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Won a Carnival Cruise on MyVEGAS game , and this cruise first timer has questions :)


El Gogo
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Hello, Cruise Critic...

 

So yea, my wife and I have never been on an ocean cruise before, and a couple of days ago while playing the myVEGAS game on Facebook, my wife struck it rich and won a reward of a 5 day cruise on Carnival to the Caribbean on the Valor leaving from Galveston ! We are excited, and hope to plan this for our anniversary in January or for valentine in February.

 

With that in mind and after researching stuff for the past 24 hours , I have a few questions that maybe are repeated a lot here, but I’d kindly appreciate if you could please help us get started on planning this dream trip of ours . So...

 

1. Is having a room with a window or balcony worth the upgrade cost than a standard inside room ?

 

2. How does Carnival’s transfer process works from the airport(s) in Houston to the port and back?

 

3. Is the Cheers drink package for this 5 night trip really would cost us over $500 for the two of us if we do decide to get it?

 

4. Is doing prepaid gratuities a good idea?

 

5. We are thinking of doing one excursion for sure to a Mayan Ruin site..can we book those closer to sail date?

 

6. And lastly, we are thinking of using Carnival’s Fast To The Fun program too....how does it work and is it worth it ?

 

 

Thank you in advance, everyone !!

 

- el gogo

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Welcome to Cruise Critic and to the world of cruising. As mentioned most of these are Carnival Cruise line specific questions so I would post them on the Carnival Board and this link will take you there:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=215

 

As to the balcony that comes down to your own preference and how the cost works with your budget. Sure it is nice to have so you can walk outside from your room to get views and/or fresh air. However, it's a nice to have but for many people not a requirement and the money for that could be used for other things.

 

For the excursion popular ones can book up so if this is something you really want to do I would book it sooner rather then later.

 

Keith

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Welcome to Cruise Critic.

First -- don't get your hopes up on being able to do a Valentine's cruise. They sell out quickly.

Have friends that have done the Fast to the Fun -- twice. They loved it. They were among the first on the ship and their cabin was ready for them.

As to the drinks package. It all depends on how much you drink. We drink much thus it is not worth it to us.

Pre-paying gratuities is a good idea -- one less bill at the end of the cruise. You can always give extra cash tips if you want to to anyone whom you feel went out of their way to make your cruise an enjoyable one.

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Hello, Cruise Critic...

 

So yea, my wife and I have never been on an ocean cruise before, and a couple of days ago while playing the myVEGAS game on Facebook, my wife struck it rich and won a reward of a 5 day cruise on Carnival to the Caribbean on the Valor leaving from Galveston ! We are excited, and hope to plan this for our anniversary in January or for valentine in February.

 

With that in mind and after researching stuff for the past 24 hours , I have a few questions that maybe are repeated a lot here, but I’d kindly appreciate if you could please help us get started on planning this dream trip of ours . So...

 

1. Is having a room with a window or balcony worth the upgrade cost than a standard inside room ? strictly personal preference. we won't sail in anything less than balcony but we spend a lot of time out there

 

2. How does Carnival’s transfer process works from the airport(s) in Houston to the port and back?

 

3. Is the Cheers drink package for this 5 night trip really would cost us over $500 for the two of us if we do decide to get it? yes. and double check to make sure that is after gratuities are added. keep in mind that Carnival has a 15 drink per day limit.

 

4. Is doing prepaid gratuities a good idea? again, personal preference. we like to as that is a fixed cost inherent in the vacation and we want as much paid off as possible before boarding

 

5. We are thinking of doing one excursion for sure to a Mayan Ruin site..can we book those closer to sail date? usually not an issue but do your research.. going through the ship is more expensive and can be more limited as far as options. using an independent tour operator can be a much better deal and experience.

 

6. And lastly, we are thinking of using Carnival’s Fast To The Fun program too....how does it work and is it worth it ? yet again, person nalprefernce. they only sell so many of those, but quite honestly, the difference in time between when the first person boards and the last person is usually a matter of minutes.

 

 

Thank you in advance, everyone !!

 

- el gogo

 

you really have to read ALLLLLL the fine print. there will be taxes and fees tacked on and your 'free' cruise won't really be as free as you think. and thats before you even board and realize what you have to pay extra for.

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  • 3 weeks later...

1. Would have to know the upgrade cost to tell you if it’s worth it. I personally don’t mind inside rooms. Really just comes down to budget, I would pick the bev package and port tours over a room upgrade

 

3. Not sure what your question is. Think cheers is like $55 pp pd; so yes, the price is correct. It is optional of course; you can pay for drinks as you go

 

4. We prefer to prepay our gratuities. Personal preference, there’s no right or wrong answer

 

5. Yes, can book excursions up to sailing and on the boat. Only hurdle is some excursions may sell out, but not sure how often this really happens

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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1. Is having a room with a window or balcony worth the upgrade cost than a standard inside room ?

From personal experience, I love the balcony. It's nice to have that option. Now I wouldn't get a balcony on say a 4 day cruise or less. But anything 5 and over, I say it's nice to have. If you know for a fact you won't be in your stateroom at all and you'll spend all your free time on the main decks, then no.

2. How does Carnival’s transfer process works from the airport(s) in Houston to the port and back?

You can take a shuttle. Here's a link to Carnival's website that explains how it works. https://www.carnival.com/airport-transportation/galveston.aspx

 

3. Is the Cheers drink package for this 5 night trip really would cost us over $500 for the two of us if we do decide to get it?

Personal experience again, no. It also depends on your ports. But I would say, if you don't plan to drink about 7 or 8 drinks a day, than I would save the money and use somewhere else.

 

4. Is doing prepaid gratuities a good idea?

Yes. Get it out of the way so you don't forget about it later. There were times I forgot, it wasn't a big deal, but I wished I had prepaid them.

 

5. We are thinking of doing one excursion for sure to a Mayan Ruin site..can we book those closer to sail date?

Yes, but I would book early if you can. You don't know how many people are planning to book that exursion and if it will become sold out or not. I always try to book the excursions first so I don't have to worry about them at the last minute.

 

6. And lastly, we are thinking of using Carnival’s Fast To The Fun program too....how does it work and is it worth it ?

Again, personal experience, I LOVE IT. We use it for every cruise, and it's just nice getting on the ship earlier, and having our stateroom ready. I carry on a bag, as does my husband. Also, sometimes we need guest services and the lines can get long. Plus, if you plan to fly home after your cruise, debarking faster is a nice bonus (even though that's the worst part is leaving vacation!)

 

 

Some other tips:

Do the online check in as soon as you book all your excursions and pay off your cruise. Also, print your documents a week or two before (so you aren't scrambling at the last minute).

Pack light. Remember, no one cares what you wear, you're on vacation!

Make copies of your passports and licenses, JUST IN CASE!

Bring sunscreen, and aloe. I promise, you won't regret it.

And the most important tip: HAVE FUN!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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