Before our first Carnival cruise, we did not know what to expect. I researched top tips on what to wear, what type of food there would be onboard and everything that is second nature to me now as a frequent cruiser. But there is so much more information available now than there was back in 2010. This set of tips for your first Carnival Cruise covers what you need to do from the moment you arrive at the terminal to ideas of what you need to do on board and on sea days.
What do you need to know before your first Carnival Cruise? Keep reading for an ultimate, everything you need to know guide to a first cruise on Carnival!
Pack essentials in your carry-on
Make sure you have your essentials packed in your carry on. This includes medication of course, but think about what you might want to do in your first afternoon on board. Swim? Relax on a lounge chair? Hang out at a bar? Walk all over the ship? Go back to your room for a nap? It’s up to you!
Many people say to pack your bathing suit in your carry-on. If you think you’ll want to get in the pool or hot tub, pack it. I never pack a bathing suit, but always pack sunscreen in my carry-on. Unless it’s winter.
Cruising in the winter? Check out this post on what to pack and this one on why cruising in the winter is great!
Drop your luggage with the Porters
When you arrive at the port for embarkation, the first thing you do is drop off your bags with the porters. Porters are the guys (or gals) that stand outside the cruise port and take your bag and put it on the ship. It is expected to tip for this service – we usually tip around $5 a bag. The porters are a normal part of the cruise experience. Just like a baggage handler puts full size luggage onto a plane, the porters put your luggage on the ship. Luggage usually shows up outside your door sometime before dinner.
Not sure what to expect on embarkation day? Check out our guide for Embarkation Day on Carnival!
Bring small bills in cash
First, make sure you tip the porters who take your bags. If you order room service, it is generally considered polite to give them a couple of dollars. I prefer for the crew to bring the trays into the room for me so I find that especially important.
You will also probably want small bills on shore. Many ports in the Caribbean have a culture of haggling for the price you want. If you negotiate that Bahamas hat from $15 down to $10, you can’t ask them to break a $20 to pay for it.
Crowds are the worst on the first day
When you get on board and head to the pool, lunch, the bar and think that there is no way you will be able to handle these crowds for this cruise, just take a breath. The crowds are always the worst on embarkation day. After that people sort of find their own schedule and their own places. But when you get on the ship, nobody can be in their room yet, nobody is taking a nap, and everybody is excited for their vacation and ready to have fun. Just pack your patience in your carry-on for the first day and go with the flow. The next time you go to the buffet, it won’t be so crowded!
Other than Guy’s Burgers, don’t eat American food
Look around you at the crew and officers. They are not American. The American food on board is not great. The international food is good. Stick to that. And do eat a guys burger. They are the best burger at sea!
Interested to know more about what to eat on Carnival? Check out the Ultimate Guide To Food On Carnival Cruises!
Check out your breakfast options
Don’t think the main buffet is your only option when it comes to breakfast. The breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana are fantastic! There is also usually an omelet station or two tucked somewhere around the buffet. Sometimes it’s in the sea-food area, sometimes the deli, sometimes both. On our last cruise, guys was even serving burgers with an egg on top for breakfast!
You can also have a more leisurely breakfast in the main dining room. This is similar to the experience you have in the main dining room at night. Food brought to you instead of you having to fetch it. The atmosphere is relaxed and you can order as much as you want. (The only problem is now someone knows I ate a bear claw, a danish and a croissant!) Main dining room breakfast is not fast, but it is a great option for a leisurely breakfast.
Free room service!
There are free and paid options for room service. In the middle of the night all room service options will have a charge, but during the day and evening there are options that are free and options on the menu that will cost. For breakfast, pastries, coffee, juice, cereal and breads are free. But if you want hot items like eggs you will have to pay an upcharge for that because they have to bring it quickly after it’s made and so they charge that in the delivery fee. (Get around this by ordering your drinks and pastries for room service then sending one of you up to grab omelets, burritos or whatever main item while the other person is setting the table on the balcony!)
During the day, it is pretty clear on the menu what are the basic free items – sandwiches, salads, chips – and those hot items that will cost a speedy delivery upcharge.
Try room service for breakfast or a snack at least once on your cruise. It always makes me feel so fancy to have room service! Plus, breakfast on the balcony is a must at least once a cruise!
Don’t be the chair hog
The idea of a chair hog is well established on the internet. Don’t be the person that gets to the pool at 6 am and puts a towel on four chairs at the front of the pool. Use the chairs you need. And remember – all those towels are identical and you have to pay for it if you lose it. You might not want to leave yours laying around!
Check out your lunch options
Lunch depends on if you are at sea or in port. On sea days there is brunch in the main dining room in addition to any other counter-service venues. It has a completely different menu than at any other time of day.
Don’t get stuck in the buffet every day for lunch. All Carnival Ships have Guy’s Burgers and the Burrito Station (with tacos too!), but the newer ships also have various other options. These may be upstairs. The specialty restaurants are often free at lunch and you can do a make your own pasta from the Italian restaurant and the Asian restaurant has a wok-style lunch.
Wondering what else to do with your time on a sea day? Check out this guide to Sea Days On Carnival.
Free 24 Hour Pizza
The free pizza in the back of the ship makes a great lunch if you’re not feeling the regular options. It also makes a great snack when getting back from port. The pizza is thin and crispy and sort of made to order. Best pizza ever? Probably not, but it’s not bad.
Order as much as you want from the main dining room
The menu in the main dining room is more of a suggestion on those courses, not a requirement. We always order two appetizers and sometimes we order an extra appetizer or extra desert “for the table”. Sometimes there are just things you want to try. Don’t like the sides included with the main dish? Ask for some additional sides – it’s not like it costs any extra.
Formal Night on Carnival Isn’t Super Formal
But don’t wear shorts either. Not even dress shorts. They will probably not turn you away from the dining room, but you will feel underdressed. The specialty restaurants do not enforce a formal night, so if you don’t want to dress up make reservations for the steak house or Italian restaurant on formal nights!
Check out Where to Take Formal Night Photos on a Carnival Cruise Ship
There is so much to see and do – or you can do nothing at all!
Many people view Carnival as the budget, step-down cruise line, but it has great qualities. We have cruised other lines and keep coming back to Carnival for it’s fun, laid-back atmosphere. The food is reliable – find what you like and stick with it. The number of kids, teens, partiers depends on the time of year. If you are going over the summer or for spring break, sure there are going to be a lot of families, but that is not true year round. The crew on Carnival are reliably hard working and great.
It’s your cruise, your vacation. Make it work for you. There is something and some place for everyone on board a cruise ship.
Find your happy place.
What to read next:
Embarkation Day On A Carnival Cruise
What is Included on a Carnival Cruise
