I tried to spend as little as possible on Carnival's newest cruise ship. I recommend shelling out for better food and more fun.

Brittany ChangJun 27, 2024, 20:34 IST

I snubbed all upcharges on the new Carnival Firenze except for WiFi. I wouldn't recommend it.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

I turned down almost all upcharged amenities during my four-day Carnival Firenze cruise.
The new ship has more complimentary family-friendly activities than some of its competitor's latest vessels.

Looking for a vacation that lets you ball on a budget? You'll certainly hit your "budget" requirement on Carnival's new Firenze ship — so long as you don't expect to truly ball out.

Cruises are an economical vacation option. After all, what other ticket includes unlimited food, a hotel room, activities, and the opportunity to see several destinations in one trip — all for less than $80 a day like Carnival is offering in 2024?

But if you're unwilling to spend more than the base fare, you could have a pretty different vacation experience from your peers who are ready to pay-to-play. At least, that's how I felt during my first Carnival cruise in mid-May on the new Firenze.

My stubborn stance against upcharged services resulted in a less-than-amazing experience.

Costa, also owned by Carnival Corp, had planned to launch Firenze in China in 2020 but couldn't because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funnel remains "as a nod to the ship's Costa Cruises connection," a Carnival spokesperson told Business Insider.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Besides WiFi, I refused to front for Firenze's up-charged activities and services.

Children had a water play area near the waterslides.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

To Carnival’s credit, Frienze had more complimentary family-friendly amenities than some of its competitors’ newer ships.

Carnival Firenze had a straightforward, unpretentious mini-golf course.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Families could spend their afternoons shooting hoops, going on the waterslides, and competing over board games — all without spending a cent.

Firenze's complimentary amenities include basketball, giant chess, and ping pong tables.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

In the eveing, I passed the time by catching the nightly movies and attending the theater's shows.

Carnival Firenze hosts nightly movies by the indoor pool.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Several of Firenze’s bars — like Piano Bar 88 — featured live musicians, too.

Piano Bar 88 featured a live pianist.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Activities like live music and board games are almost always free on cruise ships.

During the day, the breakfast and chicken shack are complimentary. At night, the space becomes a seafood shack that sells $18 lobster rolls.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

In retrospect, I wish I had fallen for Firenze's upcharged foods.

The calamari in the main dining room was chewy and greasy, with breading that adhered like a mediocre onion ring.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

The ship had six specialty restaurants ranging from teppanyaki to steaks.

I found a small piece of plastic in my clams with linguini.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

I always have juice with my breakfast at home.

Carnival Firenze's chicken and Mexican-Italian fusion stands, located just outside the buffet, also served breakfast.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

For lunch, I bounced around options like the Guy Fieri-branded burger shack and the pizza, Italian-Mexican fusion, and Italian sandwich stands.

The cost of wings ranged from six pieces for $5 to 24 for $18.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

The only craveable lunch was at La Strada Grill, a tucked-away buffet with sandwiches and fresh vegetables.

The buffet-style La Strada Grill offered options like mac and cheese, a quinoa and chickpea salad, and grilled vegetables.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

At that point, I had already grown tired of all the heavy foods.

Spiked coffees and milkshakes cost more than $9 and $7, respectively.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Activities like the afternoon 'Tea Time' also had a cost barrier.

Art of Tea bags (right) were $1.50 each during Tea Time. Bigelow's green tea (left) was free.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Caffeine might be mandatory if you stay in the cheapest windowless cabin.

The windowless cabin didn't have much decor.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Carnival put me in one of Firenze’s accessible, wheelchair-friendly rooms.

The bathroom was ugly but spacious, a reoccurring theme of my cabin.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Overall, my no-spend Carnival Firenze cruise was fine. Not amazing. Not life-changing. Just fine.

Complimentary activities on Carnival Firenze included an elevated ropes course.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

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