clinthi

Thanks everyone. Now I know not to burn time and gas running around trying to find something that no longer exists. I guess I will have to go with a vanilla visa gift card with a note to save it for their cruise. I appreciate the help!

I am looking to buy a $50 gift card to Carnival; however, the ones I can find here (and online) start at $100 minimum. (Christmas swap is $50 max)  Has anyone seen CCL gift cards for sale for increments under $100?

Thanks for sharing -- I am amazed at how much work they can get done in such a short time!

There are several reviews on tripadvisor. It sounds fun -and it is in walking distance.

I do not enjoy snorkeling but was still hoping to see sea turtles, too-- following this thread to see what y'all come up with :)

How far is that from where the ship docks?

Thanks for posting pictures! This was very helpful.

Thanks for the info and the pictures!

We were on the Norwegian Gem last week and booked our airport transfers through Norwegian--thankfully.

For security, we always stay with our luggage until it has been loaded onto the bus/van/shuttle we are taking. We watched the driver put our luggage in the back of his van.

He stopped at the next terminal to pick up three more passengers. We had NO IDEA that he unloaded smaller bags to make room for their larger suitcases--then he put the smaller bags back in EXCEPT he left one of our suitcases on the curb. When we got to the pier, we realized one of our suitcases was missing. We KNOW it was in his van-- we watched him load it. One of the passengers who was picked up at the next terminal told us that he unloaded a few to arrange the larger bags on the bottom. He started yelling at us in a different language, he spoke English briefly to scream it wasn't his *!@! problem and drove off.

We were upset and felt helpless. The phone numbers on our transfer service vouchers went to an automated number saying that they were closed (this was on a Sunday).

We boarded the ship and met with a Customer Care rep for Norwegian. We explained what happened and he immediately took action.

The police found the unattended case at the other terminal, scanned it for safety and then took it to Delta baggage claim. He coordinated with Delta to overnight the suitcase to our first port (Halifax) and he hand delivered it to our stateroom. He checked on us multiple times and provided the best service we could possibly ask for. He was AMAZING and totally saved our vacation.

The lesson learned here is always stay with your baggage and watch it be loaded onto whatever vehicle you are in. If the driver makes ANY stops, get out and supervise that your luggage is not taken back off!

P.S. For the transfer from the port back to the airport-- I used my phone and recorded our bags being loaded!

TL;DR : Transfer service took off our bag in error. Norwegian Service was awesome.

I still do not see a gap in the sailings in March 2016 where the dry dock would occur. My PVP doesn't know anything about it. Since I have a March 2016 cruise booked on Valor I am really wondering if it is happening--and hopefully it will not cancel my booking.

I don't even bother buying "good" luggage anymore. I have found that my luggage will survive about 7 flights or TWO cruises. That's it.

On the last 4 cruises, at least one of us came home with a destroyed bag. This past cruise it was my mother's luggage. (Luckily it was under warranty)

Do y'all ever see that poor sap grueling through the luggage warehouse with a broken wheel and trying to drag a suitcase that looks like it was air dropped from 10,000 feet? That's me.

Are we unlucky with luggage handling or do you have the same experience?

I like the Fantasy but sure wish they had different itineraries out of Charleston!

Other than Cruise Critic, Carnival's website, and maybe YouTube -- what other sites do you often use when researching and planning your cruise vacations?

Great review! And what a wonderful story about your sister!

Not the same question as the OP but does anyone know which drinks come with the $5.00 chip? And do you only get the $5.00 match play voucher thingy at the casino bar?

We like to buy a few pictures from each cruise but we are finding that every photog regardless of ship use the SAME poses. We tried asking for different poses or requesting we pose differently but the photographers either became confused or agitated. We love that the backgrounds are updated frequently but would love to see some variety in how they pose our family.

Do you have any suggestions or pictures to share where you were able to get different poses? We are looking for some ideas before our next cruise. Thanks!

There are a lot of incorrect posts in this thread.

I took the "get an attorney" route and, although costly, it gave me piece of mind. Although Carnival has never asked me for the notarized letter, I have been asked for it EVERY time we have been through airport customs.

Have they updated fantasy so you can use your stateroom tv to view dining menus and your folio charges?

We decided at the spur of the moment to find a taxi and have the driver take us around. His name was Ellington (The called him the Duke) and for $25 pp he took us everywhere and was so much fun!

We really appreciated the photo credits on our honeymoon. We didn't use all of our bar cash but our photo cash was a HUGE help.

Those little round hash brown things. Yum!

My parents both have minor mobility issues. They do not need wheelchairs unless they have major walking to do (such as a day at Disney) but I am worried about that steep incline during embarkation. If they take it slow and use a cane they will probably be okay but just wondering if there is a different option?

We stayed at the same Holiday Inn. We purchased the package that included parking and ended up with $40 food voucher we used at Sticky Fingers which is across from the hotel. The hotel was very clean and breakfast was yummy. We asked for the cab the night before. We paid $20 to ride to the cruise port and $15 to return. No issues either way and will stay there again! Trying to hold off until the dec 27th cruise...

Thanks! That helps!

Thanks! DO you remember how much the taxi was? (if she said)

Are there other hotels offering cruise packages who are not listed on the charleston visitor site? Is there a taxi or shuttle service who offers transportation to or from the port for a flat fee?