newcruiser1956

This is helpful

 

From what I read - I gather I have to change the paperwork from "people to people" to the "supporting Cuban people" box on the forms

Intersting

 

WHat then is the people to people box for???

It is supposed to be education tours that have you doing something with the people from what I gathered... Honestly, they do not care which one you check. I was in Cuba few weeks ago and clicked support the cuban people and spent all day on a tour with Blexie.

I have read where people mention making monthly payments on a cruise. How does one do this? Do you have to book through Carnival, and set it up with them? Or can you set up payments with anyone? This seems like a pretty easy way to pay for a cruise up front.

Carnival had it as a choice when I booked my next cruise, I agree, seemed like a painless way to pay for my cruise :)

Emergency room is now $85 and we have to pay even when we are admitted to the hospital. Again any prescriptions we are given we fill at our local drug store.

I would love to have an $85 co pay for the ER, mine is $500. Believe me, you think long and hard before you go. I try to go to the regular doctor $25. or urgent care $75 first.

I was in Cuba a few weeks ago, I felt very safe. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Make sure to take kleenex/TP with you, many bathrooms do not have it. Expect to tip an attendant if the bathroom has one.

Some of us are not employEES.

Exactly, some of us are owners and really need to be in contact with our company if they need something important.

What girl did you hand what to?

When you come off the ship into the terminal you go through immigration..they will look at your passport and the visa. The lady looking at my visa barely looked at it. I do not think they care why the American are there, they are just grateful that we are bringing much-needed money to their country. After you go through that section you will go see the money exchange.

Make sure to take Toilet paper or kleenex with you... There are not many bathrooms and you may find some without TP.

Not at all, what happens if that employee is ill, hospitalized or dead? That employee is a single point of failure, and a robust company reduces single points of failure to as few as is possible.

 

Obviously, there are exceptions primarily medical specialists and people who are self-employed. But in general no person should be so vital to a workplace that they can't drop out of contact for a week.

I am the owner, the buck stops here... I hope that my staff is able to handle everything, I have trained them well but occasionally they have a question that they need direction for. Yes I could say handle it and I will deal with it when I get home but what if it was something that would cost us many thousands of dollars?

It is just easier for them to be able to message me if they need me. They try to not bother me. I probably bother them more checking in with them than them contacting me.

Hello,

If I decide to buy the wifi package before I cruise, how and where do I get the wifi password? Is it in the cabin? Thanks!

The instructions will be sitting on the desk when you come into your room (or it was for me when i was on the ship)

It's actually kind of a running joke (in my head) regarding these threads. They always, always have the same result. SOME "old people" just cannot fathom why SOME "young people" have to stay connected.

 

Just do a search, it's the same thing, every time. Eventually you have to get to the point where you just laugh at how ridiculous it all is. :)

Wait a minute I am old as heck and I stay connected. Not all old people fit into your stereo type. I have had a computer since the very first Tandy color computers came out that were 4 K machines and had no hard drive.

Though you're likely to see my head buried in my phone while I'm sitting on the sundeck, I'm not using wifi. I preload a bunch of books on my Kindle app before a cruise. A lot more space efficient than stuffing physical books in my suitcase.

 

 

 

 

I agree, the odds are very high that I am actually reading a book, although I might also might be reading articles from several newspapers I subscribe to or really wasting my time reading Reddit or big smile, the cruise boards :) I can do it all with my phone :)

I don't think they care, I was in cuba 2 weeks ago, I had marked support of Cuban people because I had booked a private tour. The girl barely looked at it when I handed it to her.

Well my cruise is March 2019 and I checked just now and it’s sold out! Plus almost 100 bucks!oh well maybe next time

Little secret, if you are flying into Miami, check in at their big booth at the airport (it is down stairs, follow the signs for ground transportation) This will get you into the terminal building much faster and you get in zone 1 for getting on the ship (You are right behind FFTF and all the special groups)

alana

Of course, i didnt think as it was just a general question about cruising as my wife adn I are starting to question its value. Its Celebrity Silhouette, 13 nights, consiege class. As I say, it was more a general question about value with cruising

You could save a lot of money buy going to for a less expensive room instead.

I will buy the tickets and hope for the best!!! Nothing else to do!

You should talk to your cruise insurance, mine allows me to add the plane etc to it. that way you are safe :)

It's been years since I've cruise Carnival and I've never actually sailed them out of Miami until now..... does this only work the day of boarding? Can you check in if you fly in one day early?

Don't know, but if you are walking by the big booth it is worth asking :)

ALana

I always wondered if they just repeat the activities on each cruise. I was on the sky the trip before yours. My dailies read identically to yours. :)

Thanks everyone for the detailed info. I did not know there was a difference between check in time and boarding time. Now I know. Cheers!

Little secret, if you are flying into Miami, you can check in at the airport, (it is downstairs towards ground transportation, huge booth set up) they do the picture etc and put you in group 1 for boarding behind the "special" people and FFTTF. Also gets you through the terminal much faster.

I don't recall seeing one but then I don't use them so didn't look for one.

Regarding the person complaining about how awful the ship was. It was very clean when I was on it in January. You would see the staff cleaning all the time.

I did not hear people yelling in the halls etc, he may have been on a drunker crowd or "shudder" during spring break.

I was wondering if anyone has used texting to keep track of family while on board the same cruise ship. We will be on the Breeze. We are Verizon is it .50 to send and .5 to receive texts. I was wondering if their were any other Charges. I know I need to call before I leave to turn on international calling.

Why not sign up for the social media internet package and just use facebook messenger? Who lot easier and less expensive in the long run.

Viking Ocean does not have the casino's and only one space outside to smoke...

Oh BTW, Make sure to carry some TP with you (Kleenex) You may find some bathrooms do NOT have TP

AND when you are exchanging your money, get a few coins to tip in the bathrooms. Some have an attendant and they expect you to tip.

Also there are some women in costume when you first come across the street from your ship that will be trying to get you to pose with them for pictures. They expect you to pay.

There is also a guy with a silly costume with his dog trying to get you to take his picture, he expects you to give a donation too.

Get some coins so you are not handing them $5. with bills.

As for the boarding process I have found that NCL has been consistently faster than Carnival out of Miami.

With Carnival no matter how early we show up, after going through security, we get herded into a holding area on the second floor where we wait in an crowded space while group numbers are called.

Also as far as dining is concerned the two main dining rooms on the Sky that are included in your cruise fare. No extra charges in those dining areas unless you order certain specialty wines or something like lobster.

I found a secret with Carnival is to check in at the airport. That gets you going in group 1 behind the FFTF etc. I am ok with the holding area, you can sit verses standing on concrete like NCL

I do not like main dining room, I am not pretentious and into the fancy dishes nor many of the snobs that like to eat in the main dining room. I am a simple person and good with the buffet. I did look at their menu and there was nothing on it I would eat.

Keep in mind, I eat whole food, plant based. Which means, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes... no sugar, no oil. :) I have healed my health eating real food :) 62 years old and on zero meds, BP is 100/70 and lost 50 pounds. I will continue eating this way :)

I was on Starboard side,

Some more random pictures

Isn't this church beautiful?

There was a garden across from the ship that had this amazing plaque honoring Princess Diana.

The park next to the church had some interesting artwork

Here are some random pictures. I did not take lots because I was using my phone and could not see the screen in the sun :(

The architecture of some parts of the country are amazing!!

A shot from the balcony. This county is such a confusion :) Look at the gold steeple of the church, yet the port building is falling apart. They are working on the port building.

This cemetery is crazy huge!! Over 2 MILLION souls are there. They are on top of each other.

Inside the chapel at the cemetery. They do services weekly packing 700 people into this tiny space. Look at the amazing stain glass window!

You would have zero room with both beds out, no place to move, I sure wouldn't do it if I still wanted to like each other at the end. The rooms are too small.