timeinthesand

I think you are going to start hearing the name Leigh Xureb more and more. He was our CD on the Sunshine in June and was fantastic! I think he was with another cruise line before.

Leigh is very good, Australian fellow. I like Corey Rogers (3x)(no longer with carnival), jase (2x), and Frank the tank(4x). I've cruised with malcom many times (7+), kind of funny, but not CD of the year, in my opinion. The rest that I have cruised with are forgettable. John heald is fun(1x), but he's not really in the same category .

I understand your question. On the ship, they offer a day rate and a trip rate. The trip rate is cheaper. I would guess that the trip or duration rate wiuld be cheaper if purchased before rather than during the cruise. I am pretty sure but not 100%. I would go ahead and do it before, I bet you come out ahead...

You can even put all your cash down and pull it out of the kiosk anytime during the trip, anytime you have excess that is. At the kiosk you can also put spending limits on people's sail & Sign card that you are responsible for

Thanks! I've seen your posts, and I write down about every other thing you say. :')

Haha, lol. Happy cruising!

You will probably go to the ealy check in line then, if you make it before 1030=1100 it will be painless for you.

If you have any questions let me know, I am very familiar with the terminal there and procedures.

Galveston does accept cash in the terminal, up to 230pm.

The ship doesn't take cash on the first day any more.

If your boarding pass says cash deposit, you will have to check in upstairs also. It sounds like it will. The lines move very fast no w, what time are you going to arrive at the port?

How far out is your cruise?

It sounds like you would just call carnival and rebook, pay the 50 fee and higher solo rate.

another thing you can do is click cancel cruise and see what the penalty is, just to see.

Another choice is pay what you need ($50?) to change the name to a better friend, even if they aren't going. If bad friend shows up, they won't have a booking, better friend will.

Does this trip include roatan?

I have never done it but I hear the three Reef snorkel in Cozumel is awesome.

I have done the wonders of the barrier reef several times.

Not a good time to sail out of Galveston due to dense fog most days.

There can be, yes. Hopefully you will get to stay an extra day onboard!

It doesn't happen everyday though, so there is only a chance. This year was pretty bad, a few times ships were delayed. If you are flying in or out, or have a hotel room be sure to have a back up olan, just in case. We live in the area and drove down for a cruise on the freedom and the ship was delayed four hours. It lifted and rolled back in before we could get on and sail away. We held muster drill anyway, and the captain said we would leave when we coould. We left at 2am, and had a blast! You will too!!

I love staggered check in and the cards in the mailboxes as well. It is so much faster. Last month at PE for Conquest I had to wait in the second line. It was painful even being Platinum. The people who were non Priority had it way worse.

Honestly, when I first heard of it (keys onboard) I thought they had gone out of their minds. To see it in action thoigh, genius!!

Last year out of Charleston, all keys in terminal, same in NOLA last month. Doing the Sunshine out of Chas beginning of Nov, will see what happens.

Time will tell, it works well for galveston.

We also still have the staggered check in, my understanding is some ports couldn't make it work and went back to the previous way. So, I do know if they feel something isn't working they will change it.

It is possible they will make elegant night the same as Valentine's night.

They will also give the ladies a rose, from my experience.

I think the liberty is a beautiful ship. I am sad she left galveston!

Who was your cruise director?

Isnt it just prohibited if flying? I think the ship allows it. We bring spray suntan lotion, room deodorizer, etc... never without a second thought

I don't know which suites, just suite guests. Wheeew, glad we cleared that up!! Lol, I hope the op gets what they promised them at least.

I think most ports will go to keys onboard. In galveston, the sail and sign cards were printed on the ship, brought down in wooden crates, in the envelopes, and the check in agents retrieved them at check in. With keys onboard it cut down check in time TREMENDOUSLY if your boarding pass says complete, you skip the port guest services check in. If you are cash deposit or there is a name change or something else going on at desco (the passport, bc, and dl check in), they will highlite your boarding pass and send you to port guest services. also, the ships in galveston no longer accept cash the first day at ship guest services, you have to go to the kiosk onboard. Just some info on some changes since keys on board....

Please do as I am genuinely curious. I will also be on the lookout next month in Miami. Wonder what the purpose of them is since they already have “Priority” printed on their boarding pass? Maybe it’s just to give them a little recognition because the perks themselves are pretty lacking. Other cruise lines give you a different color card for different categories of cabins.

If you go to guest services (in the terminal) ask them also. Just guessing maybe.... If the suite guests dont have the same benefits as fttf, that would be why. To show they have suite guest but not fttf., just a guess...

In galveston, they were out of fttf stickers once and used the suite guest stickers. It's silver and black, the best I remember, and about the size of bottomless bubble sticker and square also. Smaller than the fttf sticker.

Adding, do they do keys onboard in miami?

I have seen it in galveston, so I guess you got to hear it from me first.

I don't know why a random person would make that up regarding the vista, but i believe it. I was just curious, since you mentioned it, if it happens elsewhere. Next time I am in the terminal I will see if I can get a pic of one for you.

Oh, again with keys onboard being love since july, it couldl be different. Some keys have to be reprinted, they probably do have the fttf and suite guest stickers around though. I will ask.

I just find it strange that there are many people on here that cruise from Galveston and not one of them have ever mentioned a “Suite Sticker”. I do admit hat I find it difficult to believe that they do it so different down there. I mean first the kitchen crew doesn’t come out to inspect the food supply like in all the other ports and now a unique sticker that has never been brought up before? Wow. What is going on there?

Add another port to the list that does it. i dont know why others do or dont, just know what i see.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/6qd7h5/carnival_vista_suite_guest/

And about the inspections, it is possible they take place in the truck unloading area, before the items are taken out on to the pier.

There are no such stickers out of POM or PE and I have never heard of such a thing anywhere else. They do not get the same benefits as FTTF as has already been pointed out. It says “Priority” on the boarding pass and that’s it. No GS line, no cabin ready at embarkation.

Call the Galveston

port and ask them if they put the suite sticker on inside the terminal or on the ship.

Here we offer our experiences in answer to peoples questions. i mention my experience, which is only with galveston. Like it, hate it, don't believe it. I really don't care. But I do feel bad for people that already know it all and are incapable of learning

What sticker? The only sticker I have ever seen is for FTTF/Priority luggage and that’s bright orange with the FTTF logo.

It's like the fttf sticker but says suite guest. I'm fact, since they have same benefits as fttf, I have seen them in place of fttf in galveston.

Since keys onboard went live there in mid july, I am not sure how that is done now, now that I think about it. I don't know if they now do it on the ship, or if they do it all.

They will get a sticker that says suite guest. That includes them in the priority group.

In the Long Beach Captain's Lounge there were water, lemonade and cookies available.

Galveston too

Thanks for the information. So they can't board without us, is that what I'm hearing? So, they will need to be with us? If they go by themselves in the "regular" line will they be turned away?

If your cabins are linked in the computer and you check in first, they would be able to go by themselves.

It's possible if you are separated you will probably check in first because of a quicker check in, then they would be able to check in through the regular line. If you are seperated you can come right back together after the security check in. No need to stress over it, have fun!

Fyi, it's a grey area for the port workers. if they were 16, no question. Being 18 and 19, sometimes they separate, sometimes they dont.

And I have seen what I described from cabins on deck 7 in Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach, New Orleans, Vancouver, and Seattle. Do I win?

You are a winner in my book!

Sounds good, were you a zombie after having it?