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In addition to entertainment spaces, the interiors of Carnival ships are loaded with other venues where passengers can kick back and let loose day and night, including a wide range of bars, lounges and nightspots. The quality of the food (and drink) on Carnival ships always surprises us, given the budget pricing of the brand. Despite being one of the industry's lowest-cost operators, Carnival manages to pull off one of the best steakhouses at sea in Fahrenheit 555, and even the no-extra-charge main restaurants get the basics right. Like other big-ship operators, Carnival packs a lot of dining options onto its vessels — some included in the price, some at an extra charge. Note that Carnival's two oldest ships — those that are part of the 1990s-built Fantasy Class — have relatively few balcony cabins by today's standards.
Who goes on Carnival cruise ships?
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At 800 feet in length, these aren't the biggest roller coasters ever. In recent years, Carnival also has deployed two of its vessels to Australia to operate voyages from Sydney and Brisbane. In a departure from Carnival's American-focused business model, the Australia sailings are aimed mostly at the local Australian market, though they are open to American travelers. Carnival vessels based on the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico mostly sail to the Caribbean and Bahamas. Some East Coast ships also head to Bermuda, New England and Canada.
Company changes 2019
Other popular venues found on some Carnival ships include RedFrog Pub, which serves up Carnival's tasty housemade beers on tap, as well as plenty of other choices. In general, the production shows aren't nearly as sophisticated — or as long — as what you'll find on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian ships. Every Carnival ship has one big theater where you'll often find flashy, fast-paced production shows that string together a medley of loosely related tunes. Designed to be quick and digestible, they typically last around 30 minutes and have relatively small casts (just eight on some ships). There's seemingly always something playing on a Carnival ship, whether it be a glitzy singing-and-dancing production in the main theater, a comedy show in a secondary lounge, a magical act or a call-you-up-on-stage interactive game show.
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This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers 3 Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit). There's also the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which brings 2 Ultimate Rewards points on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points on dining. A Carnival passenger taking seven-night cruises will hit the Platinum level during their 11th sailing. Sail a few longer voyages, like a transatlantic sailing, and you could reach it even sooner.
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Carnival cruises are casual, with shorts, tee shirts, capris, swimsuits or swim cover-ups de rigueur during the day (no bathing suites in the dining venues, however). Most nights, the dress code on a Carnival Cruises remains much the same, minus the swimwear, though technically the cruise line asks that people not wear shorts into the main dining room. It's not uncommon to find Carnival voyages to the Caribbean, Bahamas or Mexico starting well under $100 per person, per night including all taxes and fees — at least in the offseason. Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse, notably, has its very own in-house brewery you can see behind glass walls — something still relatively rare on cruise ships. It makes house beers including Parched Pig West Coast IPA and Parched Pig Toasted Amber which you'll find on many Carnival vessels in kegs and cans. You'll find at least one of its ships sailing out of pretty much every major port city around the country.
Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Once on board a Carnival ship, you'll pay extra for most drinks, extra-charge restaurants, spa services, shore excursions, internet service and a few other things — unless you've bought a package for some of these items in advance. Most onboard activities such as shows and deck-top attractions are included in the fare. In 2023 starts the "COSTA by CARNIVAL" cruise program (CCL and Costa Cruises) that targets CCL's North American customers. The program is based on two newbuild Costa ships - Venezia (starting in June 2023 with homeporting in NYC New York USA) followed by Firenze (starting in May 2024 with homeporting in Long Beach/Los Angeles California USA).
On the West Coast, sailings to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska are the norm. Carnival's biggest operations are out of PortMiami and Port Canaveral in Florida; Galveston, Texas; Long Beach, California; and New Orleans — all major cruise hubs. You'll also find Carnival ships in such secondary cruise ship ports as Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; and Jacksonville, Florida. The arrival of Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration over the past two years has marked a major turning point for the line.
The suggested attire for women on such nights is cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses. During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, that means looking like you're going to the beach — T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits (with a cover-up to go inside) are just fine.
Design-wise, Carnival's cabins and suites are fairly basic and comfortable, if not super stylish. Cabins on recently unveiled or overhauled vessels have a soothing palette of creams and blues. Cabinetry in these rooms is a crisp and clean faux wood, and cabin bathrooms are neutral. That said, Carnival has seen the success that some of its competitors have had with a bigger range of upscale accommodations, and it's eyeing more suites for future vessels. The new Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration each have 180 suites — more than twice the number of Carnival's other recent ships. Note that the Carnival fleet is scheduled to grow over the next year with two more new vessels.
Carnival's Wi-Fi plans can be purchased (at discounted rates) for either the entire voyage or for a day (24-hour period). Carnival Barbados deals (any itinerary visiting Bridgetown Barbados), all gratuities are prepaid and added upon booking. Next link is to CruiseMapper's Carnival cruise secrets, tips, and tricks. At the following link, you can compare Carnival's major rival - Royal Caribbean (fleet and review of RCI's cruising experience). Foosball and Ping-Pong tables are available, as well as a Walking/Jogging track and Fitness Center with a separate room for Yoga, Aerobics and Pilates classes.
Both Costa liners are CCL-managed (while operating out of the USA). The HUB app was last updated in June 2017 and now offers the хew features weather forecast (for each day of the itinerary), dining menus, tips info (dress code, shipboard events schedules, deck plans, ports info). CCL ships provide a variety of onboard activities - from napkin-folding classes, Vegas-style revues, and gourmet and galley-kitchen tours to cool deck parties, belly-flop pool competitions, and waterslide races. Signature shipboard facilities are Seaside Theatre (outdoors), Thrill Theatre (3D Cinema), Disco Nightclub, Casino (gambling, tournaments), Stage Shows, Playlist Productions, Hasbro Game Show, Carnival Waterworks (aqua park with slides). Since April 1st, CCL again offers the popular "Behind the Scenes" ship tour fleetwide. It costs extra ($55-$95 per person), lasts ~2-3,5 hours and visits the Wheelhouse/Navigation Bridge, the Engine Control Room, Main Dining Room's Galley/kitchen, crew areas (cabins, mess hall, dining room, bar lounge), laundry, among others.
Lowest pricing is based on our 3rd party pricing supplier and valid as of April 21st, 2024. If the idea of crew members dancing during your meal in dining rooms or rowdy karaoke parties makes you cringe, this isn't the line for you. However, if you're ready to let loose and be a little goofy, it may be a perfect choice. If you're sure you know what sort of cabin you want, on which ship, on which itinerary — and about a dozen other things — you can head over to Carnival.com to book directly.
In 1993, Carnival began to get rid of their older second-hand tonnage, and sold their first ship, Mardi Gras, after 21 years of service with the line. The Carnivale followed the same year, going to newly created Carnival subsidiary Fiesta Marina Cruises.
Cruises 5-day or shorter received a full monetary refund or a 100% refund in FCC plus USD 300 in OBC (onboard credit) per stateroom. Cruises 6-day and longer received a full monetary refund or a 100% FCC plus USD 600 in OBC per stateroom. Booking cancelations prior to the final payment were penalty-free - unless the booking was on a specific promo offer with a non-refundable deposit and/or cruise fare. In April, CCL expanded the shipboard youth programming (fleetwide) via exclusive partnership with Zumbini.
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