Carnival Cruises

slindley422

Has anyone ever taken one? My husband and I are thinking about taking a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas in Aug. I am curious about spending money on the ship. My plan is to load a set $$ amount onto a prepaid card, so that I can't be tempted to spend over what we've budgeted, but I don't really know how much to budget. Any suggestions?

Run_Forever

I have been on one Carnival cruise a few years ago and had a great time. Its very easy to start racking up additional expenses so your pre-loaded card might be a good idea. There were 3 of us in our room and after 7 days we had spent an extra $490 ! Alot of little things can add up pretty quickly. If I remember correctly most of the $490 was drinks.

socko6774

did one years ago, super fun!!! theyve gotten alot cheaper lately, so find an all inclusive deal! all you really need cash for is booze, gambling and excursions. you will gain at leasty 5lbs on a cruise though. food everywhere !!!!
try and do a freestyle cruise, not set times or formal dinners at scheduled times. so you're free to come n go as you please.

oregonzoo

Stay away from the ship doctor. That's my only advice. And load about 2x the money you intended.

Also research the ports and excursions on your own. Carnival makes a killing by overcharging for those.

slindley422

I don't think we are going to do any excursions through carnival. I saw where those are about 2x as much as if you bought them locally. The cruise we are looking at is all inclusive, and it is going to be. Right at $800 for the two of us. I saw where they charge you $11.50 per person per day for tips, but is this the only "hidden" charge? Neither my husband nor myself drink, so that wont be an issue.

slindley422

Do they charge for non-acholic drinks the same way?

samb330

I think the only free drinks on our cruise was water, tea, and coffee. Everything else you had to pay for. (that was a long time ago, it may be different now)

Danni3ll3

They charge for pop or soda or carbonated drinks or whatever you call the fizzy drinks where you are. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and juices are available all the time at no cost.

We went on a Carnival cruise this past summer and had a wonderful time. The cruise we took was in Europe so we did book the tours through Carnival as they guarantee the ship will wait if you are booked through them. Amazingly enough, I think that in the 12 days we were on the ship, there were only about 3 times that we didn't leave someone behind because they were late. I understand that in the Bahamas, you can just get off the ship and walk around which wasn't the case in Europe. Just be sure to be back at the ship in plenty of time.

As to the tips, you can prepay them and that is something then that you won't have to budget for. On the ship, if you are careful, you should be able to get by with minimal expenses. They have specials on jewelry and various things that they get you to buy and they really hound you about taking pictures so you can buy them later. It is easier to say no to the photographers right off the bat because then you won't be tempted to buy the pictures of yourselves later. If you really are careful, there is no reason to go over your budget. You just need to say no to the people pushing whatever they are trying to sell.

Some eating areas of the ship come with a cost but there are plenty of other options including the dining room which was amazing. We found out later that they also serve breakfast in the dining room so don't forget about that in addition to the choices on the Lido deck.

If you want something truly special to do and you are a foodie, the Chef Table is amazing. You need to contact Carnival ahead of time as they only offer it once or twice per cruise and each seating is only 12 people. It cost $75.00 per person and it was totally worth it. That was one of the highlights of our cruise.

Speaking of food, even though I sort of watched what I was eating, I gained 12 pounds in two weeks. I knew I had gained weight but I didn't expect it to be quite that much. It has come off again and I don't regret a single bite I had onboard.

We were on the Carnival Breeze and it was a lovely ship. I am totally jealous that you are going on a cruise. Have a wonderful time!

valerieg78

Do they charge for non-acholic drinks the same way?

When I went on one about 3 years ago, you could purchase the soda/pop card and drink all you want.

Bracciano

To be honest I haven't read anyone's responses, but I go on a few cruises every few years. Take a LOT of bottled water. The excursions will bend you over for the cost of bottled water and you can take it with you on the ship without worrying about it.
Hit the gym...not a lot of people use it so it's mainly empty and they run contests to see who can lose weight on the cruise. If you can book them on your own you'll save 50% on the excursions. If you're going with a loved one, nothing better than hitting it on the balcony at night, very risque and romantic. Spend plenty of time inhaling the fresh sea air, and the rooms tend to run warm to keep you in the rest of the ship which is nice and cool. Bring a small portable fan with you.

August_1958

We are headed on a cruise in November and am enjoying all the responses to this subject! Never have been on one yet, so even the little details have been helpful to read about!

I am trying to look at this vacation/cruise as a motivator for my diet!

sizzle74

My ex husband and I did the Mexican Riviera. It was really fun. We set aside money, luckily, because our bar tab was $1000. We did a couple excersions which were fun. I gained probably 10 pounds but got the revenge the last night and lost it all. Totally worth every heave and squirt. LOL!

acknan

Carnival has a "bubbles" card for soft drinks for about $30-35 which allows you unlimited drinks for the week. If you don't drink alcohol, you will save tons on that! (calories too!!!)

I'm going on my third cruise in three years this April, I travel with a friend and we each spend about $3-400 on the boat but that includes drinks. About $200 each for taxis, tips, etc on excursions, and then I used my credit card for gifts/souvenirs. Definitely do the tips included for your room, you pay before you go and then you don't have to worry about it while you are there unless there is someone that you want to thank in particular.

Have sooooo much fun, and here's a hint, do anytime dining and eat in the dining room as much as possible... built in portion control to keep you from gaining on the trip! Have a blast!

Stdavis53

My wife and I have Cruised exclusively Carnival and absolutely love it. People are right, you can buy a soda card from any bartender that allows free soda's for the whole cruise. Was about $40 I think. If you drink more than 12 soda's the whole cruise, its worth it. The numerous options for dining at any time of day or night is great. Most of the ships we have been on even have Sushi bars open at certain hours with free rolls. (can't beat that)

Highly Highly recommend Carnival

dmpizza

We did a Royal Carribean and they charge for EVERYTHING. So much so that ordering things actually slows down what you do while they take 10 minutes to charge your account.

WAHMto5

We cruise twice a year (in May & September/October) and LOVE it! Been on about 8 Carnival ones and loved all of them!

basillowe66

We went on aq 7 day cruise. You have to give them your credit card # and you use that . I don't know if they would use a prepaid, but they are pretty friendly and you could call them and ask them. Their meals that are included are good, you usually have 3 choices. We prepaid the tips with the fare so you know what in addition you are spending. If you have any other questions feel free to write!

Basil

August_1958

What is prepaid tips (other than the obvious) and what $ range are we talking?

Danni3ll3

What is prepaid tips (other than the obvious) and what $ range are we talking?

It is the tips for the steward, the waiters, entertainers and so on all rolled into one. They come to about $11-13 per day per person if I remember right.

ubermensch13

All cruise goers: read David Foster Wallace's " A Supposed Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" before you go again......

robertm79

I travel extensively being I am a travel agent. I absolutely love cruises, but they now have soda cards and even alcohol cards that you can pay for an unlimited amount now.