1. I don't have a passport. The guy I talked to on the phone who booked the cruise said all I needed was a actual birth certificate and i'll be ok. I would hate to get all the way down there and find out I needed a passport. think I should just go get one?

2. Alcohol they won't let you bring on the ship. How do i get wasted? sneak it on or just pay for the shit?

3. We are stopping off in Cozumel mexico. What is some good alcohol or other stuff to buy while in mexico? never been there.

probably have some more later, but that is it for now.

2/8/2007 6:19:33 PM

welp, if you're going to mexico, id expect to need a passport upon getting back.

AFAIK, a bc no longer works alone

2/8/2007 6:21:08 PM

Quote :

"How do i get wasted?"

Drink while in port.

2/8/2007 6:32:40 PM

if you are taking a boat you don't need a passport

2/8/2007 6:33:59 PM

Quote :

"Effective January 23, 2007, passports will be required for air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda. This is an important new requirement for our cruise guests traveling by air to embark or debark in Vancouver for our Alaska or Hawaii cruises. In addition, this new requirement will also impact our Canadian guests that travel by air to or from any of our U.S. embarkation ports. Carnival strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation; and allow guests that must debark the ship before their cruise ends to fly back to the U.S. without significant delays and complications. Additionally, it will greatly help to expedite their debark process. "

2/8/2007 6:38:34 PM

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

welcome to the internet - we are glad to have you

2/8/2007 6:39:55 PM

1. Word of advice get a passport, whether you need it or not, if anything happens and you have to fly back to the US from a foreign country you will need it. There is no reason for anybody not to have one, it's not a hard process, all in all I waited for 20 minutes to get mine at the Cary Post Office, took the online application that I filled out, waited, went in had my picture taken and in about 3-4 weeks I had my passport.

2. You can always sneak it on in your checked luggage, last trip we took soda as our alcohol was free on board, but the soda was not. No biggy there. If you are going to have time between your flight landing and the ship boarding buy it there to save on airline weight restrictions on your luggage.

3. We went to Cozumel on our last cruise but we went to the Tolum ruins on the mainland, never actually to Cozumel. Just remember if you buy alcohol during the trip it gets delivered to your stateroom on the final day of the cruise, unless you sneak it back on in a bookbag, but you'll most likely get caught as they scan everything coming back on. From what we heard from everybody else tequila is a good buy, take tours if you can.

4. http://www.cruisecritic.com for all your cruise related questions. They have boards for every line, port and even an area for finding out who else may be on your cruise. awesome site.

[Edited on February 8, 2007 at 7:11 PM. Reason : ]

2/8/2007 7:10:50 PM

I concur...get a passport anyway. This is a classic case of "better safe than sorry." Chances are you'll use it again before it expires anyway.

Lay off the beer and enjoy the scenery?

I don't drink, so just learn some Spanish?

have fun!

2/8/2007 8:03:19 PM

passports are NOT required for carnival cruises yet. 2008 is what they are saying. Passports are only required for flights right now, but im not sure what cruiseline youre traveling.

uhh. carnival lets you bring a limited amount of alcohol on the ship. i brought on 4 bottles of wine and a gallon of vodka and they didnt say anything.

3. the further away from the shore you go, the cheaper the prices yet in mexico.
if you know people who like to bake, buy pure vanilla, its cheap and really good.

ive been on a shitton of cruises, 3 this past year, and going on another in march, and have been to mexico at least ten times, feel free to pm me if you want some shopping tips.

2/8/2007 8:07:30 PM

from carnival's website:

Quote :

"Can I Bring Liquor On Board? A liquor and beverage consumption policy was created in order for Carnival to be able to control the liquor consumption of minors and the quantities consumed that lead to the disruptive behavior of others on board. Liquor and Beverage Policy Bringing Alcohol On Board - Embarkation Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board. However, wine enthusiasts may bring fine wine or champagne on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the dining room or a $14 corkage fee per bottle in the Supper Club. Guests may bring a small quantity of nonalcoholic beverages. All liquor, excessive quantities of wine and nonalcoholic beverages, to be determined at the discretion of security and/or embarkation personnel, will be confiscated and discarded without compensation. Guests may purchase a variety of beverages on board the ship. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship’s gift shops or in ports of call will be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage. Ports-of-Call Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in any Port-of-Call will be confiscated at the gangway, stored on board and retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage. Ship Gift Shops Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in the ship's gift shop will be stored on board and be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage. Drinking Alcohol On Board - The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the bars, lounges and gift shops is 21 years of age. Carnival reserves the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. In the event that Bar/Restaurant/Gift Shop Staff are in question that a guest is less than 21 years old, they shall request picture identification, prior to serving the drink or selling the bottle of liquor. "

not saying you didn't and not saying that at they didn't care... but you never know what you will be faced with... i know most people can/do sneak it on

2/8/2007 8:26:17 PM

yeah thats odd, i didnt sneak it on, just walked right on with it in plain view. hmm.

2/8/2007 8:41:14 PM

Quote :

"passports are NOT required for carnival cruises yet. 2008 is what they are saying. Passports are only required for flights right now, but im not sure what cruiseline youre traveling."

you sure about that? i thought they were going to starting in 07

2/8/2007 8:49:40 PM

moe are you retarded - click the .gov link

2/8/2007 9:02:11 PM

"Alcohol on the ship is duty and tax free, I don't know what duty is but you're not paying it!"-Comedian on our cruise ship

2/8/2007 9:16:43 PM

anyone going on the Royal Carrib. cruise to the bahmas Mar. 5?

2/8/2007 9:46:36 PM

im on the norwegian cruise line

2/8/2007 9:49:25 PM

^^ nope going southern caribbean in Nov after Thanksgiving

2/8/2007 9:58:54 PM

Just tell Isaac to make it a double.

2/8/2007 10:02:32 PM

as far as getting alcohol on the boat, they will let you bring water bottles. like the 1L size ones.

also, it's hard to tell water from liquor when it's in a water bottle.

2/8/2007 10:18:36 PM

went on a carnival two years ago

brought 7 one liter bottles of smirnoff and mixed with the drinks at the cafeteria

it was just enough, four day cruise, one more day would mean 8 dollars/drink

fuck that shit

stuff in luggage = fine

2/8/2007 10:21:05 PM

^^^^^^Close, I'm takin the march 4 one.

[Edited on February 8, 2007 at 10:28 PM. Reason : ^]

2/8/2007 10:22:10 PM

Quote :

""Can I Bring Liquor On Board? A liquor and beverage consumption policy was created in order for Carnival to be able to control the liquor consumption of minors and the quantities consumed that lead to the disruptive behavior of others on board. gouge the fuck out of you when you want to drink to forget why the hell you chose a cruise in the first place"

2/8/2007 10:22:39 PM

1. book cruise
2. pack liquor in and among ur baggage
3. get drunk
4. save $texas

2/8/2007 10:36:35 PM

I agree with that... the next one we're gonna stop off in San Juan and put some in the luggage.... we have a free happy hour from 530-800 every night before dinner and it usually is enough to get us from whatever we did on shore to dinner...

those onboard drinks are$$$$$$$, to hell with that... thank you crown and anchor diamond membership

2/8/2007 10:37:38 PM

Some cruises the booze are included in your price n u can drink all u want! As for the passport it is only required for AIR travel atm but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one anyways just to be safe!

2/9/2007 12:35:33 AM

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Quote :

"As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries. "

2/9/2007 8:41:50 AM

Here, do this. Get a six pack of bottled water, using a butter knife you can take the caps off without breaking the seal. Refill all but one with a clear liquor. Remove the one that's water and drink a few gulps, then put it back in your luggage. If they're going to check a bottle, they'll check the open one...not the ones in the six pack with intact seals.

2/9/2007 9:04:56 AM

Quote :

"gouge the fuck out of you when you want to drink to forget why the hell you chose a cruise in the first place"

the prices werent that bad on my cruise. beer wasnt that cheap, but liquor was not any worse than a moderately priced bar (3-6 bucks for a cocktail)

2/9/2007 9:33:55 AM

we always put it in listerine bottles (3 seperate cruises). Never had any problems.

2/9/2007 9:35:24 AM

Any suggestions of things to do at these places?

21-May San Juan, Puerto Rico 2:00 PM 11:30 PM Docked
22-May Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked
23-May Samana, Dominican Republic 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Tendered
24-May Labadee, Haiti 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Tendered

2/9/2007 10:24:19 AM

Quote :

"anyone going on the Royal Carrib. cruise to the bahmas Mar. 5?"

We've got a small group going on this one.

2/9/2007 10:24:52 AM

Definitely get a passport. You can sneak alcohol on, just get creative. If not plan to spend $$$ on getting wasted. My friends and I spent more on alcohol than the cost of the cruise... no joke.

2/9/2007 10:29:40 AM

anyone know what the drive to port canaveral is like?

2/9/2007 12:01:56 PM

^i dont think it's too bad. Mapquest said ~9 hours. I'll be driving it in 1 month and i'll let you know.

2/9/2007 12:08:13 PM

^^ I drove down there to board our cruise. Approx. 10 hours if you stop 2-3 times. Not too bad of a drive.

2/9/2007 12:26:14 PM

Quote :

"How do i get wasted?"

we bought vodka and poured it into a huge empty water bottle. my brother bought some whiskey and just left it in the bottle. they both made it on the ship. i think they just say that stuff to scare you.

2/9/2007 1:52:41 PM

They do random searches but it's not like they they are the FBI. I had a friend get a bottle of liquor taken from her before she got on the ship because her bag was one of the unlucky few to get checked.

The next time we went, she got checked again but had put liquor in shampoo bottles and was able to get it on.

2/9/2007 2:03:48 PM

Quote :

"anyone know what the drive to port canaveral is like?"

The drive isn't bad but its usually a lot cheaper to fly if you only have one or two people because ports charge 10-15 bucks a day for parking

2/9/2007 2:16:23 PM

How is it a lot cheaper?

2/9/2007 2:25:49 PM

we're driving down that friday night and stayin outside of orlando. There's five of us to share a hotel room though, and we're leaving the van at a family members' house (who doesn't want 4 strangers for the weekend)

2/9/2007 5:28:00 PM

yea, the woman and I are going. i thought about flying but the closest airport is orlando, which as I understand is ~45 minutes outside of port canaveral...so i figured the cost of a cab/van from the airport would be as much as the $70 for 5 days of parking. last year we went to tampa bay, but carpooled with like 12 people so we really didnt incur too much in the way of gas or parking costs. this time looks to be different unless something changes

2/9/2007 6:11:00 PM

Quote :

"How do i get wasted?"

if you're looking to get wasted, i don't see how you could not. but i'm not a big drinker. hell, i still have liquor left over from the cruise i went on last year.

and it looks like they're saying 2008 w/ the passport thing, but i think they were saying the same thing when i went about 2007. i had to get my passport finally though since im about to go to spain. hahaha i wanna stay

2/11/2007 3:47:59 AM

Get a passport.

Go to the dollar store & buy a cheap bottle of mouthwash. Empty it, refill with liquor.

2/11/2007 10:20:48 AM

Quote :

"22-May Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked"

I flew into St Thomas last summer on my way to St John. Charlotte Amalie looked like a giant tourist trap.

2/11/2007 10:28:32 AM

bttt

5/1/2007 7:03:51 PM

cruise was fun. I can answer my own questions now:

1. I don't have a passport. The guy I talked to on the phone who booked the cruise said all I needed was a actual birth certificate and i'll be ok. I would hate to get all the way down there and find out I needed a passport. think I should just go get one?

You need one next year. Might as well get one.

2. Alcohol they won't let you bring on the ship. How do i get wasted? sneak it on or just pay for the shit?

A LOT of people got busted with the listerine and shampoo bottles.

3. We are stopping off in Cozumel mexico. What is some good alcohol or other stuff to buy while in mexico? never been there.

Bought some tequila and rented a scooter all day. fun stuff.

5/1/2007 9:17:49 PM

Did they just make the people who got busted with the booze get rid of it, or was there a worse penalty?

5/1/2007 9:48:07 PM

they boxed it up and you picked it up after the cruise was over.

plus you had to attend some meeting about cruise policies, etc.

5/1/2007 11:25:13 PM

If that's it, then I'd say it is worth the risk. Obviously if you are with a large group of college kids you are bound to get searched, but did they search various other people? Were the searches pretty thorough?

5/2/2007 2:51:29 PM

I am excited!!! 3 more days!!!

I have one question... Do the rooms have irons in them or do you need to bring them yourself? I will call Carnival I guess and check but I wanted to see if anyone knew.

5/2/2007 3:01:27 PM