cdnmr

Very fair review, thanks for posting . Can I take it that it was not the Captain tooting his horn ;)

hehe...it did sound like a non-musician though.

If it had been a solo we might not have minded...as it was him blowing as hard as he could and not really playing notes it got old real fast. We only heard it on two nights so was not a deal breaker.

On one occasion it was around 11pm, Wife was woken up by it, I had earphones in watching a movie and heard it...opened our door to see what was going on.

The noise was not as loud on our balcony...sound definitely came up stairway.

This is exactly what I've been wondering about. We're on Deck 7 in a Havana Extended Aft Balcony. On the deck plans on Carnival's web site you can see a stairway at the back of the ship that appears to come down from deck 9 but then it looks like it stops at six. I'm glad to hear it continues to deck 5!:D

Stairwell was great shortcut to Havana area. Was nice to sneak down in our robes or in jammies to grab a coffee.

Coffee and food seemed to stop around 9am, not 930am as advertised. If getting food just ask for 1 of everything (4 or 5 selections), all are small enough that you can sample each without it being too much food (for most folks).

Stayed in cabin 6464 which is "bowling-alley" balcony. I wouldnt pay extra for the bigger balcony simply because although I normally spend a lot of time on my balcony, this cruise I preferred to go to Havana and enjoy that great space.

Pros:

-great location. There is a stairwell right next to the cabin that takes you into "back door" to Havana Bar. Stairs are carpetted and not a crew stairwell so no noise issues at all from stairs (sort of...see later)

-great room. No complaints but prefer traditional layout as we missed having the couch to sit on and found the cubby hole near balcony door wasted space.

-Huge TV- TV was close to 50 inch and great HD picture. Too bad tv service was up/down for the entire cruise...channels cutting out constantly.

-Steward. Name was Paul....very good at his job. One of the ones that you see briefly when he passes you in the hall but seems to get your room clean when you step out for 5 minutes. Great Steward!

-Balcony, was nice and long and had 2 loungers. Loungers very close tot he ground so sitting up not comfortable but offer more privacy from below if tanning.

-Breakfast- Was great having a quick walk to get morning coffee and try out the tasty offerings. Ate there most mornings just to get a quick bite to start our day...was a nice perk.

Cons

-You do hear the music from the Havana Bar off and on from 845pm until close to 1am. It is very faint and most folks wouldnt really notice it much. HOWEVER When the band is on a break the trumpet/trombone player likes to tune his instrument so loudly you will open your cabin door to make sure he is not actually standing in your hallway. Sound came right up the stairwell.

-Some guests were yelling from Havana area up to their cabin mates on their balconies like they were in their back yards. This was not often but noises can be heard from below if there is a rowdy bunch in the area. No noise issues from the Havana Cabanas at all.

-Hot tubs were enjoyable and we often had one to ourselves but water temps were quite low (90-ish?) so on colder nights they werent as enjoyable.

-Havana bar/serving staff....while the bar staff were good, there was usually only 1 bartender so you waited for drinks. In the 6+ days I used hot tub/pool/chairs in the Havana area I was NEVER offered a drink.

I was approached by staff to make sure I wasnt drinking out of a glass container in the tub but not once was anyone I saw offered a drink from serving staff.

Normally not a big deal but the bartender wouldnt see you or would just ignore you on the pool side bar. You would have to walk inside....dripping wet to place an order. This was an issue at night, people sitting at the bar ordering drinks and you'd walk inside wrapped in a towel etc and stand behind them waiting to be served.

Carnival needs to provide a bartender for Havana pool side guests at all times IMO. Paid for a premium product but service was poor (facility was great)

Pictures:

We used Bernard twice. The first time we had a late ship arrival and timing was off. Never saw planes at Maho, not much cake left at Sarafina in Marigot, and Orient was deserted. The second time was wonderful. I would recommend Bernard for a first time tour of the island provided that you have an early arrival.

 

We thought about taking a cab to Maho and Orient, but are hesitant because there are three ships. Last time we where there we were the only ship. Breakaway and Anthem alone have a lot of passengers. Wondering if it will be difficult to get a taxi. We are thinking of booking Amigo Tours for a trip to Maho and Orient.

We've did Amigo's Orient Beach-Maho Beach 2 years ago and are booked again for next month. Taking friends with us this time.

They bus you to Orient, drop you off at a beach bar that offers 2 chairs/umbrella and 2 drinks each for $25 (if I remember correctly). You can go anywhere on the beach you like but I think Amigo and the bar have a partnership of some kind. We stayed on the beach by the bar and were quite happy.

After approx 2 hour at orient they bus you to Maho beach.

You spend 2 hours watching planes take off and land. beach was pretty packed, had a couple drinks at the bar.

After 2 hours here you walk to the bus parked 50 yards away in parking lot. Then back to the ship.

Total cost is $36PP and includes all alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and water while on the bus. I probably had 3 rum punches and 3 or 4 beers so they werent shy about giving you drinks.

Have heard Bernards is good too but we like the 2 beach option with Amigo.

I'd be uncomfortable using public WiFi going into my account online.

If you're wearing a tinfoil hat you're perfectly safe.

We had one once, obstruction wasnt much of a problem, previous posters picture link is accurate.

What we DID have an issue with was some cabling or other piece of the lifeboat clanking around in the wind.

Balcony was also towards the aft on starboard side, 2 decks above the dining room....constant stream of smokers slipping out for a quick butt.

Was probably a one in a million problem, something not tied down properly etc but I'll stick to the deck 6 or 7 balconies on the Pride.

Jeez folks...this is really a non-issue. The wind blows it away, so YOU aren't breathing it. Live and let live. I can't imagine spending my vacation time trying to "catch" someone doing something they aren't supposed to. Waste of MY time!~

No one's trying to catch anyone. Smell it more than "once in awhile" while I am trying to enjoy my balcony it gets reported.

You are closing in on 80,000 posts.....congrats on that milestone and not being a time waster.

We normally cruise on Royal but decided to try Carnival, needless to say we will NEVER go on Carnival again!

 

To start the cruise off our shuttle couldn't enter the port other then driving around in circles because there was a security beach which was said to be a Bomb threat at first and even the bomb squad came out. After we could finally get into the terminal everyone was told to wait outside then we were guided up to another area were we had to wait for a couple hours until they secured the area, after this ordeal we were then told it wasn't a bomb but a can of something that was spraying in a suit case. Better safe then sorry. Once this was over then we could go inside and get ready to board the ship. In my opinion Port Canaveral is the best port there is.

So once on board we went to our cabin and put our other bag in and headed to eat at the buffet as we waited to leave the port.

 

1st issue Staff and lack of knowing anything when asked and lack of friendliness. This ship had the worst staff I have ever encountered on a cruise. They never smiled,spoke or new anything if you asked them a question. Some were even rude. The only staff member we encountered that was very friendly was our room guy, he was awesome all the time. Spoke to us by name and had a friendly attitude.

 

2nd issue Pools, For a ship that hold 4,500 people and only have 2 swimming pools is ridiculous and what makes it worse is that only 1 pool was ever open at a time. I was only able to enjoy the pool 1 day when in a port because it was not crowded.

 

3rd Issue FOOD, the food at breakfast was the best and made to order omelettes were awesome, best meal of the day everyday. Guy's Burger Joint,Blue Iguana & BBQ place also had great food as well as the 24 hr pizza. We ate all these places several times and they were really good.We also ate at the steak house on wed night for our 20th anniv and it was very good. Now for the buffet, the food was lousy in my opinion with the exception of the desserts and the sandwich bar that had pastrami and corned beef, in fact that is what I hate most the time after trying the other food 1st. I also enjoyed the ice cream machine daily. The buffet was not opened long enough if you wanted it and then only one side would be open at times and you would have to walk a long distance just to get food if you wanted it. Terrible buffet all around except breakfast.

 

4th issue, I believe Carnival Magic has bed bugs because every night when we went to bed and got under the sheets I was always really itchy like something was crawling on me but I couldn't see anything when we looked. On the last night I actually got bit by something and ended up sleeping on top of the covers so the ship is not very clean.

We stayed on the 11th deck in a spa room and had access to the spa which was great, very relaxing and enjoyable. We stayed in 11242 and it was quite noisy at times, kids running up and down the hallway,noise from deck above etc. We were still able to sleep, just a lot of noise.Room was nothing fancy, pretty plain and basic.

 

Entertainment was just ok, nothing special. We did enjoy a few dive in movies and Dr. E was great. The comedy shows were also very funny and we enjoyed them as well. Party's on deck were also ok, I overheard several elderly folks complaining about the type and sound of the music and about it being way to loud. The entertainment staff were friendly.

 

Sadly there was a medical emergency with a passenger suffering a heart attack and dying(At least thats what we were told by several crew members) which caused the itenerary to be changed and the Honduras port being skipped and went to key west fl instead. The ship was diverted near miami to get the ill patient medical care. My prayers are with the family.

 

So we went to Key West Fl, Belize, Cozumel & Costa Maya, We had already been to Cozumel but still enjoyed it as well as the other ports. Really liked Key West and would like to go back there. The ports were the best part of the cruise, other then that the cruise was pretty boring. No adult area other then if you want to nap in a hammock or chair and use a jacuzzi, that is Magic's "adult" area.

 

And to top it all off, my hubby got sick on thursday afternoon and was up all night puking his gut out, not sure if it was from the food or what caused this. I know he wasn't sea sick so the food may of been the issue. Not sure because i was fine the entire time.

 

After being on 3 Royal ships, there is NO comparison with Carnival. I would never go on another carnival ship nor would I ever recommend one to anyone I know. You really do get what you pay for and Royal is in a class all its own. My brother is a Carnival cruiser and he bragged to me about how good they are but now I know for myself, not worth bragging about.Anyway, this is my small review, Happy cruising!

Switch your font from 'casual crayon' to something legible and I'll read your list of complaints. :D

Just another way to suck money from the passenger.

I agree but I'd rather Carnival make money off of the FTTF advocates than charging me an extra nickel for a drink.

I am staying at the Best Western. There is free parking, breakfast and a shuttle to the port for $149 with their Park & Cruise Package.

We have stayed at Best Western Odonnell st a few times. Hotel is average, neighbourhood is sketchy/industrial but their shuttle service is the best we've experienced.

Walk off the ship and right onto the shuttle, no waiting until its full etc and we're usually in our vehicle on the road within 20-30 minutes of walking off the ship.

We tried an Inner Harbor area hotel last time and waited 30 minutes before finally jumping in a cab, The shuttle driver called me another 45 minutes later to find out where I was! :eek:

We will only use Best Western shuttle or park at the pier from now on.

That news report made it seem like they are bringing her in early so she'll encounter the worst weather while docked. Is anyone else interpreting this the same way?

You never want to be tied up when bad weather hits; always out at sea where you can ride it out. If you're tied up alongside you risk the ship being pushed into the dock, mooring lines breaking, etc.

During Irene they dropped passengers off in Baltimore then headed to open water and the crew rode the storm out. Crew members said that night was the worst ride they'd experienced.

The next day they docked and we got on board, a day late but just happy to get to cruise.

I've tried reading through some threads using the Search engine, but the discussions are not focussed on this one thing.

 

Who in Canada has found someone to insure their cruise? We've just been told that Travelex no longer underwrites Canadians (they did in June.) CSA also does not either, nor Travelguard I believe. This is getting serious.

 

What I'd like is a recommendation from a fellow Canadian on this subject.

 

I'm due for final payment in about 10 days on an 18-day cruise. We will be leaving from the U.S., so that's also an issue, since some Canadian insurers insist on you leaving from Canada. There's also a 30-day limit on coverage often as well, and our entire trip will be 31 days. But I figure if I'm lucky I can at least cover the cruise portion, which is the most expensive part.

just checked travelguard and didnt see any limitations. Did a mock booking to italy for 3 weeks and it came up around $450

Not that it helps this time around but have you considered getting a travel credit card? I have one that gives me up to 21 days free coverage per trip (if trip booked/paid for using the card), includes medical, lost luggage and cancellation/interruption coverage.

Have the option to buy additional coverage but my work insurance covers the rest if needed.

Good luck.

Have cruised 9 times with carnival, twice with royal.

While the ships and services were comparable we wont sail with royal again. On both cruises we ran into way too many folks who believed they were as elite as their cruise status.

People who refused to wait in line for elevators to empty roped off areas by the pool not open to all passengers to reaching through buffet lines and just plain rudeness of so many passengers.

Final straw was the maitre d' immediately seating passengers who walked up with tip envelopes while dozens of people with reservations stood in line waiting.....

Entitled attitudes like OP's are exactly why we don't sail Royal anymore.

People really need to stop believing they are as elite as their cruiseline status tells them.

They eventually start thinking that line ups and other 'rules' no longer apply to them. Good thing there are a few of us on board to snap them back to reality every once in awhile. :cool:

We attended an "official" M&G on a ship once (was Carnival or NCL...dont recall). A bunch of Officers/Staff came out and welcomed us, opened u the floor for any questions we had and what followed can only be described as a bitch fest.

Several passengers at the M&G took it as an opportunity to whine about everything from the slow embarkation to their luggage arriving late. Not sure what it is that attracts so many entitled whiners to cruising. :mad:

I prefer a group of like minded, laid back folks gathering at a bar for some drinks and "unforced" conversation.

The Best Western Plus at 5625 O'Donnell St has/had (havent stayed there in a couple years) a shuttle and parking.

The hotel was ok, nothing special but the shuttle service is the best we've ever had. All 3 times we've stayed there we walked off the ship straight to the waiting shuttle and within 5 minutes were on our way back to the hotel.

Only once did they wait and that was because 2 other guests were right behind us.

We stay at the hotel for the shuttle service alone. They also offer the shuttle to take you to the Inner Harbor the day/night before the cruise as well if you want to see some sights, go for dinner etc. I think it runs once an hour or so.

Wife and I will be making our first trip to Europe April 2017, 11 day cruise leaves from Barcelona and finishes in Venice. We will be spending 2 or 3 days in Venice, post-cruise before flying back to Canada.

We are debating 2 choices pre-cruise:

1-Fly overnight into Barcelona (no non-stop flights available) a day or two early and see the city.

2- Fly non-stop overnight to Madrid, spend Thursday in Madrid then train to Barcelona Friday morning. Spend a full day (train would arrive in the morning) in Barcelona then cruise out Saturday afternoon.

Essentially a non-stop and see 2 cities with a train ride between

OR

Longer flight to Barcelona and see just the one city.

Anyone who has been to these cities care to offer their advice?

Cheers!

While waiting in the longest debarkation line ever on Royal's Explorer of the seas a couple of years ago I listened to the 2 gentlemen in front of me stating how happy they were.

Man#1- Could be worse I guess, we could be on Norwegian.

Man#2- haha yeah, or Carnival

Both- hahahahaha

Man#1-You've sailed Carnival?

Man#2-Me? Oh, no....have heard too many bad things...you wouldn't catch me on Carnival.

Man#1-Yeah, me either.

Actual conversation....I was stunned. Neither had sailed NCL or Carnival but both were convinced Royal was better and they would never try NCL/Carnival. :confused:

Booked Premium Havana Balcony 6464 for the NYC-NYC cruise a few days after it was available.

$1549PP (+taxes/fees) and received $50 OBC with the booking.

Balconies are sold out but Ocean Views are now starting at $1619PP (+taxes and fees).

Paid $70 less PP for the nice big Havana balcony than an ocean view will cost someone today. :eek:

I recently was able to book FTTF for our June cruise on the Magic out of Port Canaveral. It's my first time having FTTF. So what can I expect now? Any idea what time I should get to the port and how soon we'll be able to board? If I read correctly, our room will be ready as soon as we board? Anything else I need to be aware of or perks I should expect?

What's with all of the people who buy FTTF and then post asking what perks they will get? :confused:

Replying to an old thread but Wife and I discovered a "secret" on the Dream.

While the spa/gym close at 10pm the sauna never closes. There is a "backdoor" at the end of the hall, starboard side of the spa deck. Go through that door after hours and you'll see doors for Ladies/Mens lockers and the glass door to the sauna on the right ....it doesnt lock.

I tried the men's locker door and it was indeed locked so couldn't do a late night steam but sauna was open and available (we were there after midnight).

Sssh. ;)

I hope you didn't tip Stewart, the lady, steward AND your Steward. :D

wow...what a heartless bunch.

Of course it's passenger's responsibility to drop off int he right area BUT...

I could easily see a 1st timer, maybe not familiar with the port area, maybe cab driver drops them off nearer the wrong ship....etc...etc.

Most of us would never make the same mistake but to say the Porter shouldn't be assisting people by at least confirming the ship listed on the luggage tag is a bit much.

Renting a car is always an option and allows you to venture off anywhere you like. Rental shuttles are right outside the ship and will drop you back off at the end of the day after you've returned your rental.

Good morning, my husband and I are looking at cruising from Charleston November 6. We live in NC so the drive will not be a problem. How is it leaving from there? What is a good hotel if we decide to go down a day early.

 

Thanks;)

Looking at the sunshine deckplan I dont see a cabin 3148. All cabins on deck 3 are directly below theater...could get noisy at times.