First Timer—HELP!

[Ambam24]

Hi all, 

 

Please go easy on me, I’m a first time cruiser who likes to be prepared. I have done a ton of research, but nothing compares to first hand experiences of others. 

 

Quick background- cruising with Celebrity on the Equinox (conceriege class). We leave out of MIA on March 2 and are visiting San Juan, St Thomas, Punta Cana, and Nassau. I don’t have any excursions booked yet, looking to do that in the next week. Any recommendations? We are 27 and 28 (DH) looking for more relaxing activities vs adventurous activities. 

 

Here come the (probably) dumb questions: 

 

How much cash do you bring with you? When shopping at ports, do they take debit cards? 

 

If you charge an item to your room, do they bill you daily? Or is it all charged on the final day of your trip? 

 

Anyone get lucky with a deal on the premium drink package on board with celebrity? We originally booked an inside room but bid on a concerige room, so don’t have any perks. Wondering if we can shave a little off the $69/day? Does the price increase on the ship?

 

We return back to Miami at approx 7am. Looking at a 10:30 flight back home out of MIA. Cutting it too close?

 

I’m sure I’ll think of many more questions, but those are the ones that come to mind right now. Thank you for any insight, tips, or suggestions you have! 

[LHT28]

you may want to have a look on the Celebrity forum

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/

 

Ports of call

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

[txflood33]

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

Hi all, 

 

Please go easy on me, I’m a first time cruiser who likes to be prepared. I have done a ton of research, but nothing compares to first hand experiences of others. 

 

Quick background- cruising with Celebrity on the Equinox (conceriege class). We leave out of MIA on March 2 and are visiting San Juan, St Thomas, Punta Cana, and Nassau. I don’t have any excursions booked yet, looking to do that in the next week. Any recommendations? We are 27 and 28 (DH) looking for more relaxing activities vs adventurous activities. 

 

Hello and welcome

Since you are sailing Celebrity, you might get better/faster results on the Celebrity board

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/

 

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

Here come the (probably) dumb questions: 

No such thing as a dumb question. That's how we learn and we all start somewhere.

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

 

How much cash do you bring with you? When shopping at ports, do they take debit cards? 

All of these stops take USD and all will have ATMs. All should also take credit cards. Just make sure you are using one with no international fees...I believe Capital One has no fees. I don't recommend using a debit card simply for the 'what ifs'. What if your card gets compromised....dishonest vendor, skimmer on an ATM...whatever. Use a credit card where you will have more protection. JMO

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

 

If you charge an item to your room, do they bill you daily? Or is it all charged on the final day of your trip? 

When you board they will set you and your husband up with a Seapass card. It will have your picture embedded in the magnetic stripe and will be the key to your room. You will also link a credit card to it and everything you do onboard that costs extra....drinks, excursions purchased through Celebrity, specialty dining, etc....Again, I recommend using a credit card here. For debit cards they will make a large authorization to make sure the funds are secured. It can take up to 30 days for any of those unused funds to be released and made available to you. Usually quicker...but just in case.

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

 

Anyone get lucky with a deal on the premium drink package on board with celebrity? We originally booked an inside room but bid on a concerige room, so don’t have any perks. Wondering if we can shave a little off the $69/day? Does the price increase on the ship?

There is a chance you will be offered a sale on a drink package, but there is no guarantee. 

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

 

We return back to Miami at approx 7am. Looking at a 10:30 flight back home out of MIA. Cutting it too close?

I would say that's cutting it too close. Any delay in disembarking can throw the schedule off....the big one being customs.

 

5 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

 

I’m sure I’ll think of many more questions, but those are the ones that come to mind right now. Thank you for any insight, tips, or suggestions you have! 

Happy cruising. Hope this was helpful.

[Ambam24]

@LHT28 thank you very much, still trying to get the hang of the forums. I will take a look there. 

 

@txflood33 - really really appreciate your detailed reply and advice. I believe a few of my credit cards do not have international fees, I will be sure to look into that before we depart. Good thinking about the extra peace of mind if something were to happen with our debit card. I will also take a look at the Celebrity forums, still learning how to navigate the website. Thank you again so much for your kindness and advice! 

[cb at sea]

I would NEVER use a debit card...it's directly linked to your checking account, and it provides NO protection.  Get a real credit card, or use cash....they still take cash!  At your ports, you really don't need to worry about "international fees".

 

EVERYTHING on the ship is charged to your room account.  It's settled when the cruise is over.  You cannot use cash on the ship to pay for anything...it's all charged.  Here's the thing...if you "link" your account to your DEBIT card, you will incur HOLDS from your bank...and they can last a week or longer.  It can truly affect your spending.  Better to use CASH if all you have is a debit card.  Simply take the cash from your account, bring it with you (large bills are easier to carry..the ship can break down the larger bills for you) and pay everything in cash the night prior...when lines are shorter at customer service.  Celebrity will allow a certain amount of charging before you need to pay it off.

 

10:30 out of MIA (if your port is Miami) is fine.  Just make sure you're in one of the 1st groups off the ship.

[Ambam24]

@cb at sea thank you so much for your advice. We have several credit cards, I will be sure to attach that to my SeaPass account. I didn’t even think about the pre-authorization holds that would happen with a debit card. 

 

Thank you for reassurance on the flight. Yes, the port is Miami and would be flying out of MIA. Is there a way to request being in the first groups? Kind of foggy with how that process works. 

 

Thanks again 

[Lois R]

29 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

@cb at sea thank you so much for your advice. We have several credit cards, I will be sure to attach that to my SeaPass account. I didn’t even think about the pre-authorization holds that would happen with a debit card. 

 

Thank you for reassurance on the flight. Yes, the port is Miami and would be flying out of MIA. Is there a way to request being in the first groups? Kind of foggy with how that process works. 

 

Thanks again 

Hi, yes, you can request being in an early group off the ship.  There are many people who take their own luggage and "walk off" themselves as soon as the ship has cleared customs. 

 

You will be receiving paperwork from Guest Relations about 1/2 way through cruise concerning your disembarkation plans.

Being new, it may probably all be a bit overwhelming on here but the cruise line pretty much has it down to a science...there are numbers and colors that are given to everyone (unless your are walking off). Example, RED 1, BLUE 10, etc,….your color/number depends on what you filled out on your form.  It will be easier

and go more smoothly than you think right now

 

[Nic6318]

14 minutes ago, Ambam24 said:

@cb at sea thank you so much for your advice. We have several credit cards, I will be sure to attach that to my SeaPass account. I didn’t even think about the pre-authorization holds that would happen with a debit card. 

 

Thank you for reassurance on the flight. Yes, the port is Miami and would be flying out of MIA. Is there a way to request being in the first groups? Kind of foggy with how that process works. 

 

Thanks again 

Hi

 

While CB seemed to reassure you, you asked if you were cutting it close. Well the answer is "yes". If you have an easy option for a flight closer to noon, the you could feel much more certain about catching your flight.

 

More than likely you will have no issues, but hen the cruise line says they will arrive at 7 a.m., it means they might arrive at 5, 6, or even 10 a.m.

 

What you will need to do to be among the first groups off the ship, is to participate in the "self assist debarkation". They will explain all the details on the ship the day before, but the main thrust is that at the end of the cruise you will need to keep all your luggage with you (instead of having the crew take it off the ship) and be prepared to carry it off the ship on your own when they announce that you are allowed to debark. It will mean some extra standing around waiting, but not a big deal unless you have some disabilities, but keep that in mind when you are packing (it's only a one week cruise, you will need to carry all your luggage off the ship).

 

hope this helps

 

 

[Ambam24]

@Nic6318 you are totally right, I did ask about cutting it close. My DH was much more concerned than I was, so that was the reasoning for my question. I tend to take “risks”..haven’t been burned yet but I typically travel for work so DH isn’t impacted. So I’m reassured that a 10:30 flight will probably work, but perhaps a flight closer to noon is probably the best way to go..at least for DH’s nerves 😂  

 

Really appreciate your info about debarkation. I had no idea how the process went, so that is really helpful! Thanks so much! 

[Husky61]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

I would NEVER use a debit card...it's directly linked to your checking account, and it provides NO protection.  Get a real credit card, or use cash....they still take cash!  At your ports, you really don't need to worry about "international fees".

With ATM or debit cards, you must act quickly in order to avoid full liability for unauthorized charges when your card is lost or stolen. Under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, your liability is: ... up to $50 if you notify the bank within two business days after you realize the card is missing.

[CruiseGal999]

On 2/17/2019 at 5:06 PM, Ambam24 said:

@cb at sea thank you so much for your advice. We have several credit cards, I will be sure to attach that to my SeaPass account. I didn’t even think about the pre-authorization holds that would happen with a debit card. 

 

Thank you for reassurance on the flight. Yes, the port is Miami and would be flying out of MIA. Is there a way to request being in the first groups? Kind of foggy with how that process works. 

 

Thanks again 

 

One way is to self-disembark ... meaning walk off with ALL of your luggage in hand.  You can then be one of the first off of the ship.  Get in line early in the a.m.  

[navybankerteacher]

Good idea to ask.  10:30 is cutting it close, you could probably make it IF YOU SELF DISEMBARK - carrying all your luggage yourself, and being ready to go as soon as cleared.  If you have options, I would shoot for a noon or later flight.

For ports: You could explore Old San Juan on foot on your own - great old Spanish colonial city.  For St. Thomas - shopping, if that’s your thing - or take boat over to St. John for beautiful beach.  Nassau is dismal— you are not there long enough to justify paying for Atlantis, you could take a taxi to Cabbage Beach - on Paradise Island just east of Atlantis. I do not know about Punta Cana.

[pacruise804]

On 2/17/2019 at 5:52 PM, Ambam24 said:

Hi all, 

 

Please go easy on me, I’m a first time cruiser who likes to be prepared. I have done a ton of research, but nothing compares to first hand experiences of others. 

 

Quick background- cruising with Celebrity on the Equinox (conceriege class). We leave out of MIA on March 2 and are visiting San Juan, St Thomas, Punta Cana, and Nassau. I don’t have any excursions booked yet, looking to do that in the next week. Any recommendations? We are 27 and 28 (DH) looking for more relaxing activities vs adventurous activities. 

Congratulations of your first cruise and thank you for giving information about what you are looking for.

On 2/17/2019 at 5:52 PM, Ambam24 said:

Here come the (probably) dumb questions: 

 

How much cash do you bring with you? When shopping at ports, do they take debit cards? 

This will really vary from person to person and what you are doing in the ports.  I know San Juan and Nassau will take USD.  Since St. Thomas is part of the US, it should be USD also.  I'm not familiar with Punta Cana, but as a Caribbean cruise stop they likely also take USD.  I would have enough cash for taxi (if needed), small shopping, and tips for drivers and guides.  If you are booking a guide/excursion at the port then you might need cash for your excursion too.

 

Since you have credit cards I would use them rather than debit.  If your debit card has the Visa logo and the transaction is processed as credit, then you do have the full Visa protections.  If you keep a comfortable cushion in your checking account you should be fine with holds, but if you run a tight balance then holds could be an issue.  (You might have similar issues if you don't have much available balance on your credit card).

 

If you charge an item to your room, do they bill you daily? Or is it all charged on the final day of your trip? 

 

I don't know why the post is sometimes splitting up your original post.?  Shipboard charges will vary (gratuities might be charged all at once or might be throughout the cruise), but generally you should be able to view each days charges within a few hours of purchase.  I haven't sailed X, but other lines have apps that let you view your balances or you can request a statement from Guest Services.  I think it is good to check each day just to verify and make sure there are no surprises.

On 2/17/2019 at 5:52 PM, Ambam24 said:

Anyone get lucky with a deal on the premium drink package on board with celebrity? We originally booked an inside room but bid on a concerige room, so don’t have any perks. Wondering if we can shave a little off the $69/day? Does the price increase on the ship?

 

We return back to Miami at approx 7am. Looking at a 10:30 flight back home out of MIA. Cutting it too close?

 

I’m sure I’ll think of many more questions, but those are the ones that come to mind right now. Thank you for any insight, tips, or suggestions you have! 

my answers above

[JMorris271]

You mentioned shaving $69 of the cost. If you are talking about a Bev package, that charge is per person ands all in a cabin are required to buy it.

Have a wonderful cruise and watch out for the buccaneers.