Carnival First Timer, best advice?

[sherizel]

Does anyone know if there is a sticky on any of these boards that gives good tips for first time cruisers? I went to the first timers board but was looking for maybe one thread. I've read a few articles that were written but would prefer to hear from a variety of different cruisers. I wanted to know everything, sleeping, food, tips, shopping, excursions, packing, etc.. I figured this may already exist and I just couldn't find it.

[Irishlinny]

I don't know of a single thread that compiles everything, but you may want to post that question to one of the moderators. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see who the mods are. Click on one of their names and it will open up their profile and their email address is in there....

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

You might try http://www.seauonboard.com. She has a lot of info out there about CCL cruises.

[Casino Player]

Does anyone know if there is a sticky on any of these boards that gives good tips for first time cruisers? I went to the first timers board but was looking for maybe one thread. I've read a few articles that were written but would prefer to hear from a variety of different cruisers. I wanted to know everything, sleeping, food, tips, shopping, excursions, packing, etc.. I figured this may already exist and I just couldn't find it.

 

 

That is a lot of information you are seeking. I'll try to help you. Welcome to Carnival Cruise Line. My first cruise was on Carnival too. It was for my 10th anniversary. It was on the Triumph. What ship are you going on? What type of accomodations are you getting? The food on Carnival is very good. You should enjoy it. The chefs on Carnival do more with food than I have seen on other cruise lines. They have made dishes on Carnival that I haven't seen on other cruise lines.

Shopping- you have shops where you could purchase items with the name of the ship on it. A Jewelry store, clothing store, a liquor store, and of course most things purchased on the ship are duty free. They usually have a watch sale on the cruise for $10. They usually have a gold by the inch for $1 an inch.

Sleeping- You sleep in your stateroom. Nothing more to say on this subject.

Tipping- Carnival now has automatic tipping. If you get exceptional service then you could tip additional. If not complain at the pursar's Desk and tell them you want some of the tip charge taken away or changed in some manner.

Entertainment- There are shows performed in the theater. You may watch them if you want. You could play Bingo which is not included in your fare. It is extra. Play in the Casino? That is extra too. Who knows, you may be a winner.

Special-on cruises of 3-5 days there is one formal night, bring a dark suit. On cruises of 7 days or more there are usually two formal nights.

Most of all, have fun. It is your vacation enjoy it. Do the activities you want.

[momofzeke]

I don't know of a single thread that has all the answers, but you did find the First time cruisers board.....that's a good place to start. :) There is another board called Ask a Cruise Question that might be helpful as well.

 

I would suggest that you just spend a little time there, and here on the Carnival board......then if you have specific questions, ask away! We're here to help.

 

Welcome to CC! :)

[JSQ01]

Does anyone know if there is a sticky on any of these boards that gives good tips for first time cruisers? I went to the first timers board but was looking for maybe one thread. I've read a few articles that were written but would prefer to hear from a variety of different cruisers. I wanted to know everything, sleeping, food, tips, shopping, excursions, packing, etc.. I figured this may already exist and I just couldn't find it.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival too, and I loved it. You will find some people on Cruise Critic don't like Carnival, but you have to make your own decision. I've never had a bad meal on Carnival. The chocolate melting cake is yummy. Try as many entrees as you want to, you can. I hear the big beautiful midnight buffets are no longer, but you'll probably still find some scaled down midnight buffets.

 

We have never done a ship sponsored excursion. We've always looked at the "ports of call" threads on this board and picked the excursions people enjoyed most and recommended. I'm happy to say we've never been disappointed. (And we've saved money!)

 

Carnival has their own line of bedding...some people think it's the same as other cruise ships, we found it very comfortable! If you are going with a spouse or significant other, the beds can be pushed together to form a king, otherwise you will most likely have two twin beds. I found Carnival's staterooms to be a bit bigger than when I sailed on RCCL. The bathroom is small but usually well laid out (I'm sure this depends on the particular class of ship as to how your bathroom is configured.) We've had soap and shampoo as well as a few other amenities in our bathrooms on Carnival, so you usually don't have to bring those if you need to save some space in your luggage.

 

I've always found there is adequate space to store my suitcases and my clothes in the closet, though I am not a heavy packer. Suitcases will generally fit under the bed (at least mine do). I usually take a power strip, because there are limited outlets. There is a TV that gets satellite, so there are a limited number of shows and movies to watch. Most people don't spend a lot of time in their stateroom, but my husband likes to watch all the movies and read his books in the room (to each his own, I'd rather be at the pool!)

 

I have found some good deals on the ship as far as shopping goes, especially the $10 items. I usually like to shop in the ports though. If you are into jewelry, find out some prices where you live and then when you get to the ports with "Diamonds International" and some of the other stores, you will know if you are getting a good deal or not. I know several people on my "roll call" board have their own jeweler they like to go to in certain ports, so there must be some deals out there!

 

We usually tip our steward and waiters a bit more in cash at the end of the cruise for good service (have never had bad.) You will find a lot of posts on Cruise Critic about tipping, so you just have to decide what is best for you.

 

You should join your ship's "roll call" board - that way you can come in contact with others who will be on your ship.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise!!! I think you will love Carnival.

[Catrin]

Here is a thread I started a long time ago... and has recieved many responses....

"What Rookie Mistakes did you learn from"?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=854020&highlight=

 

Hope that helps!

Catrin

[MuncieCruisers]

If you drink hard liquor with coke, I would order a litre before you board for your room and get a soda card. My wife can use a litre over a 3-4 day cruise. You get a litre and the cokes to drink it with. You could also take coke with you or smuggle booze.

[skay]

Here is a thread I started a long time ago... and has recieved many responses....

"What Rookie Mistakes did you learn from"?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=854020&highlight=

 

Hope that helps!

Catrin

That's a great thread. Thanks. +1!!