Carnival cruisers Please Help!! Questions

[travelexplore3]

Hello, this will be our very first cruise on Carnival ever on January 13, 2013. We have cruised Ncl 4 times, Disney 4 disney and 1 rccl. My questions are:

* Can you bring soda on board the ship?

* Can you bring a bottle of say Captain Morgan on the ship?

* We are in a Guarantee Balcony room to be assigned upon check in..what should I be expecting?

* Do we have to dress up for formal nights?

* How does the eat whenever plan work? And what should I expect if I am waitlisted for it?

* And lastly for some reason I can only book excurssions for the day we are in Puerto Vallarta, it doesn't even show me any options for Cabo...what does this mean? I've called Carnival several times and no one will help me.

Thanks in advance.

[pattimelt]

I can't answer all of them, but I can some of them:

 

 

Hello, this will be our very first cruise on Carnival ever on January 13, 2013. We have cruised Ncl 4 times, Disney 4 disney and 1 rccl. My questions are:

* Can you bring soda on board the ship? YES. I believe a 12 pack per person.

* Can you bring a bottle of say Captain Morgan on the ship? NO alcohol may be brought on the ship. Try Bon Voyage and have alcohol delivered and waiting for you in your cabin when you get on board. ONE bottle per person of wine is allowed to be brought on board.

* We are in a Guarantee Balcony room to be assigned upon check in..what should I be expecting? A balcony room. You could have an obstructed view, you could have an extended balcony, etc. Only thing we can say is that you will get your balcony.

* Do we have to dress up for formal nights? It is SUGGESTED that you dress nicely. I know I will get beaten up for this, but you should be ok with a nice pair of pants and a nice blouse.

* How does the eat whenever plan work? And what should I expect if I am waitlisted for it? If you are waitlisted, you will get a set dinner time, either early or late. You can check with the Maitre 'd when you board and request anytime dining, and if it is available, he will switch you.

* And lastly for some reason I can only book excurssions for the day we are in Puerto Vallarta, it doesn't even show me any options for Cabo...what does this mean? I've called Carnival several times and no one will help me. this one I have no clue.

Thanks in advance.

[k2excursion]

(1) Yes, you can carry your own soda on board. The limits are 12 bottles or cans per person of non-alcoholic beverages, 20 ounces or less. It does not have to be in a "pack". It can be loose cans/bottles of various flavors.

 

(2) I haven't read too carefully, since I'm not a drinker, but I think that you are allowed a bottle of wine, 750 ml or less, per person over age 21. I don't see anything about liquors though. The wine & soda is supposed to be carried on in your carry-on luggage.

 

(3) What ship are you on? The guarantees often wind up getting lower level categories within the room type, but not always. If this is for the Splendor, the lowest you can get is a standard balcony on deck 6.

 

(4) You do not have to get all dressed up with fancy gowns & tuxes. They don't call it formal night anymore. It's called elegant night, as they wanted to take the pressure off us to go all out if we don't want to. For guys, a nice button-up shirt (and even a nice polo shirt), and slacks (or even khakis) would be just fine.

 

I don't think I can help much with the last 2 points though. I haven't done anytime dining, and Carnival's website must be messing up. You should be able to book the excursions over the phone. You will have an opportunity to book excursions on board if you can't do it ahead of time. But of course, it's best to get it booked sooner if you can.

[travelexplore3]

Thank you both very much..that helps a lot. yes we are on the Splendor for a 6 night cruise.

[JerseyGirlJen]

I can answer a couple of your questions.

 

Yes you can bring soda onboard. They limit you to 12 bottles/cans no more than 20oz each.

 

People get dressed for formal night--some black tie and some nice dress pants and a nice blouse or a dress. Do you have to? I don't know if they would deny you entry for not being dressed (I doubt it), but you would stick out like a sore thumb if you didn't. If you don't want to get dressed you can always head to the buffet or another alternative restaurant that night.

[David-n-Rita]

Cabo, you tender in and there can be quite a wait for a tender. In other words, wait a bit until after the rush and go ashore then. Take absolutely NO fruit, and the fruit police will look in your bag for fruit once you are getting off the tender. The beaches are all right there, and there is "water taxis, that cost like $2.00 and will take you to the beaches which you can see from the anchored ship

[Fla Senior]

For elegant night you would actually stand out more with the black tie (tux) look. Business Casual is now the norm.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Hello, this will be our very first cruise on Carnival ever on January 13, 2013. We have cruised Ncl 4 times, Disney 4 disney and 1 rccl. My questions are:

* Can you bring soda on board the ship? Yes.

* Can you bring a bottle of say Captain Morgan on the ship? Maybe you can sneak on. Lots of people try, many succeed. If busted, no penalty other than the booze which they may give back to you at the end of the cruise.

* We are in a Guarantee Balcony room to be assigned upon check in..what should I be expecting? A balcony.

* Do we have to dress up for formal nights? There are no more formal nights. They call them Elegant and no jacket or tie required. There will be very few penguins, but it is certainly allowed and not discouraged, if that is what you desire to wear.

* How does the eat whenever plan work? And what should I expect if I am waitlisted for it? You show up when you want during the posted hours. If lots of others show up at the same time, some wait until a table clears. The later you show up, the less likely there will be any wait.

* And lastly for some reason I can only book excurssions for the day we are in Puerto Vallarta, it doesn't even show me any options for Cabo...what does this mean? I've called Carnival several times and no one will help me. It means your cruise is probably not anytime soon. When is your cruise?

Thanks in advance.

 

You're welcome!

[sparks1093]

CCL limits you to bringing wine onboard but you may order a bottle of liqour through the Bon Voyage department or once you get onboard through room service or guest services. Prior to our cruise I ordered a 1 liter bottle of Bacardi for $60 and I think I remember seeing Captain on the list. We brought 2 12 packs of coke and I would go back to the room periodically to freshen our drinks (we bought two Dod's in souvenier cups when we first boarded and used those through the week).

[breenw]

We have never been stopped from taking any certain amount of soft drinks on board. We usually buy a case of regular and a case of diet cokes and they have never looked twice at that mount.

 

One bottle of wine per person is the limit for carryon. (Make sure it is not in your checked luggage).

 

If you don't want anytime dining, go to the dining room on the first afternoon you board and they can try to accommodate your preference.

 

A balcony guarantee cabin could get you just about anything above that. I've known people to get upgraded to extended balcony cabins and even junior suites. You never know...........