Well thanks George.
From your experience, can you tell me just how early are you expected to be at the boat before departure?
Hmm...
I'll have to ask the Lovely Bride this evening.
She is the Chief Cruise Director and will remember.
BTW: make your carry-on bag the "absolute essentials" bag. Imagine
that you have landed in Orlando and cannot get to your luggage. So, not
wanting to miss the boat, go for it with just your carry on. What would
you want to find in it? There's a lot of things you can buy as you go.
Expensive, but better than missing the boat. One thing I'd want to make
sure of is my passport.
This imaginary scenrio has roots in reality. One year we made the great
American family pilgrimage to the Holy Rodent Empire (Walt Disney
World). There were horrendous delays getting out of Logan Airport. The
people in the seats in front of us became increasingly frantic. They had a
cruise ship to catch! When the plane finally landed in Orlando, they
decided to just take the carry-ons, sprint to the car rental, and go like
blazes in order to catch the boat.
This stayed in our minds and that is why we decided to fly to Seattle the
day before our Alaska cruise left.
we sailed out of seattle in early december and ship was set to sail at 5 pm. boarding started at 12 noon. usually boarding has to be completed 90 minutes before sailing. do keep in mind that the ship will NOT wait for late arrivals; you do have to be on time - just like for an airline flight. we usually arrive in port of departure a few days in advance for sightseeing - since we are paying for the flight, why not take advantage of it. hbg
Yikes!
I know it's risky, especially with air travel being as unreliable as it is these days but we did NOT book our air through the cruiseline so we're on our own as far as luggage goes, I think. I can always call our agent and I will but, I like getting the real lowdown from you guys.
Last August, our travel agent had us fly into Tampa the day before our cruise left, just to make sure that no delayed flights would cause us to miss the boat (literally.) No such precautions were necessary on the trip home, of course.
Our ship (Carnival) had check-in from noon to 4 p.m. and left the dock at 5. We got there at noon and got right on board, but those who waited until 2 or 3 had quite a long line. Carnival advised everyone to show up by AT LEAST 3 p.m. in order to board in time. We were VERY glad we went earlier.
Yes, you'd better have your travel agent check with your cruise line.
About shore excursions...
Carnival did their best to scare everyone into taking their own tours, saying they'd hold the boat for you if their own tour was late, but not for others. Don't buy it. All the local tour operators know the ship schedules like the back of their hands...the same ships come around every week...and they know when you have to be back. It's much cheaper (and less crowded, so you get more personalized tours) if you use local operators. Or, in the Bahamas, just hop in a taxi and go wherever you want. No problem. What ports of call will you have? Nassau? Freeport? Others?
I really didn't want to spend the night before at a hotel, preferring to spend that money elsewhere so I'll just have to pray on that flight arriving when it's supposed to since changing the flight reservations at this point will cost us more.
Cococay and Nassau are our ports of call.
Another question. How do we get our souvenirs home? I'll probably lose my mind and buy up half of the Straw Market and of course we'd want rum, the REAL DEAL. Can we ship things from the boat rather than tote them back on the plane?
I don't know about shipping.
I did buy some good Bermuda rum from the duty-free shop on the ship.
Duty-free is a very good thing.
Duty-free. What IS that, exactly? No taxes or something?
Duty is import tax. The ship can sell the product to you and you can
bring it into the US. The ship does not have to pay duty on this
transaction and may therefore sell it cheaper. "May" is the key word
here. They may also sell it for as much as or more than it would cost in
the US.
Don't buy anything duty-free unless you have a good idea what it would
cost at home and so can recognize a bargain when you see it. The liquor
I bought was indeed a bargain, but I couldn't tell you now how much I
saved.
Also note that there is a limit of how much you can buy. Go over that
limit and the government charges you with the duty.
when you consider that you can get a motel for less than $100 a night , arriving the night before is pretty cheap insurance. as far as shipping excess luggage (parcels, straw-handbags - ah, you bought a lot ?), you are strictly on your own. check to see what your luggage allowance you have with your airline. excess luggage costs you an arm and a leg ! (you can always take an old, lightweight coat along and stuff the sleeves with your dirty laundry and pack the souvenirs into the suitcase! it's been done !). hbg
Hahaha!! Stuffing a coat with dirty laundry! I never would have thought of that! Brilliant!
Eoe, sometimes the better stores will deliver purchases to the ship for you, or even ship things directly to your home. Do that whenever you can. Liquor is tough, though. You just about have to lug it through the airports. Be sure it's worth it.
Coco Cay is basically a beach stop. Enjoy the water. Do you snorkel? This would be the perfect time to try it. It's very easy & relaxing, and the best way I know to leave the real world behind.
Nassau has a bunch of interesting historical sites, and the Straw Market's local color is a don't miss. Be prepared to bargain. Also, visit Atlantis across the Paradise Island bridge, and take their tour through the casino (massive Chihuly glass sculptures are amazing) and "The Dig" (you've never seen an aquarium like this.) Then go back to town and shop more. Lots to do.
I'm with hamburger about paying the extra cost to change the air reservations & get a motel the night before. It would be far better than taking a chance on losing the total cruise cost because you missed the ship. And no, they really won't wait for you.
"The Dig" (you've never seen an aquarium like this.) " - yes, it's absolutely amazing. no need to book a tour for it. a taxi will take you to the casino. if you check with fellow travellers, you'll likely find others interested in sharing a taxi. we did it on hawaii, SIX people in a minivan/taxi, total cost $12 or $2 a person, try to beat that. hbg
crusin'
here are some pix of aquarium and fishies ! I WONNA' GO ! (have dug out the cruise catalog and getting feverish ... where to go ? cross the atlantic ? to south america ? two week caribbean cruise? baltic ? black sea ? )
WATCH THE SHARKS ! hbg
Geez, you guys are so right. If we stayed in a hotel the night before departure, we could get to Port Canaveral early that Monday and go to the Kennedy Space Center. Hubby would love that. hmmmmmm. How much to change that reservation?
OOOWWW!!!
It's gonna cost 130.00 to change the reservations!
I gotta think...
$130 to be absolutedangly sure that you don't miss the cruise ? sounds like bargain trip insurance to me.
or maybe miss the cruise?
gotta weigh things
if this cruise is like the ones other people are describing, boarding will start at noon on the day of departure. there's a reason they start that early - they're going to leave on time.
in addition to checking when boarding starts - confirm when boarding ends - not just the departure time
think of flying - the departure time is NOT when you have to be on the plane. At Pearson, final boarding is set for 1/2 hour in advance.
Checked with Madame Chief Cruise Director.
The boat was due to sail at four; we got there at one. It wasn't so much
making sure we had enough time as getting to the buffet lunch that is set
up as soon as boarding starts.
