If youโre looking for a relatively affordable cruise that sets sail from one of the United Statesโ major cruise ports, and you want to visit top destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico or New England, chances are good youโll end up considering a Carnival cruise.
With 27 ships in its fleet, Carnival is one of the largest cruise lines in the world by fleet size, and itโs grown to such mammoth proportions in part thanks to the Carnival experience. Across these ships, regardless of age or size, the Carnival vibes are nearly always the same.
So, if youโve never sailed with Carnival before, what can you expect? Hereโs everything you need to know before you go on a Carnival cruise vacation.
In This Article:
- The Crowd Skews Younger
- Fun is the Name of the Game โ And itโs All Thanks to Your Cruise Director
- The Lido Deck Can Get Busy During Sea Days
- Nearly Every Nightโs a Party
- Youโll Need Your Best Dress or Suit for Cruise Elegant Nights
- Gratuities Will Be Automatically Added to Your Cruise Costs
- You Can Bring Some of Your Own Food and Drinks Aboard, But There Are Limitations.
- If Youโre Looking for a Quieter Pool, Try the Serenity Deck
- Prepare to Wait in Line (if you didnโt buy Carnivalโs Faster to the Fun upgrade)
- Youโll Find Something for Everyone
The Crowd Skews Younger
Itโs no secret. If you take a look at many cruise lines, especially higher end, more expensive cruise lines, the average cruiser age tends to be on the older side. Cruising on lines like Holland America, Viking or Cunard means rubbing elbows with the retired set, more often than not.
Thatโs not the case on a Carnival cruise. Thanks to the lineโs affordable pricing and bevy of fun activities, including for the kiddos, the crowd skews younger. You can expect to find yourself among plenty of young families and young singles.
That said, if you are a senior cruiser, you wonโt stick out like a sore thumb either. Overall, Carnival welcomes a more diverse group of cruisers than many other cruise lines.
Fun is the Name of the Game โ And itโs All Thanks to Your Cruise Director
On some cruises, you might be focused solely on hopping from port to port and getting off the ship as quickly as possible, to spend as much time as possible in the destination youโre visiting.
However, you might just find that, on a Carnival cruise, you enjoy your time on the ship every bit as much as you enjoy your time in port โ or even more so.
This is in part thanks to the cruise director. Each cruise ship has a cruise director who oversees and plans the shipโs events and activities, all with the mission of making your cruising experience as enjoyable as possible. And, on Carnival ships, this means making your cruising experience as fun as possible.
As such, expect tons to be going on, on the ship, at all times. The list of daily activities ranges from trivia to karaoke, live music to magicians and movies. Youโll receive a list of the activities on offer in the Carnival app once your ship sets sail. Definitely make a point to check these out. You may just be surprised at how much fun you have!
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Director Schedule
Youโll also likely get to know your cruise director throughout the sailing, as theyโre a public-facing member of the crew and often show up to make announcements, emcee shows, etc.
Some avid cruisers even take cruises specifically because they know a certain cruise director will be working. Theyโve had such great, fun experiences thanks to a particular Carnival cruise director in the past, that they want to sail with them again.
So, if youโre in the middle of your cruise and having a truly awesome time, make a note of your cruise director!
The Lido Deck Can Get Busy During Sea Days
Depending on the exact Carnival cruise ship youโre on, the lido deck will refer to a different deck on the ship and the exact venues on that deck may differ, but you can always expect to find the pool or pools on the lido deck, as well as some casual dining and drinking options, such as the buffet.
For example, on Carnival Mardi Gras, the lido deck is Deck 16 and itโs home to the beach pool, BlueIguana Cantina, Seafood Shack, Street Eats, RedFrog Tiki Bar, the Tides Pool, two hot tubs, Shaqโs Big Chicken and plenty of sun loungers.
Regardless of the ship, though, the lido deck is guaranteed to be busy during sea days. With no port visits to fill their time, many cruisers spend sea days by the pool and in the nearby bars and restaurants.
As such, if you were hoping to go to the pool when it was less crowded, or if you wanted to try one of those casual, complimentary eateries during a time when there wonโt be a wait, a sea day is not the time to do it.
If you really want to avoid the crowds at the pool or restaurants, the best time to do so is while the ship is in port. There are many reasons why you might stay on the ship while at port, but fewer crowds is one of the best.
Nearly Every Nightโs a Party
Bring your best party attire, because youโll find multiple big events occurring on the ship throughout your cruise. Most Carnival cruise itineraries include a few key parties.
Thereโs the Sail Away Party, which sounds exactly like a party that takes place as the ship sets sail. It kicks off on the shipโs lido deck right after the safety briefing. Youโll get to know your cruise director there, and a DJ will encourage you to get out on the dance floor. Drink specials are also usually on offer.
Then thereโs the Mega Deck Party and the 80s Night Deck Party. Depending on the length of your cruise, your cruise will include one or the other (on cruises less than six days in length) or both (on cruises more than six days in length).
The Mega Deck Party is island-themed and the 80s Night Deck Party is, obviously, 80s-themed, with tons of 80s music. Be sure to dress accordingly.
Then, thereโs the White Hot Night Party, which is offered on select cruises and where cruisers wear their best or most unique white attire. Regardless of which party you attend, expect tons of dancing, drinks and fun.
Youโll Need Your Best Dress or Suit for Cruise Elegant Nights
While participating in Carnivalโs Cruise Elegant nights isnโt mandatory, it is loads of fun, especially if youโre not necessarily into the big deck parties.
Cruise Elegant nights are essentially when cruisers are asked to wear their best semi-formal attire to the main dining rooms, for upscale meals in a classic cruise setting. There are lots of photographers on hand to snap your pics and itโs just a fun excuse to dress up and do something a little, well, elegant.
If your cruise lasts under six days, there will be one Cruise Elegant evening during your cruise. If your cruise lasts more than six days, there will be two Cruise Elegant evenings.
During these evenings, men are asked to wear dress slacks, dress shirts and a sport coat, or a suit and tie or tuxedo. Women are asked to wear cocktail dresses, pantsuits or โelegantโ skirts and blouses, or an evening gown.
Whatever you choose to wear, Carnival asks you to not wear cut-off jeans, shorts, sleeveless shirts (for men), t-shirts, sportswear, flip flops, baseball hats or bathing suits.
Gratuities Will Be Automatically Added to Your Cruise Costs
Thereโs no need to carry around cash to tip the cruise ship crew when youโre on a Carnival cruise! Carnival will automatically add your gratuities onto your cruise costs and you can choose to pay for gratuities either before your cruise or at the end.
How much gratuities youโre charged will depend on the type of stateroom youโre in. If youโre in a standard stateroom, Carnival charges a flat gratuity fee of $16 per person, per day.
If youโre in a suite, Carnival charges a flat gratuity fee of $18 per person per day. An additional 18% gratuity fee is added to beverage purchases and at select restaurants.
The gratuities, however, are not mandatory. If you did not prepay your per-person, per-day gratuity flat fees, and if you do feel that a reduction in gratuity fees are warranted, you can address that at the end of your cruise, once the fees are listed on your Sail & Sign account. This occurs on the second-to-last day of the cruise and you must address this with guest services before the cruise ends.
You Can Bring Some of Your Own Food and Drinks Aboard, But There Are Limitations.
If youโre thinking that youโll bring some of your own snacks aboard the ship, or even some of your own drinks, in order to save on costs, be sure that youโre not violating any of Carnivalโs policies regarding what you can and canโt bring onto the ship.
For food, you can only bring pre-packaged, unopened items onto the ship; nothing homemade or pre-cooked is allowed. You can bring some non-alcoholic beverages, so long as theyโre in a can or carton, and youโre not bringing more than 12, 12-ounce drinks per person.
Worth Reading: Can You Bring Food On a Cruise and How Much?
Likewise, you can bring some wine or champagne (no liquor or beer), but only in quantities of one 750 milliliter bottle per adult.
If Youโre Looking for a Quieter Pool, Try the Serenity Deck
As we already mentioned, if youโre hoping to enjoy laying by the pool during your Carnival cruise, and you want to have the space mostly to yourself, youโll want to wait until the ship is in port somewhere. However, if you donโt want to sacrifice a port day for the pool, you do have other options beyond the main pool.
Try checking out the Serenity Deck, the shipsโ adults-only area where you can typically find not just a pool, but also hot tubs, sun loungers and a bar as well. (Do note that there arenโt pools in the Serenity area on every single Carnival ship.) You can access this area completely for free.
If you want a quieter pool where the kiddos are welcomed, you may want to consider upgrading to a Havana suite. These suites are tucked away in a special portion of the ship thatโs closed off from the masses, where youโll find a private pool, deck and bar, only open to guests staying in these special suites.
Prepare to Wait in Line (if you didnโt buy Carnivalโs Faster to the Fun upgrade)
Just as is the case at resorts or at theme parks, you can expect to wait in a lot of lines on a Carnival cruise ship. Youโll wait in lines to board the ship. Youโll wait in lines to get off the ship. Youโll wait in lines at restaurants and at entertainment venues.
However, Carnival has done something to help alleviate this, and itโs called Faster to the Fun. This is an upgrade that you can pay for ahead of your cruise and it comes with perks such as priority check-in, express luggage delivery, priority dining reservations, priority access to water shuttle boarding and priority debarkation.
Many cruisers say that Faster to the Fun is definitely worth it, so if waiting in long lines isnโt quite how you planned to spend part of your vacation, check out pricing for your particular cruise.
Youโll Find Something for Everyone
Lastly, overall, youโll find something for everyone on a Carnival cruise. Thereโs just about every kind of cruiser on board each ship, for each itinerary, and no matter your age or tastes, youโll find something to enjoy.
Yes, these ships can have more of a fun, party atmosphere, but you can also find quiet spots to relax. There are loads of amenities and activities for families with children from toddlers all the way up to teens. However, singles, couples and seniors will find lots to love, too, with entertainment and activities geared toward their tastes as well.
If you want a super-casual experience, youโve got it. If you want something a little more elegant and upscale, you can find that, too. In short, Carnival has a little bit of it all and you can experience it all, on your first Carnival cruise vacation.