FLArmyWife

oh man at least you were able to get an answer and it wasn't just floating around the postal service.

There are cruise packages including shuttle from Embassy Suites. However, if you just book hotel, you can sign up for shuttle for $9 per person.. A taxi costs $12 incl tip. For us it was more convenient to ask valet to order taxi which arrived in under five minutes, go directly to 'our' ship without waiting for shuttle to fill and for 2 people, was cheaper !!!!!!

I highly recommend the Hyatt Place Convention on 17th Street thru valuetrips.com. We used value trips to get the Hyatt Place 17th Street and got this hotel at a reduced cost. They offer a shuttle from the airport to the hotel for $2 per room and a shuttle to the pier for $7/person with a free breakfast. Lots of restaurants and stores within walking distance. Highly recommend this hotel.

Thank you both

Going to the beach this coming weekend and hoping to work on a base tan to help me be less likely to be fried on the cruise.

I am hispanic, so usually I tan really well, but right after high school I had a bad burn (sun poisoning and all) and so for the last 10 years I have burnt a little easier than I used to.

OP, did your GC ever come?

Also I don't remember who but I did see someone who had said they never seem to get to snag one.. well they're up and have been for an extended period of time if you want to try now!

Lots of answers to this question on the Florida Departures board, under North American Homeports. EM

oh Thanks! Didn't even cross my mind. Being still new to cruise critic I only have figured out how to read through cruise line specific boards. I will have to find that one

Thank you.

Does anyone know of a hotel in the FLL/Port Everglades area that has a shuttle to the port?

Haven't done so in a while but interested to hear you can do it while cruising. Do you all print out different locations first? Use your cell on the island to use the map?

So pretty sure hubs has forgotten about mention of a cruise. I threw him off by talking to him about a possible trip at the end of the year (to celebrate our anniversary and our son's birthday [early]) to an all inclusive resort possibly in Jamaica. He has been looking up flights, hotels, etc lol which definitely helps keep him from prying into more info about the aforementioned cruise.

as for the cruise... gosh I'm ready for it to get here. It's pretty much set in stone that we WILL be moving at the end of August which means this will be an even bigger MUCH needed break between his intense program and our next step. Can time speed up until right before then and then crawl by during the cruise? if only...

the kids program looks cool. something I'll keep in the back of my mind for when we cruise with my LO in the future

My wife, son, and I were going on a cruise a few months before her 40th birthday. She knew we were going on a cruise, but what she didn't know is that I had planned for a number of our friends and family to join us on board as a surprise. We ended up with a group of about 18 people. I planned for them to all meet in one of the lounges on board before muster. Then we walked around the ship before muster with our son (who was 3 at the time). We came around a corner and they were all there with a happy 39 2/3 birthday sign. I also planned a party for everyone with food and an open bar in one of the lounges on a sea day. (A really good deal, actually.)

 

In any event, we had my boss over for dinner about 2 weeks before the cruise. She said something about having a big group going with us. I could have killed her. I definitely would have kicked her under the table if I could have reached her. I kept glaring at her, and she just kept going on and on and on, about how she thought we had a big group going. I kept saying no, no, no. Fortunately, my wife and I have discussed doing that the year before, but didn't do it. So, I used that as cover and kept insisting she was mixing up the stories. Fortunately, my wife bought my explanation and had completely forgotten about it by the time we got on board and had a big group with us.

 

Whether your hubby knows or not, it's going to be a great time. I'm sure he'll appreciate your effort.

Thank you

How fun! But man oh man I can't believe your boss didn't get the hint.

lol. She is a 23 year old full time grad student who only works during the summer. She didn't know it was a surprise so it's ok because when I gave her a certain look she stopped in her tracks and did her best to recover/change it up.

Thanks everyone.

Have fun with this tell him to pack a parka and fishing pole as Iceland is still cold during the summer.

:')

that is true. he won't know what cruise line, what ports, etc.

Thanks... other random question about aerosols... I know they don't like them because they're flammable usually but what about spray deodorant? if it's in your carry-on will they allow it?

in other news yesterday marked 60 days exactly from the reveal date and... my sister blew it :( I guess my mom hadn't explained it was a surprise so while hubs was sitting at the table with us she said "So while mom is watching the baby while you're on the cruise"... My death stare got her to stop quickly in which she tried to save it but it was a horrible save and I just knew he had caught on.

Later during running errands we were in the car and had the following conversation:

Me: I need you to be honest.. how much did you hear of what S said?

DH: A good amount.. something about watching the baby and a cruise.. the cruise.. something like that

Me: (deep breath moment of silence then) how much do you want to know

DH: as little as possible. If this is the surprise you've been working hard on I don't want to know.

Thankfully at that moment my mom called so I answered the phone and got us off the subject so I didn't have to explain if it was part of the surprise or not.

But I definitely feel so deflated about the entire thing now. His birthday is in July and I'm really thinking I'm just going to tell him then as a joint birthday/graduation gift. I wanted to, still want to, cry. I worked SO hard on keeping it secret all this time and got SO close.

So soda question... do the soda HAVE to all be the same? I know it reads a 12pk.. but can I divide it up and bring 6 pepsi and 6 ginger ale?

oh I received the upsell/upgrade fairy call last night and politely decline.. I was just curious. We cruised disney when I was a child and my mom said my uncles happened to get a complimentary/free upgrade on the ship. It isn't something I expect or even figured they would do, I was mainly just curious

Those are not the only cabins that may be open.

There could be another 100 cabins that are assigned to Travel Agency groups that just haven't sold yet.

 

oh wow never thought of that. sounds like we could luck out and have a quiet ship

 

And No, unless it's a part of a promotion, Carnival ain't doin nothin for free

lol that's what I figured.

First, how are you seeing all these rooms available?

 

I see the rooms available when I pull up the cruise and go to make another booking. Those are all the available rooms.

 

Second, do you mean "complimentary" as in free?

yes

Out of curiousity, does anyone know if Carnival does "complimentary" upgrades.

In essence, they "oversell" their cheapest interior rooms, then give "complimentary" upgrades to some of those rooms into open ocean view rooms, etc etc.

I only ask because I've noticed that there are 11 ocean suits still available, 15+ balconies available (I quit counting after finding 10+ on one level), 26 ocean view rooms available,

then again I did just count 35 available interior rooms still so who knows...

no. That is WAY over budget. We don't spend a ton of time in the room.

I only did a balcony room because I'm very claustrophobic and it helps to ease my anxiety disorder. I've done an inside stateroom before and just.. no.. no no no lol..

But it was nice to get the call and know it exists

Does an ocean suite have a balcony or just ocean view?

 

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it is a larger room and larger balcony is the way she explained it. There is a jetted tub instead of just a shower, some walking dressing area type thing (she was trying to hype it up and said ladies like it because they don't have to get ready in the bathroom), double sinks, etc.

all in all she said it's like 100 sqft more. We spend little time in the room so even if it was in the budget I wouldn't have done it

How does one get one of these phone calls? Does it happen close to sailing time?

 

 

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My assumption is this: as you get closer to booking they start looking at what rooms are available. (last time I checked there were 30 balcony rooms, about 5 suites). My guess is they believe people aren't booking because the more expensive rooms are all that's available. So they try to get those of us already booked to move UP so that in a trickle affect inside cabins/port hole type rooms move up to balconies etc etc and eventually more of the really cheap rooms become available so more people book. Their ultimate goal is to get a full ship and make the most money. it's easier for them to sell an 'upgrade' and loose only $200 for that room rather than drop the prices several hundred pp just to get them filled.

Have to say I was kinda surprise tonight when the upgrade fairy called offering an upgrade from an 8D balcony to an ocean suite for $430 total for the week. She also tried to say the suite benefits would mean I could get rid of FTTF.

I politely declined but was pleasantly shocked that it happened.

upgrade fairy called tonight to offer an ocean suite for an extra $430 total