Carnival Venezia | September 16 - September 23, 2023

[RoadTravelled]

Il Viaggio Announced — Carnival has just announced the addition of a new specialty dining concept that will be added to the Venezia sailings.  It is called Il Viaggio and will showcase Italy's finest cuisine.  Reservations are now open.  Having just spent 3 weeks exploring Italy, I'm very excited about trying this out.  It is not currently showing on the official deck plan.  But, an educated guess would be that it will be located aft of the steakhouse on deck 5 in the space currently marked as "Fun to be Revealed."  

Edited May 8, 2023 by RoadTravelled
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[RoadTravelled]

On 5/2/2023 at 10:29 AM, randy1965 said:

Do they do the meet and mingle I can't find it.

 

@randy1965 Cruise Critic has paused the online sign-up for these at this point.  See below details.

 

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, RoadTravelled said:

Il Viaggio Announced — Carnival has just announced the addition of a new specialty dining concept that will be added to the Venezia sailings.  It is called Il Viaggio and will showcase Italy's finest cuisine.  Reservations are now open...

Thanks for the heads-up  - we booked for both weeks. Would love to see an actual menu.

[butterfly55]

On 4/30/2023 at 12:13 PM, RoadTravelled said:

 

@butterfly55 this is really great information!  We are arriving 3 days prior as well before the cruise and have been searching for places to stay.  We were in NYC in February and stayed a block from Times Square near Bryant Park.  It was a great location, wonderful room with views, and reasonably priced.  We never felt unsafe in the neighborhood although very crowded area of course. 

 

We tried booking for this upcoming trip and the price is almost 3 times what we paid.  Looking around it seems all of the hotels are that way.  It must be "high season" with the fall leaf tours, conventions, etc.

 

Anyway, this idea of Weehawken, NJ looks like a great possibility.  Looking at short-term rental apartments, the prices are much more reasonable and the access to Manhattan is very easy it seems.  And, it seems like a great place to explore.

 

Thanks for the tip!

You are very welcome.

 

[RoadTravelled]

On 5/8/2023 at 5:48 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Thanks for the heads-up  - we booked for both weeks. Would love to see an actual menu.

Here is the full menu just posted by John Heald on his page.  Yummy!

 

[randy1965]

Whern i made the resiveration in march the website said that JiJi's asian resturant was on option I went on my booking three weeks ago to make a resiveration and it said it was sold out, so I called to see if they where going to open more resiverations and was told they migght to check back every couple weeks went on my booking today and its not even listed as a resturant option at all, I called spoke with a supervisor and they don't know anything about it JIJi's resturant being on this ship?

[RoadTravelled]

9 hours ago, randy1965 said:

Whern i made the resiveration in march the website said that JiJi's asian resturant was on option I went on my booking three weeks ago to make a resiveration and it said it was sold out, so I called to see if they where going to open more resiverations and was told they migght to check back every couple weeks went on my booking today and its not even listed as a resturant option at all, I called spoke with a supervisor and they don't know anything about it JIJi's resturant being on this ship?

 

If you go back to my December post on this thread, I have a screen shot of the 6 specialty restaurants that were open at the time.  It included JiJi's asian restaurant.  As you have noted, now I only see 4 restaurants in my booking, with Cucina del Capitano being replaced with the newly announced Il Viagio (see above).  And, JiJi's is not listed.

 

I'm guessing that as plans evolved for the transformation of this ship from Costa to Carnival and they tried to figure out where all of the venues would be, this restaurant got dropped.  Or, it was just simply an IT error that was finally caught that this restaurant didn't exist on this ship.

 

Maybe someone on the inaugural cruise coming up in a couple of weeks can help us confirm what is and isn't on the ship?

[AFS1970]

I got the feeling that the Ji Ji listing was an IT error, and it was never planned for this ship.

 

NYC is still for the most part just as safe or unsafe as it has been in recent memory. What worries me more are the stories I am reading about hotel reservations being altered/canceled because of government contracts to address specific short term housing issues. 

 

Ove at [that other website] DW tells me there are several things being planned for our cruise. As so much is unknown, it is kind of hard to plan anything, but anyone have any ideas?

[Haljo1935]

This is week 1 of B2B for us and excited for the awesome views going out of/coming into NY. We are aft 7 (diff cabins) both weeks.

According to @Jamman54 Lady Liberty and NY views will best be enjoyed from both sides at different times, so although I've never done one, I thought a "Sail-a-Way Crawl" would be a fun way to enjoy the views w/o the crowds. We'd open our balcony if anyone is interested in participating. We're Port 7 aft - need at least 1 Starboard and hopefully a true aft.

Thanks @Jamman54 for letting me post your comment from the other thread and apologies for not asking first 🙄

 

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

This is week 1 of B2B for us and excited for the awesome views going out of/coming into NY. We are aft 7 (diff cabins) both weeks.

According to @Jamman54 Lady Liberty and NY views will best be enjoyed from both sides at different times, so although I've never done one, I thought a "Sail-a-Way Crawl" would be a fun way to enjoy the views w/o the crowds. We'd open our balcony if anyone is interested in participating. We're Port 7 aft - need at least 1 Starboard and hopefully a true aft.

Thanks @Jamman54 for letting me post your comment from the other thread and apologies for not asking first 🙄

 

 

No problem at all! 😎

 

[Haljo1935]

Originally we were not getting a hotel prior to embarking on the 16th, but our flight has now changed, so we will be staying 1 night only on Fri 9/15.

We're a party of 2 - my sister and I as DH is not coming.

Searching through American Airlines, which uses booking.com, there are quite a few independent homes/apts with good reviews (of course, those can be faked) all near JFK (that's where we arrive) over to the cruise terminal. 

Questions:

1) Is the area w/in a 5 mile radius of JFK safe?

2) Should we stay closer to the cruise terminal?

3) Should we pass on independents and consider only hotels?

4) Knowing we will not have a rental (my southern car-dependent sister doesn't understand how we'll get around w/o a car, lol) will there be sufficient dining options nearby? I do love a good NY diner.

5) Will either location afford us an opportunity to see anything Sat AM before we head to the cruise terminal?

6) Will it be too far and/or too rushed to show her Times Square? Will they be having the Market Sat?

7) Return flight Fri Sept 29 departs 4pm JFK - will we have time to see anything?

 

Thanks for any suggestions, tips and answers!

[RoadTravelled]

18 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Originally we were not getting a hotel prior to embarking on the 16th, but our flight has now changed, so we will be staying 1 night only on Fri 9/15.

We're a party of 2 - my sister and I as DH is not coming.

Searching through American Airlines, which uses booking.com, there are quite a few independent homes/apts with good reviews (of course, those can be faked) all near JFK (that's where we arrive) over to the cruise terminal. 

Questions:

1) Is the area w/in a 5 mile radius of JFK safe?

2) Should we stay closer to the cruise terminal?

3) Should we pass on independents and consider only hotels?

4) Knowing we will not have a rental (my southern car-dependent sister doesn't understand how we'll get around w/o a car, lol) will there be sufficient dining options nearby? I do love a good NY diner.

5) Will either location afford us an opportunity to see anything Sat AM before we head to the cruise terminal?

6) Will it be too far and/or too rushed to show her Times Square? Will they be having the Market Sat?

7) Return flight Fri Sept 29 departs 4pm JFK - will we have time to see anything?

 

Thanks for any suggestions, tips and answers!

 

 

@Haljo1935  We are actually arriving on the 13th to spend some time in NYC, a city we love to explore.  We have opted to stay in West New York, New Jersey, on the other side of the Hudson River.  It's an easy bus ride across the river that stops at the Port Authority Bus stop (one block from Times Square).  Or, you can hop the ferry over which is fun as well.  And, of course, the cruise terminal is on the Hudson, not too far from there.

I would not personally recommend you stay near JFK on your arrival.  It's a long ride (taxi, ride-share, etc.) to get to the cruise terminal.  And, if you want to see a bit of NYC before then, that would just eat up time and add complexity.  I would highly recommend something closer to the cruise terminal.  We looked at hotels nearby but due to the season, the rates are extremely high.  That's why we opted for an apartment which was cheaper and of course much more space.

Of course while in NYC, the best way to get around is by subway or just hail a taxi.  A car is a real disadvantage to have.  The subway is really easy to use and you can now just use your credit card or smartphone to tap and go to get in the turnstiles.

 

Hope that helps.  Really looking forward to this cruise and exploring this new Carnival ship.

[Haljo1935]

Thanks @RoadTravelled this does help. Yes, the hotel prices closer to the terminal have been outrageous, which led us to consider other options. It's just kinda scary to think about an independent house or apt when you're 2 females in a big, strange place (strange as in unknown, not strange as in weird, lol, although I guess Times Square can be weird 🤭).

I sure have experienced enough NY traffic to know I want nothing to do with driving a car, but that just doesn't click for my sister, so I'm sure I'll hear about it all the time until we actually get out of the taxi at the terminal, lol.

I was thrilled we wouldn't have to worry about hotels, but with the flight change we have no choice.

I am soooo looking forward to this cruise and can't await to see the sights from the balcony leaving NY. Blessed to be B2B so I get to experience it twice. 🤭

[lin14534]

On 4/13/2023 at 7:03 PM, butterfly55 said:

Hi Everyone, I am in a group of three couples going on this cruise. We live in Rochester. The group want to take the train over instead of flying. Any thoughts? Is anyone staying overnight in NYC and if so any recommendations? 

We are very excited to see this new ship. I have seen some UTube videos about the boat including the link you posted RoadTraveled with Christine Duffy. I am hoping to see more updated ones once the boat is in use.

Hi - we are three sisters from Rochester also taking this 9/16 cruise.  Debating about driving or taking the train.  I’m definitely interested in finding out about your decision to stay in NJ before the cruise.  How did you find the apartment and how are you getting to the cruise terminal?  Thanks!!!

[butterfly55]

44 minutes ago, lin14534 said:

Hi - we are three sisters from Rochester also taking this 9/16 cruise.  Debating about driving or taking the train.  I’m definitely interested in finding out about your decision to stay in NJ before the cruise.  How did you find the apartment and how are you getting to the cruise terminal?  Thanks!!!

OMG, that is amazing that there is another poster from Rochester. Do you want my email address? We can discuss topics for the cruise without going through CC. That way I can give you more information. that others might not be interested in.

[lin14534]

That would be great - mine is lin14534@yahoo.com

[Haljo1935]

Is anyone starting to get serious about excursions? We had been planning on the fall foliage tour in Halifax, put it in cart a couple times,, but never booked. Yesterday we see it's sold out. So now we're looking for options.

There's not much to be found on other sites. Could we expect independent tours to be available in Halifax or does anyone know of any?

[lin14534]

On 7/11/2023 at 11:55 AM, butterfly55 said:

OMG, that is amazing that there is another poster from Rochester. Do you want my email address? We can discuss topics for the cruise without going through CC. That way I can give you more information. that others might not be interested in.

Yes please give me your email address - mine is lin14534@yahoo.com

[luvs2beachit]

On 7/15/2023 at 1:03 AM, Haljo1935 said:

Is anyone starting to get serious about excursions? We had been planning on the fall foliage tour in Halifax, put it in cart a couple times,, but never booked. Yesterday we see it's sold out. So now we're looking for options.

There's not much to be found on other sites. Could we expect independent tours to be available in Halifax or does anyone know of any?

Halifax is a lovely port to just walk around and explore.  The boardwalk is very nice and there is lots to see and places to eat.  There are also some independent sightseeing  tours offered right from the pier.  I don't have any firsthand information about the pier tours but maybe someone else on this thread will be able to jump in with details.

[luvs2beachit]

I was on the 6/27 Venezia cruise and can confirm that there is no JiJi's on the ship. What they did have was a small Asian buffet set up by the aft pool area at the Seafood Shack for lunch on most days.  

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by luvs2beachit

[AFS1970]

42 days out and getting that cruising itch.

 

DW found someone on social media who made T-Shirts for this cruise, so we bought them. Also doing the Cruise Ducks for the first time. 

 

Since there are no more formal CC receptions on most lines, anyone on here got any ideas for anything interesting?

[Haljo1935]

48 minutes ago, AFS1970 said:

42 days out and getting that cruising itch.

 

DW found someone on social media who made T-Shirts for this cruise, so we bought them. Also doing the Cruise Ducks for the first time. 

 

Since there are no more formal CC receptions on most lines, anyone on here got any ideas for anything interesting?

Hi - also haven't seen anything along the lines of a Meet n Greet/Meet n Mingle but I did suggest a Sail Away Crawl and offered our balcony to participate for anyone wanting to see Statue of Liberty and the harbor from various cabins. Let me know if you're interested - I don't know the original post number, but it is in this thread.

[AFS1970]

We have a (new to us) 14th deck balcony with no roof, I haven't looked to see if we are on the statue side yet. 

 

I know there are a couple of meetups, one for trading ducks, a shot glass exchange, some sort of slot pull. All being coordinated over at the thing that claims to be a book but isn't. As I don't do Social Media, I leave that sort of thing up to DW.

 

I have thought about trying to put together a family feud team, since you need 4 to compete. DW doesn't want to do that but I think it might be kind of fun. 

[Haljo1935]

@AFS1970 I am not on FB, so I  won't see the other things being arranged; if it's not here on CC Roll Call I won't know about it.🫣

Post #34 has my question about sail away crawl and @Jamman54 good info about the timing of seeing key sights at sail away.

[AFS1970]

@Haljo1935 I am not on FB either, but since DW is, I get to know about events. I will post details for some of the events here later.