The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Do Not Leave Home Without:

Your Passport or Birth Certificate with GOVERNMENT ISSUED Photo I.D. - * Birth Certificate must be a certified copy with a raised seal. DO NOT PHOTO COPY IT! YOU WILL BE DENIED BOARDING. *

Your printed Funpass.

Your Travel Insurance Policy! This is hurricane Season! Do not leave home without it!

My phone number with your travel documents. I will be checking into the hotel on October 8th! My office number is my cell. Keep it handy in case you have an issue at any point up to boarding the ship. On the ship, I am in Cabin #6452 - write it down and keep it with your cruise documents. If you have a problem onboard call the room and leave a message on the cabin voice mail if im not there.


Do's and Dont's:

Bring enough ciggarettes for the first night of the cruise! Legaly, the ship cannot sell ciggarettes until we are international waters - and your hosts dont share. Cheapest port to buy a Carton? St Maarten. about 14.00 per carton - NO Tax!! St Maarten is also cheapest for Liquor.


Bring some type of hat!! The sun in the Caribbean is hotter. UV Rays are more intense! If your hair is black (and most of ours are), your brain WILL fry. A staw hat seriously works best! Looks cooky.. but works best. Parasols are fab too!

If you dye your hair.. intensive conditioner or hair serum!!! Trust me on this! Do you manic panic? apply your last application 3 days before the cruise - and shampoo twice. Plan on sweating alot walking around the ports.


PREBOOK YOUR SHORE EXCURSIONS! Most of the good shore excursions will sell out long before that ship sails! our private shore excursions are at www.shoretrips.com under the group tab. Scroll down to "Gothic Cruise". Take a moment to read the advice on the shore excursion thread!


Always attend at least the first 15 minutes of any of our parties. If a last minute change has been made, or an announcement needs to be made - that is where I will make them!


if in doubt - ask!

Z

Thanx Z... You rule...

A printed FunPass? I thought we were not to print them?

Did we already get sent our little traveler's insurance cards? If so I'd better get to searching for it...

Tracy....we print the fun passes not the tickets...Some people last year printed their tickets online and did not get the regular ones from Zaida

Your insurance packet would have been mailed to you within 10 days from the date you took the insurance. It would have been mailed to you by ITravel Insured.

If you cannot find it - Please call or email me!

Z

Z,
I looked in the docs I have and just to make sure:
The Insurance is from iTI (ITravelInsured) and there was a coverage verification letter and the Group Travel Insurance Certificate (booklet). Should there be anything else?

So I'm starting my packing list and I'm wondering what I need to plan for.

I need to pack for:

2 Formals.
1 Recital.
6 Club Nights?
1 Masquerade
7 Casual/Touristy/Day Gear
2 Pre/Post Parties
2 Swim Clothing
All Genre Edit:
1 Fashion Show
1 Rocky Horror Picture Show (Interactive)
1 Autograph Session in the Disco
2 Deck Parties
3 2-Hour Concerts

If I'm missing anything please feel free to correct me, specify, and add to the list.
I'm practice packing now and macking the checklist.

*Mind you, I am accounting for the ability to wash on the ship. I merely wish to make sure I have my attire planned and ready.

*Does anyone know if our rooms are equiped with standard Hair Dryers?

Yup, there are hair dryers!

Nasdaddy... you dont realize it but you just completed my action item before I leave for work to summarize everything I need for my checklist.

So a good point - I looked up that the ship has self laundries on each of the decks, but do they have a laundry/ dry cleaning as well?

RXDarkFairy - Bring the whole thing.


Yes. the ship does have laundry and dry cleaning services. Including Fabric Steamers.

Z

i was wondering about rocky horror.... are we allowed to throw things and can we bring them? you know, toilet paper, playing cards, squirts guns, all that jazz. and if so, are there any restrictions? i've been to a few places who do not allow the use of lighters because lighters + people with newspapers on their heads = fire hazzard, and a place that didnt allow rice because of the mess. i wont bother to pack the stuff if i cant use it when i could have used the luggage space for platform boots instead. ^^ (oh who am i kidding, the boots are coming regardless)

Thanks for that question, Ros.... I was wondering that myself, although I thought *Carnival would not approve* (vision of captain, standing over me pointing his finger and shaking his head) But it is tradition with this particular show...

Ack...I have to do some shopping!!

z, yes...what about props for rocky? squirt guns? rice? toilet paper? cards? etc....

squirt guns must be plastic ones and see through. pack them in your CHECKED baggage.

z

Awesome.

I remember last year we had the open bar right beforehand during the ball, and I needed a nap about halfway through Rocky :P

The last Carnival cruise I went on did not provide a hair dryer in my room. There was only one electrical outlet so I recommend a power strip. They gave me some complementary razors but no shaving cream, although I prefer an electric razor.

All the ships have hair dryers now they keep em in the draw at the mirror. Don't bring a clothes iron they will not allow you to have one in the room because of the fire hazard. A free iron is available in the Laundry rooms:)

Transportation from the airport to the hotel is included with the pre/post party packages right?

If so how do we get this transportation when we land in Orlando?

Roundtrip transportation from the airport to the hotel is included in the precruise party package.

When you go to the airport, call the Orlando AIRPORT Marriott from the courtesy phone at Baggage Claim.

Zaida

ok great thank you!

Z-

I was wondering, will there be internet connection on this cruise? I'd like to send e-mails to friends and family to make them jealous. ^_^

They have an internet cafe on the ship

Internet access is rather expensive on the ship. If I remember correctly, they had pay-as-you-go wifi and pay-by-the-hour public computers in a cyber lounge near the ivory room.

It is expesive if you pay as you go. It is far less expensive if you get an internet package. But even then, its pricey.

Z

I remember them saying it was slow too, so I wouldn't plan on doing a whole lot.

Personally I'm looking forward to NOT having net access :P.

Since IT is my day job, I'll prolly have withdrawals, but all the better for reading comics when I get back.

Same here, but Mel will likely want to check her e-mail anyways because of our little one...

No e-mail, no phone, no work, lot of fun. That is the order for the day!

I would recommend to bring extra memory cards for your digital cameras or phones. You can buy some, but many are specific and may not be available. Also, you won't have to worry about deleting pictures and mini-videos so that you would have more memory. Oh yeah...remember to bring the charger and a USB connector since each digital camera has different USB connectors.

The other that you could do is bring blank CDrs in case people have laptops so that you can burn images for backup. If I remember to do so, I will be lugging my laptop with me and can burn CDs for ppl.

Corolla

If you smoke cloves, definitely bring your own supply. You will have a lot of difficult purchasing these on the cruise or at the ports.

I forgot to mention: for digital cameras, you may want to bring a waterproof case, Pelican case or dry bag to protect your possessions (especially Passports). If you are joining up with shore excursions, you might want to bring a small bag, messenger bag or purse to hold a few necessities, especially water. It makes it handy and less things you will forget or get in your way.

REMEMBER TO PACK A CARRY-ON!

Ensure that you bring a carry-on with some immediate necessities in case your checked in luggage doesn't arrive immediately. My checked in luggage did not arrive for several hours after boarding (about 4 hours).

You may arrive at your boarding room and find your luggage waiting for you, but probably not likely. Don't risk it.

Definitely pack lightly, but pack a carry-on with the expectation that your checked-in luggage won't be outside your door for at least 3 hours or more. You wouldn't believe how much of a relief it would have been to have a change of clothing or at least shoes.

As last year's cruise was my first cruise, I had not been aware of that and struggled while waiting for my luggage.

Oh yeah...if you don't mind melting in the sun, you might want to bring some outfits or clothing that are non-black or at least non-heavy fabric. Bring some clothing that has fabric that breathes. You might find that wearing all black and leather or synthetic materials will cause heat stroke, especially exploring the islands or on shore excursions. If you can manage, great. If you might have issues with it, bring some lighter fabrics and save yourself an emergency trip to the hospital.

If you get sea sick at all, definitely bring your motion sickness medication. Even if you think that the large cruise ship won't make you sick, you might feel ill when you jump on a small boat to taxi you to the island, on shore excursions or to the ports. Bring the medication just in case. I find that Bonine is extremely effective without leaving you drowsy or knowing you out cold like Dramamine or Benadryl will.

Knocking you out even.

Advil... lots of it... Tylenol does'nt help hangovers... and bring Gatorade to stop dehydration. Bring some laundry detergent(Small bottle)... LAundry helps make more room in the suitcases for the cheap alcohol you want to bring back:)
I will give more Alcoholic advice as the days go on...

I second that about motion sickness... I didn't expect to feel seasick but I did! The meds help but also those wrist bands work well too. I wore them for two days and then was okay to take them off.

We wore the wrist bands for the entire cruise last year and neither of us got sea sick. Didn't really think we were going to anyone but just in case. Never knew if it was just psychological or if they were really working hehe. Actually we were in perfect health the whole time. Bringing along some echinacea and/or Emergen-C isn't a bad idea either. Don't want to get sick halfway through and be in really rough shape when you get home.

Don't beat yourself up too bad if you forget something too, they sell things like batteries, toiletries, etc. onboard and you can use your sign and sail for that. They may even have laundry detergent, not sure. They definitely had swimming trunks last time :)

You can buy cloves really cheap in Saint Marrten.

The ship does have laundry soap for a fee.

Batteries onboard are extremely expensive.

Will bring my laptop with CD burner.

Z

This is all really great info...{ Holy shit the clock is spinning fast towards next Friday! I just hope it slows down while on the ship. I want (need) to enjoy the time away.}

So I have a couple questions about the cabin:

a) Environmental controls - I assume the ship HVAC is a chilled water system? Ok - maybe too geeky of a question... what I really want to know is how cold can I make the room when I sleep?
e.g. Is the humidity in the room really bad?

b) Are there coffee makers in the room? Nobody on board will be happy to see a hungover grumpy me traversing through the public areas in my bunny slippers and Stewie jammies (surely scratching myself inappropriately) looking for my post dreamworld first morning Java fix - believe me! Its not pretty!

cabins have individual climate control. I tend to freeze horribly.

No coffee makers in the cabin.. Room service will deliver free pots, and you can preschedule your pot of java and breakfast to be delivered to your room the night before - or for every night at the start of the cruise.

there is also free coffee 24/7 up on the lido deck in the buffet.

Z

They have free room service- you can just put out your order on your doorknob the night before for breakfast- including coffee, and specify what time you would like it delivered. Or you can call them and they will deliver 24 hours. There wasn't any in room coffee pots.

I don't remember what the controls were for the rooms, but it was nice and cool in our room. No humidity, except when we bungeed our balcony door open, which I wouldn't suggest all the time because we had a bird in our room at 4am on one night.

I had an ungodly sinus infection for no reason last year when we left. (my apologies for the 2x I HAD to blow my nose in public, as it was a joyous sound to eat with...)

The ship has awesome AC in each room, but I opened my door too. this sped up the clearing of the infection.

The ship is prolly the last place on earth with no starbucks, but they do have a nice little cafe if plain junk coffee isn't your fare.

Also, don't put anything on the floor during showering, as the list of the ship tends to make your shower water overflow. My bathroom got couple of inches of water in it after showering. it seems by design as there are drains.

The only other thing I noticed is that during the day, if you're going in and out of the pools/lido eating area, there is one hell of a temp difference between the outside and the ac inside the ship. Make sure to dry off or you'll be really shocked :P

Haha, I didn't even notice the temp in the staterooms last year. Can't wait for our balcony this year!

Hey, are the specialty coffee's (latte's from the cafe) included w/ our inclusive beverage package? That would rule!

No :( Carnival didnt include the specialty coffee's in the open bar program.. BUT.. You can purchase sets of discount coffee tickets on the ship. so each time you get a coffee at the specialty coffee shop.. you give them a ticket.


Z

That's cool. Having unlimited access to that might be more dangerous to me than the open bar haha!

Good to know....

Gotta have the coffee.

Brent and I spent more money at the coffee shop than we did on alcohol last year! We are such loosers!

Here's a simple one.... pepto bismal or Tums.... Everything like that on the ship is way expensive. The drinks of the day are delicious but acidic. More alcohol advice... bring a menu from a liqour store near ya to compare prices to the bottles on the ship. Absolut bottle are 2 for 20!! Kettle one 2 for 32. Smirnoff 3 for 24. Oh and bring bubblewrap so the bottles are protected in the suitcase. You can't bring bottles on the plane as carryon luggage anymore.

A very cool thing about room service (or any meal for that matter) is that if you want 2 servings, order 2! They'll happily bring it to you.

Breakfast of coffee, bagel, and 2 servings of lox delivered straight to your door after a long night of dancing and drinking is just the thing to get you powered up for another day of debauchery!

Bubble wrap? Great idea! Thank You!
I want my Absinthe to make it home.

welcomes

::writes all of this down::

Keep it coming guys this is helping me organize what to bring. Thanks

HA!

I spent more outside the ship and on mochas than booze too.

Angela barely drinks, and though I plan some down time, I really don't plan on using up over 200 worth of booze either. Well, I would but it only counts for the 'standard' drinks :P.

I plan to make em earn it with quality!

thanks for the info it is very useful and will be used to best have the most fun on the cruise and such.

OK, so what exactly does the bar card cover?

My onlt question is do we have to order each drink individually?

Haha, hm. Good question. And if we want wine with dinner do we just keep ordering glasses rather than a bottle? Maybe they'll be an explanation/breakdown available.

I know at dinner you can only order by the glass 7:50 and down

I think Z said before it was one drink at a time....

Those bartenders are gonna hate us... gonna have to tip em i guess so they don't ignore me

Z,

How does the tipping for drinks work out with the all inclusive?

Are they going to ignore us or serve us last because they know that they are not going to get tipped when they are not actually selling a drink?

This worries me a little bit...

I second Dog's worry.

no. your level of service is not going to go down because it is all inclusive.

For most of our events, we also have private bar service.. we have our own bars and waitstaff. Please do NOT worry on this.


Also, you do NOT have to tip for drinks. Your tips are included in the all inclusive price.

Z

Yeah we pre-paid our tips already right? And then at the end we can leave additional cash tips for the maitre de, etc. if I remember correctly. I think as long as we're nice, they'll be nice. They're gettin paid :)

Anyone else having trouble packing? Too many clothes, not enough space in luggage!


Any tips for packing lighter?

I was able to pack lighter by reminding myself that I CAN do laundry on board, if necessary (even though I certainly don't relish the thought! :) )

To forgo the extremely hefty cost of additional baggage fees (definitely check because the airlines have changed that policy drastically as of late), you might want to consider shipping some items to the hotel for you to pick up. On your way back home, you can ship excess from the hotel. Very accommodating. I did that last year which was extremely helpful and significantly cheaper than lugging it around to the airport and paying $39 to $75 each additional bag.

Tip for packing lighter:

Maximize your carry-on! Pack it FIRST and bulge it to excess (keep in mind carry-on restrictions).

I have a scale and weigh all my bags! LOL!!! I try to keep them at a bare minimum so I can bring back cheap booze!!!

Space bags are great!!! You can pack twice as much in the same amout of space!

wow... this is one of the most important threads here, in my opinion.
thank you so much everyone for all of the info and tips! as a first timer, i appreciate as much of the "inside scoop" i can get!

i`m assuming the cruise ship supplies towels

Definitely. They even make cute little animals out of them. :)

Fresh ones everyday!! and Bathrobes!!! and Mints!

Don't this one include a free bath robe to keep???

Yep I believe so. I plan on rocking the hell out of that shit!!

It will be good for wrapping up the duty free booze! LOL

dont forget sunscreen and sun glasses

and remember its hot where we are going..even if it is fall where we live :)

cant wait to see you guys soon!!!

*hugs* Scarlett!!!! XXXXOOOO :)

awesome. thats one thing i won`t have to worry about :) i`ve never done anything like this before so its gonna be nuts

Oh boy- I totally forgot about the bathr robes- I'll have to take something out of the luggage to make room for them!

If I remember correctly they were pretty thick!

Maybe I can wear mine back on the plane- it's pretty cold when you get back to NY- I'll be nice and warm! but everyone will think I'm crazy... oh well... must make room!

^^^ crazy? us? LOL...

I know it will be cold when I leave Chicago tomorrow morning and I will dress for it but it will be hot as hell once I get to Florida! LOL

Yes...

The past couple of days it has been quite warm and VERY humid with the rain here on the east coast of FL.

I recommend shorts, T-shirt, and sandals for day one, since we will likely do a bit of standing around outside...

Here is the current weather in Daytona:

A Few Clouds
82°F (28°C)
Humidity: 94 %
Heat Index: 93°F (34°C)

The forcast for our sailing day:

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Northeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.