I took my first Carnival cruise and not everything went to plan. Although some things went right during my trip, I definitely made a few mistakes along the way.
As a seasoned cruiser, I felt overconfident while boarding my first sailing with Carnival Cruise Line. I expected my 4-night cruise aboard Carnival Firenze to go off without a hitch, but that’s not exactly what happened.
I made some correct decisions, like packing space-saving items for my cabin, but I had a few regrets when it came to cruise add-ons like drink packages and shore excursions.
These are the 3 things I did right and 4 I did wrong on my first Carnival cruise.
First, not booking the drink package was a huge mistake
To my surprise, I regretted not booking a drink package for my first Carnival cruise. I’m no big drinker, and I’ve even written about why I wouldn’t cruise with a drink package again, but I felt restricted without a drink package on Carnival.
Carnival Cruise Line is all about fun, and the party vibe was apparent while onboard. Whether the upbeat sailaway party or rowdy rounds of karaoke, there was truly never a dull moment.
I enjoy a drink here and there on a cruise, but it was hard to stomach the prices of Carnival’s drinks. Most drinks were advertised for around $14, but with taxes and gratuity, the price came closer to $17. Although I wasn’t necessarily traveling on a tight budget, I hated spending $17 on a single drink.
Read more: 15 Best Carnival Drink Package Tips
Carnival charges $82.54 per day if purchasing the drink package in advance. For my 4-night cruise, the drink package would have cost $330. All things considered, the price wouldn’t have been unmanageable for my vacation budget.
Next time I cruise on Carnival, I’d consider booking a drink package to have more fun without worrying about the price of each drink.
I’m so glad I gave Carnival’s entertainment a chance — the game shows were hilarious
The highlight of my Carnival cruise was the entertainment.
If I’m being honest, I’m not always a fan of cruise ship entertainment. I hate the lack of storylines in production shows, and I’d usually prefer attending an activity like trivia rather than a theater show.
Yet on my first Carnival cruise, I couldn’t get enough of the entertainment. Even though the ship offered a traditional theater show, the cruise line seemed to place more of a focus on audience-participation entertainment.
I attended two game shows, Deal or No Deal and What’s Age Got to Do With It?, and both exceeded my expectations. The audience was absolutely roaring while cheering on contestants, and the talent of the game show hosts was phenomenal.
I felt like I was watching a show on TV, and I was actually crying from laughing so much.
I shouldn’t have eaten at the buffet — it was crowded and poorly-designed
I usually like eating at the buffet on a cruise ship, but I avoided Carnival Cruise Line’s buffet like the plague.
Even though cruise ships offer a variety of elegant, sit-down dining restaurants, it’s hard to beat the convenience of the buffet. It’s not only quick and casual, but it typically offers a wider variety of options than other restaurants onboard.
Prior to my Carnival cruise, I read subpar reviews about the cruise line’s buffet. Cruise Blog writer Allie, for instance, called Carnival’s buffet crowded and unappealing.
“Between the lack of variety, the poor design, and the long lines, Carnival’s Lido Marketplace buffet is not for me," she explained.
I still wanted to give Carnival’s buffet a try, so I attempted to eat breakfast in the venue one morning of my cruise. It was a mistake, and I wish I ate elsewhere.
I was disappointed to see poor planning in the layout of Carnival Firenze’s buffet. Many cruise ships make small “islands” around the buffet to cut down on lines. This makes it easier for passengers to grab food, as there are many access points instead of just one long line.
On Carnival Firenze, there were no such islands. If you wanted one item at the end of the buffet line, you had to wait in the entire line — or squeeze through other passengers and risk being perceived as rude.
It was painful to wait through a 10-minute line just to grab a few pieces of French toast at the end of the station. After my lackluster breakfast, I avoided the buffet for the rest of my cruise.
Read more: Carnival Cruise Line: Ultimate Food Guide
Other food venues were excellent, and I’m happy I tried them
Although I didn’t enjoy Carnival’s buffet, I absolutely loved the other complimentary dining venues onboard. I chose to eat only at included restaurants on my cruise, and I never felt like the variety was lacking.
On embarkation day, I grabbed a burrito at Tomodoro, the ship's rendition of BlueIguana Cantina, Carnival’s famous grab-and-go Mexican restaurant. My shrimp burrito came wrapped in a jalapeño tortilla, and it was surprisingly tasty. I loved the selection of salsas available at the toppings bar, too.
Read more: 11 foods you must eat on a Carnival cruise
Later, I tried a cheesy, marinara-topped veggie burger from Guy’s Burger Joint. Although not the healthiest option onboard, it exceeded my already-high expectations of the venue.
I also enjoyed my meals in the main dining room and thought the menus offered intriguing options. I was surprised to see unique dishes like frog legs, crawfish fettuccine, and roast duck onboard — I expected the dining room’s options to be more basic.
Admittedly, I wasn’t adventurous enough to try the frog legs, but I was still impressed with the variety of Carnival’s main dining room menu.
Read more: Carnival menus: Main dining room, specialty restaurants, and more
Attending the art auction was a waste of time
I’m the first one to complain about cruise ship art auctions and their predatory sales tactics. Nonetheless, they do offer free champagne, and I’m embarrassed to admit I occasionally attend the event because of this.
During my sea day aboard Carnival Firenze, I decided to attend the art auction for that ever-so-coveted complimentary glass of champagne. Like dozens of other cruisers in the room, I impatiently sat through 30 minutes of aggressive sales strategies before the wait staff began handing out the beverages.
Most cruise lines provide a glass of straight champagne, but Carnival’s “free champagne” was more akin to orange juice. The mimosa tasted like straight juice with maybe one drop of champagne in the glass.
I couldn’t help but laugh at my poor decision to attend the art auction. Next time, I’ll stop being so cheap, skip the art auction, and just buy a drink somewhere else instead!
Read more: I tried the problematic cruise ship activity everyone hates to see if it's really that bad
I’m glad I packed space-saving items for my cabin — storage was limited
As a newer l cruise ship, I expected Carnival Firenze to provide ample storage space in the cabin. Instead, I found storage limited, with few drawers and shelves to keep my belongings organized. I’m glad, therefore, that I packed a few space-saving items for the room.
First, I brought packing cubes, which helped keep my clothing organized in the limited drawer space. While packing, I organized the cubes by the type of clothing inside (shirts, pants, etc.), and this helped me find my belongings quickly in the crowded cabin.
Most importantly, I packed a folding toiletry bag. Aside from a couple small shelves, the bathroom had few places to store my belongings. I was able to hang my toiletry bag on one of the bathroom door’s hooks, which let me access my toiletries without sacrificing valuable space elsewhere. When cruising in a tiny inside room, cabin hacks like these can make your cabin much more functional.
Read more: Top 25 cruise ship cabin hacks to improve your stateroom's functionality
Lastly, I probably should have booked a more interesting itinerary or at least planned shore excursions
Some cruise itineraries are more exciting than others, and my 4-night itinerary wasn't necessarily exotic.
As a cruiser based in Nevada, it’s easier for me to cruise from Long Beach rather than fly across the country to Florida. Yet despite the easier travel day, the itineraries from California aren’t nearly as exciting as those to the Caribbean.
Although longer cruises from Long Beach visit ports like Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, shorter cruises are limited to the ports of Catalina Island, California, and Ensenada, Mexico.
Read more: Ultimate guide to cruise excursions
My 4-night itinerary visited these two ports, but they weren’t exceptionally interesting. I walked around each port to take in the sights but found they offered little to do aside from eating and drinking at local restaurants.
If I booked this itinerary again, I’d probably plan more exciting things to do in port. Instead of just walking around Ensenada, I might book a tour to a winery, or perhaps take a surf lesson at nearby Playa Hermosa. Likewise, renting a golf cart or bicycle in Catalina Island would allow me to explore more of the area.
If I could go back in time, I would have done additional research to plan more compelling days in each port of call.
Jenna DeLaurentis
Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while in port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea.
