MarcJ55

On my last cruise, i had the auto-tips taken off and I tipped the equivalent (or more) in cash.  Prefer to tip cash so I can see the money is making it into the pockets of those who earned it rather than the cruise line taking their cut.

On my last cruise, i had the auto-tips taken off and I tipped the equivalent (or more) in cash.  Prefer to tip cash so I can see the money is making it into the pockets of those who earned it rather than the cruise line taking their cut.

4 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

 

The Fascination is 1 exception to the rule. Once you embark the ship, you can debark the ship, go back to Walgreen, buy more wine, go back to the ship, rinse and repeat. 

Just for clarification:  the Fascination is the exception for which this scheme works, or the exception for which it doesn't work?  I'm on the Fascination soon so I just want to clarify.  

Thanks!

Sorry for replying, but I'm on the March 17 Fascination out of San Juan.  Just sooo excited I couldn't help myself.

I'm on the Fascination next week.  Based on me checking for lower prices, it seems that the cruise is at or near capacity.  I wonder if it will still feel less crowded than some of the other ships?  I do like the vibe of a crowded ship at times (lots of people and activity at the pool or bars).

I had a guaranteed ocean view room and that's what I got.  Not a bad room, but not an upgrade.  I did save a few bucks on the booking cost though.

We are doing the Fascination on Sunday, Mar 17.  We are doing 1 excursion only:  St. Lucia.  We have been to all of the ports before but have found things to do around port or taking local transportation.  St. Lucia seems to be the place you need to be on a tour or a private guide.  We hope to show up at the port (5 of us) and hire a driver for a few hours for $200 USD or so.  We've been quoted $225 by one company but we don't want to commit to anything in case someone gets ill or isn't feeling up to it.

8 days and a few hours.  Southern Caribbean on the Fascination

What about bringing a bottle on in San Juan (embarkation port), leaving the ship and returning later with another bottle of wine.  Do they keep tabs on whether you brought one on already?  (Assuming you can leave the ship if it doesn't depart until later in the evening.)

I'm also looking at snorkeling ideas. I've heard ****ten Bay is good but not easy to get to. Cockleshell Beach is also good.

I looked at all my options and decided on Cortans shuttle instead. Here's why:

1. It's not as fast as Uber, but probably about as fast as renting a car.

2. It was the cheapest option. Uber was cost prohibitive.

3. It seemed easy. I don't have to worry about getting to the car rental place in the morning. Cortans just picks me up at my hotel.

Note, however, that Cortans does not stop at every hotel, so make sure your hotel is on the list.

Priceline NYOP

Orlando Airport Area

March 15-16, 1 night

Ramada Suites Orlando Airport

$140/night + taxes came to $168. On the Ramada website, they were asking $201/night all in. I usually go with Hotwire but chose Priceline instead because nothing to appealing on Hotwire for my dates. Used this list of known hotels to narrow down which hotel I would get: http://www.hoteldealsrevealed.com/hotelinventory/priceline/fl/orlando. Overall, I'm happy with this win, which saved me about $33 or 15%.

My friends will be sailing on Carnival at the same time as us, but different ships. If we all have the Hub app and have paid our $5, can we message each other?

75 days and counting

I will occasionally check the price of my cruise, and twice I found it cheaper than the price I booked at. I called Carnival and they gave me a price adjustment -- both times. I'll continue to do this until I cruise later this year.

Question: is there a limit to the number of price adjustments I can get? For example, can I get a price adjustment a 3rd time if I see an even cheaper price?

Great post. I'm looking to do the same thing. I'm also Canadian, but suggest bringing USD instead.

I'm trying to figure out my own DIY excursions. For a family of 5, this can save us a lot of money. However, it is a lot more work to figure out what to do and other logistics.

I have compared Carnival's prices to other excursion providers, and Carnival seems to be on par with them. So if you do book with Carnival, I don't think you'll be paying a lot more.

One thing I've noticed, is that some tour operators or attractions won't let you book directly with them if you're on a cruise. They refer you to the cruise line. This really sucks. I found this twice so far. Once for a ziplining place -- won't let you book directly with them if you're on a cruise; the other was a boat out to some reefs for snorkelling. Same thing -- if you're on a cruise, they turn you away and tell you to book through the cruise due to their contract. Buggers.

I am planning to create my own excursions, rather than pay for an excursion from the cruise ship. With a family of 5, sometimes it is much more economical this way.

This is a great post. thanks for sharing. I guess it goes to show that mother nature is in control and we humans can't always follow our best laid schedules. I hope you enjoyed your vacation despite Carnival working you into a tizzy.

You can usually take advantage of price drops up to a certain point in time, and booking now assures that your price won't go up.

For the relatively small extra cost, the limo option sounds like a lot of fun.

Depending on how many of you there are, a cab ride might be cheaper than light rail. It's probably only a $7 taxi fare.

Enjoy the day in Vancouver instead of being worried your entire trip that you might miss your flight. Not worth it.

Yes, they're one and the same thing. Lauderdale is the city, Port Everglades is the port you'll be sailing from.

I have a question about bidding Vancouver hotel on Priceline or Hotwire. Does the websites charge you or the hotel? I want to know will there any foreign transaction fee by credit card company if the hotel charge in CAD... :confused:

The website charges you. It used to be that you could only charge in USD, but now they offer multiple currencies. By my calcs, if you're booking in anything other than USD, they're taking about a 2% cut.

If the hotel charges for extras like daily resort fees or wifi, those will be charged in the domestic currency (CAD). Most credit cards take around 2.5%, which is not horrible.

You might find this Priceline article helpful if you're new to Priceline.

No, you clear US immigration and customs at Vancouver airport, so the Seattle connection is treated as a domestic one.

Hey G, I'm not sure this is correct. I fly up and down the coast often as I have family in BC. This is our procedure:

1. Board plane in Vancouver, with NO CUSTOMS.

2. Arrive in Seattle, go through customs.

3. We are required to pick up our bags (physically) and put them on the transfer belt.

4. Go through security in SEA.

I've done this probably about 10 times in the last 4 or 5 years, and its always the same procedure. I usually fly Alaska / Horizon so maybe its different on other airlines, but that's the process I go through.