No matter what cruise line you choose to sail, going on a cruise for your birthday can be a fun and memorable way to celebrate.
Many people consider a relaxing vacation at sea to be the perfect birthday gift to themselves. And for those who want to celebrate their special day with family and friends, a cruise can be the ultimate birthday party.
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Even if you don’t want a party, there are plenty of ways to treat yourself on a birthday cruise — from pampering yourself at the spa and indulging in a specialty dining experience to embarking on a bucket-list shore excursion.
But what about those little touches that make birthdays extra special? Do cruise lines do anything for passengers celebrating birthdays on board their ships?
That's something Carnival Cruise Line passengers have been discussing in the Carnival Cruise Fans Reddit community recently.
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Image source: Carnival Corp.
Cruisers offer advice for celebrating birthdays on Carnival cruise ships
"I'm considering going on a cruise to celebrate mine and my eldest daughter's birthday," user False_Association362 shared.
"Does Carnival do anything special if you're celebrating?" False_Association362 asked. "If so, does it have to be on your actual birthday? Is there some sort of birthday package you can get for the room?"
In the thread, some passengers responded to share details on the birthday decorations and cake/treat packages that Carnival offers. Passengers can order special occasion gifts and stateroom décor packages through Carnival’s Fun Shops prior to their cruise.
Some passengers also suggested bringing along your own decorations to place on your stateroom door. Carnival allows passengers to do this using magnets or Command strips and only with decorations made of fire retardant materials.
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“We went for my brother’s birthday, and we just brought decorations for the door,” commented Poisonxcherry. “For my birthday this march we are bringing decorations for the door along with a whiteboard saying ‘it’s Poisonxcherrys 21st write her something!’”
One passenger also recommended stopping by Carnival’s Cherry on Top candy store to order a birthday cake, which dining room staff can deliver during dinner.
“The cakes you can order at Cherry On Top are delicious and not too expensive,” wrote BrainDad-208.
Along with offering tips for celebrating with stateroom decorations and birthday cakes, a number of Carnival passengers responded to the question to share things that Carnival crew members did to help make their birthday cruises extra special in a variety of ways.
Carnival crew members help make birthday cruises special
“I celebrated my birthday and if you mark the booking as celebrating a birthday, sometimes the MDR (main dining room) and steakhouse (if you book it) will sing to you and write on the plate,” wrote user Natural-Many8387.
The same passenger also shared how they received a birthday treat from Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador after sending him a note on his popular Facebook page where he responds to all kinds of questions and requests from Carnival passengers.
“I also told John Heald on fb and he sent me a plate of cookies for free,” Natural-Many8387 explained.
While other passengers also reported receiving free treats by letting a crew member know it was their birthday, some passengers noted that they didn’t have to let anyone on the ship know that it was their birthday to receive something from the cruise line.
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“I booked a cruise for a bday and didn't say anything about it being a bday,” wrote aredubblebubble. “But, of course, they have that info. There was a cake and a HBD sign in our room on the big day!”
“Just got off one yesterday, as my birthday was Sunday. I didn't tell anyone, even the other couple we went with, Carnival offered me $50 off at the spa, and a free photo from the photo place,” MagazineEmergency999 shared.
From the varying experiences that passengers shared, it seems that Carnival doesn’t have one specific thing that it does to celebrate passengers’ birthdays. It’s easy to see though that crew members are eager to go out of their way to help make the day special when they know a passenger is celebrating a special occasion on board.
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