Carnival--- Behind the Fun (tour)

[CasinoQueen]

Hello Cruisers,

 

I am interested in information about how to Book the "Behind the Fun Ultimate tour".  Also, any feedback/advice from those who have done the tour is appreciated.

[tidecat]

33 minutes ago, CasinoQueen said:

Hello Cruisers,

 

I am interested in information about how to Book the "Behind the Fun Ultimate tour".  Also, any feedback/advice from those who have done the tour is appreciated.

Tour must be booked on board. If you are interested, I recommend stopping by Carnival Adventures (Shore Excursions) or Guest Services on embarkation day, as it usually sells out.

 

It does involve a fair amount of walking. You also will need to leave your phone/camera in your state room as you are not permitted to take pictures or record while on the tour.

 

I highly recommend it.

[klfrodo]

When we took this tour, it was limited and could only be booked once you board the ship. For safety and security reasons, only closed toed shoes and no cameras.

 

Myself, I wouldn't pay to take this tour again. Seeing how the sausage is made took away the magic for me.

[Essiesmom]

Oh, but seeing that machine that irons and folds the sheets is worth the price...  no skirts for women.  List of crew stairs and standing around listening...once and done for us.  But were glad we did it.  EM

[nybumpkin]

DH and I have done the tour twice - different ships, years apart. Very worth it for us, but then we're ship geeks. For us, the highlights were the engine control room (it's not the engine room - for my money, it's better than the engine room) and the bridge. It's a long tour and will take you to a number of crew-only places. They do give you refreshments along the way, and if you're on a ship with its own craft brews you may sample one.

 

Both times we booked as soon as we boarded. It does book quickly - last time we were among the first boarding and there were still several people booked ahead of us.

[groundloop]

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

It does involve a fair amount of walking. You also will need to leave your phone/camera in your state room as you are not permitted to take pictures or record while on the tour.

 

I highly recommend it.

 

I was kind of bummed to find out that photo taking is prohibited, I'd love to get photos of some of the ships inner workings (propulsion, electrical generation, steam, etc.).  I've heard (don't know for sure though) that Holland America allows photos on their tour.

[K_e_short]

I did the tour on the Sunshine with my son.

 

He is obsessed with ships and loved it.

 

As others have mentioned no cameras, appropriate shoes, etc.

 

I lined up at Shore Excursions the moment we got on the ship and almost didnt' get a spot.

 

I wouldnt' do the tour again but it was an awesome one time experience.

 

I wil say that I was on a NCL cruise after and for free you can view into the bridge, have a Q and A session with the captain. get your picture taken with the captain, and see demos of how the chefs prepare the food. My son equally enjoyed those activities.

[asalligo]

I very much enjoyed this tour. Definitely book as soon as you board. 

 

[LoungingMcCoy]

Like others have suggested, we went straight to the excursion desk once we boarded and booked the tour.

 

Wear comfortable shoes.

 

Eat before you go.  Our tour was in the morning.  None of my group ate breakfast and we didn't realize how long the tour was.  We were really, really hungry by the time it was over.

 

I don't know if I would do it again, but it was definitely worth it.  Very fascinating.

[originalgeek]

14 hours ago, groundloop said:

 

I was kind of bummed to find out that photo taking is prohibited, I'd love to get photos of some of the ships inner workings (propulsion, electrical generation, steam, etc.).  I've heard (don't know for sure though) that Holland America allows photos on their tour.

They do send a photographer around with the tour who takes a lot of pictures (including one with the captain on the bridge and other places not normally accessible by guests) and they give them to you (included in the price of the tour).  I can't remember if you get a free copy of all the pics taken but I know you at least get 1.  There are some other goodies they give you at the end too.

We did it on the Conquest 6 years ago and will almost certainly do it again some day when we finally get to cruise on the Mardi Gras.

[Tiger0613]

If you do a tour on a Fantasy class ship, be prepared for a staircase into the engine control room that is practically a ladder.

[jetsfan58]

When they used to honor the Carnival 45 Day letters we were awarded a behind the scenes tour. It was really good and educational. 

[sarmat1]

We did this years back on the Splendor.  As others have said, you can only book it onboard and should do so as soon as you get on the ship since these tours sellout.

 

We thought it was well worth it as you get to see places that you otherwise would never see.  We were in the galley, on the crew deck, in the laundry facility, in the engine control room, on the bridge and pretty much everywhere else.  While you can't take pictures, there will be a photographer who will take a group picture as well as a picture of just your group with the captain.  Those pictures will be delivered to your stateroom (they're included in the tour price).  We also got Behind the Fun hats, drawstring bags and I'm sure some other things.  Our tour ended in the steakhouse where we were given what everybody thought were little chocolates.  We would have eaten ours except the staff told us they were soaps. 😕  Now why the steakhouse gave out little soaps at the end of our tour, I have no idea . . . . . 🙄

 

This tour was also memorable for us because, for some reason, our daughter became nauseous on the bridge (she has never thrown up on any of our cruises).  As a result, she has the distinction of being able to say that she vomited in the captain's garbage can on the bridge. 

[Tiger0613]

14 minutes ago, sarmat1 said:

 

Those pictures will be delivered to your stateroom (they're included in the tour price).

On my last cruise(Valor), the pictures weren't delivered.  I had to pick them up at the photo gallery register.  They said that was the new procedure.

[rodndonna]

We did one and really enjoyed it. That being said ,by nature, while cruising we tend to wonder "where does all the garbage go? how do you launder and iron all those bedsheets?, what are the living and social areas for crew like? If you find yourself wondering about stuff like this - you would enjoy it. 

 

Will be looking to book another one on a different class ship or cruiseline.

 

 

[beachbum53]

On 3/7/2021 at 7:06 PM, klfrodo said:

When we took this tour, it was limited and could only be booked once you board the ship. For safety and security reasons, only closed toed shoes and no cameras.

 

Myself, I wouldn't pay to take this tour again. Seeing how the sausage is made took away the magic for me.

Sausage, hot dogs, bratwurst, pepperoni, and pretty much all other similar meats that are in a tube are made the same way. Many years ago, when I was in the Army and stationed in Germany, I got to see how brats were made. I suspect the old saying "Waste not, want not" came from someone making sausage or brats. 😁

[Anyislandwilldo]

We did this on the Dream out of NOLA.   DH was very interested in seeing the controls and the bridge.  I enjoyed all the other parts of the tour.  We were taken to the bow of the ship and had a group photo taken.  Then when we were up on the bridge we had our picture taken with the captain.  I asked the captain if I could shake his hand while taking the photo.  Thank you Captain!!

[jetsfan58]

With all of the Covid precautions that are probably going to be instated, do we think this venture will still be allowed?

 

My vote is No.

[ontheweb]

54 minutes ago, jetsfan58 said:

With all of the Covid precautions that are probably going to be instated, do we think this venture will still be allowed?

 

My vote is No.

At least no more shaking hands with the Captain.

[DarthGrady]

I took one many years ago on the Imagination and really enjoyed it. Not something I would do all the time, but seeing the crew areas was interesting. 

[rs45thompson]

We did the tour a long time ago on our first cruise, it was free then.  We also received chocolate every night on our pillow and had midnight buffets.  Those days are long gone.  I wonder if the tour is the same or if it is quite different now.

[Out of Iowa]

Ladies:  someone else mentioned it but I want to re-iterate:  you must wear pants, capris, jeans or shorts. No skirts/dresses.  I was able to book it - but had to take my name off the list when I was told my standard travel wardrobe was insufficient.  I still want to do this tour.  Next time!

[Essiesmom]

2 hours ago, Out of Iowa said:

Ladies:  someone else mentioned it but I want to re-iterate:  you must wear pants, capris, jeans or shorts. No skirts/dresses.  I was able to book it - but had to take my name off the list when I was told my standard travel wardrobe was insufficient.  I still want to do this tour.  Next time!

And also closed toe shoes.  It’s all in the instructions they send to your cabin, but inevitably someone shows up in flip flops.  EM

[cruisinpips]

I have taken this tour three times... all three times, felt it was worth the price. I will admit that my daughter and I are “ how does this work” kind of people. Met in steakhouse on last sea day, continental breakfast with juice and coffee, then tour started. Lasted a good 3.5 - 4 hours. Several snacks along the way. Afterwards free mimosas and snacks. Several “small gifts” (hats, bags, soap carvings, lanyard, and photos sent to room)
Visits to galley, laundry, crew galley, engine control room, crew training, freezers, storage areas, recycling center, and the bridge. Then a trip to the front of the ship,for a picture of the group with the ships bell. $99/pp, went to GS upon boarding and booked there. Great time, as someone eles stated, not sure if this will happen with Covid restrictions. Good luck and have fun. 

[Aplmac]

NO photos? Not for my money (and it's not cheap)

 

Btw...I did a behind-the-scenes tour on an RCL ship

with a bunch of local hoteliers.

 

The ship's Environmental Engineer
guided us around and explained much of what they do

to keep the mess down to a low roar, and NOT dump anything overboard

more than they absolutely have to, these days....
and it's close to water by the time they're done processing it!

 

Pictures below should give you some idea of what to expect.