Mel23

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Love me some Diet Dr. Pepper.  However, if it's going to be an adult drink, Dr. Pepper with Cream Soda in it and Kraken Rum.  Ummmm Ummmm Ummmm

 

I’ve recently fallen in love with DP+CS Zero so I’m definitely going to be trying this cocktail very soon!  Thanks for sharing!

31 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

What is with all the introverts?

 

Join a big table and be social.

 

It might be a little awkward the first night.

 

But after that, things livin up.

Now that I’m older and much more outgoing, I agree!  Our next cruise will be with our kids (their first ever cruise).  I hope we have table mates who have kids around the same age.  They’ve always been good at mixing the right families.  My only request will be to be near a window, preferably aft.  We have early dining and I want to be able to admire the beautiful Caribbean sunsets.

I purchased the insurance when we booked the cruise about a year ago. Luckily no extra worries about a pre-existing condition.

There are many factors I have to consider, which is why I need to cancel sooner than later. With HG you tend to suffer from dehydration from extreme nausea/vomiting and lack of appetite. Hospital copays for stays to get IV fluids don't run cheap and I have one of the best insurance policies around. Multiple visits are even more costly. Plus prescription medication costs (going through several different meds trying to find something to help reduce my symptoms). Luckily I haven't booked our pre-cruise hotel yet, so no money lost there. Even if I were feeling better by cruise time, we likely wouldn't be able to afford to do anything on the cruise and my husband wouldn't be able to get a drink whenever he pleased. It would be an unfair situation for him and I certainly don't want to be in a situation where both of us could be miserable on an expensive vacation.

Thanks for all of your responses! Unfortunately there's no way I can't not tell my TA if I have to go through her. She's a longtime, close family friend and I don't want to be rude to her.

The insurance is through Carnival. It isn't a very long policy and doesn't give much detail as far as which medical conditions are or aren't covered with the exception of pregnancy. It doesn't say anything about conditions related to pregnancy not being covered though. I just wish we could've found out before final payment. [emoji53]

I posted this in the insurance forum as well, but it's not viewed very often (or at least not responded to). I thought I'd have a better chance for a response by posting here since it's Carnival related.

DH and I are supposed to leave for our anniversary cruise 6 weeks from today. Unfortunately we now need to cancel our trip. We purchased Carnival's Vacation Protection Plan. I've never had to cancel a cruise before so I'm not sure how it works. We booked through a TA, but I don't want to go through her if I can avoid it. We have to cancel because we recently found out that I'm pregnant with baby #2 and I'm suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea/vomiting and fatigue). By cruise time I'll be at the end of the end of my 1st trimester, but there's no guarantee that I won't still be suffering from symptoms which could further be aggravated by the rolling seas (and smells of different people and foods). HG doesn't always go away at the end of the 1st trimester like morning sickness and could last the entire pregnancy. There's no way to know how long it will last for me.

I don't want to tell my TA because she is best friends with my aunt. I don't want my aunt to know yet because it's early and she won't be able to keep from telling my cousins. That would open a whole other can of worms that I just don't want to deal with, especially not right now.

My questions are:

1. How does the process work? Do I need to call Carnival, the insurance underwriter, or my TA to inform of my cancellation?

2. I go back to the doctor on Monday. Can I find whatever forms that need to be completed online to take with me?

3. Is it better to have completed forms before I make the call to whomever?

4. Is this going to be an easy process? I know that pregnancy is not an acceptable reason to cancel, but my illness related to pregnancy should be covered.

5. Has anyone cancelled for the same reason? We're you hassled because it was a pregnancy related issue? (I'm nervous that they could somehow not pay my claim and I don't want to lose all that money.)

Thanks for any and all help!

DH and I are supposed to leave for our anniversary cruise 6 weeks from today. Unfortunately we now need to cancel our trip. We purchased Carnival's Vacation Protection Plan. I've never had to cancel a cruise before so I'm not sure how it works. We booked through a TA, but I don't want to go through her if I can avoid it. We have to cancel because we recently found out that I'm pregnant with baby #2 and I'm suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea/vomiting and fatigue). By cruise time I'll be at the end of the end of my 1st trimester, but there's no guarantee that I won't still be suffering from symptoms which could further be aggravated by the rolling seas (and smells of different people and foods). HG doesn't always go away at the end of the 1st trimester like morning sickness and could last the entire pregnancy. There's no way to know how long it will last for me.

I don't want to tell my TA because she is best friends with my aunt. I don't want my aunt to know yet because it's early and she won't be able to keep from telling my cousins. That would open a whole other can of worms that I just don't want to deal with, especially not right now.

My questions are:

1. How does the process work? Do I need to call Carnival, the insurance underwriter, or my TA to inform of my cancellation?

2. I go back to the doctor on Monday. Can I find whatever forms that need to be completed online to take with me?

3. Is it better to have completed forms before I make the call to whomever?

4. Is this going to be an easy process? I know that pregnancy is not an acceptable reason to cancel, but my illness related to pregnancy should be covered.

5. Has anyone cancelled for the same reason? Were you hassled because it was a pregnancy related issue? (I'm nervous that they could somehow not pay my claim and I don't want to lose all that money.)

Thanks for any and all help!

I highly recommend using a car seat or booster. The way taxi drivers drive in the US is so scary.

Does Carnival sell the soda sticker throughout the cruise (other than day 1)? If so, I would suggest waiting until the 2nd day (or after midnight on the 1st) to purchase. If you wait until the ship sets sail to save on tax (which is what I would do), you would be paying $4.50/$6 for only a partial day. You'd get more of your money's worth by waiting until the AM of day 2. That is, if you can restrain yourself from having a soda the first day. Or bring a few to get you through until you purchase the sticker. :)

No problem. I've explained this in past threads, but certain posters always think they know better. :rolleyes:

 

My brother in law works at the Port of Miami. His current salary is somewhere in the ballpark of 40k/yr, maybe even a little less. He also works as a porter. The porter shifts are extra duty shifts they pick up in order to make extra pocket cash (tips). That's right. They go in on their off time, mostly on weekends, to make extra cash.

 

A certain someone continues to spread crap, saying these pople are making $40/hr to $100/hr. WHAT??!! That is so far from the truth it's almost comical. If my BIL was making that kind of money, he would have gotten rid of his early 90s Ford Ranger a long time ago.

 

Like in many cases on these boards, some people are so stubborn, personal experience and family employment means nothing.

Thanks for the info! I really wasn't trying to be a smart alec; I honestly wanted your opinion. I've read so many so far, so why not another. ;) It's good to know the actual truth, too. Thanks, again!

By the way, to anyone interested in knowing, standard tipping for bellhops/baggage porters in the USA is $1 per bag no matter the size or weight. If you go beyond, good for you (and the porters, too). It's not necessary, but I'm sure very appreciated. I personally only tip $1 per bag. With rolling luggage nowadays, the work has gotten a little easier at least. :) I'd really prefer to toss my suitcase on the cart myself to save a buck. After all, I just spent a crap ton of money just to step foot on the ship and I'm not done spending yet (have to tip on board and buy lots and lots of drinks of the day, too)! :eek: ;)

wrong

 

 

 

WRONG

 

 

 

WRONG!!!

Please enlighten everyone and tell what is right.

The four of us, about 11 bags, tip $20.

 

Now for the funny answer:

 

Tip about $5 a Bottle of Booze or Rum Runner !

 

 

No We do NOT smuggle

:rolleyes:

While i always tip $1-$2 per bag to porters/bellhops, I'm curious to find out how it works if you're smuggling or even not smuggling. If you tip the porters well enough and give them a wink, do they personally run your luggage through the X-ray machine or have it bypassed altogether? Are they even the ones to check the baggage? Is baggage 'examined' before it goes on the ship, while it's being loaded, or just before it's sent to the stateroom? I've never known how the loading of luggage works, so any help would be appreciated. Thanks! :)

P.S. To the OP, I promise I'm not trying to steal your thread! :D I thought this would be a good place to post my question rather than starting another thread. Thanks!

My last cruise was on Carnival Glory out of Port Canaveral in September of 2008. Bringing alcohol on board was a breeze for me. Here's what I did:

In a small carry-on size suitcase that I checked, I packed a large brown paper bag with 2 six-packs of beer in the bottom of the bag and a six-pack of Cokes on top. I then wrapped the bag in bubble wrap. I also packed 3 1.5L bottles of wine wrapped in bubble wrap, I believe in the same suitcase. We locked all of our luggage, too.

My boyfriend took a 1.5L bottle of whiskey poured into four Arizona Green Tea plastic bottles (they're brown). The 4th bottle was only 1/2 full though.

At the time (not sure if anything has changed), Carnival allowed you to bring as much non-alcoholic beverages as you please (soda, water, etc.) and allowed 1 bottle of wine per guest per stateroom (we had 2 in our room).

My theory was that if they asked to see what we packed, I could pull out the Cokes and hopefully they would believe that that's all it was (as long as they didn't want to see all 3, I would be in the clear). For the wine I could say that 1 bottle was for my parents as they were traveling with us.

In the end, we never got caught and our room steward was a dream. He made sure we had extra ice and glasses each day. :)

Good luck, everyone!