Private Carnival excursions

[matymil]

We are sailing on the Magic on 9/27 with our toddler which means we have to take a bubble tour. I know alot can change in two months however as of right now there are not many bubble tours available. We would not be able to do a private tour like a private cabana, or the private van tour correct? It HAS to be labeled a bubble tour? TIA 

[SNJCruisers]

2 minutes ago, matymil said:

We are sailing on the Magic on 9/27 with our toddler which means we have to take a bubble tour. I know alot can change in two months however as of right now there are not many bubble tours available. We would not be able to do a private tour like a private cabana, or the private van tour correct? It HAS to be labeled a bubble tour? TIA 

You should be able to get a private cabana since there is no tour involved.  Private van tour would not be an option since the name implies that you can go wherever you want, which you obviously can't do.

Of course once you make your final payment,  you still need to be granted one of the exemptions in order for the three of you to cruise. If you're denied, you of course have the option to get a sitter for your toddler. 

[wemjam]

2 hours ago, matymil said:

We are sailing on the Magic on 9/27 with our toddler which means we have to take a bubble tour. I know alot can change in two months however as of right now there are not many bubble tours available. We would not be able to do a private tour like a private cabana, or the private van tour correct? It HAS to be labeled a bubble tour? TIA 

The requirements have been set through October now, so I don't see much "changing."  It is possible they could add more tours (we saw some pop up for HMC that were not originally there).  YES you will need to stick with "Bubble" only tours if you plan on taking the little one.  A private cabana would only be allowed on their private island. This is the ONLY place you will be allowed to get off the ship on your own without having a Bubble tour booked.  A cabana in other ports would not be acceptable.  They have said "Bubble Only."  The reason for this, I would assume, is just because you book a private cabana does not mean they can be assured you won't wonder off on your own or interact/come in contact with others.  The whole point of the bubble tour is that you are in a controlled group that is monitored and they know if someone leaves the group.

[l1222]

8 hours ago, matymil said:

We are sailing on the Magic on 9/27 with our toddler which means we have to take a bubble tour. I know alot can change in two months however as of right now there are not many bubble tours available. We would not be able to do a private tour like a private cabana, or the private van tour correct? It HAS to be labeled a bubble tour? TIA 

I talked with Carnival yesterday about this - I was told that 'most' excursions listed in each port are Bubble tours, but the name remains the same, i.e. "Swimming With Dolphins" will not display as "Bubble Tour Swim With Dolphins".  I was advised to grab an excursion fast, as the ship excursions will go quickly.

[wemjam]

47 minutes ago, l1222 said:

I talked with Carnival yesterday about this - I was told that 'most' excursions listed in each port are Bubble tours, but the name remains the same, i.e. "Swimming With Dolphins" will not display as "Bubble Tour Swim With Dolphins".  I was advised to grab an excursion fast, as the ship excursions will go quickly.

Hum?  That is very interesting because everything I have seen is saying that you specifically need a "Bubble" Tour, and it is spelled at as such in the title "Bubble"

 

I don't think saying "most are" is accurate, There are a lot of excursions that would allow a person to leave the tour and walk around on their own (such as beach days, etc.), or that include activities where you mingle with other people on shore.  This is not going to work for the unvaccinated and they will not be allowed to go.

 

Not sure who you talked to at Carnival, but I know JH specifically said "Bubble Tours" only, and to look for that.  Now he is wrong sometimes, but I also know the general call center people at Carnival are wrong a lot of the time about things outside of booking a room - and even that they can sometimes give you "bad" information on specifics you may want.

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, l1222 said:

  I was advised to grab an excursion fast, as the ship excursions will go quickly.

If you are vaccinated, doing private excursions are still allowed and are usually cheaper than doing a ship sponsored tour.  The exception though are those tours that have ship exclusivity like the Boss Underwater tours in St Thomas and Mahogany Bay.

[matymil]

9 hours ago, wemjam said:

Hum?  That is very interesting because everything I have seen is saying that you specifically need a "Bubble" Tour, and it is spelled at as such in the title "Bubble"

 

I don't think saying "most are" is accurate, There are a lot of excursions that would allow a person to leave the tour and walk around on their own (such as beach days, etc.), or that include activities where you mingle with other people on shore.  This is not going to work for the unvaccinated and they will not be allowed to go.

 

Not sure who you talked to at Carnival, but I know JH specifically said "Bubble Tours" only, and to look for that.  Now he is wrong sometimes, but I also know the general call center people at Carnival are wrong a lot of the time about things outside of booking a room - and even that they can sometimes give you "bad" information on specifics you may want.

Yeah thats pretty much what I heard as well. It sounds like that call center person may just have been telling you what you wanted to hear. Thanks for the info. Now that i think about it, it makes more sense because if we were to get the private van tour, we could just wonder off wherever and they do have to keep us monitored. 

[matymil]

18 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

You should be able to get a private cabana since there is no tour involved.  Private van tour would not be an option since the name implies that you can go wherever you want, which you obviously can't do.

Of course once you make your final payment,  you still need to be granted one of the exemptions in order for the three of you to cruise. If you're denied, you of course have the option to get a sitter for your toddler. 

Already asked the mother in law if she wanted to go. We'd rather cancel than leave our kid for a week. Im pretty easy going, as long as I'm on the ship and it floats i'll have fun. And our son would have fun just seeing all the new stuff and enjoying the splashpad, sun, etc 

[l1222]

On 7/23/2021 at 10:20 AM, wemjam said:

Hum?  That is very interesting because everything I have seen is saying that you specifically need a "Bubble" Tour, and it is spelled at as such in the title "Bubble"

 

I don't think saying "most are" is accurate, There are a lot of excursions that would allow a person to leave the tour and walk around on their own (such as beach days, etc.), or that include activities where you mingle with other people on shore.  This is not going to work for the unvaccinated and they will not be allowed to go.

 

Not sure who you talked to at Carnival, but I know JH specifically said "Bubble Tours" only, and to look for that.  Now he is wrong sometimes, but I also know the general call center people at Carnival are wrong a lot of the time about things outside of booking a room - and even that they can sometimes give you "bad" information on specifics you may want.

You're right.  Ack.  Still no Bubble Tours listed for our cruise.