First Time Cruiser & First Time Leaving Kids

[jmm881]

Ok, so I have a series of questions and am terrible at searching the boards, so hopefully I can get some answers...TIA!

 

We leave on the Liberty on the 11th of January for a 3 night cruise.

 

Inlaws will have our three kids under 7 for the four days of the cruise. If we have to be reached, is there a best method?

• Both of us have iPhones, and I was debating what internet package we needed? Advice
  
  • We both like social media, reading articles and Kindle books.
    
  • We would like to be able to send a photo or connect with kids back home at least once on trip.
    

The drink package, is it worth it? We were debating the drink package or ordering beer to the room and brining a two bottles of wine on board.

 

We are flying into MCO and headed to Port Canaveral. Is a shuttle the best plan? One way car rental? What about the return? Realistically, what time will we be off the ship on Sunday? We might have time to kill as our flight doesn't leave until 7:30pm.

[easyboy]

The Social wifi plan may work for you. You can also check the HUB app if it will serve your purpose on chat function with family members on board:. https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1152/~/carnivals-wi-fi-service-and-hub-app

 

Those who drink 6 alcoholic drinks a day find the Cheers package worth it. Both adults in same cabin however has to buy it. Or you can just bring the allowed bottle of wine and pay as you order for the other alcoholic drinks if you feel like it.

 

You can check Cortrans Shuttle for your transfer. Just note the time requirement. If time and price will not work for you, a car rental may be a better option

 

http://www.cortrans-shuttle.com/

 

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[Sixtytwo]

First, welcome to Cruise Critic and cruising!

 

There is a toll free number for Carnival that your in laws can call and get a message to you. I would be sure they know the name of the ship and your cabin number! Depending on what ports you are visiting, there may be cell coverage. Check with your provider for that information. With the drink package you have to drink 6-7 drinks a day to break even. If you aren’t one to consume that many drinks every day, then it would not be a good deal for you. As for an internet package, there are varying levels (based on number of minutes). For simply emailing the kids, you may look into what options you have after boarding.

 

One thing to be sure you know...ship’s time. Everything on board is based on ship time, not the local time! This means meal times, show times, activity times, and what time the ship leaves a port. Unless you are on a ship sponsored excursion, being late back to the port only means you get to figure out how to get home from there! [emoji15]. Don’t rely on a cell phone for the time since it will change based on time zone!

 

Don’t over think your cruise. Relax and enjoy it! Hope you have a great time!

 

 

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[jmm881]

Thank you both so much.

 

This seemed like such an easy cheap vacation to book when we booked. (And financially it’s still inexpensive - the stress and unknown are getting to me!)

 

We’ve only done all inclusive resorts before - and loved it. But we would love to eventually cruise between Christmas and New Years as our kids get older (I’m a teacher and we don’t get much winter time off.) So it seemed like a good time to try it.

 

I didn’t know it was so complicated.

 

It’s a three night cruise to Bahamas. Do we need fancy clothes? Or is resort wear acceptable for all of it?

 

We weren’t going to do any excursions - is that a mistake? We figured we could hang out on the beach or take a walk in the Bahamas. Bad plan?!

[evandbob]

Calls on the cabin phone are just $1.99 per minute and I've always had excellent connections.

 

You won't need "dressy" clothes for a 3 nighter (or really any Carnival cruise), just something decent (resort wear) for dining.

 

I can't go to an island without checking out a beach.....and Cable Beach in Nassau is the best strip of sand on that isle.

 

Have fun is rule #1.

[beaucajun]

Carnival: 1-800-227-6482 . Here's the Carnival contact number for them to leave you a message in case of emergency on the ship.

[Shaded Lady]

Please be careful with your cellphones... lots of horror stories on Cruise Critic about people coming home to $1000 cellphone bills. Just put your phone in Airplane mode to be safe... you can still use it then as a camera, for the Hub App (btw this app is free, download it now and activate in once you're onboard- TONS of info available for you at no charge).

[cheermomof2girls]

We buy the social media plan and use facebook messenger to communicate with our daughter when we cruise without her. It works great for texting, we can use the voice call feature and it's ok, a little spotty.

 

Enjoy your time together!

[summersigh]

I recently copied this from the Carnival FAQ's:

Calling Home

Ship-to-Shore Communication

For our guest's convenience, the ship's telecommunications network offers direct dialing via satellite from the stateroom telephone. This is available 24 hours a day regardless of the ship's location. This service is closed on the final day of the cruise at 4:00am.

The rate is $1.99 per minute, and charges are billed to the guest's on board Sail and Sign Card. Since all communication is via satellite, the charges apply to all Please Note:

 

• Information and Instructions can be found in the ‘Ship’s Directory’ in the stateroom.
  

Shore-to-Ship Communication – Emergency Contact Number

We do not offer a direct dialing service to our ships.

The following number is to be used as an emergency contact number for family members not traveling with our guests. In the event of a true emergency, family may contact our call center at 1-800-227-6482 on a 24/7 basis.

Our team will take down the caller's name and contact information and pass it on to our Guest Services team onboard.

[ricew001]

As per usual, the poster didn't mention that the Cheers package INCLUDES sodas, coffees, milkshakes and bottle water. Be sure to factor that in and not "just alcohol". Since it's a short cruise, I'd definitely do it. You won't be surprised by a bill at the end and your experience will be enhanced because you won't feel like you're paying "extra" to try different drinks or to replace one that has melted down.

Enjoy yourselves!

[grandmarnnurse]

Check into the internet plan if you feel the need to keep connected back home. We had a family emergency back home back in 1995 while cruising, long before internet and cell phone use was common. Before we left home, we gave ship name and phone number to my parents, who were babysitting our youngest daughters (we had three other adult children). There was an emergency on day 2 of cruise, and they were able to contact us easily.

 

 

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[galimeyer]

We did the social package on our cruise in August. It was good enough. Our kids stayed with their grandparents as well. I found Facebook messenger worked as the best way to communicate with my MIL. We were on the Freedom cruise that was diverted to NOLA instead of back to Galveston during Hurricane Harvey. I contacted her on Messenger and asked her to re-book our flights home from NOLA (as the ship had opened up the internet for all to use but it was slow as molasses) and she was able to take care of everything for us.

[cb at sea]

Download what you want to read to your kindle BEFORE you leave home...then, you simply open it and read it...no internet needed.

 

There is an "emergency number" if someone ashore needs to reach you. They will need the ship name and your cabin number.

 

Now...stop worrying about the kids....your babysitters raised your husband just fine, and they will do an even BETTER job with their grand-kids! Truly!

 

A cruise is a vacation...vacations are NOT "complicated"....you book it, make the arrangements, then you go and relax and have fun!

[horsegal]

For a short cruise I would say do the drink package if you have the money for it. Social media package is probably your cheaper option to stay connected if your ok with not having an actual phone call. I am still debating what we will do, looking into a one way cruise to Hawaii (5 sea days in a row) and leaving the kids and dogs with grandparents. Our oldest son will be almost 4 and this new one (not born yet) will be about 16 months... I get being anxious about leaving the kids but it is a short cruise you are taking and they will be fine!! Even just giving them the emergency number to contact the ship would be enough and you can call just below you set sail and when you get back to the States in the morning. I will need more contact with going 5 days at Sea... Good luck and have a great time!!

 

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[Drose716]

I have used the social media plan to stay in touch with my mom back home. I chat with her & send pics & even videos via FB messenger or whatsapp. I used it the last 3 so she could see her grandkids enjoy their vacation , but next cruise the kids will be with her while I'm away. I'll be using the SM package again to stay in touch. You can send pics & chat at any time when youre on the ship & its like $5 per day. Like I mentioned, I was even able to send my mom videos on the last cruise. If your in-laws or kids can use FB or whatsapp, that's a great, cheap option to keep in touch & its unlimited contact whenever you're on the ship.

 

For kindle, if you download in advance you don't need any internet to read. That's what I do.

 

Drink package is a personal choice depending on how much you drink. It includes sodas, waters, I think some coffees & energy drinks. I've done it both ways. I've used it 3 times & definitely felt it worth it. I didn't last cruise because my boyfriend doesn't drink much. We honestly ended up spending almost equal to what the package would've cost & would've just bought it if we had a do over. I recommend searching here for drink prices & consider whst your alcohol, soda & water intake may be & go from there.

 

For shuttle, I highly recommend Cortrans. I've used them twice. They do round trips from MCO to PC & some Orlando area hotels. Excellent service & great price.