New to cruising - help!!

[btdmcg13]

Hi we are booked onto Sunshine on the 7/7/13 for our honeymoon and feel excited and anxious about the cruise. We have a few questions and appreciate all tips and hints.

 

1. Is room service free?

2. What is included in room service food i.e. breakfast and dinner?

3. On average how much do you give as a tip and who all do you tip?

4. Do you tip in cash or on your card? We have prepaid our tips but from reading here we need to tip more? Is that correct?

5. Have you any general tips for first time crusiers?

6. What drinks (if any are free) on Carnival?

7. Do carnival do anything for honeymooners? Like a cake or honeymooners package?

8. What plugs are on the ship? We are from the UK so is it American sockets?

9. Would you book excursions through carnival or privately?

10. Anything else you think we should know or do before going?

 

Sorry if these all sound studip and have already been asked somewhere before. Thanks for all your help and advise.

[firefly333]

Room service is free. Breakfast is continental, no hot items. Sandwiches and desserts are good and you can get chips with them. Some really good items. They will expect $1 to $5 for a small to very large order for multiple items for a tip. The tip to room service is not included.

 

If you buy any drinks 15% is automatically added on, no additional tip is needed on the ship.

 

Porters who handle your bags are about the only other that I can think of that you might want to tip extra .. unless your cabin steward is extra special or you ask for something special from someone, then you might tip them more in cash.

 

You will be charged to your sign and sail I believe its $11.50?? per person per day to cover the cabin steward, your waiter, your asst waiter and it includes mney to misc behind the scenes help.

 

Hot tea, coffee, iced tea, lemonaide, water are free. If you order hot tea in the MDR its kind of neat, they bring a box of teas to choose from that looks like a cigar box.

 

Carnival will sing to you free in the MDR if you so desire, but nothing free as far as gifts.

 

There is generally one 120 outlet and one 220 outlet for Euro on the desk, but triumph had two 120 outlets .. so you may have two instead of one on this ship which is almost a sister ship.

[deedle7544]

Hi we are booked onto Sunshine on the 7/7/13 for our honeymoon and feel excited and anxious about the cruise. We have a few questions and appreciate all tips and hints.

 

1. Is room service free? Yes, we bring some $1's for tips

2. What is included in room service food i.e. breakfast and dinner? limited menu, sadnwiches and stuff go to http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/CarnivalCruiseLineMenus.htm for all menus and great info and pictures

3. On average how much do you give as a tip and who all do you tip? We tip bar servers $1 or $2 each time, same for rooms service

4. Do you tip in cash or on your card? We have prepaid our tips but from reading here we need to tip more? Is that correct? Totally up to you

5. Have you any general tips for first time crusiers? read everything on heere and ask questions

6. What drinks (if any are free) on Carnival? juices and tea

7. Do carnival do anything for honeymooners? Like a cake or honeymooners package? I don't know

8. What plugs are on the ship? We are from the UK so is it American sockets? American

9. Would you book excursions through carnival or privately? depends on how travel savvy you are and what your comfort level is

10. Anything else you think we should know or do before going?

 

Sorry if these all sound studip and have already been asked somewhere before. Thanks for all your help and advise.

 

Cruises are great, my SO was worried before we went that he would not like it and he is as addicted as I am now. Personally, i would say order yourself some goodies from Bon Voyage as a suprise

[Velvetwater]

1. room service is free

2. Menu link

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/roomService.htm

 

3. carnival automatically puts a tip of $11.50 (£7.50) per day per person on your s+s account and this can be ajusted or cancelled to suit you

4. Again you can tip by way above or by cash, your call

5. Im a first time cruiser too so can't help ;)

6. Tea, ice tea, lemonade and fruit juices are although not always

7. You can purchase various gift honeymoon items from bon voyage

8. US sockets (we are also UK and bringing adaptors)

9. I would not book them at all but many seem to book privately

10. Read all that you can and research costs around the ship.

[MSRussell]

I can answer a few questions for you.

Room Service is Free, you can either give a dollar or two (depending on what you order) tip. It is basically sandwiches, etc, no hot meals. Sometimes they let you add it to your sign and sail card.

The coffee is in a Carafe, with half and half in a small pitcher. The sugar, most of the time is in packets, 3 packets of each kind. I bring some down from the Lido Deck for spares.

The plug is American,usually there is only one plug in the stateroom, you can bring a new power strip.

If you have a set dining time, on the first night, it is really crowded in front of the door. I usually wait for 15 minutes or so, then I can walk right in and find my table.

Enjoy your first cruise!!

Melanie

[kybluecruiser]

Only thing I would add is milk is also free. Tipping I usually only tip porters room service and generally I will give extra to my room steward and waiter.

[dadroy]

Hi we are booked onto Sunshine on the 7/7/13 for our honeymoon and feel excited and anxious about the cruise. We have a few questions and appreciate all tips and hints.

 

1. Is room service free? Yes it is free. There may be a charge for orders between midnight and 5am or somewhere along those lines.

2. What is included in room service food i.e. breakfast and dinner? Zydigocruiser posts here often and has a great website to look through. Here is a link to his listing of the room service menu. Does not include breakfast. http://zydecocruiser.net/menus/roomService.htm

3. On average how much do you give as a tip and who all do you tip? I normally tip $2 for a regular order but more if we have many things delivered at the same time.

4. Do you tip in cash or on your card? We have prepaid our tips but from reading here we need to tip more? Is that correct? I tip in cash and only tip for anything "special" I ask for.

5. Have you any general tips for first time crusiers? Read the boards and use the search feature. Most answers you are looking for covered already, you just have to spend the time to look for them.

6. What drinks (if any are free) on Carnival? Everything except alcohol, bottled water, specialty coffees bar drinks (even without alcohol) and soda's are free.

7. Do carnival do anything for honeymooners? Like a cake or honeymooners package? You can buy some extras, but nothing free.

8. What plugs are on the ship? We are from the UK so is it American sockets?

9. Would you book excursions through carnival or privately? I book privately but as a new cruiser you should research the pros and cons of this.

10. Anything else you think we should know or do before going?

 

Sorry if these all sound studip and have already been asked somewhere before. Thanks for all your help and advise.

 

I am sure others will give better info, but hope this helps.:D

[FireEater]

On cruise excursions, if the group is delayed getting back, the captain waits. On private excursions, if you are late getting back, we all wave to you as you are stumbling down the pier and we are 50 yards now away from the pier....

 

That is my fear on private excursions, so I just book them thru the ship.

[firefly333]

I can answer a few questions for you.

Room Service is Free, you can either give a dollar or two (depending on what you order) tip. It is basically sandwiches, etc, no hot meals. Sometimes they let you add it to your sign and sail card.

The coffee is in a Carafe, with half and half in a small pitcher. The sugar, most of the time is in packets, 3 packets of each kind. I bring some down from the Lido Deck for spares.

The plug is American,usually there is only one plug in the stateroom, you can bring a new power strip.

If you have a set dining time, on the first night, it is really crowded in front of the door. I usually wait for 15 minutes or so, then I can walk right in and find my table.

Enjoy your first cruise!!

Melanie

 

Every cabin Ive been in on Carnival had at least two plugs over the desk, a 120 volt and a 240 volt plus one in the bathroom for razors. Triumph has two 120 volts, and this is the same class. Have not been on destiny or new sunshine, but its possible there are two 120s?

[thomarvin]

one think I would recomend is bring half the clothes you think you need. Most of the time you are in a swimsuit or shorts so your dinner clothes can be worn more than once. Trust me, no one will notice. And dont forget sunscreen. We honeymooned with a couple many years ago and the wife fell asleep in the sun. She then spent the next few days in the cabin because she was so badly burned she couldnt put clothes on. not a fun honeymoon.

 

 

 

Congratulation on your upcoming nuptuals. Remember to enjoy the day. :D

[wmowan8485]

On cruise excursions, if the group is delayed getting back, the captain waits. On private excursions, if you are late getting back, we all wave to you as you are stumbling down the pier and we are 50 yards now away from the pier....

 

That is my fear on private excursions, so I just book them thru the ship.

 

That too is my biggest fear. I usually book through the cruise line and consider the extra cost as insurance.. :)

[btdmcg13]

Thank you all for your detailed speedy replies!

 

So just to clarify, what does our prepaid gratuities cover us for then?

 

What is bon voyage :o sorry... again completely new to this!

 

Does sunshine offer a soft drink or alcohal package? I have read that some of carnival do these now.

 

Good tips about booking excursions with the ship... I would be in a state of panic if we missed docking!

 

Thomarvin, thanks, can't wait for wedding and honeymoon, but I think I am in a state of panic at the moment lol :eek:

[Ours91]

Hi we are booked onto Sunshine on the 7/7/13 for our honeymoon and feel excited and anxious about the cruise. We have a few questions and appreciate all tips and hints.

 

1. Is room service free?

2. What is included in room service food i.e. breakfast and dinner?

3. On average how much do you give as a tip and who all do you tip?

4. Do you tip in cash or on your card? We have prepaid our tips but from reading here we need to tip more? Is that correct?

5. Have you any general tips for first time crusiers?

6. What drinks (if any are free) on Carnival?

7. Do carnival do anything for honeymooners? Like a cake or honeymooners package?

8. What plugs are on the ship? We are from the UK so is it American sockets?

9. Would you book excursions through carnival or privately?

10. Anything else you think we should know or do before going?

 

Sorry if these all sound studip and have already been asked somewhere before. Thanks for all your help and advise.

 

1. Yes room service is free.

2. You can find the menu online , I believe someone posted it.

3. We leave on the prepaid tips and we tip a little extra here and there if need be.

4. Any extra tips we give are in cash , otherwise it is taken from the prepaid S&S card.

5. Tips , bring comfy shoes , don't over pack haha and if you have any questions people on here are very helpful.

6. Iced tea, lemonade , coffee , hot tea, juices and etc.

7. I believe there should be a cake you can order before your cruise.

8. American

9. We don't usually take excursions, however I would probably book them through carnival if I did , but there are pros/cons to each.

10. Just relax and enjoy yourselves!

[Rockee4055]

Hi we are booked onto Sunshine on the 7/7/13 for our honeymoon and feel excited and anxious about the cruise. We have a few questions and appreciate all tips and hints.

 

1. Is room service free?

2. What is included in room service food i.e. breakfast and dinner?

3. On average how much do you give as a tip and who all do you tip?

4. Do you tip in cash or on your card? We have prepaid our tips but from reading here we need to tip more? Is that correct?

5. Have you any general tips for first time crusiers?

6. What drinks (if any are free) on Carnival?

7. Do carnival do anything for honeymooners? Like a cake or honeymooners package?

8. What plugs are on the ship? We are from the UK so is it American sockets?

9. Would you book excursions through carnival or privately?

10. Anything else you think we should know or do before going?

 

Sorry if these all sound studip and have already been asked somewhere before. Thanks for all your help and advise.

 

I think Firefly answered everything perfectly.

 

The only thing I can give you advise on is do everything you want or do nothing if you so desire.

 

Take your watch off unless you are off the ship. Enjoy the MDR staff and have fun with them.

 

Be active, go to the shows, the piano bar, play bingo, get involved in the fun on the lido deck and make sure you try to get into the newlywed game if they still have it. You are honeymooners so a good chance they will have you on stage.

 

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

 

Have as many drinks of the day (DOD's) that you can, and have one for me too.

[Elaine5715]

Thank you all for your detailed speedy replies!

 

So just to clarify, what does our prepaid gratuities cover us for then?

 

What is bon voyage :o sorry... again completely new to this!

 

Does sunshine offer a soft drink or alcohal package? I have read that some of carnival do these now.

 

Good tips about booking excursions with the ship... I would be in a state of panic if we missed docking!

 

Thomarvin, thanks, can't wait for wedding and honeymoon, but I think I am in a state of panic at the moment lol :eek:

 

Your prepay Gratuties covers your room stewards who service your cabin several times a day and your dining room team. If you choose assigned dining, you will have the same team the entire cruise. You will also have the same cabin stewards.

The prepay Gratuties do not cover the room service staff.

[mikel24m]

Thank you all for your detailed speedy replies!

 

So just to clarify, what does our prepaid gratuities cover us for then?

 

What is bon voyage :o sorry... again completely new to this!

 

Does sunshine offer a soft drink or alcohal package? I have read that some of carnival do these now.

 

Good tips about booking excursions with the ship... I would be in a state of panic if we missed docking!

 

Thomarvin, thanks, can't wait for wedding and honeymoon, but I think I am in a state of panic at the moment lol :eek:

 

Bon Voyage is on the website and you can order anything from robes to honeymoon decorations to be in your cabin when you arrive to wine or bottles of liquor, choc covered strawberries :)

 

Pre paid grats are plenty but if someone goes above and beyond (as most staff does) you may want to give some extra cash.Your first cruise ,you will see how your treated as royalty :)

 

We rarely book excursions through the cruise line ,if you research on the ports of call boards you will find many tour operators that are very cheap and have a great reputation on here

 

As far as the alcohol package, being a bartender I would say save a whole lot of money and buy a few bottles from Bon Voyage and carry on soda or juice that you like and make your own. Its alot cheaper (for now)

[Gayle V]

Thank you all for your detailed speedy replies!

 

So just to clarify, what does our prepaid gratuities cover us for then?

 

What is bon voyage :o sorry... again completely new to this!

 

Does sunshine offer a soft drink or alcohal package? I have read that some of carnival do these now.

 

Good tips about booking excursions with the ship... I would be in a state of panic if we missed docking!

 

Thomarvin, thanks, can't wait for wedding and honeymoon, but I think I am in a state of panic at the moment lol :eek:

 

Hello btdmcg, The prepaid gratuities IS the $11.50 per day that Firefly was talking about. If that is paid already, then of course they are not adding it to your sign ans sail card again. This covers tipping your room steward and his assistant/s and the waiter and his assistant/s . It is shared amongst the wait staff that work the buffet also. Tipping extra to stewards and waiters, is for when you feel they have gone over and above the norm. Usually done in person, on the last evening on board if you feel it is warranted. ( I doubt I would be tipping waiters extra if we did the anytime dining. Just to awkward. JMO )

 

The Bon Voyage Shop is part of Carnival Fun shops: http://www.carnival.com/Funshops

 

About that idea to leave your watch in the cabin safe except when in a port, remember this: Be sure to set your watch to the ship's time and wear it when you go ashore.

Pay attention to the time you are due back to the ship. Remember that will be 30 minutes to an hour BEFORE the ship is scheduled to leave.. Often your ship will sail into a different time zone while you are at sea, and the time at the islands you visit will not necessarily match your watch or the ship.. You have to be back on time, according to the ships clocks. Not according to the clocks on the island, and NOT according to the time displayed on your cell phone. (Phones adjust themselves to display the local time, wherever you may go.)

[btdmcg13]

I think Firefly answered everything perfectly.

 

The only thing I can give you advise on is do everything you want or do nothing if you so desire.

 

Take your watch off unless you are off the ship. Enjoy the MDR staff and have fun with them.

 

Be active, go to the shows, the piano bar, play bingo, get involved in the fun on the lido deck and make sure you try to get into the newlywed game if they still have it. You are honeymooners so a good chance they will have you on stage.

 

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

 

Have as many drinks of the day (DOD's) that you can, and have one for me too.

 

Thanks for this, great advise... it all sounds very exciting! Love the sound of the honeymoon game, although husband to be might die of embarrassment ;)

[btdmcg13]

Hello btdmcg, The prepaid gratuities IS the $11.50 per day that Firefly was talking about. If that is paid already, then of course they are not adding it to your sign ans sail card again. This covers tipping your room steward and his assistant/s and the waiter and his assistant/s . It is shared amongst the wait staff that work the buffet also. Tipping extra to stewards and waiters, is for when you feel they have gone over and above the norm. Usually done in person, on the last evening on board if you feel it is warranted. ( I doubt I would be tipping waiters extra if we did the anytime dining. Just to awkward. JMO )

 

The Bon Voyage Shop is part of Carnival Fun shops: http://www.carnival.com/Funshops

 

About that idea to leave your watch in the cabin safe except when in a port, remember this: Be sure to set your watch to the ship's time and wear it when you go ashore.

Pay attention to the time you are due back to the ship. Remember that will be 30 minutes to an hour BEFORE the ship is scheduled to leave.. Often your ship will sail into a different time zone while you are at sea, and the time at the islands you visit will not necessarily match your watch or the ship.. You have to be back on time, according to the ships clocks. Not according to the clocks on the island, and NOT according to the time displayed on your cell phone. (Phones adjust themselves to display the local time, wherever you may go.)

 

Thanks for this, I never even thought about all the different time zones, definitly a good tip for us. Also had a browse through the shop, love the honeymoon decorations, so might surprise my other half with them! Also about the tipping, you have really clarified this for us, it was getting very confusing there for a while!!

[OCruisers]

Look forward to having a wonderful Honeymoon cruise! :)

 

Since this is your first cruise and you are already feeling anxious about it, do yourself a favor and book your shore excursions through the ship.

 

Ships excursions with pick you up from the ship, take you to have fun, return you to the ship ... and you won't miss the boat. :D

 

No need to add to your anxiety! You can consider private excursions on your next cruise.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[firefly333]

OP I dont know if you will be able to order bottles from bon voyage or not?Can you call the U.S. without extra charge? I know I can call the U.K. on my plan.

 

The problem is you have to telephone them to order booze to be waiting in your cabin, it can't be ordered online (just I think wine and beer you might be able to order online).

 

but to order bottles of gin, vodka, rum .. whatever.. you have to telephone them and talk to them in person. I think they want to make sure they are talking to a adult.

[lola61]

On cruise excursions, if the group is delayed getting back, the captain waits. On private excursions, if you are late getting back, we all wave to you as you are stumbling down the pier and we are 50 yards now away from the pier....

 

That is my fear on private excursions, so I just book them thru the ship.

 

 

No fears with private excursions, they are cheaper and very reliable. In 14 cruises I have never watched the ship sail away. Do your research much much cheaper than the ship.

[MSRussell]

Put your cell phone on 'Airplane Mode'.

Also, tell your Bank that you are going out of State. That way your card won't be declined, if you use it.

Melanie

[mikel24m]

OP I dont know if you will be able to order bottles from bon voyage or not?Can you call the U.S. without extra charge? I know I can call the U.K. on my plan.

 

The problem is you have to telephone them to order booze to be waiting in your cabin, it can't be ordered online (just I think wine and beer you might be able to order online).

 

but to order bottles of gin, vodka, rum .. whatever.. you have to telephone them and talk to them in person. I think they want to make sure they are talking to a adult.

 

No phone call anymore Fire.Its ordered online now

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/FunShops/beverages/liquor

[firefly333]

No phone call anymore Fire.Its ordered online now

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/FunShops/beverages/liquor

 

I see, I guess that's one of the changes I missed while I was away.