momof4girls

Does anyone know if they will adjust the price if the second passenger in the cabin has a better offer than what was originally booked? I booked our Jubilee cruise for 2025 but my dh has a better deal in his “offers” on that same cruise. 

12 hours ago, bguppies said:

Remember that October is still prime hurricane season for those of us in Charleston and Miami each year. (usually mid September to mid October is weekly threats  of hurricanes)

 

Glad you aren't married to the ports of call, because they are just lucky if you get to go to them in September or October, either from departure port getting hit by a hurricane or any of your ports of call getting hit either before or during your cruise. (twice we've had our ports of call changed as 1 or 2 got hit a week before our cruise., but we go into booking cheap cruises in those two months, knowing that is the chance you take for cheaper rates)

 

As for the two itineraries, I love HMC and have always had a good time in Nassau, unlike alot of others.

 

But Grand Cayman is my favorite port and Cozumel is a close second. (and is by far the best port for diversity in beach days and beach clubs)

Ocho Rios is DW's and my least favorite port ever, and the only one we ever felt unsafe in.

(Ocho Rios made Roatan, Honduras feel like a day at a nursery school by comparison.)

 

I would definitely take the longer, cheaper cruise if I had to fly. 

The port in Miami will definitely be better than your port experience here in Charleston. (we don't have modern facilities at all)

Not sure about hotel costs but I'm sure you should be able to find something decent at either. (definitely more choice in southern Florida, but we have a ton here in Charleston too)

 

Hope you have good luck weatherwise and enjoy whichever cruise you choose.

6 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I would do the Havana inside hands down for a couple's cruise. Love the Havana area on the Vista class ships!  

Definitely not caring at all if we make any of the ports. We’ve been to all of them at least once, and I’d be just as happy on a cruise to “nowhere” for this trip. 
 

I have decided to go with the inside Havana on Horizon. It will probably have me wishing we had booked Havana rooms for our Vista cruise in 2024! You guys were such a big help in my decision making, so I appreciate that! 
 

After watching lots of different YouTube videos on the Havana area, I’m super excited to surprise dh with this trip. 

We are having to fly to either port. I’ve never been to either port so I’m clueless on hotels, transportation etc. 

And I’ve always been curious about inside staterooms since they are so much cheaper. 

I’m trying to surprise my husband with a cruise this Oct 2023. This cruise is not about the destinations as it more about just being able to relax. I initially chose cruise #1 because I know Nassau and HMC are relaxing beach stops for us, and because I’ve heard the Serenity area on Sunshine is very nice. 

I started looking at cruise #2 because I wondered if we would prefer the Havana area on a Vista class ship more (less people, more relaxing, etc). 
 

I think because I haven’t been on either ship, I am having a hard time choosing. We’ve never stayed in an inside room, but I’ve always been curious about them. He has stayed in ocean view and cove balcony rooms only.  I’ve stayed in both cove and reg balcony and also ocean view. 
 

Cruise #1

Carnival Sunshine

Balcony room

5 day to Nassau & HMC

Depart out of Charleston

$1145

Cruise #2

Carnival Horizon

Inside Havana Room

6 day to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

Depart out of Miami

$1369 (comes with $200 OBC)

On 6/28/2019 at 11:49 AM, Sparky2 said:

 

Do you remember the # of your cove balcony?

It was 2284 :)

I was also on this cruise. I’m not sure if it was this cruise specifically, or if it’s just cruising in general, but we’ve decided to try a land vacation (all inclusive) for our next one. I think it’s mostly because all the girls want to do is swim at the beach and pool and eat. 😂

I would agree with most of what you said about the food. We only ate the buffet for breakfast twice (first and last morning) and the rest of the time we had breakfast burritos from the Blue Iguana. We tried the buffet once for dinner. Huge disappointment. I’d walk by every night and it definitely seemed like the same foods, and the hot food area is VERY small. The salad bar area was 2x as big as the hot food area. I actually really enjoyed the deli but it’s because I had the grilled ham and cheese and the BLT. 

We saw two different comedians this cruise (a first for us as we never go) and Azeem was absolutely hilarious! Never laughed that hard at live comedy. The other comedian (a woman) was just ok. She wasn’t getting a lot of laughs, unfortunately. 

Not sure if it was just the times we walked by/in, but the Red Frog Pub was severely underused. Sad...

We also had a cove balcony, but ours was in a perfect location. There was no lifeboat above us, and it was super quiet except for neighbor door slamming. 

I agree, also, about how clean the ship appeared. I always saw workers wiping stuff down, cleaning this, cleaning that. The workers on this cruise were very, very nice. 

It was definitely a packed ship, and that was most noticeable on the first sea day. 😳

41 minutes ago, BlueHerons said:

That three hour drive home sounds brutal!

It was terrible! The STL airport was a ghost town that time of night, so everything took wayyyy longer than it should. We got home after 4am with only stopping one time to get gas. 

33 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Did you nicely ask the Front Desk Agent if you could have 2 more hours?  If they don't need the room, they may allow.  Just curious.   It may be a question of occupancy and if they need that room for a 9pm arrival...

We did ask nicely. And he very politely told me that he wished he could help me that way, but their “day rooms” are only available for 6 hours. The hotel was definitely not full, so it must be a strict policy. 

On 5/23/2019 at 8:56 PM, DKLI said:

Just wondering how your stay was?  Was it worth it?  Was thinking of doing the same thing, as we also have a late flight out.  Just trying to figure out how to get from Hyatt in Terminal B to Jet Blue in Terminal A.

We did stay there for the day. Just this past Saturday. And while it’s not the cheapest ($120 after taxes), it was AWESOME.  Super nice hotel. HUGE TV in the room. Bed was very comfy, and we were able to take a nap and shower before the flight. Only wish they’d extend the stay from 12-8 instead of 12-6. Hubby and I both agree that even with the cost, we would not hesitate to do it again. 

I never knew the spa (or any of the other places) were 3rd party run either! I've read countless stories on the "sales pitch pressure", which is just one of the many reasons why I'd never use the spa.

I'm sorry, OP, that this has been such a headache! I'm curious about the person that mentioned her and her sister's cruise though...

Thank you for your review! I took a 4 day Bahamas cruise back in September, and I agree with you...it was not at all like I had thought it'd be or had heard it'd be (party cruise). Maybe it depends on where you cruise from???

I found pics of a 4 person balcony room on another Fantasy class ship. Looks like you can have the beds pushed together underneath one of the bunks. Like, your head is under the bunk and your feet would almost be under the under bunk. Hope that makes sense!

I had a similar issue awhile back. The rate for the first 2 people didn’t change. However, they made me switch rooms because mine was for 4 people and we went down to 3. Normally when u make changes to reservations like yours, they would make you pay the full deposit now. However, since you’ve put $1000 down, I don’t think it will matter. 

My refund was all put towards a future cruise credit minus $50. 

I’ve read all the replies (including yours) and I feel like the Breeze (both the itinerary and the ship) would definitely be best. 

Out of all my cruises, only one would I consider a “party cruise or booze cruise” and that was the 5-day Triumph cruise out of NOLA. Even my 4-day Liberty cruise wasn’t a booze cruise. It could have been the port and/or the timing, but that Triumph cruise made me NEVER again want to sail a shorter cruise at the end of the school year! We are sailing around the same time this May, but we chose a 7 day cruise (more families likely on board). 

The Magic has been my favorite ship so far, but I’ve been wanting to sail the Breeze since she first hit the water (May can’t get here soon enough!). I love the layout of the Dream class ships and I feel there is always ample seating somewhere outside. 

I have not tried the spas on any ships, but I’m told the Dream class ships have the best spas. 

The ports for both cruises are great (IMO) but I think your hubby would enjoy the ports on the Breeze cruise a little more. I think you would enjoy the Breeze a little more than the Magic (I think hubby and kids would like either one). 

HTH! Enjoy your cruise and decide for yourself if the “naysayers” are right about Carnival. 🙂

33 minutes ago, Llamabear said:

We have quite a few Italian restaurants in our area that don't even begin to taste as good as Olive Garden, so to me Olive Garden is the mark to beat for Italian food. Us rural Missourian's don't have a lot of options apparently...I love OG!

Try Zio’s! It’s delicious 😋 

While I have not been on every class of ship, it is most definitely my favorite class of ship! Now granted, we have not cruised during the busiest of times, but I have never felt crowded on a Dream class ship. I’m very curious how I’ll feel after my May cruise on the Breeze, as I expect it to be a packed ship since it’s during a “peak time”. 

LOVE the Cove balcony rooms, and Dream class ships were the first to have those. Since we really enjoy going to the shows, I’m having such a hard time wanting to book the Vista class ships, as everything I’ve read about them had that as the biggest complaint. 

One of my favorite things about the Dream class vs the other class ships I’ve been on, is the Lido deck (and above decks by Waterworks) seating. 

9 minutes ago, xostacylee said:

Thank you for this! Saw it linked from another review. We are cruising on the Liberty in September and I'm trying not to get overly excited haha. How much did you drink per day that you thought it would be better to go to Cheers? We were thinking of not doing it for this same cruise.. but we do drink a lot (not necessarily 15 per day though). So this has me thinking it may benefit us doing it.

For one thing, I’m a coffee drinker and I visited the coffee bar twice each day. Those could have been included! And I don’t consider myself a “big drinker” but I had between 6 - 8 drinks a day (possibly a couple more on the last day). It’s much easier to do when you aren’t taking care of kids (which is what I’d usually end up doing on past cruises). I know I never had 15 (including the coffee), but my total for the 4 days was $100+ more than Cheers would have cost.  Keep in mind we were only off the ships at port for a few hours each day, so we had more time on the ship to indulge. 

30 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Me too.  Seems a very easy decision. 

I just honestly wasn’t sure if there were things in the evening that weren’t worth missing (like Vegas in the daytime vs Vegas at night). I haven’t really begun my “research” of this cruise yet!

Since I’ve never been to the NE, I was wondering which is better? Seeing Boston from 8-5 or from 4-10? I’m not sure what the “not miss” things/places are so I don’t know which to choose...

Excellent review! I really enjoyed that you were honest and objective. 🙂 You were one of the first reviewers I started “following” when I joined cruise critic so it’s nice to see you back on Carnival.  

12 minutes ago, pyropoodle said:

pretty sure I explained in my OP that I know it isn't fine dining.  but as close as you can get on the sea.  it's not meant to be Applebee's or Chilis. it's a sit down service, where they take your order, sweep away crumbs, keep you loaded with bread, etc...they don't rush you so they can clear the table for the next patron.   

I wish they still did that! On my cruise in 2013 I did feel like the dining was more like “fine dining”. That was back when my family got a lot of attention from our wait staff, we were spoiled beyond measure, tablecloths were the norm, sweeping off the crumbs, etc. However, I would say it reminds me more of a typical land based restaurant where u always have your app, then shortly thereafter your meal, and then maybe some dessert.  

I definitely dont feel rushed like they want me to leave quickly (like a typical Friday night in town). If I didn’t have kids with me, I might enjoy a leisurely dinner more. For now, we eat mostly outside the MDR so I don’t have to listen to them complain about being bored. 🙄 

I appreciate reading your thoughts and opinions. While I have not been cruising even close to as long as you have, I definitely would agree with noticing the cutbacks. I also would agree with the part about Carnival more interested in the “first time cruiser” vs the loyalty of long time cruisers. 

For me, personally, Carnival will be my first choice only because it is the vacation I can afford and still enjoy. I don’t see any time in the near future where I would be able to cruise on the Mardi Gras (or even the Vista class) since my available times for a cruise mean an expensive vacation on those ships! Some day when the kids are gone and we can cruise during any time of the year, we will be able to branch out and try other ships or even other cruise lines. 

I love the Magic! The Dream class ships are my favorite of all the ones I’ve been on. The Magic has so much to do! It was my girls first cruise, and they still talk about it today. I would not be bummed at all to spend NYE on that ship! We didn’t feel crowded ever when we sailed on her. We are finally going on the Breeze this May, and I’m ecstatic! 

You shouldnt be disappointed at all! Did you enjoy the Legend? 

10 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Book now as past guest so you can back out without penalty if the questionable person does not go. If you book online Carnival will label the second guest as "TBA" and you can add later or cancel the cruise if they don't commit. You can always change to early saver later when there is a firm commitment.

This is what I would do right now, also. I have two cabins booked on our Thanksgiving Cruise. However, I am not 100% sure that my mom and older daughter will be taking the cabin so I booked “past guest” and will either cancel it if they back out or offer it to other family members (got it at a great price). 

I would like to surprise my daughter and decorate our room for her birthday (she turns 13 on embarkation day). I don’t need a lot. Maybe just a banner and some streamers. Are there any “rules” or “guidelines” that I need to abide by? Also, would magnetic hooks work for everything? We are on the Breeze, if that makes a difference. 

TIA