Carnival Cruise Paradise - 1st cruise - Need Advice!?

Question

I am going with our company from July 13 - July 16th. Ship leaves Long Beach at 5:30pm. What is recommended time to arrive for boarding? Is there an earlier time to board? Any suggestions to bring alcohol on board (not wine or champagne) and I can only drink one type of liquor and Im sure they do not sell it. Am I missing out if I do not attend the Captains dinner? Any suggestions/advice etc will be appreciated! Ive researched sites with reviews and FAQ on Carnivals site. I want to hear more from ppl who have experienced this cruise. How much money should I bring to gamble (slots only and do they have nickle slots?) and drink (alcohol, and I drink alot)? Soda's cost money, is juice, iced tea and water free? Is roomservice free? Do you tip over the 10.00 per day?

Answer 1

Hey, Im going on this cruise too. This will be my first also. Im gonna bring vodka in a water bottle hidden in my check in bag, i heard thats the way to do it. Good Luck!! Oh and C ya on the cruise!!!

Answer 2

Yes 10.00 a day is the suggested and it is well worth it for the service you will receive.  You can try and pack your alcohol in your main bag you check I did it years ago but maybe now they will pull it but you can try.  Yes captain dinners and all dinners are very worth it in the dining room you will find things you don't find anywhere else with the luxury of trying it and if you don't like it you won't starve.  Most stuff is smallish portions so you if you like two appetizers order them both!  My husband order's 2 dinners. Get on board early 11:00 if you can, you will get to enjoy everything on board and check out the ship.  With respects to gambling bring as much money as you can afford to donate to the ship.  Yes they have nickle and even penny! You can probably get a soda card if you just can't live without soda which will cover you your entire stay, otherwise they are like 1.50 at the bar plus tip at 15% (love they way they tip) Juice usually supplied in the am and water and tea at your table is always served nocharge. The best place for you to get personal opinions is at www.cruisecritic.com its the best for everything you want to know.  You wil have a great time cruising is the "Happiest place on earth"  u will love it!

Answer 3

Normally ships start boarding between noon and 1:00PM.  But many times when they let you board your room may not be ready.  So they always have a lunch buffet spread out for you that you can go enjoy as soon as you board.  If the ship is leaving at 5:30 Pm you need to be ON THE SHIP at least a half hour before that time.  That last 30 minutes they use to drop all of the lines, pull the anchor, close all of the hatches and get things ready for the ship to move.  I always say get there early so you can get lunch and then check out the ship; where things are vs your cabin.  Even go look at what table assignment you have in the dining room.  The Long Beach terminal is nice and has room for you to sit comfortably if you arrive before you can board.

All cruise lines prohibit you bringing alcohol on board.  Its in their passenger policy section of your cruise ticket contract.  They say that they will confiscate liquor found in luggage and reserve the right to deny you boarding.  Now what I do is put my liquor (about a pint) in a flash and put it in with my toiletries.  I also buy the mini's, like they sell on airplanes, and put them in with toiletries.  They say that they Xray all luggage, and I am sure that they do, but I cannot imagine them taking the time to open bags when all they see is  a small bottle.  Just don't try to take a fifth.  For sure do not try to carry liquor on in your carry on luggage.  Everything that you carry on goes through a scanner just like the one in airports.  You can however, carry on bottled water and soft drinks; I do that all of the time.

The Caption may come and have dinner with the passengers on one of the formal nights.  But, he will sit at a special table where they have preselected about a dozen guests to sit at his table.  The rest of the people in the dining room usually don't even know he is there.  Its really no big deal.

The ship will have a few nickel slots and people will take them up and stay there.  How much gambling do you want to do??  Bring a couple hundred and if you need more just go to the casino cage and ask for a credit on your cruise account.  Give them your cruise card and they will give you cash and put it on your tab.

When you get to the port the first thing they will do at checkin is set up an account for you on ship.  You give them a credit  card number for the account and everything that you buy on ship goes on the account.  AT the end of the cruise your tab is charged to your credit card, or you can arrange to pay cash.  You can also put your gratuities on the tab.  Whenever you order a drink, put anything at the gift shop, arrange for a tour from the ship, buy a photo, or purchase anything while on ship it goes on your tab.  So you don't need to bring a lot of cash unless you plan to shop off the ship. And then you should use a credit card for large purchases so you will not need big money on you.  If you do, use the casino for more, or the ATM machine at the purser's desk.

Soft drinks are $1.50 or you can buy a card for unlimited soft drinks for the duration of the cruise.  Coffee, tea (hot and cold), juice, milk and punch or lemonade is free. Yes water is free, but if you want bottled water you pay for it. Room service is free and available 24/7;  but do tip the person who brings it a buck or two.  Tips/gratuities will be about $10.00 a day.  You can tip more if you want.  AT the end of the cruise they will give you envelopes for tipping the room attendant, waiter, ***'t waiter and Matre D.  Each time you order a drink on ship a gratuity is automatically added to the tab for that drink.

Hope I covered all of your questions; enjoy your cruise.