With Carnival Luminosa simply three weeks away from ending her Australia season and relocating to Alaska, Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to friends booked on the 30-night crusing with pointers for the distinctive cruise and an replace on the ship’s deliberate name to Guam.
As a result of the cruise line’s Australia division has some totally different onboard laws than for cruises in different components of the world, it is necessary that vacationers pay attention to what to anticipate onboard so they’re ready to observe all crusing protocols.
Carnival Luminosa Getting ready for Transpacific Repositioning
Carnival Luminosa is well-liked in Australia, providing quite a lot of getaways from Brisbane and visiting prime locations reminiscent of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Airlie Seashore, Cairns, Fiji, and extra. The ship’s Australian season is sort of over, nevertheless, and – no fooling – on April 1, 2024 she’s going to depart on a 30-night, one-way repositioning to Seattle.
Alongside the best way, the ship will make wonderful visits to locations reminiscent of Guam, Japan, and Alaska – a comparatively uncommon Asian itinerary that’s extremely wanted for cruise vacationers.
Forward of the crusing, Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to booked friends to alert them to some challenges in Guam – the very first port of name, scheduled for Monday, April 8 – in addition to onboard insurance policies throughout the cruise.
Challenges for Sightseeing in Guam
Guam is a bucket-list vacation spot for cruise vacationers in search of distinctive locations to go to. Carnival needs to make certain that all passengers are conscious of some doable challenges when visiting the port, nevertheless.
Most notably, the Guam cruise port – the place Carnival Luminosa will likely be docked – is about two miles from the city. Complimentary shuttles will likely be out there, however could also be difficult for friends with mobility difficulties.
“Regrettably, the shuttles should not totally accessible, and it will likely be vital for friends with mobility limitations to take steps to get on and off,” the notification learn. “Moreover, any mobility machine have to be collapsible with a purpose to be introduced aboard a shuttle.”
This follows Carnival Cruise Line’s current crackdown on outsized mobility scooters. Whereas vacationers are welcome to convey mobility scooters onboard, all scooters should match safely inside friends’ staterooms and will not be left parked in corridors or public areas.
The cruise line is just guaranteeing that friends are conscious of the coverage so there aren’t any disagreeable surprises when visiting Guam, if bigger scooters should not in a position to match on shuttles from the dock.
Moreover, no Carnival shore excursions can be found in Guam. Visitors will have the ability to debark to discover on their very own, however there will likely be no official excursions. The ship is scheduled to be in port in Guam from 8 a.m. to five p.m.
“Within the occasion you’ll be staying on board once we go to Guam, our group could have actions and leisure so that you can take pleasure in,” the e-mail mentioned.
Cruise Paperwork Necessities
The prolonged e-mail from Carnival Cruise Line additionally addressed what paperwork friends want for crusing. It’s not like some cruises, the place a visitor can simply use their legitimate Everlasting Resident Card.
“All friends (together with infants) should carry a passport that’s legitimate for at the very least 6 months after the cruise ends,” the e-mail defined.
Learn Additionally: Do Children Want a Passport to Go on a Cruise?
Moreover, particular visa necessities for Japan will fluctuate relying on every visitor’s nationality. The ship has 5 port stops in Japan: Okinawa, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Aomori Metropolis, and Sapporo-Otaru. That is an incredible part of the itinerary and a unbelievable means for vacationers to discover Japan.
Different visas and ETSA documentation may be vital for vacationers to enter the US – which is when the ship reaches the US territory of Guam. It’s crucial that vacationers are conscious of all necessities and safe all vital paperwork earlier than embarkation.
“Please observe {that a} printed copy of the ESTA approval or US visa will likely be required for immigration clearance for our go to to Guam,” the e-mail said.
“Whereas we’ll do our greatest to offer you as a lot data as doable, friends are chargeable for complying with all journey and documentation necessities,” the e-mail said. “Sadly, friends who would not have the required documentation won’t be able to sail and no compensation will likely be supplied.”
Onboard Insurance policies
As the two,260-passenger Carnival Luminosa will likely be transitioning from an Australian crusing to a US crusing on this transpacific cruise, it may be difficult to know what onboard protocols apply. The e-mail additionally coated key factors of concern to friends.
For instance, the onboard smoking coverage from the time the ship enters worldwide waters would be the similar because the US smoking coverage, with designated areas for smoking onboard. This contains cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping.
The onboard consuming age will likely be 21 years outdated for your complete crusing, even supposing the authorized consuming age in Australia is eighteen. Visitors needs to be ready with US forex onboard, both money or credit score, for transactions and tipping as desired.
The onboard really useful gratuities may even align with US charges at $16 for normal staterooms and $18 for suites per visitor, per day, and might be adjusted at friends’ discretion.
With the prolonged e-mail, Carnival Cruise Line is hoping all passengers are ready for what is bound to be an incredible Carnival Journeys cruise and a once-in-a-lifetime expertise for everybody aboard.
