Budget friendly vacation

This was my first Carnival cruise and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had been a few years since my last cruise. This trip has certainly rekindled my desire to go on more of them. I also have recommended the Carnival cruise line, and cruises in general, to friends and family.

What makes a cruise so enjoyable to me is having lots of options. There always was something to do or see. I will admit that I didn't partake in many of the activities. It is impossible to do everything because there is so much going on.

I also like being pampered by the crew. Carnival management did an excellent job of staffing the ship with well trained people that want to make the guests happy. The staff are also interesting people from all over the world. I found it interesting to meet them and learn a bit about life in their home countries. If there is one thing that makes a cruise stand out from domestic land based vacations it is the service workers. Finding the same level of service from a domestic worker is extremely rare, especially at the price point of a cruise.

I thought Carnival did an excellent job of explaining all the particulars of the cruise. I heard a couple loudly complaining about seeing a charge on their account for the crew gratuity. The gratuity system is CLEARLY explained on the documentation one gets for review before the cruise. It is also customary process on other/all cruise lines to tip the crew. As in the land based service industry, tips make up a large part of worker income. For the level of service I received I had no issue with paying the recommended tip. The method of including the tip in the ship charge account made it much easier to do.

Each adult is given a 'charge' card, prior to boarding the ship. It is called the “Sail and Sign card”. This is also the key for the room on the ship and used to get on and off the ship. The ship card account is set up and funded before starting the cruise, all of which is explained in your pre-cruise documentation. This makes it VERY easy to spend money on things that are NOT included in the fare.

I had the fortunate/unfortunate experience of getting another guests final statement on my last day (obviously someone else got mine as well). This error was corrected just minutes later. It was interesting to see what other guests pay. The couple who's statement I saw had final charges that were more than double the cruise fare. They purchased spa treatments, alcoholic beverages and other items/services that were not included in the advertised fare. Again, Carnival did an excellent job of explaining what was and what was NOT included in the fare before the trip. Each charge requires a signature. The cruise line provides lots of options, many, but not all, are included in the fare.

My stateroom was one of the slightly higher priced rooms with a window. I did see the lowest priced rooms, without the window and they were essentially identical, minus the window of course. My room was comfortable and large enough for my spouse and I. I read other guest comments about the ship having out dated interiors. Yes, the ship is older and the colors/style is vintage. Everything in my room was clean, in good condition and functional. If having a more recently decorated room is important then chose a newer ship. If older interiors keeps the cost of the cruise down then I am all for that.

This cruise was a fun and relaxing vacation. It certainly was a budget friendly holiday for me. I will happily go on a Carnival cruise again.