ArmchairQB

20 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Hello,

 

Our last three Carnival cruises, we had the premium wi-fi package, but it was always slow and on our last cruise this past February we hardly had any service, and unable to use it.  We also tried texting one another and that was even a delay about 20 minutes time, so communicating with one another was really not good.

 

We are going on the Breeze next week, I decided not to get the wi-fi for myself but purchase the premium for my other half.  I was told by a friend that there is a way to share the internet, one person at a time, and any device can use it.  Has anybody done this?  My other question, I was told there is a carnival app that we can pay $5 and communicate with one another on the ship, has anybody done this and fine it was useful and worked well?  

We are just off the Magic and sailed on the Horizon last August.  Bought premium wifi on my account both times and shared it.  Only one device can be connected at a time.  You just enter the Folio number linked to the purchase and the month/day of birth on the S&S card that purchased it (through the Hub app).  You kick whoever is connected off.  You could share it amongst as many people as you want but only 1 person can use it a time.

We paid $5 for the Hub app chat on the Horizon but didn't get it on the Magic.  It worked fine (no need to buy any internet) but we found we were always together so no need to chat.  🙂. We thought the kids would go off on their own but they did not.  You do need to leave the app open on your phone to receive the chat.  I believe you will still get them if you close the app and receive a message - but not until you open it again.  It was reliable on the Horizon but others have noted long lags on other ships.

Download HUB before you board.  It can be confusing to download after you have boarded the ship. (You need to connect to carnival wifi and go to carnival.com after you board)

17 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Enjoyed your review. Magic is my favorite Carnival ship. It’s interesting how the lobby/atrium bar can vary so much from cruise to cruise on any ship, not just Magic.  Some cruises the atrium is crowded every night while other cruises the atrium is never crowded like your experience. 

The Magic atrium is a great space.  I do feel that these ships have so many areas to hang out in (including your room) and so crowds are not an issue.  Getting a seat in Ocean Plaza during trivia was a bit tricky though.

On 5/7/2019 at 1:54 AM, CoolOne56 said:

4. Deck plans

5. See your account balance

6. Find food

 

You can download app and use the cruise countdown clock.  

 

And the $5 per device is for the entire cruise.  I don't believe it works off the ship.

 

On Carnival's website, you can see all the things the Hub can do, before and during the cruise.  I recommend downloading it before you get on the ship. 

7. Listing of all activities and you can "Like" them and get reminders.

It will not work off the ship.  Not intended for that.  You need to be on Carnival WIFI.

DEFINITELY download it BEFORE going on the ship.  The Guest Service line on Day 1 is full of people trying to figure out how to install it without internet. (HINT: Connect to Carnival wifi and You open your browser and go to carnival.com)

On 4/7/2019 at 6:02 PM, missholly24 said:

Lots of "crowded" in the reviews. Do you feel more crowded than Dream class ships? (if you know). Are you 

waiting in lots of lines? Is breakfast crazy? Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are just off the Magic and sailed on Horizon last August.  We don't understand all the "crowded" comments.  Just avoid the main pool (there are other options on both ships) and you'll be fine.  There are lines at some buffet stations (deli, Mongolian wok) but they were not unrealistic.  To avoid breakfast lines go to Ocean Plaza.  A simple Continental breakfast and plenty of indoor/outdoor seating.

On 5/16/2019 at 8:54 PM, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you so very much, we will get the premium plan, appreciate your help!!

We are just off the Magic and sailed on the Horizon last August.  We had Premium on both.  I found the speed and reliability to be exactly the same.  I hope you know that you only need 1 person in the room to buy it.  We are a family of 4 and had no issues sharing the connection.  We just kept kicking each other off when someone wanted to connect.

On 5/15/2019 at 10:18 AM, Mr. Nazzy said:

Nothing above ruined our experience.  We had an amazing vacation.  But if we sail a Vista class ship again, we'll skip the extra expense of the Havanna area.  Just not worth it to us.

We are just off the Magic and sailed on the Horizon last August.  We did not book a Havana cabin last summer but did use the hot tub after 7PM.  The pool was way too cold to use after 7PM.  We liked the area as the view of the wake is better than at Tides.  But we found (on both trips) that we had no trouble getting chairs in the Tides area and there were not many kids.  Could be because school was still in.  The Magic has the added advantage of 4 hot tubs on deck 5 with your choice of any chair you want.  Want sun/shade just go to the other side of the ship.  I would vote to not pay extra.

The Magic is a great ship.  I'm sure you and your grandkids will enjoy the trip.

We are a family of four (myself, DW, DD, DD) and we were on the Magic from Apr 28 to May 5.  The ship stopped in Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.  This was my 3rd cruise and the 2nd cruise for the rest of the family.  We sailed to Bermuda on the Horizon last August.  We are also from Canada and drove to Miami. (NOTE: The Magic has moved to Ft. Lauderdale.)

Travel Days

- We have driven from our home in Hamilton to Orlando a few times so we have a routine.  We deviated this time though as we usually leave at 5AM, but we decided to take 2 nights to get there and so we left after work at 5PM.

- We took the I79 route and made it past Pittsburgh on Day 1.  We stayed at a very nice Cambria Hotel in Washington, PA off the interstate on Night 1.

- On Day 2 we drove to St. Augustine and stayed Night 2 just off the interstate at a Comfort Inn.  This gave us a very manageable drive into Miami.  The hotel is decent.  The entrance is hidden; you have to drive between the Chevron and Shell gas stations and the hotel in behind the Shell.

- We arrived in Miami around lunch time and as our hotel had a 4PM check-in we went straight to South Beach and walked around.  We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn by the airport for Night 3.  On the flight path but still quiet, except for the pool area.

Embarkation

- We had a 12:30 checkin time and we arrived at the Port at 11:30.  I always assume that it takes an hour to park, remove baggage, etc...  Carnival in Miami has 2 terminals and we were directed by overhead signs to Terminal E.  We were parking at the Terminal as it seemed that the hotel packages were for 7nights and 2 people and so I figured our 8 nights and 4 people no longer made them worth the hassle of transferring.  The signs will direct you to the right - DO NOT STAY RIGHT.  These point to the Terminal and the parking is across the road on the LEFT.  Traffic will be very heavy and you will have difficulty moving to the correct lane.

- We dropped our bags curbside and got in line.  The line looked long but we were through security in less than 20 minutes.  Our boarding zone was already called when we got to the lounge and we walked right on.

Cruising

- The Magic has a very nice Atrium extending from deck 3 to deck 11.  Despite this we noticed that the area was not very popular during the cruise.  So if you want to chill and listen to some live music this is the place to go first.

- We went up to deck 10 and found a table in the shade by the Blue Iguana.  The Magic has a very similar layout to the Horizon and so we felt like experts.  We ate a leisurely lunch had the first of 5000 ice cream cones and then it was after 1:30 and our room was ready.

- Everything was going great up to this point - here we encountered our first (of 2) hiccup.  We had been assigned late dining.  I had chosen Anytime Dining as we had last year.  We found this worked well for us.  After waiting in line at Guest Services for a short while (they had a team member walking the line) I was informed that what I chosen was a 'preference' and that only the Matre D could adjust.  This took some effort as the Maitre D is not easy to reach.  They tried to move us to earlier seating but with a group of other people.  In the end we decided we preferred our own table over early seating.  Note to self: Book a little earlier next time.

- The Dining room food was very good, I would say and our servers were very pleasant and remembered what we liked so we had extra servings the next time they appeared on the menu.  "Showtime" was very fun - the nightly singing and dancing routine the servers do. TIP: Bring an envelope or a card/envelope to tip the waiters - a lot more classy than handing them cash.

- The buffet was also good with a good variety.  Lines are common but with close to 5000 people on board waiting 20 minutes for Mongolian Wok is expected.  We are bothered by how much food is wasted in the buffet area though.

- Pizza, Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana were all great as usual.  I tried Pig An Anchor - really tasty, but ask for several items as the portions are small.

- The 4 Promenade hot tubs (not that hot) were better than the Havana tubs (which we only had access to at night) on the Horizon.  We hung out at the Tides pool most of the time as we like watching the wake.

- Water slides are fun.  We somehow missed the ropes course - again.  Mini-put is fun but the ship movement makes it interesting at times.

- Entertainment was fun and worth the 30 minutes or so that each show lasts.  We never had to worry about a seat. That could because we went early as we had late dining?

Ports

- Cayman was great.  We rented a car as my wife lived here for a few years.  We toured around and went to the Turtle Farm.  The Turtle Farm is a unique place as you can pick up the turtles.  It only takes about 20 minutes to get there and the park I can be walked around in 45 minutes.  My wife showed us her apartment which was a 5 minute walk from Smith's Cove.  (tough childhood. lol). Tendering was quick.  There were 3 ships in port but we arrived first and 6 tenders were queued up.  Note: you can pick up your tender pass anytime and you can specify your time - you don't need to be ready to leave.  There was a bit of a line in the hot sun to get back to the ship.  Shopping is right outside the area where the tenders dock.

- We went to beach near the pier in Roatan for the morning.  The Breeze was also in port and they arrived first.  We didn't get a lounge or chair even though there are hundreds as the beach was crowded.  We brought a beach blanket with us and we just found a spot in front of the chairs.  The beach is so so and the water is relatively clear.  There are areas with heavy seaweed.  We stayed a few hours and then went back for lunch.  Port side docked so we watched the 'runners'. 🙂

- We took an excursion to Altun-ha which was discovered by a Canadian.  Belize is a Commonwealth country and the people there are familiar with Canada.  Our tour guide 's son is in school in Canada.  The drive was rustic but similar to other rural impoverished countries such as Mexico.  The ruins are interesting but other than photos and climbing you will not experience much else.

- Cozumel was the highlight of the trip.  We arranged a snorkelling trip here.  We started with El Cielo which is the starfish sanctuary. Then we went to Columbia reef.  This reef is not to be missed as you drift along it with the current.  Schools of fish will swim around you.  We saw Barracuda, 2 Turtles, sting rays, Conch shells and much more.  We also went to Palancar which deeper and has more coral, but less fish.

Disembarkation

- We chose to carry all of our luggage and we went up to the Lido buffet to eat breakfast until our deck was called.  Just before that we decided to move to deck 5 around the Atrium with the theory that we could just take stairs or take advantage of the additional elevators in tat area.  This didn't work very well as even after our floor was called we discovered that the stairs were blocked and he elevators went by full.  So we went UP in order to go down to deck 3.

-  After we left the ship was when we hit our 2nd hiccup.  This was not a good way to end a near perfect experience.  We docked at Terminal D.  Perhaps because the ship was moving to Ft. Lauderdale?  We had parked at Terminal E, remember.  We had to traverse open road to get to a sidewalk and the walk was quite tiring given we had all of luggage.

- We also took some time to realize that the parking kiosk at Terminal E does not work.  Luckily there was an attendant at the exit.  And we were on our way home.

Travel

- We took I75 home.  I'll keep this short.  Do NOT take this route this summer (or maybe not ever).  Construction all throughout.  Crossing in Windsor drops you on a Boulevard instead of a highway.  A 3 lane Boulevard down to 1 lane.  Stretches of the 401 between Chatham and London are down to 1 lane as well. 

Ship - Carnival Magic

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8400

Stateroom Category – 

Starboard or Port Side - Port 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes, even though the void on the deck plan is crew space, we never heard a thing.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – No obstructions.  Good view of Promenade deck.  Smoking area was below us and about 10 cabins aft, but was never an issue.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - No

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None, standard cabin.

Any other comments? - No

Just some key thoughts that may not be covered elsewhere....

- Don't rely on your GPS if staying in or driving through midtown. MY GPS went haywire on the way in to our midtown hotel, likely because of the building heights. One wrong turn and we added 1 hour to our trip.

- Parking at the terminal is really easy. Only one way in and one way out. Remember which pier you are directed to park at. We were directed to pier 86 and the ship was at 88. When we arrived we were on the lower level and were disoriented for a few minutes when we went to the parking level.

- In NY they have an Early Arrival line. Please don't flame me, but we arrived an hour or so earlier and we breezed through security. There was an issue with our passports being read by the scanner so we had to wait in a line past security. Even with that wait we were on the ship less than an hour after we arrived and right at the time we were to check in. We boarded and ate at Blue Iguana (no lines) on Deck 10 mid ship. By about 1PM lines were forming at Guy's, Iguana and in the Lido Buffet. Seating was becoming scarce around the same time.

- The refrigerator cabinet has a vent so I am not sure the towel trick to open the cabinet door is necessary any longer. I can say that the vent and fan in the bottom middle of the back of the fridge cannot be blocked or the fridge won't cool. It worked well otherwise.

- We were at muster when the ship pushed back and we were already down the Hudson some by the time we got back to our cabin. A bit disappointing. We were at muster 5 minutes early and were disappointed to be kept waiting for 30-45 min while the CD made a number of announcements. (as in, "I can see you on the Promenade, get to your muster")

- Never felt crowded anywhere on the ship, except after muster when everyone was stuck in the same hallways.

- We did not ride the elevators much. Being on deck 8 we were central enough that stairs were preferred. When we did ride the elevators we only had 2 concerns. First, it takes too long to select the number of passengers. A few times lines formed to select the car because of this. Some of the floors have TV screens that identify which floor(s) a car is going to. But no where is the current position of the elevator shown. A few times we waited and decided it was quicker to take the stairs - but we really didn't know for sure. This leads to elevators being called to floors unnecessarily.

- Starboard side view of the Statute of Liberty and the V. Narrows Bridge on the outbound trip was amazing. We went up to Serenity for this. Starboard side view of Wall Street on the inbound trip (very very early in the AM) was even better.

- Definitely get the Skyride, Ropes course and Waterslides out of the way early. On such a short itinerary the risk of these being closed is high. We did the sky ride (the attendant was not only from the same country as us, but also from the same city!!!!) on the first sea day but everything was closed on the 2nd sea day.

- The seas on the 2nd sea day were rough. I though we were Ok in our deck 8 room and managed Ok even up on decks 10-12. I heard some people on deck 2 were subjected to constant banging.

- Debarking to Bermuda was very easy. We were amongst the first off the ship at 8:30 and we were settled in at Horseshoe Bay beach by 9:30. No need to walk to the mini-bus zone as they will be lined up on the walkway right next to the ship.

- Put your hangars on the closet floor after you pack up on the last night. Otherwise they will bang together all night.

That's all I can think of for now.

Just off the Horizon's August sailing to Bermuda. Did anyone else notice that the TV system was testy? It was locking up on me regularly and I had to shut the TV off and turn it back on to get to the main menu several times. I saw 3 rotating dots many times and these would never seem to clear.

Sometimes the ship's position would come up when I turned the TV on and other times it would not. When the map came up I could not get back to the home menu. I was really only using the TV for this and so it was always turned off on this channel.

I did like how our names were displayed.

Ship - Horizon

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8381

Stateroom Category – 8D

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes, some creaking noises though. Put hangers on closet floor on last night after you have packed.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Great view of ocean and can also see some of the Promenade deck. No obstructions. Watched the harbour pilot leave the ship - although they were so close we couldn't see him actually leave the ship.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal, I think.

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Mid ship to aft. No soot.

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No

Any other comments? - No smoke from smoking sections on starboard side. Easy access to aft and mid ships elevators/stairs. Beds were comfortable.

I purchased a cruise last night that leaves Sept. 9 and have been unable to check in. I keep getting a message that they are experiencing a problem. I have tried off and on since last night. Am I the only one with this problem? I waited too late tonight to call to talk to them about it. I just wonder if I am doing something wrong.

When I checked in online 3 of the 4 persons' passport expiries were incorrect. They showed correct on the entry / edit screen but not on the summary. I called Tech Support and they assured me they have the correct expiries and that it was a glitch on their end.

 

Ship Time v. Actual Time?: Weirdly enough Carnival didn't mention anything about clocks going forward a hour unless we all missed it completely but this threw us off the entire cruise because we couldn't figure out what time was correct so basically we got back to the ship from Bermuda a hour early and woke up a hour earlier the following days, not a big deal but reminders would have been great.

Are you indicating that ship time went forward to Bermuda time?

Sad to make note but my brother in law tagged me in a post on Facebook that the US Coast Guard releases footage of the medivac that took place, a woman suffered a stroke, hopefully she makes a full recovery.

 

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/200a1c7

Thanks for posting the link. I almost confused this with the first airlift that occurred on one of the 8 day Caribbean cruises earlier this summer.

The link is for a surge protected device - not supposed to be allowed? (EDIT: I should really read the entire thread before posting . lol)

I had an interior Havana cabin. There were indeed 2 standard and 2 USB plugs. Note, there was also one in the bathroom above and to the left of the mirror.

 

We brought one of these to give us more options:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

EDIT: Note the plugs were NOT next to the bed. They were at the desk/vanity mirror. Bring an extension cord if you want it next to the bed.

Leave some garbage bags in the car. If you do have signs of bed bugs (usually but not always bites in 3's) place your luggage in the bag. When you get home, place the clothes in a dryer on high heat. Heat is guaranteed to kill them and their eggs.

I do the same with my luggage. After my daughter brought home some “critters” after a cruise on the Dream out of NOLA, and the nightmare that created for her, I have been diligent about it! I have a whole bed bug prevention routine! Lol! And I just bought hard sided luggage that I keep shut while on cruise after unloading everything to closet and shelves.

Bed bugs don't discriminate. They can be found anywhere people rest and they can find a meal. I believe the cruise lines have programs to inspect and exterminate bedbugs if they are found. I always check the room when I stay anywhere. FYI, they are most commonly found within 6 feet of a bed, so putting open luggage under a bed is technically not a good idea. (However, yes the risk is likely low) If you want to find them you need to check seams and cracks as they like pressure on all sides. That picture hanging over the bed headboard is a good spot - run a credit card along the bottom and see if anything falls out. (creepy, but an ounce of prevention.....)

ROFL

There are more critters in your garage than under your cruise ship bed. Now, I may agree with you about critters under a hotel bed that probably never gets moved.

 

 

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Does anyone have the Fun Times for the 4 day Horizon Bermuda itinerary?

Not all RFID is short range, it is commonly used on toll roads here in the U.S.

Yes, however, those transponders are much larger than wrist band size. The wrist bands are likely passive and must be right on the reader. Having a 3 foot range would render the technology useless as there would be several people within 3 feet of the reader at any given time triggering it. The credit card technology is very short range - like 1".

This is definitely not big brother.

Thanks, that is helpful to know.

RFID is short range. The cruise lines won't be tracking you. In Canada we have RFID chips in our credit cards. You have to be very very close (like 1") before the chip can be read. It is exactly the same as swiping a card, you are just tapping instead of swiping.

Planning our 1 day visit to Bermuda on the Horizon in August. I think we would want to be off the ship early in the AM, take a mini-bus to Horseshoe Beach or Elbow Beach, return to Somerset around 1PM to eat a late lunch and then take a mini-bus (or maybe even walk) back to the dockyard for say 3PM. Then we would walk around the dockyard with whatever time we have left.

It seems that since the ship docks at a pier, disembarking and embarking will likely be quick?

My question is: 1. When can we reasonably expect to be off the ship and on our way to the beach? 2. When would we need to be back on the ship?

Thanks.