Carnival Cruise line - how are they?

Question

We are taking a 4 day Carnival cruise to Ensenada and Catalina over Memorial Day weekend. We have two boys ages 5 and 7. What do we need to know? We have never been on a cruise before, so I"m looking for some insider tips! Is there a lot of motion? What will the weather be like? How do they handle tipping? Etc. Thanks!

Answer 1

First of all, Carnival is a wonderful cruise line.  As you may have already noticed, they are a great value.  You are probably on one of their Fantasy class ships (Fantasy, Ecstasy, Elation, Paradise, Inspiration, Sensation, Fasination etc) which are smaller than the larger Conquest class, but are still just as fun and inviting.  May is an excellent time to cruise.  As for the weather, it should be lovely (but I haven't taken the Catalina cruise in May), sunny, warm, and breezy on the top decks. I guarantee you will have a wonderful time.  Carnival caters to all singles, couples, and families.  They have the Camp Carnival Progam which will entertain children and and give parents some time on their own.  They even have pj pizza parties & movies at night so parents can go to the comedy club, sing it up in Karaokee, dance in the club, play poker, or just take a quiet stroll.  I have cruised Disney once and Canival twice ( I am booked on my 3rd CCL).  So, here are some Tips if you heve never cruised before or with Carnival.

TIPPING---On your sail and sign card (your onboard credit card, check in & off boat card, and sometimes room key) will have a folio number on it.  You can input this number on your tv screen and you can see all onboard purchased you have made and keep track of what you owe.  The tips automatically are placed on your folio bill which will be $40 per person for your cruise.  However, if you wish to do so, you may make adjustments to what you decide to pay.  If you decide to do this, go to the pursers desk during the last days of your cruise to fill out a simple form.

MOTION OF THE OCEAN-- Today's  ships have stablizers on them which help with the rocking of the boat.  You may feel the boat a little bit but not much b/c during May the seas should be calm.  Sometimes you dont feel anything at all.  I usually just feel an occassional movement.  If you get in a storm it may be a little more noticable.

TIPS--- Everyday there are drink specials and Happy Hours.  You can also get free champaigne etc. all this info will be listed in your daily Carnival Capers.  You can bring some alcohol onboard in your luggage and keep it in your room.  Buy bottled alcohol onboard instead of in port...you can usually get 4 bottles of rum for about $20.  Watches, suveniers, jewlery etc.  are all sold onboard and they do offer discounts.

Room Service is complimentary and 24 hours.

Order as much as you want at dinner....2 lobsters 3 steaks..it doesnt matter...and yes you can order more than one item..or one of everything on the menu if you wish to try some new stuff.  

Keep an eye out for opportunities to get free onboard credits by attending a 30 minute sales seminar.

Attend the Shore Excursions Talk (should be the day before 1st port of call and located in the main show room).  There you get the indepth view of all excursions...Listen UP!!!  They give away FREE excursions for answering questions from the talk afterwards so shout em out loud!!!!

Things to look forward too: deck events,deck parties, karaokee, main shows, dancing instructions, comedy hours, ship tours, galley tours (behind the scenes of the dinning room & food preparation!) etc.

There is usually a ladies night in the spa with discounts and half off days later in your cruise.  

The pools are saltwater!!!  

The Carnival Comfort Bed is extremely comfortable!

Drinks are usually $4-$12 depending on drink.  Soda cards are available for the week for unlimited refills.

Photos are taken for free throughout your cruise....for purchase they range from $7-$20

Have A Wonderful Cruise and I hope this helped.

Answer 2

I've never been on Carnival because my grandmother has a personal preferences for other ships but my friends who are teenagers seem to enjoy them. I would recommend Princess or also Holland America. I hear that Carnival is the party ship where people party all the time, and it's overly crowded. but that's just what i've heard!

Have fun on your trip

xo bay

Answer 3

I have been on a carnival cruise with my daughter (5 at the time) and we both enjoyed it. She loved all the activities of the children camp and I liked having nothing to do.

The boat was a bit rocky on occasion but we never got seasick. You can get one of those bracelet against motion sickness if you need. They might even sell them on the boat.

Have fun, enjoy. Cruises are just fun and relaxing

Answer 4

Carnival is great!! The Camp Carnival is great for the kids and they always have so much to do on the ship. Your family will have fun no matter what, but the shore excursions with Carnival are great. If you can get it, I would recommend swimming with the dolphins!! Have fun!!

Answer 5

I've been on a bunch of Carnival cruises an really enjoy them as a fun vacation for families and/or nightlife.

Memorial Day weekend should be a blast -- there will be plenty of kids for your boys to hang out with at Camp Carnival.  My nieces and nephew looooove Camp Carnival.

Regarding tipping, Carnival adds $10 per person per day to your onboard account, so you don't have to worry about bringing cash for that.

Motion shouldn't be a big deal.  You'll feel it a little at first, but most people have zero problems.  If you're worried, you can get a preventative like the acupressure wristbands or they have tablets at the front office.  There's a pretty comprehensive article about avoiding motion sickness here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

Also, since this your first cruise, you might want to check out the "Introduction to Cruises", which explains what a typical day is like, what costs to be aware of, etc:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/in...

The "Know Before you Go" guide might also help.  It has a packing check-list, explanation of shore excursions, that sort of thing:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

Hope you have a great cruise!