airlink diva Posted December 8, 2009 #1 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I want to gain more info about the behind the fun tour. Is it available on all ships? If so, do they offer the tour on a sea day? How much do it cost??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogi2929 Posted December 8, 2009 #2 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Fantsy Class ships the Behind the Scenes tour costs $55 Others classes cost $95 My Mom and Sis just did it on the Spirit and had a wonderful time. But then again they also liked the "hard hat" tour of Hoover Dam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubreysmom Posted December 8, 2009 #3 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I think it is on the last sea day of each cruise. Salty Dingo wrote a wonderful review of one. If you use the search tool you should be able to find it. I hope to do it on my cruise in a few days :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetobeaches Posted December 9, 2009 #4 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Don't know about all ships, but on the Legend, it is done on the last sea day and took us almost four hours. there is a LOT of walking, btw. I took the tour last Saturday. Price was $95.00 per person and included three 8 x 10 photos taken by ship photographers. You are not allowed to take photos and will be checked before the tour for cameras or cell phones by security with a wand, which is so sensitive, it picked up the small pin inside my right wrist from an accident long ago! You wil see back stage of the shows, the engine control room (NOT the actual engine room which is very loud and HOT), meet with the chief engineer, see the ship waste control area (VERY clean, by the way), the galley for the MDR and meet the chef. Next part of the tour takes you through the crew area and the three dining areas for them as well as the crew galley and the crew bar. we were not able to see any crew quarters up close since there were no empty crew cabins. I did see inside one as we walked by and they are quite small compared to passenger cabins. Not room for much of anything. We also saw the training room where staff are trained and was surprised to learn that after training, there is no longer a "base salary" for room stewards or wait staff. Pay is strictly from tips. Next, you will go to the bridge and meet the captain and get a full tour of the area as well as an explanation of how the different instruments work. From there, we went to the Golden Fleece Supper club galley and met the chef there where we were 'educated' about the different types of beef. In the dining area, we were given champagne and filled out a short survey sheet. we were given a tote bag/backpack, a behind the fun hat, a lanyard and a figure carved out of soap that we had been watching a man carve in the MDR galley. In my opinion, it was well worth the money. You have ample chances to ask questions of staff and officers. The number for the tour was limited to 18 and is NOT advertised. I saw a purser to book ours. It was not availble at the excursion counter. The three photos were a one-on-one with the captain, a group photo with the captain, and a group photo with the head chef. Chocolate covered strawberries were sent to our cabin later that day. My wife and granddaughter left me "one"............... As I mentioned earlier, it is long and there is a lot of walking, including stairs. Did not bother me at all. The one downside was after going through all the galleys and dining rooms, I was starving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airlink diva Posted December 9, 2009 Author #5 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Thanks for the great info!! I'm suppose to sail on the Triumph in March and will head to book this tour!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubreysmom Posted December 9, 2009 #6 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Cruisetobeaches I have 2 questions for you :) 1. Did you tip your guide????? 2. I think some people have signed up at the shore excursion desk - but you said to go to the purser's desk (guest services) - correct??? Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosefloater Posted December 9, 2009 #7 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Cruisetobeaches I have 2 questions for you :) 1. Did you tip your guide????? 2. I think some people have signed up at the shore excursion desk - but you said to go to the purser's desk (guest services) - correct??? Thanks for your help! 1. No. Our guide was one of the workers from the excursion desk. 2. You sign up at the Excursion desk. Do so as soon as you board. On the Spirit, it was on the 3rd sea day. They had 24 people signed up, so they broke it into 2 groups of 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetobeaches Posted December 9, 2009 #8 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Cruisetobeaches I have 2 questions for you :) 1. Did you tip your guide????? 2. I think some people have signed up at the shore excursion desk - but you said to go to the purser's desk (guest services) - correct??? Thanks for your help! No one that I saw tipped our tour guide. She is the head HR director on the Legend and according to her "Makes a very good salary". Her husband is also on the ship and is an officer. When I asked at the shore excursion desk, I was directed to see a purser since this was such a limited tour and they had the roster. If you intend to book this tour, do it right away. Don't wait or you will miss out. I've heard that on some ships, they will organize a second tour if the first sells out. That was not the case last week. It sold out quick and a second one was not scheduled. I should add one thing about the tour: a few had expected to see the actual engine room. This will not happen. On a Spirit class ship, there are six diesel engines running six 10 megawatt generators. This creates a great deal of heat and noise and would not be deemed safe for passengers! I did have the opportunity to see the engine room on a fantasy class ship once (whole different story), so can attest to the heat and noise factor! Hearing protection is required and you would never be able to hear someone talking anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aubreysmom Posted December 9, 2009 #9 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Thank you Rosefloater and Cruisetobeaches. I appreciate your help :) I do have VIP embarkation and had planned to go and sign up for this tour immediately. I just wasn't sure where to go. My parents tried to do the tour on their Hawaii cruise on the Spirit - but missed out. :o My DD and I will be on a Fantasy Class ship - the Inspiration. Again, many thanks for your help :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Beach Bum Posted December 9, 2009 #10 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Just got off the Freedom on 11/30 and we did the Behind the Fun tour. LOVED it!! Very informative and interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC77 Posted December 9, 2009 #11 Share Posted December 9, 2009 We are going on the Freedom in April. I have a son in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident. He can manage some steps with assistance. Would this tour be possible for him? My son was a chef in a former life and my husband worked on a dredge as a chief engineer. It sounds like this tour would interest both of them. Thanks for any info. Leah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC77 Posted December 9, 2009 #12 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Colorado Beah Bum, How was the Freedom? I heard it is or has gone into dry dock. We are going Easter week and have an aft balcony cabin, Any insider info would be appreciated! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetobeaches Posted December 9, 2009 #13 Share Posted December 9, 2009 We are going on the Freedom in April. I have a son in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident. He can manage some steps with assistance. Would this tour be possible for him? Thanks for any info. Leah I would talk with a staff member on board. The tour I took last week moved along pretty quick from place to place. The steps in the crew area a quite a bit steeper than those the pax use and some are quite narrow. There was a man with a cane on our tour, but he was still pretty agile and I didn't see him use it much other than when we were standing still for a 'prop'. There are a lot of steps to be taken going down to the decks below the water line and back up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC77 Posted December 9, 2009 #14 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Cruise, Thanks for the suggestion. I will check when we get on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needmommytime Posted December 9, 2009 #15 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Has anyone done a Behind the scenes tour on the Fantasy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carads Posted December 10, 2009 #16 Share Posted December 10, 2009 My wife and I did the Behind the Fun tour on the Glory last week. We went to the purser to sign up but were sent to the excursion desk where they took our information and sent the tickets to our cabin later that night. Both of us found the tour extremely interesting and would highly recommend it. My wife was especially thrilled having our picture taken on the bridge with the captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadci Posted December 18, 2009 #17 Share Posted December 18, 2009 THIS. SOUNDS. AWESOME! I was just wondering if they ever let anybody see the behind the scenes stuff. My other half could care less... so she'll take a nap or start getting ready to get off the next day. I just hope I remember to book it when we get on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneOneNiner Posted December 18, 2009 #18 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Don't know about all ships, but on the Legend, it is done on the last sea day and took us almost four hours. there is a LOT of walking, btw. I took the tour last Saturday. Price was $95.00 per person and included three 8 x 10 photos taken by ship photographers. You are not allowed to take photos and will be checked before the tour for cameras or cell phones by security with a wand, which is so sensitive, it picked up the small pin inside my right wrist from an accident long ago! You wil see back stage of the shows, the engine control room (NOT the actual engine room which is very loud and HOT), meet with the chief engineer, see the ship waste control area (VERY clean, by the way), the galley for the MDR and meet the chef. Next part of the tour takes you through the crew area and the three dining areas for them as well as the crew galley and the crew bar. we were not able to see any crew quarters up close since there were no empty crew cabins. I did see inside one as we walked by and they are quite small compared to passenger cabins. Not room for much of anything. We also saw the training room where staff are trained and was surprised to learn that after training, there is no longer a "base salary" for room stewards or wait staff. Pay is strictly from tips. Next, you will go to the bridge and meet the captain and get a full tour of the area as well as an explanation of how the different instruments work. From there, we went to the Golden Fleece Supper club galley and met the chef there where we were 'educated' about the different types of beef. In the dining area, we were given champagne and filled out a short survey sheet. we were given a tote bag/backpack, a behind the fun hat, a lanyard and a figure carved out of soap that we had been watching a man carve in the MDR galley. In my opinion, it was well worth the money. You have ample chances to ask questions of staff and officers. The number for the tour was limited to 18 and is NOT advertised. I saw a purser to book ours. It was not availble at the excursion counter. The three photos were a one-on-one with the captain, a group photo with the captain, and a group photo with the head chef. Chocolate covered strawberries were sent to our cabin later that day. My wife and granddaughter left me "one"............... As I mentioned earlier, it is long and there is a lot of walking, including stairs. Did not bother me at all. The one downside was after going through all the galleys and dining rooms, I was starving! We just took the tour on the Liberty and it was exactly like you describe. Allthough they did mention the tour in the Fun Ashore Talk (Day 2, first sea day). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Beach Bum Posted December 18, 2009 #19 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Colorado Beah Bum, How was the Freedom? I heard it is or has gone into dry dock. We are going Easter week and have an aft balcony cabin, Any insider info would be appreciated! Thanks The Freedom was GREAT! We were on the last week before it went to dry dock and the ship was in excellent condition. On the Behind the fun tour they did tell us that they are doing major things like carpet, moving one of the age groups camp carnival rooms to Deck 3 by the library, putting in an adult serenity area, things of that nature. We had a Forward Balcony room (7220) and put the kids in 2 inside rooms. Love, love love the balcony room. Plenty of storage space. Crew was great! Cabin stewards did an excellent job as always on Carnival. All 8 of us were greeted every morning and evening by name by the steward and his assistant. A nice touch I think. I hope you have a great time. I'm a firm believer in "Expect to have a great cruise and you will have a great cruise." Works for us, we have NEVER been disappointed. Happy Travels:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BananaKetchup Posted December 18, 2009 #20 Share Posted December 18, 2009 What time does the tour start? (I will be on the Valor if that makes any difference) 4 hours is a lot of sun time to give up :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkerccst Posted December 18, 2009 #21 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Dress code for this tour - closed toe shoes and no skirts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRam99V8 Posted December 18, 2009 #22 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Going on the Dream in May/June, If anyone Does the Behind the Fun tour on the Dream. Will you let us know when it is,where ya signed up etc etc. Thanks So Much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzy1212 Posted December 18, 2009 #23 Share Posted December 18, 2009 What time does the tour start? (I will be on the Valor if that makes any difference) 4 hours is a lot of sun time to give up :p On the Conquest we met in the library at 8:45 on the last sea day and the tour started at 9:00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy Posted December 19, 2009 #24 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Is there a way to sign up in advance, or can you only do it on the ship? We'll be on the Conquest in March and I think a tour like this would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzy1212 Posted December 19, 2009 #25 Share Posted December 19, 2009 You can't sign up until you board. Go to the shore excursion desk as soon as it opens. They told me it sells out the first day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.