Sitting area in Carnival Cape PT Canaveral terminal for handicap??

[Cruisegoer]

I’m recovering from a broken ankle so standing around with no seat is not possible for me right now. At the same time I’m hesitant to buy FTTF,.  Our shuttle will arrive to the pier by 10AM and our check in time is 12-12:30.  Since we arrive so early will there be any place to sit and wait for noon to roll around??  What does anyone think our chances of checking in and boarding earlier might be?

[stobe1]

There are plenty of seating areas.

[summersigh]

I don"t know about getting in early but did you know you can request wheelchair assistance to embark  a the home port?  They use the port's wheelchair and dropped us off in the atrium.  Getting off they took us from the theater meeting spot to the luggage area where I got a porter for our luggage, thru customs and out to where our shuttle was picking us up. 

My DH has mobility issues and does that as there's no way he could make the walk to and from the ship.

In December we arrived within our checkin window.  We let a CCL employee he needed the assistance. The took us through a special checkin line and had us wait in a nearby area until his turn to be wheeled aboard.

 

[tree.critter]

1 hour ago, stobe1 said:

There are plenty of seating areas.

On the outside of the terminal there are benches.  No idea how strict they are with letting early arrivals inside the terminal though since we can arrive at any time.  

 

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

I’m recovering from a broken ankle so standing around with no seat is not possible for me right now. At the same time I’m hesitant to buy FTTF,.  Our shuttle will arrive to the pier by 10AM and our check in time is 12-12:30.  Since we arrive so early will there be any place to sit and wait for noon to roll around??  What does anyone think our chances of checking in and boarding earlier might be?

If you are arriving on Carnival's shuttle, you can show your shuttle pass and enter the terminal.  If you are not, there are plenty of places to sit outside.  

[motheroftwocats814]

Why not request a wheelchair at the port? But there are also some benches and things like that. 

[Cruisegoer]

Because I'm a relatively young man and I guess I don't want to be corraled with the geriatric guests.

[Bostwick girl]

Just because you have limited mobility doesn't mean you're geriatric.

 

[Cruisegoer]

11 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

If you are arriving on Carnival's shuttle, you can show your shuttle pass and enter the terminal.  If you are not, there are plenty of places to sit outside.  

So you cannot enter the terminal until your check in time unless you've used Carnival's shuttle? Who is monitoring that? We're coming in on a shuttle from a local hotel using a service.

[serene56]

1 minute ago, Cruisegoer said:

So you cannot enter the terminal until your check in time unless you've used Carnival's shuttle? Who is monitoring that? We're coming in on a shuttle from a local hotel using a service.

your boarding pass will state that issue.     Carnival liberty uses various lines.  If you try checking in earlier you will be sent out of line  to the later line

 

[teknoge3k]

14 minutes ago, Cruisegoer said:

So you cannot enter the terminal until your check in time unless you've used Carnival's shuttle? Who is monitoring that? We're coming in on a shuttle from a local hotel using a service.

 

Your boarding pass has your check-in time on it. At Port Canaveral back in July they were being very strict as to not letting people who were early in before their check-in time. 

 

[Cruisegoer]

3 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

 

Your boarding pass has your check-in time on it. At Port Canaveral back in July they were being very strict as to not letting people who were early in before their check-in time. 

 

So where do they send people? Is there a waiting area for the check in area?

 

[summersigh]

You choose your Check-in time appointment.  They are available when your Cruise Manager page says Online Check-in Opens.  They are in 30 minute intervals.  Online Check-in opens approximately 3 months before sailing (at least that's what our Dec 2018 was and our upcoming Dec 2019 cruise showing the same interval)

 

We wanted the earliest time possible which was 11-11:30 so to be sure I could get that I logged onto my Cruise Manager page at 12:01 a.m. the date Online Check-in became available. 

 

what hotel are you staying in the night before?

[teknoge3k]

1 hour ago, Cruisegoer said:

So where do they send people? Is there a waiting area for the check in area?

 

 

There's a "early/late" line and an "on-time" line. The early/late line just waits outside until the check-in time. The on-time line goes inside of the cruise terminal and checks in.

[Cruisegoer]

1 hour ago, summersigh said:

You choose your Check-in time appointment.  They are available when your Cruise Manager page says Online Check-in Opens.  They are in 30 minute intervals.  Online Check-in opens approximately 3 months before sailing (at least that's what our Dec 2018 was and our upcoming Dec 2019 cruise showing the same interval)

 

We wanted the earliest time possible which was 11-11:30 so to be sure I could get that I logged onto my Cruise Manager page at 12:01 a.m. the date Online Check-in became available. 

 

what hotel are you staying in the night before?

I just booked it 10 days ago and the earliest check in time was 12-12:30 which I took. We are staying at the Days Inn Titusville doing the Snooze, Park, Cruise Package and they pick us up at 9:30AM and was told we would arrive at the pier shortly after 10.

[KevInPitt]

1 hour ago, Cruisegoer said:

I just booked it 10 days ago and the earliest check in time was 12-12:30 which I took. We are staying at the Days Inn Titusville doing the Snooze, Park, Cruise Package and they pick us up at 9:30AM and was told we would arrive at the pier shortly after 10.

 

You’re going to be waiting outside until your check-in time after which you will be able to enter the terminal to complete the check-in process.

 

You could get in a much longer “early/late” line with the hopes of getting in early but with mobility issues this could not be the best for your situation.... you could be standing a very long time with a lot of people also arriving early (as is a preference for many).

 

I suggest you find a good seating place outside and don’t stress your ankle unnecessarily until your check in time.  It would suck if standing in an avoidable line with a healing ankle did something to spoil the rest of your vacation. 

 

 

[grandmarnnurse]

7 hours ago, Bostwick girl said:

Just because you have limited mobility doesn't mean you're geriatric.

 

Precisely! My DIL used a wheelchair to embark on their honeymoon 2 years ago, because she has MS, and she is only 40. Far from geriatric. Although it was a RCCL ship she was boarding, they whisked her right to check in and onboard immediately. No waiting anywhere. 

[Butterbean1000]

I was on a knee scooter ladt year boarding the Magic. I received no special treat, but I didnt ask for any.  I was instructed to go sit with the general passengers. It was tricky going, but I managed.

[Elaine5715]

12 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

So you cannot enter the terminal until your check in time unless you've used Carnival's shuttle? Who is monitoring that? We're coming in on a shuttle from a local hotel using a service.

Using Carnival's airport shuttle service allows you to enter the terminal before your assigned arrival time.

[Elaine5715]

4 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Precisely! My DIL used a wheelchair to embark on their honeymoon 2 years ago, because she has MS, and she is only 40. Far from geriatric. Although it was a RCCL ship she was boarding, they whisked her right to check in and onboard immediately. No waiting anywhere. 

Carnival stopped this practice because people were abusing it tremendously.  They, of course, assist people as needed but giving people priority due to claiming some type of infirmity was leading to 20 plus people "accompanying" someone.

[grandmarnnurse]

8 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Carnival stopped this practice because people were abusing it tremendously.  They, of course, assist people as needed but giving people priority due to claiming some type of infirmity was leading to 20 plus people "accompanying" someone.

Totally understand. There will always be someone to abuse the system, and then destroy it for those that need it. Heck, I remember waiting in line to check in with my 10 month old granddaughter in a stroller, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. We did not ask for any favors or preferred treatment, but I guess Carnival employees at check in saw everyone else’s distress at her screaming, and whisked us through. That was the last time for us—LOL! This next cruise, we have FTTF! 👍

[grandmarnnurse]

17 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

So where do they send people? Is there a waiting area for the check in area?

 

I read that there is a separate line for those that arrive too early. I guess they push you through as soon as your time comes up(?) But not sure how they do it, but there would be no seating for you in that line. I suggest that if there are benches outside, sit there until your assigned time. I may have missed it, but what is your time? If you haven’t even picked a time yet, go in as soon as it opens (on day 90) and choose the earliest times, but better yet, go in your account to excursions every single day (I stalked it about 20x a day) and purchase FTTF. That’s your best bet. You’d get priority check in and boarding, and your cabin will be ready upon boarding. I was able to grab my FTTF one day in July for my March 2 cruise on the Breeze.(only 10 more days!) 

[Joseph2017China]

23 hours ago, Cruisegoer said:

Because I'm a relatively young man and I guess I don't want to be corraled with the geriatric guests.

My wife is disabled, and we use a scooter sometimes, but on short cruises we do not.  As she says, if I can walk on the ship for 3 days, and at home without a wheelchair, why would I take a wheel chair just to walk onto the ship. 

[summersigh]

16 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I was on a knee scooter ladt year boarding the Magic. I received no special treat, but I didnt ask for any.  I was instructed to go sit with the general passengers. It was tricky going, but I managed.

The only people directed to an area of the seating near the entrance (referred to by us as the handicapped area) are those who need wheelchair assistance in boarding and the one person to accompany them.  Once on board my DH can slowly walk but if he had to navigate the long ramps and hallways he'd still be there when the ship returned

 

12 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Carnival stopped this practice because people were abusing it tremendously.  They, of course, assist people as needed but giving people priority due to claiming some type of infirmity was leading to 20 plus people "accompanying" someone.

For Wheelchair Assistance :  These days when you check into Carnival's terminal in PC there is a line outside for handicapped that was short and moved pretty quickly - when you get inside there are special tables for your check-in.  At that time you are given a boarding number like everyone else that includes you and one other person and directed to the nearby wheelchair waiting area.  You check-in with a Carnival staff member there.  When your section is called a ship staff member calls your name, gets you settled in one of their many wheelchairs and away you go.  On the Breeze We were dropped off in the Atrium near the elevators which was fine.  On the Sunshine we were dropped off in the Lido Buffet.