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I Wish Someone Had Told Me On My First Carnival Cruise.....

dpeeps87

By dpeeps87,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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soapbxking

soapbxking

Posted
Posted
Some tips I gave a co-worker of mine going on her first cruise next month on the Carnival Magic:

  • Some of the tables for 2 in anytime dining are extremely close to each other. To avoid these tables ask for a booth for 2.
  • You may bring 1 - 750ml bottle of wine/champagne per person and up to a 12 pack of pop CANs per person in your carry on. No BOTTLES of pop or water allowed.
  • There will be an empty refrigerator in your room for your use. Hang a wash cloth over the cupboard door it is in by the hinge to allow air to circulate around the refrigerator and keep everything in it cooler.
  • You can ask your room steward for a bucket of ice and he will keep it filled for the week.
  • You can ask your room steward for robes if they are not already in your room.
  • Room and Beach Towels are provided. They will give you fresh ones if you leave them on the bathroom floor.
  • In the main dining room you can ask for the cheese plate as an appetizer or you can ask for an appetizer size portion of the entree pasta they are serving.
  • In the main dining room you can ask for as many appetizers, salads, soups, entrees, deserts as you want. If you don't like what you get ask for something different at no charge.
  • In the main dining room you can also order of the kids menu.I've gotten the banana split a few times.
  • You can bring your own water bottle to fill up with ice and water in the buffet to carry around the ship or take with you on an excursion.
  • You can not take unpackaged food or fresh fruit off the ship with you in Port. Only Pre-packaged foods. (like a box of cereal).
  • Make sure to bring suntan lotion and bug spray (for excursions)
  • Bring a 3 plug outlet with a nightlight (only one plug in room by the desk)
  • There is a hair dryer in the desk drawer for you to use.
  • At ports you will need your Sail & Sign Card and Photo ID to get back on the ship.
  • If going to the Comedy Show get there at least 20-25 minutes early. Seats go fast.
  • Avoid the crowds in the buffet on debarkation morning by eating breakfast in the main dining room and then finding a place on Deck 5 to wait for them to call your zone to debark.
  • Bring a travel first aid kit with some band aids, tylenol, cold medicine, allergy medicine, eye drops, sea sickness pills, tums, pepcid, immodium, ear plugs, prescription meds, clippers - expensive to buy on the ship if you need to get some and don't have it.
  • If you over 50, use AARP point to purchase Carnival Gift Cards at 10% off.
  • Tip luggage handlers $1-$2 per bag, tour guides 10-20%, room service deliverers $1-$5 depending on how much you ordered, spa workers 10-20%
  • Bartender tips are automatically added to your bill
  • Waiters/Room Stewards tips are included in the gratuities charged to your onboard account

 

Great post!! Ill add one. I take big and small Ziploc bags to take on excursions to put things in you don't want to get wet. Sometime a bag can get wet :-)

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zoof26

zoof26

Posted
Posted

Take a snack with you for embarkation. Sometimes embarkation can be delayed. It's good to have a protein bar, etc, just in case. One time there was a customs issue on the disembarking cruise. Boarding was delayed by three hours. Lots of hungry, cranky people. Especially folks who skipped breakfast!

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vampiress

vampiress

Posted
Posted
:)Before I cruised on Carnival I had heard how loud and rowdy it is.

 

I have never experienced that.

 

I still meet people who have never been on Carnival and still think it's true..

 

i had also heard this about carnival, but i just booked my first carnival cruise in a little over 2 weeks.

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kyboymom

kyboymom

Posted
Posted
I loved this response!!! Thank you. I do those things as well!!! DO and try things you normally don not do!! I have sailed Paradise twice and it is a GREAT ship!!

 

Happy to hear you think highly of the Paradise. We will be cruising on the Paradise May 22nd. Any insight or tips you have about that ship?

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Medtech2

Medtech2

Posted
Posted
Make a copy of your passport and leave it at home with someone. If something happens to yours while you're away, it's better/easier if someone back home has your info.

 

I actually scan my passport and insurance cards and email them to myself, so I can access them anywhere.

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bUU

bUU

Posted
Posted
I actually scan my passport and insurance cards and email them to myself, so I can access them anywhere.

Some would say that emailing an image of your passport is not that safe. In the future you may want to think about just going on to the web mail client and attaching the image to a message you're composing but do not send it ... just save it as a draft. That way the image never actually goes through the SMTP server.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

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  • 7 months later...
cruisegeek8

cruisegeek8

Posted
Posted
YIKES!!!!!!! So they don't have signs when you get off with buses to know where you are going? Our trip last year we only did one excursion and it was in Labadee Haiti which was so small there was no cars or buses. All was walking distance and you followed the signs. This time around, we have excursions at every stop, we have kids (didn't bring them last year), AND all excursions include a bus ride.......now I'm worried!

 

 

My experience has been very different.

Every carnival cruise I have been on had all sorts of signage and assistance to get you to your excursion. I wouldn’t worry.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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casinostreer

casinostreer

Posted
Posted

So - I'm going on my first Carnival cruise in January. I've only ever cruised on RCL.

 

I'm guessing that it's okay to wear shorts and T-Shirts in the MDR - especially on Formal night. I've heard Carnival is more lax about that stuff.

 

I usually share a drink package with a friend in another cabin. You know - to save money.

 

I like to head to the pool, drop my stuff and then go to the casino for a bit. My stuff will be safe for a couple of hours, right?

 

and lastly,

 

It's okay for me to smoke on my balcony, right?

 

(Nothing about this is serious.)

 

This thread has been extremely helpful. Thanks to everyone!

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LouisianaCruiser4200

LouisianaCruiser4200

Posted
Posted
So - I'm going on my first Carnival cruise in January. I've only ever cruised on RCL.

 

I'm guessing that it's okay to wear shorts and T-Shirts in the MDR - especially on Formal night. I've heard Carnival is more lax about that stuff.

 

I usually share a drink package with a friend in another cabin. You know - to save money.

 

I like to head to the pool, drop my stuff and then go to the casino for a bit. My stuff will be safe for a couple of hours, right?

 

and lastly,

 

It's okay for me to smoke on my balcony, right?

 

(Nothing about this is serious.)

 

This thread has been extremely helpful. Thanks to everyone!

 

Took me a second to realize you weren’t serious and I was worried for your safety 😂

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TNcruising02

TNcruising02

Posted
Posted

For excursions, we always plan on arriving at the meeting place 20 minutes early. This allows extra time in case it's difficult to find the exact place. There are always people with signs, but sometimes it's right as you exit the ship and other times it's on down the pier. If we aren't sure, we just ask an employee.

 

I took a picture of my passport and insurance card. If I lose either of them, I at least have the information saved on my phone. I also carry a copy of my passport.

 

FTTF is a huge perk for many people. Also Carnival has self service laundry, which comes in handy if you don't mind doing a load mid cruise and like to use carry-on only luggage. Even if you don't plan on doing laundry, it could come in handy after an excursion. I ran into a lady in the laundry room who just returned from an ATV excursion and their clothes were covered in mud. She said the excursion was a lot of fun, but she was glad she was able to get the muddy clothes washed.

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beshears

beshears

Posted
Posted

LouisianaCruiser4200, I had to "think" about everything that you said, of what you plan to do when cruising. At first I thought, "Oh my, that is against everything that is supposed to be done right." I'm glad you were just teasing/joking.:)

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TubT

TubT

Posted
Posted

Just an idea, but I keep a file of all the paperwork I'm going to need on the cruise, ready to grab and go when the day finally arrives. However, a thought occurred to me. Maybe scan all the important papers into my phone? That way I have a backup.

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bUU

bUU

Posted
Posted
Just an idea, but I keep a file of all the paperwork I'm going to need on the cruise, ready to grab and go when the day finally arrives. However, a thought occurred to me. Maybe scan all the important papers into my phone? That way I have a backup.
Everything about our cruises either gets printed to PDF to start with, or scanned (and the original shredded), so it all lives natively as a folder of electronic files. Right before the cruise I ensure the folder is completely synched to my devices via Google Drive (or Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox, etc.) I will also print a small handful of papers, the most important ones, but generally we rely on the electronic copies.
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mulewagon

mulewagon

Posted
Posted

I don't even carry a Kindle any more, just download a bunch of books to the Kindle app on my phone. I got a waterproof phone pouch with a lanyard from Amazon and spent a lot of time in the hot tub alternately taking pictures and reading. And of course, used the phone pouch to take pictures on excursions. (Note, DON'T get the kind with a colored band around the edge. It looks sharp but you can't see the side buttons. Also you'll need to practice if you want to use the phone to take pics completely underwater.)

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