Heading on our first cruise

[Alamoguy]

In a couple of weeks, my fiancee and I as well as our two kids (ages 11 and 13) are going on a Carnival Cruise to Cozumel. This will be the first cruise for us, so while I have been reading up on the Carnival site regarding general information and tips to cruising, thought a crew like you folks would maybe have more specific or honest information (not that I doubt CArnival for any reason, just that they are of course pushing their own product).

 

We are leaving out of Miami, heading to Cozumel, on way back stop in Key West then wrap things up back in Miami. We purchased one of the Grand Suites for the trip, and we are going on one scheduled excursion so far, which is the dophin swim in Cozumel.

 

So, tip away please, we want to be as informed as possible so as to make it as special and fun a trip as we can for the kids.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice, info or tips.

[sarahleebones]

In a couple of weeks, my fiancee and I as well as our two kids (ages 11 and 13) are going on a Carnival Cruise to Cozumel. This will be the first cruise for us, so while I have been reading up on the Carnival site regarding general information and tips to cruising, thought a crew like you folks would maybe have more specific or honest information (not that I doubt CArnival for any reason, just that they are of course pushing their own product).

 

We are leaving out of Miami, heading to Cozumel, on way back stop in Key West then wrap things up back in Miami. We purchased one of the Grand Suites for the trip, and we are going on one scheduled excursion so far, which is the dophin swim in Cozumel.

 

So, tip away please, we want to be as informed as possible so as to make it as special and fun a trip as we can for the kids.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice, info or tips.

 

The only thing tip I can think of is.....have a blast!!!!!

[Alamoguy]

LOL...... thanks bones. We were just kinda wondering along the lines of, what all kind of things do they nickel and dime you to death on while on the boat? What are the added costs for eating at one of the restaurants that arne't the "main dining room", etc. Stuff like that so that we limit those types of activities to a point so we aren't surprised with an additional $100,000 credit card billl when we get back home! LOL.

[narrow56]

LOL...... thanks bones. We were just kinda wondering along the lines of, what all kind of things do they nickel and dime you to death on while on the boat? What are the added costs for eating at one of the restaurants that arne't the "main dining room", etc. Stuff like that so that we limit those types of activities to a point so we aren't surprised with an additional $100,000 credit card billl when we get back home! LOL.

 

The extra restaurants that aren't the main dining room are usually a set price and you pick off the menu. It's pretty easy to not be surprised about added costs. Don't buy drinks, avoid the spa, don't buy portraits...

[semichigan]

What ship are you sailing on? They are all a little bit different...

 

There are a plethora of opportunities to have your picture taken...and the pics cost - a lot. However, I have always found them to be great so I can't help myself! I buy a lot. Might be a good time to get a nice "family" portrait for you and your fiancee to display at home.

 

You can consider a soda sticker for the kids, if they drink a lot of soda, I'm not sure of the cost but might be worth checking out.

 

Bingo costs extra, gambling in the casino, excursions...but other than that and drinks, most everything is included - even room service.

 

Enjoy!

[Alamoguy]

We are cruising on the Imagination. Checked into the soda stickers, and they will be purchased (only $4.50/day). Thanks all, these are great tips.

[NCbmwmom]

Have a great time. We did the dolphin swim in Cozemel, and had a wonderful time. We booked on our own, not through Carnival and saved quite a bit. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The girls still talk about it.

[maryred]

Most cruise lines these days nickel and dime you on non=included items. It's not just limited to Carnival family of ships, the RCI family of lines, and NCL as well as Disney all have separate charges for different things. Here's a list of the info I've researched for my last cruise with Carnival in May'12. Though all of it might not completely up to date it should give you a general idea of what things cost on board should you choose to purchase them..

 

Included with each passenger's fare price:

All food and snacks from the buffet, room service (cash needed for tips though), and main dining room.

 

Self service coffee, hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, and water are free at the Lido deck buffet 24/7, with boxed milk available at meal times and juices are available during breakfast gratis. There are also water fountains near most of the public areas for tap water. Iced tea, milk, water, coffee and hot tea (juices at breakfast only) are also served without a charge in the MDR during sit down meals, but other drinks will be at the "bar" prices. Any drinks ordered from any bar or lounge, even soft drinks (including the ones you could get at the self service area of the Lido) will be charged to your S&S account with a 15% auto gratuity added to the menu price.

 

Camp Carnival for the kids, during normal operation hours, though it is customary to tip (in cash) the counselors. A few kids activities will have a charge (billed to the S&S card) like the build-a-bear workshop and after-hours babysitting but they will give you the costs upfront in the camp welcome packet.

 

All the lounge shows and entertainers, including the comedy shows (but not the CD/DVDs the comedian may try to sell). Though there are a few activities that do have a participation fee which will be charged to the S&S account (like bingo, the martini tasting, these will be noted w/ * in the FunTimes schedule delivered to you cabin daily) most activities are free to join in.

 

All the pools, hot tubs, loungers, gym equipment, and sports equipment are free to use. Some things may require a "deposit" on your S&S card to ensure equipment return (like the towels from the pool towel hut, mini golf equipment). Some things are popular so there may be a wait to get the equipment or time on the sports area.

 

 

Items that have a charge and must go on your S&S account once on board, no cash accepted at time of purchase, you must pre-fund the account w/ cash, travelers cheques, or a credit/debit card for last day of cruise billing. A few costs maybe pre-paid prior to boarding so you final S&S bill does not seem so large. You can decide if your tween & teen will share charges privileges from your S&S account with set limits or you can sever their accounts that they are separate from yours.

 

Auto- gratuities are $11.50 per person per day. These can be pre-paid or left to be added to your S&S account. This may come out as early as your 2nd day on board or as late as the 2nd to last day on board if not prepaid. On some ships, if you prepay these, you may see an immediate OBC on your S&S account in the amount equal to the pre-payment with the actual charge for the gratuities coming out on a later date.

 

Excursions (perhaps the biggest non-included expense) = With Carnival anywhere from $30 to $300 per person. As you have learned w/ booking your Dolphin Experience you can reserve & pay for a head of time or wait till your on board.

Some independent tours may take credit/debit cards others will require cash (paid at the time of the tour), but his should be spelled out on their website. These independent tours can be as inexpensive as $1.75 (ex bus passes to a free beach) to costing in the thousands (ex. private air tours). A third option is to arrive in port and go with the flow and just see what's available to do within your $ and time budget for the day.

 

Drinks (I have included the auto gratuity as part of the total):

Sodas, basic bottled water, and juices (from a lounge or bar) = $2.24. Available for pre-purchase from the Bon Voyage Dept. are soda tickets at 4 for $7.75 and the Bottomless Bubbles sticker at a charge of $6.90 (adult) or $5.18 (17 & younger) per day + possibly the departure port's local tax for the length of the cruise. The BB sticker may also be purchased on board the day of embarkation and the first full day of the cruise only.

Powerade & Vitamin water= $3.39

Imported & sparkling bottled water = $3.73 -$5.46

Espresso = $2.01 - $2.30 + flavor shots @ $0.58 each

Iced Coffees, Lattes, Cappuccino, and Chai (from the coffee shop) = $2.88 - $3.74 + flavor shots @ $0.58 each

Liquored Coffee = $5.17

Milkshakes = $4.54

Smoothies and virgin drinks = $5.46

Beer = $4.54 - $7.76 per can/bottle you can save $2 off buy purchasing a bucket of 4 at a time (mix and matching allowed)

Cordials & Shots = $5.68 - 11.44

Mixed drinks normal glass = $8.34 - $11.44

Souvenir glass drinks both the virgin and DODs types = $8.62 - $16.04. Refills can be less if you re-use the souvenir glass, most of the time close the normal glass drink price.

Wine per glass= $6.33 - $12.08

Wine per bottle = there are many choices but they tend to start at around $32 per bottle and go up from there.

There is available for pre-purchase from the BV dept. a set of bar tickets at 4 for $23.00 and these act as $5.75 gift certicates towards the purchase of drinks at any bar, lounge, or in the MDR lowering the amount charged to your S&S card.

 

Food:

The Chef's Table = $75 per person a great time if your a gourmand.

The steakhouse (if available on your ship) = $35 per person (and well worth IMHO for a special occassion or romantic evening)

Snacks and sweets from the coffee shop, the Funshops, and Formalities = $1 (a big cookie) to $65 (canapes & wine in cabin)

 

Anything taken from the mini-bar/fridge that the room steward can not reconcile between Carnival stocked & passenger carried-on items.

 

Photos:

5x7 = $9.99

6x9 = $11.99

8x10 = $19.99

Portraits 8x10 = 21.99

Reprints = $9.99 after buying the original picture

Touch-ups and special effects are available at an extra charge as well as special photos like a 16x20 canvased portrait. Also you can have you own film printed from your camera (sorry don't have the prices for these other services).

Frames and other photo equipment is available for purchase at various prices, the novelty frames & disposible cameras cost as much as any resort area shop and the scrapbooking supplies are not too badly priced but sometimes they have decent deals on the electronic equipment. Scrapbooking classes are also offered through the gallery for a fee.

 

Spa and Salon:

Any where from $45 - $345, and they will pester you when having certain treatments (and afterwards) to buy the (overpriced IMO) products they just used. I've seldom used the services since the on board price is double or triple what I pay near home but they will run some sales or specials for appointments while in port.

Exercise classes, instructor lead = $5 - $20, but use of the gym equipment on your own is freeto use. The sauna & steam rooms are also free to enter.

 

Bingo = a 3 board card $20, and I have heard there are 1 board cards available for $10 but have yet to attend any game when this was offered.

 

The "Fun Shops" = These are the on board stores and many times the gift/souvenir prices are better than in the USA and Canada, but not always as inexpensive as in port (especial the Caribbean islands). A few things are outrageously price like toiletries ($15 for aloe) and sundry goods ($2- $5 packaged snacks you could buy at a convenience store for a $1-$3) w/ souvenir prices about what you would expect them to be ($20 graphic tees, $3 keyrings), but you can find decent buys on jewelry, liquor, and tobacco. They do run sales and specials while at sea so look for them in the FunTimes and any cabin flyers you receive.

 

After Carnival Camp hours babysitting. I don't have the current prices but I do remember it being less than what my local babysitter charged per hour.

 

Internet minute packages. The most current prices can be found in the Carnival's FAQs

 

Cabin to land phone calls which I believe are now $1.99/ minute. For some this price is better than the combined price of their carrier's contract per roaming minute rate plus the extra fees charged by the CellularAtSea for the use of the satellite transmission.

 

Places you could spend cash (sometimes you have the option of using your S&S card or a credit/debit card):

On board:

Casino

Slots and Poker Machines = Start at a penny per play and go upto $5 machines. Remember to insert your S&S card because even though you can pay in cash to play, the pay out is cashless and tallied as a Player's Bank. You will need the S&S card to withdraw any funds from the Player's Bank from the casino cage cashier. Funds may also be withdrawn from your S&S account w/ no fee, instead of carrying cash ito the casino, but I have heard there is a daily limit as to how much. (open only while at sea)

Casino Tables = Some start at a $5 minimum, but like w/ roulette you can spread the bet around as single $s (inside #s only). You purchase the chips at the table and cash them out at the casino cage. If you pull money from the S&S account for the tables will will be charged a 3% premium. (open only while at sea & available to those 18 & up)

 

The arcade

Like many land based arcades they use tokens and most games are 2 to 5 tokens per play. A machine will exchange cash for the tokens for 4 for $1, but there are bonus token deals for higher amounts bought in a single transaction. Not refunds given for unused tokens.

 

Room service and scattered tips onboard = it's unclear if the room service people receive any of the funds from the auto-gratuities pool so we always tip a $1-$2 per plate of food delivered and $1 per free drinks. At fee drinks will be billed at the normal bar price & have the normal 15% added.

On occasion we receive (or want to receive) extra service so we will tip drink waiters and some other assorted crew members an extra $1 or $2 as we travel (especially at the free drink events/parties).

 

 

 

In port:

Independent tours and or transportation around the port. A few will be set up to take credit cards once you arrive but he majority will require cash. Some companies can have their tours pre-purchased on the web via PayPal or cc/debit card, but inspect their refund/cancellation policy carefully, they may require 24 hours or more notice if you will be late or not making port.

 

Shopping and food on land. Some of the "chain" style retailers and restaurants will have the capability to accept cc/debit cards (double check w/ your bank for any associated processing fees for foreign currencies), with the smaller and artisan vendors expecting cash. But if you prefer haggling cash will be the easiest to deal with, though prepare to receive change the local currency.

 

Also be aware many free beaches refer to just the fact that there is no beach badge or entry fee. If you want a beach chair, lounger, hammock, or an umbrella there will be a charge. Many of these beachs also allow roaming vendors to walk around selling their wares.

If you opt for a private or at fee beach some of the optional activities (like water bikes) will be an additional fee but many include seats and towel service with a few adding in food or drink vouchers.

 

 

After cruise unexpected billing may include a large mobile phone charges for texting &/or data or belated charges from Carnival for towels &/or robes not accounted for.

For the cell phones tell the kids that they must remain in airplane mode w/ the data service shut off and preferable in the cabin's safe while on vacation (otherwise leave the phones at home). In airplane mode w/ data off they can still use the phone's camera. MP3, &/or apps that are fully installed & don't require an uplink. Only if you plan on letting them do their own thing in port that they may even need the phone so they can revert from airplane mode (but still leave the data stream off) to regular service if they need to contact you or the ship. If needed double and triple check w/ your phone provider about international plans for the duration of the trip some only cover airtime minutes for talk but not texting.

Additionally tell the kids if they remove the beach towels or robes from their stateroom they must return similar replacements to that location, so the cabin steward doesn't mistakenly charge the room (the booking party) for a missing items that were actually returned to the towel hut or collected from a second cabin. Learned this one the hard way when we found out our DS's BFF was leaving "his" beach towels on "our" side of a connected balcony to dry. The room steward inventoried as us using and returning towel to the cabin, while showing their cabin as being short the towels and providing replacements. We were able to catch the discrepancy before the charges were recorded because by our 3rd day into the trip we had 8 beach towels for a cabin of 2.

[fergusonvt]

Have a great trip! I remember how excited I was for my first cruise.

[Kelliegirl2u]

What is your sail date? We are also on the Imagination the 28th of Janauary for our first cruise. So exicted!

MaryRed thank you for the excellent writing on what we can expect :)

[krogers2063]

You can keep track of you Sign and Sale card daily so you know what your bill looks like. You can see it on your tv in your cabin on most ships. I recommend the soda card for the kids. Some ships now have the cheers program if you are drinkers. It is $50 per day and everyone in your cabin over 21 has to purchase but if you are drinkers it can save you $. You can also set your kids up so they do not have charging privilages so that you don't get any surprises with Arcade charges or gift shop. When my family cruises we plan on spending about $100 per day and then I through in a couple extra $100 just to be on the safe side. We have always come home with $$. My husband loves his buckets of beer and the casino.

 

Enjoy.....

 

We sail in 62 days yea!!!!!

[summersigh]

MaryRed ...

Thank you for the wonderful posting of free and not. Even though we're experienced cruisers, we found alot of stuff we didn't know or didn't remember.:)

[Alamoguy]

Thank you all for the advice! Wasn't ignoring anybody, was just away from computers for a few days there. We set sail from Miami on Feb 4 - 8!

[momoftwinboys09]

MaryRed ...

Thank you for the wonderful posting of free and not. Even though we're experienced cruisers, we found alot of stuff we didn't know or didn't remember.:)

 

I second that!! Have only sailed once and going again in a few weeks but thanks for all this great info!!

[che5904]

.

 

Wow, that is pretty extensive infomation list. How wonderful.

 

Thanks for this, we go on our first Carnival cruise this summer and I'm sure this will help me as well.