Things You Need to Know Before You Cruise on the Carnival Luminosa 

Hi and thank you so much for your lovely comments. We just try to enjoy our lives and hopefully this comes across. Thanks for supporting us. Happy cruising to you also.

Hi Megan. Thanks for watching and glad we were able to be of help. Have a fantastic cruise and let us know what you think when you get back.

Thanks Mairi. If there's anything else you want to know please let us know. We have put some of the information up on the website now - www.robandali.net.

Hi Julianne. It looks like the weather may have picked up for you which is great news. Have a fantastic cruise and let us know what you think of it.

Thanks Rebecca. We have a few more to come.

Ali's parents are 89 and 87 and they love coming cruising with us when they are visiting from the UK. Usually they stay a few months when they come over and we can fit some cruising in somewhere. Like you we will not be complaining if we can get about as much as they do when we are that age.

Hi Gracey. Thanks for your comment and support. We do try to say things as we see them from our point of view and understand that this might not be how everyone sees it so we try not to be over-critical. If we like something we will say this too so we try to be balanced.

Hi Liam. Thanks for the lovely comment. We have a few more to come yet including ship tour, food outlets, shopping, daily vlogs around the ship and end of cruise thoughts and wrap up so hopefully you'll find something in there for you too. Enjoy your cruise in March, it'll come round quicker than you think.

Hi Marnie. Thank you so much for the lovely comment and support. We hope you have a fantastic 2024.

Sensory packs also available on current Splendor cruises, must be a new Carnival thing.

Can you just ask for one on the ship or you have to pay?

Hi Kirsty. You can ask for one on the ship and I'm pretty sure that there is no charge, unless you don't return anything in which case they charge you US$50. We've put a copy of the agreement on our website under the Library>Carnival tab in you want to have a look - www.robandali.net.

Thanks. We have a few more coming including full ship tour, dining places, general vlogs and shore tours in Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas.

Thanks Lili, glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Katrina. Thanks for your comment. We have a few more that we will be posting including ship tour, dining options and end of cruise thoughts together with some general cruise vlogs so, hopefully, there will be something more for you. If not, or anyway, have a fantastic cruise in December. First cruises are always special and where you either say 'not for me' or 'when can I book the next one'. Be careful, it gets addictive. :-)

Thanks again. Really appreciate the support.

Thanks Lisa, so glad that you enjoyed it.

Hi and thanks for the comment. This is not our usual lifestyle it is just that the planets have aligned with leave from work, future cruise credits from COVID times and some good deals on cruising. After Easter next year we have nothing booked until New Year so we're hoping for some good deals to help fill in that time or we'll be getting cruise withdrawal symptoms.

Hi S T. Sorry for the delay. So glad that you enjoyed it and we know what you mean about reminiscing. It's almost like you need counselling when the cruise ends. Best thing to do is look for another :-)

Hi Liz. Have a fantastic cruise. Alaska is definitely on our bucket list.

Thanks Simone

Hi Russell. Thanks for watching and have a fantastic cruise when she comes over your way.

Hi and thanks for the lovely comment. We just like to enjoy everything we do and hopefully this comes across in our videos. Thanks for supporting us.

@@robandalicruisetravel it does coke across in your videos Your clip on the luminosa is a great help to my parents who’ll be cruising on that ship for Christmas this year

Hi Lyn. Thanks for dropping by and for your comment. Glad this was of some use to you. If there is anything else that you want to know please let us know.

@@robandalicruisetravel on Luminosa now … our cruise has flowed so easily thanks to your advice and applying your tips😀😀

@@lynmckenzie4659 Hi Lyn. Excellent, so glad to hear that it is going smoothly. Have a fantastic time.

Hi Michael. Thanks for watching and for supporting us.

Hi. Thanks for the lovely comment and support.

Hi and thanks for the lovely comments. We may have even bumped into your daughter on the cruise, we met a lot of people. We are putting together a ship tour video right now and we will also have an 'end of cruise thoughts' video sometime after that. Hopefully before you go. We will also have some short 4-5 min videos on the restaurants and individual dining options. To be honest, we took over 11 hours of footage so who knows what we might be able to make out of it. Have a fantastic cruise on this beautiful ship.

Damn, we're not going to have the pies video out by then. Have a great time mate and let us know about it when you get back.

@@robandalicruisetravel but….PIE! Oh well I shall patiently wait (like hell)! I shall report the on the Pie front on Princess….if you ever end up over this side check out Miami Bake House….they make the best Rogan Josh and sweet Lamb curry pies in the world, and their Bacon and Cheese Sausage Rolls are to die for. Whenever we drive to Perth (4hour one way) we always grab Pies from them.

@@robandalicruisetravel but….PIE! Oh well I shall patiently wait (like hell)! I shall report the on the Pie front on Princess….if you ever end up over this side check out Miami Bake House….they make the best Rogan Josh and sweet Lamb curry pies in the world, and their Bacon and Cheese Sausage Rolls are to die for. Whenever we drive to Perth (4hour one way) we always grab Pies from them.

Hi Hendrik. Thanks for the support and comment. We try to give a balanced view based on how we find things. Hopefully this comes across.

@@robandalicruisetravel I really appreciate your efforts making these reviews/vlogs. It's helping this new cruiseling a lot. Luminosa will only be my 3rd cruise lol

@@HendrikEbber Hi Hendrik. Thanks for the comment and support. When are you cruising?

@@robandalicruisetravel Jan29-Feb2 to Airlie Beach, then Feb2-5 no nowhere, so back to back. I've Only cruised on Explorer before. Luminosa looks a lot nicer

@@HendrikEbber Hi Hendrick. We are yet to do back to back cruises but the time will come. Haven't been on Explorer but you will notice a difference between the P&O ships and the Luminosa for sure. Not sure whether one is nicer than the other, they're just different but Luminosa certainly has a very different feel and the Italian influence really comes out.

We were on the Aria in 2019 for Australia Day cruise. That was a beautiful ship and we had such a good time meeting up with the other P&O ships in Sydney Harbour.

@@robandalicruisetravel i loved that ship too!

Hi Ando. We have heaps of them, not buying any more. :-)

Hi Johannah and thanks for watching. We are back on the Luminosa on 2nd April. Do you know where you will be working yet? If you see us say hi.

@@robandalicruisetravel not yet, but hopefully i'll meet you there 😊

Excellent. Please let us know if you find out and you are going to be on board. We have a new video segment in our series where we meet the crew and they can appear in our videos and send greetings to family and friends. If you're on board then we'll come and find you for that.

Hi Benjamin. Sort answer is yes you can. For full details it's probably easier just to use this link rather than us go through it all but happy to answer any more questions that you have if this doesn't give you everything. Have a fantastic cruise, love the NZ ones. Link: help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1134/~/laundry-service#:~:text=Self-Service%20Launderettes%20are%20featured%20on%20most%20ships%20with,ironing%20rooms%20but%20does%20offer%20Valet%20Laundry%20service.

Hi Gary. Thanks for dropping by and for the comment. The alcoholic drinks package is $119 per day. It's called Cheers and all persons over 18 in a cabin have to have it if one person does. What is particularly disappointing about the Carnival one though is that it does not include teas and coffees. For that reason and the fact that the drinks prices are fairly reasonable we did not take it on our cruise. Hope this helps.

Hi Rachael. Thanks for supporting us. We do intend to do a comparison between all 'Carnival' brands that we have been on so far this year from Brisbane - Coral Princess, Pacific Encounter and Carnival Luminosa. The problem at the moment is finding the time with both of us working and coming up to Christmas. We will get round to it though.

Hi and thanks for the comment. Yes they provide toiletries - shampoo, soap, toilet paper and tissues in the bathroom. Towels, you get a bath, a hand and a face washer each but can ask for more and these will be changed twice a day if you have used them and left them on the floor. Just ask if you need more. If you hang them back on the rail they will assume you are OK to reuse and will not change them. Cabins are cleaned and beds made every morning. They will also come in early evening, close the curtains, do a quick tidy, change towels if needed and usually leave you a nice towel animal. You can only book in on the App for the day you are eating and not until the restaurant opens at 5:15. Once you check in they will start preparing your table. You don't book a time as such, just tell them when you are ready and they will let you know when your table is ready. It's usually between 10 and 30 mins depending on how busy they are at the time. This is if you are Anytime dining. If you have selected early or late sitting this will be the same time, either 5:45 or 7:45 each night. Hope this helps but happy to answer any more questions if you have them.

Hi guys and so sorro for not replying sooner, you will already be aboard now and have the answer, which is 'no' by the way. Have a fantastic cruise and please let us know what you thought when you get back.

Hi Judith. Overload protection should be OK as that's what ours are. Surge Protectors are not allowed. We're not tech experts but Surge Protectors basically ground the electricity if there is a problem which is not good on a metal ship. Overload protectors basically act like your trip switches at home where if there is an overload it switches off. We do not think you should have a problem with that.

Hi Reinier. There were 2 elegant nights on our 7 night cruise. If you have a look at the daily planners that we put on the website it says on each what the dress code was for that night. Hope this helps. Website is robandali.net look under Library>Carnival tab and they are the top row. Have a fantastic cruise.

Hi Peter. It'll be here in no time. Have a fantastic cruise and if there's anything else you want to know before then just ask.

@@robandalicruisetravel Thankyou for your reply. This will be my first Carnival Cruise. Up to now, I've only done Princess with the last 4 on Coral Princess. Have you any plans to board Quantum of the Seas from Brisbane in the near future ? I'm booked on Quantum on February 26. Cheers and thanks once again

@@peterm8004 Hi Peter. We're on Quantum of the Seas next month - 28th December for New Year. Really looking forward to that one and we'll be doing videos, of course. Is there anything that you specifically want to see?

@@robandalicruisetravel I had a bit of cruise credit, so I booked into Wonderland restaurant and drinks package. If you get a chance to dine in Wonderland, I'd like to know your thoughts. Thank you so much.. ps, my next cruise after Luminosa will be on Majestic Princess ( My favorite Princess Ship ). I will be in a unique mini suite, M107. Cheers !

@@peterm8004 Hi Peter. By coincidence or otherwise we have booked Wonderland today as they are having a sale. Really looking forward to the experience and it's an ideal opportunity for a video. Never been on Majestic Princess but, hopefully, we'll get a chance to tick that one off at some time. We love the Princess Plus packages as they are a reasonable cost with pretty much everything included. I'll have a look at M107 to see why it is unique but it sounds interesting.

Hi Tracy. Thanks for the lovely comment and so glad that you are looking forward to the cruise. We will be back on board after you as we are on there for New Year. As for the cabin noise, not sure if you're meaning the Lido Marketplace restaurant or the Lido Deck. We had cabin 8314 on one trip which is right under the Lido Marketplace restaurant and we never heard anything but have seen posts from others who said they did hear things. The other thing to remember is that Lido Marketplace restaurant is really only used heavily at meal times when you are likely to be out of your cabin anyway. We have another Deck 8 cabin for our next trip which is directly under the Lido Deck, by the pool so we'll see how that is. I am thinking that there may be some noise from the deck parties but we will probably be there anyway. Again, seen mixed posts from people who have heard nothing and others who say they have heard loungers being dragged around. I think it may depend on how sensitive you are to noise and the times that you are in your cabin. Have a fantastic cruise.

@@robandalicruisetravel thank you for sharing this information and taking the time to respond. I’m right under the lido deck mid ship. I’ll probably be in my cabin a-lot because this cruise is for relaxation the next one is to party lol. It can’t be worse than my last one where my room was above the casino and I got no rest at all lol. Thanks 😊 again

Hi Dedra. We will be doing separate videos on the food but in summary we found Lido best for breakfast, individual stations rather than Lido for lunch and Vela restaurant for dinner suited us. Oh, and the Pizzeria for late night 'back to cabin munchies'. The food quality got better as the cruise went on, probably as the crew settled into a new ship and working, it was the first cruise after all. The steak on the first night was inedible - dry, tough and only lukewarm so I never tried that again but other people said it was really good towards the end of the cruise. The biggest problem we found with the Vela was it was very slow in the mornings at breakfast and the food all round was not that hot. As for inclusions, pretty much everything is included apart from the Fahrenheit 555 steak restaurant, Seafood, Sushi, High Tea (1 day only) and a specialty Italian (again 1 day only). Specialty coffees and cakes from Java Blue are also extra cost and we thought they were quite expensive compared to the Encounter. MDR, buffet, burgers, pizzas, tacos/burritos, deli and BBQ all included. Self-serve soft ice cream is included. Iced Tea, Lemon squash, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and iced water (all from the buffet but available 24 hours) are all included. All shows are included, no additional cost for any of these. As a final note, although the Black Circus was only an extra $20, having seen it we wish we'd saved our $20 instead. Not to our taste.

Hi Bishop Raphael and thanks for watching. We have only been on the Luminosa for a maximum of 7 days and from Brisbane where we live, so taking enough for the entire trip without needing to do any laundry was not a problem for us. However, for anyone doing a longer trip, as you are, or flying in with limited luggage allowance, having no laundry facilities could pose a problem. What we would suggest is maybe taking some laundry liquid for rinsing through smaller items which can be hung to dry in the bathroom or cabin (maybe get some of the larger magnetic hooks which can attach to the ceiling and hang some there either on their own or with a string between 2). For the larger items or for items that need pressing there is a laundry service available on board and we have put some information on this, including a price list, on our website in the library under the Carnival tab. Hope this helps but if there is anything further please just ask.

Hi and thanks for watching. The juice is available from the machines 24/7. Unfortunately you cannot take kettles on board but there is plenty of hot water 24/7 so if you have a favourite tea or coffee then take some with you and you'll be all set.

Hi Corey. Thanks for the comment. Transatlantic would be fantastic. It's a bit out of our reach at the moment with leave from work but one day when we're into retirement we can look at those longer cruises. Have a fantastic time.

Hi Jessica. Thanks for watching and supporting us and sorry for the delay in replying. That is extremely strange. I can't say that we noticed anything like that but can't rule it out either. Sorry, can't be any more help with this one than that..

Do they do those packs on all ships cruise ships

Hi Aaron. Thanks for the lovely comment. Only Iced tea, lemon squash and chilled water available at the stations for free. Coke, Sprite etc. you have to pay for.

@@robandalicruisetravel ahh thank you so much for the reply! also, was there a laundry service onboard the luminonsa or would we have to just do everything once we disembark? thanks!

@@ayayron_07 Hi guys. Yes there is a laundry service. We've put the services and prices on our website under the library>Carnival tab. robandali.net. Hope this helps but please ask if there's anything else you need to know.

Hi Kelly. She had them done specially for the cruise. She calls them her 'cruise nails'.

Hi Steve. Thanks for the comment. We have had a couple of comments around toppers. When we made the video it was, as we said, that a lady told us that she had asked and got one. Someone else since said that they received a comforter on the mattress rather than an actual topper so not really sure what is going on. However, we were told that a supply of many items, including bedding, pillows, shop supplies and theatre sets had actually been sent to Sydney rather than Brisbane so was not on this cruise. Maybe there were some on there and they just had a very limited supply on our cruise, and the lady we spoke to got lucky. We'll keep an eye on that one in FB posts to see if anyone can shed any more light on it and ask when we are next on board in April.

@@robandalicruisetravel Thanks for the reply Guys, Going on Pacific Encounter in Jan and RCCL in Feb so taking note of what you said I will ask twice for the toppers this time hahaha..

Hi Violet. Can't be sure as we didn't get the package but I believe that they pour it into the glass. However, the bar staff on board are fantastic and I would think that if you just wanted the can or if you wanted to take the rest of the can with you after it had been poured then there wouldn't be a problem with that.

We have more footage of that area which will be in our full ship tour video.

Hi Ariana. Thanks for supporting us. Yes, there are plenty of water stations around the ship or from the bars.

Hi Brenda. I think they maybe do like them to be in the box but we have never had any issues either way. In fact, I can't recall any time when they have even wanted to look at them even.

Hi and thanks for supporting us. Yes they can so you can have a bigger balcony and connect between the 2 cabins.

Hi Debbie. Thanks for the comment. Safety drills are different these days and different on Carnival to the P&O and Princess ones we have been on recently. There is no video to watch, you just go to your assigned Muster Station sometime after you board, they give you a lifejacket demonstration, tick you off the list and you're on your way. As for laundry details, we didn't use this service ourselves but have put details and prices on our website under the Library>Carnival tab - www.robandali.net. If you need anything more though just ask.

@@robandalicruisetravel oh damn I was hoping they where a thing of the past lol. Love all your videos guys you’re doing awesome job ❤️

@@debbiebrk The old style ones of everybody gathering for the demos etc. have gone. This really is just a case of going to your muster station in your own time, watching a crew member demonstrate a lifejacket, then you're on your way. You don't take your own jacket even. It's literally 5 mins and you're done.

@@robandalicruisetravel awesome thanks 😊

Hi Sandra. We did visit Could 9 but couldn't really video. We have put a menu of services up on our website - www.robandali.net and are working on the price list. Is there anything in particular that you need to know? We will try to find out for you.

@@robandalicruisetravel Thank you. I'll check out your website. I've booked a Cloud 9 Spa balcony for a cruise to nowhere in March and was wondering how it compared to other Carnival ships.

Hi and thanks for the comments. Mask wearing requirements seem to change regularly but Carnival do seem to impose it a little mor stringently than other cruise lines. Best to just check up prior to your cruise to see what the regulations are at that time. We were a little surprised that the casino was not open at all for the first few days of the cruise but then it was so maybe there were staffing issues. We have heard that on subsequent cruises it has been open pretty much as you would expect when it is out of port.

Hi Zaw. At the moment you need to take wither a RAT within 24 hours of boarding and have a negative result or a PCR within 48 hours of boarding and have a negative result. You don't have to upload these results but you do need to show proof of the result, date and time of taking the test and evidence of you. The easiest way to do this is to take a photo of the actual test cartridge alongside a driving licence or passport and another phone with the day/time visible. We generally print ours out as well just in case of technology failure at the terminal. Hope this helps.

Hi Kat. Thanks for the support and comment. No, the cabins do not have any tea or coffee making facilities. Most of the cruise lines operating out of Australia don't but we were pleasantly surprised to find them in our cabin on the Quantum of the Seas where we spent New Year. All our best wishes to you for 2023.

Hi Benny. No kettles. I don't believe there are kettles in any of the cabins on Australian cruises but I might be wrong. Not sure about the top suites but we haven't seen any on Princess, P&O or Carnival.

Hi Wendy. Is this the 4 day cruise? If so then I assume it is just a domestic cruise, probably Airlie Beach. If this is the case then just a Drivers licence or some other government issued ID with your picture on it. If not please let us know and we'll try to help.

@@robandalicruisetravel it is a domestic cruise to Morton Island as the Luminosa will be in Sydney for about two or three cruises as I seen it on Carnival’s cruise website just recently and then she will be back in Brisbane to cruise from there again as normal I heard that there will be a couple of charter cruises on her from Sydney so that is what is happening and I got Photo ID as I don’t drive at all

Hi Wendy. Sorry, forgot about those Sydney cruises. Moreton Island is great, especially that time of year. Any Government issued photo ID should be fine.

Hi Laurie. It is different when cruising in Australia. No alcohol at all is allowed to be taken on board. There have been a few people caught out by this as when you look on the US site it says you can take a bottle of wine each on board. The people behind us at security thought they could and had them taken off them.

@@robandalicruisetravel Just an FYI for everyone. You can now bring 1 bottle of wine/champagne on board for embarkation day in Australia. Info received direct from Guest Services.

Yes you can, they changed it a short while ago and it's on the Australian website now. That is good news and thanks for posting the update.

Hi Jess. Thanks for the tip, we have done that too. To be honest, without an iron, whatever you do is only going to make things look respectable at best.

@@robandalicruisetravel 100% agree cloths will look like a country town map rather than a city road network lol.

@@jessbronfield3483 Ha ha, love the resemblance Jess.

Hi Vicky. The ones we take are Chevron FS-4Z which we get from either Woolies or Big W. They are in single or twin packs and are round about $5-$6 each. Sorry, we can't paste pictures here but any powerboard that does not have a surge protector should be OK. Most have overload protectors and that's OK. Don't get them mixed up because they behave in different ways. Surge protectors will ground any over-voltage which can put the electricity back through the ship's electric system whereas overload protectors will just trip, in the same way that your house fuses trip, and then you simply hit the reset button. You should get a good indication by the cost. Surge protected boards will generally be $30+ whereas non-surge protected boards are usually only a few dollars.

Hi Linda. Thanks for the comment and good point. If we don't find out before we will ask when we are back on board in April.

Hi Michelle. Thanks for your comment. Yes they do but you have to ask for it. Hope this helps.

Hi Jess. Thanks for dropping by. Unfortunately not. We are not back on Luminosa until 2nd April as we are on Quantum for New Year and then Queen Elizabeth on 11th Feb.

@@robandalicruisetravel What a shame would have loved to meet you both. We got an amazing deal for a GV suite. Then we are back on P&O Encounter in May and October. Enjoy your cruises.

@@jessbronfield3483 That would have been nice but maybe one day our paths will cross. In the meantime Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and enjoy your cruising too.

Hi. Thanks for watching and sorry for the delay in replying. I guess it depends on what you mean by the basics. I think it has pretty much what a lot of the other cruise ships that operate in Australia have but, as it has not undergone a full 'Carnivalisation' it is probably less well equipped than some of the Carnival ships, for example no water park or slides.