Popular Carnival Tour to Be Available for Pre-Cruise Reservations

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Carnival Cruise Line’s popular “Behind the Fun” onboard ship tour will soon be available for all guests to reserve before they ever set sail.

The cruise line has been testing pre-cruise reservations for the tour aboard one ship, and is ready to roll out the booking option fleetwide to make it easier than ever for interested guests to secure their space for the exclusive tour.

Behind the Fun Online Booking to Begin

Carnival Cruise Line began testing pre-cruise reservations for the onboard “Behind the Fun” tour on Carnival Horizon several weeks ago, with the intention to see how well the presale option was accepted. It has so far been greatly received, and the cruise line will be rolling out the reservations to the rest of the fleet in the coming weeks.

“It has been a brilliant success, and so very early in January it is our intention to put presales for every ship for Behind the Fun online,” Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald said.

While no exact date for the fleetwide reservations has yet been confirmed, it is likely to happen very quickly once the reservation system can be adapted for all 26 ships in the Carnival fleet.

The only exception for a short period will be the newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, which will not be offering the exclusive tour until sometime closer to mid-January as she begins her guest operations. Again, the exact date has not been confirmed but will be announced at a later date.

Heald has not indicated whether all ships will have the pre-cruise sales options at once, or if the rollout may be in phases with different ships beginning the reservations on different dates, possibly depending on their sailing dates.

How Tour Reservations Work

The pre-cruise tour sales work exactly like reserving shore excursions before setting sail. Booked guests simply log in to their cruise reservation and select “Behind the Fun” as a tour option.

Pre-paying for the tour will reserve their spot on the exclusive activity, which is only offered once per sailing and for just a small group of people.

There is no indication whether or not guests who have achieved higher levels of the cruise line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program may have the option to make reservations ahead of less frequent cruisers, though this could be a perk offered at some point in the future. Early shore tour or onboard reservation access is a popular perk for loyalty programs with different cruise lines.

Carnival Behind the Fun Tour
Carnival Behind the Fun Tour (Photo Credit: shorex.koss)

The pre-booking option will be of great help for guests who want to ensure their spot on the tour but who have later embarkation arrival times for their cruise vacations.

While the tour has only been available for booking onboard, it has often sold out early on embarkation day before all guests have boarded.

This means that guests with later travel arrangements to reach the ship may not have been able to reserve a spot for “Behind the Fun” via onboard reservations, but now, everyone should have an equal opportunity to book the tour before sailing.

Interested passengers should still make their reservations as soon as possible after all, however, because these tours are likely to sell out quickly, even weeks or months ahead of cruise departure dates. Group size is limited for each tour, typically for fewer than 20 guests – which can make it hard to secure reservations on ships with thousands of passengers.

About Behind the Fun

Behind the Fun is an amazing, behind-the-scenes tour of a guest’s Carnival ship, offering in-person visits to crew-only areas such as the bridge, the engine control room, the main guest galley, staff dining rooms, laundry facilities, and more. The exact areas visited can vary for each tour depending on ship operations and security concerns.

Carnival Crew-Only Area
Carnival Crew-Only Area (Photo Credit: Ihor Koptilin)

In addition to enjoying the 3-4 hour tour (time varies for different vessels), participating guests receive exclusive photos and souvenirs to commemorate their experience.

All guests on the Behind the Fun tour must note that some parts of the tour are accessibly only by very steep stairs, and close-toed shoes or sneakers are required. Similarly, swimsuits and skirts are not permitted, and the minimum age for participants is 8 years old. All guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. No cameras or other recording devices are permitted due to security restrictions.

Have you joined in a Behind the Fun tour? Share your tour tips on the Cruise Hive boards!

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