New Cruiser & over planner = HELP ME! :-)

I am sure these are dumb and redundant questions... I have been searching for answers however I cannot locate them...

:');):D:confused:

So...I am going ahead and asking them! Thank you all in advance for your expertise!

My friend and I will be on the Carnival Liberty in a few weeks, first cruise for both of us...

1. I'm a drinker but she is not, so no drink package for me :-( boooooo I will be OK with a bottle of wine packed in each of our suitcases right? Along with a six pack of soda or water?

2. While on the ship, I'm walking around and I want a soda... if I haven't bought a drink package where do I get a soda? Will there be a charge for it? Basically, talk to me about non-alcoholic drinks...

3. For a 4 day cruise, what is the average charge for gratuities that are charged to your account? 50-100 bucks?

4. How many binder clips should I bring for the shower curtain to lessen the risk of a shower flood?

hmmm....I think that is all the dumb questions I have...for now... but please feel free to share the dumb things that you think of!! :cool:

I am sure these are dumb and redundant questions... I have been searching for answers however I cannot locate them...

:');):D:confused:

So...I am going ahead and asking them! Thank you all in advance for your expertise!

My friend and I will be on the Carnival Liberty in a few weeks, first cruise for both of us...

 

1. I'm a drinker but she is not, so no drink package for me :-( boooooo I will be OK with a bottle of wine packed in each of our suitcases right? Along with a six pack of soda or water?

 

 

You can each bring a bottle of wine and a 12pk of soda in cans. You cannot take water with you except in cans. However you can go ahead right now and order water and have it delivered to your stateroom. Prices for it are very cheap.

 

 

2. While on the ship, I'm walking around and I want a soda... if I haven't bought a drink package where do I get a soda? Will there be a charge for it? Basically, talk to me about non-alcoholic drinks...

 

You can get a soda at any bar I believe. Never done it because we take our own. Yes there is a charge for it.

 

 

3. For a 4 day cruise, what is the average charge for gratuities that are charged to your account? 50-100 bucks?

 

 

Gratuities are $13.95 per person, per day. So 69.75 per person for your 5 day.

 

4. How many binder clips should I bring for the shower curtain to lessen the risk of a shower flood?

 

Never done this. Never knew anyone who did.

 

 

hmmm....I think that is all the dumb questions I have...for now... but please feel free to share the dumb things that you think of!! :cool:

Enjoy your cruise!

Wine and other beverages are to be carried on. If found in your luggage they will be tossed.

Clarification--They can be packed into your carry on luggage, not Check thru.

Multiply $13.95 by the number of NIGHTS you'll be on the ship...per person, for your tip amount.

You can buy ANYTHING without a package...you simply charge it to your account.

On Carnival, if one person in the cabin purchases the package every adult in the same cabin must also buy the package. happy cruising

You can bring soda and water, but they must be in cans. No filled bottles are allowed to be brought on. I think the soda's were about $2. My son and husband had the bottomless bubbles, my daughter brought cans of Arizona tea and I brought the crystal light packets. We had two rooms so we were able to purchase the bottomless bubbles for just my husband and son.

We did the prepaid tips, which is where the $13.95 amount per day is coming from.

We didn't bring clips for the shower curtains either, and we won't on our next cruise. It wasn't really a problem.

We did take with us a power strip without the surge protector. It worked well for us. I know that others have said they disconnect from electronics, and we did a little. However, we all use our phones as cameras and the hub app, and we all use an iPad for reading and such, plus a battery charger for the actual camera. It was nice to have extra plugs.

On another note about non-alcoholic beverages...you can get ice tea, lemonade, milk, juice (morning), hot chocolate, coffee, hot tea, and ice water in the buffet at no additional charge.

Hi cc1974

Welcome to cruise critic.

If you go to the main forum page you will see threads dedicated to each cruise line. If you click the link for Carnival you will see many pages of questions specific to Carnival cruise lines/ships.

Don't know if you are aware, but even though you can't purchase the "Cheers" package, you are able to purchase bottles of alcohol for your cabin. You can do this before your cruise and have it waiting in the cabin on embarkation day or you can buy them during the cruise. These bottles are priced fairly high, but if you would be happy with your drinks straight or with just a mix (no fancy drinks) the price per drink is not unreasonable if you were going to drink most of a bottle on your cruise. If you are a wine drinker, there are "wine packages" that you would be able to purchase. If that may interest you, I would suggest that you wait till you board to make your selection.

hope this helps

have a great cruise

How all drinks work is that tap water, lemonade, iced tea, regular coffee and hot tea plus milk and juice at breakfast are free. Everything else including sodas are at cost. You can walk up to any bar and order one. They'll swipe your card and you'll sign a receipt. You can also order sodas with meals, just understand that refills aren't free.

Gratuities vary by cruise line but are usually around 13 pp pd, so yes, a bit over $50 for each of you.

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We take binder clips to keep the window or balcony curtains closed. On some ships with outside balcony lights, some people forget to turn them off. Also keeps the early morning sun out if it's on your side of the ship.

As discussed on numerous other threads plug strips should be UL or ETL listed and non-surge type due to the special voltage configuration on ships, neutral is not a solid ground like in your house, even though everything works the same.

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Just a little correction. Everyone seems to be saying $13.95pp per day for the gratuities. They all must have been in suites. It is $12.95pp per day for all cabins other than suites. I know that it is not a large difference for a 4 day cruise.

We were on the Liberty earlier this month. Make sure you go to the casino bar for FANTASTIC music by a band from the Philippines! There are so many people on the dance floor, its hard to find and area to dance!

You each may bring ONE bottle of wine but not the big ones. They MUST be in your carry on luggage. They check to make sure it is an unopened bottle. If they are in a suitcase, it will be removed but you'll get it back the last night or last morning.

Cokes and sodas are $2.25 each plus 15%tip. Any waiter or bar will get you soda.

You don't really need clips for the shower. If any water goes outside the shower, there is a train behind the toilet for extra overflow water.

You don't need to bring water on board. The water on a ship is fine and there is water and ice 24 hours a day in the buffet. I use the melted ice in my ice bucket to fill my thermo in the morning.

You need to tell your steward you want ice everyday then you'll have it for sodas all he time.

If you are asked when you want your cabin cleaned say BOTH morning and evening! You can also ask him to bring you bathrobes too.

Ordering drinks, ask what the house brand is and if you like it, order that. That is the least expensive of their drinks. (Gin is Bombay) If you don't say a brand, the waiter can serve you a more expensive brand- a bigger tip for them. (Every thing from bar & soda has an automatic 15% tip added to your bill.)

None of your questions are dumb! But, watch out, you might even book your NEXT cruise before you get off the ship! (Try a 7 day for your next one!)

I suggest going on the Carnival website as there's a FAQ section that may answer many of your questions. Years ago, a pamphlet was sent with the cruise docs (yes, the cruise lines used to send your boarding pass along with luggage tags in the mail) and my hubby and I would take a turn reading it to see what has changed since our last cruise.

Now, I always go on the website for the line we're sailing on and read up on our ship, even if we're repeating a cruise.

After joining this site, I would ask additional questions on the Princess forum.

Generally you will know if something has a charge because you will be asked for your cruise card.