Carnival out of Galveston: From $186/pp plus tax

My first post, so please be kind.

I just found this deal from Carnival Cruise lines out of Galveston for October 4-8, 2012. 4 night cruise, 3 to an interior cabin, total of $657.65 for the stateroom, taxes included. Additional costs would be parking at the pier, gratuities, and whatever excursions you might book. Awesome price.

Interior Stateroom
# of Travelers: 3 Travelers
Rate: More = Merrier [$557.00]
Subtotal*
Total 3 Travelers: $557.00
Gov't Fees/Taxes: $100.65
Total: $657.65

"thank you" to whomever noticed that I didn't originally add taxes to the final per person price.

http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/StateRoom/stateroom2?embkC...

Mom25Kids said:   My first post, so please be kind.

I just found this deal from Carnival Cruise lines out of Galveston for October 4-8, 2012. 4 night cruise, 3 to an interior cabin, total of $657.65 for the stateroom. Including taxes. Additional costs would be parking at the pier, gratuities, and whatever excursions you might book. Awesome price.


Interior Stateroom
# of Travelers: 3 Travelers
Rate: More = Merrier [$557.00]
Subtotal*
Total 3 Travelers: $557.00
Gov't Fees/Taxes: $100.65
Total: $657.65

http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/StateRoom/stateroom2?embkC...

Which 4 kids are you leaving behind?

But have they improved their navigation any?

vickh said:   ports?

No USB 3.0 or HDMI.

SteelRing said:   link is broken when directly clicked. i think what FW did with its own redirecting and URL-encoding bastardized a lot of linkage.... shame on you FWShame on FW because you think they did something wrong??? Shame on you for shaming them without proof.

link is not broken; it worked just now for me.. and vickh? ports and starboards are included.

Mom25Kids thank you, Keep the Cruise deals coming....

nsdp said:   But have they improved their navigation any?

I am wondering if meal is covered for this price.
Any previous experience with Carnival?

Raf2 said:   yupkisama said:   I am wondering if meal is covered for this price.
Any previous experience with Carnival?

Most meals included

Booze and soda aren't

That's right so tell your kid he'll be learning to drink a lot of tea while on that cruise. That's what I do (drink a lot of tea).

Service Gratuities

For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $11.50 per guest, per day as follows(our recommended guideline effective voyages departing December 1, 2011 and onward):

$ 3.70 USD - Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.80 USD - Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 2.00 USD - Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to kitchen, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members.

For beverage purchases, fifteen percent of the bill is automatically added to the Sail & Sign charge. Room Service staff may be tipped as service is rendered.

It's good to see a post like this. The awesomeness of the deal is only for those who want to sail from Galveston, and in Oct (both better be bargains!)

This is not a smashing deal by any measure. Best cruise deal posted remains $199 7-day Alaska summer 2012, which was dismissed as inside price - like FWr has no brain to talk real biz with a buddy travel agent. All other posts are retail ads, so-so really

Most kids on cruise ships drink juices (and I think fruit punch) or milk (both free). All meals are free except at certain speciality restaurants like the Steakhouse (which gets very good reviews). But you will get free steak and lobster tail one night in the main dining rooms. I've eaten 3 lobster tails in one sitting.
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/about-cruising/cruising-on-carnival....

For reasons I can't post about on a public forum, I would not recommend to anyone I like going on anything shorter than a 5 day cruise, and for me personally I wouldn't go on anything shorter than a 7 day. In addition, even a 5 day cruise doesn't feel like enough time, especially since the first day you're boarding, unpacking, doing the muster drill, learning the ship, etc, and the last night you're packing and thinking about the cruise almost being over, then the last morning you're off the ship very early. IMO, a 5 day cruise is really only 4.5 days. Also it seems everything the ship offers is better quality on the longer/more expensive cruises.

The two Carnival ships that port out of Galveston are the Triumph and the Magic. I've been on the Triumph, and I would recommend it. I've been on the Magic's sister ship, the Dream, and wouldn't really recommend this class if you have a choice, since even though they're Carnival's largest ships, the number of staterooms/passengers is exponentially higher than the amount of added common space, so they feel a little more overcrowded. It's not extremely crowded, but more so than any other, and I did have fun on the Dream, but if I had the choice between those two, I would pick the Triumph. If I had my choice of any Carnival ship , it would be any of the Conquest class (Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom), or the Splendor. These are their largest without being as crowded as the Dream class (Dream, Magic, Breeze).

dealsearch said:   Slickone said:   The two Carnival ships that port out of Galveston are the Triumph and the Magic. I've been on the Triumph, and I would recommend it. I've been on the Magic's sister ship, the Dream, and wouldn't really recommend this class if you have a choice, since even though they're Carnival's largest ships, the number of staterooms/passengers is exponentially higher than the amount of added common space, so they feel a little more overcrowded. It's not extremely crowded, but more so than any other, and I did have fun on the Dream, but if I had the choice between those two, I would pick the Triumph. If I had my choice of any Carnival ship , it would be any of the Conquest class (Conquest, Glory, Valor, Liberty, Freedom), or the Splendor. These are their largest without being as crowded as the Dream class (Dream, Magic, Breeze).
I have been on all kinds of Carnival ships. I did not feel much difference from overcrowded point of view, especially between Freedom and Dream.
It's not just my opinion, but one many other people have stated, including the person I was with, and other people we talked to on the ship. Just read around on any cruise forum, like cruise critic, etc. Look:
https://www.google.com/search?q=carnival+dream+crowded

Also this shows the space ratio is higher on the Conquest class than the Dream class:
http://travel.travelocity.com/ecruise/ShipFinder.do

aln said:   NoMoneyInMyWallet said:   Rate/person is valid only when booking 3 per cabin. It's much higher with 2 per cabin.

Perfect excuse to invite your girlfriend's hot friend along.What if he doesn't want to share her with you?

dealsearch said:   To save more money, be sure to use shareholders benefit (only 100 shares of CCL is required) and future cruise, and maybe Carnival credit card. You will get free money (onboard credit) that can cover your soda bill . Actually, Carnival allows you to bring soda onboard, 24-can pp I think.

Also, Carnival allows you to carry on one bottle of wine per person. We always bring a corkscrew, but your cabin steward will have one as well. Your cabin will have "stemware" but they are more along the lines of a water goblet. So stop by any bar and ask for a red (or white) wine glass. I always carry a glass of my own wine into dinner with me. Saves on the liquor bill.

Generally good deals can be had on cruises less than 90 days from sailing. They want to fill the boat, you can snag some good deals.

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SunDiego123 said:   dealsearch said:   To save more money, be sure to use shareholders benefit (only 100 shares of CCL is required) and future cruise, and maybe Carnival credit card. You will get free money (onboard credit) that can cover your soda bill . Actually, Carnival allows you to bring soda onboard, 24-can pp I think.

Also, Carnival allows you to carry on one bottle of wine per person. We always bring a corkscrew, but your cabin steward will have one as well. Your cabin will have "stemware" but they are more along the lines of a water goblet. So stop by any bar and ask for a red (or white) wine glass. I always carry a glass of my own wine into dinner with me. Saves on the liquor bill.
This is exactly what we've done, as far as getting a wine glass. Also if you're going with other people over 21 that don't drink, you can have them each carry a bottle of wine on for you. Heck, you could probably find someone at the port to carry one on for you for a few bucks.
Carnival and Princess (owned by Carnival) policy states that you'll be charged a $10 corkage fee to consume it in the main dining room, but we've never actually had them charge this. The waiters want a tip so they don't want to piss you off. Also Carnival has a welcome aboard party with free drinks, and a after your first cruise, you can go to the past guest party with free drinks.

Royal Caribbean does not allow you to bring on wine at all. Celebrity (owned by Royal Caribbean) allows two bottles per stateroom but is supposed to charge a $25 per bottle "corkage fee" if consumed in any dining area or bar. Norwegian is supposed to charge a $15 per bottle "corkage fee" for any wine you bring (even if you open it yourself in your stateroom).

Another FYI, Carnival has a top notch kids club, rivaling Disney. We dropped the kid off in Carnival's Camp Carnival, who did not want to be, but later on ended up not wanting to leave it. The kids we talked to on a Royal Caribbean cruise were all "meh" about their kids club, and looking around their room, it didn't look very fun.

This is from July 2012: The cleanest cruise ship? Carnival Splendor wins kudos.

SinglePapa said:   Post was "cheap alaskan cruise". Not just you - everyone missed it, because the usual suspects REDDED it out of sight. instead of "working it" with a buddy travel agent AND GOING $399 pp. for 14 days!! That was the cheapest they'd ever gone on cruise, in good season; but they preferred to proudly poop the FW party instead. Here: the 4-nite from Galveston in lowest of seasons is GREEN all the way. I guess some FWers are proud to pay retail

aarzi said:   SinglePapa said:   It's good to see a post like this. The awesomeness of the deal is only for those who want to sail from Galveston, and in Oct (both better be bargains!)

This is not a smashing deal by any measure. Best cruise deal posted remains $199 7-day Alaska summer 2012, which was dismissed as inside price - like FWr has no brain to talk real biz with a buddy travel agent. All other posts are retail ads, so-so reallyNo idea how I missed that thread, but if you come across something nice, please post it here. Or at least PM me.
Thanks.Thanks for the detail.
I'd still like a heads-up though for the next half-way decent deal that comes along.

Slickone said:   kriskos4 said:   Agr8RN said:   The closer you get to the cruise, if it's not a sell out, the better your prices. You will find Resident's Rates and Senior Rates (55 or older) and these are SIGNIFICANTLY lower than the standard published rates, even lower than past guest rates.

This is absolutely true, although you are taking a chance as far as getting the exact ship you want or location on a ship. Time of year means a lot too.

In general, that's just not true, except often (but not always) right before the cruise. As I said, it depends on a lot of factors. It may never go down at all. And it may go up!
This says "last-minute deals are usually only found for off-season trips", which are summer and fall. We go in March, before spring break, before the prices go up, and before it gets too hot. It may be cool here in March, but in the caribbean, it's usually been about 85-90, plenty hot and HUMID.
And I personally wouldn't want to wait until the last minute to book, with limited cabin selection, and then have to try to book a more expensive hotel, and if a flight is needed, the then higher flight ticket will likely wipe out your cruise ticket savings. Personally, I could never cruise without a balcony.


[kriskos4 said:   October is a weak cruising month apparently. I just booked a 4 day Monarch of the Seas (Royal Caribbeans older boat, but still pretty nice) for $119 per person, $364 for two incl. port taxes. I had called about a interline rate (for those in the biz) but this is just a regular rate and includes GA resident discount. You can't stay home and eat 24 meals for that price!
The Monarch sure holds a lot of people for it's size. 26.9 Gross Tons per passenger. They do refurbs every few years on the ships, so I'm sure it's a nice ship.

@ Slickone - If you notice, I did state in my post 'if it's not a sell-out'; anyone wanting to cruise on a certain ship, itinerary or date - especially during high times, should definitely not wait until the last minute or you might get real disappointed or pay more. If you are flexible w/ your dates and can wait until after everyone else has made their final payments, then you stand a good chance of getting a discount IF the ship is NOT a sell-out.

Most people who booked into my group after final payment, saved about $150 per person utilizing resident and or over 55 rates. These usually aren't available if the ship is sold out or near sell out.

Cheapest time to cruise is hurricaine season - late August, Sept and Beginning of Oct. I cruise every year around Halloween, prices are fantastic and it is rare to have a storm that late.