You can buy your way into a better cruise experience with Carnival's Faster to the Fun program. Perks include access to priority boarding on embarkation day, early access to your cabin to drop your bags, expedited luggage delivery, priority access to the guest services desk, priority dining reservations, priority boarding of water shuttles from ship to shore and flexible disembarkation options.
Most cruisers hand their larger suitcases over to the porters at the cruise terminal, and the suitcases are delivered to their cabins later in the afternoon. Be smart about what goes in the bag you'll carry on board, so you can make the most of your first day on the ship.
Pack a bathing suit so you can hop in the pool, hot tub or waterslides before they get crowded, and bring closed-toe shoes so you can try out Carnival's ropes course, roller coaster or elevated bicycle ride. You'll also want to carry electronics, valuables and important medications on board with you as well.
We know you want to take all your fun outfits on your vacation but overpacking means lugging around heavy suitcases and potentially paying extra to check multiple bags. A Carnival cruise is a casual affair, so it's easy to keep things simple and not overpack.
According to Carnival's dress code, jeans and nice shorts (i.e. not gym shorts or cut-offs) are acceptable dinner attire on most evenings.
A couple of evenings will be deemed Cruise Elegant, but you don't need a tux. Just look dressy, and you'll be fine. We've all seen people wear jeans on these nights, and no one turns them away. Or, eat at the buffet, where it's always casual.
We know you're good with sunscreen and underwear, but there are a few cruise-specific items new cruisers might not think to add to their Carnival cruise packing list.
Carnival cabin walls are magnetic, so bring magnetic clips and hooks to keep baseball hats, lightweight jackets and shore excursion tickets off the desk and couch and neatly hung on the walls.
Lanyards are ideal, especially for little kids, to keep your cruise card close when your clothes don't have pockets. Pack towel clips to keep your pool towel from blowing off your lounge chair. Pick fun designs to readily identify your chair in the sea of sunbathers.
Port and ship security will shut you down if you try to smuggle most alcoholic beverages on board.
However, Carnival allows each guest to bring 12 cans or cartons of nonalcoholic drinks (like soda, juice or seltzer) and one bottle of wine. This can save you money if you don't buy a drink package. You will be charged a $15 corkage fee if you wish to drink your own wine in an onboard restaurant or bar.
The Carnival HUB app is essential for planning your cruise both before and after you're on board. It allows you to make reservations for dinner and purchase tours, spa treatments and onboard Wi-Fi.
It allows you to view the daily schedule of activities and create a personal schedule of your favorites, peruse menus for onboard restaurants, check your onboard bill and look up deck plans of your ship. You can also order food delivered to your poolside lounge chair and text your friends for a nominal fee.
The app is free, and you do not need a cruise ship internet plan to access it.
You'll use your phone for all sorts of things on a Carnival cruise — snapping photos, scanning QR codes to pull up menus and using the HUB app.
Purchase a Wi-Fi plan, and you can text, browse the internet and post to social media. However, you must remember to put your phone on airplane mode as soon as the ship sets sail. Otherwise, your phone will switch to satellite roaming, and you'll be charged an expensive fee for data and phone use while at sea.
When you want to eat at a non-reservation sit-down dining venue for breakfast and lunch (and dinner, if you've chosen Carnival's Anytime Dining plan), you must request a table on the HUB app, and you'll be alerted when one is ready.
Sometimes a table is ready right away. However, if you're aiming for a popular restaurant at dinner, you might be in for a wait.
Instead of booking immediately when you want to eat, request your dinner table 30 minutes early, especially if you want to eat between 6 and 7:30 p.m. At worst, you'll get a spot a little earlier or later than you desire, but you won't be forced to eat at 5 or 9 p.m.
Carnival has gone digital with restaurant and bar menus. You can find them on the HUB app or by scanning the QR codes set on every table.
However, if you left your phone in the cabin or your eyes can't take the small print, ask for a traditional paper menu. The bars and restaurants always have some on hand.
Once per cruise, Carnival transforms a section of one of its main dining rooms into a Dr. Seuss-themed wonderland and invites families to dine on whimsical morning fare.
Kid-friendly music plays in the background and favorite Seuss characters come out to pose for photos. The Thing 1 & Thing 2 Birthday Breakfast does cost extra, but where else can you order green eggs and ham? Make reservations early in the cruise via the HUB app. This one's a must for the preschool set, but older kids might be too cool for Seuss school.
Once per cruise, Carnival transforms a section of one of its main dining rooms into a Dr. Seuss-themed wonderland and invites families to dine on whimsical morning fare.
Kid-friendly music plays in the background and favorite Seuss characters come out to pose for photos. The Thing 1 & Thing 2 Birthday Breakfast does cost extra, but where else can you order green eggs and ham? Make reservations early in the cruise via the HUB app. This one's a must for the preschool set, but older kids might be too cool for Seuss school.
Carnival ships have many overlooked breakfast spots that can make dining a pleasure when the buffet is packed.
You can find a buffet outpost of breakfast staples at Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, eggs and biscuits at Big Chicken and breakfast burritos at BlueIguana Cantina. Or, pick up a ready-made bite with your coffee at JavaBlue Cafe.
Don't waste money and landfill space on endless bottles of water on your Caribbean cruise. Instead, bring a reusable water bottle and fill it up at the buffet or in your cabin each morning.
In the same vein, only coffee you pay for comes in a to-go cup. Bring a travel mug to get complimentary tea and coffee from the buffet and take it with you wherever you go on board.
Carnival's comedy shows and musical numbers in the atrium-based performance venues on its newest Excel Class ships often have more demand than seats available. If you want to guarantee a spot at a specific show, or get a preferred seat without blocked sightlines, you'll need to line up early.
Don't think you can sneak into the end of the show before and stay through to the next one. Carnival staff will clear the theater before inviting the next crop of audience members in to find a seat.
Carnival puts special emphasis on live music, and you can often find a solo artist or small ensemble performing in the atrium, casino, bar areas or by the pool. If you like pop songs by piano, the piano bar always attracts an enthusiastic crowd. Country, classical and covers — you can make your way through the musical gamut as you bar hop at night.
Camp Ocean, Carnival's kids club, takes children as young as 2 and doesn't mind if your kid is still in diapers. This is unusual in the cruise world, as most kids clubs on other lines start at age 3.
In addition, the extra-fee Night Owls group babysitting (from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.) welcomes junior cruisers as young as 6 months. Parents can use these services to get a break or a night out away from their toddlers and tykes.
On many Carnival cruise ships, you can find small outdoor seating areas at the forward end of several of the cabin corridors. These tucked-away public verandas of sorts are not well known, so you can often have them to yourself during scenic cruising, such as sailaway or when you're approaching a port.
You'll know you're getting close to a secret deck when you find a door with a porthole window at the end of a cabin corridor, instead of another hallway with doors leading to forward-facing cabins. The doors are sometimes locked at night or in high winds, so try again later if you can't get through.
Almost every cruise I have been on has been at a discounted rate. Frequently check in with cruise websites to see what kinds of deals they are running. Last minute cruise deals can save you over 50 percent! Also, once you have one cruise under your belt you will qualify for a return-cruiser rate. If you book another cruise while you are “on” the ship you will likely get a better rate or reduced down payment amount.
You don’t want to be the knucklehead running down the dock as the ship is throwing off tie-lines to sail away. Ship’s time rules on the high seas. It doesn’t matter if you’ve sailed into a different time zone. Keep your watch set on ship’s time. Don’t rely on your cell phone, which may switch to local time if you are in port and take your phone off airplane mode. A wristwatch is always best.
My husband had a whopping cell phone bill after our last 8-nighter. Of course, if had he pre-purchased a Caribbean plan before we left port it would have been a whole lot cheaper. Contact your cell phone service provider and let them know where you will be traveling. They will likely offer a package to suit your needs.
Most folks are checking out the ship and getting settled in on embarkation day. Check out the “embarkation day” specials when you board. Spas most always have an embarkation day special. Also, specialty restaurants people haven’t happened upon yet are easy to get reservations at on the first night. Carnival’s Steakhouse offers a free bottle of wine if you dine on embarkation day.