carnival cruise?

Question

How much does drinks cost on carnival cruises? Also is the food paid for with your ticket? And the activities, do they cost anything on the ship? Off the ship is it cheaper to find the activities yourself or thru carnival?? Also would you suggest carnival or another cruise line for a couple around 25-26 years old?

Answer 1

My husband I went on a cruise to the bahamas on Carnival Cruises a few years ago. Wow, what a trip and I mean this is so many ways.
Not only will you be paying for your drinks, you will pretty much be paying for anything that you drink outside of juices and coffee. Shush what my husband and I did was when we hit port we found a pepsi machine and bought enough sodas to last the rest of the trip. *wink*
The food is all part of your ticket price, but find out if you will be eating when they want, or is it open meals (which is the best). The best thing to do after your fire drill is to really get to know your ship from top to bottom. Not only are there restruants here and there, but also you can find hot dog and hamburger stands, pancake stations, etc. Yes I picked up three pounds in three days. Ugh. Also know that you are expected to TIP EVERYONE on the ship. I mean EVERYONE, and they pretty much tell you HOW much you shall tip!
Most everything that you do on the ship is free, but once you get off the ship be ready to spend big bucks! The best advise I can give you is to check out all of the cruise ship sites as there are so many of them now days. See which one offers the things that you enjoy. check out the room photos as some rooms are very very small. But with us it didnt have much to do with the room as we had gone online and found things to do for FREE at our places of port.
The most important thing I can tell you is to make sure that you will not be sailing during hurricane season!
Right now Hawaii is great place to sail, lots of young ppl, safe area and what a great way to see the hawaiian islands. Whatever you do, have the best trip ever! Heres a site that might help out.

Answer 2

I will answer the most important question first. You DO NOT need a passport IF your cruise leaves from California and regardless of where it stop, it ALSO returns to California (OR any part of the US .. any US state) BEFORE December 31, 2007. But, if your cruise returns to the US AFTER December 31, 2007 then you will need a passport. The new passport law requiring ALL who enter the US by car, train, bus, plane or cruise ship to have a passport goes into effect on January 1, 2008. Unless your cruise ends in Ensenada your cruise ship stop there is more than likely a regulatory stop; only to meet a regulatory requirement that all US cruise ships stop in a foreign port. That is usually the case in cruises from the west coast of the US. Carnival and Princess cruise lines are actually owned by the same company; actually Carnival owns Princess. BUT, Carnival is the budget cruise line and the one that most young people ages 21 to about 35 go on, and also the ship that most first time cruiser go on. Its the party cruise line by reputation and actual. People who go say that they have a great time on Carnival ships (for the most part). Princess is a more upscale cruise line and that means the cabins are a little better, the food is a little better and the ship has a more reserved crowd. Now that does not mean that the people, many of whom will be in the 40 to 65 age range, do not have a great time. There will be some young people on the Princess ship but not as many as on Carnival. I have been on three Princess ships and they have great discos and lounges and the people have a great time. You just do not see people staggering down the hall or being loud at the pool areas. If I were making the selection I would go with princess since I absolutely loved all three of their ships that I have been on. We did the cruise to the Mexico Rivera, Cabo, Acapulco, and Puerta Vallarta in October 2004. The weather was great with one exception. The sailing was smooth and the weather was very pleasant but a hurricane came across Mexico and dissipated near one of our planned port stops. Because of that they diverted the ship to a different port. But we never had any bad weather, not even rain and it was sunny and warm enough to sit on the balcony or most anywhere on decks all day long. Since your cruise date is outside the hurricane time frame you should not have to worry about any of that type weather. My bet is that you will have great weather for the whole cruise like we did.

Answer 3

For your age Carnival is perfect for you. Drinks are $3-$7 each depending on the size and all, sodas you can get a card for about $30 for 7 nights. The food is included and all you can eat and open 24 hours. Sometimes you can find the land tours cheaper off the ship, but remember that if you are with the ship they will wait for you to return, if you go alone and come back late they will leave you. Also the cruise lines have checked out the tour operators they use, it is not just some guy at the end of the dock, so be sure you get references from somewhere (try cruise critic). The best way to be sure of all of this is to use a travel agent or cruise specialist, like me.

Answer 4

These are all good questions. The price of the items your inquiring about depends on the package you select. If you pay for an all inclusive package then drinks and meals will be included, meaning you don't have to pay additional cost once on the ship of your choice. Most cruise lines include basic activities with the cost of your ticket but, if you choice to participate in additional shore activities such as snorkeling, horseback riding, or village excursions you can include them in the price of your ticket or pay as you go. Through my experience I found Carnival to be a very good cruise line. However, I encourage you to do research and find what appeals to you before you select a cruise line and purchase tickets. There are many search engines on-line but, I would recommend the following link:www.travelmonkies.org I have used them in the past and found their prices very competitive. Good luck!
Be well
P.S. Depending on where you are trying to travel you should go ahead and apply for a passport!

Answer 5

If you want your information to be current - I suggest you call the carnival customer service number : 1.888.CARNIVAL

BELOW IS A WEBPAGE THAT IS EXCEPTIONALLY COMPLETE -
PLEASE NOTE: NO CASH IS EVER EXCHANGED ON THE SHIP - UPON EMBARKATION - YOU GIVE THE CRUISE REP. YOUR CREDIT CARD AND AGREE TO HAVE ALL EXPENSES CHARGED TO THAT CARD DURING YOUR CRUISE -
YOU CAN ADD A TIP ONTO A CHARGE SLIP - SOME GRATUTITIES ARE AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED -
The customer service desk will exchange money for you, you can cash in travelers checks, etc. You can tip w/cash but that's it -
drinks are charged individually - you can buy a soda card on the first day of your cruise which will give you access to unlimited soda for the cruise duration - alcoholic beverages are charged individually
Most activities are free - if you want to participate in something like bingo? then there is a charge - the fee is charged to your room card, which eventually gets charged to your credit card
Activities? CHEEPER? - it all depends where you're going
We just came back from a trip that took us to Central America
some of the roads were paved - some were not - we booked all our excursions through the ship because the ship will take responsiblity for your return - also the ship will not leave without you if you are on an excursion purchased through the ship - that is not the case with privately booked excursions and if the ship leaves without you - it's YOUR responsiblity (you pay) to make arrangements to reconnect - SO - what price do you place on reassurance?
keep in mind that there are different sized ships - we like the mid-sized ships - not too many people - not too few ~
You will need cash for going ashore - but not for the ship -
We love Carnival - we have had bad experiences with other cruise ships - CARNIVAL is our choice - ENJOY!

Answer 6

well on carnival cruises most of the food is included.....like food in the main dinning room......but u have to pay for food in specailty resturants.......the activites are all included exept like the casino.........i would do the activites with carnival unless you have a good travel agent....cuz things can get confusing and you mite get really screwed......and carnival is a type of party cruise lines....if thats wut u want then carnivals a good line....not the best....but good......but not carnival if your going to relax......my fav. cruise line is royal caribbean and would reccamend them everytime..........if our into the relaxing and great food and a great time.........probly the best vacation of your life....then take royal caribbeans freedom family of ships to the caribbean................AWESOME TIME MAN.....i loved it and been on the cruise 11 times.....=)

Answer 7

Drinks vary in price. Cocktail parties offer free drinks. A little secret: if you go to the bar in the lounge where the cocktail party is located at, you should be able to get a free full size drink.

All food is included in your price. The supper clubs charge a fee per person, but the food is personally made and of a higher quality. Reservations are required for this. Regular food (buffets, dining room, on deck, etc.) is free. Yes, you can order multiple entrees at dinner if you want.

The activities are free. Obviously, if you want to buy a bingo card or go in the casino, that costs money. Most things are free though. Some things that aren't free: photographs (getting your pictures taken is free; buying the pictures is not), Internet, off-ship phone calls, mail, drinks (alcoholic and sodas).

Yes, it is cheaper to go on excursions on your own. But beware. If you do this, and something happens on your excursion, the ship WILL NOT wait for you! So if your bus breaks down, you're out of luck. But if you pay the extra money and book the excursion through Carnival, the ship will not leave until your accounted for. In addition, if you simply get off the ship to walk around, it's your responsibility to be back in time. The ship will not wait for you unless you're on a Carnival-sponsored excursion.

It depends on what you're interested in to recommend a cruise line. Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the "fun" lines. There are more families on these lines. Celebrity and Princess are a bit higher class, but still fun. Cunard is a more elegent cruise line. Then there are others like Holland America, Costa, etc.

Answer 8

Sounds like you are in need of a lot of basic information. Go to the library and check out some books about cruising - there are lots of them.

You can also go to CruiseCritic.com, "Boards" and "Reviews" for lots more helpful information.

Carnival would be a good first cruise, especially for someone your age. It does have the reputation as a party ship and it can be if that's what you want. However, you can also find quiet, relaxing spots if that's what you want once in a while.

Carnival does have some of the largest cabins, but you won't be spending a lot of time in the room, anyway - book an inside to save money [low deck, middle of the ship for less motion].

People say to avoid hurricane season, but September and October have some good prices. We've sailed several times in those months. Only one time did we have a "problem" with a hurricane. While our families were wondering how things were going, we were enjoying two free days at sea with scarcely a cloud in sight. Granted, it was a bit rough going into port in Florida, but not that bad. The down side is that you might miss a port that you really wanted to see due to re-routing. But the companies aren't going to risk their ships or their passengers.

In port, no, you don't have to take ship's excursions or any excursions at all. You can stay on the ship and enjoy an almost empty ship [and bargains in the spa!], you can just grab a cab and go to the beach [as someone else suggested], or do a little research to find reliable vendors for excursions. You may not want to do that as a first-timer, however - if you're late, you catch the ship at your own expense, whereas if you're on a ship-sponsored excursion, they will wait for you. [Go to "Ports of Call" at CruiseCritic to get an idea of what's available.] Some ports you won't want to do on your own and others are perfectly safe.

Good luck with your research - and enjoy your cruise, if you go!!

Answer 9

We cruise Carnival at least once a year...

Bottom line is you can spend as much or as little as you want. My sister opens a cash account when she boards so she does not get sticker shock at the end of the cruise like I do with a credit card account. She only spent $250 in incidentals on our last cruise...I spent about $1,500.

Here are some of the costs for items not included in the purchase of your fare:
- Bar drinks. $4-12 each plus 15% gratuity.
- Soda. $1.75 by can or buy a fountain drink card for $45 for unlimited sodas by the glass.
- Spa services. $50-200 per service.
- Shore excursions. $50-200 per trip.
- Tips. $10 per person per day.
- Taxis while in port. $5-10 per trip.
- Casino - $$$$
- Bingo - $5-10 per card.
- Gourment coffee/pastries - $4-8
- Internet. Per minute
- Ship to shore calling...$7 per minute
- Photos. $20-25 per sheet.

What IS included...meals in dining room and buffet, tea, lemonade, 24x7 pizza, shows, pool activities, clubs, etc.

As for shore excursions. Yes, the are cheaper if you book outside of Carnival but those vendors are not checked out. We had friends that booked on their own and were forced to pay $300 in cash to be returned to the ship. Also, if an excursion that is booked by Carnival is late returning to the dock, the tour operations can contact Carnival. Consider the up-charge to be like insurance.

You don't have to book excursions. You can grab a cab at the dock and ask to go to the best free beach...

Carnival has a party atmosphere. Royal Caribbean is a bit more upscale than Carnival so it depends on what type of experience you are looking for.

Avoid July-Nov. That is hurricane season. Spring Break and holidays are jam packed with families and lots of kids.

February has great pricing!

Check out www.vacationstogo.com to compare deals.

Also, keep up to date with the changing passport laws. Passports will be required for cruising sometime in 2008.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Answer 10

what time is the midnite buffet ?