Questions about a carnival cruise?

Question

My husband and I (ages 24 and 26) will be cruising from Port Canaveral on the Sensation on Sept 9, 2007. This will be the first cruise for us. We know that alcohol is extra as well as soda. Does anyone know how much beer is? Also we heard that you can buy a card for unlimited soda for like $25.00. Is this true? Can you bring soda on the ship with you from home? Also we are going to Freeport Bahamas then on to Nassau. Can anyone reccommend things to do at either place? Should we book excurrsions thru the cruise line or try to do it ourselves??? Please help!!!

Answer 1

take a trip by boat to the blue lagoon.. you can swim with dolphins. beautiful place to spend the day..nice beach, hammocks hung on coconut trees so be careful!!!

Answer 2

We know that alcohol is extra as well as soda. Does anyone know how much beer is? NOT SURE Also we heard that you can buy a card for unlimited soda for like $25.00. Is this true? THAT IS CORRECT Can you bring soda on the ship with you from home? YES YOU CAN, BUT ITS LIMITED Should we book excursions thru the cruise line or try to do it ourselves???

NOPE DONT BOOK THROUGH CARNIVAL. EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS CHEAPER WHEN YOU PURCHASE THERE AT THE PORT. AS SOON AS YOU GET OFF THE SHIP THERE WILL BE PEOPLE OFFERING YOU TOURS. I PAID $10 FOR A TOUR CARNIVAL WAS OFFERING FOR $40. ITS ALOT OF FUN, BE READY TO GAIN A LOT OF WEIGHT! :-)

In regards to the post above. There are a lot of reputable companies outside of Carnival. You will see a lot of established places that offer you the same tours that Carnival offers you, just at better savings. I dont have to agree with the Aquarium, its very nice.

Answer 3

Most alcoholic beverages range in price from $5-$7 plus 15% gratuity. Your soda card is $5.50 plus 15% gratuity per day (so the price will range depending on how long of a cruise you are on). They do allow you to bring wine on board, but will charge a corkage fee to uncork at dinner. You may also bring a reasonable amount of soda and/or bottled water on board (most people suggest two 12 packs to start out, and carry it on board, don't pack in your regular suitcase to ensure that a can does not burst on your clothes). Most people will resupply their cokes at their ports of call, as it is allowed on then as well. Cokes may also be purchased by the can on board, which is about $1.75 per can at the bar (plus the gratuity). So unless you really drink more than 3-4 cokes per day, I recommend just bringing your own on board. if you do end up getting a coke card, just get one, and share it (the person whose name is on the card must be the one who orders the drinks and you can only order one at a time).

Answer 4

I just took this cruise a few weeks ago.

For two people to buy soda cards, it came up to around 35 dollars or so. Maybe it was 39. Definately worth it if you want to drink soda. There's no need to bring your own. Alcohol is not cheap on the ship. You pay for everything on the ship with a "Sail and Sign card," which can get kind of dangerous since you put down a credit card, and all it really does is charge everything you spend on the cruise ship onto your credit card (so be very careful!).

The particular cruise we went on didn't include Freeport, but Nassau is busy, busy, busy. When you get off the ship, you'll walk right into the main area and there will be tons of men trying to get you to take taxis to anywhere on the Island. Paradise Island (where the hotel resort Atlantis is) has probably your best beaches if that's your thing. If you want to shop, just ignore the cab drivers and go on Bay Street. I recommend taking the carriage ride with the horses. Your tour guide brings you around Nassau and shows you all of the historical things. If you do get into a cab, it's like they drive from New York City. They're crazy! We've never booked excursions through Carnival, we always just did our own thing but it's a personal preference.

Also: just a tip, don't go to the spa onboard the ship. The staff are incredibly pushy to get you to buy products after you have one of their services (especially massages) to the point where they will hardly let you leave the room until you buy some of their expensive products. And just so you know, the ship will charge tips on your credit card when you put it down for the Sail and Sign card. 10 dollars a day, per person. It generally goes to your wait staff and people in the dining rooms. If you don't want your card to be charged, as soon as you board the ship, go right up to the Information desk and say that you don't want your gratuities charged on your card, you want to pay for them yourself. Then you can tip anyone you'd like, however much you'd like.

I recommend since this is your first time on a cruise, bring dramamine. The Atlantic can be rough. We got horribly motion sick the first day due to a little bit of bad weather/windy conditions. You'll be thanking yourself when you bring it. You can always get some on the ship, but if you don't know how you're going to feel when you get onboard, just take a pill about a half hour before you board and you should be fine.

Good luck, enjoy your cruise, and if you have any other questions, feel free to message me :)

Answer 5

yes, you can buy a card for $25 for unlimited soda for your entire cruise.  just buy one card for you and your husband and buy drinks one at a time.  dont bring soda to the ship.  better to book your excursions thru the cruise line for they know where's the best place to go and they're very organize.  you will enjoy it.  for prices of beer...i dont drink so i dont have a clue but you can actually call the cruiseline to ask that info.  enjoy your cruise!

Answer 6

Alcohol on cruise ships can be quite expensive. Past experience-beer runs about $3-4 per bottle. you can purchase the unlimited soda cards. The price varies with the length of your cruise. If you drink alot of soda, this can be a smart thing to do.

You may not bring your own food or drink of any kind on board with you. It will be confiscated and yes they go through your luggage and will find it.

Book the excursions through the ship. The prices are about the same as doing it yourself, and the companies have been thoroughly screened for safety.  

Atlantis resort has a wonderful aquarium. It is a must see if you are into that kind of thing. There are also wonderful diving sites and sting ray snorkle trips in Nassau.