First time on Carnival (Dream)

[jarz85]

Hi we are booked for our first cruise ever on the NCL Epic in May and then the Star in October 2012. We are considering coming to the US again in January (our summer, your winter) and want to go on another cruise.

 

We are either going to go on the NCL Sun or Carnival Dream as we would like to go from Canaveral (we are going to Harry Potter world first LOL) I was just wondering what the Carnival basics are when booking? Is this a DSC (like prepaid tips) you need to pay? Can this be prepaid? What other basics are there with Carnival. I've spent over a year researching NCL for our first cruise but haven't looked into Carnival.

 

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!:D

[pe4all]

Most cruise lines are pretty much the same when booking. You put down your deposit, get your booking # and cabin, (if you go that route and don't book a guarantee) , and you are set. As far as gratuities - you can pre-pay them anytime you want. CCL adds them automatically to your sail and sign card when you board. We pay them in advance, as we want a smaller bill when we leave the ship. You can also pre-purchase excursions on line, make dinner reservations in the Steak House, make spa reservations in advance (steakhouse and spa must be paid on board, not in advance) You can buy bon voyage stuff, such as drink coupons (alcohol/softdrinks) before you sail - again, makes for a smaller bill at end. We enjoyed the Dream a lot! Research, and have fun at Harry Potter world - we've been there 2x, and it was pretty cool!