Carnival Fascination to Key West & Calica--Q on tipping & transfers?

Question

We leave on the Carnival Fascination on September 24, and I have a few questions.

My husband and I are first time cruisers, and this is a late honeymoon for us.

Has anyone ever been on this cruise before? Any advice would be great!

First is tipping. I was told by a fellow cruiser that we should NOT let them automatically take it out of our "account" on the ship, and leave cash in the room. What should we do?

Second is the transfers. We are flying into Fort Lauderdale. From there we are renting a car and driving to Miami the next day. Thrifty told us that we could drop the car off at Miami Airport, and they will shuttle us for free to the port. I thought this was a great way for us to do some sight seeing and save us a buck or two.

But for coming home...Should we take the transfer from Carnival? It's $30 a person. I read on Yahoo Answers that we should just take a taxi???

Answer 1

As far as tipping goes, my husband and I have been on quite a few cruises, and we always have them take it out of our account. If at the end of the week, you feel your services didn't meet your expectations, you can have certain ones (such as the waiter or the room steward only) adjusted. We personally have never had to have one of them adjusted down, but a couple times, we have given a litlle extra (handed to the person) in cash if they were exceptional. For example, on our last cruise, our room steward seemed to be always by our room when we were coming back from our excursions or meals, and he would great us by name and open our door for us. He was great with my boys, always joking around with them, and opening the door when they would lock their key in the room. To me, I thought that extra special attention was worth a little extra tip.

As far as the transfer on the way back, it all depends on your preference and time frame. It is about an hour drive from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale. I don't know which is cheaper. I can tell you that both are easy to do. There are always plenty of taxis to take, but make sure you get your price before you get in the cab, or you are stuck with whatever price they give you once you are there. As far as the shuttle, you get a ticket and everyone boards a bus and they shuttle everyone as a group. You need to make sure you have enough time to to use this option (depending on your flight time). Good luck and have a great time.

Answer 2

i would take off the automatic tipping and tip what you see fit for your waitor, room steward, and room service.

i would weigh the costs of taxi vs. the transfers on returning. $30.00 a person seems relatively inexpensive to me

Answer 3

As far as tipping is concerned, it is often better to tip from your room, so you can decide how much to leave. They generally leave you a suggested tipping rate for each employee so you'll know how much to leave. As far as transfers go, a taxi is the quickest way to get to Ft. lauderdale airport but will run you about $60-$70 depending on traffic conditions. So you may save a couple dollars if you decide to take the Carnival transfer

Answer 4

Same ship in October 2004, slightly different itinerary.

We find it's easier to let them take tips out. You don't have to worry about having the right amount of change on the last night. Saves a trip to pursers desk to get them removed. We have sometimes tipped cash in addition to the shipboard account and have had issues catching staff because the last night is usually hectic. We never leave cash; rather, we've always handed it to the individual and thanked them.

Couple of transportation options. The rental car agencies will also pick you up at the port. If you have time before your flight, you could sightsee some more and drop the car at the airport.

If you are flying out of MIA, you can get a taxi for $24 (flat rate+tip)  from the port. But if it's FLL you're leaving from, a taxi could be more expensive than the shuttle unless there are more than two of you. FWIW, Tri-rail is an inexpensive alternative between MIA and FLL.

Answer 5

we went on the same exact cruise

ok first off  the fort lauderdale airport offers a share a ride for 20 dollars a person and it may be cheaper then renting a car. the share a ride will also be at the port and will pick people up as well i think we paid 15 to go back at the fort lauderdale airport it is right outside the baggage claim. so i would consider that because for 80 dollars u got ur transfers to miami and from the port to the airport. our hotel in miami gave us a shuttle to the port for 5 dollars a person.if ur staying in fort lauderdale the day before i would actually reconsider because it is twenty min away but that twenty minutes is freeway and that can be trouble. or ask ur hotel in fort lauderdale if they offer shuttle to miami

i would not leave the cash in the room for tipping. do it automatic and they will allow u to change it accordingly.

key west is a blast you will have fun. go to eat at sloppy joes and the blonde giraffe for key lime pie and there is some nice shopping on duval street

now the ship im sorry to say is very old and is carnivals worst ship in my opinion. my hubby and i did this for our honeymoon too.it was his first cruise and he said it looked like a shopping mall but it did get him hooked on crusing. they did give a us a cake and sing to us at dinner lol. also do the newlywed game. also at dinner request two lobster dinners and make sure to try the midnight buffets.

the passage to india club is fun live bands every night and there are alot of people that go on this ship in thier twentys and thirtys.the karake club is good too. also the rooms are a good size and the beds are comfy which is good for honeymooners :) have fun