My first cruise ever on carnival pride, can someone please tell me what to expect when we aboard the ship.?

Question

Will I need cash onboard the ship, do i need dressy clothes.

Answer 1

Congrats on your first cruise!  Pride is nice.  You can see pictures of the ship here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals/eric...

Regarding cash, pretty much everything is put on your "Sail & Sign" card, you just register a credit card at the beginning.  The only cash you need is for the ports, the casino, tipping the room service guy (a buck or two), and any "extra" tips you want to give -- but nowadays all the main tips are automated to your account.

On a 7-night Carnival cruise there will be two "formal" nights.  They're fairly open-minded about what you can wear and people go in anything from a tuxedo to a polo shirt and khakis.

You might want to check out these two articles, the "Introduction to Cruises" which includes an FAQ and covers what a typical day is like:

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

And also the "Know Before You Go" guide, which talks about what to pack, how to stay healthy onboard, etc.:

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

I hope you have a great time!

Answer 2

You are usually able to put money on a card that you take around with you and pay at the start or end of the trip. People now a days do not dress up on the ship like you would assume. You can bring nice things and wear them if you want, but it is not strictly enforced, more a matter of preference. My husband and I were often over dressed :)

Answer 3

cruises are soooooo cool you will have so much fun its like a little city on the ship

you do not need cash on the ship but carnival and most cruise lines have atms on board and carinval cashs checks aswell so that you have cash when you go out to the ports.

you get a card with your name on it and you swipe it for stuff you buy on the ship (drinks such as achoal)and there are some other places to eat on board that you can pay for but doing that is not to smart because there is a 24/7 food place that has every thing i mean from sushi to tacos to lobster.also buying stuff on the ship is not that expensive excpecilly achoal but you can not drink on the ship they will hold it to the end but if u are a drinker it is a good oppertunity to buy cheap boos.as the dress its super casual but every night there is a formal dinner(sports coat tie nice pants) but other than that shorts tee shrits (however you dress at home)

check out the carival question and answer section on their site is real helpfull

hope this helps enjoy your cruise you will love it iam waiting for mine only 30 more days 12 night euro cruise carnival freedom

Answer 4

Here's some advice from an experienced cruiser.  First, check in at the cruise ports goes like this.

-You arrive at the port by car or bus and drop your luggage with a porter who works for the port, not the cruise line. So tip the guy a couple dollars at least. These people put all of the luggage in carts based on the luggage tags on your bags. The porters take your bags to the ship's doors and there ship's personnel send then through a scanner, one bag at a time just like at the airport, with someone watching content. I don't know for sure but my bet is they have dogs sniffing for bombs and other stuff too. Then your bags are delivered to your cabin door.

Meanwhile you get in a line where they check first to see if you are even supposed to be there; Carnival uses a Fun Pass,  a self print pass that says you are to sail at that date and time.  You are supposed to print it off on your printer at home and bring it with you (one for each person in your cabin).

Then you get in line to go to a window to have your passport and other paperwork checked and to give your credit card so they can set up your on board cruise account.  All transactions on ship are cashless.  Everything you buy on ship goes on the cruise account established for you at checkin.  You will need cash for things you buy off the ship in port stops, unless you use your credit card, but no cash on ship except to gamble in the casino.

Then some cruise lines take your photo at the check in desk and other will take it at a different location as part of the check in process.  Then they issue you your cruise card which serves as your room key, pass to get off and on the ship in ports and your charge card for everything you buy on ship.

Then you and all of your carry on things (including handbags, camera, cell phone, and all packages) go through a scanner just like at the airport. Everything you are carrying goes on a belt to go through an X-ray machine, just like at the airport.

When you clear the scanner/x-ray machine you head to the gangway and there some cruise lines take your photo (those that did not at the check in desk). The photo is an image that is on the magnetic strip on your cruise card so that when you enter or leave the ship they have your photo as well as your name.

As soon as you get on ship there will be lunch available, so go eat and then you can explore the ship.  Your ship will have pools and hot tubs and many ship have a Solarium (a cover area) with a pool and hot tubs for adults only. This is in addition to the regular pool and hot tubs for everyone. It may also have a water slides.  It will have a  gymnasiums with a variety of equipment.  It will have a Spa where you can pay to have your hair and/or nails done.

Each day you will receive in your cabin a newsletter telling you the times and location of all activities on the ship (other copies of this are usually available at the purser's desk).  The cruise director will organize games and activities around the pool, especially on "at sea" days when there is no port stop. They may also have a midnight party on the pool deck with a buffet, music and dancing one night. Each night there will be a show and it is usually run twice so that no matter what time you go to dinner you can see the show.  Your ships will have a channel on the TV in the room that recaps activities for the current and next day. If there is a port stop the next day your ship will have a presentation in the show room or a lounge that talks about where to shop; then this is repeated on TV.

WHAT AND HOW TO PACK

Always pack your passport and cruise documents in your carry on bag ONLY.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM, so take:

-swim wear (at least 2),

-shorts, tank tops and "T's"

-sandals,

-beach shoes,

-your snorkel equipment if you have it,

-sun glasses and sun screen,

-lotions,

-a cap or big hat for the sun,

-a book if you are a reader,

-your music player,

-sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym,

-good walking shoes,

-your camera, and

-other personal toiletries including tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels, and a hair dryer. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc. Don't over pack , take clothes that you can mix and match tops and bottoms and plan to wear each piece twice. If you are going to the Caribbean you will likely be in shorts and/or swim wear most of every day so evening clothes don't usually get much wear.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up. A gown or party dress for women and a suit or tux for men. Some people dress up both formal nights, some don't.

Packing Tips

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage.

- Pack using the vacuum clothing bags (about $20 for 3 at Target) so that you can get more in your bag AND so that if the TSA at the airport opens your bag they can see what's inside without rummaging through your things.

-Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer and/or hand-wipes. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

-If you plan to get into the pools or hot tub as soon as you get on ship (they will be open), bring those clothes in your carry on bag; you other luggage may not get to your cabin until much later in the afternoon.

- Take a can of air freshener for your cabin bathroom. The bathrooms do not have exhaust fans.

- Take a few zip lock bags of various sizes; they always come in handy.

- Take some one dollar bills (also maybe a few $5's) for tipping the porters in the airport, at the pier (they do not work for the ship), and they will come in handy in port stops for buying small items in the markets and at vendor stands; especially bartering places.

Answer 5

The guests on the cruises I've been on have dressed casually most of the time, with dinner being the exception.  I think most cruises have a formal night, and often it is extremely formal!  It's really a lot of fun, considering few people dress formally for anything nowadays.  You can even rent a tux on board.

Answer 6

I bet you will have so much fun in it. On the first day of going on it they will do a safety drill that lasts for about half an hour. Every night you will eat at a restaurant. From past cruise ships that I have been on, the only reason for dressy clothes is for dinner. This is because it is really fancy and it is a sit down kind of thing. If you have any kids going with you, you can always put them in a club in the cruise ship. There are shops were you can get souveniers so I would recommend taking money. At the end of the cruise ship you will need money to pay your waiter and other people that serviced you. You will need to bring at least $2,000 to $6,000 dollars. You are also going to buy stuff in other countries. The cruise ship has a lot of fun activities which include swimming, surfing, dancing, eating, playing games, going to the library, shopping, and more. I hope you have such a great time on your cruise! Bye!

Answer 7

There are 2 formal nights, one of which is combined with the Captain's Gala. Dress as if going to a wedding. It's fun and a highlight of the cruise, so don't skip out and eat up on the Lido deck on those nights. They take your picture a lot, hoping to sell you the snapshot in the photo gallery. Even if you don't purchase any, it's still fun to go and find your pictures. You will enjoy the towel animals on your bed each night. In the Lido deck restaurant at noon, there are 6 different chow lines, so walk around and look at everything before loading up. It's a bummer when you find something you really like, but you already have so much on your plate, you're fixin' to be stuffed. After the muster drill, the cruise director will say "For the next 7 days, we're going to do nothing but have Fun Fun Fun till daddy takes the T-Bird away!!!" You will not be dissapointed. You'll want to go on future cruises. Bon voyage!!!