First Timer - Help? =) (Carnival Victory)

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evelinany

Guest
I'm taking my mom on a cruise -- it's a first for both of us -- on teh Carnival Victory to Canada. I have a few questions.
Carnival made me put my credit card on file for somethign called a Fun Pass -- how exactly does this work & when will they charge my credit card thats on file with the Fun Pass? I thought everythign on the ship was already paid for ??? Alsol it says that the FunPass will be charged a mandatory gratuity fee? Does anyone know what that is and how much? Do I still pay it even when I dont use the Fun Pass???

Also, how does the luggage situation work? is it like boarding a plane? Or do we just take the baggage with us to our rooms?

Has anyone ever been on the Carnival Victory? Opinions???

What do people usually wear on cruises? I'm in my 20s and my mom is 60.

THNAK YOU!
 
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Gayle V

Guest
Hello evelinanny,

Welcome to Cruise Addicts and welcome to cruising. Sorry to give bad news first thing, but you need to know that the days of cruising being all inclusive, are unfortunately over. I'm not sure it ever really was all inclusive, but paying for alcoholic and soda soft drinks has been the norm for at least a dozen years. There are some non-carbonated drinks like ice tea, regular coffee tea, and sometimes lemonade or punch.( Depends on the cruise line), that are free. Milk and Juice at breakfast too.

Lots of other things cost extra also. These are:

*Alcoholic and soft drinks and some specialty coffees
*Specialty restaurants
*Casino
*Laundry
*Photographs
*Shore excursion
*Spa treatments
*Ship to shore phone calls
*Internet
*Baby sitting
*Medical services
*Gift shop purchases
*Bingo
*Tips
*Some fitness center classes (ie: yoga, spinning)

The Fun Pass account is how you pay for those items, (All except for the gambling and the bingo, both of which use cash. And even for gambling you can get cash off your card at the casino teller window).

So what is the Fun Pass account. It's basically an onboard credit card. At embarkation they will electronically scan your credit card, and issue you a Fun Pass card, also called a " Sign and Sail card" (That's what I hear more people call it, so I will use that term here. )

The Sign and Sail card looks like a credit card and is used for any purchases onboard the ship . Those charges are then charged to your credit card in one lump sum, at the end of the cruise.

If you wish, you can open a sign and sail card with cash or traveler's checks (no personal checks) and you will have that amount as a pre-set spending limit. You can add more cash to that, during the cruise if you find yourself nearing the limit.

If you do set up a sign and sail card with your credit card, you can still choose to pay all or part of it off in cash or traveler’s check before the end of the cruise, if you wish. (Like the time hubby had some luck in the casino.)

The sign and sail card is only good onboard the ship - you must use cash or credit card in ports.

On most ships, your sign and sail card also serves as your room key and your boarding pass, and is required for you to get on and off the ship.
 
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smoose

Guest
1.The credit card backs the Fun Pass. The fun pass is used for all non-included purchased on board,i.e gift shops, alcoholic beverages, specialty coffees, etc. The Fun Pass charges will be charged to your credit card after your cruise. If you wish, you can pay off your Fun Pass at the purser's desk with cash. We always just wait and pay the card. The casino is the only place (besides the purser) on board that accepts cash.

2.The gratuities are $10/pp per day and well worth it. We always tip extra the service is so good. Yes you do pay this even if you do not use the Fun Pass. The tips are distributed as follows:

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 1.00 Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to other kitchen and hotel service staff

3.Luggage works sort of like on a plane. When you arrive at the port, porters will take your luggage so that you won't have to lug it through the embarkation process. I tip these guys well. Make sure and bring a carry on bag with any essentials (medication, camera, change of clothes, etc.) that you will need. Your luggage will arrive at your room sometime later that evening.

4.I have not been on the Victory but I have been on four other Fun Ships and loved all of them. Read the reviews on this site. They are informative and give many valuable hints. Just remember, some people you can never please; your cruise is what you make of it. Just have a good time and go with the flow. You're on vacation.
 
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Gayle V

Guest
FunPass will be charged a mandatory gratuity fee? Does anyone know what that is and how much? Do I still pay it even when I dont use the Fun Pass???
Click to expand...

About the gratuity fee: Well I've never heard that it was absolutely "mandatory" on Carnival ships. Yes it is on NCL. But essentially you really need to think about the gratuity (tips) as an definite part of the cruise fare. And yes you are charged automatically. The tips are for the services you receive from crew members, not a charge for the use of your onboard account, so using it or not, bares no relation to the tips.

Most cruise lines nowadays, automatically charge approx. $10 per person, per day for crew tips. This is a breakdown of the tipping amounts and who receives them:

* Room steward - $3.50 per person, per day.
Waiter - $3.50 per person, per day.
Assistant waiter - $1.50 to $2.00 per person, per day.
Head waiter - $5.00 per person for the week.

On most ships you may have this charge removed from your account if you feel the service did not warrant the tips, or if you are intending to tip personally. (Tipping in person is the way it used to always be done. There are a few who still prefer to do this.. Unfortunately, your crew member will have to explain to his superiors why their tips were removed from the account. I would hate to see anyone face that without good reason.)

( Remember, the crew members who take care of your cabin and serve your meals work very hard, and the tips amount to most of their pay.)
 
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Gayle V

Guest
One more thing about tipping:

There are a few additional tips involved. You will want to have cash for this purpose so pack lots of singles. Like Smoose said, you will need to tip the dock workers who take your luggage when you get to the ship. Those workers usually get the same buck-a-bag tip that you would give to anyone who handles your bags, (like a hotel bell hop, etc.) More if you've packed a set of barbells in there.

On the ship, room service is free, but a small tip is standard. One buck if all you've ordered is coffee for the two of you; two dollars if you ordered a full meal.

like Smoose said, frequently we have received such excellent service from our room and wait staff, that we want to tip extra. For this we use cash also, and this additional is given in person.

Then at the end of the cruise, when you are leaving the ship there are porters who will help you take your luggage from the luggage claim area to your taxi, or shuttle. Same as at embarkation, a buck or two per bag will do.
 
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Gayle V

Guest
One more thing about luggage, and debarkation: It varies a little from cruise line to cruise line. But here's the usual scenario. On one of the last days of the cruise your cabin steward will leave a custom's declaration form, and color coded luggage tags in your cabin. You fill out the tags and attach them to your suitcases.

On the last night of the cruise you will put your packed and tagged suitcases outside your cabin door before midnight, where the cabin stewards will pick them up and take them to a holding area till morning. After the ship docks, the suitcases will be transferred to the large terminal building there.

While packing you need to be very careful to keep in the room with you: the filled out customs form, a carry-on and any clothing or other items that you will need in the morning. This you will carry off the ship yourself. On many ships, passengers are asked to be out of their cabins at a specified, somewhat early hour in the morning of debarkation. In this case you find a comfy spot in one of the public areas and wait.

After the ship has cleared customs, and after everyone on board has taken care of their accounts, they will then start calling the color codes on the intercom. ( Or they may have a time schedule set up ahead of time). The staff will have asked for your home going flight info at embarkation, or in your registration on line, so that passengers with early flights will have be given luggage tags indicating an early color code. People driving, or staying in port for a post-cruise hotel stay, are usually given the later codes.

When your color is called you leave the ship via the designated gangway. From there you will exit directly into the terminal where all of luggage is arranged according to color code. You go to the group of suitcases with your color and find your bags. You will have a brief pause with the customs people, to answer a question or two, and to turn in your custom's declaration form. There will be lots of baggage handlers there, with wheeled dollies, to help you gather your bags and take them out to the shuttle buses or taxi pick up area. Ilke I said, be prepared to tip.

Carnival and most other cruise lines also now to allow you the option of carrying all your bags off yourself, thus allowing you to leave with the earliest call. If chosing this option, you do not put your luggage outside your door that last night, and you must be capable of carrying ALL your bags by yourself as you disembark. The self service debarking gets you off the ship earlier, but still cannot start until the ship has cleared custions. So the timing is unpredictable.
 
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Mbandy

Guest
[quote evelinany]when will they charge my credit card thats on file with the Fun Pass? [/quote]

The charge usually goes through within two or three days of your return.

=welcome to Cruise @ddicts. Hope to see you posting often :thumb
 
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fpslim

Guest
The Victory is one of my favorite ships, I've cruised on her twice. Both experiences were excellent. As for your Funpass, I usually use my credit card, but also set aside some cash or Traveller's Cheques before the cruise, and put it on my sail & sign account on the first day. Therefore, I have a buffer before anything goes on my credit card. If you don't use your initial deposit, you will receive a check for the balance on the last night of the cruise. You can then go to the Pursers desk and they will cash the check for you. I hope you enjoy the Victory as much as I did!
 
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MoJo2Rusty

Guest
Welcome to C@! Visit often and ask any questions you have. I really can't add much to what the others have said. They pretty much covered it all. When we book our cruise through our TA, we usually have them add the gratuity to the price we pay for the cruise. That way we have that charge out of the way before we board. It's just $70 less that goes on the sign and sail. Check with your TA about this and make sure they haven't already added it. We prefer to do it that way then if we get really great service, we tip extra on the last night. We have usually managed to have a least one or two crew members that really takes special care of us and they get a little extra. They will have envelopes at the pursers desk for any extra tipping.

I'm booked on my first back to back on a Fun Ship and it will be # 5 & 6. Have Fun on your cruise is the most important thing. Then come back and tell us all about it. We can't wait to hear.
 
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electricflyer

Guest
As stated your Fun Pass is your on board credit card. You will definitely be using it. Example: Photos they take of you every time you leave the ship, formal dinner nights and various other events. You are not obligated to buy any of the photos but invariably you will purchase some of them for memories sake. Any time you get a drink other than water, tea or coffee you will be charged, sodas/mixed drinks, beer will be charged to your fun pass. Any excursions booked on the ship will be charged to your fun pass. Each time you leave the ship at a port they will want to sell you bottled water to take along, you have to pay for that. If you buy anything from the on board shops the fun pass will be charged. My wife and I were fairly frugal with extras on the cruise but we still had almost an $800 charge (including the mandatory tip charge) to pay on the ship.
 
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lilcruiser

Guest
Hello. I'm sixteen and my sister's thirteen. This will be our third time on the Carnival Victory and I've loved both times I've been on it. The FunPass is basically a credit card that is used on board for most purchases. I'm pretty sure that there are no cruises that are all-inclusive. Most food (in the buffets and main dining rooms) are free, but some food (in the "Supper Club", which the Victory does not have) have a fee. There also may be some specialty foods that are free. On the Carnival Legend, there was a sushi cart by the casino area for three hours. By the end of your voyage, you will receive a letter that recommends how much you tip each staff member, but it is not mandatory to use those numbers. You can change them based on how much they've helped you to enjoy your trip throughout the cruise. You can basically wear whatever you would like during the day, but on the formal night(s) (based on how long the cruise is), you have to wear something obviously formal. To dinner in the dining room, it is recommended to wear nice clothes, such as pants instead of shorts. As for luggage, you will receive a luggage tag before, where it is required to fill out information (name, room number) and your suitcases will be delivered to your stateroom later that day, after the boat departs. The last day of the cruise, you can either leave your bags outside your cabin for pickup, which takes more time based on your floor/tag color, or you can take them with you, which will get you off the ship earlier but is also extra unnecessary weight. Keep in mind not to make too many phone calls from your stateroom! Calls can sometimes be $7 a minute! Some cell phone carriers also have service on the ships, but are equally as expensive.
 
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Cruizer

Guest
[quote evelinany]I'm taking my mom on a cruise -- it's a first for both of us -- on teh Carnival Victory to Canada. I have a few questions.
Carnival made me put my credit card on file for somethign called a Fun Pass -- how exactly does this work & when will they charge my credit card thats on file with the Fun Pass? I thought everythign on the ship was already paid for ??? Alsol it says that the FunPass will be charged a mandatory gratuity fee? Does anyone know what that is and how much? Do I still pay it even when I dont use the Fun Pass???

Also, how does the luggage situation work? is it like boarding a plane? Or do we just take the baggage with us to our rooms?

Has anyone ever been on the Carnival Victory? Opinions???

What do people usually wear on cruises? I'm in my 20s and my mom is 60.

THNAK YOU![/quote]

I was just on the Aug 18 - 23 sailing of the Carnival Victory to Canada. You can read my review by clicking on the link below ...

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/reviews/readreview.php?id=406

Your credit card gets charged the day you leave the ship. Anything you by on the ship gets charged to your credit card (no cash on the ship), including tips ($10 per day per person). The "Fun Pass" is simply Carnival's name for you electronic ticket. You will "use" the Fun Pass when you check in. That is its only purpose.

You can carry on carry-on sized luggage yourself. Bigger luggage has to be left with the porters to transport to the ship. The luggage will then be brought up to your cabin and left outside the door. You should get your luggage by 6:30pm.
 
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