Lee Cruiser

I would say more like 99% of the time or more. This is an extremely extraordinary event. No one can plan for something like this. In over 20 cruises we’ve never had anything like this and the latest we’ve started debarkation is about 30 minutes. Many folks will be impacted by this, even those that booked evening flights.

Wow! That's saying a lot. There was a period of time on a few cruises where we rarely ate in the dinning room because the service had gotten to where it was taking two hours or more. We like the family friendly comedy and it was hard to make it to the shows then. Now that it has improved, we rarely eat dinner on the Lido.

Our first two cruises were on Fantasy class ships and they were ocean view. We did a balcony on our third cruise (Sunshine) and have always booked them since. However, we book mid-ship balconies.

While we've been on 13 different Carnival ships, we've also done several of them more than once. Since N.O. is the only port we drive to, we did Triumph four times out of there and have now done Valor three times and two of our next three cruises are also on Valor (Nov and Jan). We did Triumph the four times and then did it again after it transformed to Sunshine. Outside of the upcoming repeat cruises on Valor, we have three upcoming cruises on ships we've never been on: Celebration (Sept), Jubilee (April) and Horizon (next Sept).

Since the final payment deadline has passed, it may be difficult to find a cabin now if it is sold out, especially one for three people. The best thing would be to call Carnival.

I'm guessing those rooms will be north of $400 a night

It can be done. We've only done Carnival out of there, so we're not familiar with the debarkation on other lines. Last time we cruised from there was in September 2019. We were platinum and did checked luggage with zone 1, so we were the first group of checked luggage off the ship. Our notes show we were off the ship around 8. We could have been off 30 minutes or so earlier had we done self-assist luggage. Again, we were platinum on Carnival, so not sure how other lines work. We did a taxi to the airport. We were through security and sitting at the gate for our 10:30 Jet Blue flight at 8:37. *As a note, we did have a backup plan just in case. We had a Southwest flight booked later that afternoon that we were able to cancel for future credit. We are doing a similar thing this September. This time we are cruising out of Miami and have an 11 am Southwest flight out of FLL. However, we do have another flight booked later in the afternoon just in case. We paid the extra $52 each to make it refundable. Both flights are refundable and it takes away the worry of missing a flight and having to scurry to find something else at much higher rates. We've done early flights on numerous occasions (often without a backup plan) and have never had a problem making them. In 20+ cruises, we've never been more than 20-30 minutes late debarking and that was once. However, there's always that one time where things could go wrong, so if there's a way, we try to do a backup plan when doing early flights.

We used Cruise Control as well and had a good experience. However, next time we may just use Uber or Lift as the price is probably a little better than Cruise Control.

That's a bummer. Thanks

Does the port in Miami have a ramp for debarkation like Port Canaveral does for Mardi Gras or do you have to use escalators? That certainly makes things go much smoother in PC, especially for self-assit.

That looks really good as well. Thanks for the information.

Thanks for the information. I will check these out online.

Thanks. We've eaten at another Landshark and liked it, so that sounds like a good option.

I doubt 24 would fit in a 12x12 inch cooler

We've cruised out of Port Canaveral several times and really like to eat at Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar. We've only been out of Miami a few times and this is the first time that we are staying near the port in Miami and arriving early enough to enjoy a good meal that evening. Are there any restaurants near the port in Miami similar to Grills?

When we cancelled a cruise earlier this year, we received our credit card refund amount in about a week and our gift card amount (final payment was gift card) in about two weeks. If I remember correctly it took a day or so to actually get the cancellation email.

Yes, it was a port of call. We did see someone taking some back to their vehicle at a home port. I’m assuming they were told along the way and didn’t actually go in with them.

Yes, we've seen them confiscate bottles

A few reasons for us: One, it's not always practical when we are flying in. Second, we don't like the same kinds of soft drinks, so it would involve buying different kinds. Third, we don't drink enough to even bother with it. We rarely drink sodas at home, but we will occasionally get sodas on the ship when we are having pizza in the evening because we prefer that over the other options available and Carnival's tea is horrible to us.

According to their policy, you can only bring cans onboard. We've done this several times while in port. While in port, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought on board. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less per person.

It's always better to first check their site to get information directly from them. Any information shared on here may or may not be accurate. I did a quick search on Carnival's website and was able to find this: What is Carnival's Liquor & Beverage Policy? Drinking Alcohol On Board The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the bars, lounges and gift shops is 21 years of age. Carnival reserves the right to request ID prior to the purchase of alcohol and refuse the sale of alcohol to anyone. Bringing Liquor and Beverages On Board - Embarkation Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages that are packaged in glass or plastic bottles. On embarkation day, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk), packaged in cans or cartons, may be brought on board and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less, per person. Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750-ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage. Outside this exception, all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided. Guests sailing with us on back-to-back cruises are entitled to bring the same quantity as stated in this policy, per cruise. The additional quantities will be stored for safekeeping at the start of the first cruise and will be given to the guest as each following cruise begins. Corkage Fee Should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, specialty restaurant or bar, a $15.00 USD corkage fee, per 750-ml bottle, will be charged. A corkage fee is a charge that is assessed, at time of service, for every bottle that is served and not bought on the premises. Bottled Water For convenience, guests can purchase bottled water prior to the cruise and it will be delivered to the stateroom on embarkation day. Bottled water may also be purchased on board by contacting room service. Once on board, the purchase is non-refundable and guests may take home any unopened bottles. To ensure we have an ample supply, please visit The Fun Shops™ at www.carnival.com/funshops to place your order before your cruise. $9.95 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for a 12-pack of bottled water (16.9-ounce bottle/500-ml bottle) $3.95 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for 1 large bottled water (50.72-ounce bottle/1.5-liter bottle) $20.00 USD (plus an 18% delivery fee) for 8-pack of bottled water (50.72-ounce bottle/1.5-liter bottle) Distilled Water Carnival carries distilled water which can be purchased either pre-cruise or once on board. For pre-purchase, please contact our Fun Shops department at 800-522-7648, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-10:00pm ET and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am-6:00pm ET. For purchase on board, please contact room service. Should you wish to bring your own distilled water with you, it must be hand carried along with your CPAP machine. Coolers Guests are prohibited from bringing large coolers since screening and movement of large coolers through embarkation is an impediment to the boarding and security process. However, for the purpose of carrying small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and/or medications small, personal-sized coolers, no larger than 12” x 12” x 12” are permitted as carry-on luggage. Purchasing Liquor Pre-Cruise through The Fun Shops All products sold containing alcohol have a limit of two products per stateroom. On 7 day and longer cruises, there is a limit of one bottle of hard liquor per stateroom and on shorter cruises, pre-cruise purchases are limited to wine, champagne and beer (no hard liquor). A ‘pack’ or ‘package’ is considered one product. Alcohol purchased pre-cruise through The Fun Shops for on board consumption is designed for in-stateroom entertainment only. Guests cannot take items with them to public areas. Only wine or champagne that is ordered through The Fun Shops can be served in the dining room or Steakhouse. If the item is not consumed on board during the cruise, the guest may take it home provided the bottle has not been opened. Our CHEERS! Beverage Program must be purchased for each adult (21 years of age or older) assigned to the same stateroom. Purchasing Liquor at Ports of Call and On Board at The Fun Shops All alcohol purchased ashore or in The Fun Shops will be stored for safekeeping until the end of the voyage. Items are to be collected in a designated lounge on debarkation morning. Liquor may be subject to Customs duty if it exceeds allowable amount. While in port, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought on board. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12-ounces/354-ml each or less per person. The policy below is for cruise departures from the U.S.; for cruises sailing from Australia, click here.

Just looked at my latest account summary from Valor and they were $3.25. That includes the 18% mandatory tip.

Same for our recent Valor cruise, except for one item. The grilled chicken that I had one night was as tough as shoe leather. I did have them bring me the steak that night and it was much better.

There have been several discussions on this of late. Apparently it varies greatly. We received ours in about a week, but others have had longer waits. Here are some links to those thread:

I certainly can't answer all these questions, but isn't Carnival's headquarters in Miami?