How can you get up to $250 in free onboard credit on your next cruise?
Why is this spot in The Bahamas a Carnival secret?
And what exactly is the real reason the cruise line settled on this iconic design for its
funnels?
Carnival is one of the most popular cruise lines on the planet with literally millions
of loyal passengers who sail them again and again.
But even mega fans may not know some of what I'm going to reveal to you about this famous
cruise line.
So get ready as I pull back the curtain on things you didn't know about Carnival
Now, you know that Carnival is a major cruise line.
But you likely don't know just how big.
As of this video, the cruise line consists of two dozen ships.
That figure, however, is going to increase.
First, ships from sister-brand Costa are coming over to Carnival.
And at the end of the year, Carnival Jubilee -- the third Excel class ship that carries
more than 5,000 passengers -- will also make its debut.
As it stands now, the fleet has more than 37,000 cabins across the fleet.
For reference, Las Vegas has an estimated 150,000 hotel rooms in total.
At double occupancy, Carnival's fleet comes out to roughly 75,000 passengers sailing the
cruise line at any one moment.
Of course, that figure isn't exact, but it does go to show that the number of people
cruising with the line at any moment is significant.
If you talk to anyone that sails on Carnival, the chances are good that somewhere along
the way Guy’s Burger Joint will come up.
For those that have not sailed, this is an included spot serving burgers and fries by
the pool.
What makes it stand out is that the burgers are out of this world.
But what most people don't know is that there is a secret ingredient that may be the key
to them tasting so good.
Carnival offers a recipe for the burgers online and everything in the ingredient list seems
pretty normal until you see "half ounce cheese sauce (Velveeta)."
The recipe says that one you've cooked the burger, add the cheese sauce to the top of
the burger and then throw on a slice of cheddar.
Sounds a little weird, but it tastes great.
Following the pandemic, Carnival set sail with its first Excel class ship in Mardi Gras.
From there, it introduced Carnival Celebration, a second ship in the class and in late 2023
will come Carnival Jubilee.
Maybe you've sailed other ships in Carnival's fleet.
Or maybe you are looking to sail Carnival for the first time.
Either way, you need to know that this class is a big difference from other ship in Carnival's
fleet.
First they are bigger.
Excel-class ships come in at 180,000 gross tons -- about 35% larger than the previous
Vista class.
With that size, so much more is packed onto the ship, from more restaurants to a roller
coaster.
In short, it still has that Carnival vibe, but it's a much different experience than
any other ship in the fleet.
I mentioned how big Carnival's fleet is today, but most people don't realize it came from
much more modest beginnings.
In fact, Carnival celebrated its 50th birthday in 2022.
The cruise line began back in 1972 with a single ship -- a retired ocean liner that
the newly formed Carnival dubbed Mardi Gras.
And Carnival wasn't exactly an overnight success.
The second ship wouldn't come on until 1975 when Empress of Britain joined the fleet,
becoming Carnivale.
That was followed three years later with Festivale.
Of course, the growth has come much more quickly since then.
These days, a new ship is introduced essentially once a year.
Sitting roughly 120 miles east of Miami, this spot looks like absolutely nothing on Google
Maps.
But it might be the biggest news for Carnival that few people know about.
This is the location of what the cruise line has dubbed its "Grand Port" project.
It will be a massive destination for cruise passengers -- measuring more than 300 acres
and with the ability to dock two of its largest ships at once.
But so far not a lot of details have been shared.
For instance, the name of the destination hasn't been shared.
Nor have exact details on what it will feature, though it's focused on the beach and also
been said to have a waterpark, pools, and plenty of food and beverage.
It's not even clear when it will open, other than Carnival saying late 2024.
The next thing isn't something that's a big secret or something hidden away.
It is, however, something that many people might not notice.
Keeping in line with what you might find at a high-rise hotel on land, Carnival ships
skip the 13th floor.
Or should I say they skip the 13th deck.
It's long been a superstition that the number 13 is unlucky, so many buildings elect to
just skip it, moving from the 12th floor to the 14th floor.
Carnival's ships can have upwards of 18 decks, and they follow the same superstition.
One good thing, if you're taking the stairs up, it's one less deck than you think you
have to climb.
One thing that a lot of people just don't know is a way that you can get onboard credit
included on any fare that you sail.
Carnival Cruise Line is part of Carnival Corporation, which trades publicly on the stock market
under the ticker symbol CCL.
And as a benefit to being an investor, if you show proof that you own 100 shares, then
you can receive onboard credit, running from $50 for trips under 7 days, $100 for cruises
of 7-13 days, and $250 in credit for trips of 14 days or longer.
Right now Carnival's shares have been hit hard and trade at just $8 a share.
So it's not investment advice, but for $800, you can get up to $250 in credit on your next
cruise.
And this benefit is good for each cruise you take, not just one time.
Just know that the offer could be rescinded at the company's discretion.
Carnival is arguably the most famous cruise line on the planet, and the most famous symbol
of the company is its funnel.
In fact, the "whale tail" funnel is even part of the line's logo.
But have you ever wondered exactly why it looks like that?
After all, no other cruise line has any other funnel that's nearly as prominent, sticking
up with two huge wings jutting out of the side.
It's by far the most signature design piece on the ship.
According to Carnival's history, its design began when cruise ship designer Joe Farcus
and Carnival boss Ted Arison were out on deck and Arison said that the funnel -- a staple
of any cruise ships -- needed to be designed in a way that gets the smoke away from the
ship.
As the story goes, Farcus says he was thinking of aerodynamics (there is a lot of wind at
sea) and thought of an airplane's wings, eventually coming up with the winged funnel design, which
passed wind tunnel tests and put that exhaust out to the sides instead of directly over
the ship.
Today, a Carnival ship without that sort of funnel design just looks funny.
We all know that Carnival likes to call itself the Fun Ships.
And part of that fun is letting the drinks flow.
It's no surprise that you'll find bars everywhere on the ship.
But many people likely don't know where to get the cheapest beer on the ship.
In general, you'll pay $6-8 for a beer at the bars, plus gratuity.
If you want the least-expensive option, look for the automated beer stations, usually located
in the buffet area.
With these stations, you grab a glass, scan your card and then pour your beer.
The options change but I've seen Dos Equis, Bud Light, and Carnival's own brand of beer.
In general, the cost is around $0.40 an ounce, or about $5 for a 12-ounce pour.