First Time Cruiser W/ Lots Of ???'s

[timsgrl]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in May on the Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean. I've been reading a lot of the posts to try and get all my questions answered, but am still a little confused about certain items. Any help or suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? Is there an alarm clock provided or should we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP YOU CAN GIVE!!

[iloveclea]

I am 12 and have been on 13 cruises. About food, food in all dining rooms and buffets is free. The only places that you have to pay for food are some coffee places, ice cream shops and specialty resturants. You can usually drink unlimited tea, water, and coffe on the ship. Some cruise lines offer lemonade or fruit juice and some do not. As for alchohol and soft drinks you do have to pay for those. At the beginning of the cruise you can usually buy a card that gives you unlimited soft drinks. These run around 20- 25 dollars. But, If you drink a lot of soda these are a good deal. When you stop in port you can go back on the ship to eat lunch. This is what I suggest since most food in port is fairly expensive. You are allowed to wear jeans and jean shorts on the ship and in port. Bathing suits are also excepted as wear on board although you are asked to have shirts and shoes on while entering the casual dining spots usually on the Lido deck. Absolutely no jeans or cut offs are allowed into the formal dining room after 6pm. I would certainly suggest to allow some time to shop in St. Thomas. Shampoo and Conditioner is provided by the ship but I would suggest bringing your own. Although the soap that they provide is okay. I don't know about irons on Carnival but I would suggest asking in the main Carnival board. There is an alarm clock provided but I would also suggest to bring a small travel alarm clock just in case you can't figure out how to work the one on board. (They have been know to be very confusing) There also is a security box in the room that is free to use.

HOPE THIS HELPED.

Katie :)

[LoriTX]

On Carnival there are Irons available in the laundry rooms. You can not bring one from home(fire hazard).

 

They Do Not provide an alarm clock...you can program the phone for a wake up call. If you need a clock bring one with you! We use the clock and alarm in our Cell Phones.

 

You can go back and forth from the ship in ports...but it can be a hassle and sometimes a long walk!

 

I use the shampoo and soap provided, but bring a really good conditioner with me!

 

Lori

[voyageur]

You will have so much fun... please don't sweat the small stuff...

 

Food is all included and plentiful... If you don't want to go to the dining room for dinner there are other options... and room service is available 24 hours... everything is included in your cruise fare except a small "tip" for the steward you delivers it to your room. Drinks of soda and alcohol are extra and charged to your sail & sign card. At meals ice tea, milk, coffee, tea, lemonade is included.

 

Jeans are acceptable in port, although I think you'll be a bit too warm.

 

I'm not much of a shopper so I can't suggest which island is good for shopping... to me after you've been to one island you will see that the choices are similar. I know many people look to St. Thomas as "the place" to shop. I loved Barbados and Aruba... I felt the safest and the people were very friendly. Don't think you have to book an excursion at each port. There are always people willing to drive you around to places you'd like to see for less than the ship will charge. (just do a little homework on what you'd like to see ahead of time.)

 

There is shampoo available in your room, but do take extra conditioner as salt water can do a "number" on your hair. There are laundry rooms on each deck of the ship, so irons are available. Each room is equipped with a safe and you can arrange for wak-up calls just as at all hotels. We always take a travel alarm.

[lilmsonry]

If interested, a couple of weeks ago I purchased a steamer for on board. It was at Oreck.com, about 10.00 bucks with free shipping and other posters have said it works wonderful, as I have not tried it yet.....It got to me in about 5 days or so. Happy sailing...ask away any questions!!;)

[celbercrz333]

tims,

1. food and drinks are included in the price of your cruise except for sodas and for mixed drinks. You can go off and on your ship once it is in a port as many times as you want. Just make sure you have your funpass with you. It will look like a credit card with your name on it, Carnival's name and your account number. I buy a small pouch or zippered bag with a keyring and attach a wristband to it. It's so convenient to slip your card into if you are just going up a few decks or if you need to go to that little shop just across from where the ship is docked.

2. jeans on Carnival ships I think are more accepted than on other lines. We did a Celebrity cruise and saw almost no jeans. The Carnival cruise had more.

3. See what shore excursions are available to you for the cruise you are doing. At any time while you are on board your ship you can go down to the lobby and ask them what is in the next port.

3. Attached to the inside of each shower are 2 pumps. One is soap and the other is shampoo. We found this pretty much on both our Celebrity cruise and our Carnival (Fascination) cruise. They DO NOT have hair dryers. My best advice is to go out and buy the cheapest "kiddie" type waterproof wristwatch. You can not only wear it in the ocean on your cruise, but they have alarms on them. Dual use for less space. We had a security box in our cabin on both ships.

Hope this helps you with your planning. Carnival had irons and a self serve laundry room on our ship. You might want to see if your Carnival ship has that.

-JO

[jcruise67]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in May on the Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean. I've been reading a lot of the posts to try and get all my questions answered, but am still a little confused about certain items. Any help or suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port? I figure if my husband and I will be doing something active or where we might get dirty it would be better to wear less dressy clothes.

 

3)We'll be stopping at St. Thomas/St. John, Barbados, Dominica, and Aruba...any suggestions on places to definitely see or do at these ports?

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? Is there an alarm clock provided or should we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP YOU CAN GIVE!!

 

DW and I have been on 12 cruises. We sailed on the Carnival Destiny last April and did the exact itinerary you will be doing. There are no specialty restaurants on the Destiny, so you won't have to worry about paying any extra for food. All food, entertainment, and all drinks but alcohol and soda are free as well. You will find cruising to be extremely convenient and very relaxing. There is so much to do on the ship as well as in the ports. Most first time cruisers return for another. All cruise experiences vary from pax to pax. Cruises have an array of amenities to offer all types of personalities so don't worry. Enjoy the Caribbean Sea air and all the ports of call. Make sure you visit Carlos & Charlies in Aruba. Its a blast. If you are in to drinking and partying then I suggest you do the pub crawl in Aruba. We had a blast of a time. We ended up at Carlos & Charlies towards the ladder part of the evening. We were having so much fun, our group of 12 almost missed the ship.(LOL)

 

As for the ship layout I didn't find it all that teriffic. There are a couple of pools situated aroung the stadium seating on the pool deck. You will like the sounds of "Cool Runnings" steel pan band poolside. I prefer much larger main pools on deck where people can congregate around more. Some pax prefer the smaller quieter pool areas...Not Me though!!! Have a wonderful time. If you have any questions, be sure to ask on these boards. The members here at cruise critic are very informative and have a lot of cruise experience.

 

John

[Cotton]

timsgrl

1)How does the food and drinks work on ship? Is all food/meals free or do you have to pay for some? As for drinks is it correct that you can have unlimited tea, lemonade, coffee but you have to pay for anything else? When you stop at ports can you get back on the ship for your meals?

 

Most of your questions have been answered. I'll just add a little more info. (And, by the way, y'all will be hooked on cruising before you return!):D

 

In the mornings, on deck, you'll find machines that have orange juice, apple juice, coffee, hot water (for tea), and milk. During the day, the machines will have lemonade, fruit punch, etc. All this is also available at no charge from room service. Anything you order from room service - there is no charge (except alcoholic beverages/soft drinks)....but be sure and tip the delivery person a buck or two, depending on the size of your order. For coffee in the mornings, I tip $1 - for anything more, like sandwiches, I tip $2.

 

Yes, your ship is your 'hotel at sea', and you can get off and on at any time while docked at a port. Your Sail & Sign card will be slid through a machine each time you leave or re-board the ship.

 

2)I know it's not appropriate to wear jeans or jean shorts on ship but is it okay to wear these items while at a port?

 

Some folks do wear jeans/jean shorts while cruising, but I don't understand why. A cruise is a "tropical thing";) , and jeans are far from tropical. It's usually much too hot on the islands to wear jeans. (Jeans, shorts, and tees are not allowed in the dining room in the evenings, but are fine for b'fast and lunch, or anytime at Lido buffet area.)

 

4)Is shampoo and conditioner provided on ship? Is an iron provided, if not can we bring our own? Is there an alarm clock provided or should we bring our own? And is there a security box in our room to lock our things up?

 

As stated above, Carnival ships have two dispensers in the showers. One is body wash and the other is shampoo. You'll also have an amenity basket in the bathroom - with sample sizes of things like shampoo, conditioner, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mints, deodorant; it varies.

 

And - NO, irons are a huge fire hazard (as are candles!), and are not allowed in the cabins. Better to be wrinkled than floating in a lifeboat!:eek: On every Carnival ship, there are at least two laundry rooms on each deck. They have washers, dryers, ironing boards, and irons. (You could take "Wrinkle Release" in a small spray bottle to touch up your clothes if you'd rather.

 

I've never seen a clock in a Carnival cabin. I take one of the small lighted dial travel clocks - $4 WalMart. You can also use room service as your wake-up call for coffee. Tell them what time you want coffee delivered, and they'll be there within a 10-minute frame.

 

Safes are located in a closet in all cabins.