Thursday, April 11, 2024

43 Carnival Cruise Line tips, tricks and hacks to enhance your vacation at sea

carnival cruise things to know

"Faster to the Fun" is not available on all cruises (see where here) and it can sell out early. So again, book this as soon as possible if you're interested. You'll find it under shore excursions for your departure port. The first place to look go is your online Carnival account. That's where you can schedule specialty restaurant reservations and shore excursions well in advance of your embarkation date.

You Can Find the Ship’s Coin by the Dr. Suess Waterworks

Most nights are designated "cruise casual," which means just that — khakis or jeans, polo shirts, sundresses, etc. Super casual items such as cutoff jeans, men's sleeveless shirts, T-shirts and gym shorts aren't permitted. Carnival claims to draw more children than any other cruise line. So perhaps it makes sense that it has one of the most extensive children's programs at sea. The line has formal children's programming and activities for children as young as 2 years old through the age of 17. Every Carnival ship has a casino, usually smack in the middle of the main entertainment deck.

Carnival offers a 110% “Best Price Guarantee” on excursions

In other words, while some cruise lines try to go toward more high-end (such as Norwegian Cruise Line), Carnival has modernized the design, but not gone away from its roots. But what you quickly realize — even at first — is that there is a lot onboard. Walking through the ship is seemingly a never-ending lineup of bars, restaurants, shops, and venues.

Don’t Show Up to Board When It’s Not Your Time

I took my first Carnival cruise on its newest ship. Here are my honest thoughts - Cruise Blog

I took my first Carnival cruise on its newest ship. Here are my honest thoughts.

Posted: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

They’re essentially food counters that serve made-to-order fare. Themed stations make it easier to find what you’re in the mood for, and keep lines from getting too long. Stations include a rotating selection of international dishes, comfort food, a deli counter, salad bar, carvery, and desserts. Hot and cold breakfast is served here, as well, including eggs cooked to order. There are ways to make calls and access the internet from ships without spending a boatload of money. You can buy a Wi-Fi package, for instance, that will let you make FaceTime calls and stream videos (on some ships) over Wi-Fi without using phone data.

carnival cruise things to know

But it also means you might not have access to your luggage for many hours on your first day on board. You’re about to discover just what awaits you on a Carnival cruise. Start by exploring the incredible ports we visit… and the fun things to do, both on the ship and ashore.

carnival cruise things to know

Book directly with the cruise line to cut out the middleman in case there is an issue with your reservation. If you don’t know what cruise line you want to sail, then an aggregator like Expedia can search multiple lines at once. If you search for parking lots near the port, you can usually find independent lots that are nearly as convenient, but at a sharp discount to parking at the port.

Don't miss the dinner show

This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit). There's also the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which brings 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining. There's nothing more jammed than a cruise ship buffet on embarkation day.

Note that, in contrast to airline frequent flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. However, it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher-level tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot. In fact, the lower tiers of the Carnival program are among the most stingy in the entire cruise universe. The suggested attire for women on such nights is cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses. During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. A few other forms of identification, such as a passport card, also are acceptable.

Here is a dedicated page for Disembarking the cruise ship. Arriving and the cruise ship terminal for the very first time can be confusing and stressful so we’ve got some quick tips to help you out. You can also read our full guide on Cruise Ship Embarkation. The ultimate Carnival cruise tips and tricks guide covering all aspects of your upcoming cruise vacation. Find some great advice to help you out so you can focus on having fun or relaxing.

A good trick is to book your ticket early, but make payments in installments. That way if prices decline, you can ask Carnival or your tour agent to match your ticket price to the lower price and they will honor. If you want to go on a cruise on a low budget try some of the older Carnival ships.

It was great to have the Serenity adult-only area and pool deck to myself for a short time. This was the only time I experienced these popular places empty. Passengers will assemble in a designated area to check in on the second cruise. A Guest Service Rep will escort all back-to-back guests off the ship as the last disembarking group. Just complete a price guarantee claim form more than seven days before the departure date.

Some cruisers also swear by bringing magnets to ships to affix dinner invitations, excursion tickets and other important papers to their cabin walls. Walls on ships often are made with metal (even if they look like wood, thanks to faux wood veneers) and will hold a magnet. Some cruisers even bring magnets with hooks so they can hang up clothes and other items on their walls. Be sure to pack anything you think you might need for these first hours of your cruise in your carry-on bag. If you're traveling overseas for a cruise, we recommend traveling to the port two or even three days in advance.

Passengers are presented to the US Customs Border and Protection officers (if at a US port) in the terminal. Then you will be escorted back on board and receive the new Carnival Cruise card. However, the Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que is available on approximately nine ships and will be added to others during refurbishments. With this revolutionary guarantee, you’re sure to keep your Carnival Cruise cost within your budget by consistently scoring the best cruise deals.

Ships sometimes have game rooms that are perfect for spending some time playing a game with your friends or family. Or you can just find a table somewhere around the ship to play. We’d suggest bringing your favorite games from home (a pack of cards or some dice will do just fine in a pinch) as sometimes the ship doesn’t have any games in stock. Still, if you want a break from the heat and humidity, it’s a great option to spend some time with your travel partners and even make some new friends on the ship. Either way, ropes courses on Carnival ships will give you some excitement. Strap in and tackle the challenging walkways that soar above the deck below, with fantastic views of the water.

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