ParrotRob

1 hour ago, silversneakers said:

What you are quoting is the suggested cash deposit.  The credit card amount is a "hold" and not an actual charge and it is absolutely true that it is only a $10 hold (not a charge)  when you place your credit card on your account when you check in at the terminal.  I think you are confusing the cash vs credit card.

Nope.  It's an authorization hold on your card.  And it's $100 or $200.  Not $10.  That's what they publish, and that's what they do.

1 hour ago, OnePsychLynne said:

 

You are worth your weight in gold sir! Thank you so much ❤️

You're welcome.  Don't forget they add 18% gratuity like everything else.  Total for two people will hit your Sail & Sign for $177 total.  There is no gratuity for Behind the Fun.  There is a $25 charge per person if you no-show for Chef's Table.

If you have any more questions about either tour let me know, it's still very fresh in my mind.

Dear -----,

Your reservation request for 2 guests at The Chef’s Table is confirmed!  

The date and time will be finalized once you are onboard.

The $75 charge per person, plus 18% gratuity will be automatically added to your sail and sign account.

There will be a $25 fee for cancellations made within 24 hours of your scheduled Chef’s Table.

Should your plans change please keep us advised at lesupper@carnival.com

We look forward to serving you!

Your Nouveau Manager,

Iryna Kushnirchuk

Carnival Legend

7 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

Seattle's homeless community is about the same size as any other bug cities. Statistically, tent cities actually cut down on "crime" as well as emergency room hospital visits. When you take away arrests for "loitering public drunkeness" the homeless community is actually less likely to commit a crime then those with homes. Untreated mental illness and chemical dependency are common in our homeless community, but again, no more so than most major cities. Your premise that it is a dangerous city because of homeless people is predicated on false information and you are buying in to a smear campaign started by an out of state property investor who wanted to build where the tent city was so she paid the media to run a story. It isn't true. It's advertising. 

I'm not "buying in" to anything.  I travel to Seattle for work fairly routinely and I was just there as a tourist two weeks ago.  I saw this phenomenon with my own eyes.  The media is reporting a very real problem.  Not a "smear campaign".

3 hours ago, silversneakers said:

If you put your cc on at the Port it's only a $10 hold.

 

Entirely false.  It's $100 for a 2-6 day cruise and $200 for 7+ days.

50 minutes ago, OnePsychLynne said:

Has anyone done the Chef's Table and/or Behind the Fun Tour recently on the Legend? I was curious if you could tell me the cost pp for each and if you know where they held the Chef's Table.

 

I did the BTF Tour so long ago I can't remember how much it was. And I just did the Chef's Table in February for $75/pp but I recently saw it was $95/pp? Is that for all of them or just the larger ships? 

 

TIA and Happy Sailing 🛳️🛳️🛳️

I just got off the legend two weeks ago and did both.  Behind the Fun is $95, Chef's Table, $75.  Chef's Table meets at the alchemy bar, travels to the gallery in deck 1 where you snack on small bites and champagne at a table right in the Galley.  Then the main meal is served at a prepared table on the dance floor of the Medusa's Lair dance club on deck 1 adjacent to the Galley.  Both are worth every cent.

12 hours ago, Domergirl said:

10 doesn't sound unusual for me at all.   Sometimes we also take it off to eat at the beach ...   We paid for it. 

Well no, not really.  I don't recall "shore snacks" ever being part of the package.  I kind of thought food on the ship was intended for consumption on the ship.  I guess that's just me.

I know it's not what you asked, but if it makes you feel better I recently renewed mine and it took less than three weeks.

2 minutes ago, ashleymash said:

Hello,

 

I have a question about bringing fishing poles on board the ship for using while in port. I know the ship will hold them until we are in port but my question How would I package them? I dont want just hand over the poles loose.

Thank you!

Never tried it, but what about mailing tubes?

That's because it's treated as a "fun shop" purchase and not a cruise add-on, like excursions, transfers or pre-paid gratuities,

Like others have said, just print out your fun shop receipt and tuck it away with your cruise docs.

16 minutes ago, FSHLOT said:

Just another little cutback, nothing new. Like the above cruiser, we never even noticed them gone. Not a big deal at all.

Just because something's a change I wouldn't call it a "cutback".  Wouldn't a "cutback" entail removing something with some sort of value?  What value are they taking away by changing the way tables are dressed?

Honestly?  I just got off a seven night cruise and I could not even tell you what, if any, evenings featured a tablecloth and which did not.

41 minutes ago, coevan said:

sounds more like a debit card, a month hold? unheard of. We exclusively use Capital One 2 miles per dollar on everything. We never had a hold for more than a few days of $200, NBD.

Major banks like CapOne, yeah, unheard of.  But 30 day holds ARE allowed and common in predatory banks (think 29.99% APR).  Can't be a debit card because those are restricted by law to 8 business days.

12 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

Well aware of this, we fly alot. I just did not understand where the picture ID comes into play. I guess with all the check in kiosks, the ID might not be needed until TSA.  Sounds like a great way to go if you have a late afternoon flight and want to explore. 

The accepting agent is required to ensure they accept baggage only from ticketed passengers.  They do this by comparing your boarding pass to your ID.  That check can happen at the counter, at the curb, or twenty miles away on your ship, doesn't really matter.

I agree it's a great way to explore, care-free.  More cities should offer something similar.  Especially Miami.

9 minutes ago, coevan said:

I have heard this on a few threads. What I don't get, is to check your bags inside or with a Sky Cap, a ticket and pictured ID is required by TSA. How do you bypass security?

When you check your bags at the ticket counter or at the curb, none of those accepting agents are TSA.  They work for the airline (inside, sometimes outside) or a valet service (outside).  All they are required to do is make sure that your ID matches the name on your boarding pass.  The port valet agent on your ship can easily do the same thing when you enroll on board for port valet.

Basically they are doing the exact same thing the guys at the airport curb are, except they're transporting your luggage miles and miles instead of just from the curb to the airport.

Many hotels offer the same service in big cities.

On 8/31/2019 at 7:42 AM, geoffrywillhardt said:

We never put a credit card on file because we don't want a hold placed on it. We just hate how inconsistent our bank and whoever is placing the hold on the cards are. We have had hotels place a hold on a card and it has taken up to a month before the hold gets released. Call the bank they say its the business that put the hold, call the business and they blame the bank. So we have just gotten to the point that if possible we don't put a card on file anywhere. We have had the amount of cash we put on our S&S cards run out and when we went to use them (such as in a slot machine) they get "declined" and it tells us to go to guest services. We just add more cash and go on with our lives. Its a little inconvenient but rarely happens because we usually have a pretty decent idea of how much we are going to spend and put enough on in the beginning to cover it. 

Geoffrey, the merchant is correct - how long an authorization hold lasts is entirely up to your issuing bank.

If you're willing to tip nicely, there are porters at both the seaport and airport that will pretty much ensure you don't have to touch your bags until you land at home.

1 hour ago, glrounds said:

 

Fulfills the foreign-port requirement. (Jones Act)

Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), not the Jones Act.

26 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Nothing has changed. Its unlikely we will even see 75 mph here... 

Nope nothing at all.  Just a baby storm like you said.

On 8/28/2019 at 12:04 AM, BNBR said:

Eh.  It's a baby storm.  I doubt there will be much to worry about at all.  75mph is a typical afternoon thunderstorm around here 🙂  We likely won't even bother taking the patio furniture in.

You were saying?

23 minutes ago, j4farm said:

What are your thoughts on a 10:45 am flight out of FLL after debarking at Port Everglades on January 25, 2020?  Do you think it will be doable?  We’re supposed to be back at 8:00. It seems like in the past we usually get back before daylight. 

It's not when you get back, it's when they clear the ship and allow disembarkation.  Do you have any perk that allows you to get off early?  Platinum/diamond?  A suite?

22 minutes ago, DramaQueen22 said:

Why is it that you always must refute what someone else posts?  Your experience IS NOT what another person experiences.

 

I don't appreciate the set down.

So it's NOT just me!

18 minutes ago, JC13 said:

Long time Princess cruiser here, but decided to do a 4 day CA to Ensenada cruise, which I am in Ensenada now.  I will sum it up by saying never again!  The plus, easy covered parking in structure, easy checkin based on pre scheduled times , easy boarding  and very friendly boarding staff.  Cabin was nice, inside, with a larger bathroom and shower than Princess.  Good pizza.  Now the down side. Requested king bed setup, got twins and had to wait for staff to make change when they had time   no frig in cabin, in cabin safe was not operational and required staff to come out to change the batteries.  The staff also failed to mention only the first cabin key used on the safe will work during the cruise.  There is no notes/documentation of this.  While the shower is larger  water goes everywhere in the bathroom. No in cabin lighting in closet area, over bed lights not useful for anything but a night light  the tv is the size of a computer monitor at about 18".  Air controls are in the ceiling, walls are not magnetic, and your cabin key is left on the cabin room sign when you first come in.  In cabin dining comes at a fee for certain items. Dining in general is a mess  1.5 hrs wait time for your time dining, lots of overly drunk passengers, the serenity area was dirty  seating areas unclean, lots of uncaring peronnel, eager to tell you policy but not open to "How can I help you?.  On the ship it is difficult to find a quiet area, it clearly is a party ship, but not in a good way.  Cabin next door had yelling and fighting all last night, had to call security.  But live and learn, stay with what you know, even if the product comes from the same corporation.  They clearly have different markets in mind. 

Agree with many of your points, I'll grant you that.  But why is it a problem that your room key is left in your room mailbox?

I don't think you're going to be as close to land as you think.  This is a partial capture of our position two weeks ago.  And, as someone else said, even when you can see land, chances are it's a remote, uninhabited portion of northern Vancouver Island, Haidi Gwaii, or uninhabited islands in the Alexander Archipelago.

38 minutes ago, Gardyloo said:

 "...but despite your cheerleading and your civic pride, it's gone totally to hell."

 

People have different tolerances for things like homeless people, and some place a higher value on civil rights, such as protection against involuntary commitment and support of habeas corpus, than others.   I'm sure in your vast travel and living experience you've seen this.  What practices have you seen in all the cities you frequent that have resulted in lower rates of visible homelessness?  Can you be specific?

 

Fighting homelessness is a very complicated matter, and personally I'm quite proud of the work being done by my city and county, especially in the face of financial, legal and public opinion opposition, including propaganda from media outlets with axes to grind.

My posts in this forum are meant for one purpose only - to properly set expectations for the Seattle tourist who is coming to Cruise Critic's West Coast departure board, having so recently done exactly the same.

I don't pretend to know WHY Seattle and Portland have such visible homeless problems.  I don't know WHY the homeless in Pioneer Square are so aggressive and intimidating versus those in other cities, or even those in other parts of the SAME city (the ones in Seattle Center, for instance).

The article I referenced SEEMS to suggest that the culture of the west coast may breed a homeless population with a sense of entitlement that does not exist elsewhere.  I don't know.  That's not why I cited that article.  I cited that article only to show that it's NOT just me who sees this problem.  Seattleites like fastpitchdad can stick their heads in the sand all day and pretend there's not a serious problem in their cities, but they're dead wrong.

I don't know the solution, and I'm not here to debate the politics.

To come back to the topic (Seattle Itinerary) - enjoy Seattle - there are plenty of enjoyable things to do there.  Just beware the aggressive and intimidating homeless encampments which very definitely do exist, no matter what the locals tell you.

On the legend, they had them a few times at the deli, of all places.  Set aside with a sign saying they were "reserved for our camp ocean cruisers" or something similar.  Same with the macaroni and cheese.