soulsistah007

11 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

 

Could it be because they used to open the Havana section to all guests after 7 pm in the evening, and they don't anymore (according to a 2019 article I read)?  Just a guess...I really have no idea.  We are booked in a Havana Cabana on Mardi Gras in the spring, but have never been in that area on any of the other ships, so I have nothing to compare it to.  My daughter and I both love to read, so when we saw the great little porch area (and of course hanging chair) we were sold.  🙂

After some of the comments I've read here, I was worried I should try to switch cabins.  But I've been looking at the videos, and the whole area looks quiet and not crowded, which is what I was looking for, as spring break can be kind of crazy packed with kids.  We are not swimmers, so the tiny pool doesn't bother us.

But yes, I definitely agree, scaled back is a good way to describe it, compared to the pictures I'm seeing on the Vista class ships.

Same feelings here, especially with reading! I can't wait to roll out of my bed and onto the patio to read with the ocean in front of me in a quiet space. On a ship with such a large capacity, I don't want the hassle of finding a quiet spot. This is the first time we booked prior to a ship sailing, and our first Havana experience. The pool was not a deal breaker as we don't care much for pools. I've been pleasantly surprised to see that there are loungers outside your porch too!  We only booked in May and already the price has gone up $600. No regrets here!

Someone posted this link to all the drink menus so far: https://cruisespotlight.com/carnival-cruise-line-drink-menus-and-pricing. I've been debating on Cheers and this link has steered me more towards getting it. Have a great cruise!! 

18 minutes ago, BrotherCraig said:

 

 

The other one is De La Rossa.  Also has a lot of indoor and outdoor seating  and a large smoking section as well.  

So Java, Havana, and De La Rossa.

Ah thank you! 

35 minutes ago, BrotherCraig said:

How many coffee bars do they need on a cruise ship?  I love coffee so all good but wow!  MG have a few great looking coffee bars.

I may have missed this in the videos....other than Java Blue and Havana Bar (for coffee), what are the other coffee bars? I assume they are for an extra fee if you dont have Cheers? 

1 hour ago, charliesdad63 said:

I'm fighting this internal battle with myself right now except mine is basic balcony or Cloud Spa interior on Mardi Gras instead of balcony vs Havana interior. I booked the spa interior but it is a sideways layout. Did I make a mistake? I'm solo and right under the Serenity deck so I thought it would be nice to be able to run right up the stairs to use that for fresh air. 

If I were you, I would stick to the spa interior. If you see yourself wanting to be outside frequently, it would be very convenient to grab a spot on serenity for you due to proximity.

You can't go wrong with either #2 or #3. The view of St. Thomas when you dock is absolutely stunning. 

All depends on what kind of balcony you want. I was initially looking at the cove balconies and found a good one on deck 5, midship, just under Java Blue but above cabins on deck 4. My husband decided he didnt want a cove and so we got a Havana (it's our anniversary so might as well and since we're going without our kids, no telling when we'd be able to do a Havana again). I wasn't super keen on people walking around but purposely chose a cabin on the port side with only 2 or 3 rooms to our left, so I'm hoping that drastically changes the amount of people walking by. 

Looking to pull the trigger this week, also for October 2022. Super excited!! It'll be our 10 year anniversary and first trip with no kids! Last decision we need to make is our room selection (havana vs balcony....we've only ever done oceanview's and looking to upgrade for the occasion) but we are both ready. Every day I get a new thought about the ship so I'm constantly researching which is getting me very excited! It's all I talk about...you would think we're sailing next week lol

I was booked on Sunrise out of FLL for Dec. 12. Spoke with my pvp last week and our cruise is now leaving on the 14th, out of MIA with stops to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. The original itinerary was Half Moon, Nassau, and GT. This latter itinerary is being offered a week earlier, though not available to book while they are rearranging the schedule. Hoping to switch my booking and hoping we get to cruise! 

Something is definitely up. My December 2020 cruise is showing up as all sold out as well as all dates beyond 2020.

Seems like it was just an update as I got the same error. I've been searching the site for new 2022 releases. I checked again, about 3 hours after I last checked, and about 10 more sailings were added for the Fall cruises (September and October).

Nothing but researching more cruises lol. We have one booked for December, somewhat hopeful, but researching alternative options for next year just in case. Also planning ahead for our 10 year anniversary in 2022. I had my heart set on a Havana cabana but I'm not loving the itineraries that are available for those ships so just gonna wait and see all the available options before deciding....which means I'm stalking the site frequently lol.

I was just going to make a similar post/question but perhaps someone will know who reads this topic. What if your ship already has Nassau as a port in addition to Grand Turk? Anyone know what the replacement port may be? For reference, the itinerary is Half Moon, Grand Turk, Sea Day, and then Nassau and back to Fort Lauderdale. This cruise isn't until April but would still be curious to know if there's no significant change by then. 

We will be sailing the week before Christmas this year! 

The price difference between that week and Christmas week was too good to pass up. I've read that there will be Christmas decorations prior so that will be great as we're taking our kids with us. Interested to read feedback about crowds but I assume lots of families. 

We did a NYE/Honeymoon cruise a few years back and I loved it! My husband wasn't too big of a fan as there were a lot of older teens/early 20's kids and a lot of them were drinking before and after the countdown which made for quite a rowdy/silly bunch. Not as many young kids as there would be in the summer but still a lot of kids. It's definitely quite an experience though; formal night was NYE, they were freely giving out champagne and noise makers and it was just a great way to ring in the new year. We justified the extra cost because it was New Years and our honeymoon so to us, it was worth it. 

2 hours ago, cstep81 said:

Little guy had the time of his life.  When the waiters did the goodbye song on the last day he bawled his little eyes out and said he didn't want to leave and the waiters needed him to stay.

 

How cute!! Thanks for posting your review. I have some questions as we will be taking on our little ones (5 and almost 2) on the Magic in December (different itinerary though) but questions geared towards the family side of things as this will be our first cruise with kids in tow. 

1. What activities did you son love in Camp Ocean? Did he stay by himself for a couple hours and how many other kids were generally there? Did you do any night owls?

2. How did you entertain your son during dining in the MDR since it was so long? He was generally able to find something he wanted to eat all the time?

3. Do you need to sign up for the Seuss at Sea parade? Did you do the breakfast too?

Any other insight or tips/tricks with kids would be much appreciated! Thanks

3 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

I paid less than half of that to rent a Cabana in Vibe on the Breakaway and it was worth every penny. I liked the Vibe cabana set up better than what I’m seeing in drawings of the Mardi Gras cabanas. They were more private and all faced the ocean with no room in front of it for other people to stand there. That all said I’d definitely rent one for the week. It’s so nice being a legal chair hog. No stress... 

I'll have to check out NCL's cabana's because that sounds heavenly! Not sure if we would rent a cabana for the week on Mardi Gras but $50 for a port day is a great price. Especially for a port you may not be interested in getting off the ship for

4 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Can someone who’s on Facebook ask him how and when will guests who aren’t in Excel Suites be able to rent the cabanas?

Someone has already asked this question and it seems like they are still trying to figure it out. He responded that he will have news on this soon.

This was just posted by John on Facebook:

"Now, on to the suites and let me just throw some bullet points at you please.

First of all we have a no charge Serenity Deck on the ship for all adults to use and that has a stunning pool, hot tubs and the usual gorgeous furniture to relax on

Then we have Loft 19. This is part of the experience which is complimentary for guests in the suites we spoke about yesterday and will also be available to use for other guests for a fee.

Will other guests onboard Mardi Gras have access to Loft 19?
While Excel suite guests will have first access to Loft 19, all guests aboard Mardi Gras will have the opportunity to experience this new inviting area which include 108 sun loungers and 12 private cabanas.

How much is it to rent a cabana? 
Full-day (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.) and cruise long rentals are available at a cost of $50 on port days, $150 on sea days, and $900 for the cruise, per cabana, plus 18% gratuity.

Booking a Carnival Excel suite grants complimentary, unlimited access to Loft 19; however, Carnival Excel suite guests must still reserve and pay for a cabana, they will receive first priority when reserving.

Can kids use the Loft 19?
Yes, as we do have suites that are for 5 people we will allow children on Loft 19 but not on the Serenity deck as usual

Loft 19 ( on deck 19) will be a sensational slice of cruising heaven for those who wish to use the pool and all the other things that we will feature there.

cheers and stay tuned for more news on your new ship soon"

59 minutes ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

I agree with the point about itinerary which is causing much deliberation in our house about whether to book the transatlantic sailing on Mardi Gras or Legend. We'd like to sail on Mardi Gras as it's the new ship but Legend has a much better itinerary ( in our opinion ).

What's the itinerary for the Legend? Is it offered the same time frame as the transatlantic?

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

So is it really the itinerary and not ship?  Carnival only goes to one other NT north port of call.  I would enjoy more of their other ports, but they always bring a ship into an established plan, leave the desirable ports as a booking drag for the less desirable ships.  Another consideration is where this ship will be able to go.  Take Oasis class ships on Royal, they cannot go to any tender port and are to long for some piers....

Yes, itinerary always has a slight edge for me. The ship itself seems great. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how everyone enjoys it. Its a shame that the less desirable ships get more of a variety of ports. Good point on the length of the docks...forgot that factors into the equation. 

48 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Which ports did you want to see?

Was hoping for more of a variety...eastern and southern. The ABC islands, Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, St. Kitts, etc. Even the NYC itinerary would have been better with more Canadian ports. That being said, coming from Canada, I wish there more options to see southern islands from Florida as opposed to traveling to San Juan. 

I just got a call from my pvp asking if we wanted to book the mardi gras...perhaps they noticed I was browsing the site. Not interested in any of the itineraries - was hoping for different caribbean ports. Will wait to see whats offered beyond April 2021. 

John has said on his Facebook page that there are some very special itineraries for the ship. Im very curious as to what they may be.

Following! What an adorable family! We're thinking of a family cruise next Christmas so looking forward to reading about your experience.