Any tips would help. First time cruiser- me and husband- 20, and 23 ages- carnival sensation 3 day bahamas?

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Unique

Participate in many activities on the cruise.
You're probably going to want to stay longer =)
Go to the Casino.

In Nassau, Bahamas, you should take a tour. Tour guides will be there when you get off the cruise. I took a tour there and they take you nice places. They also take you into the hotel Atlantis. That was cool.

HAVE FUN!

Morgan C

Take a taxi over to Paradise Island and spend the afternoon at the beach. It is quiet and you won't be hassled by the people trying to sell you stuff. If you want to experience that just get off the ship and walk through the straw market.

Barkley Hound

The time will go by extremely fast and you will wish you had taken at least a week. You will become addicted. I have gone on 7 cruises with number 8 in June. Here is some general info on expenses.

The basic cruise fare includes your room, meals in the regular dining rooms and buffets, room service, shows, and most ship facilities. Many ships also have free pizza, ice cream at various times. sushi, and hot dogs and hamburgers.

There are usually 3 choices for free dining. There is traditional dining where you are assigned a time and table for dining. They range from 2 to 10 seats and you have the same diners each time. There is anytime dining which allows you to go dine any time and you are seated with others dining at the same time. Both are held in large dining rooms with waiters. Then there is the buffet which is usually on the top deck. It is open to all and many people always use it for breakfast and lunch.

The extras are first tips. Figure about $10 per day per person for the tips to the room steward and wait staff. This is optional and some cruise lines automatically charge you. It can be adjusted or reversed at the end of the cruise. You should also tip a few dollars if you use room service. All bar drinks will have 15% added for a tip.

Many ships have alternate dining facilities that have a service charge of $15 on up. It may be a steak house or an Italian restaurant for example. There are also specialty coffee bars that have a charge. All bar drinks including sodas have a charge. The only free bar drinks are at the Captains Reception and the Repeat Cruiser Reception. Do not assume that the drinks being offered when you board are free. They are not. Bar drinks are $6 and up. Some ships are even charging for juice at any meal other than breakfast.

Some cruise lines sell a soda card for about $4 a day. It is only for fountain soda. Unless you have 3 sodas a day it is not worth it. You can also buy a specialty coffee card which gives you 15 for about the price of 12.

There is a charge for any personal service such as laundry, salons, private trainers, etc. Spa treatments are very expensive, $50-$100. There is also gambling which includes the casino, bingo ($10-$20 per session), and sometime deck games such as horse racing. A ship photographer will be taking pictures all over the ship and at special occasions. They cost over $10 each. Phone calls in the room are about $8 a minute. Some ships have cell phone service. You are charged for international roaming by your phone service at about $2.50 per minute. There is also a charge for using internet service on a ship but it is cheaper than phone calls.

Sundries are very expensive. Figure at least double the normal price. If you need a watch you will find no better prices anywhere.

Off ship excursions are expensive. They start at about $30 and can be in the hundreds. You can book them on the ship or go on your own. The ship will not leave without you if a cruise excursion is late. With one you did on your own they will not wait.

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PugMom

Go to cruisecritic.com and read all the message boards there. You will learn far more from that site than this one for cruising.

prisilla8520

Me and my husband will be going on our first cruise also on the Sensation to the Bahamas for 3 days. I beleive we will be in freeport 1 day and Nassau 2 days. We leave this Saturday I will let you know how it went when I return. I also read on the carnival sight that you can bring your own pop with you this will save tons of money but it did say to unpack it out of original box and put in a box and just slap one of your luggage tags on it for it to be taken right to your room rather than lugging it, and if you want to drink take a beach bag with you and buy your liquier in ports and just pour it in different bottle to get back on ship. (I probally won't do this but I've read tons about ppl gettting away with this with no problem and a bottle of rum is like $4)
If you smoke wait until you sail to buy cigerettes on the ship b/c they have no state tax.
These were just some money saving tips I have found through the blogs on Carnival.com.

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