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Brittany Chang
- Carnival Cruise Line is well known for itsrelatively affordable fares.
- But my recent Carnival Firenze cruise was filled with enticing pay-to-play amenities.
- Even the complimentary venues had up-charged options, making it easy for travelers to blow past their budget.
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If you aren't careful, your Carnival cruise could quickly become as expensive as an Oceania one.
Peruse any of the "US' most budget-friendly cruise lines" lists, and you're sure to find Carnival somewhere near the top. In 2024, its most affordable itinerary is $164 per person for a four-night sailing from Miami —more than $20 cheaper than Royal Caribbean and Norwegian's least expensive ones.
That's about $40 a day for food, accommodations, onboard entertainment, and the ability to see several destinations in one vacation.
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Sounds like a steal, right?
Well, not quite.
You'll be met with a flurry of tempting up-charged amenities the moment you board Carnival's ships. So, if you're prone to giving into these little luxuries, you can kiss your budget goodbye.
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I went on my first Carnival cruise in mid-May: a four-night sailing from Long Beach, California, on Carnival Firenze.
I paid $735 for a solo interior cabin, including optional gratuities.
If that sounds relatively expensive, you'd be right. Carnival Firenze is the company's latest vessel, and newer cruise ships generally command a pricing premium.
It's also worth noting that I had booked it less than 10 days before embarkation. Oops.
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I thought I knew what to expect when it came to the cruise industry's 'pay-to-play' game.
Mass-market cruise lines have been increasingly slapping fees on on-board amenities and activities. I knew excesses like alcohol, WiFi, and specialty dining would cost extra, as is typical across the industry.
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The only one I fell for was WiFi, of which the premium package cost me $85 for all four nights. I was there for work, after all.
co*cktails were generally about $13, while beers and seltzers were about $9 each. Specialty restaurants like teppanyaki and Italian cost about $40 per person, while the steakhouse was $49.
None of these were surprising. Even premium cruise lines charge extra for higher-end restaurants and beverages.
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But on Carnival, it felt like almost everything beyond the bare minimum carried an additional fee.
Even complimentary dining venues dangled tempting dollar sign-afflicted dishes — including the buffet, where guests had to pay for chicken wings.
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Want an empanada? The Empanadas and Pie kiosk sold them for $1.50 apiece.
Craving a lobster roll? The dinnertime Seafood Shack booth (which otherwise has free breakfast and lunch options) sells one for $18.
Looking for some pizza? You could grab a free pepperoni slice at the pizza stand — or pay $6 for the fancier Korean barbecue steak pie.
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That darn dollar sign symbol tormented me morning to night, on and off the ship.
I had been craving a juice for breakfast. Too bad it was $5 (in the complimentary main dining room, no less).
I would've loved some popcorn during the evening movie showings. A bag costs $4.
During our second stop in Ensenada, Mexico, I briefly considered taking the shuttle from the port to downtown. However, that would've been another $4.
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But the most egregious 'incident' came during afternoon tea.
The daily schedule denoted pay-to-play events with a small dollar sign symbol. "Tea Time" didn't have one, so off I scurried, excited for some free mid-afternoon caffeine and sweet treats.
You can probably guess where this story is headed.
After I took my seat, a waitperson arrived at my table with an organized box of tea bags, giving me just enough time to review my options before announcing they were $1.50 each. On principle, I declined.
A few minutes later, he returned to my table to let me know that he did, in fact, have some free options stashed behind the up-charged bags. They were the same as those available in the buffet:Lipton and Bigelow's green tea.
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During breakfast, one of the servers joked that my croissant and Lipton tea would cost $20 each.
I knew he was kidding, but for a split second, I was worried he wasn't. At that point, I expected almost everything I wanted to come with a price tag.
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Carnival, I get it. Get that bag, sis!
But not being immediately upfront about the $1.50 tea bag and otherwise free options felt unecessarily deceitful.
In the company's defense, not everything had a price tag. Fun activities like the mini-golf course, waterslides, and fear-of-height-inducing ropes course were complimentary and great for forgetting how annoyed I was about "tea gate."
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Carnival is just following the industry trend.
There's a reason onboard spending has skyrocketed over the last year. Mass-market cruise lines have been increasingly adopting a model reminiscent of budget airlines: offer a low base fare and present a slew of irresistible amenities at an additional price.
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Competitors like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are repeat offenders, too.
On Norwegian Prima, mini-golf costs $10 per person, while the VR arcade sets guests back $29 for one hour.
On Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, mini-golf is free! But walk slow if you decide to spend money on the ship's part-agility, part-ziplining course. It costs $49 to participate — and could be completed in a minute or so.
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So yes, going on an ultra-cheap Carnival cruise is possible if you’re like me, stubbornly unwilling to spend extra.
But if you're a pushover who easily gives into temptation, be sure to develop a backbone before you cruise with Carnival.
If you don't, mai tais and movie popcorn costs could add up quicker than expected.
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