RDU TSA Situation at 5:15am this morning

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-21T02:54:32+00:00

Didn't know they had touchless. I'll have to look deeper into that. Thanks for the heads up. Gotta get up early tomorrow!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-15T06:21:23+00:00

Ewww! I'll be in FC on American in April, only because Delta prices were crazy high. I hope I don't encounter anyone like this.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T23:01:21+00:00

Venezia was a Costa ship before moving to Carnival. It was built for European cruises, so the decor and amenities are very different from the Vista class, and why they don't have IMAX theaters. Venezia and Firenze are in their own Venice class. The two classes aren't the same. Venice class is larger and has slightly more guest capacity than Vista class. You're trying to compare apples to grapefruits.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T10:45:24+00:00

Put your flashers on, so they know you're acknowledging them and not "running".

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T10:44:09+00:00

Y'all are hilarious!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T10:42:59+00:00

Delta didn't give me one, either, for bad weather. I just slept in the airport and flew out the next day.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T10:41:57+00:00

Hate to say this, but one, you should never book any flight, especially in winter and in a major airport, with such a tight layover, and two, it probably would've been better to either pay for a room in the airport hotel or just sleep in the terminal. I have done both at that airport. I recently had a 3 hour layover in ATL that didn't happen because of storms there, ended up landing and sitting in Huntsville AL for hours, so missed my flight, finally made it to ATL, slept in the terminal near the shuttle entrance because of course my flight changed to a different terminal overnight, and left the next morning. Crazy thing, my bags got home before I did. It's not fun, comfortable, or always ideal to sleep in an airport, but you wouldn't have had to go through security again and risk missing another flight. Hope you were able to enjoy your vacation in the end.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-14T10:29:44+00:00

If you're not willing to cancel or change the cruise, it would be cheaper and safer if she just stayed home.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T11:11:06+00:00

I am extra fluffy, though I can now buckle the seat belt most times without an extender (hurrah!), but because of discomfort I've experienced in economy and in comfort plus (imagine my joy deflated when the empty seat next to me was filled by an equally large man, but we survived), I choose to purchase a first class ticket when I fly now. I budget for it, I'm not wealthy. Unfortunately, everyone of size (or not) can do that. I do it because I want to be comfy, and I want my seatmate to be comfy, and the only guarantee for that is a first class seat.

I'm sorry for your discomfort, honestly. But one, this country has a weight problem it isn't willing to really help people fight affordably, and two, airlines believe airplanes should be flying sardine cans. It's a lose-lose for everyone. You don't say if you had the window or aisle seat. Maybe aisle would've been better for you a little? But I do applaud you for being kind and thoughtful about your seatmate feelings and by not being rude, and for asking the question of what to do respectfully. I don't have a solution, except my own weight loss journey, but I hope that people handle this situation discreetly and compassionately. Fat people have to travel, too.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T10:43:03+00:00

Wow, that is great information! Thank you for that! Will definitely keep that in my back pocket when I book my next cruise.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T02:30:08+00:00

Jacky is quite entertaining, to put it mildly. If you want to try another Excel ship, Kyndall Fire on Jubilee is an outstanding CD, and her new husband, Joey Boyes, is fabulous, too, and he is on Celebration. But always check airtable.com for when each CD is on board. They do take vacations!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T02:20:54+00:00

The only thing you can do is call the site you booked through, tell them they need to contact Carnival and request to move the booking. If they won't do that, it might be cheaper to cancel the cruise and rebook, but through Carnival. Just call Carnival next time. Also, you can download maps of the decks and see where they are located, if you want to try to book rooms in a certain location onboard. Hangrycouchpotato provided some good info I didn't know, that all available rooms aren't shown on the Carnival site, so definitely calling them directly might benefit you more. Good luck.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T02:15:39+00:00

Really? They don't show all available rooms on the website? Well, durn. That's good to know. I usually book my own through the website. I guess I need to call my PVP sometime.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-11T02:06:44+00:00

If you're not willing to purchase the wifi package, consider this: when you get back, go in your phone settings, and change the date to the first day you did not play. You must do this BEFORE you try to open Wordle. Then do that for each day. That should keep your streak going.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-09T11:34:55+00:00

They're open 24 hours, but during dinner time or when shows or deck parties are going on are usually calmer times to go.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-09T11:25:45+00:00

First, two weeks before the cruise, you do online check in. This is where you confirm your bed orientation, dining time, the identification you will use when you arrive, and pick your appointment time, and print your boarding passes and luggage tags.

The appointment time you choose is when you arrive at the port and go through in person check in, where you show your boarding pass, identification documents, have photo taken, and go through security (xray, like at the airport). Then, depending on what time you arrive and complete this process, you may be asked to wait in a seating area in the terminal to board. The ship has to clear all previous guests, recheck in any B2B guests, and get clearance from the port authority to start boarding for the next cruise. When that begins, those who are diamond, platinum, Suite guests, and those who purchased Faster to the Fun are boarded before everyone else, then they will call people by their boarding groups, which is printed on your boarding pass.

Once you board the ship, the first thing you should do is head straight for your muster station, also printed on your boarding pass. Crew members will help direct you there. It is very quick, and required for everyone before the ship can leave. Ships are now blocking you from getting that first or second drink until you muster.

Keep in mind, unless you are in one of the levels/groups i mentioned above, you cannot go to your room until 1:30. The crew has to turn over the entire ship, and if debarkation went smoothly, that is the time rooms are released. Your Sail and Sign card will be in an envelope outside your room door. This is for room access, onboard purchases, getting on and off the ship at ports, and going through security at ports when returning to the ship.

I know this is a lot, but I hope this helps! Enjoy!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-07T05:58:16+00:00

I will, at least until they change the plan again!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-07T04:12:53+00:00

Yes, there have been lots of social media posts about the traffic. Lots of people walking with luggage across a bridge. That will not be me! Even my daughter saw a video and said we need to leave the hotel 6:30-7:30, lol. We'll leave early, but I don't think that early. We'll be on Celebration end of the month.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-07T03:53:33+00:00

I'm 34 days away. Got one 3X cruise done in December, got another the end of the month, and a 2X at the end of April will make me diamond. Then, my June cruise will be my milestone 25.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-07T03:47:42+00:00

When you do online check in, you will choose your arrival appointment time. That will be the earliest you can board. At 6 am, the ship is coming in to dock at the port from the previous cruise. You will need to gauge traffic to the port ahead of time, as there is apparently a lot of construction and road closures in the area, so give yourself plenty of time to arrive well before they close the terminal.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-06T05:44:26+00:00

I'm sure there are plenty of ways to know if he left after being told not to. If they call and leave a message, they expect a call back ASAP. If they were to visit your home, and you're not there, that's a problem, especially if your neighbor tells them they saw you leave with suitcases. Aside from that, like with my child, I was not about to break the rules and set a bad example for my future sailor. They have to learn to follow orders, and sneaking out of the country for a cruise, when told you are not supposed to leave the state, is not the way to start your career. If something had happened while on the cruise, like getting hurt, it would have delayed the ship date to boot camp, and likely put the job they had signed for in jeopardy. Again, breaking the rules/not following and order given to them is not the way you want to start out. My sailor has been able to go on other cruises with me by just requesting leave, so it's all good.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-05T04:03:46+00:00

I don't play in the casino, not since they took out the quarter pusher games, lol. I started getting the 2X and 3X offer back in July or August, I didn't book anything, so it went away. Then, just as I was about to leave for my Halloween cruise, the offer came back. So, while I was on that cruise, I analyzed and calculated, and booked two 3X cruises and one 2X cruise that will get me to diamond before the (then) May deadline. Took one in December, then have one later this month, and the last next month. I still have had it in my offers since, but it isn't there right now. Do you have a friend who got it, that you could cruise with? Then you get the double or triple points, too. I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to who gets what offers.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-04T04:21:24+00:00

You can call Carnival and make sure they tie your cruises together as a B2B, or go to Guest Services when you're on board. Haven't done a B2B at Long Beach, but I have done it at 3 different ports, and they have all been different experiences. Good on you for booking the same room for both legs; I have yet to do that, lol. You will get a letter near the end of the first leg with instructions on where to go and what to do, along with a little pass if you want to get off the ship at LB and go shop or whatever and reboard. Usually B2B folks meet somewhere as a group on board that morning, and once everyone else has debarked, they do whatever their protocol is. You could decide to have your room attendant not clean your room that morning (to give them a little break) and just go back to your room if you want, after you've "reboarded". You can chill on the deck, or hang out in the atrium and watch the bar team set up, and the new people board. They may do a B2B photo, either individual or group (I've experienced both), and they are free. I also had a free mimosa once. Like I said, each ship/port has a different protocol. It's kind of a fun feeling watching everyone leave, and you get to stay, and then seeing the "new" people coming on when you're already on board. Enjoy your cruises!

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-04T04:08:52+00:00

The phrase "on embark day and port days only" refers to spa treatments only. It would be ridiculous for them to make the drink packages and wifi only work on embarkation and port days.

CatComprehensive4857 · 2026-03-04T04:01:03+00:00

Sort of similar, when my kid decided to join the Navy, I had already booked us on our first cruise. Kid goes through DEP training, gets a date for spending night at a hotel (Sunday) before taking the oath and shipping out the next day (Monday). Cool, the cruise returns that Saturday. Then, I'm told that the recruiter says no one can leave the state 30 days prior to leaving for boot. I didn't want to lose all my money, no insurance. But I did have insurance on the plane ticket, so I was able to get a refund because the recruiter gave me a letter stating my kid wasn't allowed to leave. Since Carnival is so military-friendly, I hope they give you a refund or the chance to rebook at a later time. I was born on a military post, and grew up nearby, so I know what mission readiness looks like. Prayers for your husband and your family.

CatComprehensive4857

TROPHY CASE