Review: Carnival Cruise

Never been on a cruise before? Neither had I. I literally did not know what to expect and I spend hours on the Carnival Cruise website clicking on every link I could find and trying to get as much information as possible.

Luckily for you, now that I’ve been, I can break it down for you a lot easier.

For reference, we were onboard the Carnival Vista. We boarded in Galveston, TX and traveled to the Cayman Islands, Montego Bay and Cozumel.

What’s Included In the Price?

Prices fluctuate depending on when you book it, but the earlier you get your ticket the cheaper it could be. However there is a lot that is included in the price:

LODGING

So you’re basically paying for your room. There are different tiers of rooms and that is what creates the price difference. All prices are per individual, not per room. And I believe it is set to double occupancy, which means that at least two people will be staying in one room. If not, there is an additional fee if only one person stays in the room and there is a max of 4 people per room (unless you get a suite).

If you are planning on going with a group, I suggest you play with the website to see how you can get it to come out cheaper. Or you can all buddy up and then just get rooms that way.

But be warned, the majority of rooms have two twin beds that can be turned into a queen. So if there is more than two people per room, some may have to sleep on a pull out couch or cot. You pay for comfort.

Also, when choosing your room, you will get options as to if you want a window, how big a window (aka do you want a balcony), if you want to be in the interior of the boat or exterior, what level (some are “underwater”), and if you want to be in the front, back, or middle of the ship. The better the amenities of the room the pricier your ticket will get. Again, you pay for comfort.

We got an interior room, with no windows, on the second to last floor, in the front. Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all! Especially because we didn’t spend much time in our room other than to get ready and/or sleep.

Here’s some example questions of what to ask yourself when deciding which room to get:

• What will you be doing? Get a room close to the dining room/pool/spa/auditorium/etc
• Do you want to be the first off the boat? Get a room close to the bottom.
• Do you get motion sickness? Get a room with a window and higher up. Even though you can’t really feel the ship moving unless you really pay attention or are super sensitive.
• Do you want/need to be close to the elevator or stairs? Get a room in the middle

FOOD

Almost all the food is included in your price! There are a few options for meals which I’ll elaborate on below, as well as give you some pro tips I learned:

The Buffet

They have a buffet that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the lines will be open at the busiest times, like at 8am for breakfast and noon for lunch. In the shoulder hours, only a couple lines will be open but you still get a variety of options.

Restaurants

Aside from the buffet, there is also a few restaurants that you can eat at. Such as a pizza place, burger place and taco shop. These have more limited hours so plan accordingly if you want to try them! They also tend to have longer wait lines than the buffet.

There is also some other sit down restaurants, such as sushi, but you have to pay at those. With all the free food on board, we obviously didn’t try these, but it is an option.

Formal Dining

And finally, there is the formal dining area. It is open for breakfast and dinner! This was probably my favorite place to go.

For breakfast, you just show up and they will sit you down at a table. I recommend getting there early so you don’t have to wait. They have a full menu of brunch options as well as additional things for purchase such as fresh juices and pastries.

For dinner, it gets a bit trickier. Everyone is welcomed to dine in the formal dining area except it is much easier if you have a set table/reservations. Let me explain…

So when you are buying your ticket, it should give you an option to set your dinner time. Do it! However, if you aren’t given the option, or you forget to, do not worry! You can find someone on the boat to help you set it up. Do it!

Your reservation sets aside a table for you and anyone in your party at a given time. For the duration of the trip, that table is YOURS at THAT given time. They will give away your table if you do not show up within 15 minutes. Every evening, you literally just walk in and head to your table, no need to check in with the host stand. When you see the line of people waiting for a table you will understand how important it is to have a set reservation!

Our time was at 5:30pm and although that time is early for dinner, it worked out great because we were usually starving by that time and it gave us time to go to the shows and other activities after.

You get a three course meal every night and the items on the menu are usually themed to the place where the ship docked. Once you are done eating, you just walk out and leave! No, you are not dining and dashing, this is all included in your ticket! On the last night, if you wish to leave an additional tip for your waiter, you can, but it is not required because you will be charged for that at the end of the trip. I’ll elaborate more below.

ACTIVITIES

Now you’ll be on a boat for quite a while, depending on the length of your trip, so you must be wondering what is there to do? Well let’s just say that it’s like a whole little c

On the Boat

There is A LOT to do so you will have to pick and choose what you like. Here’s a list of just some of the things you can do:

• Bingo
• Stage Shows
• Military Appreciation
• Lip Sync Battle
• Art Displays
• Casino
• Comedy Show
• Movie Theater
• Nightclub
• Sports Bar
• Deck Party (family friendly)
• Game Night
• Murder Mystery
• Outdoor Movie
• Piano Bar
• Mini Gold
• and so much more!

Of course you could just lounge around at the pool or go to the spa. Anything goes when you’re on vacation!

Have kids? No problem! They have a program that takes care of the kids and has them do their own activities.

Off the Boat

These activities you have to purchase additionally. They can get pretty pricey, starting at about $50 each, per person.

I’m going to do a whole different post on the ones we chose so be on the lookout for that!

Is it worth it?

If you’re looking for an all inclusive vacation, then yes! As I’ve listed above, there is so much to do and you really get your moneys worth!

However, if you’re looking to travel and visit new places, not so much. If you pick a cruise because of its destinations, unfortunately you’ll be disappointed. The ship only docks for 6-10 hours so it doesn’t give you much time to see the new country.

I don’t like to claim that I’ve been to Jamaica, although I technically did because Montego Bay is in Jamaica. But we only got to do one thing for the 6ish hours we were there so to me it doesn’t really count as experiencing Jamaica.

Why Carnival Cruise?

Honestly, because of all the ships that leave out of Galveston, TX, Carnival Cruise was the cheapest. Also, KG had already been on a Carnival Cruise before and he remembered enjoying himself.

We had no complaints on our trip. But until we take a cruise on another line, I can’t really say which is the “best”.

Additional Tips?

• Download the app! I know you don’t need another app on your phone, but it was so helpful! We were able to look at show times, restaurant hours, and all the activities for the day.

• Bring your own drinks! That’s right, Carnival Cruise lets you bring one 12-pack (12oz or less) of sealed/unopened can or carton drinks per person (non alcoholic). We brought La Croix because neither KG nor I drink soda. But there was plenty of families with their 12-packs of coke! Other options are sparkling water, energy drinks, juice, and milk. No glass or plastic is allowed.

• You CAN bring wine! Oh yeah! Guest 21 years or older may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person. We took two bottles. If you wish to consume your bottle on board, meaning outside of your room, a $15 corkage fee will be assessed.

• If you want to drink liquor, order a bottle! It’ll come out a lot cheaper than buying individual drinks. KG and I purchased a bottle of vodka and would bring juice to the room to mix with it or use the La Croix. This is great to do if you are going with a large party. You all chip in and make your own drinks in your room. We didn’t finish our vodka, but we were able to bring it home!

Do I recommend?

Absolutely! I am currently trying to convince my family to go on another cruise with me! We’ll probably do Carnival Cruise again but for a shorter period of time. And KG and I are definitely looking to try out some different cruise lines!

To get a look into how our trip went, check out my video! And don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more travel videos really soon!