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Carnival Is Known For Ultra-cheap Cruises. I Sailed On Its New Ship — And I'm Not Sure That's Completely True.

Carnival is one of the most affordable cruise lines. Just don't fall victim to all the onboard pay-to-play amenities and up-charged food.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Carnival Cruise Line is well known for its relatively 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.

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.

Sounds like a steal, right? Carnival Firenze's stores carried several recognizable brands.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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.

I went on my first Carnival cruise in mid-May: a four-night sailing from Long Beach, California, on Carnival Firenze. My solo four-night cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico, was $735 after taxes, fees, and $64 in "optional" gratuities.

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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.

I thought I knew what to expect when it came to the cruise industry's 'pay-to-play' game.The atrium is grounded by a circular bar.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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.

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.Rococo was the closest bar to the indoor pool.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Cocktails 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.

But on Carnival, it felt like almost everything beyond the bare minimum carried an additional fee.The cost of wings ranged from six pieces for $5 to 24 for $18.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Even complimentary dining venues dangled tempting dollar sign-afflicted dishes — including the buffet, where guests had to pay for chicken wings.

Want an empanada? The Empanadas and Pie kiosk sold them for $1.50 apiece. Empanadas were $1.50 for one, $6 for four, or $8 for six. Pies were $2 each.

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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.

That darn dollar sign symbol tormented me morning to night, on and off the ship. The cruise hosted nightly movie showings near the indoor pool

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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.

But the most egregious 'incident' came during afternoon tea.Art of Tea bags (right) were $1.50 each during Tea Time. Bigelow's green tea (left) was free.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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.

During breakfast, one of the servers joked that my croissant and Lipton tea would cost $20 each.Michaelangelo was one of Firenze's two main dining rooms.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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.

Carnival, I get it. Get that bag, sis!The waterslides and kid's water playground were free.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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."

Carnival is just following the industry trend.Mini-golf is $10 per person on Norwegian Prima

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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.

Competitors like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are repeat offenders, too. Icon of the Sea's Crown's Edge costs $49.

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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.

So yes, going on an ultra-cheap Carnival cruise is possible if you’re like me, stubbornly unwilling to spend extra.Carnival Firenze has more than 10 bars.

Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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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Carnival Is Known For Ultra-cheap Cruises. I Sailed On Its New Ship — And I'm Not Sure That's Completely True.

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