HeidiHo

There is no recourse with the credit card company because Explora Rentadora absolutely insisted on being paid in cash or traveler's checks. They only took the Visa as a security deposit. At first I thought they just wanted to avoid the fees Visa would charge, but now I realize it was to avoid the possibility of me disputing the charges.

 

I was stupid and trusting. Now I have learned a lesson. I posted this here mainly so others could learn from my mistake and avoid the same problem on their vacation.

 

Did they say what would happen if you didn't have the cash or traveler's checks?

They know they can get the money from you because protesting would just bring the police into it and that would take too much time and cause you to miss the ship and maybe even get arrested. Most people are just going to pay it. I probably would pay up too altho I don't ever plan to rent any type of vehicle in Mexico, ever. Years ago my aunt an uncle ran into a situation in Mexico that involved a rental car. I don't remember the circumstances (I think it was a minor fender bender) but they spent either several hours or overnight in a Mexican jail and were told they would stay there until they paid up.

My daughter left her favorite bear at the Radisson Hotel in Port Canaveral when we stayed there before our Pride cruise. Since we were taking the Mears bus directly back to the airport after the cruise we didn't know how we would get it but one of my roll call friends had left her car parked there so she picked up the bear when she went back for her car and then mailed it to us. My daughter was so happy. It didn't quite have the sentimental attachment that your daughter's bear had but her best friend had given it to her so it was still important to her. Glad you got it back. I was sure you were going to tell us that no one would help you when you returned and told you to call guest relations after you got home.

Chase Suites is right next door to a place called Bahama Breeze. Not a bad place. Sits right on the water at the very top of Tampa Bay. Beleive it or not it is owned by Red Lobster...but don't hold that against it. You'll like.

Friday thru Sunday it is very busy.

 

Actually, Bahama Breeze is owned by Darden Restaurants. Darden owns Bahama Breeze, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Smokey Bones. If you ever have a gift certificate for one of them, they are good at all four restaurants.:)

I found something in my Capers about the coffee shop. Here's what it said:

 

 

GOURMET COFFEE

 

Introducing the Coffee Shop Company fir gourmet coffee!

We also have tasty pastries, milkshakes & ice cream sundaes.

All for a nominal charge.

7:00am - 10:00am & 3:00pm - 12:00am, Promenade Dk 2 Fwd.

7:00am - 5:00pm.........Horatio's, Lido Dk 9 Aft.

 

 

Keep in mind that this was in March and I'm not so sure they strictly abide by these hours. Seems to me they closed earlier than 12:00am but I don't remember for sure. I also don't remember there being anything at Horatio's but then again, I didn't look. I am strictly reciting what is in my Capers.

Is the latte's and coffees only for certain hours? I think I read the ice cream and pizza is 24 - are the drinks available for a good part of the time? My friend loves her coffees!

 

I do remember they closed later in the evening. I can't remember what time but there were a couple of times around midnight that I would have liked a cookie but they were closed. I think I could have gotten the same cookies free from room service but the problem was, I wasn't in my cabin at that time. We were still out and about on the ship. I never bothered with the late night buffets either. I Wasn't THAT hungry, I just wanted a cookie.:rolleyes:

The oatmeal raisin cookies there are delicious. I got one still warm from the oven.:D

I sure have fond memories of the Festivale too. It was my first cruise in '85 with 3 other girls. That cruise spoiled me for balconies right off the bat because we got upgraded to a suite. Funny thing is, everyone was soooo jealous over our huge cabin but it was really only about the same size as standard balcony cabins by today's standards. Only the bathroom was a bit bigger because we had a full size tub and shower. We met a young couple on their honeymoon on that cruise and they had booked an inside cabin on the lowest deck with just upper and lower bunks. Can you imagine that, on your honeymoon. They must have been on a tight budget. That cabin was TINY!!!! Barely enough room to turn around. I guess the 4 of us were really lucky getting an upgrade to a suite. I also remember that you always had to step over a 4" lip at every doorway. I got so used to doing that that after I got home, I kept doing that whenever walked from one room into another even tho there was no lip. We had a blast on that ship.

We really enjoyed the Hampton downtown. It was right on the trolley line and they had a shuttle to the port. They didn't do the airport but a taxi was only $25.00 from the airport to the hotel. We took the trolley to Channelside for dinner and then downtown to walk around. We couldn't go into the clubs because of our teenagers but they sure got a kick out of looking around. The hotel itself was very nice.

My new favorite as of last week is the Kiss on the Lips......yummy

 

Mine is the Kiss on the Lips too. I'm afraid I'm guilty of getting Renee (walkswife) hooked on them too (and all the other ladies from our roll call).;)

We just returned from our Miracle cruise on Sunday and I thought I'd share our pre-cruise hotel experience with everyone.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown/Ybor City. We paid $159.00/night for a standard room that included a decent expanded continental breakfast. This hotel is fairly new so is in good shape. Our room was clean and decent size although, I would have like a suite since there were 4 of us but none were available. There's a nice pool area but it's small. We didn't use it. The Hampton is located right on the trolley line so it's easy to get around. We bought all day passes for $4.00/adult and $2.00/kids (I think). We had our 15 and 17 y/o kids with us and they were still considered kids.

We took the trolley to Channelside for dinner that night and then back to Ybor city just to walk around after dinner. Ybor City is a bit on the wild side but my kids loved walking around a looking. Of course they we're too young for the clubs.

The Hampton is located right on the outskirts of the club area so it's not too crazy right by the hotel but we did hear partiers going back to their rooms once during the night. I suppose this might be fairly common since I assume that a lot of people going to the clubs would be staying at the Hampton. Other than that one time tho, we didn't hear any noise. I'd stay there again a recommend it to anyone who wants to stay near where the action is.

The cab ride from the airport to the hotel was not a flat rate and cost us about $25.00. The Hampton had a free shuttle to the port which we took. They also told us that if their shuttle gets backed up, they will call a cab and cover the charges. Their shuttle is just a mini van and only one, I think so i can see how it might get backed up at times. We were told to just let them know at the front desk when we were ready to go. there was one family going ahead of us so we had to wait about 20 minutes but we were really early for the ship so waiting was OK.

Cracker Ken or anyone else with knowledge of the Tampa area - we will be staying in Tampa March 25th for 1 night. When I booked our cruise, my TA said we should stay in Ybor city so I made a reservation at the Hampton Inn/Downtown/Ybor City. I really would like to experience Ybor city and at the time, I was hoping to get a flight that would get us into Tampa in the morning so we'd have the afternoon and evening in Ybor City. As it turns out, we won't even land at TPA until 3:15. I figure it will be dinnertime by the time we get settled into the hotel. How crazy is Ybor City on a Sat. night? We will have our 2 teenagers (age 15 & 17) with us. Do you think it's too crazy for teens? Today I also made a reservation at the Embassy Suites Airport/Westshore. Some of the people on our roll call are staying there and it's possible that we could meet them Sat. night for drinks. So now I have reservations at 2 hotels and can't make up my mind. Anyone have an opinion on either of these choices? Thanks.

HeidiHo - You could go to Bradenton/Sarasota, but it will be about an hour or so getting up to Tampa, a little more depending on where you are going. I don't think there are any shuttles servicing Tampa from there, and a taxi would require a second mortgage. A rental would work. You could rent a one-way, turn it in at the airport, and maybe get a shuttle van to a local hotel near the airport (see info earlier on this thread). You just have to weigh the savings on the airline tickets against the car rental fees and the inconvenience of going to another area first.

 

Ken

 

Thanks Ken,

 

I just bought our airline tickets and managed to get a good rate direct to TPA so we are all set.

How inconvenient would it be to fly into Bradenton/Sarasota airport the day before our Miracle cruise? I'm searching for cheap airfare and sometimes some cheap fares show up for that airport. Would it be best to rent a car if we flew in there and dropped it off near the port? What about cabs or shuttles? We'd stay the night before wherever it would be most convenient. Any suggestions?

The sofa is like what the previous poster said. The upper will come out of the ceiling and is directly above the sofa so it will be like bunk beds. Usually, the cabin steward will put the upper bed back in the ceiling during the day so it's out of the way. He should also make up the lower bed back into a sofa during the day.

Have you been quoted how much it will cost to upgrade? Just be careful that they don't overcharge you to upgrade and now it's costing you as much as it would have if you had gone on your own. I don't have any experience with this but I do think I've read here that people have tried this but were charged an arm and a leg to upgrade.