First Time Cruisers In November (won a free trip!)

[Nebr.cruiser]

On 7/1/2024 at 3:30 PM, mike4goa said:

The way we read the details on Carnival's website it looked like juice was in the same category as soda so you had to pay extra if you wanted it.  We could have misunderstood though.

I've never been on a cruise (we've done about 50) where orange juice wasn't included with breakfast.  If you want fancy fresh squeezed juice, then you do pay extra.  I'm assuming it will be included in the package you bought.  

[mike4goa]

Thanks for all of the replies to my original post.  I have a couple more questions I hope some of you could help with.  First, what about laundry on the cruise?  It is only a five day cruise so I don't necessarily think we would need to do laundry but what are the options if we do?  Do the ships have a laundromat for guests?  The other question concerns water, I realize water will be free and available at restaurants and bars etc but I'm assuming you don't get plastic bottles so what do you do for water at the pool or gym or while you are hanging out on the deck?  I don't imagine they want you taking glasses of water all around the ship and those would be difficult to not spill as well.  I'm sure these are probably silly questions for you who have been on a cruise or two but we just don't know what to expect.  Thanks again!

[Mum2Mercury]

On 6/23/2024 at 3:17 PM, mike4goa said:

This past winter I won a five day Bahama cruise at our company Christmas party. 

Wow!  Congrats!  

Tampa is an easy-to-navigate port.  One of the cool things about it is that you'll sail under a bridge going out to sea -- you'll hit it about two hours after sail-away.  

On 6/23/2024 at 3:17 PM, mike4goa said:

We have one stop at Bimini and one at Nassau ... What we are looking for is for at least one relaxing day at a beach, preferably one where we can be guaranteed a couple chairs and umbrella.  Maybe some sort of interesting food or historical tour at Nassau.  

I've never been to Bimini, but Nassau is a difficult port -- an awful lot of cruisers would describe it as the bottom of the barrel because of the crowds, the pushiness, and the general sketchiness.  It doesn't seem to be the best place for interesting food.  You can walk to the pirate museum -- maybe that's the kind of historical tour that interests you.  

As for chairs /umbrellas, be aware that they usually cost money -- you'll probably either need to pay for resort access or rent chairs /umbrella on a public beach.  

On 6/25/2024 at 3:14 PM, mike4goa said:

I called Blue Cross Blue Shield and explained the situation to them.  

I don't doubt what you learned through your call was true -- but, for a cruise, it was incomplete: Cruise insurance also includes lost luggage and evacuation insurance.  Thoughts on this topic: 

- Personally, we don't care about lost luggage because we drive to the port and manage our own bags; since you're flying, your level of concern might vary depending upon whether you're checking luggage or flying with carry-ons only. 

- On the other hand, we care a great deal about evacuation insurance.  The chances of becoming sick /injured are quite small, but -- if it were to happen -- being evacuated back to the US could be expensive enough to be life-altering.  

- If you buy cruise insurance through the cruise line you're covered for EVERYTHING -- health, luggage, evacuation, and it's fairly expensive.  If you buy through a third party company, you can pick-and-choose the coverage you want.  We just paid about $40 for my husband and I for health + evacuation insurance.  Our adult daughter had to have her own policy, and because she's in her 20s, her policy was something like $7. 

 

That brings to mind another topic:  You absolutely need to arrive a day ahead of time.  This board is united on few things, but this is one of them.  By arriving a day ahead (even if you don't land until 9:00 at night) and staying in a hotel near the port, you'll assure yourself that you won't fall victim to a travel delay.  It also means you can wake up refreshed with only a short trip to the port -- instead of being tired from your flight.  

On 6/25/2024 at 3:23 PM, mjkacmom said:

I know we used cash for taxis but I’m sure stores and restaurants accept credit cards. We did a day pass at Atlantis and it was credit card only for good and drink. Definitely do some research, it can be sketchy in some areas.

Nassau is the poster child for sketchy.  We personally like to spend cash OR Visa gift cards only.  If your credit card were to be stolen, it'd be a pain to work it out; whereas, if you buy yourself a $50-100 Visa gift card, what you could potentially lose is limited.  

On 7/1/2024 at 2:48 PM, mike4goa said:

However, I absolutely do like a big glass of OJ with my breakfast so I did pay for the soda/juice package.

We have a misunderstanding here: 

- Juice is available in all breakfast venues at no cost.  

- Fresh squeezed juice (who needs a juice upgrade?) does cost about $5.  

- Juice is not necessarily available later in the day, but you can pick up an extra glass at breakfast and store it in your stateroom's refrigerator.  

On 7/2/2024 at 8:26 AM, broadwaybaby123 said:

You CAN book your own excursions, as they're usually somewhat cheaper than going through the cruise line, but you run the risk of missing the "All Aboard" time. If you miss that, the ship may leave without you.

Booking your own excursions is not only cheaper, you'll be in a smaller group and will almost certainly have a superior experience.  

50 minutes ago, mike4goa said:

First, what about laundry on the cruise?

We've never been on Carnival, but I don't think they have self-serve machines.  You can send laundry out, but I personally think it's too expensive.  As you say, on a five-day cruise, you probably don't need to do laundry.  Thoughts:   

- Pack 2-3 shirts for every pair of shorts, and wear only "on their last wear" shorts to island stops, where you're going to get sweaty. 

- For a five night cruise, my husband'd pack one pair of nice pants + 3 dress shirts for dinner.  

50 minutes ago, mike4goa said:

but I'm assuming you don't get plastic bottles so what do you do for water at the pool or gym or while you are hanging out on the deck?  I don't imagine they want you taking glasses of water all around the ship and those would be difficult to not spill as well.

Again, I've never sailed Carnival, but on other lines it's easy to pick up a glass of ice water in the buffet or other small food venues -- yes, people carry them around the ship.  

If you want to bring a (wide mouthed) bottle, you can pour glasses into the plastic bottles.  

 

 

Edited July 9 by Mum2Mercury

[mike4goa]

12 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Wow!  Congrats!  

Tampa is an easy-to-navigate port.  One of the cool things about it is that you'll sail under a bridge going out to sea -- you'll hit it about two hours after sail-away.  

I've never been to Bimini, but Nassau is a difficult port -- an awful lot of cruisers would describe it as the bottom of the barrel because of the crowds, the pushiness, and the general sketchiness.  It doesn't seem to be the best place for interesting food.  You can walk to the pirate museum -- maybe that's the kind of historical tour that interests you.  

As for chairs /umbrellas, be aware that they usually cost money -- you'll probably either need to pay for resort access or rent chairs /umbrella on a public beach.  

I don't doubt what you learned through your call was true -- but, for a cruise, it was incomplete: Cruise insurance also includes lost luggage and evacuation insurance.  Thoughts on this topic: 

- Personally, we don't care about lost luggage because we drive to the port and manage our own bags; since you're flying, your level of concern might vary depending upon whether you're checking luggage or flying with carry-ons only. 

- On the other hand, we care a great deal about evacuation insurance.  The chances of becoming sick /injured are quite small, but -- if it were to happen -- being evacuated back to the US could be expensive enough to be life-altering.  

- If you buy cruise insurance through the cruise line you're covered for EVERYTHING -- health, luggage, evacuation, and it's fairly expensive.  If you buy through a third party company, you can pick-and-choose the coverage you want.  We just paid about $40 for my husband and I for health + evacuation insurance.  Our adult daughter had to have her own policy, and because she's in her 20s, her policy was something like $7. 

 

That brings to mind another topic:  You absolutely need to arrive a day ahead of time.  This board is united on few things, but this is one of them.  By arriving a day ahead (even if you don't land until 9:00 at night) and staying in a hotel near the port, you'll assure yourself that you won't fall victim to a travel delay.  It also means you can wake up refreshed with only a short trip to the port -- instead of being tired from your flight.  

Nassau is the poster child for sketchy.  We personally like to spend cash OR Visa gift cards only.  If your credit card were to be stolen, it'd be a pain to work it out; whereas, if you buy yourself a $50-100 Visa gift card, what you could potentially lose is limited.  

We have a misunderstanding here: 

- Juice is available in all breakfast venues at no cost.  

- Fresh squeezed juice (who needs a juice upgrade?) does cost about $5.  

- Juice is not necessarily available later in the day, but you can pick up an extra glass at breakfast and store it in your stateroom's refrigerator.  

Booking your own excursions is not only cheaper, you'll be in a smaller group and will almost certainly have a superior experience.  

We've never been on Carnival, but I don't think they have self-serve machines.  You can send laundry out, but I personally think it's too expensive.  As you say, on a five-day cruise, you probably don't need to do laundry.  Thoughts:   

- Pack 2-3 shirts for every pair of shorts, and wear only "on their last wear" shorts to island stops, where you're going to get sweaty. 

- For a five night cruise, my husband'd pack one pair of nice pants + 3 dress shirts for dinner.  

Again, I've never sailed Carnival, but on other lines it's easy to pick up a glass of ice water in the buffet or other small food venues -- yes, people carry them around the ship.  

If you want to bring a (wide mouthed) bottle, you can pour glasses into the plastic bottles.  

 

 

Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and suggestions!!  We purchased a walking tour package through Carnival for Nassau.  It is 1 1/2 hours and has great reviews.  Our thought was this would be a good way to see some of the highlights and at least somewhat learn our way around.  After the tour we can decide if we want to stay in Nassau or head back to the boat and enjoy it while there are far less people on board.  

As far as arriving early, we are flying into Tampa from Indy early on Sunday morning while the cruise leaves Monday afternoon so we should have plenty of time to allow for any delays.  And, after hearing from so many of you veterans I do think we will get travel insurance.  (Just last week we booked a seven day Alaskan cruise through NCL and purchased it for both of us.) 

I also just went in to our Carnival account and cancelled my bottomless bubbles package as I didn't understand that juice is available for free for breakfast and that is all I was concerned about.  Again, thanks so much, you folks on here have been super helpful and patient with us first timers. 

[BBGrace273]

On 6/25/2024 at 2:14 PM, mike4goa said:

I called Blue Cross Blue Shield and explained the situation to them.  They said if there was an issue that arose while on the boat or one of the islands we would be covered at in-network rates so we do not need to purchase any travel insurance for our trip.  I do thank you folks for bringing this up as I had not thought about it.  

I would still look into having a supplemental medical policy. Since you won your trip, you don't need to worry about the "trip reimbursement" portion of a travel insurance policy. That means you could find a relatively inexpensive one that just covers major medical. Being a scuba diver, I can attest to the thousands of dollars people have had to pay for an air lift off a ship in an emergency. The chance of something terrible happening is miniscule, but the cost if it does can be astronomical.

[mike4goa]

7 minutes ago, BBGrace273 said:

I would still look into having a supplemental medical policy. Since you won your trip, you don't need to worry about the "trip reimbursement" portion of a travel insurance policy. That means you could find a relatively inexpensive one that just covers major medical. Being a scuba diver, I can attest to the thousands of dollars people have had to pay for an air lift off a ship in an emergency. The chance of something terrible happening is miniscule, but the cost if it does can be astronomical.

I think we will, I see Carnival offers it but is there another company you would recommend?  We put a deposit on an Alaskan cruise for next summer and did purchase the travel insurance through NCL.

 

[Host Kat]

26 minutes ago, mike4goa said:

... I see Carnival offers it but is there another company you would recommend?...

 

@mike4goa

 

Perhaps this oldie but goody Cruise Critic article will be helpful: A Guide to Travel Insurance for Cruise Travelers

 

Also, you can research another Cruise Critic message board forum here: Cruise/Travel Insurance

Browse through the thread titles in the forum looking for threads of interest. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you. 

 

[BBGrace273]

6 minutes ago, BBGrace273 said:

I would still look into having a supplemental medical policy. Since you won your trip, you don't need to worry about the "trip reimbursement" portion of a travel insurance policy. That means you could find a relatively inexpensive one that just covers major medical. Being a scuba diver, I can attest to the thousands of dollars people have had to pay for an air lift off a ship in an emergency. The chance of something terrible happening is miniscule, but the cost if it does can be astronomical.

Annnnnnndddddddd I should have read the rest of the thread before I commented. Ah ha ha. Good on ya for making the safe choice. Enjoy your cruise, and congrats on the win!

[jlawrence01]

Most Carnival ships have self service laundry.  However, you would be one of the few who needs to use it after just five days 

 

Bimini is probably one of the most boring ports that I have been to in the Caribbean.  There is a beach club on the island that is great if you are a beach person.  We paid for a private driver and the island tour took under 75 minutes.

 

 

[TazFish]

On 7/9/2024 at 9:58 AM, mike4goa said:

If you buy through a third party company, you can pick-and-choose the coverage you want.  We just paid about $40 for my husband and I for health + evacuation insurance.  Our adult daughter had to have her own policy, and because she's in her 20s, her policy was something like $7. 

Does your evacuation insurance cover getting off the ship at sea to a hospital?

I have yet to find where the cost of ship evacuation is covered, I am not sure that it actually needs to be covered since it is done by a government agency. Medjet is very clear that they cover from hospital to hospital not from ship to hospital.

[KBS1607]

@mike4goa I think you have a great attitude and that’s important. 

[mike4goa]

I have yet another question for you cruise veterans.  As I have been researching our upcoming cruise I have read some articles and posts that mention a certain dress code for the main dining room but I can't seem to find anything concerning that topic on the Carnival website. We were planning to follow the advice and tips so many seem to suggest and "pack light" but if we need to dress nicer to eat dinner in the dining room in the evening we would need to pack quite a bit more as far as dressier clothes and nicer shoes.  We were hoping to pack light with just one large suitcase, a smaller carry on suitcase and a backpack but would probably need more luggage if we have to take a couple nicer outfits and shoes.  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated!

[Host Kat]

1 hour ago, mike4goa said:

... As I have been researching our upcoming cruise I have read some articles and posts that mention a certain dress code for the main dining room but I can't seem to find anything concerning that topic on the Carnival website...

 

From FAQ on Carnival's website:

What to wear?

Cruisers love the fact they “only have to unpack once”.  And while your destination, itinerary and personal style will dictate which outfits you bring, we want to share our guidelines and suggestions.  A Carnival ship has it all, from fine dining to casinos and shows to sunbathing, so here are some tips on how to dress to play or party.

Daytime:  Casual and Comfortable

Casual attire is the order of the day when the sun is up, which can include:

• Shorts, capris, khakis and jeans
• T-shirts, polo shirts, blouses and tops
• Summer dresses
• Exercise and athletic gear, lightweight sweater, pull-over or jacket
• Bathing suit, cover-up, hat or visor
• Comfortable rubber-sole flat shoes, sneakers, water shoes or non-slip boat shoes with traction

Please note: Select activities and shore excursions may require closed-toe shoes. Footwear with wheels is prohibited on board our ships.

 

 

Evening:  Cruise Casual to Cruise Elegant (Sharp & Chic) 

As we head into the evening, the dress code takes on multiple definitions, depending on your plans, the venue or the event.

Most nights, the dress code in the main dining room(s) for everyone is Cruise Casual:

• Men and boys: sports slacks, khakis, jeans, tailored dress shorts and collared dress, casual or polo shirts
• Women and girls: summer dresses, casual skirts, pants, capris, dress shorts, jeans, blouses and tops
• Kids:  Take a cue from the adult dress code, but at a kid-level
• Not permitted: cut-off jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, exercise and athletic gear, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire
• For itineraries 6 days or longer, bring your legwarmers, shoulder pads and neon-colored outfits for the ‘80s Rock-N-Glow Deck Party and a white outfit for our epic White Night Party.

 

On certain special nights, our main dining rooms celebrate our Cruise Elegant festivities and we invite guests to enjoy a special night out in a sharp and chic way.

 

• 5 days or shorter cruises will have one Cruise Elegant evening
• 6 days or longer cruises will have two Cruise Elegant evenings

 

On longer cruises, the first Cruise Elegant evening is scheduled for the second or third evening of the cruise.  Depending on itinerary, the next Cruise Elegant evening is the second or third evening prior to the end of the cruise. 

 

Cruise Elegant attire can include:                                      

• Men and boys: dress slacks, dress shirts, and sport coats (suggested); some men may even choose to wear a suit and tie or tuxedo
• Women and girls: dresses (party or cocktail), pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; some women may also wear evening gowns
• Kids: Take a cue from the adult dress code, and think school dance or nice party clothes
• Not permitted: jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, t-shirts, sportswear, exercise and athletic wear, shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire 

A good rule of thumb is to dress for a special occasion.

 

 

The Steakhouse and Rudi's Seagrill dress requirements follow the dress code specified for the main dining room(s). 

 

The Lido Restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a more relaxed dress code than the main dining room(s); however, please respect that the Lido Restaurant is not the pool area. Shirts, bathing suit cover-ups and footwear should be worn at all times.  Please dry off completely as wet floors are a safety hazard.

 

Casinos, bars, retail shops, lounges and theaters are frequented by guests who dress according to daytime to nighttime standards. Basic rules still apply no matter the time of day – no swimsuits, wet clothes, or bare feet.

 

Please Note:

• All guests are expected to ensure their clothing and accessories are respectful to fellow guests. Specifically, items worn during the cruise should not contain any message that may be considered offensive or contain nudity, profanity, sexual innuendos/suggestions. In addition, clothing and accessories should not promote negative ethnic or racial, commentary, hatred, or violence in any form.  
• In some ports of call, it is against the law for anyone, including children, to wear army-style camouflage clothing or carry items made with camouflage material. Ports include (but not limited to) The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica and St.Lucia. Before traveling, please check local laws of each port to ensure compliance with regulations.

 

Carnival Journeys and Holidays

• Carnival Journeys cruises feature a Throwback Sea Day in which we go back in time to relive the ‘80s during the day and the true elegance of formal evening and the original Captain’s Celebration at night. Guidelines for elegant evening apply, and formal gowns and suits/tuxedos are encouraged.
• Carnival knows how to celebrate! Feel free to bring a special outfit for our “Ugly Sweater Contest” in December, “Frightfully Fun” Halloween cruises, or to show your team spirit when there are big sporting events. Please note that costumes with full masks are prohibited, but half masks are allowed.