Help I am totally lost!

[src1965]

This will (hopefully) be my daughters and I first cruise. But so many questions! :o:o:o:o:o:o

 

1. I know we want to do Carnival.

2. I have vertigo (but on Meclizine)

3. Daughter says Bahamas

4. Passport?

5. Travel agent or cheaper on our own?

6. Is it cheaper for a handicap cabin and I need a window?

7. May have more questions lol

[bUU]

This will (hopefully) be my daughters and I first cruise. But so many questions! :o:o:o:o:o:o

 

1. I know we want to do Carnival.

2. I have vertigo (but on Meclizine)

3. Daughter says Bahamas

4. Passport?

5. Travel agent or cheaper on our own?

6. Is it cheaper for a handicap cabin and I need a window?

7. May have more questions lol

 

1. Nothing wrong with that.

2. I don't see a problem.

3. That might be all your daughter knows; we have been twice and it's a good place to start but there are far better itineraries imho.

4. I don't remember if it is required but regardless do it anyway. Something might happen requiring you to fly home, in which case you'll need it.

5. A great travel agent is better than direct and direct is better than a bad travel agent. We can't recommend travel agents and so we can't help you find a good one.

6. Handicapped cabins are not cheaper. Oceanview handicapped cabins are generally available.

 

 

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

[paul929207]

Handicap cabins frequently sell out quickly.

[cb at sea]

You know the Bahamas are NOT in the Caribbean...so unless you're going in late spring/summer/early fall, it could be chilly...the Bahamas have Florida-like weather. If I were you, I'd try to go to the actual Caribbean...

 

If it's a "closed loop" cruise (starts and ends in the same U.S. city) then a BC and DL are all you need. NO Caribbean or Bahama port needs a passport from CRUISE passengers.

 

HC cabins cost the same as any other of the same category. You can get an INSIDE HC cabin or a fancy HC SUITE....you pay the going rate for the category.

[SbbquilterUT]

Can I ask why you are only looking at Carnival? What ages are your daughters nd what do you want to do? We do not like the Bahamas particularly, prefer the isLands of the Eastern or Southern Caribbean. As others have said, handicapped cabins are limited and tend to be chosen very early. Good luck.

[src1965]

Can I ask why you are only looking at Carnival? What ages are your daughters nd what do you want to do? We do not like the Bahamas particularly, prefer the isLands of the Eastern or Southern Caribbean. As others have said, handicapped cabins are limited and tend to be chosen very early. Good luck.

 

My daughter is 21 and I know we are looking at September of next year!

[Bizmark'sMom]

The Bahamas are very nice if you haven't been before. Have a conch fritter, find a nice beach, and enjoy.

 

Carnival does a good job on their cruises.

 

Do you need a handicapped accessible room? There is no difference in price. I always book at least an ocean view room, because I need the natural light. I never book handicap accessible, because I don't need those features.

 

I never leave the US without my passport. But, for a cruise starting and ending at the same port in the US (a closed loop) you can board with a driver's license and official birth certificate.

 

I use a travel agent if my plans are kind of complicated. It sounds like you will be well served by a travel agent.

 

The meclizine isn't a problem. A lot of your fellow passengers will be using the same medication for sea sickness.

 

Most of all, know that this will be a fantastic vacation. Cruise companies are very good at ensuring that their passengers enjoy themselves.

[sloopsailor]

Do you need a handicap cabin? If so, book early before they are reserved. There are only a few HC cabins available on most ships.

 

If not needed, grab a standard cabin and leave the handicapped cabins for people who really need it. You will have more selection, and have more variety in location and deck levels with a standard cabin.

 

And I also recommend the Caribbean rather than the Bahamas for the reasons already stated.

 

And don't rule out other cruise lines. There is a wide variety of cruse lines and ships to chose from. Pretty much all of them will provide you with an enjoyable cruise. Check with a travel agent about the different atmospheres on the various cruise lines. Some are better at entertainment, some better at food quality, some are more pampering, etc. Be flexible and you should be able to find the best cruise line and ship for you and your daughter, which may or may not be Carnival.

 

A passport is not necessary if everything goes according to plan. But in the case of an emergency where you may have to leave the ship and get home on your own, a passport will be indispensable. It is always safer to have one just in case.

 

In almost every case, a travel agent will be cheaper than directly with the cruise line. A good travel agent will get you the same deals the cruise line offers, plus additional benefits such as on-board credit, pre-paid gratuities, or some other bonus to book with them.

 

And since some people are not aware of this, if you aren't aware of this yet, you will be charge daily for gratuities to the service staff who work to make your cruise comfortable and enjoyable. Most cruise lines typically charge around $14 per day per person, but this can vary by cruise line and category of cabin. So, please plan for this additional expense so you won't be surprised when you get your end of cruise account statement.

 

And a final note: you will have to make the final payment about 2 months before the cruise date. This may vary by cruise line and length of cruise. Up until then, all cruise lines require a deposit, typically $500 per person, although promotions often lower the deposit, sometimes down to $50. In most cases this deposit is fully refundable if cancelled before final payment. However, some cruise lines now offer non-refundable deposits to get a lower fare price. If you aren't 100% sure you will be able to take the cruise, select the refundable deposit to avoid losing any money in cancelled.

Edited May 13, 2018 by sloopsailor

[broberts]

This will (hopefully) be my daughters and I first cruise. But so many questions! :o:o:o:o:o:o

 

1. I know we want to do Carnival.

2. I have vertigo (but on Meclizine)

3. Daughter says Bahamas

4. Passport?

5. Travel agent or cheaper on our own?

6. Is it cheaper for a handicap cabin and I need a window?

7. May have more questions lol

 

1. A good choice, but so are other lines.
   
2. If Meclizine controls the vertigo, I don't think you will have a problem. But you may want to discuss this with your doctor.
   
3. Bahamas is nice for a short cruise. If you are going for 7 or more days you may want to consider something that goes further south.
   
4. Generally a good idea. Not necessary if the cruise leaves from and returns to the same US port (closed loop). But would then need other proof of citizenship. (Born in US, official birth certificate, not hospital, and government issued photo id.)
   
5. One can find discount TA on the internet. But since this is first experience with cruising I would suggest finding a TA that specializes in cruise travel.
   
6. You will want an Oceanview or Balcony. Handicap cabins usually have to be booked a fair bit in advance. Quite a variance in cabin prices. All cruise lines try to maximize the revenue by pricing cabins based on type (inside, oceanview, balcony, etc.) and location.
   

[Tatka]

I’d check all lines, and wouldn’t limit myself to Bahamas.

Don’t do short cruises! Do 7 Days to start

[Z'Loth]

Passport book - YES! Make life easier on yourself. Non-expedited passports take up to six weeks to process, and are good for up to ten years.

 

Please do not fly in on the same day of your cruise. You are asking for trouble. Fly in at least the day before and stay overnight. Book your airline tickets early.

 

Personally, I don't do anything shorter than a week. My next cruise will be the longest at ten days and will be my first solo cruise.

 

Be sure to purchase travel insurance at the same time as your cruise in order to get the pre-existing condition waiver. See this Cruise Critic article. The main reason why I get travel insurance is for the possible medical evacuation back to the United States which can cost a good chunk of money.

[Essiesmom]

Be very careful about booking an accessible cabin with Carnival. they have fully accessible and ambulatory accessible. If you use a wheelchair or scooter, the ambulatory accessible may not work for you: scooter/WC might not fit through the door. You should discuss your needs with the Special Needs people at the cruiseline before booking. EM

[KKB]

This will (hopefully) be my daughters and I first cruise. But so many questions! :o:o:o:o:o:o

 

1. I know we want to do Carnival.

2. I have vertigo (but on Meclizine)

3. Daughter says Bahamas

4. Passport?

5. Travel agent or cheaper on our own?

6. Is it cheaper for a handicap cabin and I need a window?

7. May have more questions lol

 

Carnival is fine to start; but you might consider other lines. Sometimes Carnival looks cheapest but when you compare similar rooms they may not be.

 

Meclizine will help if you have any seasickness!

 

Bahamas good; expect may be cool. Do look at Caribbean. I agree 7 day if you have time.

 

Passport--NOT required. Just need certified birth certificate & driver's license. If don't know if you will cruise again or travel internationally, I would not spend the $ now. We cruised for years without one.

 

TA or on your own? I book using large online TAs & usually get better deals than booking directly. But not a HUGE difference.

 

We booked interiors for years. Hardly in our room anyway. Now we book balcony--once you go balcony, awfully tough to go back.

 

Handicap rooms are not more expensive. But cruise lines do expect you only to book it if you need it.

[SuiteTraveler]

I strongly recommend you discuss whether or not you should cruise since you have vertigo. There is something called Mal de Barquement syndrome and some people never recover from this. https://vestibular.org/mal-de-debarquement

 

To be completely honest, the Bahamas are some of the worst ports with very little to do and lousy beaches. If your daughters want to go to Atlantis, it is better to do a land trip and stay off resort at Comfort Suites Paradise Island - where guests can get Atlantis passes - it is the ONLY off property hotel where this is possible and much cheaper than staying on Atlantis and breakfast is included. There are tons of restaurants in the area, off of Atlantis, all of which are drastically cheaper than anything on Atlantis. However, there are waterparks in Orlando Florida which are a whole lot nicer than Atlantis and offer a lot more slides and water features and the prices are drastically cheaper. So...if that is the attraction, go to Orlando instead and stay somewhere near Volcano Bay - Universal's water park which is the newest and, IMO, the best or Disney's Typhoon lagoon or Blizzard Beach both of which are really great. Rent a cabana and have a wonderful time there instead!

 

Other than that, I can't think of much of any reason to go to the Bahamas unless maybe you want to see Anna Nicole Smith's grave or the little pirate museum in Nassau which is nice, but not a big deal or something. If they think it will be like the TV show Black Sails they will be very disappointed - in fact that show was filmed in Cape Town South Africa. The Southern Caribbean (usually out of San Juan) has the best and most diverse islands. My favorites are Curacao with the pontoon bridge, St. Lucia with the drive through volcano and Grenada for spices, the Eastern and Western Caribbean are also nice and have ports with better excursion opportunities and drastically better beaches than the Bahamas.

 

If your doctor advises against cruising, go to any all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean and you will have nearly the exact same experience as you would on a cruise - just not moving around on a ship. Not sure the ages of your daughters, but if they are kids/teens, Beaches resorts are awesome!

 

Should you decide to sail, I recommend you consider RCCL ships, Oasis class as they are pretty much the finest family ships at sea with so much to do onboard you cannot do it all in a week. Their direct competitors are NCL Escape, Getaway, Breakaway and Epic and the MSC Seaside. Carnival is a big step down from RCCL, NCL and MSC. The issue I have had with Carnival is that they implemented a new menu last year and the food is just not very good. In fact, on our last Carnival cruise after experiencing the new menus, we paid extra to eat in the steakhouse all but 3 nights. They also removed the table cloths and now have gone to pre-making the sandwiches in the deli instead of making them to order. It's a shame as Carnival used to have respectably good food.

 

As to whether or not you need a passport, yes, you do. While you can travel with just your birth certificate and Driver's License, IF something were to happen - a medical emergency or having to leave the cruise for some reason, you would be stranded on whatever Caribbean island you are on which may or may not have a US Consulate which means, you would have to travel to another island to get to a US Consulate to get a passport to be able to fly home. Think carefully about how fun that might be if you have a broken leg or have had something else go wrong and need to get to the US quickly for medical treatment because the hospitals down in the Caribbean are not very good compared to US hospitals.

 

Always book your cruise through the cruise line. This way, you are in control of your reservation.

 

You don't mention if your husband is coming along, but if you are divorced and your daughter is underage, you will need notarized permission from her father for her to travel. Otherwise, the cruise line will deny your daughter embarkation. https://philalegal.org/html/Sample_letter_of_consent_to_travel.pdf

Edited May 13, 2018 by SuiteTraveler

[FredT]

One more comment to make.... Remember that September is in the height of the hurricane season. While there is nothing to work about "safety" wise, many MANY cruises find their itineraries changed every year to avoid the part of a hurricane.

 

PS:

 

And add me to the "why the heck do you WANT to fo to the Bahama's? Not much to do, pushy aggressive people around the ports....

[Grandma Dazzles]

Agree with other posters about Bahamas. Not a fan. Wondering why you are committed to Carnival when you haven’t cruised before and are just planning. You are limiting yourself by only considering one line and destination.

 

Not sure about Carnival but some cruiselines will ask why you need a handicapped cabin and if you are not handicapped they may move you to a regular cabin if a handicapped is needed by another passenger. I know they can’t ask you many questions but there is a way of phrasing it which they use.

[shipgeeks]

Where do you live? Are you assuming you will fly to Florida to board your ship? Are you aware of cruises (including Carnival and Royal Caribbean) that sail from Baltimore, New York, and other ports?

[NantahalaCruiser]

Regarding whether or not to use a Travel Agent, you will find diverse opinions here on Cruise Critic. Some will say you should book directly with the cruise line in order to "maintain control" of your reservation while others will say use a TA for their advice or to save money.

 

I use a "big box" warehouse store's travel department in order to save money. They have the save prices as available through a cruise line and give back a store credit in the amount of about 8% of the cost of your cruise.

 

Whatever you choices, have a wonderful cruise.

[src1965]

Where do you live? Are you assuming you will fly to Florida to board your ship? Are you aware of cruises (including Carnival and Royal Caribbean) that sail from Baltimore, New York, and other ports?

This is why I am asking in advance!