Show up day of departure and get on?

[crazycajuncruiser]

I have heard through the grapevine that if you show up on the day a cruise departs and there is room available that you can get on at a discount. Is this true? If so, is there any advice I need before I try it? This would be wonderful if so!! :D

[Wennfred]

I have heard through the grapevine that if you show up on the day a cruise departs and there is room available that you can get on at a discount. Is this true? If so, is there any advice I need before I try it? This would be wonderful if so!! :D

 

You can not show up to the terminal, you have to call Carnival and set it up. When I called there were no Discounts for showing up on the same day it departed. I got my Military Discount and that was it.

 

 

Fred

[Tapi]

I have heard through the grapevine that if you show up on the day a cruise departs and there is room available that you can get on at a discount. Is this true? If so, is there any advice I need before I try it? This would be wonderful if so!! :D

 

 

The quick answer is NO. First of all, basically every Carnival ship sails at 100% capacity and even if one cabin became available on the day of departure, the cruise line wouldn't give it away at a deep discount. (just like with the airlines that have those dreaded "walk up" fares that are astronomically high, the cruise lines figure that anybody desperate enough to go cruising at the last minute with only one or two cabins available, will pay a premium for it). Obviously there are some rare cases when deep discounts will be available a few days before departure, but these are exceptions, not the norm. Even then, you MUST have a paid and confirmed reservation when you go to the port, even if you set it up within 24 hours before departure like Wennfred mentioned.

 

Other things that will prevent you from just going to the port and waiting for a cabin to become available involve Homeland Security, deadlines for the cruise line to have your personal information stored and available for the authorities, etc. Also, unless a guest specifically calls and cancels a cabin, the cruise line can't release "no show" cabins to new guests because technically the guest who first purchased it is elegible to meet the ship at the next port of call.

 

With that said I did speak to the supervisor at the port of Mobile when we cruised in October and she did tell us that there was this old lady who would show up every sailing, all dressed up with a suitcase and would ask if there was a cabin available. The pier personnel would be forced to turn her away every single time. They asked her why she didn't just purchase a cabin for a future sailing to what she replied that she was old and retired, and just going to the port and asking for a last minute cabin was "much more fun". The old lady finally got her wish. Knowing that she would probably keep showing up, the personnel were prepared for her and the next time that she showed up, and there was an actual empty cabin, they confirmed her and got her on the cruise! This is a true story!

[nolaAlive]

You can sometimes get discounts. If the port only has 1 ship don't count on it. The odds increase in ports like Miami where several ships a day might sail and there is competition.

 

If there is an active hurricane anywhere in the area, the availability of last minute bookings and discounts increases.

[Name game]

I have heard through the grapevine that if you show up on the day a cruise departs and there is room available that you can get on at a discount. Is this true? If so, is there any advice I need before I try it? This would be wonderful if so!! :D

 

I've heard this rumor in the past but I somehow doubt it is true. I do know people who booked less than two weeks in advance but didn't get a huge discount.

[deborahjo]

I do not think you can do it with the Homeland Security stuff going on...

[flowerchild]

When I lived in Miami I used to get calls from certain cruiselines offering last minute sailings at deeply discounted prices to past passengers. It happened a few of times. This was in 2002-2003.

 

Carnival was not one of them. I think it was NCL and RCCL.

[firefly333]

I called 4 days before the ship left and asked them how long I had to make up my mind. They said 3 pm the day before. Of course you cant print out your fun pass and things like that. I went ahead and booked that day, but Fred as he mentioned above booked within the last 24 hours with the cruiseline.

 

I still wasnt on the manifest and my cabin steward was surprised to see me. They had one big bed instead of separating the beds. This was with 4 days notice too!!! At least I had my online info printed out, but still had to jump thru a few hoops at the port.

 

The 72 hour rule is the manifest they now show before the ship sails. If you book last minute you wouldnt be on it. People seem to think this means you have to book before the 72 hours goes into effect. Not true.

 

I got the fare showing online, no discount btw. Some who waited until Friday for our Sunday cruise did get at least $50 off pp. They got phone calls, didnt call up to book themselves to get offered the $50 off the going rate. PS I also think because it was Easter week is why the sailing didnt sell out, usually this doesnt happen, was an abberation.

[Jsme]

It use to be true but not any longer. Rules and regulations changed and you can not do this anymore.

 

I forget the exact day rule of when you have to book by but it is very specific.

[kitty9]

Cruise lines must submit their full passenger manifests to US Immigration and Homeland Security at least 72 hours before departure. So no just going to the terminal and getting on board.

[nolaAlive]

A passenger manifest 72 hours is a myth. It used to not be required until after the ship sailed, but I think now they want 30 minutes before sailing.

 

FYI, Wennfred just DID a relatively last minute sailing.

[Jsme]

A passenger manifest 72 hours is a myth. It used to not be required until after the ship sailed, but I think now they want 30 minutes before sailing.

 

FYI, Wennfred just DID a relatively last minute sailing.

 

 

How far in advance did Fred book?

[jetskier]

The 72 hour rule NEVER existed. The rule used to be within 15 minutes of departure, the manifest had to be submitted. This changed this past February to where the manifest has to be submitted one hour PRIOR to departure. It is one of the reasons the cruiselines are now requiring you to be checked in 90 minutes to two hours before departure.

 

The other submittal is when the ship returns, a manifest has to be submitted 96 hours prior to arrival.

 

One of the reasons you cannot go to the terminal and purchase a ticket is that you have to have a ticket in order to enter the terminal. But like Fred said, you can still purchase one within 24 hours.

Dave

[Tapi]

The closest to departure I have ever booked was in 2005 after Katrina hit south FL (when I used to live there). Carnival shortened the 3 night cruise to a 2 night cruise for $99 and I got a call from my PVP on the morning of departure to see if I was interested.

 

I remember getting the call around 9am while I was driving. I called my wife and made sure that she wanted to go, and a few hours later, we were at the port with nothing more than a booking number on a napkin!

[CHARLESV32]

How far in advance did Fred book?

 

Fred booked the day of the cruise around 9 or 10 in the morning.

[G'ma]

Waaayyy back in the day - late '70's, early '80's, I was made aware of a program open to Florida residents only that permitted them to standby at the port and pay a discounted fare for any open cabins.

 

This was when there were only a relatively few ships and passengers relative to todays numbers. Apparently, you had to bring proof to establish residency. I never knew anyone who actually did it but heard several people talk about doing it themselves.

 

It was a whole different industry back then. You could also standby for flights, show up at the airport and get on a "standby" list. This was very popular for flights to Europe from major airports.

 

In today's busy cruise marketplace with many if not most ships sailing at capacity - and the immigration rules, Homeland Security and such, it wouldn't work anyway. I suppose any empty cabins not designated for "no-shows" would be sold by the cruiseline on their website or by their reservationists, used for upgrades for arriving passengers or left empty.

[Wennfred]

How far in advance did Fred book?

 

Lets see, I got home Friday Morning and started calling and booked around 7:30am, was on the road at 9am and was onboard with a Miami Vice by 12:30pm :D

 

Whole process took 5 hours, from bookiing and boarding.

 

 

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

Friday 18 April 2008 Paradise Cruise / Long Beach

 

0727 hours

 

ok, got the Military rate at 326.03 they are holding it for me right now, I have to make a decision!!!

 

0833 Hours

Booking now. I think they have 4 dining sittings on this ship still, he just asked me which one I wanted, 8pm or 8:30pm, I told him any one of those would work.

 

0904 Hours

 

Printed out eDocs, faxed over my DD-214, Got my passport out, packing !!!

 

Cabin # R129 Foward, Cat 4a inside.

 

0929 Hours

On my way !!!, see ya all onboard

 

1200 Hours

Wendy:

 

Fred just called me and he has been on the ship since 12pm and has already had a hot dog and hamburger.

 

 

I checked into the Cruise Terminal at 11:50am

 

 

Fred

[CHARLESV32]

Lets see, I got home Friday Morning and started calling and booked around 7:30am, was on the road at 9:40am and was onboard with a Miami Vice by 12:30pm :D

 

Whole process took 5 hours, from bookiing and boarding.

 

 

 

Fred

 

How sweet it is!!

 

I prefer to do last minute cruises instead of planning one becuase I dont have to wait as long for the cruise(Is it time to cruise yet?).

[Wennfred]

Read about it here how it all went down with Pricing and a cool Cruise Critic member giving me a rate tip etc. The thread is called, Thinking about boarding Paradise Tomorrow: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=758196

 

 

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

How sweet it is!!

 

I prefer to do last minute cruises instead of planning one becuase I dont have to wait as long for the cruise(Is it time to cruise yet?).

 

This will be great when we are retired and the doggies are gone :D

 

 

Fred

[jennifergail]

I heard from a man who knew a couple who were vacationing in Orlando who decided on a whim to see if they could get on one of the cruise ships leaving out. I'm not sure what cruise line, however, or how far in advance they had, but I was told that they managed to get a $1000+ cruise for around $200 a piece because it was someone's cancellation.

[firefly333]

I heard from a man who knew a couple who were vacationing in Orlando who decided on a whim to see if they could get on one of the cruise ships leaving out. I'm not sure what cruise line, however, or how far in advance they had, but I was told that they managed to get a $1000+ cruise for around $200 a piece because it was someone's cancellation.

 

Sounds more like a rumor than fact to me? Carnival isnt going to reduce the price of a cabin this much these days. Maybe it happened a long time ago, pre 9/11. Its been years since I have heard you could get a deal like this for $200, like when Katrina went thru and cancellations, about that time. Or maybe they are telling you the retail price for a very short cruise that goes for $200 anyway. I wouldnt count on this happening.

 

Let me just say, if this was true, Id book all my cruises like this totally last minute. Im 5 hours from a port.