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Thanks everyone!  And especially thanks for the picture -  that was extremely helpful!  We decided to go with the Aft so booked B756.  Now just crossing our fingers the ships are sailing! 

We are looking at booking on the Caribbean Princess and have the option between a balcony on the Baja deck that overlooks the back of the boat or a Lido deck balcony towards the front of the ship.  Would love to hear pros and cons of the aft balconies from people who have stayed in those rooms.  Thanks for any insight you can give!

Hello!  I just booked my first cruise on Princess!  I've been exploring the website and saw that the adults only area, "The Sanctuary", is an additional fee.  I haven't been able to find any other information about it - can someone please tell me how much it is and for how long it's good for?  Is it something you pay for the whole cruise or a daily thing?  Can it be purchased in advance or do you have to wait until you are on the ship?

 I've been on Carnival where the adults area is free so this is new to me and I'm just trying to get as much information as I can in advance.  Thanks so much for your help!

Hi Everyone.  We are looking for recommendations for a private car service that is not Uber or Lyft to get from the Fort Lauderdale Airport to the Miami cruise terminal.  We googled it and found lots of options so just hoping for some first hand recommendations.  Thanks for your help!

Thanks for your help!  I searched on the West Coast departure board but didn't get any results.  I'll keep changing up my search terms and see if I can get any info!  

We are flying in the morning of.  I know that's not recommended (and we usually do!) but it's all we can do at this point due to school and work schedules.  We arrive at 10:00 in the morning and the ship doesn't leave until 6:00 so I'm optimistic we won't run into any issues.  

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!  This is our first time cruising out of California so it's all new to us!

I have been searching but can't seem to find much info about the Long Beach terminal.  Can anybody recommend a shuttle service to get from LAX to the cruise terminal?  Or know approximately how much a cab would cost? 

Also, is there any place within walking distance of the cruise terminal to purchase wine and pop?  

Thanks for any help you can provide!

We just got back yesterday and used VIP Express for transportation from Houston.  I have a bit of a mixed review for this service.  First, Emanuele was excellent with communication leading up to the cruise.  He was prompt to answer emails and always followed up his email with a phone call to see if I had any additional questions or needed clarification about anything.  We had a group of 13 passengers ranging in ages from 2-80 and lots of luggage and car seats and strollers and everything else so it was important to me that we had enough space in the vehicle to be comfortable for the drive.  He told me that we would have an 11 passenger van and a 4 passenger Tahoe and that we would have both vehicles exclusive to our group.  He also provided two booster seats for us to use which was much appreciated so we didn't have to bring our own on the plane.  

A few days before the cruise he called to let me know he would be charging my credit card.  The total cost for 13 people was $650 roundtrip ($50 per person).  Our scheduled pick up time was to have been 11:00 at our hotel in Houston.  He called me a few days before and asked to move it to 10:30 which was fine with me as we had wanted to go earlier anyway but couldn't because he had another pick up at the port that morning.  I had stressed to him repeatedly in the phone calls prior that we could be flexible on the times as long as we had plenty of notice as I didn't want to have all 13 of us be ready at a specific time and then have to sit around and wait especially since we had 6 kids in our group.  The morning we were to leave, he called me about 9:30 and said it would be closer to 11:00 after all as the group he picked up were delayed getting off the ship.  We were ready and waiting in the hotel lobby at 11:00.  At 11:20 he called me and said he was "5 minutes away".  He showed up at 11:40.  Grrr... He also told me on the last phone call that he had two other passengers with him that would also be riding to Galveston with us.  This was the first time he mentioned the other people and I will admit I was slightly annoyed.  Technically there were two seats available and it was within his right to sell those seats but he had told me on more than one occasion that we would be the only ones since we had such a big group. 

Once he arrived, he was very friendly and greeted everyone.  He loaded all the luggage into the van and Tahoe and we were on our way.  We arrived at the port with no issues.  I confirmed with the Tahoe driver (who did not introduce himself and didn’t speak the entire ride so I don’t know who he was) that they would be picking us up at 10:00 on our return trip (the actual time on my written confirmation said 10:00-11:00).  The Tahoe and the van had to drop off in different places so I was not able to confirm with Emanuele himself but didn’t have any reason to think that anything had changed.

On disembarkation day Emanuele called me around 7:30 and said that they would be sending two vans to pick up our group of 13 as well as 8 others.  He wanted to know what time our luggage tags were for and when I told him 9:00 he commented that was late.  Apparently the other group had an earlier flight out of Bush Airport (we were flying out of Houston Hobby) and needed to be on the road by 9:30.  He needed to put 2 of our group into that van and I guess make them ride to Bush before dropping them off at Hobby.  This was never discussed with me and I would not have agreed to it.  He also told me that he had rescheduled our pick up for 9:30 prior to dropping us off a week earlier.  I told him that he had not mentioned that to me nor emailed me to let me know there was a change.  He said that he told the people that rode in the van with him but not one of the 4 adults who were there remembered him saying that.  I told him that one member of our group was doing self-assist and might be able to get through customs but everyone else was going through the regular disembarkation process.  Since that still left 12 in the other van it wouldn’t help anyway. 

Disembarkation was an absolute mess on this day!  We were told that there had been a medical emergency at the port as well as one of the gangways was broken so they were only letting people off in one place.  I called Emanuele at 8:55 and let him know that they had just started allowing people off the boat (my brother who was doing self-assist was still in line to disembark).  He claimed that the other group was already off and waiting for us.  If they were, they must have jumped off the boat because everybody was at a standstill.  I was waiting in the wheelchair waiting area on deck 4 and the self-assist line snaked all the way through that deck and up to 5 for as far as you could see.  I told Emanuele that there was nothing we could do as we were waiting where we were told and that we would get off as quickly as we could.  He then decided that he would send that van on and bring in the Tahoe for the rest of our group (which was the original plan anyway!).  He said that the Tahoe was 15 minutes away so wouldn’t be a problem getting there on time. 

 I called Emanuele at 10:20 and let him know that we were all through customs and ready to go.  He said that they were close by and would be there soon.  At 10:30 he said they were 5 minutes away.  He also let me know that the driver of the Tahoe would be his son and while he is a licensed drive, he did not have a “port license” so we would need to load up the car very quickly and exit the area right away.  At 10:42 he called and said they were entering the port and reminded me that we needed to move quickly.  I told him we would move as quickly as possible considering we had 2 80-year olds with us!  I saw the van pull up across the way and the rest of our group loaded up.  The Tahoe finally arrived and we jumped in.  His son was our driver and was extremely courteous and a very safe driver.  We arrived at the airport without incident and bid our farewells.  Within minutes my dad realized that he had left his bag in the backseat of the Tahoe.  I called Emanuele and he got the bag and returned to the airport immediately which was VERY much appreciated!

So overall we had some good and some not so good experiences with this company.  My understanding is that this particular company is fairly new and is quite small compared to some of the other shuttle services (he told me they only have 3 vehicles).  His pricing is right in line with other companies in the area that I found.  

The good:  friendly and very communicative before the trip, clean and comfortable vehicles with plenty of space for luggage, returned to the airport without hesitation when a bag was

left in the car, provided booster seats for the kids

The bad:  I think that he tends to overbook himself and while I understand that he is trying to make a living, he also needs to make sure that he can fulfill the contracts he already has.

                 I also think that while his son was an excellent driver and I have no problems with him picking us up, I found it very unprofessional that we had to hurry into the car because his son wasn't supposed to be picking up passengers in the port.

                 While I do believe that he makes a strong effort to be on time, he tends to underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere.  He always seemed to be "5 minutes away" but it sure was a long 5 minutes each time.  

                 Disembarking the ship is always a bit stressful especially with a group of 13.  I didn't really appreciate the phone calls from him throughout the morning making me feel like we were in the wrong because he had another group that needed to leave early.  I know for a fact that when I booked his service several months ago that we were his only 

pick-ups scheduled  because we talked about it and discussed multiple times how he would send the two vehicles just for our group.  

Sorry for the long review but I wanted to make sure and mention the positives and negatives since we had some of both.  Overall, we made it to Houston and back and had a wonderful cruise so in the end that is all that matters!

May I ask what time you had him pick you up for the return trip? I just booked for our October cruise and am trying to figure out when we will be off the ship to head back to the airport.

thanks!

Liberty Departure Letter attached as PDF. (from March 2018).

 

With a group aged 2-80 I'm guessing you do not plan to depart using self assist but will place your luggage outside the cabin your night before using the luggage tags they supply. Tags are assigned by stateroom/deck and C&A status.

 

Time stated is when you will begin to leave the ship. Allow another 30-60 minutes for the walk off the ship, US customs and TABC if returning with liquor.

That was super helpful! Thank you for posting the letter!

Our flight isn't until 2:00 so I'm not worried about that. We were thinking a 10:00 shuttle would work but now I'm wondering if we should schedule it for 11:00 instead. We will definitely be putting our luggage out the night before so will be using the provided tags. Do you happen to know if they start at the top of the ship or the lower decks first? We are on deck 9 and wondering what group we may be in...

We are booked on the Liberty of the Seas sailing out of Galveston in October. We are trying to schedule a shuttle service to take us to the airport after the cruise and wondering what time we should be looking for. According to the cruise line we are scheduled to dock at 6:30. While I know that things can happen to delay that, I'm wondering approximately what time we can anticipate getting off the ship and going through customs, etc.

We are a large group ranging in ages from 2-80 so won't be moving very quickly but also don't want to be stuck sitting around the terminal waiting for our ride.

Any help or suggestions is much appreciated!

We booked the Cozumel Bar Hop tour for our upcoming cruise. The website says that the start time of the tour is dependent on when the ships arrive. Our ship is due to arrive in Cozumel at 9:00 that morning and the only other ship in port doesn't arrive until noon.

Can anybody who has done the tour before tell me what time you started? If we have to wait till after the other ship arrives, it may be a deal breaker for us as the end time would be cutting it close.

Appreciate any insight you can give!

Can anybody tell me what the area between cabins 9561 and 9575 is? It's just showing as white space on the deck plans I can find which I know usually means some kind of crew/maintance area/something or other. Just wondering if anybody knows for sure as I'm concerned about noise.

Or what the area between 9583 and 9587 is?

Thank you for your help!

Hi! We are cruising for the first time out of New Orleans. I would like to book a hotel in the French Quarter area for the Saturday night before we leave. I'm thinking we will want to visit Bourbon Street (3 adults including one who will have just turned 21) and a stop at Café Du Monde...(yes, we are very much tourists! :))

Can anybody familiar with the area give me some advice as to which chain hotels (Marriot, Hilton, etc) would be the best ones to book? I have looked into a bunch of the smaller hotels but they are pricey and some require two night minimum.

Any help/advice is much appreciated!

We are currently waitlisted for "Your Time Dining" and have been assigned to Late. Any experience with successfully getting the waitlisted option? How soon do you usually find out?

If we do end up with Late, does that mean we have to miss the evening shows? Or do they have two performances each night?

Thanks for your help!

Is there a convenience store near the port by chance? Or somewhere near the French Quarter? I would like to get a case of pop to bring on board with us but we will be staying the night before near FQ and then taking a cab to the port.

Thanks for your help!

If we are taking Carnival sponsored shore excursions, is it still customary to tip the drivers/guides? If so, is there a way to find out how many guides there will be? Also, what is the recommended tip per person? We will have 3 adults in our group.

Just trying to pre-plan the best we can for expenses and certainly don't want to stiff anybody because we weren't prepared!

Has anybody does this excursion through Carnival? There are only 5 reviews on Carnival's website so I would love to read more.

Thanks!

Is there any benefit to using the Carnival airport transfers vs a private company for after the cruise? Does Carnival assign you a bus based on what time your flight is or is it just first come first served till the bus is full? Will they guarantee they will get you to the airport in time to check luggage before your flight? I'm wondering if it would be faster to just get a cab? And if so, are there cabs readily available after the cruises? (We are sailing in and out of New Orleans if that makes a difference).

Our flight leaves at noon (the later flights were significantly more expensive!) so it's after their acceptable flight times but I still tend to worry...

It's not an option to stay another day due to work so we have to fly home after the cruise.

Thank you! I was looking for the policy on Carnival's website and kept getting an error. Thanks so much!

Can you cancel a shore excursion and get a refund if it's well before the cruise date? I just booked our cruise and am thinking of booking some of the shore excursions with the 20% discount that is available for a few days. However, if we decide we don't want to do that particular excursion can I cancel and get a refund or is it cruise credit? Or are we just out the money if we don't go?

Thanks for the help!

Thanks everyone! I think we will plan to fly down the day before.

Is a noon flight safe to book for the trip home? We will be 3 adults so should be able to move fairly quickly. I am trying to get Faster to the Fun but it is sold out right now.

I just booked our first cruise on the Dream sailing out of New Orleans this summer. Now it's on to booking flights...can someone tell me what the recommended flight times are? As in, when a "comfortable" time to book a flight home would be without having to stress about getting off the boat in time?

Also, is it a really dumb idea to fly in the day of the cruise? Or should we plan to fly down the day before and get a hotel?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

I apologize in advance for the dumb question. I tried to find the answer myself but can't get through all 110 pages of this thread!

This is our first cruise and I am considering the Cheers package. If we have dinner in the main dining room, are drinks included with the Cheers program? Not just wine but beer and Coke too?

Thanks for your help and pardon the ignorance!

Would you recommend doing both of these in one day or are they kind of the same type of thing? I've looked online at pictures and just can't figure out if we should plan for both or just pick one. (A party of three adults on our first cruise.) If we only did one, which would you recommend?

Thanks!

Thank you everyone! I did purchase the "Faster to the Fun" option as we will want to enjoy every minute we can of this trip and not spend a ton of time waiting in lines.

I booked us in an "aft-view" balcony cabin as the pictures and videos I have seen online make it look absolutely gorgeous! The only concern I have is that I have heard the middle of the ship is better for first time cruisers due to being able to feel less motion but we are just going to not think about that and hope that the view is worth being in the back of the boat.

Do we have to complete the entire online check in process to choose the anytime dining option?

Also, has anybody ever paid for the in-room decoration packages? Trying to decide if it's worth it or not. This trip is to celebrate my daughter's 21st birthday!

We are all so excited and figure since none of us have ever been on a cruise before we have nothing to compare it to so everything will be new to us! We aren't picky and don't usually go on "fancy" vacations so this will be a whole new experience. :)