A Few Questions--30yrs since last Cruise

[ionsys]

Went on 4 in a row in early 80's-Caribbean all 4 were inside cabins...... I forget some things--

 

When you book and put a deposit down to hold the room, do you get that $back if you have to cancel prior to say 30-60days prior??---Or is it non- refundable

 

We would most likely be embarking in New Orleans (possibly Miami) and

am very concerned about getting a taxi upon on disembarking since we will not be coming direct from the airport- (3 days in French Qtr first).

 

With hundreds of people leaving the ship, how to get a taxi??--I realize that we could pre-book a cab to pick us up but who knows what time we will be off the ship--could be 2 hrs after 8am docking for eg and time could vary widely

 

I vaguely recall getting on a small bus right at the ship to take us to the start of the Terminal but what to do then??

 

And it will be a Sunday morning.

 

Does anyone recall if there is a train stop within easy walking from the start of the New Orleans Port terminal which we could get on to take us back to French Qtr?

 

This issue is one of my main problems to sort out--we are in our 60's

 

Next question--just how narrow and ill fitting are the balconies?

eg NCL Spirit's was only 40 inches long?--how can 2 of us fit on the balcony?

 

Last question--do they take your passports from you when you embark (or do you keep them with you for the duration?)

 

 

this is my first post since March 09 when we were thinking of booking the Solstice in Rome--fell through--got a full refund

[mcwebber]

You'll probably find a lot of answers here.

http://www.carnival.com/Funville/blogs/faqs/default.aspx

[sparkscruiser]

Went on 4 in a row in early 80's-Caribbean all 4 were inside cabins...... I forget some things--

 

When you book and put a deposit down to hold the room, do you get that $back if you have to cancel prior to say 30-60days prior??---Or is it non- refundable

 

That will depend upon how you book. If you book Early Saver you will not get your deposit back - you will be charged a fee of $50 per person and will need to rebook another cruise within two years of your cancellation date.

 

We would most likely be embarking in New Orleans (possibly Miami) and

am very concerned about getting a taxi upon on disembarking since we will not be coming direct from the airport- (3 days in French Qtr first).

 

Lots of cabs, no worries.

 

With hundreds of people leaving the ship, how to get a taxi??--I realize that we could pre-book a cab to pick us up but who knows what time we will be off the ship--could be 2 hrs after 8am docking for eg and time could vary widely

 

Lots of cabs, no worries......

 

I vaguely recall getting on a small bus right at the ship to take us to the start of the Terminal but what to do then??

 

Not in Miami - not sure about New Orleans - never cruise out of there.

 

And it will be a Sunday morning.

 

Does anyone recall if there is a train stop within easy walking from the start of the New Orleans Port terminal which we could get on to take us back to French Qtr?

 

Sorry, can't help with that question.

 

This issue is one of my main problems to sort out--we are in our 60's

 

Next question--just how narrow and ill fitting are the balconies?

eg NCL Spirit's was only 40 inches long?--how can 2 of us fit on the balcony?

 

You can both fit on the balcony - fairly shallow though, so if you can swing an extended balcony, that has a few more feet to it depth wise.

 

Last question--do they take your passports from you when you embark (or do you keep them with you for the duration?)

 

Nope, you keep your passports (I keep mine in the safe).

 

this is my first post since March 09 when we were thinking of booking the Solstice in Rome--fell through--got a full refund

 

Welcome back and enjoy whatever cruise you pick.

[firefly333]

Lots of taxis will be lined up at the port, easy to get one...they are waiting.

 

No train stations within walking distance of any ports I know of.

 

If you book ES rate, you deposit is nonrefundable from the date you book. All rates have penalties if you cancel after final payment, lets say over 2 months out, varys by length of cruise.

 

You keep your passport with you, they give it back .. a exception could be if you are foreign born.

[davy jones]

As earlier posters stated, you shold not have any problems with a taxi.

 

What ships did you sail on during the '80s? (Just curious)

 

You will find many changes from the '80s. You will decide whether they are to your liking or not. In short, ships are generally much larger and less formal. Some changes have been for the better, some things I would like to see again. Since you're here, you are aware of many of them. That said, it's still a great vacation and a great value.

[realtrip]

Yikes!!! The 80's were 30 years ago. ;)

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Taxis in Miami are there by the boat load :D

 

Don't forget to fly in the day before you cruise you don't want to miss the boat because of flight delays!

 

Many people still dress up really fancy for dinner, some don't(at all, LOL!).

The balcony is long enough for both of you to sit comfortably and enjoy your morning coffee but as a previous poster mentioned, it isn't very wide...

[davy jones]

Yikes!!! The 80's were 30 years ago. ;)

 

 

Hey! We took our first cruise back then. :)

[ionsys]

The first one I went on in 1978 was the Veracruz out of MoBay--working class crowd but we loved it---then we upgraded and our last was a Holland Am ship out of Galveston--much posher but also stuffier clientele--not as much fun as the Veracruz

 

After that, the cruise thing wore off (we stopped at 24 ish islands in the Caribbean)and we eventually separated--gg

 

My 2nd wife of many years has never cared for cruises so we went the AI Resort route for several years. Fine with me

 

Now, we're a bit bored with that so we're both wondering what might be next--ergo I'm back looking at the cruise thing again for say Feb 2012..

 

We both want to visit the French Qtr but that's just a 3-4 day thing so if we tack on a cruise at the end maybe we'll go.

 

Still have dreams of getting off the ship with several hundred folks on the pier and far far too few taxis to go around that aren't pre booked---we'll stay over an extra day just to make sure we don't miss our plane out.

 

I tend to be a bit fearful of heights due to effects of 3 mastoid operations when I was 6--so I'd like to get as low as possible--but that seems to be Deck 7 Empress as 6 is 1 up from noise--I guess it's not so bad at sea but seeing pavement way dn there is a bit stressful--nevertheless, a balcony is a good idea for various reasons (eg hard to find empty chairs around pool etc etc).

 

There were only 2 lines going out of New Orleans--looked at the NCL Spirit but thought Carnival Conquest was a better idea