Havana Retreat open to everyone after 7pm?

[soccersharon]

On 3/5/2021 at 7:36 AM, ProgRockCruiser said:

And maybe this is where the RFID wristbands or similar (e.g. Medallion) may be the way to go - you can't enter if the door won't open for you...

Not sure about now, but on the Vista in 2016, we have Havana stickers on our S&S cards as well.

[BlerkOne]

I can't think of anything that would be reasonable for Carnival to implement that couldn't be thwarted, at least as far as access goes.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

I can't think of anything that would be reasonable for Carnival to implement that couldn't be thwarted, at least as far as access goes.

On a few of the newer NCL ships they have the Vibe Club, which you pay extra for and has very limited passes available for sale.  There is a separate key card that you need that opens the door for admittance.  All Carnival would have to do is swap out one of these doors for the carousel door in the Havana Bar that allows anybody to walk through.

[dread_pirate]

Well, I've never been in Havana Cabana and booked it on the Mardi Gras. Based on larger, more popular Havana areas, I'm wondering about the privacy of the patio area. That's my main concern with this stateroom. Any issues?

Thanks.

[Jasonsterling]

On 3/4/2021 at 5:25 PM, BlerkOne said:

Of course, some might occasionally find wrist bands for sale on Ebay.

Yeah but that would be a bit of a crap shoot- the bands change colors over time- not sure how frequently but they do change. So, someone would have to buy every color they could find for everyone in their party that wanted to use the area at the same time and then still not be certain that they'd have the right one's with them, lol. Definitely easier to just book it, lol. Plus, the Havana pool area while nice isn't worth all that trouble imho and on the new mega ships coming out it looks pretty lame and bland in addition- maybe to increase interest in Loft 19 which looks far nicer. I don't think I'd pay the upcharge for the Mardi Gras/Celebration layouts to be honest. 

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, dread_pirate said:

Well, I've never been in Havana Cabana and booked it on the Mardi Gras. Based on larger, more popular Havana areas, I'm wondering about the privacy of the patio area. That's my main concern with this stateroom. Any issues?

Thanks.

You have a problem.  The Havana area on the Mardi Gras is nothing at all like the Havana area on the 3 Vista Class ships (Vista, Horizon, Panorama).  On the Vista Class ships, the area is located on deck 5 aft and has a beautiful view of the wake of the ship.  There are two very large hot tubs, a good size pool and two tiki huts that you can sit under and have your feet in shallow water.

On the MG, the area is deck 8, starboard, with a smaller pool, no hot tubs, no tiki huts and no beautiful view of the wake. Now, getting back to your question.  The only people that have access to walking past your patio area are those who have Havana passes.  If you are on the port side of the ship, there would be less of a possibility for someone from the starboard side or an interior cabin occupant from walking past.  if you're on the starboard side, the possibility would increase slightly.  I say this because the pool and bar are located on the starboard side and someone could in theory walk around the entire front area of the ship to "check things out" as the walkway does go around the perimeter of the Havana cabin area, which takes up the entire front one third of the ship.

If you ever do decide to cruise on one of the Vista Class ships, book the Havana area.  We were on the Horizon for 8 day cruises in August of 2018 and 2019 and had a great time.

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 3/4/2021 at 6:25 PM, BlerkOne said:

Of course, some might occasionally find wrist bands for sale on Ebay.

It just occurred to me, I wonder if the waitstaff in the Havana restricted area would check your room number if you order a drink, perhaps if tipped off by another passenger that you aren't staying in the Havana area (especially if you brag about it, lol), and as a result you get caught?

[SeaHunt]

1 hour ago, SNJCruisers said:

On the Vista Class ships, the area is located on deck 5 aft and has a beautiful view of the wake of the ship.  There are two very large hot tubs, a good size pool and two tiki huts that you can sit under and have your feet in shallow water.

On the MG, the area is deck 8, starboard, with a smaller pool, no hot tubs, no tiki huts and no beautiful view of the wake.

 

ITA it's soooo different! After viewing the photos I kind of doubt anyone will try too hard to "break in" to the MG space 😉

 

The MG Havana "pool" (that's all you get folks!)

 

 

 

compared to Horizon's layout:

 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

It just occurred to me, I wonder if the waitstaff in the Havana restricted area would check your room number if you order a drink, perhaps if tipped off by another passenger that you aren't staying in the Havana area (especially if you brag about it, lol), and as a result you get caught?

Ordering a drink would be a dead giveaway. Or trying to check out a towel. Just bring your own.

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

3 hours ago, Jasonsterling said:

Yeah but that would be a bit of a crap shoot- the bands change colors over time- not sure how frequently but they do change. So, someone would have to buy every color they could find for everyone in their party that wanted to use the area at the same time and then still not be certain that they'd have the right one's with them, lol. Definitely easier to just book it, lol. Plus, the Havana pool area while nice isn't worth all that trouble imho and on the new mega ships coming out it looks pretty lame and bland in addition- maybe to increase interest in Loft 19 which looks far nicer. I don't think I'd pay the upcharge for the Mardi Gras/Celebration layouts to be honest. 

 

Easier just to buy booze on the ship than smuggle it, but it costs more and then there id the thrill of getting away with it.

 

The pools look about the same size to me, but without the hot tubs or wading area.

 

I think all the ships have or will have a locking access door to keep people from just walking around.

[SNJCruisers]

51 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Ordering a drink would be a dead giveaway. Or trying to check out a towel. Just bring your own

The towels are a different color in the Havana area, so you can't bring your own from your cabin if you're not staying in the Havana area.  If you somehow snuck in with the right colored bracelet, you would have to steal a towel while the attendant was away from the towel desk and you could not order a drink there since that would be a dead giveaway that you did not belong.

[BlerkOne]

39 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

The towels are a different color in the Havana area, so you can't bring your own from your cabin if you're not staying in the Havana area.  If you somehow snuck in with the right colored bracelet, you would have to steal a towel while the attendant was away from the towel desk and you could not order a drink there since that would be a dead giveaway that you did not belong.

Take your extra special Walmart beach towel. There is no requirement to use Carnival towels. Put your cocktail from your cabin in your special Walmart Yeti. Only Mrs Kravitz might suspect something.

 

[TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail]

4 hours ago, SeaHunt said:

 

ITA it's soooo different! After viewing the photos I kind of doubt anyone will try too hard to "break in" to the MG space 😉

 

The MG Havana "pool" (that's all you get folks!)

 

 

 

compared to Horizon's layout:

 

The bottom pic is why I paid non-Havana balcony rates for a Havana interior on Horizon.  I might be willing to pay non Havana ocean view for the same Havana interior on Mardi Gras.

[Jasonsterling]

3 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Easier just to buy booze on the ship than smuggle it, but it costs more and then there id the thrill of getting away with it.

 

The pools look about the same size to me, but without the hot tubs or wading area.

 

I think all the ships have or will have a locking access door to keep people from just walking around.

That is true smuggling booze is cheaper but man going back to my room every time I wanted a drink? That walk! Sounds more like work than a vacation, lol. 

[Jasonsterling]

5 hours ago, SeaHunt said:

 

ITA it's soooo different! After viewing the photos I kind of doubt anyone will try too hard to "break in" to the MG space 😉

 

The MG Havana "pool" (that's all you get folks!)

 

 

 

compared to Horizon's layout:

 

I agree, it's doesn't look nearly as nice on the Mardi Gras. I consider say the Vista- it's really well done but the Mardi Gras seems so scaled back- not just the hots tub and tiki covers but the furnishings and decor seem a lit meh in comparison.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Jasonsterling said:

I agree, it's doesn't look nearly as nice on the Mardi Gras. I consider say the Vista- it's really well done but the Mardi Gras seems so scaled back- not just the hots tub and tiki covers but the furnishings and decor seem a lit meh in comparison.

Carnival was more concerned about their Loft 19 area for the suite guests and the Havana area was an afterthought. 

[bdever]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Carnival was more concerned about their Loft 19 area for the suite guests and the Havana area was an afterthought. 

But I thought those who book Havana get access to Loft 19. 

[mondello]

4 hours ago, bdever said:

But I thought those who book Havana get access to Loft 19. 

No, booking a Havana cabin gets you access to the Havana pool and outdoor bar. Access to the Loft 19 retreat would require snagging a reservation to a Loft 19 cabana. Excel Suites have priority in booking the Loft 19 cabanas.

[bdever]

7 hours ago, mondello said:

No, booking a Havana cabin gets you access to the Havana pool and outdoor bar. Access to the Loft 19 retreat would require snagging a reservation to a Loft 19 cabana. Excel Suites have priority in booking the Loft 19 cabanas.

Oh ok, a travel agent states in her YouTube vlog that booking Havana on MardiGras gives you access to loft 19. She mentions it at 11:37 in the video.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by bdever

[BlerkOne]

Tip: Guests staying in Carnival Excel-level suites enjoy complimentary access to Loft 19™, and get priority cabana reservations!

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, bdever said:

Oh ok, a travel agent states in her YouTube vlog that booking Havana on MardiGras gives you access to loft 19. She mentions it at 11:37 in the video.

 

First of all, you're mistaken.  The TA mentions booking an Excel Suite gives you access to Loft 19, not a Havana.  But the TA does not mention that the Havana Cabana balcony rooms are really lanai rooms that have a walkway between the end of your lanai and the railing of the ship, not like a typical balcony.  These lanai rooms have been out for years on the 3 Vista Class ships, so she should have known about them.

[bdever]

1 hour ago, SNJCruisers said:

First of all, you're mistaken.  The TA mentions booking an Excel Suite gives you access to Loft 19, not a Havana.  But the TA does not mention that the Havana Cabana balcony rooms are really lanai rooms that have a walkway between the end of your lanai and the railing of the ship, not like a typical balcony.  These lanai rooms have been out for years on the 3 Vista Class ships, so she should have known about them.

“The only people who have access to Loft 19 are those that are booked in an Excel Suite OR that are booked in a cabana.” - The TA should have clarified. I interpreted the statement being Those who have access are those booked in Excel Suites OR Havana Cabanas. I understood it this way because why would anyone in their right mind pay more money to book a Havana Cabana on Mardi Gras with a mediocre Havana area if there wasn’t additional incentives to do so? 

Edited April 13, 2021 by bdever

[BlerkOne]

15 minutes ago, bdever said:

“The only people who have access to Loft 19 are those that are booked in an Excel Suite OR that are booked in a cabana.” - The TA should have clarified. I interpreted the statement being Those who have access are those booked in Excel Suites OR Havana Cabanas. I understood it this way because why would anyone in their right mind pay more money to book a Havana Cabana on Mardi Gras with a mediocre Havana area if there wasn’t additional incentives to do so? 

Booking a Loft 19 CABANA gives you access to the Loft 19 area. IF there are any left to book after the priority people book them.

 

[bdever]

23 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Booking a Loft 19 CABANA gives you access to the Loft 19 area. IF there are any left to book after the priority people book them.

 

Thank you- clear as crystal now 👍

[Bowman1]

We are booking the Mardi Gras for Nov and looking at the Havana Rooms - can Havana Guests bring Non-Havana Guests to the Havana Pool Area?