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Mailbag Monday: April 2, 2012 Edition

Written by T.I. Cruiser on April 2, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Here is another installment of Mailbag Monday, where I answer questions from cruisers. Today we have 4 questions submitted and answered to the best of my abilities. Hopefully, these questions will be able to not only help those who answered them but also other readers of the blog.

When you go on a cruise and are in port do you have to pay for land activities in advance?

My mother and I are going on a cruise but neither one of us have ever been on one before. Ideally, I would like to take her snorkeling and also on a tour to see some landmarks. Do I need to plan these activities in advance, or can I just figure it out when we get to the port of call?

While it is entirely possible to fly by the seat of your pants whenever you get to a port, it probably isn’t the best course of action. Whether you decide to go through the cruise line or with an independent excursion provider you will be best served by thoroughly planning your excursions in advance.

Now if you decide to book through the cruise line, if you find something you truly MUST do, I would suggest you book it immediately. That way even if the shore excursion does sell out you will still be able to proceed with the excursion since you booked in advance. Now if you decide to go with an independent provider my advice would be to do as much research as possible.

Excursions may greatly differ depending on provider not only in cost but also quality. Take the extra time to hunt down online reviews and make contact with the excursion provider. This way you can make certain whatever excursion you chose will match the expectations you have already created.

Do cruise ships have free Wi-Fi?

Since I will be missing school to go on this cruise I may need to email a paper to one of my professors. Do cruise ships have free Wi-Fi?

Cruise ships don’t have free Wi-Fi; you’ll need to pay for it. However, they do sell packages for minutes of internet use. The problem is the ships connections are so slow they aren’t really practical. Using a ships internet connection can sometimes take 5-10 minutes to log into an email account. Your best bet would be to find out from a member of the ships staff the location of the closest internet café to your next port. The connection will be much faster, more stable, cheaper and ultimately more useable than buying a package onboard the cruise ship.

Is it legal to drink alcohol on a cruise ship if you are docked in Mexico but are only 19 years old?

I was wondering if the alcohol policy follows the law of the cruise ship or the law of the country you are visiting. I know the drinking age onboard the ship is 21 years old when at sea but when docked at a port shouldn’t the legal drinking age of the port be the law?

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the way it works is whatever the law is at your port of embarkation will probably be the laws your cruise ship follows. So, if you are boarding in New Orleans where the drinking age is 21, the drinking age for the entire cruise will be 21 no matter where you are docked. Now if you were to exit the ship to visit one of the many drinking establishments that typically exist within walking distance to any cruise ship’s pier you will be able to drink based on the laws of the land.

How old do you have to be to have your own room on a Carnival cruise?

We are planning to take our two daughters and their two friends on a cruise since they will be going away to college next year. The problem is we are the only two adults going and will have 4 teens in tow. Will the teens be able to have their own cabins (2 in one and 2 in another) or does each minor need an adult in their cabin?

As far as I know all cruise lines have a minimum age requirement with being no exception. On Carnival you must be 21 years of age to book a cabin and if under the age of 21 you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian 25 years or older. However the cruise line does allow for some exceptions. Now, pertaining to your particular situation minors can be booked in their own cabins in rooms in close proximity to yours. If the minors in question are between the ages of 13-17 the cabin must no further away than 2 or 3 cabins and if they are over 18 the cabin can be just about anywhere else on the ship. So, yes in your situation the minors should be able to be booked in their own cabins.

What cruise lines besides Carnival leave from Baltimore MD?

I am looking to take my first cruise. I would like to travel out of the Baltimore port since it is within driving distance. I know Carnival Cruises leaves from Baltimore but what are some of the other cruise lines that leave from there?

Currently, there are only two cruise lines scheduled to sail out of Baltimore; Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean. While this can change at any time in the future I have looked at the sailings through 2013 and the only two ships I see are the Carnival Pride and Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.

Now if you want to expand your driving range to include New York City you can open up the choices to include Celebrity, Norwegian and Holland America. Depending on whether you are to the North of South of Baltimore this may or may not be an option but if it is an option, your possibilities really open up.

Mailbag Monday: November 21, 2011 Edition

Written by T.I. Cruiser on November 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I only have one question this week for Mailbag Monday. Today, I have a question from someone trying to make plans for what to do while in port. This reader is worried about the chances of “missing the boat” while on a shore excursion.

Do you get enough time to really enjoy the each port when you take a cruise? Or do you feel like you are being rushed since you aren’t going to want to take a chance on missing the ship?

While I wouldn’t say I feel rushed when taking a cruise, the prospect of missing the ship always will play a part in what you are able to do in port. Obviously since there is a definitive start/stop time to duration of time you have in port so you do have to plan accordingly. This narrow window of time often leads to you having to make some tough choices. For instance, you will probably need to choose between taking a trip to historic monument or a trip to the waterfalls; as there won’t be enough time for both.

Even though many of the places cruise ships travel to don’t have huge areas of land, transportation to different spots on the same island is often the limiting factor. Most areas cruise ships visit don’t have the transportation infrastructure we enjoy in most areas of North America. For instance, if you are in the Caribbean getting from point A to point B the may take a while due to the substandard transportation infrastructure of the area. It is not uncommon to have to circumnavigate the perimeter of an entire island to “point B” as there is no direct route to that destination. So, instead of a 15 mile trip taking less than a half-hour as it typically would at home, it make take three or four times (or even more) as long in a less developed area of the world.

Then there are the choices that need to be made between shore excursions. While shore excursions are an excellent way to be able to multiple things on an island (assuming that money is not the main roadblock) time will surely still present a problem. Personally, I am a fan of independent shore excursions since I like the smaller group sizes and ability for the excursion itself to be tailored to my individual needs. However there is one area in which the shore excursions offered by the cruise lines have no equal, the ability to eliminate the worry of getting back to the ship from the equation.

By booking a shore excursion through the ship you are guaranteed passage back to the ship even if your excursion runs into problems while trying to get you back to the ship. Since the agreement you make when booking an excursion through the cruise line is with the cruise ship not the actual provider the ship won’t leave you stranded. Secondly these ship-sponsored excursions tend to be very regimented which naturally leads to them being able to “keep the trains running on time”.

Although the actual people running the individual excursions are based in the area you are visiting they are contracted through the cruise lines therefore they are acting as agents of the cruise line. In return for the inside track to an endless stream of customers the providers of the cruise lines a share of the profits and dependability. Since reliability is paramount once a provider proves to be unreliable cruise lines won’t hesitate to find someone who can deliver. Since being connected with the cruise is the ultimate sales funnel there is no greater motivation to maintaining that relationship. When you combine this reliability with the guarantee that you will not “miss the boat” if you want to do multiple things in one day, ship-sponsored cruise excursions are the safest best.

I hope this answered your question while also providing some useful information for anyone else who may have this same question in the future. If anyone else has any questions you need answered please visit my contact page and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.

Mailbag Monday: August 1, 2011 Edition

Written by T.I. Cruiser on August 1, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Here is another edition of Mailbag Monday. Today I answer three questions all of them from newbie cruisers. Hopefully I was able to answer all of them to your satisfaction and if not feel free to ask me for clearification.

Can you pay cash at the bar on Carnival Cruise Lines

I’ll be going on a cruise a few weeks from now on the Carnival Imagination, This will be my first cruise and II will be going with my parents. I am 21 years old and plan to do a fair amount of drinking but don’t really need my parents to know how much, not to mention as non-drinkers they shouldn’t have to pay for my drinks. Can you pay in cash at the bars instead of charging it?

The short answer to your question is no you cannot pay for drinks in cash. In fact, on-board a cruise ship you can’t pay for anything in cash. However there is still a solution to your problem. Since you are 21 years old what you can do is set up your own on-board account.

What you’ll want to do is go to the Carnival Cruise Lines website to do an online check-in. After you log in you’ll want to enter your information into the area where you set up your spending account. When doing this you will be able to either enter your own credit card information for payment or you can also put a cash deposit on your account.

If you choose to put a credit card on file, while on-board the ship your sail and sign card will act just like a credit card with all of your expenses being billed to the card on file. If you choose to use cash, you will make the deposit upon check-in and your sail and sign card will act like a debit card. Any cash remaining on your account will be refunded to you. Just make sure to keep track of what you spend.

Can minors leave a cruise ship if they are under 18?

Me and my family will be going on a cruise next month with some other families from our neighborhood.. Do you know if I will be able to get off the ship with my friend when we get to a port without our parents?

I don’t have kids so I can’t answer your question with 100 percent certainly. Not to mention I’m pretty cool so anytime I have traveled with minors they never felt the need to ditch me, but I’ll tell you what my experience has been.

As far as I know minors are not allowed to leave the ship without a parent or guardian present. Every time you go to exit the ship you will need to have your sea pass scanned, this keeps track of who is on or off the ship. When your card is scanned it will bring up your picture and for identification and it will also alert them to your status as a minor. At which time they will most likely not let you exit the ship without a parent or guardian. Now there may be measures built into registration that allow your parents to “sign off” on less stringent rules on a case by case basis but this is something your parents would need to look into.

Can You Book Shore Excursions before boarding the cruise ship?

My family and myself will be taking a cruise this September and since I have never been on a cruise I was wondering how cruise excursions work. Do you pre-book them or book your excursions on the actual cruise ship?

Well actually you can do either or both. There are two types of excursions, Independently booked excursions and ship-sponsored excursions. Since this is your first cruise you will probably want to go with the ship sponsored excursions. While they tend to be more expensive they are designed to be no-hassle for your convenience.

Now depending on the cruise line you are taking you will probably be able to book your shore excursions prior to boarding the ship. In fact, pre-booking your excursions is probably preferable (to waiting until boarding) to make sure the excursions you want don’t get filled up.

Examples of shore excursions that fill up early are swimming with dolphins, zip-lines, catamaran trips and generally anything that sounds limited. Beach trips, shopping excursions and generic tours are almost always available to be booked on board the cruise ship. However, my advice to you would be to book any “must do” excursions as soon as you make your decision just to be on the safe side. You will be able to book them on the cruise lines website.