Sjdcella

Have fun! Can't wait to hear about your trip when you return.

Same, following.

We have cruised her once and going again in April. Both times the ship was sold out so I expect it to be crowded on the Lido again. The Lido deck is small. Both pools are on the Lido deck (one mid, one aft.). Both are small, if that is a deal breaker for you. Our sailing in the fall they were packed so if you don't mind a standing room pool.... Hot tubs; two on Lido aft, 2 in Serenity, one in Terrrazzo( Havana) area. Again these were packed for most days and times. The ship is laid out similar to the Vista class ships and they use the smart elevator system. This can be frustrating as folks just don't take the time to learn how to use them properly. 

Because the Lido is smaller, and you have the quick service food stations plus the buffet, it can be very hard to get around during prime eating times. We spent a lot of time by Plaza San Marco, Hero's bar and Fizzante, these areas were not as crowded. The comedy shows were packed and the lines were all the way back to the casino to get in. The shows in the theater were good but get in early to get a good seat, there are support beams that block a lot of the seats.

MDR: We ate in the dining room most nights. We had your time dining, we were bumped from our early seating time upon boarding. ( lots of Diamond & Platnum on our sailing). They worked with us in the Canal restaurant and booked us a set table and time every night. Which was great.

The crew was great as usual, and the Captain and XO were friendly. We sailed w/ MarQ  as the CD, he was great! I would definitely sail with him again.

Sail away was breathtaking. If you have never sailed out of NY harbor, I would highly recommend it to anyone. We like the Vista size ships, not that I didn't like the Excel class they have great food options, but my husband is disabled and the bigger ships are hard for him to get around.

If you park at the Port, get ready to pay $$. We are lucky as we have family close by and can drive in and drop us. If you can,  take a train into the city and Uber/Taxi that will save you $$ if you are not big packers and don't mind navigating with your luggage. I would also get a later boarding time if you sail out M-Thurs. That early check-in you will be dealing w/ rush hour traffic. Pick 11:30am or later, or better yet a Sat/Sun Embark.

Overall, we enjoyed sailing her, and we booked again when we got home. The price of flying vs the relative convenience of going out of NYC is worth it to us. All ships have +/- it's what is important to you. We did not experience any issues with the passengers like some other posters here. You are always going to find rude people, I don't let the ruin my vacation.

There are some Venezia reviews, check those out for menus and additional info around the activities on board. Their menu is not the new fleet menu, their menus  have Italian specials on them, different from the fleet. I will say the food was decent, and so much better than our Horizon sailing.

For bottomless bubbles, info is here:

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3836/related/1

We do not use WiFi onboard so I cannot speak to that. We have an International plan for cell service w/ unlimited data and just use it/hot spot in the ports.

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1152/kw/Wifi

On 3/24/2024 at 7:55 AM, EL Pitman said:

We were on the Valor and saw lots of people dressed as 80's retro.  I didnt realize they had theme nights, and that was my 3rd cruise!  I'm heading out on the Mardi Gras in October and cant help but wonder what other themes and when they are so we know when to pack.  Does anyone have any tips on where to find this?

Here is the info on deck parties:

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3895/kw/Theme nights

Here is the overall ship entertainment (your mileage may vary)

https://help.goccl.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4228/kw/Theme nights/related/1

The Venizia also has an Italian Deck party. I can't find the info on that, but there are plenty of posts on CC to search if you are interested.

Yes, whirlpool in the spa, for a fee. Showers are free next to the gym/spa. If I remember correctly, there is a sauna that is free to all off each of the locker room areas.

We didn't book any excursions either. Gonna play it as it comes. Hopefully the rain holds off. This time of year the weather is hard to predict here that far out.

All checked in! Bonus, a family member has offered to drive us in for Embark since it's a Saturday! 

3 hours ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

Yeah we’re not going to be competing in the costume contest but it’ll be fun to dress up!
 

Only 3 weeks left! I’m so excited. I usually start packing at around the 2 week mark just in case anything is missing. 

We are from Jersey as well. Will start packing next weekend, but I do have a packing list completed and ready to go. We are bringing pretty basic Costumes to dress up in. Halloween is my DH favorite "holiday".

You definitely want to make sure it's Sorbet vs Sherbet if you're allergic to dairy, as Sherbet has cream in it.

Once you board, go to the MDR and speak to the Maitre D. They might be able to get you an early seating. I am not sure if Platinum will help, but it wouldn't hurt to ask!

Hi all! I am Sandy , my husband Vince and I are excited for this cruise! First Journeys and Halloween cruise!

Celebration deck 14Aft --Red

Agreed, to small. We also had a Cloud 9 cabin on Mardi Grass. The Thermal suite was always crowded. The Thermal Spa holds 6 tight. I mean you are sitting right next to each other. The hot tubs in Summer Landing are more comfortable. We opted for an extended balcony on our Celebration sailing in March.

I have sent an email each week for 3 weeks, trying to get my offer confirmed. I have yet to hear back and I have received an email confirmation each time. Something definitely is going on. Should not be taking this long. I have also checked my spam. My husband sent an email as well. No response.

I emailed two weeks ago, received ticket number. Still have not heard back. I checked Spam as well, nothing there. My email response did say they had higher than normal volume.

Thank you, I thought not. Does not hurt to ask!

*Casino offer, not soon..Sorry for the topic miss print, Auto correct gets me again!

We just booked a Celebration Casino offer under my husband as he gets Free Drinks All Over the ship. I am calling to add my Free drinks in the Casino offer to my reservation as I received that offer tomorrow. I know I can purchase Cheers once onboard, as we have done this before with a previous sailing.

However, does Carnival Casino on board let you upgrade from free drinks in the Casino, to Cheers one on board for a discount?