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A Carnival cruise offers travelers a unique opportunity to explore different destinations and experience a variety of activities both on board and on land. One of the highlights of any Carnival cruise is the chance to participate in exciting shore excursions. These guided tours and activities allow passengers to immerse themselves in the local culture, explore historic sites, embark on thrilling adventures, and create unforgettable memories. On older Carnival ships (and, in general, all older cruise ships), there are far fewer balcony cabins. Fewer than 10% of cabins on the line's two oldest vessels, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Elation, are balcony cabins. Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card points when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases.
Carnival Liberty will set sail from New Orleans this summer to beach vacation destinations
Carnival vessels based on the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico mostly sail to the Caribbean and Bahamas. Some East Coast ships also head to Bermuda, New England and Canada. On the West Coast, sailings to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska are the norm. You’re about to discover just what awaits you on a Carnival cruise. Start by exploring the incredible ports we visit… and the fun things to do, both on the ship and ashore. One takes place June 30 to July 7 and July 28 to August 4 and sails through Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel.
Bring refillable bottles
Carnival adds an 18% service charge to your bill whenever you order a drink at a bar or pay for a meal at an extra-charge restaurant. 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. One of Carnival's best-included meals is the sea day brunch, offered all morning long on days with no port stops. Purchase a Wi-Fi plan, and you can text, browse the internet and post to social media.
Use the best price guarantee to combat buyer's remorse
Carnival fans are quite peeved about this, and you should be, too. Each group has its own age-appropriate activities ranging from face painting to pirate adventures. On many ships there are extensive dedicated spaces for the different groups.
You won't save any money by booking your shore excursions pre-cruise, but you will be able to lock in a spot on the tours you most want to take. A beverage package can be a great way to save on your bar bill if you typically order a lot of extra-fee sodas, beers and cocktails when you travel. Carnival Cruise Line has one of the most affordable beverage packages in the industry. Add it to your reservation before you cruise, and you can save 10% on the package price.
While bottled water is not allowed, you can save by bringing your own refillable water bottle and get water from the fountains on the Lido Deck. Note that all adults sharing a cabin have to agree to book the plan each. You'll also pay 10 percent more for this package if you book onboard.
Suites on Carnival Cruise Line ships
You can save by spending your vacation in unplugged nirvana or looking for cafes with free Wi-Fi on land, but Carnival Cruise Line also offers a pretty good deal on their onboard Wi-Fi. If you are lucky, the category you chose will sell out and you will be upgraded -- say from a guarantee interior to an ocean view category cabin. If you're not lucky, you could end up in an interior in a less desirable area of the ship.
Earn 20,000 FunPoints after your first purchase or balance transfer, which is worth a $200 statement credit towards your next cruise. You’ll then earn 2 points per dollar on Carnival and partner cruise lines and 1 point per dollar on everything else. With plenty of routes from the U.S. and international destinations, countless member benefits and a wide selection of cabins to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect cruise for you. A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you.
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A couple of evenings will be deemed Cruise Elegant, but you don't need a tux. We've all seen people wear jeans on these nights, and no one turns them away. As someone who's sailed Carnival for 15-plus years, I have learned a lot of useful information about how to make the most of a "Fun Ship" sailing. Also skip the fee-based snacks at the coffee shops; there are free treats at the Carnival buffet.
It will be the same on Carnival Jubilee, a sister vessel to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration coming out in December 2023. Onboard perks, such as a big free bottle of water, start with your second sailing. As you move up the five tiers, earning points for each cruise, the perks increase, eventually leading to such niceties as cabin upgrades and free meals at specialty restaurants.
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But the ratio of balcony cabins to non-balcony cabins on Carnival's newer ships isn't nearly as high as on the newer ships of some rival lines such as Royal Caribbean. Loyalty programs are a great way to get freebies on cruise ships. Before your first cruise with Carnival, you can join the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Club. It gives you access to special cruise offers, including discounts during an end-of-summer Carnival cruise sale.
Carnival's IMAX and thrill Theater movies are a cool thing, but there is a substantial fee for the experience. Plan a night at a free Dive-In Movie shown outdoors on a big screen instead. Cherry on Top is a candy and ice cream shop with an eye-popping array of temptations, but less-than-tempting prices. If the kids want a sweet treat, steer them to the self-serve soft-serve ice cream and yogurt stations on the pool deck, which are available on a complimentary basis 24 hours a day. Another way to save on bottles of wine is by purchasing bottles of wine with Carnival directly before you board. The way to save on photos is to take your own onboard, but if you know you won't be able to resist the posed shots by Carnival's photographers, consider purchasing a photo package.
Note that the Carnival fleet is scheduled to grow over the next year with two more new vessels. As noted above, the line has ordered another sister vessel to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration that will be ready to sail in late 2023. However, with two exceptions, they're not giants by today's standards. This is, after all, the brand that for many years held a Hairy Chest Contest around the pool deck on every voyage, to a standing-room-only, hooting and hollering crowd. Carnival ships are all about fun in a very laid-back, unpretentious, nothing-too-fancy sort of way. Indeed, if you're going on a Carnival cruise, the odds are you're driving to the ship, not flying, and you're probably not paying much more than you would for a trip to a local beach town.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The Presidential Suites are among 180 suites you will find on Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, the most ever for a Carnival ship. Picking a cabin on a Carnival Cruise Line ship isn't nearly as complicated as picking a cabin on, say, a Royal Caribbean or a Celebrity Cruises ship. Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island in the Bahamas, is a great stop for a beach day. Its shores are full of soft, white sand, but there's not much shade to be found for those of us who burn easily.
Suite guests and high-level members of Carnival's VIFP Club loyalty program receive extra perks and priority that average cruisers do not. Like many cruise lines these days, Carnival attempts to make the boarding process less chaotic and crowded by assigning cruisers boarding time slots – usually half-hour windows. While you won't be turned away if you turn up late (unless you're so late that embarkation has ended), you won't be allowed in the terminal if you show up early.
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