Add Carnival Cruise Line to the list of companies raising prices. Effective immediately, passengers sailing with the brand can expect to pay more for drink packages and Wi-Fi — two of the most popular purchases cruisers make when they sail.
My Carnival cruise eras: What it was like sailing the Fun Ship line after 20+ years away
18.11.2024 - 15:13 / thepointsguy.com / Royal Caribbean
My first cruise ever was in the early 1980s on one of Carnival Cruise Line's first ships, Carnivale. I swear our cabin was actually a crew cabin. It was on Deck 1 and had four metal bunks permanently attached to the walls with a tiny desk and chair between them.
Everything else about that cruise, though, was dreamy. It had all the elements of what most of us want from a cruise — a beautiful ship, stunning scenery, memorable meals, engaging ports of call and onboard fun you'd probably never participate in on dry land.
More than a decade later, my husband and I tried to recreate the cruise magic on a shiny new Carnival ship. The late '90s version offered plenty of fun but lacked the charm and grace of that first cruise. The ship's decor screamed tackiness in orange and chrome. The food and service were unremarkable. It wasn't my job then to write about cruises, so I simply tucked the experience away as a less-than-stellar vacation choice.
I didn't intentionally avoid Carnival in the years that followed. I have friends and family members (including my mother) who rarely cruise with any other line. I've kept current with the line's operations and worked with Carnival's team to produce numerous informational stories over the years. The cruise line has even invited me to cover new ship launches, but my schedule and the stars simply never aligned — until this year.
Here's how I finally ended up back on a Carnival cruise and, more importantly, how I found the experience 20-plus years after my last sailing. Was it as dreamy as my first cruise or as tacky as my second? Read on to find out.
I've enjoyed complimentary casino cruises on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises for several years and was curious how hard it would be to earn a "free" casino cruise on Carnival. The line has a popular casino loyalty program that gives players opportunities to earn free drinks, complimentary onboard perks and the epitome of freebies — free cruises.
For casino players loyal to other cruise lines and land-based casinos, Carnival will often match your complimentary casino cruise offers with one of its own in an attempt to win you over to its sailings. Go to the Fun Match website to register and show proof of offers from other casinos. Carnival will evaluate your offer and then choose to offer a comparable one-time offer match through its own casino program.
The Fun Match is not a status match. You can only earn Carnival Player's Club status once you are on board and active in the casino.
Related: I don't gamble, but I used a casino status match for a cheap cruise
I chose to try for a match using an offer of a free balcony cabin for two I had recently received from Celebrity's Blue Chip Club casino loyalty program.
First, I
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