BENHANDEL

We will be in a family harbor suite on the Horizon at Christmas (fits 5). 

On the cruise manager, our bedding is listed as "2 twin beds". I thought I would have a chance to specify the preference at final check in, but I was never given an option. How can we ensure the beds are configured into the king? Will they figure we are a married couple with 3 kids and push those twins together to make a king?

TIA

Excursion towels are one of the many things this newbie never considered...you make lugging a towel from the ship seem like such a hassle (lol), but I would not want to invest in 5 towels for this purpose.

How lame would it be for me to bring those almost-ready-to-be-garage-towels? They tend to be thin (perhaps with holes or fraying). I figure we could toss them in a waste bin in port if we were done with them or didn't want to carry them anymore? Thoughts?

We will be on our first Carnival Cruise at Christmas. We are staying in the family Harbor area. I have read a number of comments on the coffee offered there, but I have some specific follow-up questions.

Why do I care? My access to decent coffee is the one point that will tip the scales in favor of our purchasing the cheers program. 

I have heard there is a cappuccino machine. Does that also dispense hot chocolate? And is this the kind of machine you would find in a typical gas station? Are there any unsweetened, or less sweetened, cappuccino options from this machine?

I have also heard that the coffee available in the family Harbor Lounge is "better" than the coffee served on Lido. But never having been on CCL, I have no context for this. I hate coffee like folgers, or typical gas station or fast food coffee. The coffee on our Disney cruise was "fine" for the week, once cream was added. 

Thanks in advance for any comments on your experience.

9 hours ago, caryatid said:

 

There is hope even after your kids realize there is a world of Disney Cruising!  We are a huge Disney family, The Disney parks and cruising are our two "go-to" family vacations.  We took the plunge and took a Disney cruise last year even though the price tag almost made me pass out. Well, we had a lovely time, the cruise was exceptional, my kids had a blast- but our next two cruises are still with Carnival, because when I explained to the kids that we could take one Disney cruise or three carnival cruises- the kids wanted to go back to Carnival.   My boys told me "three is better than one, Mom" and I couldn't agree more! 

 I am hoping my kids agree. We took one Disney cruise to see "if we liked cruising."  Our upcoming CCL cruise will probably be a better answer to that, lol. 

Following

30 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I am someone who used to be loyal to Carnival for many years, but who has branched out and now prefers to sail multiple cruise lines, and who hasn’t set foot on a Carnival ship in years. And what I’ve realized is that my decision to leave was NOT because Carnival changed, but because I changed.

 

It’s natural to seek different things as we age. What may have been appealing in my 20’s and early 30’s isn’t as appealing in my 40’s. Maybe I’ve become more adventurous and want to see new, far away destinations, or maybe I now seek a bit more brain stimulating entertainment, or maybe I’d prefer a quieter  (boring to some) experience,  more polished service, or more attention to detail. Or simply, maybe I can finally afford what I couldn’t afford 20 ago. Whatever the reason may be, I don’t place blame, badmouth, or look down on Carnival for my decision to branch out to other cruise lines. As mentioned before, I’m the one that has changed. 

 

Why do I keep visiting the Carnival board? Because Carnival will always feel like home. Some of my best, most fun cruise memories are aboard Carnival ships and that will never change. Any time I research cruises, I always look at Carnival, looking for the opportunity to sail on them again, but with so many choices out there these days, I always find myself booking something else. But I do look forward to sailing on Carnival again, hopefully not in a too distant future. I think it will feel good to go back.

 This is beautiful.

I am taking my first CCL cruise in December. We are in our 40's and I fear I will resonate with your words...can I ask what other lines you have preferred?

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Am I the only one who has trouble reading the OP’s post because of the font used?

It is hard to read on my small-screened mobile. The front is not clear. It also seems lighter in color.  I have to make it bigger. but then it doesn't all fit on the screen at once and I need to maneuver it around. I dont always read the post if it doesn't apply to me. 

2 hours ago, cruisecraze96 said:

We had the room next to it, 2409.  The girls had a lot of fun going to see what was to eat for snacks and saw several families playing games.  

Thank you!

1 hour ago, teknoge3k said:

Perhaps this will clarify some things for you. 

Thank you! Was this Horizon in Miami? I see HomePort arrival at 7 a.m. Was that the same time you expected? Online our Port arrival time is 8 a.m. Would that change anything?

12 hours ago, cruisecraze96 said:

We were on the Vista in a Family Harbor Suite and I was worried about the noise too.  We never had any issue throughout the week and my BIL that had an interior room also had no issues with the noise from above.  

 

I really enjoyed this area with the extra family lounge. My kids loved going down and getting milk before bed and I loved the cappuccino machine 🙂 

What room were you in? We will have 2411 in december.

1 hour ago, zippyjet said:

Just came off the Horizon four weeks ago. They want you out of your cabin by 0830. You can eat in the MDR or Lido. Lido even has an omelet station. Usually I partake and am one of the last off the ship. Easy Breezy through customs. However, this time my friend wanted off the ship ASAP. She had online stuff to do on her phone so, I was denied my final breakfast. Still, disembarkation wasn't bad. We stayed in Miami Beach that night so, we ended up eating at the Front Porch Café on Sobe. Pretty good food but way overpriced for breakfast. $36.00 breakfast for two pre-tip, and not a buffet or any drinks in my book is way too expensive. My friend said she's buying next time but, I still want my final free ship breakfast thank you very much. I've even schlepped my bags to Lido.

Thank you! Do you remember the MDR closing time? We would definitely prefer a more leisurely breakfast...

20 hours ago, zippyjet said:

Just came off the Horizon. 8 nights Southern Caribbean. I learn something new every cruise. This was number 9 all with Carnival. Stay tuned for my review. A fun time and overall good. I learned this by accident/happenstance. My roommate had an issue with a smell that was shall we say a pain in the butt. To cut to the chase, I decided I better watch what they were doing to make sure the situation got rectified. Ever notice those wall panels between each cabin? They have a key receptacle . Usually they are decorated. Those panels are the key to your comfort. Behind those locked panels/doors are plumbing wires and pipes and, the air handler/HVAC unit. They look like a compact version of your home furnace/AC system. (Newer builds). But first, let me digress please. I like my cabins cold. If you've read other threads and replies by yours truly cabin temperature is important. I'm not there much but when I'm there to clean up, and sleep, I want to be comfy and not dripping sweat. I want to sweat, I get that working out and hitting the spa steam, sauna, Thalassa whirlpool. So, I have experience with too hot cabins. Here's is what's going to go down if you call about temperature issues.

1. You call guest services, or your steward can do this for you. I recommend you taking the anchor and reporting the issue to Guest Services.

2. Usually within 30 minutes someone will knock on your door and want to enter the cabin. They will have a thermometer and take a temperature reading. They take it right underneath the ceiling vent. CCL has a general temperature range of 68 to 75 degrees F. So, if it's within that range they are going to give you that song and dance. OK, your temperature is 75. Then, you in a firm but kind manner request that they get the temperature at the lower end of that range. 95% of guests can find a comfortable sweet spot within this range.

3. They then will report it to an actual maintenance person. Again, be firm but very friendly and insist that the maintenance engineer arrives in a timely manner. You can vacate the cabin but, you stand the chance of returning to the same hot cabin and finding a little note saying everything is within the set range or, the problem is rectified.

4. Call or, make a personal appearance to Guest Services. I can't stress being persistent but, FRIENDLY. The rusted anchor gets the Rustoleum.

5. Get maintenance back up to your cabin and explain the problem again.

6.  Ask for them to check the cabin handler behind the hallway access panel next to your cabin door. It seems, a simple fix and this did it for me on my Horizon Cruise... Like a home radiator or commercial HVAC system water has to be bled off. Especially in the humid confines of a cruise ship and the Bahamas, Caribbean etc. They will hold a bucket to catch the water. Double check to make sure the air coming out the vent is cold. It should be. Of course, make sure your thermostat control is all the way at it's coldest (the blue). Problem solved. Cabin was nice and cold the way I like it the rest of the cruise even in port when there is less power to the A/C units. Earlier, the first night, the temperature would go up and down. I called several times and heard maintenance make a repair. I wasn't watching them it was 0300 hours. No residual problems with that issue.

Of course, if this applies to A/C the same thing could be for heat (Alaskan Cruises). Like anything there could be other issues but this seems like a very good place to start with what I feel should be a high resolution rate.

I'm not sure if this is just for Vista Class Ships and just with Carnival but, I'd go this route even on other ships/other cruise lines. I had hot cabin issues on the Fascination, the bizarre but kitschy Conquest and especially the Victory. Boy, I wish I knew about this on those cruises. DISCLAIMER, I'M NOT A TRAINED HVAC MECHANIC/ENGINEER. If you feel shy asking crew to do this or not sure just say, I was on the Horizon recently and experienced this issue. The maintenance engineer bled the excess water and no more problems. If you are not proactive, you will be hot and uncomfortable. You paid for this vacation and you should enjoy it.

Thank you! Copied and pasted to my cruise notes! Looking forward to your review!

We will be on the Horizon dec 23-29. This is our first CCL experience.

What time does CCL need us out of our rooms? How late can we access "real" food for breakfast (not simply carbs, sugar and coffee)?

I am very impatient with crowds so we plan for a leisurely disembark. We are in a family suite and have FTTF so I know we have other options. But we do not have a tight schedule so i figured we would wait out the crowds and have a quick exit around 10. 

Reading comments on Heald's page make me wonder if my expectations are unreasonable. 

Both days there will be 6 ships in the Miami port. We are scheduled to arrive at 8am (per my cruise manager). Will the number of ships effect how quickly we move through customs? Any tips for avoiding frustrating crowds while also not being the cause of frustration to others?

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

It's like a child, learning the world. Curious, finds positives, optimistic. The blue cards are rarely the miserable people on board.

I am starting to be proud of my "blue card" status for our Christmas trip!

Following

5 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Keep in mind the Hub Chat app uses the same wifi signal as the social media package - so if the Hub app message doesn't get through, it is likely neither will anything else, as long as you keep the app open/active.  As mentioned, it seems to "hibernate" for some folks (I cannot yet discern a pattern - some folks have no problems - I didn't have any issues when I used it on Liberty in March 2018).

Thank you for that info... That really helps. I am very much looking forward to telling the kids they have to put away the internet for a week. If they would have the same functionality issues, my decision is made. Thanks again

8 hours ago, Beav1279 said:

 

Dec. 22, 2018

I was hoping you would be back from your cruise with real-world experience before I leave on mine... But alas, no... we leave the day after you.

If you want to eat in the main dining room (MDR), show up there at 6. Otherwise, pay extra or go to the buffet on your own schedule. 

17 minutes ago, Quilcruisers said:

I don’t know how it compares to Disney but it worked well for us.  We cruised last time with about 4 teens and having the hub app with the chat feature was very useful for us to keep up with their whereabouts.  They had their own separate chat too. It was also good to be able to mark the activities you were attending and walk in and see that they were attending some of the same ones.  It was very reliable for us on the breeze and before that on the valor. 

Perfect! Thanks!

I have only cruised once and is was Disney. Their app worked perfectly for communicating with my kids. Some of the feedback on the HUB app $5 upgrade make me wonder if I should invest in the social media package? 

My kids are 11. 14 and 16 so I wont need constant contact, but I will want them to keep me updated on their whereabouts and for them to be able to contact us if necessary

Anyone know how the reliability of HUB compares to disney? 

On 10/21/2018 at 2:03 PM, Beav1279 said:

The Fun Shops on Carnival's website have an Adult Snorkel Set (mask, snorkel, and fins) for about $30. This is a great price! Is it too good to be true? Anyone purchase it? Was it decent quality? I've seen similar sets at Target, Walmart, etc.. but they run $40 and up. Thanks in advance!!

When is your cruise.

We are trying Chank late December. I am glad to know we can stay longer if we want!

10 hours ago, Augustsunshine said:

 Just saying I wouldn't get off the ship in Nassau again.

Are you sharing an example from Nassau, Bahamas? Or Jamaica?

Thank you! We sail her at Christmas and I love seeing more positive reviews!

9 hours ago, Bobkat26 said:

Hey guys, I am heading out of the 6 day this Sunday.  I will do my best to get pics of the menus and report back beginning of November. 

Kathy

 

Thank you! Can't wIt!