It's my first cruise on Carnival Holiday to Cozumel. Help!?

Question

My husband and I are taking a group cruise with Carnival on the ship, Holiday on Sept. 18th. Has anyone been on this particular cruise ship? I have an overactive imagination and will be filled with anxiety until we hit land but I am determined to conquery my fears and have a good time. I am also nervous b/c I just found out that there is a casino onboard and my husband is hooked on blackjack. Someone told me the casino play is charged to the room...YIKES! Is there a way for me to deactivate that option? Also, we will be in Cozumel for one waking day. Any tips on what to do? I don't swim well, so water activities are out. What is the weather like there is Sept? Can you smoke on a cruise ship? Is it okay to bring your own alcohol on board? What about internet connections? I was thinking of bringing my laptop. Also, does at&t wireless have cell coverage there? I will be so lost without my cell phone. I'm open to any advice...I'm a newbie traveler in training....HELP!

Answer 1

I just got back from a cruise, it was a different company and location but from my experience...

The casino was only open for a couple hours, like 9pm-1am, but usually theres some big event on board at around 8 or 9, like a after dinner show, then usually your too tired to stay up because you want to get up early next morning to do all the great things there are to do on a cruise vacation, and the casino on our ship wasn't anything great, mostly slots and maybe 4 tables that I never saw anybody at.

I would just check weather.com and check out Cozumel for the time you will be there.

I don't remember anybody smoking the whole cruise but I also don't remember any do not smoke signs, but I would have to say no.

You can't bring your own alcohol, they want you to buy it on the ship. And if you buy bottles on the ship they wont give them to you until your last day. Our cruise had a drink of the day where it was like half price and usually pretty good.

We had a lounge for internet, about 10 computers, 55 cents a minute. I have at&t and got a signal when cruising it just said "at&t at sea." I'm like you where I always need my cell phone but never really used it except for an alarm clock.

Hope that helped a little bit and enjoy your cruise

Answer 2

Carnival Holiday isn't one of Carnival's newest or nicest ships, but it still gets decent reviews. Casinos - if you're husband is going to gamble all of your money away in the casino, then you're probably not going to have a very good time. Here's how it works on most cruises: your key card, which opens the door to your room, is also how to pay for drinks and stuff in the casino, and its linked to your credit card. Whether you're at the bar or at the casino, self-control is necessary.

Cozumel is an awesome island, and there's plenty to do there. Shopping is a big draw; there are lots of shops and a mall practically on the dock. If you're wanting to do some sort of organized activity, then I suggest booking a shore excursion through the cruise line. Many of the activities will be water-related because Cozumel is a world-class SCUBA destination, and even the snorkeling is fantastic. Many people have a good time on the zip-lines and ATV excursions. The weather will still be plenty warm in Sept (80-90 degrees during the day).

Smoking is allowed on the cruise ship in and your stateroom, but is disallowed in certain areas (dining areas, certain lounges, etc.). Don't bother bringing your own alcohol onboard, you won't be allowed to drink it. Alcohol is one of the biggest money-makers for the cruise lines, so be prepared to have a hefty bar bill if you plan on drinking. Internet connectivity is spotty and usually fairly slow, but is available for a price. If you want to use your cell phone in Mexico, you should call AT&T customer service to activate international roaming; it'll also cost you though. You ought to just turn off your phone for a few days, and take the opportunity to relax.

My biggest piece of advice is to just relax and have a good time. There's so much going on onboard that you should just turn off your phone and laptop and actually enjoy your vacation. Eat, drink, dance, get a tan, and relax.

Answer 3

in Cozumel what i suggest is just going to the shops and looking around, that's what i always do. yes you can smoke on the ship but you have to be outside on the deck. there is an Internet room on board but you have to pay for Internet and you use their computers. and all cell phones work on the ship but every time you call someone or someone calls you you pay money. that's all the things I'm sure about, i think i know some about the rest of the stuff but don't want to give you false info.

Answer 4

I was on the Holiday a few months ago.  As mentioned, it's an older, smaller ship (realitivly speaking) but it is still a a very nice ship.  I can't help you much with the casino, If you turn off his spending privledges on his card, that will mean that it would be cut off from everything. You can also bring cash to the casino and they will load it into your account.  That is how I usually do it,  I set aside a few hundred dollars for the casino.  As far as cozumel goes,  it is mostly a water sports / beach port.  There are some non beach activities such as dune buggy / atv riding, shopping, zip lines etc. In sep it will be very hot.  expect it to be near 90 outside.  As far as booze,  you are not allowed to bring your own booze, that however doesn't really stop alot of people from sneaking some onboard in their bags.  ATT has cell coverage will at sea but it is expensive. The ship will also have internet connections but that is expensive also.  My advice is to wait till you get to Coz then go to an internet cafe,  they are all over the place and very cheap.