CountryCruiser

Edited to add - This might not work for you, because your billing address for your credit card isn't the same, but it might be worth a try?

 

All my mail is delivered to a Post Office box. Recently, they have instituted a new thing that really helps out in this regard.

 

The post office gives us a physical address (their address) and that is followed up with your box number.

 

For instance:

7214 E. Washington Blvd

#2846

City, State, Zip Code

 

They will sign for the package.

 

Perhaps that is an option at your post office?

Thank you for the idea. I actually went online and changed my credit card mailing address to this format and was able to order the card.

Edited to add - This might not work for you, because your billing address for your credit card isn't the same, but it might be worth a try?

 

All my mail is delivered to a Post Office box. Recently, they have instituted a new thing that really helps out in this regard.

 

The post office gives us a physical address (their address) and that is followed up with your box number.

 

For instance:

7214 E. Washington Blvd

#2846

City, State, Zip Code

 

They will sign for the package.

 

Perhaps that is an option at your post office?

We do that as well. But it is not the best option for mail. And unfortunately, my credit card was set up several years ago before this became a problem and it has a P.O. Box as the mailing address.

That is in place to prevent CC fraud, please don't try and circumvent policies.

I can figure out how to circumvent policies or just waste the points I have accumulated. I've bought 5 cards in the past few months with no problem. Now I can't buy one because they changed their policy.

Can't buy the $100 or $500 cards anymore if you have a P.O. Box as your mailing address. This used to only apply to $500 cards. Won't ship to P.O. Box and shipping address has to match billing address on your credit card.

For the $500 denomination cards, they will be shipped via UPS. UPS does not deliver to P.O. Boxes. This is *NOT* a change.

I was speaking of the $100 cards. Guess I should have specified. This *IS* a change within the past couple months.

I know there are a bunch of threads talking about gift cards, but this is a different problem to be aware of. AARP has changed some security for ordering these. You cannot use a P.O. Box for shipping address. But your billing address on the credit card you use must match your shipping address. If all of your mail goes to a P.O. Box, good chance your credit card billing address is a P.O. Box. This makes it where you can't order the gift cards. I've tried many ways to fool the system. AARP help desk told me I had to use a credit card with a physical address for billing address. I can't do that.

We do it all the time since my wife and me get casino offers , we each book a room with our friends , then when get on the ship we go to guest services and change the names around , our pvp is awesome and will change us before cruise as well with no penalty if we k now there will be no more casino fare drops or anything

We've done the switching of keys once on board. But if I remember right, they had to use their original S&S card for charging things and the copied card to open their room. Can you actually move the names around on the cabins once on board and make it where they only have to keep up with one card?

Hello, first time cruiser with questions about the aarp gift cards. I've followed the other messages and signed up to do the quizzes so I can save the 10% on them. I just am not sure how the shipping works. We have to have our cruise paid off by November 7th. Ideally I was going to order our gift cards for the balance I need to pay between today and Tuesday. For the people who have purchased these cards do you feel like that's enough shipping time? Do you feel like it's chancing not having them in time to for the 7th? Thank you all for all of your input.

If you think you will run out of time, figure out what you think your on board charges will be and get that much on the cards. You know you will have around $13 per day per person on gratuities. You could easily spend $10 per day on other things. And I bet that would be a minimum if you are pretty thrifty. That's $160 per person on a 7 day cruise. If you have 2 people, get $300 cards for $273. Save about $27. If they arrive in time, use them for final payment and then buy some more for OBC.

I had to have read that wrong, you aren't suggesting if people dont' want to tip above what Carnival is already charging in tips they should just stop cruising are you?

Not quite. You missed a big "if". "If" you are upset that Carnival stewards are not getting paid enough for the amount of work they do, you can solve that with one of 2 solutions. Tip more therefore they will get paid more for your cabin. Or quit cruising with Carnival so they won't have to clean your cabin. More money for same amount of work or same money for less work. But if too many people take the second option, it could lead to staff reductions. More people out of work. And the last if is if you want Carnival to pay them more, they will probably raise their fares. It all comes down to a free market mixture of supply and demand.

The stewards are actually working for us as the passengers. We can allow Carnival to charge us more in hopes they will pay the stewards more. Or we can just tip the stewards more and in effect pay them more directly. We have the ability to make it where stewards get paid more. If we don't want to do that on top of what Carnival charges us, we can just not cruise. It's all a choice. The stewards can also choose to work somewhere else if that is an option. It is called a free market system.

Daughter who is in another stateroom is traveling with me, my check in time

is 12 -12:30 and her's is 2. If they change their check in time to mine, what

happens to the rest of those in her stateroom when they get there at 2? Can

they check in?

With all those Princess cruises, are you bailing on them and going with Carnival? Be prepared, Carnival ships are much more active than Princess.

There are not any Carnival cards available on AARP right now, but keep looking. They come an go. It is real easy. Pay like $91 for a $100 card mailed to you.

Email Allianz (don't call. You want an answer in writing) and see what they say. A problem you might encounter is that the insurer is generally only liable for your losses at the time of the car accident which might be zero. If by waiting to make a decision to cancel you increase the size of the loss you might be out of luck for the additional loss amount. You generally have a duty to do what you can to mitigate any losses against the policy

I see what you are saying. But if that is the case, you should not buy the travel insurance until the day you are making the final payment. If I cancel the cruise and not make final payment, my insurance premium was for nothing. If I go ahead with the final payment, the insurance may not cover if we end up not being able to go because of the accident. So I loose both ways because I chose to go ahead and buy my insurance early.

I have email Allianz, but have not heard anything from them yet.

Thank you for your suggestion.

Has anybody ever had this scenario? Booked a cruise and paid deposit. Then bought insurance from Allianz a couple of months later before final payment is due. Then a family member that is going to travel with us has a car accident before final payment is due. Not sure if the injuries are going to keep us from going or not yet. Final payment is due soon and want to know how if insurance will cover the trip if it is determined after final payment that we can't go.

Anything is doable. But you may not have to worry about being the maid of honor afterwards. LOL. One note. I'm sure you have already done this, but compare the total package price for 2 inside rooms versus 4 people in 1 room. May not be a huge difference per person.

She pulled out at 6:30. Got a picture of her rounding Algiers point.

Watched it on the camera. It docked at 9:00 central time.

We'll be on the Dream over Christmas. Thank you for the review. Go Pokes. We're from just North of Tulsa.

I've cruised during a superbowl and 2 NFC AFC championships. It was on Princess, but it was awesome. I actually scheduled the cruises because of the game. I am not a huge NFL fan, but it is quite fun to watch the games on the big screen while sitting in a hot tub and being served brewskies in a bucket.

To remember which is starboard and which is port, look at the number of letters in the word. "Port" is 4 letters and so is "left". Of course you have to be facing the front of the ship for that to work.

take a small airbed for the extra sleeping spot. put it under the bed each morning and pull it out at night.

One nice thing about waking is deck 5 goes all around the ship. 2 1/2 turns is a mile:)

 

Wish all ships had this

Just remember to hold your breath as you pass the smoke hole.

Do they make you walk the plank if you are 19 and get caught with a beer? But seriously, what are the consequences of being caught?

If 2 people staying in the same cabin arrive at different times, does the first one have to wait on the 2nd one to check-in and board? One likes to board as soon as possible and the other takes their own sweet time getting around. They may get FTTF if one becomes available.

If you can get the Hilton Riverside for the good of a rate, I would just stay there and park there that night and then drive over to Fulton and park the next morning. Even if parking is $40, that is still just $117. And there is a trolley right across the street to take you anywhere in the French Quarter area. Lots of touristy places to eat. I highly recommend Acme Oyster Bar. I've also heard great things about Central Market and their muffulettas. I believe it is also on the trolley route. I believe trolley costs $3 per day.