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Hey everyone! Been doing some research for my upcoming cruise on the Mariner of the Seas in July from Port Canaveral to Nassau and CoCo Cay. I have seen a couple Cruise Compass from Miami to the same places and noticed that it says that on the first day you can save $20 on Priceless Memories for an All-Inclusive Photo Package -- does anyone know how much this include photo package will cost? Also, I saw that it stated that you could buy a deluxe beverage package for $198 (+ 18% gratuity) and get one half off --- this seems like a better deal than what is in Cruise Planner - saving about $20? This was on a March 2019 Mariner of the Seas Compass from Miami to same places -- are there good chances that it will be the same price in July? While talking about drinks, if you purchase the soda package or refreshment package -- are you only able to get unlimited soda with the cup, or can you also get cans of soda while on the ship or on CoCo Cay? Another question, at CoCo Cay, my niece will be 19 at cruise time, would my 2 step-sons (ages 14 and 17 at cruise time) - be allowed to enter the waterpark with her, or would my husband or I have to be present? Lastly, we do not have passports, and I know we can use certified birth certificate and ID - however do I also have to have a copy of my marriage certificate since my last name is different on birth certified and ID? 

 

Thanks for any help that you can provide!! I have cruised previously with Carnival, this is my first Royal Caribbean cruise though and not sure how different they are? We have a group of 18 people going, and I have been trying to relay as much information as possible to everyone on what to expect as the others have not cruised before or it has been 10 years since last cruise. 

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6 minutes ago, Chasity said:

Lastly, we do not have passports, and I know we can use certified birth certificate and ID - however do I also have to have a copy of my marriage certificate since my last name is different on birth certified and ID? 

Someone else is going to have to answer the other parts, I'm not sure.

On the marriage license, I would have it with you, I'm also assuming it will have to be certified copy like the birth certificates (raised seal).

8 minutes ago, Chasity said:

I have cruised previously with Carnival, this is my first Royal Caribbean cruise though and not sure how different they are?

I think you will see a marked difference in the onboard amenities, with Mariner being recently AMP'ED you will get to see the new product that Royal will be rolling out on all of the ships eventually.

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3 hours ago, Chasity said:

 Also, I saw that it stated that you could buy a deluxe beverage package for $198 (+ 18% gratuity) and get one half off --- this seems like a better deal than what is in Cruise Planner - saving about $20? This was on a March 2019 Mariner of the Seas Compass from Miami to same places -- are there good chances that it will be the same price in July? While talking about drinks, if you purchase the soda package or refreshment package -- are you only able to get unlimited soda with the cup, or can you also get cans of soda while on the ship or on CoCo Cay?

There is no way to know if your cruise will be offered the same deal.  Possibly but maybe not.  It would depend on a number of factors including how many packages did they sell pre-cruise.  What is the current price of the drink package in your cruise planner?  This deal ends up to be $49.50 per person per day and I've found the drink package on my cruise planners to be about $49 but your sailing may be different.

Typically you can only get fountain drinks, no cans.  However, any bar on either the ship or CoCo Cay will put fountain soda in a cup for you.

3 hours ago, Chasity said:

Another question, at CoCo Cay, my niece will be 19 at cruise time, would my 2 step-sons (ages 14 and 17 at cruise time) - be allowed to enter the waterpark with her, or would my husband or I have to be present?

Here is what the official restrictions say on the cruise compass.    "Guests under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult."  Since your niece is legally an adult, I'd say they would be ok with her.  Sometimes they can be funny about taking kids off the ship so the parents should probably take them off but once on the island, they probably won't be questioned.  Of course, the waterpark isn't open so no one really knows the rules but typically that is the case.  

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7 hours ago, Chasity said:

Lastly, we do not have passports, and I know we can use certified birth certificate and ID - however do I also have to have a copy of my marriage certificate since my last name is different on birth certified and ID? 

 

Personally I'd save myself the hassle of having to bring all of the documentation and just get a passport. 

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10 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Personally I'd save myself the hassle of having to bring all of the documentation and just get a passport. 

I’d second that a million times. Having a passport is like secondary travel insurance that last five years. Imaging breaking you’re ankle running through the water park, without a passport you will get hassled for days trying to get to a Consulate, when from Cococay you could probably get a small boat to take you to the Mainland for a US hospital. 

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One more vote for #TeamPassport!

2 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

Having a passport is like secondary travel insurance that last five years.

it's five years for kids under 16, ten years for everyone else. ? Best $80 ($100? I forget now) you can spend if you're going to start cruising or otherwise leaving the country regularly.

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1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

One more vote for #TeamPassport!

it's five years for kids under 16, ten years for everyone else. ? Best $80 ($100? I forget now) you can spend if you're going to start cruising or otherwise leaving the country regularly.

Yes. Sorry meant 10, just redid our daughters so had 5 on the brain. 

But I’d say Global Entry is money even better spent for coming back to the country especially if it’s outside of cruising. 

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4 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

But I’d say Global Entry is money even better spent for coming back to the country especially if it’s outside of cruising.

Just did this, but I don't live close to a facility that does the interviews, so now I have to figure out how to get myself and my Wife to an interview location.

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3 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

Just did this, but I don't live close to a facility that does the interviews, so now I have to figure out how to get myself and my Wife to an interview location.

If you’re re-entering the country on a flight anytime soon you can have it processed on arrival at lots of major airports. Or next time you’re heading down for a cruise plan your appointment for the day you fly down. Just make sure you plan a couple of hours in case of a delay. 

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Am I the only one on Team No Passport?? ? 

My family of four will take our first cruise next winter and the RCL agent said we didn’t need passports for the Bahamas.  I understand that with a passport it’s less to carry but at $100 a pop, I’m willing to be slightly inconvenienced carrying birth certificates and a marriage license.  

Im guessing I can lock them in my room safe and leave them there for the duration of the trip.  I’ll gladly take the extra $400 and put it towards the drink package.  ?

let me know if I’m missing something here, but I’m too cheap to deal with getting  us all passports when we’re not sure about future overseas trips.  

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36 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

If you’re re-entering the country on a flight anytime soon you can have it processed on arrival at lots of major airports. Or next time you’re heading down for a cruise plan your appointment for the day you fly down. Just make sure you plan a couple of hours in case of a delay. 

Yes, that's what I'm working on, I just filled the applications out last week, so mine are still in the pending status, but I'm hoping that if they get approved in time we will be flying to Newark in July which has a site and we get there early enough in the day to schedule them, or we fly to Orlando in October, which also has a site.

Worst case, we take a day trip to Dallas and go to DFW and do it there.

Thanks for the input.

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31 minutes ago, Linda216 said:

Am I the only one on Team No Passport?? ? 

My family of four will take our first cruise next winter and the RCL agent said we didn’t need passports for the Bahamas.  I understand that with a passport it’s less to carry but at $100 a pop, I’m willing to be slightly inconvenienced carrying birth certificates and a marriage license.  

Im guessing I can lock them in my room safe and leave them there for the duration of the trip.  I’ll gladly take the extra $400 and put it towards the drink package.  ?

let me know if I’m missing something here, but I’m too cheap to deal with getting  us all passports when we’re not sure about future overseas trips.  

Yeah, it's fine if you never need them.  It's when you need them and you don't have them with you that's the problem. Can you fly out of Bermuda the Bahamas if there's a problem with just the birth certificate and a marriage license?  Chances are you won't ever have to do this, true.  It's a gamble, imo.  But every person has their own level of comfort.

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2 hours ago, Linda216 said:

Am I the only one on Team No Passport?? ? 

My family of four will take our first cruise next winter and the RCL agent said we didn’t need passports for the Bahamas.  I understand that with a passport it’s less to carry but at $100 a pop, I’m willing to be slightly inconvenienced carrying birth certificates and a marriage license.  

Im guessing I can lock them in my room safe and leave them there for the duration of the trip.  I’ll gladly take the extra $400 and put it towards the drink package.  ?

let me know if I’m missing something here, but I’m too cheap to deal with getting  us all passports when we’re not sure about future overseas trips.  

The reason to get a passport is not simply that it's easier than carrying other documents.  It has to do with the flexibility it provides, security if you are stranded somewhere, and the overall investment in your travel future (odds are you will vacation/travel somewhere else in the next decade).

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I'm surprised passports have not become a requirement for sea travel.  I expect at some point they will.   You need a passport to leave the country in car so it's just a matter of time before they are required to cruise.  

Ten years from now we may be discussing the "old" days when you didn't need a passport to cruise.  Just a guess on my part.  

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2 hours ago, tiny260 said:

Yes, that's what I'm working on, I just filled the applications out last week, so mine are still in the pending status, but I'm hoping that if they get approved in time we will be flying to Newark in July which has a site and we get there early enough in the day to schedule them, or we fly to Orlando in October, which also has a site.

Worst case, we take a day trip to Dallas and go to DFW and do it there.

Thanks for the input.

And also don’t be afraid to just walk up if you’re at an airport that has global entry. Be sure to have the necessary paperwork and your passport. The worst they’ll tell you (it’ll sound meaner because they have badges and guns) is that they’re full and don’t have anything available. When my mom went to BWI a few weeks ago for her the agent said “I’m not sure why it doesn’t show open appointments, we have a ton of open time”

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