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Carnival Secrets they usually don't tell you about

Cinderellie

By Cinderellie,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Leo Jay

Leo Jay

Posted
Posted
Sorry about that. Maybe ice would kill the germs. I didn't mean to make everyone paranoid. I will just disinfect my hands (gel) if I use it and then disinfect after use. That's all you can do.

 

Linda

 

I'm just joshing -- I'm not paranoid. Though it is good to keep in mind that people might have all sorts of... hygiene issues that could compromise the public ice bins. :D

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glyn

glyn

Posted
Posted
I got free cards at the pursers desk on the Miracle in March. I also got not one but two different types of lanyards for free. One was outside the casino (the rope kind) and then there was the corkscrew kind that I wanted (hot pink) and they gave me that without complaint as well. In reality I think I was supposed to plug my card into the machines with that one but I used it as a lanyard.

 

It might be "who" you ask.?:rolleyes:

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glyn

glyn

Posted
Posted
on all the carnival cruise i have been on there is usually a laundry special day. more times than not it's the second to the last night. the room steward will leave a paper laundry bag in your room and you fill it to the brim. they wash and fold for only $15. it's worth it to me so i don't have a ton of laundry to do when i get home. just a tip that i have not seen very much on this thread.

thanks for letting me know! great info

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howdyall

howdyall

Posted
Posted

In the past when we would take food off the ship ( I know it's a no-no), we would pack it with ice and bring condiment packets from the grill. Then we didn't worry about food poisoning as much as we would have by eating food in a foreign place.

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hockeymom97

hockeymom97

Posted
Posted
Carnival told me that I had to bring silk flowers not real ones for my wedding on the Conquest. They said it had to do with customs regulations (food, seeds, vegitation, insects). They (Carnival) are allowed to supply them but just buying from a vendor or florist was not allowed to be brought on the ship. Has this policy changed? :confused:

 

Well that would make sense. The roses by BF bought were from the cruise line. I just thought that fresh local flowers might be prettier :) But I understand the customs issue and probably won't bother trying to bring them on the ship.

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glyn

glyn

Posted
Posted
Just returned from the Conquest. Here is a quick rehash of the secrets unveiled. Most of these have been reported already. However, this is a recap of those things that seemed most important for us to remember for "next time."

 

- The "secret" door at the bow of the ship isn't secret. Just go forward as far as you can on decks 6 and 7. You will see a door on the starboard and port side with a sign indicating to watch the wind. Go through that pair of doors (kind of like an airlock). Do keep in-mind that this is not a "skirt friendly" area. I spent 5 minutes on the bow and my (male) T-Shirt was blown all the way up to my armpits. Note: Bow area on lower decks is for crew.

 

- The correct length for the balcony bungie cord is about 2 feet "unextended".

 

- All six suitcases fit nicely under the beds. No problem with storage space.

 

- If you have an "around the neck" lanyard, bring it for your card. The Casino will punch your card, but the only lanyards that they have are the belt-hook types that you find in a Vegas casino.

- Bring extra hangers.

 

- There are virtually no salty-crunchy foods on-board. We ordered 2 BLTs from room service one night, just to get the potato chips!

 

-The Cabin Steward was happy to keep our Sam's Club folding cooler full of our own "refreshing beverages" cool all week. We left the remaining beverages (and some $US) for him at the end of the week.

 

- All drinks (coffee, lemonaide) on the lido deck seem very strong. Prepare to water them down a bit.

 

-No problem bringing your own beverages onto the ship in your checked luggage. Don't forget the corkscrew. No point in putting them in "fake" bottles. Did I mention that some types of Vodka come in a plastic bottle???

 

-You may want to bring some of your own mix with you. OJ is available at breakfast only. I brought a dozen small "pineapple-orange" drinks with me (see item above). Also brought some water bottles. Don't get ones that are too big. They are hard to carry in port. Plenty of good fresh tap water for refills on board the ship.

 

- Don't bring back any ganja from Jamaica. 3 unhappy youth were pulled aside at the embarcation point. We heard that they didn't return to the ship. Repeat after me "Third-World Jail with no bail, Third-World Jail with no bail......"

 

-Sirius satellite radio did not work outbound from our cabin- Deck 7, Starboard. Inbound there was no initial signal. However, we began to get some reading as we got closer to the US. At that point I didn't bother to hook-up the speakers to check it out.

 

- No problem with Cingular GSM cellphone in port. I subscribed to their international plan for $5.99/ month to get better rate. I believe that they now have a mobile cell-site on-board, but I didn't try it. Being "communications-free" was a major part of our vacation.

 

- Watch out for prices at the Art Auction. I bought an $85 item. With the buyers premium and $35 shipping (1-5 items), the total cost was about $120 for a small item.

 

- Haggle, haggle, haggle in Cozumel. I left one shop (Diamond's International) with their best deal (I knew it was best because they didn't chase me down the street) and then bought the same item for $200 (20%) less at their other "outlet" store down the street.

 

-There is a lot of debate on ship-recommended vs. not ship-recommended shops. Unless I really knew what I was buying, I'd stay with the ship recommended stuff. It would be easy to get "had" in any of the ports.

 

- If it is your first trip, do go to the presentations on shopping and check out the art auction. It is an interesting way to pass a few hours on your 'fun day at sea."

 

- Menus are the same as reported elsewhere on this board. Food in the dining room was very good for something that is relatively mass produced. Didn't find much "rubber chicken" on this trip. Feel free to order a differnet or second entre, salad, desert, etc. It is considered "normal" to do so.

 

- Spa treatments are much, much better priced later in the cruise. Prepare yourself to be "encouraged" to by products at the end of your treatment. A facial ended-up with a recommendation to buy over $300 in products. Feel free to "just say no."

 

-The same goes for prices in the gift shop. Things are lower later.

 

- Captain Marvin's in Grand Cayman is a class act! We booked a trip with them, but our GC stop was cancelled due to high seas. They didn't charge us for the trip & no hassle.... no problem mon!

 

- Clothes pins for shower curtain helped.

 

- Take a close look a the bathroom. It is extremely well engineered to make the best use of a small space.

 

- Make sure that you mark your bags with some type of bright tag or ribbon. 3000 people with 2.5 bags each= a lot of bags to look through.

 

- Texas residents can only bring back 1 bottle of booze each. However, it doesn't seem to be US Customs job to enforce Texas State law.

 

- The only checked bag search during debark seems to be a walk-through by a drug-sniffing dog. On the other hand, anyone could be "selected" for a more detailed search.

 

- Security was very low key, but firm when they needed to be. I passed a room full of loud (through the door) very young kids. Later when I walked by, Security was there asking the oldest (about 10-12) were their parents were. Good for them!!!

 

- A pound ($25-$28) Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee makes a great gift for the office when you get back. That way you don't have to buy a lot of little stuff or forget someone.

 

- Read and learn from this Board. I don't know what I would have done without the information that I got from here.

 

- Relax, have fun, and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

 

....hope this helps

I know you posted this a while ago but thank you so much. Leave on Sunday and this has been so helpful.

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benicehavefun

benicehavefun

Posted
Posted

Here's a tip I haven't seen (and please don't flame me for it). When you get on the ship there will be an area with free champagne. They will give you the plastic lanyard, welcome you, and will tell you you'll get an invite to a Margarita party (you will). In return they'll schedule you for a 30 min presentation on buying into time share type thing (on last Day at Sea). Stop and do that, get lanyard, drink champagne, and get Margarita Party. Go, or don't go to sells pitch, up to you, either way you get all that!

 

I know that these people get a percentage of what they sell (they're also paid salary like everyone else) but even if you don't buy or go to final meeting, it reflects good on them to have people stop at the station and show up at the party. I got this straight from Ivan the last time we sailed. He hosted it. Said either way it's the Cruise lines expense, and at their risk, not his.

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sjpelvis

sjpelvis

Posted
Posted

Many people have suggested taking food off the ship for lunches, and many people have said that is against the rules. No one has mention that some people need a back up supply of food for hearth reasons. Sometimes you need a regular supply of food because of the need for sugar or other item within your diet. Eating a big breakfast does not help someone who is a diabete, it will make a problem worst. We always bring something from the ship in case we can not get the food that is needed at the time that food is needed. People that our diabete must eat regular meals. If you have been with someone who needs food or sugar and there is not any where to get it, you will know what I am talking about. There is times that you need to bend the rules.

Jean

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bguppies

bguppies

Posted
Posted
Many people have suggested taking food off the ship for lunches, and many people have said that is against the rules. No one has mention that some people need a back up supply of food for hearth reasons. Sometimes you need a regular supply of food because of the need for sugar or other item within your diet. Eating a big breakfast does not help someone who is a diabete, it will make a problem worst. We always bring something from the ship in case we can not get the food that is needed at the time that food is needed. People that our diabete must eat regular meals. If you have been with someone who needs food or sugar and there is not any where to get it, you will know what I am talking about. There is times that you need to bend the rules.

Jean

You can take food off the ships in any port.

But it must be pre-packaged food.

If somebody is a diabetic, etc. I would hope they would pack a supply of whatever their favorite, neccesary snack food is, in their bags....

(candy bar, protein bar, individual packages of snack mixes, etc...)

 

The thing that is against the law in many of the ports (foreign countries) that the ships visit, is the taking off the ship of fruit, sandwiches, and other handwrapped foods.

 

As long as the food is pre-packaged, you won't be asked to dump it in the trash cans they keep next to the metal detector at the gangplank.

 

Bill

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suzy1212

suzy1212

Posted
Posted
Many people have suggested taking food off the ship for lunches, and many people have said that is against the rules. No one has mention that some people need a back up supply of food for hearth reasons. Sometimes you need a regular supply of food because of the need for sugar or other item within your diet. Eating a big breakfast does not help someone who is a diabete, it will make a problem worst. We always bring something from the ship in case we can not get the food that is needed at the time that food is needed. People that our diabete must eat regular meals. If you have been with someone who needs food or sugar and there is not any where to get it, you will know what I am talking about. There is times that you need to bend the rules.

Jean

What a huge load of crap! The problem is with taking fresh foods off the ship, not packaged. If a person has health problems that requires them to have a special diet or eat at certain times I think they can find a way to provide themselves with what they need without breaking the law. :rolleyes:

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Redsoxfan11

Redsoxfan11

Posted
Posted
What a huge load of crap! The problem is with taking fresh foods off the ship, not packaged. If a person has health problems that requires them to have a special diet or eat at certain times I think they can find a way to provide themselves with what they need without breaking the law. :rolleyes:

 

 

I have to agree here, though I may have phrased it a bit differently, lol. I am one of those people who have special dietary considerations and most of us that need a snack or special food, are always prepared. I take my pre-packaged snacks from home with me wherever I go. I never depend on getting/buying a snack anywhere because often times they are unavailable. especially in a 3rd world country. People with real health issues most always know this. It's ingrained in me now. I go nowhere without my snacks.

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silverwolf

silverwolf

Posted
Posted
Many people have suggested taking food off the ship for lunches, and many people have said that is against the rules. No one has mention that some people need a back up supply of food for hearth reasons. Sometimes you need a regular supply of food because of the need for sugar or other item within your diet. Eating a big breakfast does not help someone who is a diabete, it will make a problem worst. We always bring something from the ship in case we can not get the food that is needed at the time that food is needed. People that our diabete must eat regular meals. If you have been with someone who needs food or sugar and there is not any where to get it, you will know what I am talking about. There is times that you need to bend the rules.

Jean

 

I completely understand the necessity of diabetics taking a snack or two off the ship. That is far different than packing a lunch for a family in order to save money. I would still be cautious, even if I was a diabetic I would not want to risk food poison. Only you can decide what is best for you and your family.

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Redsoxfan11

Redsoxfan11

Posted
Posted
I completely understand the necessity of diabetics taking a snack or two off the ship. That is far different than packing a lunch for a family in order to save money. I would still be cautious, even if I was a diabetic I would not want to risk food poison. Only you can decide what is best for you and your family.

 

Ditto! Most of us who are diabetic (and I have Celiac) bring their snack kit with them everywhere they go. I can't depend on the ship or a shop on land to give me what I may need. As a person in the medical profession as well, my advice is to do just that. One can't be to confident in what the offerings will be onboard or elsewhere.

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  • 4 weeks later...
runcassrun_07

runcassrun_07

Posted
Posted
Here's a tip I haven't seen (and please don't flame me for it). When you get on the ship there will be an area with free champagne. They will give you the plastic lanyard, welcome you, and will tell you you'll get an invite to a Margarita party (you will). In return they'll schedule you for a 30 min presentation on buying into time share type thing (on last Day at Sea). Stop and do that, get lanyard, drink champagne, and get Margarita Party. Go, or don't go to sells pitch, up to you, either way you get all that!

 

I know that these people get a percentage of what they sell (they're also paid salary like everyone else) but even if you don't buy or go to final meeting, it reflects good on them to have people stop at the station and show up at the party. I got this straight from Ivan the last time we sailed. He hosted it. Said either way it's the Cruise lines expense, and at their risk, not his.

Hello could you explain the time share buying you mentioned even more. I've been on many cruises but never knew anything about this. If you reply by my e-mail it's runcassrun_07@yahoo.com.

Cassandra

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dzcruisers

dzcruisers

Posted
Posted

I got detained at Customs when they checked my purse because my round allergy medicine looked like a cookie and the agent was sure I was secretly hiding one. If you get away with it fine but the consequences can be significant if they ask if you have food and you say no and they find some. It's not the American justice system.

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aleahmach1

aleahmach1

Posted
Posted

I did this last cruise and found out they hate them. No vending machines take them & other countries are leary of them as they do not see them very often. So when they are in port no $2 bills will spend. Our poolside waiter is the one I asked about that and he told me these things. But he did say that.... "A tip is a tip." Just what I found out.

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