JillK

For what it's worth, ordering the Uber after we disembarked was the same process as meeting with the shuttle offered in the past by the hotel (which was a private car, just like an Uber) but was in fact much faster. 

With both the pre-paid hotel shuttle and the Uber, we had to wait to be off the ship and out of the terminal before we contacted them to be picked up. The Uber was faster for pickup as the closest available vehicle took the job, whereas we had to wait for the shuttle driver to arrive. We waited about 5 minutes for the Uber driver and about 25 minutes for the shuttle driver and were picked up at basically the same spot across the street from where you exit the terminal near the taxi stand.

Although we had priority disembarkation (group 2), there was a delay in getting off the ship and we ended up disembarking over an hour after the time we thought we would be off. Just something for you to keep in mind if you plan on pre-booking transportation.

I'm sure you'll find a solution that works for you. For us, going the Uber route worked best given the size of our group as we would have had to have parked two vehicles meaning $800 USD or just over $1000 Cdn for the week- uh, no thanks! 

We also had a long boarding process when we cruise the Getaway this past March though not as dramatically long as what you just experienced... very long lines both outside the terminal and then once inside despite showing up at our assigned time. If I recall correctly it took us around 2 hours from arrival to setting foot on the ship.

As for Norfolk... we had this stop the last day of our cruise. We arrived at 7 am with a mandatory disembarkation to clear US customs. Our back on board time was 11:30 so by the time you had gotten through the line up, off the ship and cleared customs, you basically had 2 hours or less to do anything. My son, mother and I rushed through a self-guided tour of the USS Wisconsin which was docked beside us while the rest of our party just got right back on the ship. It was interesting but we would have  appreciated more time - there wasn't enough time to do much making it pointless (outside of the customs check).

In our opinion being forced to get up that early on your last vacation day for a mandatory customs check sucked. At least in the OP's case, a stop there on the way out where disembarkation would be optional and I assume time in port would be longer would be much better. The only upshot was that disembarkation in Manhattan (though poorly handled aboard the ship) was easy once off the the ship as customs had already been done. 

16 hours ago, lx200gps said:

I've read about possible issues with NY taxi drivers not taking fares into NJ? If we disembark from the Manhattan terminal off an NCL ship, would we have any chance of finding a taxi driver willing to cross into New Jersey to drop us off at a hotel? Some do, some don't? Failing that, does Uber run between these locations?  Sorry for cheaping out, but with parking at the terminal running just shy of $400 for a week, I'm looking at Park and Cruise options out of NJ, through Trinity etc.  Thanks...

We had a group of 8 with a stay and park package at the Hampton Inn in Ridgefield Park, NJ in March meaning that we had to return to the hotel post-cruise to pick up our car. The last time we had cruised out of NYC pre-pandemic, we also stayed here and at the time they offered a shuttle option. This is no longer available so we ended up ordering two XL vehicles on Uber to get to the Manhattan terminal and back. 

Our only issue was on the return, our driver took the tunnel instead of the GWB (which has always been our past experience) and then proceeded to get lost driving around in loops, through tolls and then neighbourhoods to try to get back on track. Our other party arrived at least 25 minutes ahead of us due to the driver. Based on that, should we ever do this again I would specify to the driver which way to go.

As a reference, the trip to the terminal was $64 including a healthy tip so it's significantly less than parking at the terminal.

Hi mfrometa! 

You're not crazy! We also have been blessed with four kids (sons 10 & 12 and daughters 16 & 17) and have taken many cruises in many configurations over the years. 

Hubby and I love cruising and when we only had two (2 & 4 at the time), we were doing a land trip in Florida and decided to book a 3-night cruise just to see how they took to it and have been cruising with the kids ever since.

We have cruised with just the girls, just the boys (leaving the other kids at home with my parents - bless them) and with all of the kids as recently as this past March (but with my parents as well so that two are in a cabin with them).

Generally when I've priced for the six of us, I've looked at 3/3 and 4/2 combination, always trying to find connecting cabins. 

For this summer on the Panorama, we will be 3/2 (the eldest is staying home) and for this Christmas we actually have 2/2/2 (the girls on their own as the eldest will be 18 and the boys in a connecting cabin to ours) as our agent found a rate that made this the cheapest way to do it. 

We have cruised with Celebrity, NCL and Disney with the kids but are excited for them to try Carnival this summer. 

NCL has a great kids program (we found out it wasn't operating after booking last minute in March) and we were very impressed with Celebrity's program as well. Just check with the cruise lines to ensure that they are operating in some capacity before booking and also check the boards here for confirmation (NCL's program wasn't operating in March and I only found out here after booking - at the time no mention of the closure was on the NCL website - this really changed the flavour of the cruise).

My best piece of advice is to recognize that a cruise with the kids is a completely different cruise than one with just your spouse. You will have to cater to the kids and compromise so it won't be the same relaxing, romantic experience you have when you're cruising on your own. What we like about cruising as a family vacation is that when the kids clubs are open, there is lots of ability to do things together but also to have some space from one another and do things separately. We also find that travelling with a large family is very expensive as most things are geared for two or four and that cruising is still affordable vs. some other vacations I've considered and priced.

Happy cruising! 

9 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Whose name is the Sail and Sign payment method in?  Try switching that around

We have only sailed the two of us with Carnival (so only one cabin, as opposed to needing two when we cruise with the kiddos). I have always been the primary passenger and always used my credit card. 

Again, it's just perplexing! 

Could someone kindly explain what kind of a limit can be set with Carnival? 

I was assured on our March cruise with NCL that I could limit their accounts by our PVP and also the check-in agent but once onboard, guest services said that they either have full charging privileges or not. 

I would like to give my kids freedom to manage and spend their money as they see fit but recognize that they can easily get carried away with no appreciation for how much they are actually spending. 

Would love if I could set a limit for the week. 

Thanks!

At least you are both getting offers. We have the same situation as you: same amount of days cruise/same cruise history... we are not gamblers so this isn't casino offers, just past guest rates.

For reasons I can't understand my husband gets fantastic VIFP offers and I get none. When I price, I get the same prevailing rate as someone who has never sailed with Carnival.

Pretty frustrating for us at the moment as we need to book two staterooms but can only access preferential pricing for his cabin. Given that I think we should both be able to access VIFP rates, I'm finding it hard to justify spending $400 more for two people in an inside cabin than his rate gets for three people in a balcony. 

If only Carnival knew I was the one who makes all of our family's travel plans they might want to extend past guest deals to me! 

Hi there. 

You didn't mention it here but I would be sure to check the rules regarding having a minor that isn't your child in your cabin. It may be easiest and best to board as a group.

We cruised on the Norwegian Getaway in March and had my daughters in one cabin with hubby and myself and my sons in a cabin with my parents. NCL sent my parents paperwork that I would have needed to fill out in order for the boys to board the ship without us (which included copies of our driver's licences). We choose to meet at the port (they had to wait for us) and then get in the lineup together. When it was our turn, we all checked in together. They are platinum with NCL and all of us were able to use the priority boarding due to my sons being in their cabin (nice perk as the line was very long). 

Hope you have a fantastic cruise and if you're inclined, report back when you're home. We are cruising her in July and very excited for this ship - always happy to read about tips and others' experiences here.

12 minutes ago, cltcruiser said:

So here is a stupid question. How are you guys seeing these offers and which specific sailings they are good for?

Likely you don't qualify for the sale rate but you can check by logging into your Carnival account and checking "my offers." 

For reasons I can't understand, my hubby is getting access to all kinds of crazy promos including the birthday sale but I qualify for nothing. When we price a cruise with his VIFP number the total is SIGNIFICANTLY (60%) lower than when I use mine. In fact, I'm not getting any discount for being a past guest at all.... whether I use my VIFP number or not the price is the same. 

Very disappointed that he is getting offers I cannot access as a family of 6 we need two cabins and I'm having a hard time justifying paying 60% more when I know that I should be able to get the same deal. Hubby and I have the same number of days sailed so no reason that he should get preferential rates that I can't.  

He did book the Panorama for this July and the "deal" disappeared but then re-appeared the next day. In fact, after he booked, he got MORE offers (all of which offer a significant savings over what I would have to pay - go figure!!) and he currently has 11 offers, while I have 4 that as I said, don't actually offer any savings at all.

Carnival works in mysterious ways.... 

I am experiencing the same thing right now! We are a family of 6 and wanted to get two cabins side by side. My hubby has a fantastic rate that only his VIFP number can access. When I put mine in, I get the same rate as if I wasn't a past guest at all. 

Very strange and even our PVP I spoke to yesterday said he doesn't know why and unfortunately cannot extend hubby's price to me or a second cabin. 

3 hours ago, twebster74 said:

I will say that we have never stayed in this cabin category... but when looking at them on youtube videos, it appears at least some of them have the 2 Twin/1 King bed, the sofa bed, and 2 pullman beds (one over the sofa and one over the bed).  This would actually not eat up any of your floor space.  You would definitely need to confirm this information, but there are several youtube videos for this category.

 

 

The only video I could find for Panorama was the suite where the fifth bed was a trundle... I did find a good video of the 5 beds deployed on the Horizon so will assume it will be similar configuration - Thanks! 

It's been a while since we've cruised Carnival and will be our first bringing the kids along. Really looking forward to introducing them to the brand- I think they'll enjoy it (they are used to NCL where we've been taking advantages of Kids Sail Free).

Hi all.

We are considering booking an Oceanview FJ for 5 on the Panorama. Our TA site says it can accommodate 5 but Carnival's site is only showing 4 so that is one area of confusion. 

Ideally we would book two cabins but for some odd reason my husband qualifies for fantastic passenger deals that I don't and we find it difficult to justify spending 60% more for one cabin over the other when we both have the same days sailed, loyalty, etc.

So assuming it's possible, we are looking at cramming all of us (hubby, myself and kids 10, 12 & 16) into the Family Habor Oceanview and are wondering how the fifth bed works? I assume it is either a trundle bed that comes out of the sofa or a cot that is brought in but can anyone confirm? Also, if there is only one room service a day (which I am ok with) how does this work if we have a bed that will occupy the walking space in the cabin -- will we be able to stow the fifth bed on our own or will we need to trample over it the entire cruise? 

We are hopeful that we can make the cramped space work by using the Family Harbor lounge or other areas of the ship extensively as we don't generally spend a lot of time in the cabin but also don't want to be in a situation where we are ready to kill one another by the end of the week! 

Thanks for the input! 

My husband gets mystery past passenger offers that are better than mine for no particular reason. We both have the same nights cruised and don't use the casino so it's not related to that.

He's able to get a fantastic rate on a cruise in July we wanted to book, but our PVP said his offer can only be applied to his cabin and not extended/shared.... we need two cabins to accommodate our family of 6 so unfortunately we aren't going to book.... his cabin is half the price of mine! 

7 minutes ago, TravelingCartwheels said:

 

Could you link me to that thread?  I'm having difficulty finding it.  Many thanks!

Here you go: 

Interesting thoughts on not having minors in a room together. 

I had initially called a Princess agent to get a quote - being aggressive she booked us without deposit... on her own and without my direction, she put my husband and I in one cabin and then put my kids in another cabin at the complete opposite end of the ship (same deck). 

I am currently booked hubby and I in one cabin with my teens in the cabin next door. 

Still waiting on agent... shheshh.

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

As to your first question about changing one person for another before you cruise, you can do that directly with Princess as long as one person in the cabin remains the same and one person is an adult.  You or your TA would have to call them.  This will not trigger a refare.

Ok thanks - sounds like it's do-able but currently all my kids are under 18 so there are currently two teens (17 & 16) in the cabin and I would switch to one teen (16) and one child (he's 12). 

Still waiting on my TA.... might have to call the agency and see if someone else can help - not sure what his "hours" are but he missed a price drop for me a few weeks ago and I haven't heard from him at all since except for auto reminders about final payment. *sigh*

I am still waiting to hear back from my TA but thought I would post in case anyone is able to offer some insight. 

We have two cabins booked for a cruise this July with final payment due on Tuesday.

It now appears that my eldest daughter will be unable to join us and she is listed as the primary on the second cabin.

Are we able to switch her out with my son without triggering a re-price? (We booked at a favourable resident rate that is no longer available.)

Secondly, should we wish, could we then further switch pax between our two cabins without triggering a re-price (ie. put my husband and son in one cabin and myself and daughter in the other)? 

Thanks to all for the assist! 

I'm disappointed to read of this policy and hope that it changes ahead of our planned cruise date of July 2nd as one day is unreasonable for those of us travelling overseas.

We are currently planning on flying into Barcelona on an overnight flight that leaves June 30th and arrives late morning on July 1st. I can't imagine spending my one afternoon in Barcelona trying to arrange for more reasonably priced tests than the kind offer of $100 pp USD at the port. For my family of four that's about $508 Canadian. I just paid $180 for six of them two weeks ago to board our NCL cruise out of NYC and had two days to get it done ahead of boarding.

FWIW, for the person who asked, NCL described two days as: if embarking on Sunday, test on Friday as opposed to 72 hours ahead. Since Princess is also using the terminology of days rather than hours, I would assume same. 

24 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Please confirm that I am understanding correctly...

I am sailing with a fully vaccinated 10 year old. He will require an antigen test 2 days prior to boarding? For proof of vaccination, would I just bring his original (handwritten) vaccine card? In BC, under 12 is not eligible for the electronic version of vaccination certificate...

 

Thanks

Hi there.

My family sailed on the Getaway last week with our kids 10, 12, 15 & 17.

Your family will need an antigen test completed two days before sailing. So if you are sailing on Saturday, your tests need to be completed on Thursday. In our case, we were sailing Sunday and tested on Friday. The PCR test is required only for children 12 and under who are not vaccinated.

For our proof of vaccination, we printed out our Government of Ontario document which contains a QR code (that they did not use) but also shows each shot as well as brand and date given. In your case, I would recommend that you make a copy of the vaccination card and bring both the original and a copy with you.

You will show this along with your test results at check in and will also need it upon your return to Canada. 

Enjoy your cruise! 

2 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I do not see them adding an expense to the books and exposing their entire crew to unvaccinated kids in the Splash Academy.

No doubt this plays into it.... of course similar to their re-opening approach of requiring 100% vaccination, they could offer SA only to vaccinated children. 

We booked two weeks before our cruise on March 13th. Before I booked, I checked the website under Family Cruising to see what closures or restrictions may be in effect. At least for anyone currently considering booking, there is now a notice that SA is closed until March 31st but when I booked, there was no indication whatsoever that it was closed and our PVP did not mention it either. 

We met lots of other families who similarly were not aware that it was closed. There were plenty of teens and kids on this cruise and we overheard many kids whining that they were bored, including my own.

My sons (10, 12) were disappointed as they loved SA when they were on the Escape. They weren't able to meet any other kids other than in the line ups for the slides and we weren't able to enjoy any of the 18+ entertainment other than what was offered in the atrium or the big marquee shows. 

What our family likes about cruising is the ability to do stuff together but also to get a break from one another - after two years of multiple lockdowns here in Ontario, we were all prepared for a bit of space from one another and instead, we were crammed in even tighter for the week with the net effect being that I came home from this trip physically and emotionally exhausted. 

Overall we had a good week with excellent food and service but it was far from the relaxing experience we generally find cruising to be and frankly we would not have booked had NCL been transparent this service was not currently being offered. 

For those already booked, I hope that they do open up in April but when I finally heard about the closure here on CC and asked my PVP, I was told closed until June.

On 3/17/2022 at 2:37 PM, kar1996 said:

In Ontario ...Sailing NCL driving to port Is Shoppers or Costco best for testing????  Anyone have any issues with either ...Need a test for March 27th sailing BUT no test on the way back on the ArriveCan app do we list ports or just NYC Thanks 

To answer your second question, you must list all countries that you visited. In our case on the Getaway, we listed US and Bahamas.

Have a wonderful cruise.

I also wanted to report back that we decided to drive down a day early to avoid that major snow storm that was predicted for our travel path so we had to abandon the tests at Costco. We were able to book appointments at a Rexall in Belleville on the way to the border. Took about an hour and 10 minutes total for the 6 of us to wait, be tested and then wait again for results but we were all negative and the pharmacist was fantastic. 

Also wanted to add that NCL is providing the rapid antigen required for return for free the day before disembarkation. Just go to guest services to book. The agent we got at the 1000 Islands crossing asked to see one of our six and verbally confirmed they were all negative. At least that part won't be necessary after the end of the month. 

According to NCL's website, the RAT's are provided at no cost for those requiring them to re-enter home country. Have been trying to get confirmation of same but no success yet so hope you get a reply in case we need a back up! 

I'm not aware that you can change currencies on the NCL site the way you can on Royal's for example.

When I've wanted to check US pricing on NCL, I flip over to the spanish site. 

You should be able to get NCL's Cdn pricing at the CruiseNext desk.

If you post what ship, sail date and category you're interested in, I can price it for you. 

2 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

I do not think that it is different policies.  I think it is the pharmacist at the one we booked at reading Costco Canada's policy and since it mentioned to be only used for flights from Canada to the US, the pharmacist took that as we could not get the test.  Good luck with the test and I hope you have an uneventful drive.

Thanks so much Russ - best wishes for your upcoming travel as well!