How exactly do cruises work?
Do you pay for everything thing up front? How crowded are they usually? Are the Caribbean Cruises oriented towards family or young and single crowds? What kind of fun do they have on the boat? Are you just doing your own thing the whole time?
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I went on a Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas check out some pictures and video from it to give you an idea of what goes on…
Feel free to message me with ?’s
Your fare includes your cabin, basic food & drink and entertainment. Your fare does not include the tips which are expected. $10 per day per guest.
You could pay your fare and not spend another dime and still have a great time.
However, there are a ton of “extras” that you can purchase to enhance your cruise experience.
To help you budget…here are a few of the “extra costs”-
- Bar drinks – $4-12 each plus 15% gratuity
- Soda – by the can – $1.75 plus 15% gratuity
- Soda fountain card – $38.50 plus 15% gratuity
- Photos – $7.99 to $21.99 (depending on size and style)
- Shore excursions – $50-200 per person per excursion.
- Spa treatments – $50-200 per treatment (but there were many specials on this last trip as many people were skipping the spa…)
- Casino. Use cash in the casino to avoid 3% fee for using card.
- Bingo cards – $5-20…depending on day and games
- Gourmet coffee – $3.75 and up
- Internet – 75 cents per minute
- Ship to shore phone – $7.99 per minute
- Parking at the port
- Tips for luggage porters – $1 per bag
You get a daily newsletter outlining the daily activites and specials. Don’t try to do everything…there is more going on than you can possibly do.
For at sea days, we like to sit at the back of the ship, enjoy the music and just relax. While my kids run around like crazy and do tons of activities.
Kudos to Julie T for the most informative answer. I will add to that…
Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) has a wide range of activities for all ages.
Passports: You WILL need these so get them now if you haven’t yet Changes in US travel policies are going into effect in June or July 2009 and you will need passports (not the pass card or driver’s license + birth certificate…THE PASSPORT)
After the trip is fully paid for, sign in on the cruise lines web site and get your spending account started (aka Fun Pass and Sign & Sail card on Carnival Cruise Lines). This will require you to enter credit card information. You will also need other information such as passenger names, dates of birth, mailing address…all kinds of stuff. This will make going through the embarkation process a LOT faster because they will have all your information and need only to print your Sign & Sail card. This Sign & Sail (called something different on other cruise lines???) card is to be used on board like a credit card. Everything you buy on board, including shore excursions, will be transferred to your credit card the last day of the trip.
You need cash only for spending on shore.
Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico: They do not hesitate to do business in US Dollars
For a wealth of information already out there from other travelers, go to cruisecritic.com and click on REVIEWS/Member Reviews.
Have Fun!
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It is like a fully inclusive hotel, except you don’t have to wear a wrist band.
Some things you’ll have to pay extra for, and they will come off of your credit card at the end. but they will use your national money so you know what you will be paying for
how crowded depends on the boat, but some swimming pools will be more popular than other ect.
I’ve only been on the Gran Vogayer… it is a 2/3 day cruise from AlmerÃa to the Canary Islands the boat was quite small. but I know there are HUGE boats ect.
read some reviews about the exact cruise you want before you go. search for trip advisor