momof4girls

17 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I only use carry-on luggage, and I have been on cruises for as long as 21 days.

 

First of all, you only need to pack one dress whether it is one elegant night or two.  No one is going to care (or even notice) that you are wearing the same one for both nights,

 

Biggest packing room saver - cut down on shoes! I normally wear a pair of athletic shoes, and then pack one pair of casual shoes, a pair of flip flops, and a pair of dressy sandals.  

I learned that, for sure, after my first cruise! I laugh when I think about what our room steward thought of all my shoes lined up. 😂 sooo ridiculous!!

4 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Not been on a six night cruise, but just off of a five nighter and did another five nighter last October. Both times, the Halloween deck party was the second to last night. But honestly, I saw people wearing costumes around the ship several nights of the cruise. Last week, we saw a lot dressed up the night of the deck party and the last night. 

That would be second elegant night so I’m going with that unless I read differently! Our “costumes” will be fine for it since we are doing the 1920’s theme (think Gatsby). 

I am trying to lighten up my packing! I’m hoping someone that has been on a 6 night cruise in OCTOBER will be able to tell me which night was the costume night? I’m hoping it is second elegant night so I can avoid having to pack two nice dresses…

Thank you guys for your responses! I used the "chat" option since I am busy at work, and the nice rep just resent the email to me. She doesn't know why it never arrived. I checked all my folders, even. At least it was a quick fix, and it didn't took much time out of my day (as opposed to my last phone call with Carnival).

I bought a $100 gift card on the 11th and haven’t received an email with the number yet.  Anyone else had that happen? I’m hoping that calling AARP today will take care of it. I’ve never had this happen, and I’ve bought multiple cards in the past. 

Thank you, everyone! I will hang on to it until I board, then. 

Can you add a digital / virtual gift card to your account when you are at the port getting checked in? I can always use it to pay down a current cruise I have booked, but I was also hoping to use it as OBC. 

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

We had an inside Havana cabin on deck 5 on the Panorama and never heard a sound from the Havana Bar. We booked the same cabin (5214) for a B2B on the Vista next April. 😎

We are in that cabin on the Horizon this fall ☺️

Excellent review! Thank you for taking the time. I’m hoping to try Excel class within the next couple years. Unfortunately (not truly unfortunate), we already have four booked on other ships

Enjoy reading reviews from cruisers who usually cruise other lines. Thank you for doing this!

Great writing! Very easy to read, straight to the point! Did you notice if the Serenity deck was just as crowded/busy during the day?

On 3/8/2023 at 3:06 PM, 3smithboys said:

DH and I put a hold on an interior Havana cabin on the Horizon. Its cabin 5205. I did a quick search on here, and I think it’s a good choice. We’ve never been on a Vista class ship before.
 

This past summer we went on a b2b on the Mardi Gras and had the best cruise ever. We are going on the Magic for the 1st time for spring break in a few weeks. We’ve been on the Dream & the Breeze and enjoyed them. We are also booked on the Celebration this summer. 
 

We usually cruise in balcony cabins but are going in an inside for our Magic cruise. We got another balcony for the Celebration cruise in the summer. I wanted to ask what people think of the interior Havana cabins (are they any different from regular interior cabins?) Also, what should we expect from the Havana area? It seems to be pretty popular/ well thought of on the Vista class ships. Thanks!

 We usually cruise in balcony cabins too, and our first interior will be on this fall's Horizon cruise in the Havana area. I figured the best way to try out an interior room is on a Vista class ship in the Havana area since there is a wonderful area to relax in just "down the hall" from our room.

This is just my opinion, but I feel like Mr Sanchos is for the 20 - 30 somethings, Paradise is for families, and Nachi is for couples. 

2 hours ago, pirate4me2 said:

This is a hard one for me. I love the Havana area on Horizon, but I am NOT a fan of Jamaica. I like Grand Cayman and Coz a lot tho.  I love the Excel class ships for all they offer, and I like that itinerary way better. Their Serenity area is pretty darn nice, but not quite as nice as Havana on the Vista class. That cruise is an extra day though... 

 

I guess in the end, if I were having to fly in, I would probably go with cruise #2 due to the extra day. 

I am not a fan of Jamaica either. We were probably just going to stay on ship at that stop. 

4 hours ago, Prometheus1 said:

I have been on both ships, the Celebration is beautiful (had a balcony for the TA in November) but i really liked the Havana area on the Horizon (had an interior Havana) that i would take the Horizon over the Celebration even for 1 less day.

But, there are many free food options on Celebration and it is shiny and new with ports you havent been to. Personally, i prefer a smaller ship. Keep in mind if the Celebration should miss any of the ports and you spend more time on the ship, which would you be happier with? 

 

I'm actually very surprised with your response! Especially since you had a balcony on Celebration.  I try very hard to not take a cruise for specific ports as I know that can happen. We love being on the ship enough that we are ok if we just cruise around the ocean for 7 days. 

Wow! I did not expect the replies to be so strong on one side. I WISH I could edit my original post to say that we are going on the Jubilee in October of 2024. It is doing the Western itinerary, but it will be the most "shiny, new ship" that Carnival will have to offer. 

5 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

How much more would it be to book a Havana cabin on the Celebration?

Quite a bit more, and I don’t see how it’d be worth it. The Havana area on these class of ships is nothing like the Havana area on the Horizon (or the other two Vista class ships). 

I can NOT decide which cruise to go with. I could really use other cruisers advice. 
 

Little about us to help decide…We are laid back and easy going. We rarely find anything to complain about and we are just as happy being on a ship that goes “nowhere” as we would be going on a ship that makes “magical stops”. I’ve cruised more than my dh, but either ship/class will be new to us. This will be our first cruise trying an inside stateroom🤞🏻, but we’ve tried balconies, cove balconies, and ocean views.  We LOVE visiting beaches or exploring on our own (i.e. renting a golf cart, etc)

We live far enough away we have to fly. Both leave out of Miami. 

We will be on the Horizon in two years for an 8-day southern Caribbean cruise. Unless we absolutely hate it, we are planning the same kind of stateroom. 
 

Cruise 1

Horizon 6 Day = Inside Havana Stateroom

• Jamaica = Been there 1x. We ziplined.
• Grand Cayman = Been there 1x. Lovely beach day.
• Cozumel = Been here a couple times. We love Cozumel. Went to Paradise both times although we want to try Nachi on our next visit. 

Cruise 2

Celebration 7 Day = Inside Stateroom

• Amber Cove = Never been. Have an upcoming family cruise stopping here April ‘24.
• San Juan = Never been.
• St. Maarten = Never been.

The Celebration cruise IS one more day and $100 more but does not have the “private” beautiful Havana area. 

HMC is my favorite beach stop that I’ve been to. It’s beautiful! Powdery white sand and crystal clear blue waters. PC wasn’t bad either but nowhere near as nice as HMC (IMHO). 

On 9/28/2022 at 7:38 PM, 80sGal said:

Agreed ... did the Sunset Cruise in Aruba.  It was very nice.   Kukukanuku bus and beach tour is fun too!  And the Saint Helena red wine is BAD.  Drank a few sips, took it to cabin and it went down the drain.  It was THAT bad.   

Is this a Carnival excursion? Or one you booked with an independent company?

We are doing this same cruise and ship in 2025. We booked early so we could be sure to get a room in the Havana area. 

6 hours ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

We haven’t sailed in a very long time and I have some questions.  We found we prefer all inclusive resorts, but my 8 year old girls want to go on a cruise.  lol  

 

Looking at the 4 day Liberty for Early May.  This is kinda of a last minute vacation and we are on a budget.  We are also looking at RC Independence of the Seas, but found a better deal with the Liberty. 
 

How is the kids club and what kind of activities do they have for the kids?  We've never done the kids club on this particular ship, but when my girls were the age of your girls, they LOVED kids club! They still talk about the memories and fun times they had there (and my youngest is now 16).
 

Is this cruise more of a party ship?  Not against it, but were older now with kids.  😂  we really just want to relax.  We don’t want to take a longer cruise for this due to budget and want to make sure the kids like it. I went on a 4 day Liberty cruise a couple years ago, and while it was definitely more of a younger / partier crowd, I did not feel that it was like being at a college frat party with drunk 20 somethings everywhere. HTH
 

Is Formal night optional?  I know years ago we use to do the whole gown with hair up do and men’s suit, but I don’t want to do anything, but put on a nice dress for this.  😂  My husband would probably wear khakis and button down.   That is what my husband usually wears when we do "formal" nights. We haven't actually done of of those on the last few cruises (we decided we didn't enjoy going through the "work" for it). Our girls, personally, did not really enjoy it enough to continue with it.
 

Dining times we had three options a early, late and a anytime option.  How does the anytime option work.  With kids we don’t always run on time for early, but late is probably to late for them to eat.  Does kids club feed them of they are there? 😂  and is the food still good on Carnival? Anytime is what we always choose. We like to eat "when we feel like eating". We don't do good with reservations. I haven't cruised since they started this check-in with the app thing, but I'm looking forward to it! Much better than waiting in a line (although I rarely ever had to do that). I can ALWAYS find "good food" somewhere on the ship (but I definitely don't have a "fancy" palate).

 

and last for now is the Cheers package worth it for a four day cruise?  Can you use it on the private Island like you can on RC private island?  Not sure with two full days out it would be worth to buy the package. For my husband and myself, Cheers is not worth it. We did the math, and MAYBE if we were on the ship every single day (vs any port stops), we might be able to hit the limit. My husband could hit the limit by himself, but I'm not a big drinker. The other thing is that "bucket of beers" doesn't count towards Cheers, and my husband and I like to share that when we are sitting by the pool, so we are still having to pay for those separately. It does not work on Carnival's private island (HMC). 
 

TIA I know this was long. 

 

Can anyone that has possibly stayed in both types of rooms or at least seen both rooms comment on which is better for a couple? I was initially considering a balcony on our Celebration cruise but I feel like we’ll use our room less than our “norm” due to being on a brand new, much larger ship (with more to see and do).

Also, is the bathroom the same size in a balcony room as it is an inside room?

Excellent review, as always! Your wife is a gem! The time she takes for picture taking and editing is amazing! Kudos to the both of you!

We are on the Vista shortly before you next year, so I’ll be curious what your take is after we get off. 

On 1/28/2023 at 12:14 PM, jimbo5544 said:

I wonder what all the people are

lined  up  at GS for? Hmmmmm

The facial expressions and body language speak volumes in this line…

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review! I envy the pics of your cabin and balcony area!

So I haven’t cruised in a few years. I was reading a different thread and noticed the breakfast room service menu had prices for sandwiches. Is room service not free anymore? The last time I cruised  there was plenty of free items, but you could choose to pay for “upgraded” food items (I specifically remember sweet potato fries), if you so desired. 

8 hours ago, CupKayke said:

Thank you for your kind comments.  Frankly, ALL the lines are more alike than different.  We've cruised on Royal Caribbean, HAL, Carnival (we are Carnival Gold Members), and now we are trying Costa in a couple of months.   You will LOVE HAL in Alaska.  

 

And I knew we were friends the minute I saw your St Louis Cardinals pic!  I'm a HUGE baseball fan and rarely miss watching a game (on TV).   😍

 
I’m a HUGE baseball fan too! We try to get to STL for at least one game a season (missing 2020 and 2021 though). It’s on our tv nightly from start of season to end…☺️🫣
 

Before I go searching, have you written other trip reports? I’d love,to read about your Costa cruise after you return! 

I know this review is older, but I just finished reading it. Excellent review! Loved your pics and commentary! Very helpful to me since dh and I would like to book a cruise to Alaska. We’ve never cruised on HAL but have been told it’s highly recommended for Alaska.  
 

I LOVED your idea about the competition with the walking track. We think alike! 
 

I’ve only ever cruised on Carnival, so I’ve been nervous about trying a new cruise line. However, thanks to your review, I feel better about scheduling a HAL Alaskan cruise. 
 

Not sure if it’s because we both happen to be from Missouri, but after reading your review, I felt like we could easily be friends. 😊

3 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

They did for me (granted a couple of years ago) when DH had a better offer than me for the same cruise.

Did he have to call and have it changed or were you able to do that?