lensonlife

2 minutes ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

If we brought a 12-pack per person do we have to carry it around until our stateroom is ready?

Yes- best to have it in your luggage. Or some rolling luggage. I have seen a rolling tote mentioned here before- someone had purchased it on Amazon, and was able to fit 4 12-packs in it and it met size requirements. 

I observed that individuals with Bottomless Bubbles were given cans of soda. And when I purchase soda (no BB), I was given a can. 

We were not new to Carnival, but I learned a lot I didn’t know about Carnival and the Horizon by accessing these boards for our last cruise which ended two weeks ago and I definitely think it enhanced our vacation experience! We also went post-graduation (my son). Enjoy your vacation!!! We’ve already booked another- so more planning! 🤗 🚢 🏝☀️

I think I paid about $2.95 all said and done for a gingerale on the Horizon- I got off the ship two weeks ago. 

I just posted about Carnival finding and sending back to me some purchased photos I had inadvertently thrown away in our cabin before we disembarked. I didn’t realize I didn’t have them until I was home, and at that point thought I may have thrown them, but couldn’t be sure I didn’t lose them in the airport. I had the USB, so I never reported the loss to Carnival. This week a package came from Carnival- they found and returned my images! We haven’t even been off the ship for two weeks. I am very impressed! 

Just before we exited our room I had accidentally thrown the pictures away I purchased- I thought I threw away the folder of scraps I didn’t want. When I got home, I realized I had the scraps and NOT the pictures! There were 6- 8x10’s 😩! I still had the USB at least! 

Our room steward obviously found the photos in the trash, because today they were in the mail!! I ❤️ Carnival! 

I find this fascinating! I had NO idea there was a nude cruise! Hey, whatever floats their boat! You only live once. And I honestly probably stand more of a chance catching something from cross contamination at the buffet- or touching the lever to fill an ice cream cone. 

6 hours ago, JaniceB said:

For me the specialty dining was a welcome relief from the large dining room.  It really felt like we were not on a ship with 4,000 people.  

I think that’s one of the things that felt soooo good to me too- especially on the last night. It felt like an oasis. 😌

On 7/13/2019 at 12:56 PM, lensonlife said:

I’m booking on the Radiance out of NYC next June to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Grand Turk- slim pickings. Just my husband and I! 25 years together, 22 years of marriage and several children later... this will be our first vacation ALONE, and it’s much needed. We’re choosing Lido, which is ironic because with the kids we always chose deck five and six 😂. Also first time choosing and cabin with a balcony. That said, much of this decision was based on offering- inside cabins were deck one or front of ship- I don’t want those. So, please help me choose the side of the ship I want to be on. Right now 9281, 82, 87, 88, and 94 is available on Lido.

 

Also, if anyone has any huge opinions about this itinerary, please speak up! I really want to avoid flying next summer- my husband would like to go to Bermuda, but I don’t like that the sailing out of NYC only allows one day there and several days onboard. 

We booked! But in the end, found and chose an inside cabin on LIdo that we think will work out (I found review of adjacent room and it was positive re: lack of noise)- it’s not under waterworks (forward). Now that we have another cruise planned, I feel like I can move on with the other parts of my life 😂. 

5 hours ago, NW2sun said:

We are going on this cruise in 2 weeks.  Did you notice is there a port that you can get your hair braided?  Was it on the beach?  If so what beach?   TIA

Yes- I saw them offering at Grand Turk for sure and since we walked from the ship to Jacks Shack, it had to of been very near port. Pretty sure I saw it at another port too, but definitely Grand Turk. 

On 7/13/2019 at 9:22 PM, jbethel11 said:

Glad to see y'all made it onboard! JetBlue did the right thing, and that is precisely why I patronize them. 

Reimbursement hit my account today! 🙂

1 minute ago, Baddabing said:

I just got off the phone with Carnival and Unfortunately we will not have a fridge in our room. I guess I'll bring some soft coolers.

Ack! I hadn’t even taken into consideration ship. 😥

We got off the Horizon last Sunday. My favorite was the italian- and had we not saved it for the last night, I think I would have eaten there several more nights. I loved the ambiance, and I thought the food was really good! 

We follow the dress code, but I can assure you that on “elegant” night in MDR- people were wearing printed tees, shorts, and flip flops (and not to be confused with a dressier “flip flop”). I would not allow my son or husband to wear screen printed T-shirt’s to MDR even on a casual night. They would wear a short sleeved button up or polo. But many others do. And at the end of the day, we all coexisted and had a nice meal! 

19 hours ago, Baddabing said:

I have a balcony room on the 5th floor. Is there a fridge in there rooms? 

Yes! I had previously read that the fridges did not stay very cold due to poor ventilation- they are enclosed in a cabinet. I propped the cabinet door open (obviously not the fridge door), and our fridge kept our water and my wine very cold. 

Twice I brought a glass of wine from my stateroom into MDR. Absolutely no issue, and your room steward will replace your glass. 

Regarding Eagle Beach, I wanted to add that when the beach chairs (or rather, loungers) ran out, they started to rent those plastic Adirondack chairs for the same price of $20. Then when people vacated the loungers for the day, others who had the Adirondack chairs asked the people who rented them the chair if they could switch for a lounger and they said no! The people were so mad! And then watched them re-rent the lounger to the new person. 

As previously posted, our flight out of Worcester did not go as planned and we ended up flying out of Boston the next day. Jet Blue will reimburse us half of what they initially had lead us to believe, but we'll take it (we didn't have insurance) and are just glad to have finally made it to the ship on time. Others didn't- we later found out that some were boarding in Grand Turk! I don't know if it was from the same snafu, but obviously it happens- and I do know that Jet Blue didn't extend the same courtesy to others (like complementary Lyft rides to Boston) as they did our family) because I met up with them in Boston. And the airline representatives wanted to know what happened- "did you all miss your flight?". On our way back home, Jet Blue was once again twice delayed- but less of an urgency there (and at least not cancelled). 

I booked our cruise on the Horizon in February 2018- prior to sailing, and was excited to sail the mega ship. But then started to worry after reading reviews of there simply being too few amenities (pools) or space (liquid lounge) to accommodate the sheer number of passengers, and was second guessing our commitment. I actually started to feel this doom right up until a few weeks before sailing when I just started to focus more on the ports and less on the ship itself. 

So much fuss about nothing!!!! 

The Horizon is a beautiful ship. I had no issues at full capacity during a holiday week. I thought I would have to get up at 5:00 every morning to get a deck chair. And the first day out, I did! After that, I way did not and I never had a problem finding a chair. Also, I never had an issue getting into a pool- in fact, I spent quite a bit of time in the pools (which is SOOOOO unlike me), but it was really nice! I have actually never done that on a cruise and now I am sold on wading in the shallow sections on those pool sides. I really like the Tides area- maybe there were more chairs there than over in the crazy Lido section. I also accessed the Havana section one night and that was very relaxing (there really truly is, nobody there- I highly recommend it). 

Entertainment:

We saw the Love & Marriage show in the Liquid Lounge and yes- those pillars are a real problem. I had done some homework from reading reviews here and we went in and went straight to the left and sat in the back, but still had to maneuver a little. My husband is 6' 6", so we don't want to block anyone's view, or be blocked- and, the show before us hardly emptied which created a bit of a problem for guest coming in. That said, Love & Marriage is hysterical!!! And NAUGHTY! HAHAHA! There was a couple whom I believe was married for like 56 years and THEY WERE THE BEST!!! CD Mike, was and is ridiculously funny (and so energetic).

Adult Comedy in the Punchliner was so funny, we went back. My daughter and her partner went for a 3rd show and they said he was even funnier than the first guy (which is hard to believe because I was about to pee myself). 

The white party and 90's party were great fun!

We did a lot of other things... trivia (just a relaxing family activity), danced my face off in the night clubs, and listened to some live music (great duo in Pig & Anchor). 

Dining:

We ate in the MDR 3 times, and I was VERY pleased with our service every night. We never shared a table, and never sat in the same place (we ate on both floors) and once by the windows at sunset which felt like a privilege. Our orders were taken very quickly, came quickly, and met expectations! We ordered more than one of lots of things every night and they were very happy to give us everything we wanted. My son is very picky, and one night he asked for only 2 sides of the baked mac and cheese. Our server thought that was very funny and brought him FIVE! And my son was very grateful! We had YTD, and were always seated within 10-15 minutes- I don't think we ever ate before 7:30 and one night at 8:45. 

We ate at Cucina Del Capitano on our last night, and it stole my heart. I loved the atmosphere as much as the food. And the servers. I would have eaten there at least 3 or 4 times had I known it was so sweet! 

Pizzeria Del Capitano is still just as good as ever! I never had to wait long and it was always hot out of the oven. I ate at the Blue Iguana 3 times, 2 x's for breakfast burritos and 1x for a taco salad. The burritos were good. The taco shell was stale- I think the air got to it 😥. My family was disappointed with Guys- said they were "okay", but not worth waiting in the long lines for. We loved the Seafood Shack. Wished they had tartar sauce, but like that buffalo sauce!

We also enjoyed lunch at Mongolian Wok and it was good. We waited an hour and a half for a lunch "reservation". They closed at 2:30, but honored everyone who was waiting. The poor hostess was so taxed, she was probably the most overwhelmed I'd seen of all the Carnival Horizon staff. Not rude, but clearly ready to cry and lose it. It was so obvious to everyone there. I hope they get that worked out. Service and food was quick once we were seated. 

Beverages: 

We did not purchase Cheers or Bubbles. We did not bring anything on board except for wine and I only drank one bottle (my husband doesn't drink wine). Our bar tab totaled around $400. I went back and forth about Cheers and obviously am glad we didn't do that. That said, I brought plenty enough money- I didn't plan to restrict our beverage budget in any way. But in the end we didn't come close to spending what I thought we might. The heat just is not conducive to heavy drinking every single day (I did indulge one night, then sipped, and went a couple days without any). The kids drank water, lemonade, and ordered a few soda/milkshakes with their own spending money that we gave them ($100 each). 

Excursions/Ports: 

In Curacao, we paid for the Willemstad walking day tour. We liked it very much and I really love Curacao- a lot of beautiful local art. In Grand Turk, we walked to Jacks Shack and rented chairs/umbrellas (maybe $10 each) and enjoyed the beach and water. It was a peaceful day and a favorite (my kids loved all the dogs- so many of them). In Aruba, we took a taxi to and from Eagle Beach and rented two beach chairs and an umbrella ($40). I wanted to rent three chairs, but they would not allow me to do that- seems they only rent them in pairs of two. My two kids and I also ended up separated from my older daughter and her partner who they set up further down the beach. The bartender was very nice- the people setting up the chairs, not so much. But none of that mattered. I could have sat in the sand- that's what I was there for anyway- sun, sand and sea. Aruba was my favorite beach. Taxi's were $15/party each way. 

Other things: 

This has been mentioned a lot I know. I grew up in a household of smokers (and they all still smoke). I do not dislike smokers. But walking through that casino takes me right back to my childhood when I riding in a car with the windows up. 

My daughter who turned 14 two days ago figured the elevators out in about 5 minutes. Took me a day (or two). They were NOT bad at all. I think people have them figured out (probably in thanks to these boards!). The only time I saw a problem was when they were closed down, or a lot of people moving at once- forcing people to take the stairs. And that's really only a problem for people with bad knees or disabilities. 

There was some significant motion on this cruise- to the point where one night, I had to hold the walls walking back to the cabin because I thought I was going to fall down. And I was sober! My daughters partner thought he too was going to fall down, but he was not sober LOL! I had felt the motion for several days- it was only really bad for 1-2 days. What made it worse was that our inside cabin was CREAKING! And it was loud and hard to sleep through. I thought it might have something to do with the motion of the ship and asked about it when our steward came to clean our room. He reported to it guest services who responded very quickly. We weren't complaining- just asking about it! They too, observed the noise and sent maintenance who informed us that this had happened on a prior cruise in the same stateroom and that the motion in the ship causes it to creak. He reported that they tried to fix it once, but obviously it didn't work and they can't do it when the room is being occupied because the ceiling, etc. needs to be dismantled. We completely understood. Guest services credited us back for an excursion and paid for our Cucina Del Capitano meal for six. We were very appreciative. Ear plugs and Benadryl helped to get us through (thank God I brought the Benadryl). I was also taking, and continued to take at home some Ginger, and some Nux Vomica stuff. I felt that ships movement 3 days after vacation ended! 

My husband and son "like" Lido Marketplace. I do not. I am often seeking fresh ingredients to make a salad and am disappointed. I get that it may meet the expectations of others, but I do not eat a lot of meat and I just find it lacking. I heard the sandwiches were really good, but the lines were always REALLY long- especially at night. And that floor. I was so fearful for myself and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who ever walked on it. I see them mopping it, but is there not a better flooring material? It's like an ice skating rink. It's incredibly dangerous- regardless of your chosen shoe wear. 

A couple side notes about Lido: they will make you put something over your bathing suit when getting food- I saw them ask a lady in a bathing suit to put something on and she was not happy. And they were not allowing those who were getting soft serve to access toppings from gelato- per my daughter. I tried the iced tea and it was THE WORST iced tea I have ever had in my life 😂! And I like unsweetened tea (or sweetened). I'm a tea drinker! I just couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the day, but after that- it was all water for me. Though I tried the lemonade and it was good. 

We last cruised in November 2015. The swimsuits have changed significantly since then! There is almost no backside 😂. 

I didn't bring a bottle opener and both onboard and in port, when we purchased buckets of beer we were stuck. On Eagle Beach in Aruba I noticed that the family sitting next to us had some Reef sandals and I asked the grandfather if I could borrow his shoes to open my beer. That might be a first (and a last for me). We all laughed about it! The grandfather said I could borrow his shoes anytime 😂!!! 

The night before we went to bed we went down to pick up our purchased pictures. I had ordered them that morning and was told to come back after 8pm. The lines were HORRENDOUS. I waited in the horrendous line only to be told that the canvas' we ordered needed another 10-20 minutes. So we went and had a drink, listened to a band and came back an hour later- waiting in the line again. They were ready. The next day, I accidentally threw the pictures away (I think I did, but it's possible that they also fell out of my file folder in the airport). Either way, I lost 6 of the physical 8x10 images. I do have the canvas' AND the USB so I can reprint the ones I lost. Thankfully. If you don't have photos taken near the end of the cruise (like we did), don't wait until the last day to order and pick up. 

The HUB app is amazing! We loved it for communicating with each other, seeing what was going on, where we could eat, checking in for dinner, etc. 

WIFI- worked perfectly, but my two teens fought over the one package I purchased. And God forbid I want to use it. Something to think about... 

We did a load of laundry. We were just a few doors down from it so it seemed easy enough and we wanted to re-wear a few of our favorite things. That said, we did not NEED to. We WAY over packed. I mean, probably 75 pounds of clothing too much over packed. Gah. I'll know better next time. I was in my swimsuit a lot, and was able to re-wear some clothes simply because I didn't have them on that long. Anyway- one of the dryers didn't work well and the wet stuff got backed up. People got really annoyed with this because some with little children really DID need the clothing washed ("no clothes"). So it started to get a little grumpy in there. 

We paid for everything in cash- zero issues. Guest services was easily accessible- though lines were long the last night (understandably). We used the ATM in casino twice. 

I feel like I was able to navigate our vacation so much easier having accessed the posts here! Thank you! Look forward to more sunrises, sunsets, and cruising! 

7 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Some of those waiting in the long lines at GS are those who used a debit card and don't have the cash in the connected account available or don't understand how holds work.  

I was 101% dreading the long lines at guest services- especially with the numbers on the Horizon. But I all but walked up to a representative every time I needed to access them for anything (maybe 1-3 people in front of me). WITH the exception of the night before- WORD. That said, we enjoyed a couple drinks and let the line die down. The GS rep also informed us that we could use the Sail & Sign Kiosk to sign out- which she report would give us back our cash in equal dollars (if we were owed $181.30, it will only give us $180). We tried to access that instead of standing in line, but it wouldn't allow us to withdraw the cash. When we asked why, she said it was because our balance was actually spread between ours and the kids (because we had given them allowances). So it's possible if that isn't your case to check out using that IF you or someone is to use cash.

I know this does not answer your question, but I cruised the Horizon over the 4th of July holiday and used all cash and it was very easy! If you have any questions about doing that, I would be glad to answer them. I traveled with a family and set limits for the two youngest. Added cash twice I think, and checked out the night before for a full refund of what was left on our cash account. 

There are also ATM’s onboard if you need to access cash from your bank. Carnival charges $6 to access their ATM and allowed up to a $500 w/d per day- although your bank may have additional fees and w/d limits. I also notified my bank in advance of our trip that we would be sailing. 

And I would agree with the above poster- one or the other. Please remember that dehydration is a valid concern. All soda and no water or other diuretic beverages  combined with intense heat and activity is not good. Not to imply that you don’t know this! My husband actually didn’t get off the ship in Aruba due to sun and heat exposure 😥 

I wanted to add that 2-3 times I purchased a gingerale- $2.95 each! Worth it at the time, but definitely more cost effective to bring onboard 🙂

28 minutes ago, Baddabing said:

Just booked a real quick 4 night Bahamas cruise. I was curious if it is worth it to have the bottle water ordered ahead of time to the room. And is it worth the additional expense to pay for the bubbles package so my wife can drink her soda while on board. I will be bringing 2 bottles of wine 12 cans of soda and 12 cans of club soda. Just looking for info from past cruisers. 

You can order the water once onboard if you decide you still want it- the price doesn’t change. We just got off a Southern Caribbean on the Horizon last Sunday and did not order water, or purchase Cheers or Bubbles for our family of 6 (2 in a separate stateroom). We also did not bring any water or soda onboard. I brought 3 bottles of wine onboard (someone from another stateroom who doesn’t drink wine brought a bottle onboard for me), but I brought two of those bottles home. My husband and I spent about $400 on alcohol. My one son would have drank soda all week, but he was content to drink water and lemonade and honestly- I was worried about dehydration. My daughter doesn’t drink soda. We purchased and brought onboard these 32 ounce Hydro Cell insulated bottles from Amazon- excellent purchase! Next time I’ll purchase the 64 ounce one to fill and keep cold in the fridge. The 32 ouncer came with the lid as pictured that has a very functional straw, and also a screw top stainless lid. The strap cost extra, but was very handy and made even a full water bottle seem lightweight when carried on the arm- freeing the hand. I would fill 3/4 with ice at Lido and then water. Kept it cold for hours- the water would be gone before it ever went warm. We took them to all the ports too. I actually didn’t think the water in Lido tasted bad at all. That said, everyone has a different preference for water. 

16 hours ago, midcarolina said:

I tell you something.....on our first cruise a rather portly fellow was in the lido buffet with nothing more than a speedo on that was i'm guessing two sizes too small...🤮

So a woman wearing flip flops in the MDR is of no concern to me at all!

 

Lol! Well I was on the Horizon over the July 4th holiday and they were asking those in swimsuits at Lido buffet to put clothing on! The one lady I saw was very unimpressed! That said, the swimsuits 🙈😂

4 minutes ago, keywest1 said:

We did the ABCs a couple of years ago and it wasn't one of our favorites.  It was fine, but we have enjoyed all the other Caribbean itineraries much more.  Surprisingly, we also weren't huge fans of Bermuda.  If you are beach folks, the itinerary you have chosen will be awesome 🙂  There is a ferry that goes from St Thomas to St John.  If you are fans of HGTV, that is where some of the most amazing views we have seen can be found.  

The laid back Caribbean vibe is what appeals to us the most about cruising.  Unplug and unwind with no worries.

You describe me! 😌 And yes, probably have watched every episode. I just want to beach and chill. I work in child protection, so this is about as far away from it as I can get. No imminent phone calls, and I can actually exhale. I found 9230- that looks a bit better! 

1 minute ago, keywest1 said:

You always want to look at the decks above and below you.  Deck 8 is all cabins, so you are ok there.  Deck 10,  the

waterworks and theater are right above your cabin.  What other locations are available?   Anything on deck 8 forward of 8300 would be a safe choice.  Those cabins you are looking at might be fine, but I believe there is at least a potential for noise.  If you call Carnival, they may also be able to see cabins available that you can't.  Anything on Deck 9 forward of the elevators should be fine as well.  That is a nice itinerary--we are sailing it for the second time in February.  Happy cruising!

 

https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/Ships/RD/DeckPlans/carnival-radiance-accessible-cruising-deck-plan-pdf.pdf

I’m happy to hear that you are sailing an itinerary for the second time! I actually really thought about doing the ABC again! Although we didn’t do Bonaire (and I’d be content to miss LaRomana- though in COMPLETE fairness, I didn’t get off the ship). I really loved Curaçao and Aruba!!! That ABC itinerary allows you to stay in Aruba until 11! Although I heard they are sleepy at night 💙.