Rainbowfalls

Hello all,

I was booking my parking for my jan 2016 cruise and we always go with parking port Canaveral (was the Radisson parking) well I go to book and it says it's full to try Port Canaveral Parking 2.

I am a bit concerned cause I have never been to the second lot so I had some questions for anyone who has.

Do we still have to go to lot one across from the Radisson to check in?

What hotel is the second lot attached to and is it secure?

When we get picked up do we get picked up directly from the second lot or do we have to be shuttled to the first lot?

Same with a return do we have to mention we are in the second lot ahead of time or just have to wait for first lotters to get dropped off?

Overall I just wanted to know of anyone's experience with this new lot.

Well last minute least for me the planner, we have decided to bring my bf's daugher (she's 12) on our cruise in Jan. which now i am freaking out which i know it'll be ok but this is new to me so i feel lost.

Having never changed a reservation after booking I know from reading on here that its a 50 dollar charge, is that due at the time or added to the total due?

We booked early saver with half off deposit if I add her wlll I be also required to pay for another deposit? Or pay the full deposit for all of us?

Since she is 12 she would be able to go to Circle C, does anyone have any experience with their kids going? We have concerns with her going off on her own, if we sign her up for it do they let circle c memebers roam free or are they supervised?

I have considered purchasing but had a question are the towels beach towels or bath towels?

no. I am in the same situation and all I got was the original obc. would be nice if it added up though lol

I'm not an experienced cruiser nor have I had a balcony but if it was me and in my budget I would go for it especially since you have a 7 day cruise. Not only would that give you more room but also seeing a sunrise and sunset from your balcony, if your kid isn't feeling well or if they are younger and taking a nap thats time you can spend at least seeing the ocean and feeling the breeze. :) good luck whichever you decide.

They will have a desk set up when you first board the ship and you can sign up then. :)

 

It's an amazing time!!! We had a blast when we did it on the Pride a few weeks ago. Definitely a "do not miss" type of thing. People were there whether they had kids or not and everyone seemed to enjoy it. :)

Thank you for saying that non parents where there too lol. I really wanted to go to the brunch on the Sensation but we most likely will not have my bfs daughter with us so I was a bit bummed out thinking I would miss it.

Stayed at the courtyard by Marriott Jacksonville before we thought it was pretty nice right on the beach,large pool and Whirlpool both outside with views which was neat. Rooms very clean and spacious also at the time the in room TVs had pay per view options.

We also stayed at the hilton garden inn st augustine which was also nice just not as close to the beach same for the Hampton inn which we stayed at as well. I liked the Hampton more for st. Augustine just because it has an old Spanish feel to the decor and layout. Rooms are huge there and it has a small garden outside.

Any of those hotels we felt safe at just the one in Jacksonville did have signs up about the hotel not being responsible for damages or theft to cars. Which whenever I see those signs it makes me wonder if its been an issue in the past.

I just realized my mistake by doing more research. There is no length restriction. I was confusing length with height. I'm stressing too much over this cruise.

I always have to print out a image of what it should look like when measured and I will measure my luggage way more then needed lol. gotta love those pre cruise jitters.

hope you enjoy your cruise!

:( both the roll calls I was part in I wish I could have joined the actual meet and greet, but when it comes to actually meeting people I get nervous and end up in a panic/anxiety attack.

thank you :)

Sucks though even if it was ten dollars I was still excited lol

I checked my rate a bit ago and noticed there is a 10 dollar per person drop however I recieved obc for 30 dollars total with the last promotion. It was an early saver with up to $50 obc per cabin sale carnival had a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I submitted an price drop request if I would lose the obc I have already. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this before?

How do you purchase fttf? Is it in the shops part of the website?

So true. While working for Marriott in reservations the sold out dates changed constantly. We would be told to say we're sold out if people called on the 800 reservation line, but if they called the hotel direct, we had rooms available.

 

 

This was long before the internet...when people called or fax'd for reservations (!)

omg I couldn't imagine having to deal with all faxed reservations or call ins. The Marriott I use to work for was located near a waterpark so we had a deal with them and only accepted faxed reservations for those booking with the waterpark and a mess was an understatement constant overbookings, missed reservations, wrong rates and so forth. So glad that the location I am at now (Hilton) has nothing like that lol.

And that is another thing for anyone booking a hotel sometimes the hotel property and the reservation lines conflict... and online. So sometimes if one says one rate or sold out try another way to book. Just another tip lol. thanks for mentioning that Boatdrill. :)

The last time we went out of Port Canaveral and also for the one coming up we choose the Doubletree Cocoa Beach Oceanfront. It's also one that one of my regular guests chooses whenever he's in Port Canaveral.

The hotel has good reviews on trip advisor and offers more in my opinion then other hotels I have stayed at in the area. They have a restaurant on property as well as a full service bar and small gift shop/clothing shop. I believe most if not all the rooms have a balcony with most having oceanviews. It's really just a step outside down a small path to the ocean. The rooms are fairly spacious as well. There is an outdoor pool which is pretty big and I believe a whirlpool. Also an on site guest laundry and fitness room.

The other one we have stayed at was Hampton Inn titusville, which is a 10 minute car ride to the ocean. But a decent hotel if you wanted to save a bit more.

Sorry if this has been asked (even by me lol) but I have contacted carnival and also sent an email to John Heald and have not received any information.

I am cruising out of Port Canaveral in January on the Sensation. I know the press release I read says it shouldn't change to Miami till the end of Feb but with all these possible changes Carnival makes I wanted to make sure it wouldn't change my ship.

Does anyone know if the Sensation is being changed in Feb or is it happening the end of this year?

Thank you for your thorough response. A lot of good info for anyone looking to book a hotel, anywhere.

You're welcome. Until I started working for a hotel I didn't realize how much goes into the pricing and really how much some people would be willing to pay or not willing to pay. Also all the options to ensure that you don't have to pay that much if it's actually avoidable.

Hopefully some people will take some help from it :)

I wouldn't personally pay that much for a hotel just because to me one night or two isn't worth paying that much for location when I could just drive a bit to where I want to go and pay less someplace else. Even with gas cost it would be cheaper looking inland. With that said I understand how some people would pay those prices and would pay more for the type of hotel, brand, and location.

Other things to look at is the fact of the time of year as everyone has pointed out but also what is going on in town. Does the hotel have teams or weddings raising their rate or is there an event in town causing the rate to jump. Here in Cincinnati we have two such weeks Jazz fest week and the Western Southern Open. But hotel rates can vary also depending on the day of the week and other situations.

The best thing to do is to check your options. Contact the hotel maybe ask what is going on so you know if it's local or hotel specific. That way you know if you are going to be paying a bit higher regardless where you go.

Two check to see if there are advanced purchase rates. Most hotels offer these when they are booked in advance, the rate is much lower but at the same time you pay upon booking and they are typically non refundable and cannot be modified. .

Three check third party rates a lot of times third parties will offer lower rates for that hotel for the same dates. However with booking through third parties you are not really guaranteed room type nor preferences. It's a good option for couples since bed preferences do not really matter but for families it can be a pain. If the hotel may sell out they may have to give you room types you did not plan for such as a king for a family of 4.

Sometimes also wait it out. Book a room at a higher rate and price watch. A lot of hotels will price things higher for the first mentioned situations but when people either drop out of the event or the occupancy is not what they expected it to be they will lower it to make up for that cut.

Check also AAA, AARP (which is really no different then AAA) or military if it applies to you. Also if you work for a company with like national standing such as coke, ge or others see if you have a company discount.

Really it's a gamble either way there's not a set way to know if a hotel rate will drop or just get higher. The best thing to do is just book when you need to and check out other options as well as watching hotel bookings... really similar to what we do anyways for cruises with early saver lol.

This is from experience as a hotel employee for over 8 years with top branded hotels. :)

Good luck either way :)

It was my travel agent that called me and advised me of the change and wanted to make sure I was ok with it.

 

I said as long as we get a room with a balcony (which we had already booked) that I was fine with the change. He said that for our trouble, Carnival will give each of us a $100 OBC. So I said go for it!

So jealous! That was one thing the rep did at least say was any changes carnival will do reimbursement or smoothing things over in forms of obc or upgrades which is kinda another reason I wouldn't mind having to switch ships. The rep also said if someone wasn't happy with it the ship and decided to cancel they would give them credit towards a future cruise.

I hope you enjoy your obc and the sensation!

I would assume it will be when the Victory changes ports some time in the fall.

That sucks. I tried calling carnival and they couldn't/wouldn't give me an answer the only thing the rep told me was if it does change my cruise I should get an email sometime but she doesn't know how far in advance I would get one. I just want to know what ship I will be on. Either way it's good sensation or Victory.

as for the op, we have enjoyed the sensation ( only ship we have been on but we liked it enough to try it coming on 3 times). Yes it's purple-y but the staff are nice, the serenity deck is beautiful with it's view of the openness of the ocean and it's small enough not to get completely lost. We love the porthole rooms on the empress deck E7 is our favourite cause there is a ledge big enough to sit or even sleep on if one is short.

:o I check several times a day. OCD when it comes to checking our cruise rates LOL.:D

lol ha I am the same way. First thing I do soon as I am actually awake and the last thing I do before bed plus several times in the day at work. :p

:( Kinda bummed though our cruise so far has stayed the same price just with the promo going on now we got a $30 obc..which I am not complaining about but I have been checking all the categories deck by deck and doesn't look like many people have booked yet for ours so I was hoping it would be a bit lower by now lol. oh well fingers still crossed.

When does the sensation change ports?

I am going on a cruise in September out of Port Canaveral. I have been reading all the different reviews about all the different places to park. Can you please tell me what all of your past experiences are and who you would recommend? My husband wants the most easiest and quickest way to park. We plan on getting to the port around 11:00. Thanks so much for all or your help, we really appreciate it!

We have always gone with The Radisson for our parking. The area is safe and secure. It's very easy drop off and pretty cheap. I tend to price watch them cause like now they have a rate of 8.95 per day. But will drop it down to 4.95 at different times during the year and i will book it then. The cashier is always amazed at my rate but then I do tend to book it way in advance lol. They provide shuttle to and from the port.http://www.parkportcanaveral.com/

Our last cruise was very low key - no excursions. We did walk around a couple ports, including Nassau, just to take in local vibe and shopping.

 

Once off the ship in Nassau we were absolutely bombarded by locals pushing excursions, cab rides, tours, you name it. Every 20 feet we were approached. I do have two young kids so I get a little nervous about these things. Walking on the main street a man started walking beside me and my pre-teen daughter and gave me a funny look. That made me nervous.

 

Also walking down the main street a lady stopped us and welcomed us by putting yarn bracelets on each of our wrists and said it was a gift but asked for a donation for "handicapped" children. Well by the time she has them on your wrists, you feel obligated to give her something. She asked for $10 each. I gave her $10 for all 4.

 

We went to the straw market and it was vendor booths one on top of another selling the same trinkets. Bought a few things. I bought a leather necklace and got a rash from it. My wife tried it later and also got a rash.

 

I will stay on the boat next time.

We had the same thing happen with the pestering and the yarn lady. She at first told us it was free and only after putting it on my wrist and my fathers which she grabbed his hand by force did she mention a donation. She told us it was for the local school for after-school functions and they would take any little amount. We offered her the only cash we had in small bills about 5 dollars? and she said no it wasn't enough. So we told her we didnt have anything else and we did not want to have the bracelets in which she got mad and said we had to give them back. Of course she had knot tied them and I was able to get mine off with the help of my boyfriend but my fathers we couldn't get off since it was too tight. She then tells us if it's damaged we would have to pay for it. My dad tells her to take it off and she grabs his hand again forcefully scratching him in the process as she was trying to take it off.

Junkanoo beach was the same way. Constant people trying to sell their items. I understand that it's how some people make a living but it's too far when you physically come in contact with someone.

Defiantly a lesson learned for us. We now keep our hands in our pockets in Nassau or avoid areas like around senior frogs since they seem to be packed there waiting for tourists.We are going back to nassau in Jan next year and plan on going to The Hilton hotel since it's a private beach.

we normally would do it at the check in counter at the port. My parents had trouble the last time we went (2013...) they told them they had to wait to board and go to guest services.

I was actually wondering if it has changed myself. We liked doing it at the port (check in) cause they wouldn't put a hold on our card (we use debit).

I had a question, ( I made a thread that hasn't been responded to so sorry if it's reasking ) but I was reading that they are now charging for the lobster and some other items in the MDR. Is that per plate? and for the other items in the MDR is it charged as well or still free? and are people being charged for more then one item?... Sorry for all the questions just I feel so out of the loop. and what is the american menu...