posted by admin on Dec 27
Any suggestions would be very helpful, we are first time cruisers. We are going on a 7 day cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.The ship will be leaving out of Galveston, Tx at 4:00p.m. My biggest question is, what do we wear for the formal nights. What are some great things to do on ship and off ship at the different ports. How much cash should we bring for our trip? Thanks in advance for your answers.
We have sailed the Conquest three times…here are a few suggestions…
- Park at Lighthouse parking instead of the cruise terminal. Lighthouse will deliver you and your luggage to the cruise terminal. If you use the terminal parking, you have to drop off your luggage, drive the the parking area, park your car and take the shuttle back. A huge hassle. Plus, Lighthouse will save you a few bucks. Make an advance reservation at: http://www.lighthouseparking.org/
- Don’t arrive at the cruise terminal too early. Galveston does not start embarkation until about 11:30 am. Cabins are not available until about 1:00 pm. A buffet lunch and the hamburger grill is open for lunch when you board.
- Take plenty of $1, 5 and 10 in US dollars for tipping luggage porters, taxis, shopping, tips for shore excursion staff. Other than the casino, the ship is cashless. All charges are posted to your on-board account which you can set up with a credit card or cash balance. Notable…Carnival charges your on board account for the tips $70 per person the moment you step on board.
- Cozumel is the best port for shopping. You can get some good deals in the open air markets. They are willing to negotiate with you. Grand Cayman is expensive. Other than the shops in the port, I don’t recommend shopping in Jamaica.
- You can book shore excursions in Coz and GC or go on your own. However, we recommend you only book a Carnival shore excursion in Jamaica. There is a ton of road construction going on near the cruise terminal. We were stuck in traffic for 2 hours and were late getting back to the ship. Because we were on a Carnival sponsored shore excursion, there were no worries about getting left behind. Don’t wander around Jamaica on your own.
- Formal nights will have a variety of wares…from a little black dress on the ladies to formal gowns. A coat and tie is a good choice for the gentlemen. Notable for ladies…make sure the soles of your shoes are not slippery.
- Cash in ports…depends on what you plan to buy…if you want jewelry, several hundred bucks…while the store vendors take plastic, they prefer US dollars. If you are just buying souvenirs, you can get t-shirts for $3-10 each, same for baseball caps and shot glasses. We also tip our shore excursion staff about $10 per guest in our group plus a few bucks for the bus/cab drivers.
- Only buy the photos you really love. There are dozens of photo opps on-board but the cost can add up…$22 bucks a sheet.
Bar drinks run $4-12 bucks each plus an automatic 15% gratuity is added to your bill.
Sodas are $1.75 plus 15% gratuity per can or $5.50 per day plus 15% gratuity for the soda card program. If you drink 3 sodas per day, then get the soda card. It will pay for itself.
To help you budget…here are a few of the "extra costs"-
- Bar drinks – $4-12 each plus 15% gratuity
- Soda – by the can – $1.75 plus 15% gratuity
- Soda fountain card – $38.50 plus 15% gratuity
- Photos – $7.99 to $21.99 (depending on size and style)
- Shore excursions – $50-200 per person per excursion.
- Spa treatments – $50-200 per treatment (but there were many specials on this last trip as many people were skipping the spa…)
- Casino. Use cash in the casino to avoid 3% fee for using card.
- Bingo cards – $5-20…depending on day and games
- Gourmet coffee – $3.75 and up
- Internet – 75 cents per minute
- Ship to shore phone – $7.99 per minute
- Parking at the port
- Tips for luggage porters – $1 per bag
Items above are optional…
To stay within a budget while sailing Carnival, you should open a cash account when you board instead of linking your account to a credit card. When you reach your cash deposit, the purser will send you a note and you can add more money to the account or stop spending that way you don’t end you vacation with a huge credit card bill!
- Last tip…mark the handles of your luggage with bright ribbon or marking tape. When you de-bark, there is a sea of luggage, most of it black. The marking tape will help you find your luggage quickly. Using a porter will help get you through customs quicker…tip $1-2 bucks a bag for the service.
