Pellaz

We boarded Horizon at Miami's Terminal F earlier today; I am now Platinum.  We arrived at 10:10, before our arrival time of 10:30, and were whisked through the Priority line as soon as we arrived.  Upstairs there is a separate area for Platinum, Diamonds and Suites and we were handed a placard saying "Priority O."  We were boarded in order from Priority A thru P, then general boarding commenced.  Priority A-C appeared to be for Diamond cruisers.  

Every port is different, but this is what we experienced today.  

7 hours ago, Butterbean1000 said:

I have never been able to see the stars on the ship.  Too many lights.

On ships with the "secret decks" in front, stand behind the forward riding light.  You should then be in an area with almost no incident light and on a clear night without too much haze, you should see the stars jump out at you.  We saw the arch of the Milky Way (the Galactic disc) for the first time in YEARS.  

@ctlyf to answer your query, the Panorama has these "secret" decks in front.  

11 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

We have not experienced that, not in the Presidential. The only time something close to that occurred (and we showed them around) was when we stayed in the Owner's Suite (S1 or S2) on Fantasy class ships. 

As well-hidden as those staterooms are, I'm surprised they could FIND them.  🙂  

11 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

So - we've taken this tour on Fantasy, Spirit, and Conquest class ships. I'm thinking that there's not much more to see on an Excel class ship (I mean, do they cut the vegetables in a different direction or something .. lol)?

Yeah, the Excel class is so completely similar to those other ships that I'm sure everything is pretty much exactly the same.....

...NOT.  

It all depends on how much you actually care about the behind-the-scenes stuff, of course, but the class is so much bigger and more complex than those others, there's bound to be all sorts of new stuff.  For one thing, Excel ships are LNG-powered, which is vastly different from any other class of ship Carnival has -- or, for that matter, most other lines.  

7 hours ago, kbnovak said:

The dancing/singing/parading wait staff in the MDR.  Service gets stopped, and my food gets cold.

In fairness to Carnival, service does not completely stop.  Many servers will still be circulating and bringing out orders.  Service DOES slow a bit, but it isn't the end of the world as so many people seem to think.  

3 hours ago, Beav1279 said:

Pig and Anchor has a lunch buffet outside on sea days.

This is also open on embark day, but isn't often mentioned as a Lido Buffet alternative so it's usually uncrowded.  

Do NOT pack your travel documents -- passport, boarding pass, birth certificate if used --  in your checked luggage (if you're checking luggage at the pier); make SURE they stay with you during the embarkation process.  Otherwise your vacation will come to an abrupt, sad end.   😮  

Have fun!  We are sailing on the Horizon, Panorama's sister ship, in about 11 hours.  🙂  

Lol, we're embarking on Horizon in about 12 hours.  She will be docked at Terminal F.  

See below for the official PortMiami ship schedule for Oct. 14th.  Note that under "Ships Due In Port" she is listed for Terminal Foxtrot, "F."   

Enter Oct. 14th as the date:   https://wwwx.miamidade.gov/Apps/Seaport/dailydock/Default.aspx

We will be joined by Marella Discovery at Terminal "E"cho and Oceania Vista at Terminal "J"iuliet.  

Horizon will be docked portside (facing Miami) and will have to rotate in the turn basin before heading out through Government Cut, which is always fun to experience.  

18 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And take a chance that the port staff are enforcing boarding times and if so, have to wait a couple hours and hope they allow your assigned boarding time to board early.

"Arrival time," not boarding time. 

And IMHO, it's a chance worth taking based on our prior experiences at PortMiami.  

And don't bring a cellphone or camera with you; they are verboten and Security will check.   

A Security officer will accompany the tour, since some of the areas (Bridge, Engineering Control) are restricted.  

4 hours ago, CheersPkg4Us said:

We sail out Miami at 4pm on on Sunday on the Celebration. We do have the FTTF package. Today was my first opportunity to pre register. The only option was 2:00 -2:30. My thinking is regardless what you sign up for if you have FTTF you show up at the earliest time. If my thinking is correct what would the earliest time be for a 4 o'clock sail away? Noon maybe? 

Now that the children have had their say, the actual answer would be to arrive at the pier by around 10 or 10:30 am. 

With FTTF, you'll be directed to the Priority Line and there should be a separate FTTF waiting area inside the terminal. 

In my experience at Florida ports, typically boarding will begin between 11 and 12, sometimes a bit earlier and occasionally after 12, after the ship has been cleared.

On 10/9/2023 at 3:46 PM, SRQbeachgirl said:

Signing out for pool towels. Does Carnival truly have that many potential petty thieves onboard that they have to police the pool towels?

During one Behind the Fun tour the Laundry Manager asked us what we thought was the biggest reason for replacing towels.  Several group members said "Theft"...but he said no, actually the biggest reason for loss was towels wearing out, getting frayed, etc.  

Of course, towels that aren't returned are more likely to get dragged around, abandoned, damaged or frayed, so I don't have a problem with Carnival monitoring their usage.  

9 hours ago, wildcatfan said:

We used Resort for a Day for our excursion today. They provided transportation to and from the port and the resort itself was all inclusive. Jewel Paradise Cove which was adults only. It was very nice with lots of things to do. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a nice pool area with good food and drinks.

Which port was this?  

16 hours ago, highSeas22 said:

Just a money maker

You say this as if it was a BAD thing.    

And it's not a huge money-maker, either; they sell at most about 45 FTTF slots for a cruise, depending on number of Ds and Ps onboard.  At around $100 per slot, it's a drop in the bucket.  

10 hours ago, john91498 said:

 

I was on the Panorama in August and it had a midnight buffet. Hotdogs, chicken tenders and 2 kinds of pizza. Amazing food when you're drunk. 😅

 

Is the midnight buffet not fleetwide? 

Well, it wasn't for a while post-COVID, but happily it looks like SOME sort of late-night food shenanigans are taking place fleetwide now, judging from the posts I've seen.   

6 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

The most important difference between Priority and FTTF is free vs. $60 to $100+.

Lol, at "free."   😄  

Pet peeves: 

• Lack of dining options late-night, particularly on the Mardi Gras.  It's always puzzled me as to why Carnival, which has by FAR the best lineup of complimentary dining offerings for lunch, couldn't  arrange something besides pizza after 11 pm (10 pm on Mardi Gras).   I'm hoping the reintroduction of "late night snacks" will change my mind on this one. 
• Lack of a soda program as good as Royal's.  And don't get me started on Freestyle Coke Machines; I really wish Carnival had them, too.   Also, I really wish Carnival had Coke products back. 
• Lack of an in-between tier on Cheers!  
• Guest discourtesy, loud kids and adults in the hallways, lack of elevator etiquette...not exclusively a Carnival problem, of course.  

8 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

Signing out for pool towels. Does Carnival truly have that many potential petty thieves onboard that they have to police the pool towels?

In fairness, other cruise lines also make you sign out towels...and do not provide pool towels in your stateroom.  

On 10/8/2023 at 3:04 PM, RoperDK said:

I wish they would stop blocking wifi calling/texting. I am paying for the wifi after all and I can stream Netflix, use WhatsApp and Facebook messenger, but I can't get a phone call or text over wifi. I've really enjoyed being able to do that on other cruise lines.

Hear, hear!  

When I got a call from home while walking through the Windjammer buffet on a recent Royal cruise at around midnight (music charter; crazy dining hours), I felt like absolute royalty.  Carnival seems to port-block wi-fi calling.  I've initiated a call home and it connected for a second, then got cut off. 

On 10/8/2023 at 5:26 PM, VentureMan_2000 said:

All baked goods are made from scratch... bread, cakes, etc.  

As the chef de cuisine on the Imagination (r.i.p.) told us, "All of our desserts are made from scratch; we do not buy them from Costco or Sam's.  Now, we might buy the CAKE MIX at Costco or Sam's..."  🙂  

18 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

It has not been discontinued as of Feb this year. While the map may show the tram runs a limited path, we have found if you ask, they'll take you anywhere you want to go. They may be more accommodating the less busy they are.

That's good to hear.  We've been picked up more than once while "hitchhiking" back from our cabana (almost always #9, 10 or 11, past the buffet pavilion) toward the tender pier, but it's a question of catching a returning tram, and if they have room for more folks onboard.  

50 minutes ago, PortSideCruzan said:

 

I have, for many, many years. Love Half Moon Cay. The Trams that charge a fee say Calypso on them. I forget what the free trams say on them, but as the member said above, those trams just go back & forth from the Food Pavillion picnic area to the Welcome Center.

 

 

Sorry, I should have specified that I've never seen a paid-service "shuttle" tram, as opposed to an excursion tour. 

The trams that run, or used to run, along the service road behind the beach and the cabanas were free.  People like us, who rented cabanas and villas farther from the tender pier, were instructed to go to the tram station by the pier and we would be given a ride out to our cabanas, and as I mentioned, the trams ranged further out as well.  

It would be a shame if this free service has been discontinued.  

5 minutes ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

Hi @Pellaz🙂

 

I meant to add to my reply above; There are certainly other Trams that do go further, but they are (Not Free) & are scenic-like tour trams. The only (Free Tram) is the one below on the map that only goes back & forth from the Food Pavillion to the Welcome Center. 

 

 

 

 

💃🍹💃

If so, that must be a new thing.  I've never seen a paid-service tram at HMC.   

14 hours ago, ngrund said:

they vary greatly, but are, on average usually around $70-$80 if booked before you are onboard.

 

The price depends on ship, itinerary, the phase of the moon, if it's raining or not, days that end in y, 30 or 31 days in the month....

Royal's individual drink prices are higher than Carnival's, too.  

7 hours ago, wildcatfan said:

The pasta bar is back open for lunch which is a great alternative to the buffet. The service was great as well as the food and also very quick.

Oh, good.  Assuming Jiji's isn't open, this will be our embark-day go-to in one week.  

The tram also goes out farther than the picnic pavilion area, out past the water sports center.  We caught an outbound ride on one from our cabana (#11) years ago and got to see a lot more of the island than we dreamed we would see.  It was pretty nifty.  

10 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

HAL also does the Towel Animal Takeover.

So cool!  I haven't cruised on HAL since I'm not 60 yet.  😉 

HAL is part of Carnival, so it shouldn't have surprised me.