Bridge and/or Kitchen Tours on Carnival

[globe9]

Does Carnival offer bridge tours? I did these tours several times on RCCL as a kid, but don't seem to recall if Carnival offers this or not.

 

Also, what about a "Behind the Scenes" tour that I've seen some people refer to?

 

I do remember taking a Kitchen Tour on the Conquest out of NOLA in 2004, but don't recall them offering that on the Fantasy out of NOLA for the next 2 cruises I took.

 

Will they have a Kitchen Tour?

 

I just find the logistics of running a cruise ship for that many people fascinating and would love to take any kind of behind the scenes tour.

 

Thanks!

[OhioJeff]

What is the "Behind the Fun" tour?

 

Carnival’s “BEHIND THE FUN” Tour Unique Insight into the Line’s Shipboard Operations

For those who want to get an insider’s look at the inner-workings of a Carnival “Fun Ship,” the line has created Behind the Fun, a guided tour that provides guests with a unique insight into the company’s shipboard operations.

Behind the Fun is offered fleetwide. On 3/4/5 day cruises, a shortened version of the described tour below will be approximately 2 hours and cost $55 per person.

On cruises 6 days or longer, the informative 3-1/2 hour tour offers participants a behind-the-scenes look at a wide range of shipboard venues that are normally off limits to guests. During the tour, key shipboard personnel, including the captain, chief engineer, chef de cuisine and other department heads, share their vast knowledge in their particular area of expertise.

Behind the Fun begins with a stop backstage in the main show lounge where participants can see exactly what goes into creating Carnival’s award-winning revues. The tour then moves on to normally restricted areas such as the laundry room, crew galley and dining room, crew gym and crew training center.

Next it’s on to the expansive main galley where talented culinary artists prepare upwards of 12,000 meals and snacks a day for Carnival’s guests. The tour also includes a visit to the ship’s bridge and engine control room and informative Q&A sessions with the captain and chief engineer, respectively.

In addition to a comprehensive overview of Carnival’s shipboard operations, Behind the Fun participants receive a number of commemorative gifts, including a custom-made Behind the Fun baseball cap and lanyard, a Team Carnival Picture Perfect book with stunning photographs of Carnival ships and destinations taken by the line’s employees and complimentary photos with the captain on the bridge.

Behind the Fun tours can be booked through the ships’ shore excursion desk. The cost is $95 per person and capacity is limited to 16 guests per tour. Guests must be 13 or older to participate; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

General Information

Tours are conducted on the last sea day of each cruise.

Guests are not permitted to have cameras, cell phones or video recording equipment on the tour.

Guests must be 13 or older to participate; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

The tour is approximately 3-1/2 hours for cruises 6 days and longer and approximately 2 hours for 3/4/5 day cruises.

The tour can only be purchased on board through the Shore Excursion Desk.

[globe9]

The cost is $95 per person.

$95 per person:eek: WOW! Not sure if I'm THAT interested LOL All the tours I took before were free....even the galley tour on the Conquest in 2004.

 

Guess nothing's free anymore, but $95 a person? Again:eek::eek::eek: LOL I'm not going to pay almost $200 for me and the GF and then not even get to take pics. Seems like they could make this a lot more reasonably priced and leave out all the crap they give ya...like the hat, lanyard, book, etc. I wouldn't want all of that anyway.

 

Thanks for the info though!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

$95 per person:eek: WOW! Not sure if I'm THAT interested LOL All the tours I took before were free....even the galley tour on the Conquest in 2004.

 

Guess nothing's free anymore, but $95 a person? Again:eek::eek::eek: LOL I'm not going to pay almost $200 for me and the GF and then not even get to take pics. Seems like they could make this a lot more reasonably priced and leave out all the crap they give ya...like the hat, lanyard, book, etc. I wouldn't want all of that anyway.

 

Thanks for the info though!

 

 

If you do a search on these boards, you'll find that those who've take this tour absolutely rave about it (TBH, I haven't read a single review of it where someone said it wasn't worth every penny). It's way more than a galley tour--you see a lot of what happens behind the scenes and get to go to places that are totally off limits to passengers. Usually, the person telling you about the area you're in is the person in charge of that area (Chef d'Cuisine, Chief Engineer, Captain, etc). I'm just hoping we can take this tour on our upcoming Splendor cruise. :)

[bunnyette]

We did it as part of DH's 60th B-day trip on Liberty in November. Worth every penny - don't worry about the photos - they take lots of you all included in the tour price. It was an honour to meet the captain and his crew. We saw some very interesting parts of the ship. My favourite was the galley and not just for the homemade marshmallows:p!

 

I got him the excursion as his birthday present (although so was the cruise!) and it was perfect.

 

Try it - you'll like it.

[terri-eddie]

The cruise I'm planning next has no sea days [southern Caribbean out of San Juan on Victory]. Will there still be a Behind the Fun tour?

[OhioJeff]

The cruise I'm planning next has no sea days [southern Caribbean out of San Juan on Victory]. Will there still be a Behind the Fun tour?

Yes, Buffettfan 225 posted this a few days ago, her review is currently on the first page. Here is the link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1236801

 

[Sargent_Schultz]

Galley tours are still free and you can take pictures. They usually only notify platinum cruisers but I've never seen them check ids. Typically the last sea day in the morning.

[golfadj]

We did the behind the fun tour in May on Glory and it was outstanding.

 

Some ships will still have the open to all cruisers galley tour but it is a very short tour.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I did a galley tour for free on the Elation (Fantasy class) but it was conducted when foood preparations were not really taking place. Most of the kitchen stuff was cleaned and ready to be used to cook.

 

I would definately be interested in the behind the fun tour. I'd rather pay for this tour than a shore excursion since my cruises are usually all about the ship anyway.

[Reunioncruiser]

We did the Galley Tour on the Pride (was listed in the Capers - called that at the time!). I found it very interesting even though the kitchen wasn't in action during the tour. They still talked about the sheer volume of food brought on for each cruise and how much of different items are prepared each week. The tour wasn't very long (maybe 45 minutes??). Definitely an interesting and free but much less involved alternative.