Carnival Cruising 101 - Final Version 1.0

[2Ports]

Bring a small 3 way cube tap or plug instead - saves packing space & lots of space in your stateroom. Tried this one on my last cruise - what a difference, especially in those itty bitty NCL staterooms! Credit this one to Cotton.

[bubbles1209]

In regards to the tipping..........the tips put on your sail & sign account are adjustable yes, unless they are pre-paid, (paid for when you payoff the cruise) then they are not able to be adjusted. If you put the tips on your sail & sign after you board, yes the tips are adjustable.:)

[zqvol]

 

Carnival Cruising 101

 

Flight –

 

1. Fly the night before so you don’t miss the cruise because of a delay. If that’s not possible, book an early direct flight to reduce your chances of a problem. Book through carnival and you’re guaranteed protection of problems (BOOKING THROUGH YOUR CRUISE LINE DOES NOT GUARANTEE PROTECTION FROM PROBLEMS. IT ONLY MEANS THAT IF YOU MISS THE SHIP THEY WILL ASSIST YOU IN GETTING TO THE FIRST PLACE YOU CAN CATCH THE SHIP) – but beware, it may be far more than a flight you find on your own, though not always.

 

2. Be sure to have an assigned seat on your flight so you don’t get bumped. (HAVING AN ASSIGNED SEAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GETTING BUMPED. WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT ON TIME (AS SPECIFIED BY YOUR AIRLINE) TO MINIMIZE BEING BUMPED. EVEN WITH AN ASSIGNED SEAT YOU CAN BE BUMPED.) (HAVING ASSIGNED SEATS WILL ALLOW YOUR PARTY TO SIT TOGETHER ON THE PLANE)

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Port –

 

You can usually get a shuttle by Carnival from the airport to your ship – this price is comparable to most cabs – so either way usually doesdoesnatter. (IF YOU HAVE TWO OR MORE IN YOUR PARTY A CAB IS USUALLY MUCH CHEAPER THAN THE CARNIVAL SHUTTLE, SINCE THE CAB PRICE IS FOR THE CAB AND THE SHUTTLE PRICE IS PER PERSON.)

Have some cash on hand for baggage handlers expecting tips.

 

Check In –

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5. Cabins – Your room may not be ready when you check in – so be prepared to lug your bags (CARRCARRY-ONS] around until it is.

 

Sail & Sign Card –

 

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3. The account is linked to the individual not the cabin so don’t worry if you have a cabin mate with different spending habits. Usually you can check your account daily on your TV (ONLY ON THE NEWER SHIPS) or at the purser’s desk.

 

4. ATMs have a big fee – and sometimes the ATATMsun out of cash. So bring cash with you. You’ll need cash to tip those not included in the automatic tip (such as room service and the casino) plus taxi cabs on the islands – so bring a lot of 1s. (YOU CAN CHANGE BILLS IN THE CASINO. CARRYING ONES IS NOT NEEDED, BUT TRY TO CARRY A FEW SMALLER BILLS. IT IS AMAZING HOW CAB DRIVERS CAN FIND CHANGE WHEN YOU TELL THEM THEY WON’T GET A TIP SINCE YOU DON’T HAVE ANY SMALL BILLS)

 

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General Vacation Info –

 

 

1. Beverages – nothing is free really. Tap water, fruit punch, OJ, tea (iced and hot), coffee, and some other strange liquid is of no charge at the fountain dispensers. Soda, Booze and anything else is at a price (and not a cheap one either (DRINK PRICES ON THE SHIP ARE NO MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ON SHORE AND ARE OFTEN CHEAPER THAN YOU FIND A RESORTS.)

 

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3. Tendering – This is when no dock exists for the ship to “park” at the island. They anchor close to the island and boats shuttle you back and forth. Keep in mind, due to rough seas (OR WIND) ships have been known to skip the island completely per orders of that island. It is for your safety so don’t complain. Always be aware of when the last tender is, so you don’t miss your ship!

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10. Duty Free Allowance – When visiting most islands you are allowed $800 worth or retail, 1 liter of alcohol, 1 carton of cigarettes, and 100 non-cucubanigars. U.S. Virgin Islands have different regulations. (AS DO MOST OTHER CARIBBEAN BASIN COUNTRIES)

 

Dining –

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4. Beware – it’s usually freezing in the dining room. (THIS IS A TOUGH CALL SOME PEOPLE FIND THE DINING ROOM TO BE VERY WARM. IF YOU ARE COLD NATURED YOU MAY BE COLD, IF YOU ARE HOT NATURED YOU WILL LIKELY BE HOT)

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10. Your TV usually shows the dinner menu – it’s also displayed outside the dining room. (ONLY ON THE NEWER SHIPS WITH INTERACTIVE TV AND EVEN THEN NOT ALWAYS.)

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12. Waiters entertain during dinner. First level tables get to see this, second level diners (yes dining rooms are often two stories) usually can’t see the performance. (SOME PEOPLE CALL IT ENTERTAINMENT MOST CALL IT AN ANNOYANCE, BUT IT CLEARLY NEGATES ANY THOUGHT THAT THE DINING ROOM IS EVER A FORMAL VENUE)

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Your Cabin –

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6. Sometimes soaps and shampoos are available in your room – but they’re not refilled, and not usually the best quality. (SOAP AND SHAMPOO ARE IN DISPENSERS IN THE SHOWER AND ARE ALWAYS KEPT STOCKED. BAR SOAP IS AVAILABLE BY ASKING YOUR STEWARD)

 

7. All cabins have a safe. Follow the directions to use any card that has a magnetized strip to program and lock/unlock your safe. Bring a throwaway card (grocery store card, old hotel key, old gift card) if you’re nervous about using a credit card. Don’t use your room key or the steward can get in your safe (YOUR STEWARD CANNOT GET INTO YOUR SAFE NO MATTER WHAT YOU USE TO OPEN AND CLOSE IT. EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A SAFE THINK TWICE BEFORE BRINGING ANYTHING THAT YOU REALLY FEEL LIKE NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP. IF IT NEEDS TO BE LOCKED AWAY (OTHER THAN CASH OR CREDIT CARDS) YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED IT ANY WAY. YOUR CAMERAS, ETC ARE SAFE IN YOUR CABIN.)

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An interesting list but here my perspectives on some of the points.

[zqvol]

Wow...come on everyone. I remember when I would enjoy just reading through various posts, etc. Now everytime someone really wants to help others they get slammed.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO CAPITALIZE WORDS IN OUR RESPONSES? Don't yell at people just reply.

 

This is cruising 101. Not a masters or phd program. The items posted are generally true. Maybe not on all ships, but in general this post was very well done.

 

OK, now before you slam me...take a deep breath, remember the aqua waters in the carribean...that great sunset on your last cruise.....there now respond.

 

kevin from mpls

The OP asked for help editing this list in another post.

 

the reason for the capital letters and colored fonts is to allow people to see the comments or places that may have been edited. While all caps is often considered yelling that is not always the case, especially when you for emphasis or clarity.

[kchesneylover]

lol!!! I am an administrative assistant and I guess old habits die hard!!!!:D

 

Oh and kchesneylover, are you a teacher or something, because your post was very reminiscent of my 10 grade rough drafts my teachers hacked up! lol

[kchesneylover]

Well, I would edit my post way above but it won't let me.

 

Whomever said that the sail and sign card may sometimes be different than their room key may be correct. I guess you have to wait and see when you get onboard.

[Mysticks1]

only thing i would add to that is make suren your watch is set to the ships time not the time of your home town or the island because the ships time determines when you leave I.E the ships leaves at 5:00 pm and it's now 4:45 ship time and you think it's 3:45 accroding to your watch

 

The ships time can also change while onboard when traveling through different time zones. I know that it changed a couple of times on our last cruise which was confusing.:confused: I was able to check the official ships time on the tv in the room. I have seen somewhere that it might be the captains decision as to whether or not to stick with one time versus changing in relation to time zones but unsure if that is true or not.

[Caribbean Buckeye]

Whomever said that the sail and sign card may sometimes be different than their room key may be correct. I guess you have to wait and see when you get onboard.

 

Yup, that was me. I'm sure people can easily find out if their S&S card will also be their room key. Just begin a thread about it and one of our many veteran CC Cruisers will happily tell you what you need to know. I'm not sure what difference it would make though. It was just another card to stick in my pocket whenever we left the room.

 

As for ship's time changing throughout the cruise, I'm surprised to hear that. I was under the assumption that ship time remained constant throughout the cruise, and that's why you had to be aware of differences to the various port times. I've heard stories of people missing their ship b/c they didn't note the difference. Somebody with more experience is going to have to clarify this one for us.