Sunday, March 31, 2024

12 Carnival Cruise Tips and Tricks for Maximum Cruising Fun

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That’s much more than what other booking sites will give you. If you’re a member, it’s worth looking into before you buy your cruise. Shares of Carnival have been all over the map following the health crisis. However, if you do own the shares, you’ll definitely want to get your onboard credit. The doors are sometimes locked at night or in high winds, so try again later if you can't get through. The Carnival HUB app is essential for planning your cruise both before and after you're on board.

Cruise Booking Tips

The venues vary from ship to ship, but usually you’ll find a bar, hot tubs, cozy loungers & lots of places to chill. Other quiet spots on Carnival ships include the Library or Cloud 9 spa area. Carnival does NOT allow plastic bottles of any type to be brought onboard, but we do have a good tip for you to save some money on bottled water. Shorter Carnival cruises tend to bring the party crowd, while 7 night & longer itineraries can be more mellow. Keep school holidays & Spring Break in mind when planning, too. Carnival cruisers in-the-know plan ahead and pack accessories for these deck parties.

Seasickness Tips

Hallways can seem to go on forever and cabin doors can all look the same. One tip is that just like a neighborhood street, odd-numbered cabins are on one side of the ship, while even-number rooms are on the other. So when you step out of the elevator to head to your cabin, you can know which side of the ship your room is located. They'll even pass the bottles from one restaurant to the next, so you can order something special in the steakhouse and finish it in the main dining room the next night. Bolt is Carnival's new roller coaster attraction found on Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration. The thrill ride is tons of fun, but a maximum of four people can ride it at any one time.

Carnival Cruise Tips and Tricks

Choose a port day for your turn on the coaster, or book a spot on the first sea day, so you have time to rebook if the attraction closes before you can ride it. Carnival cruise ships provide the bare minimum of toiletries — bar soap to wash your hands, dispensers of generic shampoo and body wash in the shower. If you want to make the most of your time on board, choose an early arrival time by checking into your cruise as soon as possible. The cruise ship deck is windy, and towels tend to fall down and even fly away a bit. Packing cubes really help to keep everything organized and can be a space and time saver.

Cruise Shore Excursion Tips

Often, the cruise line’s insurance has limitations on medical coverage, so it’s a good idea to research and buy cruise travel insurance that will fit your needs. Travel agents often have extra perks that they can give you when you book with them. When using a travel agent, whether local or online, make sure that they have experience and specialize in selling cruises. One thing many people don’t think about, is that even if they don’t get seasick on a cruise, small boats and tenders to get off the ship may be a different story.

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The BEST Carnival Cruise Hacks

You should also bring your own shampoo and soap if you have a preference. Order a taco with eggs (we ask for ours to be prepared fried, over hard), or skip the taco, and get cooked-to-order eggs with little wait. The nearby salsa bar has a great collection of salsas along with sliced watermelon. Most of our fellow passengers, however, were repeat Carnival guests. It is also easy to spend more than you planned if you do not have a strategy for your trip. Our Carnival Cruise tips will help make your cruise as cost effective and comfortable as possible.

Typically there is only one outlet per cabin in many older ships (newer ships are getting better at offer more outlets). During that span, what is expected of and can be done on cruise ships has soared. Carnival’s newest ships feature more amenities, restaurants, and activities than you can imagine compared to older ships. One thing to know is that not all cruise ships are created equal.

Carnival Cruise Line confirms ban on a popular cabin hack - TheStreet

Carnival Cruise Line confirms ban on a popular cabin hack.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 19:34:44 GMT [source]

– Take Advantage of the Nightlife

This goes for every cruise line, and you’ll find it on Carnival. The oldest ships in the fleet were built in the 1990s while the newest — such as Carnival Celebration — are brand new. To help you out, we’ve rounded up dozens of our best Carnival cruise tips. The advice below can help you save money, save time, or generally just have a better trip.

For U.S. Citizens You Can Use Other Forms of Travel Documents

I have a friend who did a whale watching excursion and instead of enjoying it, she was so sick. A good tip is to take Bonine or another non-drowsy seasickness medication, use seabands or even a motion sickness patch behind your ear. If you’re sensitive to motion and may get seasick, make sure to pack seabands and even some Bonine motion sickness medication just in case.

If you want, you can fuel up a little early and head to the ship's buffet before it closes for another snack. They will be billed to your onboard Sail & Sign account. Before you board, download Carnival’s Hub App to your phone.

You may want to use some of the equipment or even try out some of the classes. Please note that some classes will be included on your cruise, while others will have an extra charge. While you can’t do this each night, if you did really enjoy a dish, as your waiter if the chef may be able to prepare it another evening. There may be other items not on the menu that are easy to get.

Carnival Cruise Line has one of the most affordable beverage packages in the industry. Add it to your reservation before you cruise, and you can save 10% on the package price. If the cruise fare drops within 48 hours of your booking, you can take advantage of Carnival's best price guarantee to receive 110% of the difference back in onboard credit. However, it’s always fun to see the doors that are decorated. So if you’re in the mood or celebrating a special occasion, definitely bring some fun magnets and other items to decorate and personalize your cabin door.

It costs a fraction of your cruise price and delivers an unbelievable amount of protection against delays, cancellations, lost baggage and injury. Check out options from third-party travel insurance companies like travelguard.com. Want to make your vacation budget go as far as possible? The exact same cruise can often go for double in July than in October or November. It's nice to be able to bring water ashore with you, too, especially if you have more active excursions planned.

75 Genius Cruise Hacks and Tips: Get Organized, Save Money, Cruise Better

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Carnival's primary target market is families, so any time that you can travel when it's typically more difficult for families to set sail is a good time to score a deal. Knowing the ins and outs of Carnival cruises can pay off long before you set sail. Here are a few key tips to keep in mind during your cruise planning. Of course, you don't want to waste time making rookie mistakes while onboard. If your child is over two years old, then they can be dropped off at Camp Ocean on the ship.

carnival cruise hacks

Movie time! Where you sit matters

This number could come in handy in case of an emergency. Keep your travel documents and cash safely in a money belt during port tours. Locals can tell you are a tourist and so will the pickpockets. A major part of a Carnival cruise is getting off in port and experience the destinations on your own or on a shore excursion. Send your kids to camp Carnival or camp oceans which offers night owls. Your children will be well taken care of by the youth staff there.

You Can Take Soda Cans or a Bottle of Wine On-board

20 tricks for cruising cheap on less than $100 per day - Cruise Blog

20 tricks for cruising cheap on less than $100 per day.

Posted: Fri, 20 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

If you have kids, consider buying different color packing cubes for each member of the family. Whether you are 2 in a cabin, or 4 (or on rare occasions 5), there are ways to keep your cabin space organized and feeling as “spacious” as possible. We were guests of Carnival Cruise Line during our sailing aboard Carnival Freedom. This sailing was part of the Carnival Journeys program which are tailored to adult passengers desiring a richer and deeper cruise experience.

Don't overpack — Carnival cruises are casual

You might not think of it, but the nights in the Caribbean can get cool, even in the summer. This is especially true when the ship is underway, which makes the breeze much stronger. Do yourself a favor and bring a light jacket to wear in the evenings. Even if you plan to stay inside on the ship, the air conditioning can get cool in many places. Mardi Gras, Celebration and Panorama have all been introduced in recent years. Rightly so, many people are eager to sail these newer ships.

Try BlueIguana for breakfast

This is an important piece of advice for any cruise — don’t forget to put your phone on airplane mode as soon as the ship departs port. This prevents you from incurring hefty roaming fees as your cell phone tries to find a connection while out at sea. Whether you’re a newbie or have sailed Carnival a dozen times, you’re sure to find helpful advice in our 33 Carnival cruise tips and tricks. Before or after dinner you can swing by the Taste Bar to get tastings of different venues around the ship. A Taste Bar can be found on most ships in Carnival’s fleet but has its own location on different ships. You can expect offerings from the steakhouse, an Italian restaurant or Bonsai Sushi.

A bonus point is if you don’t like a cruise or change your mind within the first 24hrs once on board, you can get the Carnival vacation guarantee. Which gives you 100% full refund of your fares and $100 onboard credit for a future cruise, plus they will get you back to the port of embarkation. The biggest advantage of booking excursions with your Carnival cruise line is that you won’t be left by the ship or have visa hassles at the port. The alternative, however, is much cheaper, book your shore excursions with a large and reputable tour company and save yourself at least 50% in price.

If you’re a return passenger, you’ll likely receive an invitation to a past passenger cocktail party or event. Most of the time, wine, cocktails and canapes are served. If you don’t plan to use the internet while on a cruise, but still want people to reach you just in case, let them know they can still send a message. Many people report receiving text messages, even when in airplane mode. However, make sure you don’t respond until you have free wifi. As much as we all love cruise food and tend to indulge, we all want to avoid too much weight gain on a cruise.

Don’t pack so many clothes, you will not need them all. If going on sunny and warm cruises, pack light clothes and only 3 pairs of shoes. Pack a jacket and umbrella, some ports and sea days are rainy, not sunny. No question that safety onboard the cruise ship is no.1. Make sure you’re aware of the safety rules on your Carnival cruise.

Book a Wifi package online

Our Carnival Freedom stateroom was roomy and comfortable. Our stateroom on deck 8 Aft was generally quiet, and we really enjoyed our balcony. Your stateroom will depend on availability, but you may have a wide choice depending on when you book your cruise.

Born out of necessity, as I have forgotten items more than once, I created a printable cruise planner that you may find useful. It covers everything from cruise planning, checklists for embarkation to disembarkation tips, packing checklists, a cruise outfit planner and more. Some of these cruise hacks and genius tips that come from readers and viewers. Many of these are simple things hat you can do that will make cruise packing and outfit planning easier. Cruise stateroom bathrooms are small and so are the cabins, so bathroom smells might be more obvious than you’d like. Many cruisers bring Poo-Pourri bathroom spray as part of their cruise essentials packing list.

Avoid the legal drama of trying to prove that you are not skipping town with your kid(s) without the other parent’s approval. Carnival Cruise Line is all about family fun and making memories together. To go along with our quick tricks and tips below you can also take a look at this post on cruising with kids. You will get a wakeup call from the ship but you can still carry an alarm clock to make sure you don’t miss the activities you are interested in.

Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents. Unless you want to have to worry about locating free water in the middle of the night, you might want to bring a refillable water bottle with you.

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