Your Questions About Carnival Cruise

admin answers:

What ship are you going on?

Last summer I went on the legend, and loved it.

The spa treatments are not included in the price, but you can use the workout facilities, hot tub, sauna etc. At no charge. If you end up wanting to do spa treatments, wait til the last day or so, the prices are almost cut in half! Or go to the spa on a day that your docked.

The only thing that cost money is if you drink liquers, and special coffes. The drinks are around 3.50 a peice.

Hope I helped, you will have TONS of fun with Carnival.

admin answers:

Congratulations! You’re gonna have a fabulous time and Carnival is sooo fun. You’ll also become a cruise addict; you’ll be planning your next cruise before you’re done with your first!

Here are some suggestions that I’ve found from past experience to maximize the fun on your trip:

Don’t forget an alarm clock! Being in the sun all day can be exhausting, so make sure you bring one on so you won’t miss any fun activities. It’s also a MUST if you’re in an inside cabin, because the total darkness with mess with your body clock. It’s also important for the day you disembark!

EXTENSION CORD. I cannot emphasize how important this is! You usually get just ONE outlet – not cool if you need to plug in a curling iron, alarm clock, phone charger, blow dryer, etc.

Garment bags! You can get your clothes pressed, but it really makes it easier to have it all nice and neat. And while we’re on that note, OVERPACK. You just might not ever know what you’re in the mood to where. Also, the Key West may be nice and warm but the ship can get quite chilly, so bring a sweater, sweatshirt, shawl, etc. You also want to be prepared for accidents (i.e. You spilt wine on your white shirt, you had to go through an extra pair of socks, etc.).

Go ahead and bring a bottle of your favorite vintage wine if you want; Carnival allows one bottle per person upon embarkment. They’ll just charge you I think a $15 corkage fee when you bring it to dinner, but it’s free if you drink it in your room.

Sunblock and shades… Boy is that a must!

I highly recommend getting a massage at the cruiseship spa. Getting completely pampered onboard is an experience like no other. Make sure you book it on the first day you’re onboard though, appointments can get booked up pretty quickly!

Go on their excursions! It’s so much better than wandering aimlessly plus you get to do things that will usually take a lot of research and planning. And of course you’ll also be ensured that you’ll get back to the ship safely and on time. Some of the things you an do off the boat are shopping tours, wine tasting tours, golfing, scuba diving/snokeling, etc. It really maximizes your trip.

Don’t forget room service! It’s free!

Bring some non-drowsy Dramamine. I come across alot of sea sick people, especially on the first day. Amazingly, I’ve also ran into a bunch of people who swear by these magnet bracelets (they’ll sell it onboard).

You can save big $$$ on buying bottles of alcohol on board, but they won’t let you have it until almost the end of the cruise. Same goes if you buy alcohol at a port.

Sit at a big dinner table! That way, your chances of coming across people you like a bigger and it’s easier to ignore people you can’t stand.

Bring your business cards! Lots of people like to network onboard.

Digital camera with an extra card is a MUST. And take pictures constantly, even when you don’t feel like you need to. You’ll appreciate it later! Never be afraid of making silly and funny faces lol I take pictures of ridiculous things, from the murals on the walls to what I eat for dinner to sunsets from the ship. It makes an interesting slideshow for your friends and families!

Take advantage of the professional photographers. We have our cruise ship photos in nice frames around the house. One even ended up being on our Christmas card!

Seriously, the blackjack table at the casino rips you off. We spent a fair amount of time there and we didn’t see even one person walk away a winner.

Take note of what time your favorite cafes close. It’s a pain when you’re craving a leg of lamb and you find out that they’re shut down for cleaning! Uggg!

Get involved! That is the BEST way to maximize fun on your trip! Go see the shows, laugh at their silly contests (Hairy Chest Contest!), do the Macarena, play their silly games (i.e. Hot potato with a rubber chicken) during their open deck parties, go take salsa lessons and turning-towels-into-animal-shape classes (a Carnival classic). It makes fabulous dinner table conversation. You just might also end up on their vacation video!

You’re going to gain weight. But you know what? Who cares! Accept now that you’ll be carrying the extra bulge when you get off the ship but know that it was worth it! Lol

Although some cruiseships absolutely refuse to deal with cash (they just link everything to your credit card), you should still bring a bunch for doing your tourist stuff on the island. Plus, tipping your steward on the first day will more than likely ensure you better service, especially if you have special requests.

Cruises are sooo addicting… Make sure you sign up for their frequent cruising programs.

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

admin answers:

On my cruise the first leg of our flight was delayed so much that we were minutes away from missing our connecting flight (which luckily had also been delayed). There were about 40 cruise passengers on that flight so I think that even though we were late Carnival held the boat for us (we got on the boat at 3:45 when we were supposed to be on ship no later than 3pm) However, I think that if there had just been a couple of us or if we had been delayed any further they probably would still have left without us. So I think that a little delay is ok, but any major delays and you could still be in trouble and probably want to consider purchasing trip insurance.

admin answers:

I love cruises. What i like about them is that besides being affordable the destination is beautiful. The water in the caribbean is so blue and the beaches are gorgeous. The workers at Carnival are all nice and you are pampered 24/7. They help you forget about work, cleaning, cooking, everything. My advice is to get ready to have lots of fun, don’t overpack, and don’t forget your camera to take pics of those special moments

admin answers:

If you were to classify the brand image it would be NCL = Non-Traditional and Carnival = Fun. I have been on both lines and I would choose Carnival I believe they have better food, better service, and their entertainment is more to my tastes. The NCL entertainment was to ‘artsy’ for my liking.

I would like to try the Epic but it does not sail out of CA and will be in the Med for the summer. Also even though NCL pricing is generally one of the lowest they have a lot of extra charges on board. For example that have many specialty restaurants and to get more variety and better food you really need to pay the extra to eat at this venues. Carnival has very good food in the complementary main dining room.

With that being said I would highly recommend you call an independent qualified cruise specialist as they can answer all your questions about ALL lines and give you personalized service with no extra cost. They will also help you narrow down what you are specifically looking for and match the right cruise for you at the right price point that is the same or less than the cruise lines directly.

Happy Birthday and Good Luck

Dave