Cruise Itinerary: 4 Day Canada, New England Roundtrip

Carnival has introduced automatic gratuities whereby $9.75 per person per day is added to your Sail & Sign card. This includes $3.50 for the stateroom steward; $5.50 for the Dining Room team and alternative dining service, $.75. The amount can be raised or lowered by visiting the purser's desk during the cruise.

You may also prepay gratuities for all service personnel at a rate of $9.75 per person per day. On Cruises-to-Nowhere, gratuities of $10 per person per day must be prepaid.

The superbly run "Camp Carnival" is available on all ships year-round, for Toddlers (2-5) Juniors (6-8) Intermediate (9-12) and Teens (13-15). Activities for specific age groups are supervised by youth counselors. Facilities are open from 9:30 am to 10 pm daily. Group babysitting is available in the playroom between 10pm and 3 am and, 8 am to 12 noon on port days for a fee. There is no in-cabin babysitting. Cribs are available upon request, but bring your own strollers.

Carnival's cabins are among the most spacious afloat, a big draw for families, especially those holding three and four passengers. All ships have water slides on deck plus separate pools for small children. A popular cruise/land package is the three- and four-day sailings from Florida combined with three- and four-day land vacations in Orlando with entrance to Universal Studios and Walt Disney World theme parks.