Any Hidden Fees I should look for

[DestineyFish]

We are going on the Carnival Imagination in mid/late December so I have a lot of time to budget and get everything in order, I did endless bubbles for all the kids, cheers package for my husband and prepaid gratuities, I also ordered bottled water and am looking at maybe bringing some sealed snack bars for port days. Each of the kids will have a $50 cruise card so if they want a specialty drink or something they should be good to go. I apologize ahead of time, my questions are a bit scattered. What other fees should I worry about? I was thinking of doing cheers for me but I'm not a drinker but would like to have a few virgin frozen drinks ... I don't think the price would really justify that however :/ If my husband is going to the bars will I be able to get a soda there? Is that an option at the bars?  Also we have kids ages 12 and over going are there any extra costs in the kids clubs? Have any of you done the horse trail shore excursion? Was it worth it to any experienced horse riders out there or will my daughter be bored?  I am bringing my friends son, will that be an issue with a note and birth certificate? Also I have a type 1 son is there any nutritional info on carbs in certain foods, we should be able to do our best to guess , so if not it's not the end of the world it just means a few extra pokes. That's all the questions I can think to ask at the moment :) Thanks! 

[Schoifmom]

19 minutes ago, DestineyFish said:

We are going on the Carnival Imagination in mid/late December so I have a lot of time to budget and get everything in order, I did endless bubbles for all the kids, cheers package for my husband and prepaid gratuities, I also ordered bottled water and am looking at maybe bringing some sealed snack bars for port days. Each of the kids will have a $50 cruise card so if they want a specialty drink or something they should be good to go. I apologize ahead of time, my questions are a bit scattered. What other fees should I worry about? I was thinking of doing cheers for me but I'm not a drinker but would like to have a few virgin frozen drinks ... I don't think the price would really justify that however 😕 If my husband is going to the bars will I be able to get a soda there? Is that an option at the bars?  Also we have kids ages 12 and over going are there any extra costs in the kids clubs? Have any of you done the horse trail shore excursion? Was it worth it to any experienced horse riders out there or will my daughter be bored?  I am bringing my friends son, will that be an issue with a note and birth certificate? Also I have a type 1 son is there any nutritional info on carbs in certain foods, we should be able to do our best to guess , so if not it's not the end of the world it just means a few extra pokes. That's all the questions I can think to ask at the moment 🙂 Thanks! 

 

Paragraphs or bullets can be your friend 😉  

 

Additional fees, as in things you are required to pay?  None.  Having said that, there are tons of ways to spend money on the ship like gambling, arcade games, specialty restaurants, photos, bingo, and so on.  

 

Room service waiters are not included in the gratuity pool, so keep some ones on hand to tip then with.

 

Since you will not have the Cheers package, you can purchase anything you wish to drink that is not included at any bar (sodas, mocktails, etc.).  BTW, kids will get sodas on their Bottomless Bubbles at the bars as well.

 

The only extra costs at that age for the kids clubs is if you would wish to provide a gratuity for the counselors.

 

There is no nutritional information available for the foods, so, yes, extra sticks are in your future.  Too bad about that 😞

 

As far as your son's friend is concerned, you will need his birth certificate or passport and a notarized letter from his parents.  Then you will be good to go.

 

Welcome to your new addiction 🙂  

 

 

Edited January 15, 2019 by Schoifmom

[CoW mAn]

I believe all the adults in the cabin have to had Cheers, I don't think just one can have it and the other cannot.

There is soda at the bars.

Here's a bit of a rundown of what's included in your cruise...
 

 

[DestineyFish]

14 minutes ago, CoW mAn said:

You're correct, all adults over 21 in the same cabin have to get it but we have 2 cabins :) . 

 

 

[DestineyFish]

2 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

 

Paragraphs or bullets can be your friend 😉  

 

Additional fees, as in things you are required to pay?  None.  Having said that, there are tons of ways to spend money on the ship like gambling, arcade games, specialty restaurants, photos, bingo, and so on.  

 

Room service waiters are not included in the gratuity pool, so keep some ones on hand to tip then with.

 

Since you will not have the Cheers package, you can purchase anything you wish to drink that is not included at any bar (sodas, mocktails, etc.).  BTW, kids will get sodas on their Bottomless Bubbles at the bars as well.

 

The only extra costs at that age for the kids clubs is if you would wish to provide a gratuity for the counselors.

 

There is no nutritional information available for the foods, so, yes, extra sticks are in your future.  Too bad about that 😞

 

As far as your son's friend is concerned, you will need his birth certificate or passport and a notarized letter from his parents.  Then you will be good to go.

 

Welcome to your new addiction 🙂  

 

 

Yeah, I had friend pass away last night from his battle with cancer so my minds been a bit scattered to say the least. I have one of those lovely headaches you seem to get after you've been crying hours. In all honesty I am trying to distract myself so I thought I would focus a little on our cruise before I start laser printing some pictures his mother wants, which I'm sure will have me crying again. I apologize for my lack of Format.   Thanks for all the info. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by DestineyFish

[mjkacmom]

I always send my kids with a notarized letter stating I give my permission for them to travel with whoever is taking them, plus make medical decisions on their behalf.

[Sauer-kraut]

The Arcade games are not free, so if your children hang out there they could run through their $50 quickly.  Make sure you make them aware of this, as some games are $2.50 a GAME if not more.

 

You have all your basic fees covered.  You can get virgin drinks on the cheers card as well as soda.  If you want a nice dinner the steakhouse (if the Imagination has one) will be an extra charge if you dine there.  There was, in the past, an Italian restaurant on board as well and that had an upcharge too.

[zqvol]

Hidden fees are ones that you get stuck with after the fact. You will not find any of those on the ship. You will know what you are paying (or at least that you are paying) before you have a chance to run up any hidden fees.

[Tapi]

One little thing: Carnival does allow you to bring a 12 pack of soda per passenger. Don’t know how much soda the kids drink but that would be enough to satisfy me on a 3-4 night cruise. Just stop by the supermarket and get a $4 12 pack and save the money for the soda package. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Tapi

[SRF]

I don't see that you pre-paid gratuities, so if not, there will be a per person daily charge for these added to your account.

 

As for the horse back riding, I would suspect that is would not be a good excursion for an experienced rider.  More like a trail walk on a horse.

[Schoifmom]

One other thing ... make sure everyone's phone gets placed into airplane mode.  You can use your cell phones on board, but there are no cell towers at sea.  All cellular traffic is routed through a satellite and you will come home to a HUGE cell phone bill.