thinfool

Your booking agent used your FCD as your deposit for your sailing. It allows you to book most sailings for the $100. that you pay when you enroll. You may have noticed that your full price for the sailing was reduced by the $100 that amounted to your deposit. Otherwise your deposit would have been in the multiple $100's range. (typically $400. pp) So, your $100 is gone. It was applied to the total cost of your sailing. The benefit that you received when you purchased it was an OBC of an amount that varies with the type of cabin you had. This is often $50. pp.

likely their server was down.

I would suggest that everyone "trust but verify" this information. I went to the http://carnivalcorp.com website, opened the specific link for the Shareholder Benefit, the pdf opened and, other than a modified mailing address for a few of the CCL lines, including Princess, there was nothing mentioned about any of what has been hashed over in this thread.

There has been a recent price increase (now $20 day) at the Port parking garages so using an off port site may be attractive. We have and still do use Park n Go which offers free (or included) shuttle to the ship that you are going to sail on.

Not trying to be a spoil sport, but for me the best live ship watching is on YouTube. There are several sites that offer live, real time, views of the ship channel.

The official name is now Coca Cola Zero Sugar. Buy all you want at Sams, Costco, Bjs, Walmart, etc. We will carry 2 12 packs with us onto the Sky in December.

You will not be alone as you drop off a disabled person. There will be a LOT of them doing so, and there will be tons of folks doing the same who are not disabled. Having said that, as already noted above, there are a ton of spaces available as several thousand cars will have already left the parking lots from those who returned. This is true in all major cruise ports. Noteworthy: Last December we dropped several folks at the terminal and headed for a pkg garage. I noted that NONE (seriously, NONE) of the entrances had the ticket machines in operation. Strange. Still, along with many others I found a parking spot, embarked the ship, had a fine cruise, came back, found the car and exited as usual. The payment booths were in operation, but it was done on the 'honor' system, ie, "what ship were you on?", oh,that was a 7 days sailing, so your parking cost is XXX. Too weird.

With respect, did you go up to the kitchen,or wherever you were, and ask for less noise? We were kept awake on a Princess ship some time ago...I went and found the source, then found an employee who had a walkie talkie....he made a call and the noise stopped...did not repeat for the rest of the voyage. They are very sensitive to passenger comfort.

Cruise passengers are viewed as 'in-transit' visitors to most ports, esp those in the Caribbean. As such, no extensive ID is required. In fact, showing a passport or BC and DL usually only happens when you return from your closed loop cruise. CBP has to verify your citizenship to allow entry into the US. The 180 day rule comes into play when you visit the country or island for an extended vacation, like 2 weeks or so.

Close....Applications to receive these benefits should be made at least three weeks prior to cruise departure date. (sb instructions, carnivalcorp.com)

If you have never used uber/lyft before may I suggest that you install the app on your phone, make an account complete with your credit card information...then open the app, look it over, maybe even book a ride to the grocery store and another trip back home. That way you will have some familiarity with how it all works. For me, the cool thing is that, because the app has payment information you can just exit the vehicle when you get to your destination. NO haggling or hassling about fare or tips. And the app allows you to add a tip for your driver...in a word....cool!

Both Brightline and TriRail offer commuter train service to Ft Lauderdale from PBI, tho an uber may be needed at one end or the other.

With the exception of Martinique* in the Caribbean, cruise passengers who stop for a day or less on their cruise itinerary are viewed as "in-transit" passengers for which no visa is needed. The only variation that we ever encountered...in the Med years ago, was Turkey, which required that we have a provided 'landing card' which identified us as ship passengers. We had a delightful day in Istanbul but never showed anyone the card (except to reboard the ship) or our passports. *Martinique is viewed as a Dept of France and is a part of France....hence a passport is needed to visit.

This is a newsy site with a lot of comments about the future of Brightline with stops serving WDW and other attractions. https://www.disneytouristblog.com/brightline-train-to-disney-world-everything-we-know-opening-timeline-stops-more/

This is true, Take an uber or taxi to the Brightline from PE.....and take Brightline to the end at MCO...then another uber to Disney World. Way less stress than driving and probably several $$ less. Without checking, I am thinking that Brightline may have complimentary shuttles from PE to their local station in Ft Lauderdale. And, as I understand it, plans are in the works to extend Brightline service as far as Disney.

This is good advice. The closed loop provision for US sailings does not apply so the possibility of disembarking or boarding mid-stream may increase. A good, experienced travel agent may be able to help.

Most of these posts seem to express the customers view...and understandably so. However many, especially West Coast short cruises, are actually repositioning trips that the cruise line advertises in the hope that they can recover some of the operating costs of moving the ship.

To the OP...last time I used Uber, the app contained the name of the driver, the type of car, maybe color, too, and the license number and a tiny map that shows your uber moving along to meet you. In addition, some ubers in my area have a windshield (windscreen) sign that identifies the car as an uber...I even saw one that was illuminated the other day!

Good advice here, tho I would add that both the Turnpike and I-95 can suffer from high traffic delays or total blockage by a wreck. Happens more than you might think. When we go south we usually use I-95 although the turnpike is certainly an option, The method we always use....get on the road, ask the wife to check traffic on Google maps for the distance that you are traveling. Any difficulties will show up nicely and allow you to devise an alternate route if you encounter a blockage or other slow traffic. Waze is also well used in South Florida (it's an app for your smartphone). The other, new, option, tho rather pricey...esp for a family....the Brightline train now runs from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale and could offer an effective way to get to your ship. I suggest that you explore the features that it offers. (Brightline advertises transit time of a little more than 3 hours from Orlando to Miami, about 30 min less to Ft Lauderdale.)

In another thread we are told that as of today, port parking, either in a garage or flat lot has increased to $20/day.

Thanks! I needed a reason to go back to Park n Go.

Uber works well in South Florida.

While I have no idea about schedule, Amtrak has service from West Palm to Orlando...and even Sanford. Substantially lower fare, but less scheduled service, too.

Uber and Lyft work well all over south Florida. You will have no trouble with your plan other than possible traffic delays. Our boarding in Miami in Dec 22 was slowed by massive hiway construction on the way to POM.

While this is truly a benefit for us, it is in fact a Marketing Tool to foster brand loyalty and is Way, way down the list for consideration of being discontinued. My take is that it is very effective. This is especially true in view of the fact that most of the other major cruise lines have similar if not duplicate programs. I never worry that the program will be discontinued.