travelbug11

What does ES charge for their shuttle service to Miami? :confused:

At time of booking, there is an addition charge of $88.00 which includes pickup at FLL airport to hotel and from hotel toe MIA port.

This rate is for two people, additional charge for extras in group.

We will probably UBER!

I'm flying into Ft. Lauderdale in February and staying at Embassy Suites which has their own shuttle to Miami the next day.

Will either use their shuttle or UBER to the Miami port.

The balcony is 66 sq. ft....it's not the entire width of the suite....some ships have a larger balcony for OS's...not this ship, however. They used some of the balcony space for the bedroom.

The balcony on this ship does go the length of the cabin going by the video i saw on YouTube

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We have this cabin booked for February 25, 2019 and the pix I've seen show 2 loungers and a table with 2 chairs.

It is a long narrow balcony though. You cannot put the 2 loungers next to each other.

Black leggings and a nice top. On Formal nights, black leggings and a little nicer top.

Isn't the Tracy Arm cruising prior to docking in Ketchikan?

We did that last year on Radiance.....and I took advantage of the wonderful viewing the whole time we were in the Misty Fjords,

The buffet will be definitely be open.

Alright, so I’m not trying to start any rumors because I could be wrong in the times etc....

At the top tier event one of the people speaking said something about it was just released to them today (yesterday) that they would be going to Dubai after Europe and not returning to do Caribbean after their Europe season. Again, not sure in the timing but I did hear them say something along those lines.

And, we are booked for February 25th for the Panama Canal cruise.

I hope you are wrong and they will be in Dubai in 2020.

We are leaving from Miami on the Jewel for a 10 night southern Caribbean cruise on February 15, 2019. It doesn’t show up in the brochure, but my TA assures me it is an available cruise!!! I think they did a little shuffling because of the still unsettled state of SJ.

I think you are right. Because, I am getting on the Jewel when you get off on February 25th for 16 nites Panama Canal.

I've been on Coral once and the Jewel several times and much prefer the Jewel. In fact we are booked on the Panama Canal cruise next February.

I am curious as to the beds on the Anthem. I have bad hips and must have a soft bed. Will this be an issue? What can be done? Thanks

I can't speak for Anthem, but on the Radiance class they are are hard and I have asked for extra padding and they have brought it.

I am trying something new on my next cruise in a couple of weeks. I like to take a selection of jewellery, including earrings and tend to put them in little bags but still find it a pain to find a pair. I have bought one of those daily pill dispensers (the ones “old people” use so they don’t forget). One or two pairs should fit each section nicely.

Th at's a great idea. Thanks.

Clothesline to dry clothes on? What can you fasten it to in the room

 

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There is usually a clothesline in the shower. Just pull it out of the wall.

I know the OP is leaving tomorrow, so this isn't an option for them, but we take this LED cat light on cruises. He's rechargeable via USB and lasts for multiple nights before needing a recharge. We leave him in the bathroom for a nice, soft light at night. He's squashy so he doesn't take up much space and he's so cute!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DXOYCK8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

OMG I love the kittie.. I have to get one.

Thanks for sharing!

Who is your service provider? Nationwide coverage for data services, especially in an area like FLL, is usually not an issue.

I use Verizon! This has happened more than once when my LTE isn't sufficient.

You did the right thing in trying other locations to see if your phone would connect. It likely didn't have a signal or was waiting to connect to an available wifi service. Two quick suggestions if this happens to you in the future:

 

1. Turn off just the wifi on your phone, to force the phone to use your ATT data service. Sometimes your phone will recognize a wifi source, and be sitting there waiting for you to connect to it (which at most airports requires you to go through a web page to connect). this can also lead to some apps waiting for a wifi connection as well, because they are optimized to use lower cost or free wifi over your more expensive cell data plan.

 

2. If that doesn't work, shut your phone down completely. Not just "Restart" but actually "Power off" and then power on again.

 

Or, as you did, just jump in a cab. :D

Thats exactly what I was going to say. I have had the same problem here at home and just recently found out about the "shut down"

Thank you ..

Grab the Owners Suite! I had one last year in Alaska on the Radiance, and I understand the Jewel has a much larger balcony.

The large TV is on a turntable so you can rotate it from the Living room to the Bedroom. I loved the dressing table in the bedroom and tons of closet and shelving space throughout the cabin. My favorite was the large glass enclosed shower in the bathroom in addition to the Jacuzzi tub.

We'll be on Jewel for the Panama Canal February 25 , 2019 cruise. Can's wait to see her again. She my favorite ship and Radiance is my favorite class of ship.

Depends if the ship in actually docked or tendered. If docked you can take the scooter off in ports. If tendered it depends on whether or not the tender has roll-on capabilities, weather conditions as well as sea conditions. For tendered ports the Captain has the final word if passengers with wheelchair, scooter and or other mobility equipment can go be allowed on the tender.

 

If renting through the cruise lines approved vendor note the following :

Embarkation Day: The rental scooter will be deliver to the cabin on embarkation day and must be left in the cabin on disembarkation day. If you use the cruise lines wheelchair assistance on embarkation day note that you will be dropped off in a public area and not taken directly to your cabin . Once cabins are available to passengers someone from your party will have to go to the cabin to get the scooter if you're unable to make the walk. The scooter rental contract states that the scooter will not be delivered until 2:00 PM . However it's important to note that rental equipment delivered to the ship is not given priority loading by the cruise line as ships supplies take precedent. Therefore the scooter might not appear in the cabin until closer to the sailing time though it was deliver to the port by 2:00 PM.

 

Disembarkation Day: The rental scooter must be left in the cabin on disembarkation day. The cruise line will not provide wheelchair assistance/pickup from the cabin. The night before a location for wheelchair assistance for disembarkation will be published in the daily cruise newsletter. You can ride the scooter to that location but than someone from your group must than take the scooter back to cabin for pickup from the rental company.

 

Other important info

• If you have not booked an accessible cabin than depending on the type of scooter required due to weight capacity it may not fit through the stateroom door. All scooters and wheelchairs MUST be stored in the stateroom. Due to the safety and escape way requirements established by SOLAS (Safety of Life at Seas) regulations, it cannot be stored in the hallways, stairways, or any other public area. Ignoring these regulations can and does impede the safety of others whether disabled or abled bodied moving about the hallways not to mention impedes the safety of all on board the ship in the event of an actual emergency. Even if the cabin attendant tells you it's Ok it's NOT ! I for one will contact the ships security to have the scooter removed if one is observed left in the hallway.
  
• After you obtained the scooter you should go to the dining room to check the location of your assigned table if traditional dining has been chosen. Reason you need to check that there is a good path to drive the scooter to the table. Once at the table you can transfer to a chair and the wait staff will than park the scooter in area that will not hinder others in the dining room. If there's an issue than go to the Matre'D and request a change in table location.
  
• Scooter keys are not unique as car keys. Scooter keys are universal and a scooter can easily be mistaken. Therefore I suggest you bring an extra luggage tag for the scooter to identify your rental scooter.
  
• The most common scooters rented by SpecialNeedsatSeas and or CareVacations are the Pride Go Go Elite Traveler or the Pride Go Go Sport which both have a very low under clearance of 1.5". Therefore it's not unusual that the scooter will get hung up on the gangway joints. Under no circumstance should you allow the ship personnel to force push the scooter over the joints which is their first reactive response. The scooter needs to be placed in freewheel mode and than rolled over the joints. If you aren't able to walk down/up the gangway than a person from the ship's crew must guide the scooter up/down the ramp while another pushes the scooter up/down the ramp while. If you're able to walk up/down the ramp it's recommended that you do so while the scooter is than freewheeled pulled up/down the ramp. If the scooter isn't placed in freewheel and the crew force pushes the scooter over the gangway joints the scooter can be permanently damaged and since it's a rental you will be responsible for the repair costs or possibly the complete replacement cost.
  
• The scooter does not stop a dime. It has a rolling stop. The slower the speed prior to stopping the shorter the roll. The faster the speed the longer the roll. Therefore you need to always be aware of this so as not to run into other passengers and or objects.
  
• you may encounter thresholds going to and coming from an outside deck that the scooter can get hung up on which makes it difficult to clear. You at times will have to scout out other routes that have a better leveled doorway threshold.
  
• Elevators will also be an issue with scooters as able-bodied passengers will just jump in front of you to get into the elevator first no matter that you were there first. It's not just kids. I have found that adults are often worse than the lids on-board. At peak times you're best to take the elevator that's further from your destination as it will be less congested.
  
• Get on the first elevator that has open space for the scooter regardless if it's going the opposite direction of what you want. What goes up must come down and vice versa.
  
• Arrive at the muster drill early to avoid all the crowds getting onto elevators.
  
• It's recommended that you remain at the muster drill location for at least 15 minutes if not more after it's ended to avoid the congestion at the elevator. It will be impossible to get onto an elevator until the crowds have cleared.
  
• Expect that there will be obstacles such as room service carts as well as inconsiderate passengers that have intentionally left their wheelchairs, scooters , other mobility equipment as well as baby strollers in the hallway of where you cabin is located. For any mobility equipment left in the hallway which blocks you passage don't think twice about calling the ships security to have it removed immediately . As far as the room service cart there's usually a cabin steward nearby so just yell out for assistance and it will be repositioned so you can pass .
  
• If you don't intend to go on excursions than suggest you wait to get off the ship until the masses have gone. Reason being that security and gangway personnel generally have to shut down the process to make certain you get off safely with scooter. Other passengers waiting in line get restless particularly if they're on a time restriction to meet up with an excursion.
  

Thank you sooo much for this valuable information.

We are having our scooters delivered to the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver and then ride them down to check in and get onto the ship.

We have a very large suite which looks to comfortably hold the scooters. I will take a power strip in case the cabin does not have enough outlets to charge them. This was approved by Special Needs at Sea.

We are also renting a scooter here at home next week to practice on for 4 days before we leave on the 16th.

Ann:D

If you plan to scoot off the ship, do keep tide fluctuations in mind. When I walked, there were times I had no trouble walking off, but the gangway was so terribly steep that climbing back on was like climbing a ladder.

Had I been using a scooter, it would have been impossible to ride it back up.

Should you return and find that the gangway is steeper than you can safely ride on, ask if the gangway is going to be lowered to a different level, if there is another opening (for supplies, for example), or how else you can be assisted.

Thanks so much for this information. I know in Ketchikan the gangway is extremely steep in the AM. Fortunately we will be cruising Misty Fjords in the AM and arriving a 1:30 so it should be OK..

How is it getting the scooter off the ship in the ports. Can we ride them on and off the ship

We'll be in Alaska also next month!, What about getting on and off the ship. Can you scoot off. we cannot walk the ramp.

Thankx

We are renting 2 scooter for Alaska in a couple of weeks. Can you tell me how we will get the scooter off the ship in the ports (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Haines. Can we drive them off or?

Thanks ahead for any info.

Ann

We are renting 2 scooters from: Special Needs Group which RCCL recommends.

They are delivering them to the hotel in Vancouver and we are scooting onto the ship the next day. They will then pick them up from our cabin at the end of the cruise in Seward

There is only a $50 charge for delivery to the hotel.

I've used Chilcoot Charters at least 10 over the years. So you can tell I have been very happy with them.

If you decide to book with them, see if you can get "James" as your driver, he's the best...

Using GoogleEarth Ruler (Path mode) it is 34 miles as the crow (or floatplane) flies and 55 miles by water (roughly) to the entrance at Rudyerd Bay. At typical Inside Passage speed of maybe 14 kts that would be 4 hours or so.

 

Snow Passage is a long ways north of Ketchikan up by Petersburg - unless I'm misunderstanding the question. Whether the cruise ship passes through there might depend on the itinerary, the size of ship and foremost the Captain. Surface current through there runs 3.5 kts either way at tide changes.

The Radiance itinerary shows we do the Misty Fjords from 7-12, then arriving in Ketchikan at 1:30