First Time Cruiser W/ Lots Of ???'s

[timsgrl]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in May on the Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean. I've been reading a lot of the posts to try and get all my questions answered, but am still a little confused about certain items. Any help or suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP YOU CAN GIVE!!

[familycruzer]

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

!!

 

1) I am not sure if Carnival has the specialty dining that RCL does but I can say that all your meals are included if you eat in the dining room and cafes. If you order room service, the food is free but you should tip them when delivered. Lemonade, coffee, tea, and sometimes punch is free all the time. You have to pay for soda and alchohol. We always come back to the ship to eat our meals because why pay for food when you can get it for free? Of course, many do not because they want to experience local dining.

 

2) I would not wear jeans in port because it will be hot. A comfortable pair of walking shorts or capris would be better.

 

4) Shampoo conditioner and soap are provided but I prefer to bring my own. There is an safe in your room. As for an iron, I dont think so buy maybe someone else can answer that.

[Nliedel]

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

Food is free unless they have a pay per meal restaurant and that is optional (it has been 8 years since I was on the Destiny). Pop is not included. Coffee, Tea and Lemonaid are at meals.

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

You can wear jeans and jean shorts on the ship.. you will bake like a lobster, but you can. You SHOULD not waer them in the dining room. Some people will anyway, don't let it upset you. You can wear what you want, within reason in port.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

Read up on them in the Destinations part of the boards. That is a goldmine of information and I am an information junkie so I know good information!

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

You can and should bring your own unless you don't care about brands. No irons.. The rules are explicit. Yes some people think it is a stupid rule and bring one anyway but it IS a rule. There is a safe.

[serene56]

Some ships have the soap/shampoo dispensers in the shower. I dont know if your ship is one of them. I have dry hair- the shampoo dried my hair terribly. Im glad I bought my own with me. The soap is Lever2000.

 

You can not bring your own iron as its a fire hazzard- There are laundry rooms on Carnival ships throughout various decks- May I suggest not to use the laundry room during formal nights as there will be a line out the door waiting to use the iron.

 

St Thomas--www.godfreytoursvi.com for an outside vendor where you get to do it all for 20 bucks per person. Shopping downtown- a whole island tour and even swimming at a beach. He picks you up and drops you off at at the ship.

[DEL67]

We've been on Canival many times and were on the Destiny several years ago. My answers to your questions are similar to the previous ones, but there are some differences.

 

How does the food and drinks work on ship?

 

In general food on the ship is free. The exceptions are speciality restuarants (the Destiny did not have one when we were on it, pastry cafes and high-end ice cream or coffee bars. Tea, iced tea, and coffee are free in all the restaurants. My memory is that lemonade is only available in the self-serve Sun and Sea Restaurant on the Lido deck. The self serve drinks in the Lido restaurant are generally available 24 hrs/day. The Pizzaria

 

When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals? Yes.

 

 

Jeans or jean shorts on the ship:

 

Jeans and jean shorts can be worn anywhere on the ship except in the main restaurants at night. Sometimes they may even allow you wear jeans on casual nights. Shorts of any kind are only allowed at breakfast and lunch.

 

What to do in ports:

 

What do you like to do? We have been to both Aruba and St Thomas several times. Both islands have great beaches and snorkeling: Baby Beach in Aruba and Magens Bay and Coki Beach in St Thomas. Another choice for St Thomas is go over to St John's. And, of course, St Thomas has great shopping.

 

Shampoo and conditioner:

 

The older Carnival ships, including the Destiny, did not have shampoo dispensers. They may have added them. Carnival also may give you a few samples (toothpaste, razors, shampoo). Regardless, even the dispensors provide conditioning shampoo rather than shampoo and conditioner and I prefer to bring my own.

 

Irons. They have them in the laundromats. For sfety reasons, you are not allowed to iron in your cabin on any ship

 

Security Box. There are small safes in each cabin.

[Tmeister]

Most of your questions have been answered above. Let me just add that Dominica is an unspoiled jewel of an island and not to be missed. The people are poor and there isn't much development, so don't expect St Thomas or jewelry shopping there. However, you should get a driver to take you into the rainforest and stop at a magnificent waterfall or two. There are drivers waiting on the dock, and they should all treat you well. If you enjoy snorkeling, ask them to take you to Champagne Beach, which features volcanic steam vents which bubble up through the water. Tours arranged by the ship should do most of this as well.

There are Carib Indians still living on a small reservation on the island. I don't know that I'd bother with the tour to the reservation, but be sure to stop at a roadside stand to examine (and buy) some of their baskets and other handiwork. It's exquisite and very reasonably priced. You won't find anything as well made on any other island.

[DisneyDestroyer]

Always glad to help. :)

1) Historically, all food is free. More recently, cruise ships have implemented certain upper-tier restaurants that are an extra cost. These are not mandatory, although frequently quite yummy.

As for drinks, alcohol ALWAYS costs. And you can't bring your own on, with the exception of wine/champagne (that frequently has a corkage charge). The non-alcoholic drink rules vary. Dinner usually includes iced tea, lemondate, milk, and juice free of charge. Some charge for all drinks at a bar, some still give free tea & lemonade & juice. Usually they charge for soft drinks regardless of location.

2) It really depends on the ship. Some you can wear shorts throughout (or many locations) onboard, some require nicer attire. As for the port, it's a regular city - most places I've visited don't have a dress code. :p

4) Some ships have these, some have but not sufficient quantities, some might not have at all. Best to bring your own to be safe.

[mr green]

Two points not covered, in St. Thomas take a trip in the 'mini sub.', well worth it, booze may be cheaper than the ship prices. Barbados, a visit to the Harrison Caves is a must! You don't walk, a little elecric 'bus takes you, with several photo stops. I liked shopping there better than in St. Thomas, rum was a great price. Have also been to Dominica and Aruba, but nothing great comes to mind, although they are both nice spots. Just for the record they called bananas 'weeds' in Dominica a few years ago, and Pointsetiers [spelling] grow to be small trees! :) Have fun, john