first time, a few questions. -age, s&s card, excursions, whats included, currency.

[jessalz]

hi! i'm new here and this is my first thread. i have been reading around the boards for about 2 hours already and still have a few questions. since i have to get to work i was hoping it would be ok if i posted some questions here.

 

me and my boyfriend would like to on our first cruise in may. i'm 20 and he is 25. we would, most likely, be using carnival. since i am under 21, would they give me any problems since he is not a parent or will we be ok? also, again since i am under 21, will there be a lot of stuff that he can do and i can't?

 

another question i have is, what is an s&s card? i think i got the idea that it is a card you use on the ship instead of cash, but is it prepaid or like a credit card? also, is it one per person or would it be one for the both of us? if it is prepaid, can u take out money and add money during the cruise?

 

also, for excursions, can you book them on the ship or do you do this off of the ship? how does it work if you are somewhere with different currency?

 

we are thinking a 5 or 7 day cruise would be good for us. what is actually included in the cost? i know i read that buffet meals and room service is included, so if we wanted to eat at one of the restaurants on the ship, that wouldn't be included? i also read that entertainment is included, but what exactly is considered entertainment?

 

i'm sorry i have so many questions, but any help would be great!

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

hi! i'm new here and this is my first thread. i have been reading around the boards for about 2 hours already and still have a few questions. since i have to get to work i was hoping it would be ok if i posted some questions here.

 

me and my boyfriend would like to on our first cruise in may. i'm 20 and he is 25. we would, most likely, be using carnival. since i am under 21, would they give me any problems since he is not a parent or will we be ok? also, again since i am under 21, will there be a lot of stuff that he can do and i can't? I think you should be fine as long as there is someone over 21 in the stateroom with you, and since your bf is 25 that will be OK. As for activities, there is probably nothing he can do that you can't do other than drink alcohol.

 

another question i have is, what is an s&s card? A Sail and Sign card is like your onboard credit card. You have to use it to buy anything on the ship. You can use cash in the casinos. You will also need your S&S card to get off and on the ship at the ports. On most ships your S&S card is also your room key (except when we went on the Ecstasy we had a S&S card and a room key) You will either provide a credit card number up front for all puchases on your S&S card to be charged to at the end of the cruise, or you can provide cash up front. If you do cash, you will be limited to that amount until you go and provide more cash at the pursers desk. You can also use your credit card and then go pay in cash the night before the end of the cruise if you don't want everything ultimately charged to your credit card. It is one S&S card per person. i think i got the idea that it is a card you use on the ship instead of cash, but is it prepaid or like a credit card? also, is it one per person or would it be one for the both of us? if it is prepaid, can u take out money and add money during the cruise?

 

also, for excursions, can you book them on the ship or do you do this off of the ship? how does it work if you are somewhere with different currency? Almost everywhere will take US dollars (Mexico, Caribbean). You can either book with the cruiseline or you can book a private tour. Visit the ports of call boards here to find out what others are doing in the ports you are stopping at. We personally never book through the cruise ship because it is usually more expensive than local operators, and usually the cruise line is using a local operator anyway. BUT the one thing about cruise excursions is they will hold the ship for you if the excursion is late getting back to the ship. However, we've never had that issue...we've always dealt with operators who are very aware of ship arrivals and departures. I would advise against paying in full up front to a private operator. We have always paid in cash once we got there or at the most paid a $25 deposit.

 

we are thinking a 5 or 7 day cruise would be good for us. what is actually included in the cost? i know i read that buffet meals and room service is included, so if we wanted to eat at one of the restaurants on the ship, that wouldn't be included? i also read that entertainment is included, but what exactly is considered entertainment? All of your meals in the buffet and main dining room are included. Some ships have specialty restaurants for a fee that are usually very good but you are not required to eat there if you don't want to. You can get room service at anytime but Carnival and RCi have started charging $3.95 from midnight to 5AM, which isn't bad at all. The room service menu is limited but you can still get a lot of stuff. There is a lot of entertainment...if you are on Carnival or RCI you will find pool games, evening shows in the theatre, usually a comedian, the newlywed show, RCI has Quest, etc. plenty of free stuff. There are also some paid activities. Sodas are not included but you can buy a soda card on the first day of the cruise for about $6/day. You can also take some sodas on with you the first day, which is what we always do. Tea, lemonade, coffee, assorted juices at breakfast and milk are included beverages.

 

i'm sorry i have so many questions, but any help would be great!

 

Please feel free to ask any questions here. I know you will have a great time on your cruise, and Carnival is a great line. We've sailed the Valor (loved this cruise!) and the Ecstasy and both were very enjoyable.

[IslandCruiser87]

hi! i'm new here and this is my first thread. i have been reading around the boards for about 2 hours already and still have a few questions. since i have to get to work i was hoping it would be ok if i posted some questions here.

 

me and my boyfriend would like to on our first cruise in may. i'm 20 and he is 25. we would, most likely, be using carnival. since i am under 21, would they give me any problems since he is not a parent or will we be ok? also, again since i am under 21, will there be a lot of stuff that he can do and i can't?

 

another question i have is, what is an s&s card? i think i got the idea that it is a card you use on the ship instead of cash, but is it prepaid or like a credit card? also, is it one per person or would it be one for the both of us? if it is prepaid, can u take out money and add money during the cruise?

 

also, for excursions, can you book them on the ship or do you do this off of the ship? how does it work if you are somewhere with different currency?

 

we are thinking a 5 or 7 day cruise would be good for us. what is actually included in the cost? i know i read that buffet meals and room service is included, so if we wanted to eat at one of the restaurants on the ship, that wouldn't be included? i also read that entertainment is included, but what exactly is considered entertainment?

 

i'm sorry i have so many questions, but any help would be great!

 

Print this PageCarnival

How old do you have to be to travel alone?Guests are required to be 21 years old (on embarkation day) to travel. Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied in the same stateroom by a parent or guardian 25 or older. The exceptions Carnival will make to this policy are:

Married minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple is married. The couple must have proof of marriage at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple are legal Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union. The couple must have legal proof of partnership/union at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

Guest ages will be verified at embarkation. Guests not conforming to this policy will be denied boarding and assessed a 100% cancellation penalty. NO exceptions will be made at embarkation.

The Group policy is slightly different because of stricter group terms and conditions including mandatory chaperones, damage deposits and other considerations.

Hi! I'm 21 and have cruised Carnival several times and love it. It's seems you should'nt have a problem being 20 since your traveling with a 25 yr. old. in the same room. You will be allowed to do the same things as your 25 yr. old bf except drinking. Most of the times they will id you or tell that your underaged by your sail and sign card. You only have to be 18 to go in the casinos and late night disco. Drinking ages on Caribbean islands are usually always 18 while in my experiences Mexico doesnt ever id. Iv'e seen young children around the age of 16 drink in Mexico. A S&S card you put money on it and use for all purchases onboard and at the end of the cruise you get your statement(s) of all your purchases and any leftover money will be given back to you in a form of a check in the early morning before you get off the boat on debarktaion day. It also serves as your room key. You can purchase excursions online through the ship or on your own or you can purchase them when you get on the ship. They have an excursion talk where they talk about popular excursions they recommend that are safe. You can also find many tours offered at a cheaper price when you get off the ship at any island. We always pay for the ship recommended exursions as they keep in close contact with the ships personel if they seem to be running late and the ship will wait for yous to get back where as if you dont book through the ship they usually won't wait for you if you dont make it back on the ship before it is sceduled to set sail. However i've been reading many posts where many people find good tours offered over the internet and never have problems-just be sure to research it first. All food on the ship is included in the price except the specialty coffee shop/dessert bar and steak house restaurant (don't have exact names for them as they have different names on each ship for them) as well as drinks at the bar. The entertainment includeds different shows like vegas style shows, comedians (R-rated and PG 13),jugglers, singers,kareokee,magicians,games by the pool, parties,piano sing a long bar,casino,ect.. Carnival gives each stateroom a "Caper" each night which is a newspaper listing all the activities happening throughout the ship for the next day as well as any important info like times to be back on the ship, ect.. Any questions just ask away.

[jessalz]

Thanks so much! Both answers were great. I am Puerto Rican and Colombian, and my boyfriend is Mexican, I completely forgot that they never car in Colombia or Mexico, and very rarely in Puerto Rico. Either way, the drinking age is 18 in all 3 places.

 

How do you find excursions off of the ship? Are there usually people waiting by the ship and offering tours and stuff or do you walk around and find them? I would think the walking around would be scary.

 

Also, I forgot to ask, when you get to the airport is there usually a shuttle or something to the ship? Or do you take a taxi? We are getting are ticket separately because it is cheaper than buying tickets from the cruise line.

[cb at sea]

Depending on your airport, taxis are almost ALWAYS the fastest and cheapest way to port...but it depends on locations!

If you just want to go to a beach in port, then just grab a cab....no excursion needed.

If you want to do something more involved, book with the ship (That's the easiest way!) or go to the "port of call" boards and check out the private excursions that other's have done.

I wouldn't want to just hop in a car with "whoever" and leave the ship for the day on some random excursion....

Walking around in most of the ports isn't "scary" at all---for vacationer's, the crime rate is very low.

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

Thanks so much! Both answers were great. I am Puerto Rican and Colombian, and my boyfriend is Mexican, I completely forgot that they never car in Colombia or Mexico, and very rarely in Puerto Rico. Either way, the drinking age is 18 in all 3 places.

 

How do you find excursions off of the ship? Are there usually people waiting by the ship and offering tours and stuff or do you walk around and find them? I would think the walking around would be scary. My husband has booked one excursion just off the ship, but normally we email the tour operator in advance after deciding what we want to do. We get ideas from the ports of call boards here on Cruise Critic. Most of these places have websites you can look at and then email them to make a reservation. I would be careful about booking when you get there with someone you don't know or hasn't been recommended to you. Where are you cruising to?

 

Also, I forgot to ask, when you get to the airport is there usually a shuttle or something to the ship? Depends where you are flying in to. Or do you take a taxi? Are you flying in same day as the cruise? I would advise you fly in the day before just to be safe. Only time I wouldn't do this is if you live someplace where you can get the first flight in the morning and it is a non-stop, and there are plenty of flights per day to the port city. You just want to be safe. In this case, we normally stay at a hotel with a shuttle to the port. Or we stay close enough to get a cheap taxi ride. We are getting are ticket separately because it is cheaper than buying tickets from the cruise line.

 

Let us know if you have more questions!

[Iluvmypuggle]

"Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied in the same stateroom by a parent or guardian 25 or older."

 

I would double check with the cruiseline whether your boyfriend would be considered a "guardian". I imagine they wouldn't ask for proof whether he's your cousin, uncle, brother, etc. But I would just double-check before booking so you don't run into any problems.

[jessalz]

I called Royal Caribbean (I will be going on the cruise with them now), and I figured I should post what they told me incase anyone else had the same question regarding age.

 

Since I'm 20 and he is 25, they said there wouldn't be a problem. The issue would only be if I was under 18, then they would need a notarized letter from the parent/guardian saying that is ok for them to travel with the other person that is 21+. But, as long as you are over 18 and sharing a cabin with someone who is 21+ there shouldn't be a problem.

[jessalz]

I called Royal Caribbean (I will be going on the cruise with them now), and I figured I should post what they told me incase anyone else had the same question regarding age.

 

Since I'm 20 and he is 25, they said there wouldn't be a problem. The issue would only be if I was under 18, then they would need a notarized letter from the parent/guardian saying that is ok for them to travel with the other person that is 21+. But, as long as you are over 18 and sharing a cabin with someone who is 21+ there shouldn't be a problem.

[silentbob007]

On Royal you will be able to do anything your bf can except drink onboard. There are very strict consequences in their rules of conduct for underage drinking or those buying drinks for underage ... I know you said it is not a big deal for you, but I just wanted you to be aware.

 

As others have posed, I would recommend going to the boards on this site for your particular ports of call. You can generally get an idea of what the "big" tours are for a port, what independents cost, etc, and then compare that to what the cruiseline wants to charge. I'd find the idea of hiring out a taxi for the day to be a little intimidating as well, but lots of people do it.