Monday, April 1, 2024

Carnival Gratuities Tips: Full Guide to Cost & How They Work

carnival cruise tips

Choose your time slot as soon as this option is available as time slots will fill up as it gets closer to your departure date. I like to schedule the earliest time available so we can enjoy the ship before it sails. This is particularly important if you're banking on having amenities (like Guy's Burger Joint) available to you while you're at sea. Knowing what is (and isn't) on your Carnival ship will help you plan your time onboard and help you avoid any disappointments during embarkation. Make sure you have enough plug-ins and outlets in your stateroom by packing a non-surge power strip.

Carnival Cracks Down on Unsanctioned Poolside Gambling During Cruise

The Carnival motto is “Choose Fun,” and on board activities emphasize good times at sea and in port. We developed these Carnival Cruise tips on a two-week Panama Canal cruise from Galveston, Texas aboard the Carnival Freedom. The Freedom is one of the older ships in the Carnival fleet but it was retrofitted and updated in 2004. Today the Freedom has many, but not all, of the fun amenities that are part of the newer Carnival Cruise ships. While I prefer to book a cruise directly on the cruise line website, I always use Kayak (or a similar service) to compare the prices and choose the cruise I want to go on.

carnival cruise tips

Carry a medical information card always

You can bring a bottle of champagne or wine (standard size), and up to 12 cans or cartons of non-alcoholic drinks per person. If you’re short on cash but have plenty of time before you book your cruise, then keep an eye out for Carnival’s famous $50 deposit sales. During these sales, which usually occur a few times a year, you can book your cruise for just $50 down and then pay off the rest later.

Cruise Tips for First-Timers, According to Seasoned Cruisers - Business Insider

Cruise Tips for First-Timers, According to Seasoned Cruisers.

Posted: Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Ask for a JavaBlue Café punch card.

Ask a waiter and they will bring you, your desired meal. If you liked an entrée, you can order two or more plates of it. You can also have your favorite appetizers served as the main course. The chef makes special requests as well, just let the head waiter know.

On our recent trip to Ocho Rios, we didn’t have any excursions planned. There were already a lot of people on the island and we didn’t feel very safe just walking around on our own. We made the most out of this experience, but I do wish we had booked an excursion in advance or planned that stop better. Do – Make An Intentional Decision On How Much Sleep You Want To Get –  I wish there was a way to stay up late and get up early day after day on a Carnival cruise. If you try and do both, you’ll end your cruise completely exhausted. We were traveling with young kids so it just made sense to get a good night’s sleep and make the most of our daylight hours.

Taste bars help you choose specialty venues

It was a nice way to have a quiet dinner that felt more intimate than busier venues. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Once per cruise, often on the last sea day, Carnival's room stewards really work their magic by "taking over" the pool deck with their towel animal creations. However, don't forget about sit-down options, many of which are free.

Speaking of embarkation, did you know that you can bring alcohol with you on the first day? There are, of course, limitations that you should be aware of. If, for instance, you try and bring your favorite spirit or beer onboard, it will be confiscated by port agents. If you are able to drive to your cruise port, you will save money on airfare, which can be pretty expensive these days! Plus, you will not have to worry about a pre-cruise hotel, either.

No Buying with Cash on Carnival

Look ahead at your day and save room for the delectable food that Carnival offers during the evening dining restaurant time. For the most part we feel like cruise cabins are well-insulated and noise from the ship can’t be heard. We had an interior cabin on deck 7, located above the Circle C teen club, and the Liquid Lounge theater. Music and bass was clearly heard in the evenings (including feeling the vibration of the bass in the floor) and went on until about midnight. If you are a light sleeper, we’d suggest looking carefully at the deck plans to make sure you don’t get a room that’s right above a public area.

carnival cruise tips

This can’t necessarily be done with every dish on the menu, but it’s possible with some and it never hurts to ask. You may be thinking, “Why would I need to bring a sweater on a cruise to the Caribbean? ” While this will likely be true of the daytime outdoor temperature, it probably won’t be inside your ship. Daily gratuities are automatically added to your bill at the end of the cruise for various crew members who help make your vacation amazing, and are also automatically added at bars. But if you want to extend an extra thanks, it’s helpful to have some cash on hand.

Like other big-ship operators, Carnival packs a lot of dining options onto its vessels — some included in the price, some at an extra charge. Cucina Del Capitano and JiJi Asian Kitchen are both for-fee specialty venues at dinner on most ships, but offer free build-your-own lunch options earlier in the day. At JiJi, you can build your own noodle bowl with your choice of noodles, vegetables, proteins, and sauces.

Note that three of the line's newest ships — Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Venezia — do not have launderettes. Carnival fans are quite peeved about this, and you should be, too. Older kids (aged 15-17) are grouped into what's known as Club O2 and have their own lounge for meeting up, listening to music, dancing, singing karaoke and other activities.

Long lines can be common when everyone onboard wants to disembark at the same time. With Faster to the Fun, you will be on your way to all the fun ashore before everyone else. Like many cruise lines these days, Carnival attempts to make the boarding process less chaotic and crowded by assigning cruisers boarding time slots – usually half-hour windows. While you won't be turned away if you turn up late (unless you're so late that embarkation has ended), you won't be allowed in the terminal if you show up early. A beverage package can be a great way to save on your bar bill if you typically order a lot of extra-fee sodas, beers and cocktails when you travel.

The Ship’s internet is expensive, so if you are a movie and music streaming fanatic. Download movies, Netflix series and music on your laptop or tablet, before the cruise. Watching a big screen movie in the open sea, under the stars is a lot of fun. But one thing that can destroy this fun is to have constant interruptions from movements and noises around you. Arrive early and sit in the seats around the pool to avoid interruptions.

Each group has its own age-appropriate activities ranging from face painting to pirate adventures. On many ships there are extensive dedicated spaces for the different groups. On the vast majority of Carnival ships, there's not just a single waterslide but a whole water park area.

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