What To REALLY Expect On A Carnival Cruise
Cruising is my go to family trip. No choosing restaurants, pre-planned activities, and a fun couple ports. It may not be my preferred way to travel in general but when you are new to traveling, need an easy family trip or are just looking for a low effort break from reality then cruising is the way to go!
I have been on quite a few cruise lines now and while there is a lot of overlap I will say that Carnival (for good and bad reasons) has more unique elements than the other major lines.
So if you are looking into a carnival cruise- whether you have cruised before or not- and want an honest, in depth explanation of what you should expect on a carnival cruise then I have you covered.
Let’s get into it!
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What To REALLY Expect On A Carnival Cruise
My genuine experience and tips cruising on Carnival:
Boarding the ship-
This will depend somewhat on what port you are cruising out of! But overall the boarding experience on carnival has a few key things to note:
- Your luggage WILL be searched, don’t try to bring anything banned on board. I learned on the last one that cuticle trimmers were banned too and they were confiscated during security. Not sure why but oh well- just be prepared!
- You will have to go through the drug dog experience- they have all passengers put their bags on the ground, back against a wall, and let a drug sniffing dog go and smell all bags. I’ll be honest as promised… this makes me feel like a criminal (which guys- I am the furthest thing from lol) and sets a tone for the first day unfortunately.
- Carnival has an easy Muster drill! Just go to your station and there will be people guiding you and listen to a short lesson and there are additional safety videos on the App for those looking for additional info.
- The buffet area will be chaos as everyone’s rooms are not ready right away. So my BIGGEST advice for the day of cruising for any cruise line is to not go into it hungry. The first day buffet on a cruise is my personal purgatory and if you struggle with over simulation too avoid it at all costs.
- Even if you get a drink package you will have to pay taxes on drinks (alcoholic and not) while still docked.
- The sail away party on Carnival goes crazy- if that sounds fun to you then don’t miss it! But if you prefer a calmer first day then head over to the serenity deck for a calmer vibe.
On Board Entertainment-
Personally I think though the budget is lower on carnival for entertainment it is actually the most fun!
Carnival always has a few talented smaller acts that float between the bars in the evenings and they are awesome and set such fun vibes at the bars.
For larger scale music/musicals I generally skip them unless someone else in my group wants to attend, especially on Carnival as they are really not my cup of tea as someone who doesn’t adore musicals.
Trivia, lido deck events, love and marriage show are the best of the best on carnival and I highly recommend checking them out.
Food-
So here is the one everyone has varying thoughts on- the food onboard carnival.
Personally, I don’t believe that ANY all inclusive food (cruise or resorts) is excellent. Usually it just tastes like slightly above average cafeteria food which really is what it is. Food isn’t the reason to cruise in my opinion but on Carnival some are better than others-
- Blue iguana cantina- I wish it was open more during the day. But the breakfast burritos here are the best food on carnival boats. Get the jalapeño tortillas and check out the hot sauce/ salsa bar!
- Guys burgers- the burgers are greasy as can be just as Guy intended. And sometimes when you are 6 drinks in that can really slap. But the fries and chipotle mayo is the superstar here! But the biggest downside is the hours, it is really limited and therefore always has crazy lines during open hours.
- Buffet- well it is buffet food but the best location is definitely the Deli. Unfortunately unlike other cruise lines carnival doesn’t have a ton of variety throughout the buffet.
- Main dining- again it is a lot like cafeteria food served on single plates. Also- carnival has but a fee on any additional entrees beyond 2 which is a bummer for those who like to get a lot and try them all. Though I am sure that causes a lot of food waste! Anyway the main take away is if you have dietary restrictions you have to pre-order the food the night before!
Also- Carnival main dining did an amazing job on all the soups I had. Like everyone single one was the best item that day so give the soups a chance.
Drinks-
Carnival knows how to make a tasty drink that makes you forget there is alcohol in it. And I have a go to that I adore the most- the skinny fizz! It’s a lighter drink that still tastes delicious and I highly recommend.
When you order drinks from carnival you do have to sign each and every time which gets old quick so be prepared for that!
Also, carnival doesn’t have straws other than edible ones and guys the lime ones are delicious but you do have to ask for them unless you get a blended drink.
This is called the Gilded Rose and tasted as yummy as it looks-
Navigating the ship-
I think that most cruise ships are equally challenging to navigate. The best advice I have is to take an actual picture (or screenshot it whatever) the decks you will go to regularly- cruise apps are awful and there isn’t always easy to find maps throughout.
My least favorite thing about any cruise ship is when you have to walk through the casino to get to entertainment or food because casinos on carnival (and every line I have been on ) is a smoking zone. And carnival does a lot to keep food traffic going through the casino which is just part of the experience unfortunately. But go to the deck above and cross over if you don’t want to be stuck in smoke air for 5 minutes while crossing it!
Ports-
So there is a lot of variance in the places that you could end up visiting during your cruise. But in general Carnival tends to frequent the more common Caribbean ports.
I prefer the “real” ports but the inclusive little island ports are awesome when you have kiddos.
Energy levels-
Carnival cruise ships are ROCKING!
People are there to have a good time and the vibes are contagious my friends.
Go into the cruise ready and willing to have a good time and make new friends because that is the best way to fully get a carnival cruise experience.
State rooms-
Cruise rooms are generally small and carnival is no exception. Expect there to be a bed, some clothing storage, a small TV, and a bathroom with varying conditions.
I will be honest- I feel that the way carnival keeps their costs down is largely by skipping on non-necessary ship maintenance. The rooms and the ships as a whole tend to quickly feel run down even after a dry dock (that is when they rehab a ship! Cruise ships need a lot of maintenance since salt water is harsh).
On our last cruise the room and balcony were totally fine though I will say the condition of the bathroom (missing tiles, toilet button wouldn’t work and the worst of it… BROWN water coming out of the faucets) was the worst it has ever been.
So if you are a clean freak type of person like me then keep that in mind before booking on carnival.
