Travel Conditions
Our 2020 Mason-Patton Family Reunion will be held from July 23-27, 2020. As per our last reunion, our committee has chosen to set up a family cruise. Our family cruise will leave from Tampa, Florida.
Group space for the July 23, 2020 sailing of the Carnival Paradise is LIMITED TO 32 CABINS. Below is helpful information if you are planning to attend our 2020 Family Reunion. The committee encourages all family members to book as soon as possible because there are a limited number of cabins available under the group rate.
All deposits are fully refundable until mid-April 2020. Here is the cancellation schedule if anyone must cancel after the final payment. (Travel insurance for cancellations for covered reasons will be offered to everyone when they pay their full deposit. The cost of the insurance is based on their age and trip cost).
April 18 to May 18, 2020 – Lose $150 per person
May 19 to June 01, 2020 – Lose 50% per person of the entire amount paid
June 02 to July 01, 2020 -Lose 75% per person of the entire amount paid
After July 2, Lose 100% per person of the entire amount paid
Final payment for all cabins will be due no later than May 1, 2020
All passengers in the cabin must be 21 or older OR if anyone in the cabin is younger than 21, someone in the cabin must be 25 or older. Carnival will allow guests between the ages of 18 and 21 to have their own cabin if the booking is cross-referenced with an adult relative who is also travelling on the cruise.
Carnival does not allow pregnant women who will enter the 24th week of pregnancy either before or during the cruise. Infants must be at least 6 months old to travel. All guests, regardless of their age, will be charged a guest rate.
Here are the categories that we have available to our group:
**These prices are good until April 29, 2019.
INSIDE CABINS
Category 4B (cabins, decks 4 & 5) 464 per person, plus $81.52 taxes,
Category 4C (cabins, decks 5 & 6) $469 per person, plus $81.52 taxes
Category 4D (cabins, decks 6 & 7) $474 per person, plus $81.52 taxes
OCEANVIEW CABINS
Category 6B (cabins, decks 4 & 5) $514 pp, plus $81.52 taxes
Inside cabins and Oceanview cabins price rates are based on per person, double occupancy and will require a $50 per person REFUNDABLE deposit. If the family members would like an inside cabin that will accommodate a third and fourth guest in the same cabin, the current price rate for a third and fourth guest is $169 plus $81.52 taxes.
Family members booking a triple or quad cabin will be required to make a full deposit of $150 per person for all family members/guests staying in the cabin at the time of booking.
All triple or quad cabins are very limited; once gone, no more cabins will be available. NOTE THAT ALL RATES FOR TRIPLE AND QUAD CABINS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
The rate for triple and fourth quad will be confirmed at booking time. If our family members would like cabins side by side, full deposits of $150 MUST BE PAID AT BOOKING TIME. Cabin numbers will be assigned at that time. All quoted rates are with refundable deposits. Final payment for all cabins due no later than May 1, 2020.
UPGRADE to BALCONY CABIN
Balcony cabins will need to be booked at currently prevailing rates at the time your guests are ready to pay their deposit of $150 per person. The current rate for a category 8B cabin is $784 per person plus the taxes. Rates quoted are with a refundable deposit. There are slightly cheaper rates if a guest wants to pay a NON-refundable deposit. The cabins are very limited and will need to be locked-in as early as possible because these are some of the first to be booked up. Final payment for all cabins will no later than May 1, 2020. If our family members would like cabins side by side, fully refundable deposit of $150 MUST BE PAID AT BOOKING TIME. Please send all booking requests direct to Anne as these cabins are not on the family booking site.
UPGRADE VERANDAH SUITE
If the family would like to book a Verandah Suite, it will require a booking request made directly with Vacations to Go. Please contact Anne directly when you are ready to book one of these suite cabins. If our family members would like cabins side by side, full deposits MUST BE PAID AT BOOKING TIME.
**All booking that is done via Anne for balconies and suites, will be placed inside of our family group***
BOOKING CONTACT:
Anne Adams
Group Specialist
Vacations To Go (18 Years)
aadams@vacationstogo.com
Her office hours: Mon-Fri: 11am-5pm (US Central Time)
Anne will return all email and voice mail requests asap. Please include in your email or voicemail that you are part of the Mason-Patton reunion.
Passport Information
Passports are required for all
There are a few notable exceptions pertaining to land and sea border crossings:
- U.S. citizens on cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port and travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Bermuda are able to re-enter the U.S. with proof of citizenship other than a passport or passport card. Acceptable proof of citizenship includes a U.S. state-issued original or certified copy of their birth certificate (hospital certificates are not acceptable) or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization and a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license). Passports are required for cruises that begin in one U.S. port and end in another.
- Children under the age of 16 who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada are exempt from the passport requirement for land and sea border crossings. In lieu of a passport, children are able to use a U.S. state-issued original or certified copy of their birth certificate (hospital certificates are not acceptable) or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization as proof of citizenship for entry into the U.S. by land or by sea. Children entering or re-entering the U.S. by air are required to have a valid passport.
Mason-Patton Booking
Cruising Guide
Ship Information
Click here to view the ship statistics, deck plans and pictures of the Carnival Paradise.
What’s Included
Your cruise price includes your cabin, port fees, taxes, most meals and entertainment, parties and transportation between the ports on your itinerary. On most ships, alcoholic beverages and sodas, as well as optional shore excursions are not included.
Cabin Location
Booking as a group does not guarantee that the cruise line will locate each participant’s cabin in the same part of the ship. Every attempt will be made by the cruise line to keep cabins close together, but based on the size of your group and availability on the ship, this is not always feasible. Cabins may be spread out on the same deck or located on different decks.
Gratuities
Gratuities (tips) can be an issue that causes confusion once on board the ship, so as the group leader you have the option to choose that your group members pre-pay them. Taking care of this expense before sailing will relieve your group members and forgoes any hassles at the end of the cruise for you. Carnival reserves the right to change the amount of the gratuity at any time. To lock in your gratuity rate, it is advised that you set up pre-paid gratuities. If you are interested in doing this please notify your Vacations To Go Cruise Counselor immediately because he or she will have to include this additional fee on your group registration form before distributing it to the group members. After the registration form has gone out it will be too late to add pre-paid gratuities. Also, you must decide that either all members or no members of the group will pre-pay gratuities, because the registration form will not allow only a portion of the group to select this option.
If you choose not to pre-pay gratuities, Carnival cruise line automatically charges gratuities to each passenger’s onboard account. This amount covers service gratuities (tips) for your cabin steward and dining room staff, but no additional service charges that apply to bar drinks, spa treatments, shore excursion staff, etc. The amount can be adjusted onboard according to the quality of service received.
Name Changes
Name changes are permitted prior to final payment without incurring any fees. After your scheduled final payment date, the cruise line will charge a fee of up to $50 per person to change or correct the spelling of a name. Please note that a name change for every passenger in a cabin will result in the cancellation of that cabin, and penalties will be assessed by the cruise line.
Age Requirements
All cruise lines require that at least one person in each cabin meets a minimum age requirement. The information that follows was provided by the cruise lines at the time of this writing, is subject to change, and should be verified with your Vacations To Go group specialist prior to booking. Also, please contact your group specialist if over 50% of your group will consist of guests under age 21, as there may be additional restrictions that apply to your booking.
Carnival requires that either 1) All passengers in a cabin must be 21 or older, or 2) If anyone in the cabin is younger than 21 years old, someone in the cabin must be 25 or older.
One exception to this age requirement is made for underage married couples, who as long as they are both 18 are allowed to board unaccompanied. These couples may be asked to show proof of their marriage.
Most cruise lines welcome children to travel on their ships, though infants and pregnant women are subject to some restrictions (click here to read more). Children traveling with a guardian that is not their legal parent, or children traveling with only one parent or legal guardian may require additional documentation to travel. Your Vacations To Go group specialist can check these requirements for you if they apply.
Your age on the date of sailing is generally considered your age for the length of the cruise.
Tickets
Carnival requires passengers to check in online and print an electronic boarding pass. To print your electronic boarding pass, your cruise must be paid in full. To board the ship, simply present proper ID and your boarding pass at the pier. Once booked, you and your guests will receive a cruise confirmation with additional details.
Embarkation Procedures
On the day your cruise sets sail you will be required to go through a quick check-in process at the pier. At this time the cruise line will verify that you are the correct person checking in by comparing your reservation with your passport, or other identification, and they will set up an onboard expense account. A credit card is required for each passenger in the cabin to pay for amenities that are not covered in the cost of your cruise–one card can be used for multiple passengers.
Consumption of Alcohol
Carnival requires passengers to be at least 21 to consume any type of alcohol.
Gambling On-Board
Carnival requires passengers to be 18 or older to play in the shipboard casinos.
Disembarkation Procedures
Cruise lines typically determine the time you will be scheduled to disembark the ship based on your transportation arrangements to get home. Passengers with very early flights departing the same day will check out first, and passengers with late and next day flights will typically check out last. All passengers will be required to pass through customs, and since the cruise line will be loading the ship for the subsequent voyage that day, plan on disembarking the ship early in the morning.
Shore Excursions
A shore excursion is a term that refers to anything you do off the ship, in port. At every stop, you’ll have the option of exploring the area on your own or as part of a group with a planned itinerary. You might hike a tropical rain forest in the Caribbean, fish for king salmon in Alaska, tour Mayan ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, or take a sightseeing tour. Vacations To Go recommends you wait to book until you are onboard for the following reasons:
- You will have access to professionals at the shore excursion desk to assist in choosing the best excursion to fit your personal tastes, fitness level, and time schedule for the day.
- Frequently there are additional excursions available onboard that might be a better fit than something out of the list available in advance.
- Sometimes a highlight of a shore excursion is dropped or a significant aspect is changed between the time the advance descriptions are printed and the time the ship sails.
Dress Codes
The shipboard dress is casual during the day. Shorts and tasteful T-shirts are acceptable even in the dining room. At dinner shorts and t-shirts are not allowed and dress on informal nights is resort casual. There is 1 formal night on your Carnival cruise.
Casual: Slacks and sports shirt for men (no jeans); slacks and blouse, sundress or pantsuit for women.
Informal: Jacket with or without
Formal: Dark suit or tuxedo for men; evening gown or cocktail dress for women.
Kids Program
Click here to find out more about Carnival’s Kids Program on our website.