Last cruise I’ll ever take.

Item: Carnival Elation
Rating: 3.1
Author: montezd

Carnival Elation Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

montezd

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

3.1 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 03, 2020

Ship: Carnival Elation

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: U115

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Watch out for hidden costs. Drink tips are added over and above required gratuities

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Slow

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Bought a $500 package at Spa and was charged $650

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Cabin was nice

Ship tip

Cancel and stay home.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

4 out of 5

Grand Turk Island

4 out of 5

Wonderful port

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

4 Comments

cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Thank you for the review

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terriesanchez 4 years ago

What staff is not covered by automatic gratuities? Despite paying hundreds of dollars in tips on a cruise, you might be surprised that some people aren’t on the receiving end on those tips. Bartenders and wine sommeliers do not share in automatic gratuities but receive a portion of the service charge added to your fee for drinks or wine. The dining room maître d’s are classified as ship’s officers, and like other officers, do not receive tips. Shipboard personnel who offer services only used by some guests, such as casino dealers, kids’ camp workers, and spa workers, are not included in auto-gratuities. In the case of shipboard personnel like bartenders and spa workers, you’ll find a service charge tacked on to whatever you purchase. On Carnival, this is 18% (recently up from 15%). So if you buy a $10 cocktail, the actual price you pay will be $11.80. Likewise, a $109 spa massage would be $128.62. Room service staff who deliver your meal or snack to your stateroom do not earn a gratuity automatically. It’s customary to give them cash between $2-5 when they bring the food. Finally, people who provide you with service on land, such as baggage handlers and shore excursion operators, are not affiliated with the cruise line, so should be tipped separately. Can I adjust the 18% that’s automatically applied to services and drinks?

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terriesanchez 4 years ago

Required gratuities do not cover specialty dinning, drink packages, individual drink packages or spa services. Research is priceless!

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portofrome 4 years ago

Thanks for your review

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