Many people want to have a fun filled quality vacation at an affordable price. Since I started RyG's Cruise Guide in 2013, I have shared many generic cruise budget and money saving tips. However, this blog post will share tips about saving money and enjoying free programs on a Carnival Cruise Line ship. 

1. Bring Onboard Your Own Beverages As Long As They Meet Carnival's Requirements
        Carnival has a strict policy when it comes to bringing beverages onboard, but the policy does allow guests to bring some beverages onboard. Currently, cruisers are allowed to bring soda, sparkling water, juice, or milk as long as it is in a can or carton. Each cruiser may bring a maximum of 12 of these non-alcoholic beverages as long as they are in a sealed can or carton and 12 ounces or less. Absolutely, no bottles are allowed under the current policy. Also, Carnival allows each guest over 21 to bring one 750 ml bottle of unopened wine or champagne. All of these drinks that are allowed to be brought onboard are required to be in carry on luggage.  
          Bringing your own drinks is a great way to save money. On my recent Carnival cruise, 1 soft drink has been priced around $2.00 plus a gratuity. I recommend, if possible, bringing your own canned sodas. If you plan on bringing drinks onboard a Carnival ship make sure what you are bringing meets their policy. This is a big way to save money, so take advantage if you can!!
Note - For the official description and information about bringing drinks onboard, please read this article on Carnival's website:  Click Here To View

​2.  Save On Future Cruises By Booking Onboard
            Carnival offers cruisers an option to book a future cruise while on a cruise. This is offered on all ships except the Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Imagination, and any Carnival Australia ships. By booking onboard, Carnival offers onboard credits that can range up to $200.00. Typically booking a 3, 4, or 5  day cruise results in $50 per stateroom onboard credit, a 6 day cruise results in $75.00 per stateroom onboard credit,  a 7-11 day cruise results in $100.00 onboard credit per stateroom, and a 12+ day cruise results in $200.00 onboard credit per stateroom. 
             This onboard credit  is an incentive to consider booking onboard because getting onboard credit is almost like getting your bill reduced for free. You can usually apply onboard credit towards things such as the casino, gift shop, tips, entertainment, and more. The onboard credit you can receive from taking advantage of this will be applied to the future cruise you just booked. 

​3. Drink The Free Beverages On The Lido Deck 
              If you don't want to spend money on drinks during your cruise, you don't have to! Each ship's Lido Deck has machines that dispense lemonade, iced tea, coffee, water, and hot chocolate. The selection may vary by time of the day because breakfast has some juices available too. You can drink as much of these as you want for FREE because they are included in the price of your cruise. 

4.  Planning On Ordering Room Service?  Order From The Free Selections On The Menu
             Most Carnival ships have the new room service menus, which have a section of free things and a section of things that cost extra. On this new menu things such as sandwiches,salads, and some desserts are available for free. If you want something delivered to your room order from the free section of the menu. However, do not forget to tip the server that brings the food to your room!

5.  Have Kids? Take Advantage Of The Onboard Youth Programs
             Carnival Cruise Line is known for its kid friendly youth programs. The vast majority of activities and services offered through these youth programs are free. Kids 2-11 are a part of a youth program called Camp Carnival or Camp Ocean (depends on the ship). Within Camp Ocean or Camp Carnival, kids are divided into the age groups of 2-5, 6-8, or 9-11 years old. Each age group has its own set of activities and meeting places. Teens 12-14 are a part of the Circle C youth program. Teens 15-17 are a part of the Club 02 youth program. 
               As long as a child is registered, he or she may attend the youth program that correlates to their age. Registration and most activities within each of the youth programs are free. Carnival typically will note when activities are not free. Read the youth program's activity newsletter or ask a member of the youth staff about the cost of an activity if you are unsure.
                 However, Carnival offers a Night Owls program that is not free. Parents can pay $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity for Night Owls. By paying for this service, parents can have their kids watched from 10pm until 1am. Night Owls is offered for children that are at least 6 months old to 11 years old. 

6.  Download The Free Carnival Hub App
             Carnival has an app that it is currently implementing to its ships. While most ships have this app, there are some that still do not. If your Carnival ship is equipped to work with the app, I recommend downloading the app. The app is free to download and once onboard the ship, cruisers can view activity information, Sail & Sign account information, events, and dining information from the app. 
                Note: There is a chat feature on the app that does cost extra. You do not have to purchase this feature in order to use the app onboard, but it is there for those that wish to purchase it.

​7.  Enter Your Name In Raffles - You Never Know If You Could Win!
               On every Carnival cruise ship I have sailed, there are always raffles occurring throughout the cruise. For most raffles, it is free to get your name entered. In the past, raffles have been for things such as jewelry, gift shop items, and discounts. It never hurts to enter your name into a raffle because you never know if you could win something! On a side note, most raffles do require you to be present at the time of drawing in order to win. 

​8.  Enjoy The Free Activities And Amenities Offered
               There are many things to do on a Carnival cruise that are free. For example, during the day activities are offered such as trivia, scavenger hunts, and games. These organized activities are usually listed in the ship's daily activity newsletter, the "Fun-Times". Each Carnival ship has at least one waterslide and multiple pool areas for cruisers to enjoy. Also, each Carnival ship has a mini golf course. There are many other amenities on Carnival's ships, but these amenities can vary by ship. 
                 At times, there are activities and events that cost extra. 

​         This is only a small sample of ways you can save money on your Carnival Cruise. I am not writing this to keep anyone from spending money, but would like to share my ideas to help those that want to cruise Carnival on a budget. 

      The Blue Iguana Cantina is Carnival Cruise Line's own Mexican style buffet line. As a part of Carnival's Fun Ship 2.0 initiative, this feature has been rolled out on many of Carnival's ships, but is not yet available on all ships. Cruisers that wish to eat at the Blue Iguana Cantina can come by at breakfast and lunch for food.

Breakfast:
      At breakfast, the Blue Iguana Cantina serves breakfast burritos. Cruisers have the option to customize their breakfast burrito and tell the crew member working the line exactly what the burrito should have in it. The tortilla choices for the breakfast burrito are wheat or jalapeno. Cruisers can then select from a variety of breakfast burrito fillings including, Mexican style scrambled eggs, regular scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, hash brown potatoes, ham, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. The salsas available for the breakfast burrito are roasted tomato salsa, crema fresca, tomatillo salsa, and pico de gallo. 

Tip:

• The Blue Iguana Cantina was less popular at breakfast on my recent cruise. If you want to try to avoid some of the main buffet lines, consider trying the Blue Iguana Cantina at breakfast. The lines at breakfast were much shorter than at lunchtime.

Lunch:
         At lunch, the Blue Iguana Cantina serves tacos and burritos. The lines for each of these are usually separate. For the tacos, cruisers will have a choice of chicken, fish, or pork. You can choose one of these meats or have all three if you would like! On my recent Carnival Triumph cruise, after selecting my meats for the taco I would be able to go to the Salsa Bar and add lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese. The crew member serving tacos does not add the fillings unless a cruiser wants something that is only available in the burrito line. For example, I asked for avocado on my tacos and the crew member would serve me some from behind the counter. For my lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese I had to go to the salsa bar.
          The burritos are more complex than the tacos because there are many options for the burritos. Just like breakfast, the two tortilla choices for the burritos at lunch are wheat or jalapeno. Cruisers can  choose chicken, beef, or shrimp as their meat. For burrito fillings cruisers will have choices consisting of re-fried beans, rice, black beans, tomato, corn, onion, lettuce, and green peppers. Behind the counter, there are a variety of sauces and guacamole that can be put in a cruiser's burrito. After the burrito is finished a cruiser can go to the salsa bar to get more salsa.

Tips:

• The line for burritos can get long because it takes more time to serve a burrito. If you really want a burrito arrive before the Blue Iguana Cantina opens and get in line. 
• There are menus posted on the wall behind the counter. To help speed the line up, try to read the menu in advance and plan what you will want in your burrito or tacos.

Blue Iguana Cantina Salsa Bar:
           The Blue Iguana Cantina's Salsa Bar has many choices. From mild to spicy salsas, there are salsas for everyone to try.  Carnival has each salsa labeled to make it easy on cruisers to know which salsa is which. My favorite salsa was the Salsa Roja from the Blue Iguana Cantina. Some of the other salsa choices include roasted tomato salsa, tomatillos, pico de gallo, habenero, and arbol chili. Besides salsas, the Salsa Bar has sliced watermelons and limes too. 

Tip:

• The Blue Iguana Cantina's Salsa Bar does not have chips available. I tried asking the crew members working if chips were available behind the counter and they told me no. Chips would be a great addition to the salsa bar in the future!

​Food From The Blue Iguana Cantina:
          Here are a few of my Blue Iguana Cantina food pictures:

      The Carnival Dream is the first ship in Carnival's Dream class. Currently, the Carnival Dream sails 7 night cruises from New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Basic Facts:
         The Carnival Dream was launched into service in 2009 after being built in Italy. The Carnival Dream, as well as many other Carnival ships, is registered in Panama. According to the ship's fact sheet the ship can have a guest capacity of 3646 (when each room is at double occupancy) and a guest capacity of 4633 when at its full guest capacity. The ship has 1369 crew members. The Carnival Dream has a gross tonnage of 130,000 and a length of 1,004 feet. While the Carnival Dream is an enormous ship, it is not Carnival's largest vessel. For more interesting facts on the Carnival Dream please click here.

Some Highlights Of The Carnival Dream's Features & Places On-Board:

• Crimson FWD Dining Room & Scarlet AFT Dining Room (Decks 3 & 4 -  Lobby & Atlantic) 
              The Crimson FWD Dining Room and the Scarlet AFT Dining Room are both of the Carnival Dream's main dining rooms. Both dining rooms have a lower level on Deck 3 (Lobby) and an upper level on Deck 4 (Atlantic). The Crimson FWD Dining Room is located in the middle of the ship and the Scarlet AFT Dining Room is located near the back of the ship. A cruiser's dining time will determine which dining room is assigned. Typically, Your-Time Dining is scheduled in the Crimson Dining Room, but that is subject to change. When a cruiser gets his or her Sail & Sign Card on the first day of the cruise that card will have the assigned dining room and entrance printed. Cruisers need to make sure they pay attention to which deck they are supposed to enter the dining room!
• Serenity Adults Only Retreat (Decks 14 & 15 - Sun & Sky ) 
             Carnival created the Serenity Adults Only Retreat as an area for adults that want to get away from kids. The Carnival Dream's Serenity Adults Only Retreat is located on two decks. Deck 14 (Sun) is the lower level of the Serenity and Deck 15 (Sky) is the upper level of the Serenity. 
• Carnival's WaterWorks  (Deck 12 - SPA) 
            The Carnival Dream's WaterWorks consists of multiple waterslides and a splashpad. Two of the waterslides, the "Drainpipe" and "Twister" share a starting area on Deck 15 (Sky). The ship's twin racing slides begin on Deck 14. The splashpad area of the Carnival Dream's WaterWorks is located on Deck 12. All three waterslides land on Deck 12. 
• Encore Lounge  (Decks 3, 4, & 5)  
               The Encore Lounge is the Carnival Dream's Main Show lounge. This area of the ship is used to host production shows, bingo, and many other activities that need a large space or the big stage. The Encore Lounge can be accessed on 3 decks - Deck 3, Deck 4, and Deck 5. 
• Ocean Plaza (Deck 5 - Promenade) 
            ​        The Ocean Plaza is an area on the Promenade Deck that is centrally located. When I cruised on the Carnival Dream, this area hosted many activities throughout the day-time and at night had live music. There are many chairs in the Ocean Plaza as well as a bar. 
• Lanai (Deck 5-  Promenade)
                     The Carnival Dream's Lanai is a large outdoor walkway that wraps around the outsides of Deck 5. This area has many hottubs that are at the edges of the ship and deck chairs for lounging. There are many doors to the Lanai found throughout Deck 5. One of the main doors to the Lanai area is through the Ocean Plaza. 
• Red Frog Rum Bar and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar (Deck 10 - Lido) 
                   Both of these bars are located on the ship's Lido Deck (10) by the main pool. If you are by the Lido Deck mid-ship pool, you will more than likely be able to easily spot these bars. Both bars serve different frozen drinks and beer for cruisers to purchase. The Red Frog Rum Bar and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar are both Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements. 
• Guy's Burger Joint (Deck 10 - Lido) 
                This is a popular Fun Ship 2.0 feature that Carnival has been expanding to its ships. Guy's Burger Joint serves free hamburgers and french fries at lunchtime. Prior to getting Guy's Burger Joint, the Carnival Dream had a generic hamburger grill on its Lido Deck. The Carnival Dream's Guy's Burger Joint is located on the Lido Deck, which is Deck 10.
• Blue Iguana Cantina (Deck 10 - Lido) 
                The Blue Iguana Cantina is another feature Carnival added to the Carnival Dream's Lido Deck. The Blue Iguana Cantina serves burritos and tacos at lunch. Usually, the Blue Iguana Cantina also has some breakfast options too. To compliment tacos and burritos, Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina also has a salsa bar. The salsa bar has a multitude of options available for cruisers. The Blue Iguana Cantina is complimentary!
• Alchemy Bar (Deck 5 - Promenade) 
                   The Alchemy Bar was also added during the Carnival Dream's dry-dock.  The Alchemy Bar allows cruisers to purchase mixed drinks in a pharmacy themed bar setting. Cruisers are able to tell bartenders to mix ingredients to make a drink a certain way. The ship's Alchemy Bar is located on the ship's Promenade Deck (Deck 5). For cruisers that were familiar with the Carnival Dream prior to dry-dock, the Alchemy Bar is located in the same area as the Ocean Plaza.
• ​Pizzeria Del Capitano (Deck 10 - Lido) 
                 Another feature added during the Carnival Dream's dry-dock was Pizzeria Del Capitano. Pizzeria Del Capitano serves five different types of pizzas, which are pepperoni, prosciutto, mushroom, Quattro formagi, and margherita. The Carnival Dream's Pizzeria Del Capitano is located on the ship's Lido Deck (Deck 10) near the aft (back) of the ship. Please note, this location is not the same as where the Dream's old pizzeria was located.
• ​Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ (Deck 5 - Promenade) 
            The Carnival Dream also received a new feature called Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ. This eatery is complimentary and is open select days of the cruise. Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ serves a variety of BBQ such as pork butt, sausage, beef, and some traditional sides. This area is located on the Promenade Deck's outside Lanai on the Starboard side of the ship.​
• ​Bonsai Sushi
  ​            The Carnival Dream also received Bonsai Sushi during its dry-dock. Bonsai Sushi offers a variety of different Asian inspired foods. The food served at Bonsai Sushi is available for a charge.  Bonsai Sushi is located on the Promenade Deck (Deck 5).
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Some Helpful Tips & Tricks:

• If you are trying to walk from the front to the back of the ship (or vice versa) almost all decks will be able to get you from one end to the other. However, the Lobby Deck (3) will not because the dining room galley is in the middle of the deck. Also, Decks 14 and 15 are split decks and will not allow a cruiser to get from one side to the other. 
• The Carnival Dream has a popular Fun Ship 2.0 feature called Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ that is open on select sea days. This BBQ eatery is located on the Promenade Deck (5) near the back of the starboard side of the Lanai. 
• Camp Ocean is a youth program for ages 2-11. The main Camp Ocean lounge is located on the Panorama Deck (11). 
• Circle C is a youth program for 12-14 year olds and Club 02 is a youth program for 15-17 year olds. Circle C and Club 02 are both located on the Atlantic Deck (4). These two lounges are next to each other. 
• The Chef's Art Steakhouse is the Carnival Dream's steakhouse. The steakhouse is a venue that costs a little extra. The steakhouse is located on the SPA Deck (12) near the back of the ship. 
• The Carnival Dream's atrium has four glass elevators. These elevators can offer a great view of the ship's atrium. 
• For cruisers that enjoy basketball, the Carnival Dream has a basketball court on the Sun Deck (14) at the back. 
• The ship's mini golf course and jogging track is located on the SPA Deck (12).  
• The lobby of the Carnival Dream's atrium is located on the Lobby Deck (3). In the atrium's lobby, you can find the Shore Excursions Desk and Guest Services. There is also a bar on the Empress Deck level of the atrium.

For more research and information on the Carnival Dream:
​http://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-dream.aspx - This is Carnival's website page that is dedicated to the Carnival Dream. Here you can find some dining information, amenity information, and the deck plans.

     Carnival Cruise Line's relatively new Hub App is a way for cruisers to digitally connect with information and events occurring during their cruise vacation. This app is free to download and is currently in the process of being added to all of Carnival's ships. On my recent Carnival Triumph cruise vacation, I had the opportunity to try out this app for the first time. I will begin this article by sharing some of the features the app on my phone had and then give a few tips I learned from using the app.

What Are Some Of The Basic Features? 
1)  Displays Activities & Events
         One of my favorite features of the app was the app's ability to display information about events and activities onboard. The app displayed almost all of the same information that was available in the print copy of the ship's daily newsletter, the Fun-Times. For each event and activity, information about the time, location, and deck were included. Listing the deck numbers can be helpful for cruisers that are not familiar with the ship's layout.

2)  Shows Dining Information
            In addition to showing onboard events, the app had information about onboard dining and beverages. Cruisers were able to find information about what food places were open when and also information about the beverage service onboard. Just like the activities, the location and deck number for dining was included too.

3)  Deck Plans Are Available Through The App
             The app gives cruisers the ability to view the ship's deck plans and places on each deck. These deck plans were the exact same as the deck plans Carnival has on its website. 

4)  Ability To View Onboard Sail & Sign Account Statement
               For cruisers that want to know how much they spend or how much onboard credit is on their account, this app can give this information. The app gives information about each purchase and how much the purchase was for. A cruiser's overall balance is included at the top for convenience. Viewing this information through the app was much easier than waiting in line at the Sail & Sign Kiosk. 

5)  Chat Feature (This Costs A Little Extra)
               The app also has a chat feature available. I did not use this feature, but I have read positive reviews on the chat usage. Currently, the chat feature costs $5.00 for the entire cruise. Cruisers twelve and under have to have parent/guardian consent in order to use the chat feature. This is an important detail to note if you were planning on allowing younger kids to use that chat feature on the app. If you want to communicate with others onboard your cruise ship, this might be something you want to look into paying for.

Side Note:  The Carnival Vista, Carnival's newest cruise ship, has an additional feature. Cruisers are able to view and purchase their onboard photos via the Carnival Hub App. Personally, I hope this feature gets added to other ships.

Some Tips For Using The App:
1)  Save Time & Download The App In Advance
               Consider downloading the app in advance of your cruise. While you cannot access the app's features at home, there is a countdown clock that you can set to countdown to your cruise vacation. The main reason I recommend downloading the app in advance is to help yourself save time on the cruise. During my cruise on the Carnival Triumph, the ship had advertisements that said the app was free to download onboard. These informational ads instructed cruisers to put their phone in airplane mode to avoid roaming charges. If you want to make things easier on yourself, I would download the app from home prior to the cruise. Save yourself some time and this will be one less thing you have to do once you are on vacation!

2)   You Must Have Your Phone In Airplane Mode & Be Connected To The Ship's Wi-Fi To Use The App
             I learned the app will not work if your phone is not in airplane mode. Also, you must be connected to the ship's wi-fi. For me, both of these things had to be done for the app to work correctly.
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​3)  Verify Your Ship Is Setup To Use The App
              Not all Carnival ships have the Carnival Hub App at this time. You can check Carnival's website to see if your ship has the app. Do not get onboard your ship and find out the ship is not equipped for the app yet. This could be a disappointing scenario. However, if your ship does not have the app yet, you can still find information in the daily Fun-Times onboard newsletter.

Downloading The App:
This link on Carnival's website is where you can go to download the app:  Click Here
You will have to specify if your phone is an I-Phone or Android in order to start the download process.
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