1st time on carnival questions ?

when bringing your one bottle of wine on board, will they take it away if it is 1.5 and not a 750 ml ? how do the drink coupons work, cost ? quantity ? does carnival have wine packages to purchase ? can you put a luggage tag on a case of water and give to porter or only bring your 12 in carryon ? any tips in general for passengers going on the paradise ? shower curtains or shower door ? how $ is drink of the day ? is there breakfast and lunch in the dining room or only buffet ? thanks for replies :)

Don't know about the wine. I believe drink coupons give you $5. off a drink, you pay the difference w S&S. Don't know about a wine pkg for sure. On the soda/ water that you bring- it must be carried on & fit thru their carry on scanner thing, you cannot have it checked thru a porter. Last cruise I pd $7.95 + tip for Drink of the day, but I think they are more if you get them in a souvenier type glass/container. Yes breakfast & lunch are served in the MDR, but on a limited schedule. Enjoy your cruise, hope this helps. I am sure others will have answers about the wine.

We had one bottle of wine that was the larger size and it wasn't taken away but you're best bet is to read the rules - I didn't realize my bottle was the wrong size til hubby mentioned it to me and by then we were in our cabin!

Wine packages are available to purchase. I believe there are 3 different levels depending on your preference of wines. When you board the ship there will be a table set up and you can purchase a package if you wish. If you search the boards, the prices are listed or another helpful person will probably reply here with that info.

We always purchase the drink coupons - just helps us to keep our final bill down at the end of the cruise. Every so often I'll go onto the Carnival website and purchase them (come 4 to a sheet). They don't cover the entire cost of a drink of the day unless you specifically ask them to put it in a "coupon drink size glass". Otherwise they just put the difference on your card and you're all set.

You'll need to keep your case of water with you when you board. We use one of the collapsing luggage carts on wheels which made it very easy. Then once in the cabin, just folded it back up and put it under the bed. You'll find lots of hints about this too on the boards.

Hope that's helpful!

when bringing your one bottle of wine on board, will they take it away if it is 1.5 and not a 750 ml ?

It will depend on how lenient of a personality the security checker has and if they realize that the 1 1.5 l wine is actually for 2 people legally able to drink booked in the same cabin.

how do the drink coupons work, cost ? quantity ?

The bar tickets can only be pre-purchased & only through the Bon Voyage dept. (online or by calling) in sheets of 4 for $23. Though sometimes if you book throug ha TA or have been a past casino players club guest these tickets maybe given freely as a booking bonus.

They work like little $5.75 gift certificates towards any bar beverage. If the drink is listed at $5.75 on the bar menu then there is no charge not even if the auto-gratuity would make the drink cost more than the $5.75. If the drink's list price is less there is no refund of the difference, and if the drink cost more then they can charge you the difference between the ticket face value and the list price plus add the 15% gratuity on the charged amount. In general the bar tickets saves a person $0.86 in auto-gratuities per drink. They were meant originally to be given by non-cruiser as a gift to those cruising but many buy for themselves to lower the bar tab's impact on their final S&S bill.

does carnival have wine packages to purchase ?

Yes they do, you can choose to pre-purchase these through the BV dept or you can wait until embarkation day to purchase the wine package. Choices of wines varieties and number of bottles offered will depend on the length or the cruise and the particular ship. This can save $25 off of the low end 3 bottle package to $70 off of the 5 bottle high end package. If purchased you will be given tickets to correspond to the # of bottles in the package as well as a wine list with your choices for the pre-paid bottles, in general these must be redeemed in the MDR.

can you put a luggage tag on a case of water and give to porter or only bring your 12 in carryon ?

No you must carry these beverages on yourself. This does not mean that you need to hand carry the case of soda/water/juice or your bottle of wine it just means that you must transport these items on to the ship personally. You can pack you whole party's carry-on beverage allotment on to a small luggage cart or in a single wheeled carry-on bag.

any tips in general for passengers going on the paradise ? shower curtains or shower door ?

Sorry I have not sailed this particular ship so no specific advice on the Paradise. As for the door/ curtain question in general if your bathroom will be a shower only (no tub) it will have a curtain in front of it 3 walled sides. I have heard (but not experienced on Carnival) that certain suites that offer both the whirlpool tubs and shower may have a sliding shower door.

is there breakfast and lunch in the dining room or only buffet ?

Depends on what day of the cruise.

Embarkation day only the buffet is open for lunch. Most ports will not be able to board new cruises untile around 11 am so no breakfast.

Sea days both the the buffet and the MDR will be open for both breakfast and lunch. With the MDR additionally being open for afternoon tea (bevarage & snacks) around 3pm.

For port days the buffet will be open for breakfast and lunch. The MDR will depend on the port time as to what time they open for breakfast and they will be closed for lunch unless you are putting into port in the late afternoon or evening.

Debarkation day the buffet will be open for breakfast with the MDR possibly being open for breakfast. The crew will have you off the ship prior to lunch time at most home ports.

Thank you this has been a wealth of information, one more question I have is on the dress code, I've been told carnival dining room dress code is more lax than the other lines ? What is appropriate ? for example on other lines I have made my teen boys wear khaki slacks and polo or buttondown shirts, the teen girls dresses or skirts, I haven't had a problem getting them to agree however if the boys see other teens in the dr wearing cargo shorts or the girls see capris or walking shorts in the dr, I want them to pack accordingly, formal night I'm assuming is still a true formal night ? dressy dresses for the girls and dress slacks shirt and tie for the boys ? husband in a suit ? Thanks in advance

I have heard (but not experienced on Carnival) that certain suites that offer both the whirlpool tubs and shower may have a sliding shower door.

 

 

This is accurate for OS (Ocean Suite) in my personal experience.

Tons of info in these threads thanks to other cruisers

http://www.*****/Carnival/info.html

https://www.goccl.com/irman/bookccl/sections/shipboard/DiningOnboard_master.html

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/Carnival-Bar-Menu/CarnivalCruiseBarMenu.htm

http://www.*****/carnival/alcohol.html

we had a shower curtain

husband didn't listen to me and packed our wine (not "carried on") but they did not confiscate it

How to do the drink coupons work? I am sailing out on Monday - if I were to purchase them now, are they just waiting in your room when you get on the cruise like all the other stuff from Bon Voyage?

Debarkation day the buffet will be open for breakfast with the MDR possibly being open for breakfast. The crew will have you off the ship prior to lunch time at most home ports.

On our last few cruises, we have eaten our last breakfast in the MDR before debarking the ship.

when bringing your one bottle of wine on board, will they take it away if it is 1.5 and not a 750 ml ? how do the drink coupons work, cost ? quantity ? does carnival have wine packages to purchase ? can you put a luggage tag on a case of water and give to porter or only bring your 12 in carryon ? any tips in general for passengers going on the paradise ? shower curtains or shower door ? how $ is drink of the day ? is there breakfast and lunch in the dining room or only buffet ? thanks for replies :)

1. I have never brought on a 1.5l bottle of wine - the worst thing to happen is that the wine is taken away from you.

2. Drink coupons are 4 for $23.00, which breaks down to $5.75 per drink. DOD (drink of the day) will run you $7.50 and up, so if you are using a coupon, you will need to put the rest of the price on your S&S card.

3. If you are contemplating bringing on board with you a case of soda or water, it is to be carried on by you and not given to the porters. If you put it in your checked luggage, it will be confiscated by Carnival and not returned until the last night.

4. We were on Paradise back in February. It is a lovely ship with toned-down decor. The bathroom will have a shower curtain separating the shower area from the rest, and there will be very little room for toiletries - plan on bringing a plastic shoe holder to store everything you need to have. The seating area/tables on the Lido deck are very small, so if you are sitting with more than two people, you will need to limit the amount of plates you bring to the table.

5. You can purchase wine packages via the Bon Voyage department, or once on board. You can also purchase unlimited soda stickers in the event you don't bring on your own soda. If you do purchase either of them, wait until you go under the Sunshine Skyway bridge so that you are not charged sales tax.

6. One of the dining rooms will be available for breakfast daily, as well as lunch when the ship is at sea. Both dining rooms are available for dinner nightly, as well as the Lido Buffet area. You can also order sandwiches and salads from Room Service - make sure to bring singles with you for a tip as the people who are Room Service runners are not part of the prepaid gratuity pool.

Enjoy Paradise - she's a great ship!