Newbie here, what to expect?

[StarPilot1960]

My wife and I are planning for our first ever cruise at the end of the year. We are looking at an 8 day western Caribbean cruise on Carnival's Miracle. It will end up being in port at Belize for our 18th wedding anniversary. This is also our honeymoon.

 

I am interested in finding out about all the "hidden" costs while onboard. There seems to be several restaurants on board. Are these extra to use? Spa prices? Other activities?

 

I have so many questions... :D

[cruiser2101]

Some of the speciality restaurants are extra, the casino (of course), bingo, photos, cocktails, but you don't have to buy or do any of those things if you choose not to. It's a matter of choice.

[cb at sea]

Some folks will spend a fortune on excursions, specialty restaurants, souveniers, photos, etc..... You don't have to to have a great cruise!

Of course, alcohol will be extra, but the drinks are reasonable--about what you'd pay on land (or less!)

You need to get the cruise brochure--all additional costs will be listed!

[TJM001]

IMHO, the main thing is just to relax and enjoy. There will be so many things to do and choices to make and I've noticed that some people let this bother them.

You can't do everything so don't try. Don't let small glitches get to you. If there is a bit of a line at dinner, so what? If you miss a port and get an extra sea day, make the best of it.

You'll have a great time.

[barbarah33]

Congrats on booking your first cruise - hopefully you'll love it as much as we all do.

The other posters are correct; you can spend a fortune in addition to the cruise fare or nothing at all. It really is all dependent on what you like/want. Remember that you will have to account for tipping no matter what; those people like your cabin steward, waiter, assistant, rely on tips to survive. After that you really do control what you spend.



Enjoy your cruise!!

[StarPilot1960]

Thanks for the tips. Both my wife and I are excited about this trip. We are also both very adventurous and adjust to what life brings very easily. 9 years ago, when we decided to move from Seattle to Denver, we basically just packed up and went. No idea what to expect, no job or housing waiting for either of us, etc. And, we did that with 3 kids, 2 friends, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 pet rats.

 

Now, with everything in life, a budget is a must. Since this is our official honeymoon, I would like to surprise my wife with a better room, shore excursions, some special meals, etc. Neither of us drink or gamble much but to be able to send her to the spa 2 or 3 times would be great.

 

So, rather than being surprised once we are on board I'd rather know what to expect and (lightly) plan for it. We are selecting http://*****.com/6znkqb for our cruise. The other one we are interested in is http://*****.com/569js5. The first is an 8 day cruise. The second is a 7 day cruise but includes several Dolphin adventures - my wife's favorite animal in the world. The 8 day just seems more what we want but without the Dolphins.

 

Yea, I know I am rambling and I appreciate your patience with me. :)

 

So many choices, so much fun to be had, and I really want this to be a very special cruise for both of us. Feel free to pipe in with suggestions, hints, tips, "did you think about...?" and whatever else comes to mind. I'm 47, she is 37 and we love to live life.

 

Cheers

[Desert star]

You sound like you have such a good outlook on life that you will have a wonderful time no matter what!

I would suggest going over to the Carnival board and asking about prices there since usually everyone there had traveled Carnival.

Second one of the best moments for me was when my husband ordered flowers for me to be delivered ahead of time to our stateroom. They were there when we walked in and the smell of the stargazer lilies filled the room, and they lasted the whole cruise.

 

Have a great cruise.

[KLLund]

Also don't forget that if you are in a port that offers swim with the dolpins even though the ship does not have an excursion for it .. you can still do it on your own.

 

Welcome to your new addiction!!

[eetonaee]

Since you say you are adventurous I would explore excursions that aren't sponsored by the ship.

 

You can see what the ship offers in each port and then google the attraction and the port and see who else is offering it. You will also find willing locals at each port as you get off the ship offering tours.

You will probably get a tour that is longer, cheaper, less crowded and you will have a real opportunity to interact with locals.

 

The main disadvantage is that if there is a problem and you are late getting back to the ship you are on your own getting to the next port. However the local tour operators realize that if this happened they would soon be out of business so they are very careful.

[serene56]

in grand cayman-- you can swim with stingrays--

 

an awesome excursion===(unlike the crock man one)

 

dolphin excursions are very pricy-- and cozumel has their own there.

Check out the port of calls board for cheaper excursions

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[StarPilot1960]

Thanks for the info. Our ports of call are:

• Colon, Panama
  
• Limon, Costa Rica
  
• Belize - the day of our wedding anniversary! :D

Nothing really sounds fun in Panama.

Rainforest Canopy Adventure in Costa Rica sounds fun.

Cave Tubing & Rainforest Exploration is on the top of our list for Belize.

 

Looking at the shore excursions the 7 day trip has a ton more that would be fun - especially with our love of Dolphins.

 

Hmmm...

 

I can see *why* this is so darn addicting. :p

[serene56]

I'd have to agree that the 7 day one would offer you more for your money.

http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=GAL&itinCode=WCG&durDays=7&shipCode=CQ&subRegionCode=CW&rateCode=BCA&sailingID=44213&sailDate=12/14/2008

 

visit http://www.cozumelinsider.com to get a feel of prices for the dolphin swim--and to learn the difference of a swim and encounter--- make sure you will be getting what you expect.

 

Cruiselines do encounters--- booking it yourself you can do the ROyal swim

[nybumpkin]

Both the ships you're considering - Miracle and Conquest - have a supper club for an extra $30/pp, and it's well worth the extra charge, if you're interested in a "special meal - maybe on your anniversary date? The menu is at http://www.unofficialcarnivalwiki.com/wiki/Supper_Club.

[flag fan]

Another cost is the tipping. The recommended amount for a 7-day cruise on Carnival for 2 people is $20 per day, so $140 total. I have not sailed Carnival so I don't know if its automatically added to your account or not. This includes tips for the dining service team (waiters and assistant waiters), bistro service, and cabin service (stewards).

[Sandi149]

I started a thread called "All Things Miracle" over on the Carnival board where you will find tons of info about that ship. Here's the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=631682

 

The Miracle is a great ship, you are going to love it. :D

[CaptData]

Hi and welcome to cruising. You will find both cruises off the same outings except in Jamaica. Enjoy. Do go to the Carnival cruise forum and also the roll call forum.

[sunlover5]

We just did the itineary you are doing but on the Carnival Liberty. We loved it. I was not too excited about it by DH wanted to do it. We did the panama canal excursion on the ferry and boy am I glad we did. Wasn't adventurous, but loved seeing the canal and going through it.

 

We loved Costa Rica and our other stop was Cozumel, not Belize. The tubing in Belize is a lot of fun though.

 

We are considering the Miracle and she gets great reviews!!

Congrats on your anniversary and have a wonderful first cruise!

[wayne_trisha]

My wife and I are planning for our first ever cruise at the end of the year. We are looking at an 8 day western Caribbean cruise on Carnival's Miracle. It will end up being in port at Belize for our 18th wedding anniversary. This is also our honeymoon.

 

I am interested in finding out about all the "hidden" costs while onboard. There seems to be several restaurants on board. Are these extra to use? Spa prices? Other activities?

 

I have so many questions... :D

 

You'll be boarding a huge floating city full of shops, bars, shows, and food. Expect to be amazed when you see the ship. I live near port canaveral and drive by it often onthe way to work. I'm still amazed by the size of the ships.

 

I think the only real hidden cost is tips. I'm not sure of the current rate but you can find that out pretty easy. Once aboard you an expect to pay around $5-6 plus 15% tip for a drink and they are pretty strong. I've tipped a little extra, got to know the servers, and had my drinks made extra potent. Specialty restaurants run about $30 per person extra and many will claim it is well worth it. My one trip to a specialty restaurant was fantastic and we tipped on top of that. There are plenty of ways to spend money on board from shops, pictures, art auctions, spa, and the casino. Of course you do not have to do any of these things but they are available. We purchased some art because we loved it, not for an investment. Art auctions are fun and offer free champagne. If you go to one, don't buy anything expecting to make yourself rich. We went to have fun and for me, free champagne

 

Read the Capers each night so you know the next day's activities. We used to try to go to as many as we could but then the vacation started to slip away to meet scheduled events. Do what you want but don't let the schedule rule your day.

 

Research the ports you are going to and have an idea what you want to do. One cruise we took happened right after we did a military move when I was returning from a 1 year remote assignment. We didn't know about the ports so the port days were not very fun for us.

 

Adventurous? Research and book your excursions from private companies. You'll save quite a bit over what the cruise line charges.

 

The spa is heavily discounted on port days and I believe offers discounts towards the end of the cruise.

 

If you want to dine in the speciality restaurant make that your first stop once onboard to get the date/time you want. After that go exploring! We try to get on board as soon as possible, preferably before lunch so we can explore the ship, eat lunch, and take care of reservations. Bags start showing up after 1:00 and you usually can't get to the rooms until then. Once we can get to our room we drop off our bags, change into pool attire, find us a chair in the sun, graciously accept our first foo foo drink, and let the vacation begin.

 

You also want to bring aboard anything you amy need through the evening as sometimes bags show up late. Also never put valuables/important documents in your checked bags. Always carry them on or risk losing them to less than honest dock workers.

[StarPilot1960]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Will 7 months go by fast enough to get to the cruise? :rolleyes:

 

We have talked over so much and we are agreed that the 8 day cruise is more of what we want. We are even starting to plan a family cruise for March/April 2009 where we can hit Cozumel, Grand Caymans and Jamaica.

 

Does anyone know what the spa price range might be? Our motto for this cruise is adventure, rest & relaxation, pampering, more R&R, more pampering and above all else having FUN!

[SheilaNC]

One important suggestion. Once you decide on the ship and the cruise date, go to the Carnival section of Roll Calls and join the Roll Call for your ship/date. You'll be able to chat with others on the cruise and, perhaps, plan get togethers and shore excursions with some. Have a wonderful time and happy anniversary/honeymoon :)

[cv322]

I have to add my 2 cents! StarPilot, you & your wife are going to love the Miracle. We just got off her last Friday, doing the 8-day eastern caribbean out of NY, & the ship was fantastic.

 

Just some quick facts:

The auto-generated tip is $80/pp and then you can supplement it if you wish (we did for our cabin steward and for the Maitre'd, who did an extra service for us). There will be a 15% gratuity added to all bar items including drinks and full bottles of wine. There's only one supper club aboard, "Nick & Nora's" and it's wonderfully romantic with an outstanding menu. The cost is $30/pp and well worth it....I would highly recommend it for your anniversary. More "extra" stuff includes the shops onboard....anything from toothpaste to diamonds. Also the casino and spa. I didn't use the spa this cruise, but from prior cruises remember a facial was around $120. Prices are discounted on port days.

 

Hope this helps. Also, you may pick up added info from the member reviews of your ship. Enjoy your cruise!

[NCTribeFan]

I was just going to direct you to Sandi's "All Things Miracle" thread, but I see she beat me to it!

 

It's a great ship (other than the dining room decor). :p

 

Liked it so much I was going to book on a sister ship (Carnival Legend) and do a Western Caribbean, but it didn't work out that way, so I'm heading to Port Canaveral on Friday to sail on the Glory on Saturday (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Freeport).

 

We're going to Playa Uvas in Coz, cave tubing with Major Tom in Belize, a private taxi West End tour with Diana and Cinthia in Roatan, and just catching the taxi to the Lucaya beach and shopping area in Freeport.

 

Tons and tons of info on the various Ports of Call boards.

 

I'd sailed 5 times before I found these boards and was pretty overwhelmed by all the info here, and I thought I already had a pretty good idea of what it was all about!

 

Have fun planning and enjoy your cruise!