pohlerbear

Carnival Venezia 10 day Eastern Caribbean  NY- Amber Cove- Grand Turk- Half Moon Cay- Nassau

I can't believe I am first! My first time being first LOL.  We just booked today. Looking forward to getting to know everyone. The countdown has begun 🙂 

I've bought a round of shots for friend while on the drink package, but that was pre covid. 

It would be nice if the ships had some shelving cubicles to put your shoes/ towels in. We don't typically sit in the sun much so the only reason we grab a chair is to have somewhere to put our stuff while we swim.  

There's a smoke free casino on the 4th floor. Not sure when that went in though... and I've cruised Magic twice this year and didn't make it there either time LOL 

iMessages worked for me while in airplane mode using the Carnival wifi that you use to access the app BEFORE I logged into my internet purchase.  I feel that this varies between ships. 

After I logged into my SM internet, iMessages worked for about four days until I got some weird error on my iPhone. I switched over to whatsapp after that. As soon as we were back in port and shut off airplane mode, the imessage error cleared. First time I've experienced that but think it was a phone issue.  

We recently cruise on Magic the week of 10/10. I was suprised by the number of kids but maybe schools were on fall break. 

Avoided the kids for the most part - we spent a lot of time at Serenity / the spa and as someone pointed out the loungers on five (away from the hot tubs) were quiet and usually empty. 

The only issue was eating- we ate the first night at the steakhouse and was surprised to see kids there.  We fared better in the dining room until the last night, until we (an adult couple cruising alone) was sat next to a family with two little kids. The kids were running around, crying and throwing food on the floor. Parents mostly ignored them.  That was a let down for our last dinner.  Both dining rooms are two floors- they should make one floor of each kid free. 

On 9/23/2022 at 11:08 PM, CruizinSusan70 said:

It's rather simple.  The procedure at this time is that you get to check in on line to choose your physical check in time two days prior.  Really does not matter since suites get priority over diamonds and platinums and will embark first.  You could choose 10:00 am or 2:00 pm as your slot, but if you arrive at 10:00 you will just wait in the suite waiting area and will embark first.  It could be at 1045, but it all depends upon when the previous cruise zeroes out.

When we embarked in August, we were on board at 11:00, right after the suite guests. This was on the Mardi Gras.

I posted earlier in this thread, but in Norfolk in May (Magic), my check in time on paper was 11 am. They did not want to let us in at 1030 until I showed them the email from Carnival indicating we could ignore the check in time. They said there was no priority until after check in. So I think it very much varies between each port and possibly each employee. 

We had a suite on Magic out of Norfolk in May.  We upgraded to a suite after check in, so had a later time.  I emailed the person who upgraded us, and confirmed we could check in whenever we wanted.  Printed it out and brought it to port. 

At port, they said priority check in didn't start until after security, and didn't want to let me in before my check in time.  I showed them the email and in I went.  Granted, this was Norfolk's second embarkation since the restart and they were understandably a mess, but I would email Carnival and get it in writing just in case. 

No way I would use my cellular service package.  There's been people here who say they've used it with no issue, but there's also been people who had the package but then get hit with fees for using the ship's cellar at sea network to connect to their cell service. Just not worth the risk for me. And I find the customer service reps who answer the phone with the cell companies don't really understand how this works. 

I always get the social media package and have been able to text, call and facetime home. Sometimes there may be delays at high peak hours so facetime may not work as well as a phone call. I also use whatsapp which seams to work pretty well. 

On my last cruise (May, Magic), there were people who were able to imessage using the ship's wifi without purchasing a internet plan.  That seems to be a new change. 

Can I piggy back on this question? We have reservations for the steakhouse for the first time next month- what is the going rate for cash tip? 

On 8/24/2022 at 2:21 PM, fair-winds39 said:

I had hoped the cruise lines wanted to keep guests safe, and still lighten up a bit on the protocols, but I was wrong. As usual, Carnival much like the other mainstream cruise lines, cares about one thing, money. Of course it’s understandable, after all the losses they had during the pandemic. Surely they can’t allow one cruise line to outdo the other, no, that wouldn’t work. After all the pandemic is all but a memory, right????

 

We are set to sail in a few weeks. Sadly, I’ll never know if the guest next to me has a fake vaccination card, or better yet, isn’t vaccinated at all, but  took a home test or his/her 4 year old took it with negative results…yay. So happy I packed the N95’s.

 

I suppose our next cruise scheduled for December 2022 will most likely be canceled as I suspect outbreaks will ramp up by early October and cruising will come to another abrupt halt. It was a good ride while it lasted.

I completely agree with you- but I think we are in the minority. Most people I've noticed (on this board and in my cruise FB group) seem to think all precautions should've been done away with. 

I do feel like i was baited and switched- I booked a cruise with protocols in place that made me feel fairly (not completely) safe.  Right after my final payment, they pulled the testing. Now the vaccinations.  No way I would have booked without both of those things. Luckily our ship was already sold out, so there should mainly be vaccinated guests.  But I won't be booking another cruise anytime soon. 

We were upgraded to an OS on Magic in May.  The tub was a little high to get into but yes you could sit on the side and swing your legs over no issue. 

The suite itself was amazing- so spacious and so much storage. It was also nice having the vanity area with a separate sink to get ready with. 

I would say do it! 

Deal or Deal is just like another way to play bingo IMO. You have to buy the cards to play and the chances of winning seem slim. My friend played on our last cruise and I watched, but probably wouldn't bother again. 

We received our first upgrade offer ever last month- it was about a week before our cruise.  I got an email and a voicemail from Carnival. Returned the call and it was a great deal

Recently cruised on Magic. When we got back, people in our FB group were complaining about there being lines for everything, to the point they said they would never cruise again. The most I waited in line was about 10-15min for Guys Bbq soon after it opened. 

That said, in my experience on Sunrise it did feel more crowded then other ships and the breakfast lines were always crazy. We figured out quick to go to the Italian restaurant to get eggs made to order and then was a small buffet. There's usually a work around if your patient. 

Cruised last month with two friends. They each got an email for amazing deals including $75 per person with $75 OBC.  I got nothing 

I have a cruise booked in October, and if they get rid of the testing requirement, I'd strongly considering canceling.

At least a dozen people tested positive and had to cancel from my last cruise FB group (probably higher overall). So without that precaution, I don't know I would feel comfortable cruising. Some covid is still going to pop up, but I still think the testing helps.  

I was on Magic last month and loved it so much I just booked again in October.

The spa and serenity area are super nice (no pool but two hot tubs).  There are hot tubs on the fith deck and the were usually less crowded. We loved sitting at Alchemy and listening to live music. 

If you have any time dining- ask for Camilo.  He is Carnival's best head waiter! And he also does bar service by the aft pool during the day. 

All of the staff we encountered were incredibly nice and outgoing with the exception of the guy working the liquor sales the last night- he was a little grumpy LOL. Otherwise probably best crew I've experienced! 

On 6/6/2022 at 8:10 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

You've already received your answer:  Assuming it's a closed-loop cruise, you can cruise with an OFFICIAL birth certificate and a state-issued ID.  Whether you should get the passport or not isn't so easy to answer -- you should think through all the details: 

 

Reasons to get a passport: 

- If you need to fly home mid-cruise for whatever reason, a passport will remove one big obstacle.  Flying home from a foreign country will be easier, cheaper and faster.

- While the possibility of an emergency is quite small, an emergency could happen to any of us.  

- If you're a nervous person, it may give you peace of mind.  

- If you plan other non-cruising vacations planned, a passport may be a necessity for those trips.  

 

Reasons not to get a passport: 

- Passports are pretty expensive, and they have an expiration date, whereas you almost certainly have a birth certificate, and it will never expire.   

- Yes, they're good for 9 1/2 years (can't cruise with a passport that's going to expire within 6 months), but if you're just going to cruise once or twice in that time, it's an expensive item to keep in your home safe.  Said differently, it's only a good value if you're using it.  

- A passport is some trouble to obtain:  a picture, a birth certificate, a form, waiting.  The birth certificate alone is easier, and I assume you have a driver's license.

- Passports do not make boarding/disembarking a cruise ship any easier or faster. 

- The reality is that once you're on a cruise ship, you're probably not going to leave until the scheduled time -- passport or no passport: 

Regardless of what's in your wallet, you won't be able to fly home until you reach an island, and that may be as much as two days. 

Once you reach that island, its small airport may or may not have a flight going anywhere near your house on the day you arrive at the island. 

If you can buy a ticket, it will be last minute, which is another word for expensive.  

- If you fear the ship leaving you behind on an island, it would be about 10000 Xs easier to buy a watch than to deal with getting yourself home (with or without a passport).  

I just cruised in May with my passport that expired in June - no issue. 

Carnival Magic is in NY in July.  That would be a long cruise to Alaska.  Sign me up 😄 

Thanks for the great review! I have yet to venture to Alaska but its on my list.

Looking forward to your Magic trip. I just got off Magic last week. You are going to love Inga at Alchemy. 

I ordered a Malibu and pepsi last week on Magic to see how it was- and the waiter brought me a Malibu bay breeze 😄 I took that as a sign it wouldn't be any good. 

We just got off a suite on Magic.  There was a silver thing about halfway up the tub- one direction closed it one directed opened the drain, although fully open it still sometimes drained very slowly.  Hope this helps 

On 5/29/2019 at 8:01 AM, ABQrobin said:

 

On the App you check in how many people you have, and then request table.  It does not ask table size or area in room.  You have exactly 10 minutes to arrive and claim the table or it cancels.  So you need to be dressed and walking that way before you do the App.  If you want to request a certain area of dining room, dining team, you can't use the App.  

When your table is ready, if you wish to request a certain team, you just go to the counter and make the request.  So long as the team has a table open, they will move you. I requested a server on my first night on the Magic this week.  By the second or third night they just assigned me to his team automatically and I was with him the rest of the cruise.  

Editing to answer the more recent post- I didn't need to do this but I think on the carnival site you can link your other cabins for dining. When I checked in on the app, it allowed me to check in everyone or just some of my room- I don't recall if you could check in other rooms. It does say for parties larger then 10 you have to go to the desk.  

On 5/20/2019 at 11:34 AM, erikaem86 said:

This is a cool new feature.  It didn't exist 12 months ago when I was on the Sunrise, or at at least I wasn't aware of it.

Deleting because I just realized this post is two years old