"Behind the Fun" Excursion review

[leedm]

We did this tour on the Dream in 2009. I think everyone should do it on one of Carnivals ships at lease once. I gives you a real behind the scenes look. There is a lot of work by the crew and staff to make our cruise fun. A lot HARD work by great people. If you can do it

leedm:D:D:D:D

[FL Naturelover]

Great review. Sounds interesting but I would love to be able to take a few pictures of my own. Not sure if we can handle the cost though. We will definitely check into it once we are on board.

[Lessum]

Anyone know if Crocs are allowable as "closed toe shoes" for this excursion? I don't usually bring tennis shoes with me...so that might be my only option....

 

Thanks

[CharmedMom]

Behind the Fun is a great tour. We did it on Conquest two years ago and I'm thinking of booking it on Pride this summer (a) because youngest son is old enough for the tour now (age was 13 when we did the Conquest tour) and wants to do it (maybe we'll get the strawberries this time;)) and (b) I'd like to do the tour on a Spirit-class ship.

 

We did it when we went on the Dream - my youngest child at the time was 12, they never asked her age or anything (and she only looked about 10/11 then), and she got to steer the ship for a whole two minutes when we went up to the bridge. Both my kids loved the behind the scenes tour, as well as the three of us adults. I tend to count stairs and things while I'm walking, and we climbed a total of 250 stairs during our tour (that was going up them, not down).

 

Our last stop was the Steakhouse (where we learned about the cuts of beef), and we filled out survey's at the end and received our pull string bag, ball cap, bracelet, and were given our lanyards to keep (these are the lanyards we wear with our S&S cards now), we were also each given a swan carved out of soap (only one made it home in one piece). While we were filling out the survey's, we were given mimosa's (well not the kids).

[vacruizer]

Anyone know if Crocs are allowable as "closed toe shoes" for this excursion? I don't usually bring tennis shoes with me...so that might be my only option....

 

Thanks

 

 

I think they just specify closed toe. How well do they stay on your feet walking quickly and climbing steep stairs? My experience with crocs has been that they are really hard to keep on my feet but your experience may be different. Depending on the class of ship, some of the staircases are almost like ladders with wide steps so make sure they are comfortable for that and will stay on.

[gelo7]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I did this tour for free in the 90's, and there is no way that I would pay for it now.

[javafish]

An old post but thought would bring it back to the top. and this is the latest info from Carnival.

 

Unique Insight into the Line’s Shipboard Operations

 

 

 

For those who want an insider’s look at the inner-workings of a Carnival “Fun Ship,” we’ve created Behind the Fun, a guided tour that provides guests with a unique insight into Carnival’s shipboard operations.

 

Behind the Fun is offered fleetwide. On cruises 6 days or longer, a 3.5-hour tour offers participants an extensive behind-the-scenes look at a wide range of shipboard venues that are normally off limits to guests. During the tour, key shipboard personnel, including the captain, chief engineer, chef de cuisine and other department heads, share their vast knowledge in their particular area of expertise. (On 3, 4 or 5 day cruises, a shortened version of the tour may be offered, running approximately 2 hours.)

 

Behind the Fun begins with a stop backstage in the main show lounge where participants can see exactly what goes into creating Carnival’s award-winning revues. The tour then moves on to normally restricted areas such as the laundry room, crew galley and dining room, crew gym and crew training center.

 

Next it’s on to the expansive main galley where talented culinary artists prepare upwards of 12,000 meals and snacks per day for Carnival’s guests. The tour also includes a visit to the ship’s bridge and engine control room, and informative Q&A sessions with the captain and chief engineer, respectively.

 

In addition to a comprehensive overview of Carnival’s shipboard operations, Behind the Fun participants receive a number of commemorative gifts, including a custom-made Behind the Fun baseball cap and lanyard, and even complimentary photos with the captain on the bridge.

 

Behind the Fun tours can only be booked onboard, through the ships’ Shore Excursion Desk. The cost is $95 USD per person and capacity is limited to 16 guests per tour. Guests must be 8 years old or older to participate; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

General Information

 

• Tours are conducted on the last sea day of each cruise.

 

• Guests are not permitted to have cameras, cell phones or video recording equipment on the tour.

 

• Guests must be 8 or older to participate; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

• The tour is approximately 3.5 hours for cruises 6 days or longer, with shorter versions possible, approximately 2 hours, for 3, 4 or 5 day cruises.

 

• The tour can only be purchased during your cruise through the Shore Excursion Desk, please stop by once onboard for specific date/time and exact pricing.

Edited April 18, 2015 by javafish

[Insel]

I agree with rubberband12. We did the tour on the Miracle, it was beyond interesting hearing about many aspects of the ship, how food is stored, crew quarters and the bridge.

The staff was very informative and I felt like a little kid meeting the captain.

Definitely worth it!

[ConestaCruiser]

Very worth it!!! We did one on the Triumph in 2011 and loved everything about it!!! Gives you a glimpse into how much hard work and effort the staff puts into making your cruise experience so special!!!!

[bakersdozen12]

An old post but thought would bring it back to the top.

 

Thanks very much for bumping this thread! I honestly would never have known about this if you hadn't. The cruise that my husband and I are going on this October is our first cruise, and we are sailing as part of the Parrot Lovers Cruise. Which means that we will be attending parrot conservation seminars on board, and doing parrot/bird excursions, which will be so much fun for me (an obsessed parrot lover), but will bore my husband to death. This sort of thing will be much more up his alley, so I think we will look into signing up for this so that he can have some fun too! And actually, this is something I will look forward to doing as well.

 

Thanks again!

[Eeyore_Lover]

I have done this tour on both the Breeze and the Glory. I was amazed at the difference in the size of the galley on the different ships. When we got to that part of the tour on the Breeze and went to the area where the pastries are made, there were entire trays of about 5 different pastries for us to eat from while listening to the lecture (along with pre-plated chocolate covered strawberries for each of us). Did not have that much space on the Glory, so only cookies :(

 

Can't wait to do the tour on the Vista!!

[kteachcruiser52]

Loved reading this review. We did this tour on the Splendor.

[movingimages]

Thanks for this great thread! My DH and I really want to do this tour on the Dream in January, and all the information is very helpful.

[ldlewis45]

I took the tour on the Valor when she was still sailing out of San Juan. It was really a ton of fun and very interesting. The plate of goodies left in the room afterwards was a complete surprise to me, too.