner" bags inside my garment bag and that usually keeps away most wrinkles..... we usually get to port between 11 and 11:30 and are on in little to no time, but it's been a while since I left outta Miami..... and I don't really drink so I can't answer the others....sorry! Hope you have a blast and think of us poor others who can only come here to cruisecritic to get our "fix" :p:D

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sailor_jimc

sailor_jimc

Posted
Posted

Do the online check in and print your fun pass out.. It will speed things up at check in. It is not too late to do it.

 

The rest of your questions have been answered well. Wine is supposed to be put in carry ons.. doesn't mean that there are some that will try to get "extra" wine on-board in the checked luggage.

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AnnaNimitee

AnnaNimitee

Posted
Posted
My DW (I had to google what DW was) and I are leaving Sunday morning on the Breeze and have a few questions that I assume should be easy for the pros here.

 

1. The FAQ says that we can bring up to 12 - 12oz non-alcoholic drinks each. The standard small water bottle size is 16.9 oz. Those will not be permitted? I need my Zephyrhills!

 

2. Do people check garment bags with formal wear or lug it around until the room is ready?

 

3. We are not silver, gold, platinum, diamond or fttf members, it's our 2nd cruise ever, first with Carnival. If we get to the Miami Port at around 11:30 for a 4:00 PM cruise, how long should we expect to wait before us and the rest of the peasants get to board?

 

4. This one is not that important, but we like our morning coffee with that Dunkin Donuts "extra extra" creamer. Can we bring that on board with us?

 

5. Do you check bottles of wine or carry-on? I don't want all of our cruise clothes covered in red wine from being crushed under the wait of 3690 other passengers luggage.

 

6. I plan on the two of us bringing home about 2 bottles of Cuban rum and 2 bottles of Jamaican rum. I know the first two are duty free, but appx how much will I have to pay in Miami to bring the other two home?

 

7. Most importantly for me because I am a bit paranoid with stolen identities and putting personal information online. How will early check in help me? Any time I have previously checked in early, I have still had to wait in the same lines. I don't remember any steps being skipped. I would rather not type my passport number online. Can I just show up and check in at the port? Do I get sent to the back of the line or anything?

 

That is a lot more questions than I thought I had considering the cruise is 2 days away.

Thanks for your help

 

Your water will be fine, but be prepared for them to shake *each* bottle to make sure it's not alcohol. They don't always, but they do sometimes. Yes, you can check your garment bag, just make sure you print a baggage tag for it.

 

I don't know about the duty on the extra rum, but have rarely (if ever) heard of anyone charged for that sort of amount.

 

If your creamer is in its original, sealed container, they're not likely to care if you bring it.

 

Wine is carry-on ONLY. No checking that.

 

I agree with everyone else about checking in ahead of time. Somebody's going to put your info in a computer somewhere at some point, anyway, and it's SO much easier to have your (checked) bags all tagged and your boarding passes printed, especially when going to a new port and figuring out how everything works.

 

Very excited for you! Enjoy your first (hopefully of many) Carnival cruise!

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Liverpoollovely

Liverpoollovely

Posted
Posted
My DW (I had to google what DW was) and I are leaving Sunday morning on the Breeze and have a few questions that I assume should be easy for the pros here.

 

1. The FAQ says that we can bring up to 12 - 12oz non-alcoholic drinks each. The standard small water bottle size is 16.9 oz. Those will not be permitted? I need my Zephyrhills!

 

2. Do people check garment bags with formal wear or lug it around until the room is ready?

 

3. We are not silver, gold, platinum, diamond or fttf members, it's our 2nd cruise ever, first with Carnival. If we get to the Miami Port at around 11:30 for a 4:00 PM cruise, how long should we expect to wait before us and the rest of the peasants get to board?

 

4. This one is not that important, but we like our morning coffee with that Dunkin Donuts "extra extra" creamer. Can we bring that on board with us?

 

5. Do you check bottles of wine or carry-on? I don't want all of our cruise clothes covered in red wine from being crushed under the wait of 3690 other passengers luggage.

 

6. I plan on the two of us bringing home about 2 bottles of Cuban rum and 2 bottles of Jamaican rum. I know the first two are duty free, but appx how much will I have to pay in Miami to bring the other two home?

 

7. Most importantly for me because I am a bit paranoid with stolen identities and putting personal information online. How will early check in help me? Any time I have previously checked in early, I have still had to wait in the same lines. I don't remember any steps being skipped. I would rather not type my passport number online. Can I just show up and check in at the port? Do I get sent to the back of the line or anything?

 

That is a lot more questions than I thought I had considering the cruise is 2 days away.

Thanks for your help

 

 

1) i think you should be fine with the water.

2) i have seen a few people bring on garment bags but the rooms are not all ready to go in untill around 1:30pm ... so you need to weigh up is it really worth lugging around your formal wear in garment bags when you could pack your formal wear in your suitcase ... besides the formal night is not usually on the first night anyway.

3) that is usually the time we get to the port for :)

4) i dont think you will be allowed to bring diary on board i could be wrong

5) it is one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per person and it needs to be in your carry on or it will be confiscated

6) I have no idea sorry :( what i do know is if you go to the port shopping guide seminar they tell you your customs allowances and if you miss it on your TV they repeat it periodically.

7) I have only ever done the online check in so i would not be able to answer this question

 

 

most importantly have a fantastic cruise! :)

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firespud

firespud

Posted
Posted

Last time we cruised out of Miami they had the self serve kiosks where you could check in. Then you only had to get in line to get your sail and sign card. You had to have checked in on the Carnival website in order to use the kiosks. It did speed things up for us. As far as identity fraud, I would believe that the Carnival website is very secure. So many people are using it every day and I have never heard of anyone having a problem with identity fraud after using it. If they had I'm sure we would have heard about it here!!

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Chill_1

Chill_1

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  • Author
Posted

Wow, thank you for so many helpful responses so quickly.

I think I have all of my questions answered.

And for all of us paranoid folks with tin foil helmets blocking the signals -

-

Originally Posted by jhamp244 View Post

Don't put in your passport number, just check birth certificate.

- Good idea

 

Thanks again, I will be sure to drink a 101 oz beer for all of you :D

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted

One point to consider with regards to your creamer. If you can get single servings, that would be better. Just about any factory sealed food container is acceptable, but the "refrigerators" in the cabins (if yours has one, it is a "beverage cooler" are not really designed to keep dairy (not sure if DD creamer has anything other than chemicals) for any length of time.

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