Lizzim

We did this excursion in Sept 2022, we really enjoyed it.
 

Yes you only see the totems from a distance and the lighthouse too but we had lovely weather and saw some great scenery.

For the price we were happy 😁

12 minutes ago, GTJ said:

It has been a while since I have been in Alaska, so I don't have that first-hand experience. But where I live, in New York City, it would seem quite odd to me for a person to get, say, a bagel and coffee, and pay with anything other than cash. (In New York I have never seen a street vendor even having the capability of accepting credit cards, and I imagine that no vendors would want to either pay the credit card transaction cost or take the time to process a credit card transaction.) I would have the same reluctance in Alaska, and I would opt to pay cash.

In the UK we have gone towards less cash (where we are) and use Apple Pay or contactless cards for even small amounts - it’s actually less cost for most businesses because they have to pay extra to their banks for handling cash etc.

25 minutes ago, GTJ said:

My suggestion is to wait until you arrive in the United States, then use an ATM that has minimal fees and withdraw twenty American dollars to use for incidentals (cash gratuities, small purchases, street vendors, bus fares, etc.). Where I reside minimal fee ATMs are located in McDonald's restaurants, where a withdrawal of any amount incurs a fee of $1.19 (perhaps some Alaska residents can chime in as to where minimal fee ATMs are located within the state). Most American ATMs dispense cash in twenty dollar increments. If you know from prior experience that you're more generous with incidentals, then you might withdraw forty American dollars, but with ATMs being ubiquitous, you might just do twenty American dollars at a time.

This is my plan. We will use Uber or Lyft from the airport so can tip on the app and will get cash at the first opportunity for this, we used our last cash in June on tips 🙂

47 minutes ago, Ashland said:

It's always best to have even a small amount of local cash with you....regardless. Also remember onboard it will be based on USD so having some small dollar bills with you for some tips...like room service delivery etc. etc. would be helpful.

We don’t do room service and on previous cruises we added tips for drinks etc to our bill. Hopefully we didn’t break an unwritten rule somewhere….

Thanks all.

We will have a small amounts for tips etc but glad to know we can assume we can buy souvenirs etc with our cards.

We are on an Alaska cruise leaving Seattle soon (coming from the UK).
 

We typically use our credit cards when visiting the US but I wondered if we would have any need for cash when visiting the Alaska ports? 

Just so I can get some if we need it 🙂

We were in Florida in June and my partner tested positive 3 days before our planned cruise.

He was also positive (obviously) on our pre-cruise test the day before the cruise.

We called after our questionnaire told us we couldn’t board, had to send proof of our positive test via email and were issued a full refund.

It took less than a week despite saying it could take 4-6 weeks.

4 hours ago, welshrich said:

Just went on to order some tests, where it asks for a flight date, would you put the cruise date instead?

I personally would, but haven’t ordered our yet.

3 hours ago, njkruzer said:

I would check with your credit card company as to why it was declined.  It maybe that their fraud detection system but if you call them they can override it.  I had it when I was booking a tour in Amsterdam from the US.  Able to clear it up.

It’s happened before when we can’t enter our proper address details (the website wanted a zip code which we can’t enter) so I’m pretty confident that’s the issue.

As it appears I can bring tests from the UK I’ll do that.

Thanks everyone 😁

9 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

You are welcome. Good luck with your testing. My wife and I are sailing from Southampton in Oct. 2023.

 

Jim

Hopefully there will be no testing by then! 😀

19 minutes ago, boogybaby said:

We used lab doctor in Fortlauderdale results handed to us after 20 minutes, I can’t help with other parts of Florida

Apologies, we are cruising from Canaveral. I should have said that.
 

9 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

YMMV but I always find it easier to buy a proctored lateral flow test in the UK, take it with me and book a video call from my hotel the morning before the cruise.

 

Qured, DocHQ and others offer proctored tests for under £20 which are happily accepted by Royal just as they are for entering the USA.

Ah, this is good news. I wasn’t sure if they would be accepted - hence looking to get the ones Royal suggested.
 

2 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

Although I have not done it, a lot of You Tube Cruiser Bloggers recommend Lab Doctor on 17th St. in Fort Lauderdale as a great way to get tested. No appointments needed and out in under 30 minutes with your result

We won’t be in Fort Lauderdale, but thanks.

We are cruising from Florida in June (assuming we pass our UK based COVID tests) and need to arrange our pre-cruise test (we are cruising at the end of our trip).

I have just tried purchasing the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test via the RC website, for delivery to our hotel, but my credit card was declined (I assume because of the address not matching our card details).

Has anyone from the UK managed to complete a purchase? And if so, how did you get through the payment process?

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links to blogs etc - so please delete if not permitted.

My boyfriend and I took a cruise on the Sensation just before Thanksgiving as part of a 2 week trip - I have just posted the cruise element on my blog and thought it might be of limited interest over here.

http://lizzim18usatrips.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bahamas-cruise-marco-island-and-walt.html

Thanks for all the useful info that is posted here :)

Lizzim, I just booked a rather last minute Bahamas cruise. I, too, am researching available shore excursions.

 

FYI, in case you haven't noticed it yet there is a separate Bahamas thread which you may find helpful. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Thanks,

I've been over doing some reading on the Bahamas section but I wanted opinions from some Carnival cruisers as well :)

Here is a link to Carnival's info on the "Bottomless Bubbles" program.

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/fountain_funcard.htm

 

What would you like to do in Nassau? Are you beach people, gamblers, sightseers, etc.? Maybe knowing what you like to do would help others make some excursion recommendations. Even if you don't book an excursion in Nassau, you can find plenty to do. There's shopping within walking distance. A short taxi ride to Paradise Island and casino. It is a very walkable port.

We don't gamble or drink so I guess that rules out some stuff. We like a mix of sightseeing and relaxation - and we are headed to Disneyworld for a week after our trip so probably would lean more towards relaxation for a few days :)

I'll chime in. I've sailed on the same Sensation itinerary that you'll be sailing on. I don't know if you have your heart set on a beach excursion in Nassau, but the excursion I did was great. It was the Historical Highlights & Pirate of Nassau Tour. I saw two fortresses, the Queen's Staircase, and a pirate museum. The fortresses were very interesting, and in fairly good shape for their age (400 years). You might find them interesting too, since they were built for the British army, and you said you're from the UK. A lot of the architecture in the Bahamas is very British. I don't know if you'd enjoy seeing familiar-looking buildings, or you want something way different than what you find back home (like warm tropical beaches), but just saying.

 

I actually got detailed photos of this excursion in my Sensation review. Check it out. By the way, what do you have planned for Freeport?

Not set on a beach day - was just one of the things we are considering. I'll go have a look now. Thanks :)

what do the negative reviews say? is it something bad enough that you cant overlook? or was it just a one time "bus was late' thing? sometimes people put down negative reviews because it wasn't what they expected. as long as you do some research this excursion should be fine

I found a few reviews that suggest that the 'island' isn't quite finished. Also, that the transport over is not that organised. I'm not too keen on the idea of getting crammed into a boat for ages and then getting a tiny amount of beach time.

They only serve coke products, poured from a can, warm over ice. You are allowed to carry on 12 cans or bottles (water or soda, etc. no alcohol) per person, up to 20 ounces. You can remove the items in the fridge in your room and put them in there. You can also ask your room steward to keep your ice bucket full. They must be carried on. We pack them in our rolling suitcases.

 

We did a snorkel excursion to Rosé Island and it was fabulous. I don't think they have it anymore. The beach was the most beautiful. The water was clear, blue, and the sand was like white flour.

Thanks, but we are travelling from the UK and probably won't have the time or energy to go shopping the night we arrive.

Hi there,

We are off on our first carnival cruise next week. We are on the Sensation for 4 days visiting Freeport and Nassau.

Just a couple of questions:

I have read about a soda card which can be purchased on board - where does this get us soda? I don't drink alcohol and am unsure as to whether this will get me soda in the bars or not?

Any recommendations for shore excursions in Nassau? We are a couple in our 30's. We were looking at the Balmoral beach trip - but it seems to get mixed reviews....

Thanks :)