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March Carnival Victory Cruise: Embarkation Day

Written by T.I. Cruiser on April 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

So, we get up in the morning because today is the big day. I step out onto the Balcony and of course and luckily the skies are clear and the weather is gorgeous. Originally I had planned on going into town to have a Malorca at La Bombonera but instead decide to go straight to the ship. Its not that I lost interest in visiting this place which I had heard so much about, logistically it just didn’t work (would have required too many taxi rides).

After showering, dressing and lugging our luggage back over to the main building, check out was a breeze. All we had to do was leave since we didn’t order room service or anything. So, I hit the ATM to withdraw the cash I would be using on this cruise and off we went.

We got to the cruise terminal at about 10:30 which meant we ran right into the middle of the mass confusion caused when passengers arriving run into passengers who are leaving. Some people try to avoid the confusion but personally I like it as it adds to my feeling of excitement.

Porters were of course readily available so I grabbed one tipped him (2 bucks per bag) and got in line. There were only a few dozen passengers who arrived at the terminal before we did so the check-in process took less than thirty minutes until we were killing time at the duty free waiting to be boarded. The wait was probably another hour before they allowed us to get onboard the ship so, luckily the duty free was handing out sample bacardi shots so time went past pretty fast. We were on the Lido deck by about 12:30 and our luggage arrived safely to the room about an hour later, smuggled booze and all.

I wore my pool attire over so that I would be ready to enjoy the day without having to worry about when my luggage would arrive and spent the next few hours taking advantage of the empty pools. After that I went back to the room unpacked, organized, explored and enjoyed the ship. I won’t get into the details since the ship board experience is what you make of it but I do want to say I really enjoyed the staff, I experienced great service but I did find the drinks to be a bit on the weak side.

What’s Next Cleaning Your Own Cabin?

Written by T.I. Cruiser on July 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Is Carnival’s newest innovation really an effort to streamline the check-in process or a thinly veiled ploy to reduce its costs at the expense of its cruisers? Personally, I think its a great idea no matter what the motivation but what I think isn’t important. The question is what do you think?

In an effort to supposedly make the embarkation process faster and more efficient, earlier this month Carnival Cruise Lines installed new state of the art self-service check-in kiosks in the cruise terminal at the Port of Miami. In order to use the new kiosks are with passengers must first preregister online and also be a citizen of the US, Canada or a visa waiver country. Passengers that fit those requirements will be able to access their reservations and check-in by swiping a credit card used to preregister or their passport.

Once you are checked in at the self-service kiosk it prints out a boarding pass which is then exchanged at a nearby desk for a statement he. Passengers with documents which cannot be scanned such as naturalization papers or birth certificates will be checked in at this desk. Additionally, those passengers who wish to set up a cash-based spending account instead of using a credit card will be able to do so from the kiosks. Each kiosk has the ability to add cash deposits directly to your sail and sign account saving you a trip to the Purser’s desk.

At the moment the kiosk are part of a pilot program for Carnival’s ships sailing out to the Port of Miami but, if it gets a positive response the self-service kiosks will be implemented at the other year-round home ports. Carnival’s sister cruise line Costa cruises ran a similar test in the past at Port Everglades which was well received. Costa is now planning to roll out self-service kiosks at some of its other reports.

The question now becomes are the self-service kiosks truly faster and more convenient. Anyone who has used the self service check out at the grocery store knows two things. If you are savvy enough to know how to use the kiosk check-out is a piece of heaven. Conversely, if you are stuck in line behind someone who has no idea what they are doing the self-service kiosk is a trip to hell. Also, one of the biggest advantages to cruising is that everything is done for you, I’m not sure how well received this will be by those who place a high value on such things. The good news is no one will be forced to use these kiosk’s (not that it will stop people from complaining), they are completely optional. There will still be traditional check-in complete with agents for those who prefer to check-in the old fashioned way.

Personally. I can’t wait to use one of these kiosk’s, especially since I am relatively tech-savvy and really do prefer to do everything online and then check-in with the swipe of a card.

Making Embarkation Easier – Online Check In

Written by T.I. Cruiser on November 23, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Many people believe embarkation is the absolute worst part of the cruise (for me it is disembarkation). In the past the embarkation process involved standing in long lines and waiting around for hours. Thanks to modern technology, this is no longer the case.

One of the ways you can expedite the boarding process is by giving the cruise line your information in advance. Thanks to the power of the internet most cruise lines offer some sort of online check-in process which allows you to submit all of the necessary information before you leave your house. After your cruise is paid for you can use the online check-in to fill out cruise documents such as boarding documents, immigration forms, onboard account information and ticket contracts.

Once the information is submitted you can print out your advance-boarding pass. With the use of that boarding pass, you can make use of the express check in at the cruise terminal, which saves you from having to stand in line. At express check in you simply present the printed forms and required identification information to the agents at the check in counter. This not cuts check in time but makes embarkation much easier and less annoying.

If you are uncomfortable filling out that information online you can also ask that the cruise line provide you with paper copies of the forms which you will send back to them. While all cruise lines may not offer this most will be happy to accommodate you. Just don’t plan to use traditional mail unless you have booked and paid extremely early.