lensonlife

Above taken 7/2 on Horizon. Tried to upload a video- unsuccessfully. Yes- lots of white, but no big deal if you don’t wear it! I almost was wishing it had been outside. 

10 minutes ago, beshears said:

Another question, while I'm reading your wonderful review and seeing the pictures.

 

What deck do we get on, and off of?

 

I'm not for sure if your cruise is 6 or more days, but if it is 6, is there one formal night, or two?  If either one, or two, what were the night/s? 

 

As there are 8 of us that plan to go, they "expect" me to get all the info ahead of time, so that is what I'm trying to do. 🙂

We were on an 8 day Southern Caribbean out of Miami- with two elegant nights: I believe it was the first full day at sea (Sunday as we boarded on Saturday), and the next to last day (Friday for us as we disembarked on Sunday). Someone will correct me if I’m wrong! 

22 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I didn't take my DSLR on our cruise last year. I wanted to see how I'd get along with just my iPhone and a new GoPro that I had bought. I only used the GoPro when we snorkeled. I got a great deal on it during Black Friday sales and I'm glad I bought it. I got by just fine without my DSLR, but I did miss having my zoom lens. The digital zoom on smartphones just doesn't cut it sometimes. But my photos still turned out good enough for my liking. I take them for our own keepsakes, I don't post to social media. Now for our March 2020 aboard Horizon, I probably will take my DSLR again because we'll be at Grand Turk during a time when the humpbacks are down there. Obviously no guarantee we'll see one, but if we did and I didn't have a good zoom lens, I'd regret it.

 

These live reviews can be a handy tool, but if I were to do something similar, I think I'd just answer questions at my own leisure instead of a full-on review. If someone asked me something that required going to a spot on the ship or taking a picture, I'd do it when I wasn't doing anything else. Cruise comes first.

Agreed! I appreciate the energy, effort and skill set that goes into making the video clips (not anything I’ve ever tried to do), but I wouldn’t choose to spend a good chunk of my vacation doing it. No judgement towards those who do- we are all entitled to spend our vacations the way we choose. And I agree with you about the lens and the whales. I would bring mine too in that case. Hope you do encounter some and get some great shots. I went on a whale watch many years ago in Maine and saw some- would like to go again. 

3 hours ago, quickrate said:

Thank you for that tip! I'm always headed the wrong direction, even after 33 times on Carnival!! Now, if I can just remember which way increases and which way decrease!!😂

It truly is a great little tid bit! I’ve saved it to my running list! I’m really terrible with navigation! 

On 5/21/2019 at 5:28 PM, Organized Chaos said:

How long does it normally take to go all the way around on the Skyride?

 

Choosing the deck and number of people for the new elevator system seems slow. I don't mean the time it takes to get to actually get to the destination deck, but the touch screen system. You touch it and it seems like the system is pretty slow to speak the the deck number, the car letter,  and finally get back to the touch screen. Doing that for a larger group is going to be a pain. They need to speed up that transition or something.

 

My only suggestion is to avoid vertical videos (taken in portrait mode) because they only look good when viewed on the phone. But you only had a couple of those moments, so that's not so bad. And one of them was the lobby funnel thingy, so I think you were trying to get the whole thing in the shot.

 

Do you feel like you're taking up a lot of your cruise making the reviews and videos? I've seen some that are so involved and include dozens and dozens of photos that it has to take up a big chunk of a person's cruise just to do these things. There was a time in my life when I spent so much time on our vacations or whatever looking through the lens of a video camera and/or taking photos. I reached a point where I had to force myself to ease up. I'd still capture the moment to have for our own keepsakes, but then put the camera down and actually live it and see it through my own eyes. So I'm always curious how others feel who spend a lot of time on their cruise specifically creating review content.

 

 

I actually left my DSLR and lens’ home this trip, shooting exclusively with my iPhone so that I could enjoy the trip and not be confined by my equipment, settings, etc. I totally get what you are saying. 

22 minutes ago, beshears said:

I just seen your posing, and thought I would start reading your review, and see your pictures, which are so helpful.  Actually, up till just today, I had planned on doing the Carnival Sensation ship next spring, but when I seen the date, I knew I we would be coming home around Easter time, and I didn't want that.  Yes, as someone said, most of the reviews I have read, they say the Horizon is so crowded, and long lines, and that is why I had turned it down quite some time ago, but you seen to say that they are not that bad for such a big ship.

 

I was hoping to get "4" Port Hole rooms, but I don't believe this ship has more than 2 of those rooms on each side of the ship.

 

I'm looking forward to reading MORE information about the Horizon ship here.

We were on the Horizon over this last 4th of July holiday- I imagine it was at full capacity. We booked our cruise before the Horizon ever set sail, and after reading several negative reviews I started to worry that I might regret the decision we’d made. All that said, we were VERY pleased with our vacation!!! The crowds did not impact our vacation at all- she never had to hustle for a chair on deck (we mostly were over in the Tides area), were able to utilize the pools and hot tubs frequently, entertainment, etc. We really had a GREAT time! 

I didn’t even know this was a thing!!! 

22 hours ago, pianoplayerla said:

Yes. Better safe, than sorry. 

They never asked to see ours but I brought it!! 

23 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

This was my personal terror before our family cruise last month- that my daughter/son in law/grandson would show up at the port without their passports.

 

I gently told my daughter- GIVE ME YOUR PASSPORTS! I'll give them back to you at the port, but if I have them then I'll know that they will be there waiting for you... and that's exactly what happened.... problem solved for me, anyway!

That was our personal terror last month too (well, before the Jet Blue fiasco). VT changed the licensure practice the very week my son needed to renew his license (he turned 18) and they issued a paper temporary identification. It does have a photo on it- but I was worried it wouldn’t be accepted because paper temporary licenses without photos are on the unaccepted docs list. So we were told to keep his expired license and use that in addition to the paper license- the permanent licenses come in the mail- 2 weeks, and we weren’t going to have it in time. Well, HE LOST THE EXPIRED LICENSE 😳! I was imagining having to leave my barely 18 year old son in Miami. Carnival said they didn’t think there would be any problem with the temp photo identification, but I still felt very uncertain about it! I kept it under lock and key. And then his permanent license came the day before we left!!! It was a miracle. I was a wreck every time we pulled it from the file of documents 😂

33 minutes ago, coevan said:

We always have trouble going back to the cabin after a night of partying. We have to look left and right to finds the even numbers. 😄

I have totally ended up way lost before, but always meet the best people when I’m lost! 🤪😂

5 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

See, my issue is whether or not to keep them in their original box or not. If you do keep them in the original box, would they suspect it, open it, and ultimately, confiscate it? Likewise, if you remove them from the original box, will they suspect tampering?

They might open the original box, but there’s no harm done. 

I followed the rules- there wasn’t anything I needed that I couldn’t get on the ship. But I did bring two bottles of wine (my husband doesn’t drink it), and I really was quite shocked that they never even opened my backpack to inspect it. Sent it through the scanner and sent me on my way. Obviously they saw the bottles in a scan, but if I was a real dare devil, I could have refilled them with something much higher in proof than wine 🤪. One bottle of wine came back home- plenty onboard! 🤗

We recently cruised the Horizon- my daughter and her guy were in another stateroom linked to ours, and we all had YTD. One night she checked us in for dinner (elegant night of all nights), but neglected to include both staterooms- so they were prepared for a party of 2 and not SIX. I imagined that this might be a disaster for them, but they handled it with such grace and professionalism, and we promptly ended up with the best table we had of all our dining experiences in the MDR (very near the windows at sunset). I don’t know that this answers your question, but perhaps provides you with a scenario of what not to do (because there’s no guarantee you’ll get that perfect table, be seated promptly, and it’s just very inconvenient for the staff obviously). 

5 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Carnival explicitly states FTTF is not offered on Journeys cruises. The reason is there are so many Platinums and Diamonds on these cruises.l

 

For all other cruises (except departure ports where FTTF is not offerred) the number of FTTF sold is based on the number of Platinums and Diamonds expected to be onboard.  Closer to departure, if Platinum and Diamond bookings have not materialized as expected, Carnival will release more FTTF for sale. As a general rule, shorter cruises and older ships tend to attract fewer Platinums and Diamonds, so those cruises will have more FTTF slots for sale.

Thank you! That makes so much sense. 

30 minutes ago, jhp8 said:

This may seem like an odd question, but are we the only ones who have trouble with the converted king beds.  Every night on our last cruise, the bed kept separating to the point we had to reset the bed a couple times per night (since they are really two twins).  I don't remember this on previous cruises.  Is there a trick from keeping this from happening?

 No, ours seemed to be separating too. We were on the Horizon and I don’t remember that being an issue when we were on the Sunshine. 

Yes, please do yourself a favor and call Carnival directly to book your vacation. This sounds like horrible customer service! I had nothing but exceptional service when booking direct with Carnival. 

Is there any guess as to why it’s offered later with new ships or Journeys? I’m sailing on Radiance in June 2020. I know it’s too early for FTTF (and I’m on the fence about it anyway). Just curious! 

3 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

This is probably a minor detail, but I thought I'd throw it out there. At some ports, terminal employees (not Carnival) will watch the escalator and stop some carrying off their own luggage from using the escalators. They say it's unsafe, so they make them use the elevator, which then usually has a long line. Saw this in Miami last year and have read about it happening at other terminals, too. Just one more thing to consider if you're trying to get out quickly.

When we were getting off in Miami (we carried our own luggage off), I noticed they were very actively working the escalators- grabbing luggage from guests just as quick as they could reach it- probably to avoid accidents/injury. I didn’t see them saying anything- but it makes absolute sense. One misstep... 

7 hours ago, Stick93 said:

This post is hilarious -

 

Image this...You book a cruise to get away just you and the wife...BAM! you show up and here is a third wheel in the room - her sister. Now unless this is something you are into, you can kiss away any "romance" for the cruise.

 

Who in G-ds name would let this happen??

 

If Carnival lets you do this please let me know -  as for my brothers next trip I am putting my mother in their room - Don't worry I will pay for the whole cabin as long as they don't know before they get there!

 

I think the OP should stay with Norwegian as with you paid fare that might be one of the 5 perks they are offering.

My exact thoughts! 😂 

Off the Horizon two weeks ago. I feel like they pretty much just had melon and bananas. Maybe watermelon at Blue Iguana. I was disappointed, as was I in the salad bar. When it’s really hot, and after eating so much heavy food, I was just wanting to put together a good salad. 

On 7/18/2019 at 1:56 PM, Cruzlover7 said:

I agree with the others sailing out of NY is great. Check out my pics. 

Thank you for posting these!!! I love NYC! We live in VT and visit when we can. Excited to sail to Eastern Caribbean on Radiance next June! 

1 minute ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

This is so helpful.  I think we will buy the Bubbles for our four teens/tweens in their stateroom.  Then DH and I and our little two can just bring on a few 12-packs.  I can't see us drinking more than one or two a day. 
If we request ice for our Tumblers, will the bartenders be willing to provide us a cup of ice?

You can get as much ice as you want from the dispensers in Lido! It’s good, crushed ice- and anyone can access it- no extra fee! 

23 minutes ago, comiso13 said:

I was usually given a full glass of ice and soda, not the can unless it filled the glass.  They sometimes did leave me the whole can, tipping helps, lol, but it varied.  But with BB I could always get another soda anytime.

 

Maybe it’s ship by ship? I just got off the Horizon two weeks ago today. I think if you drink a lot of soda- BB is a no brainer. When I drank a lot of diet Coke- I could have not purchased this. But today I just drink an occasional gingerale. 

1 minute ago, Shaded Lady said:

That might have been me, and I attached a picture of it above!

Yes, you!!!! 🤗 I had it saved, but got a new phone and lost a lot of information as I had not backed up. I’m glad you posted!