3smithboys

6 hours ago, tytanbri said:

How was your room? Did you hear any noise from the band at night?

Well, actually… we got a last minute upsell/upgrade  to an aft extended balcony on deck 7. It only $300 more, so we decided to go for it. That cabin was awesome, and the Havana area can’t be beat!
 

Sorry we can’t answer your question; however, one thing we did discover was that we would have had to walk through the inside Havana bar area and past the elevators to get to our cabin. If we were to book an inside again, we would get it on the other side of the ship because they have direct access to their cabins. 

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

The second night seems to always be elegant night no matter how long the cruise, so the third night is probably the safest in terms of it not being elegant night. That is assuming you do not want the steakhouse to be on elegant night.

Thanks! We were thinking days 3 or 4 would be safe… hopefully, we are right!

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Day 6 isn't a hard and fast rule, it can move around but I have had elegant nights on port days before. So both are possible.

Thanks! Yes, we have had them on port days too. (Especially if it is an early port day.) It seems that each of our days end at 5 pm, so idk if that’s too late for an elegant night? We are trying to decide what night to schedule the steakhouse for my mom’s 80th birthday dinner and since there are 9 of us, I want to book it as soon as possible.

20 hours ago, stobe1 said:

Nights 2 and 6 are generally formal nights.

 

MDR is included every night. Chibang and Cucina are included with YTD for one visit, but we visited Chibang once and Cucina twice on Jubilee last week and were not charged extra for the 2nd visit. YMMV. You just request a table on the HUB app in the restaurant you want to dine in when YTD dinner time begins.

 

You can use the general number for guest services (usually extension 7777), but there is no dedicated # that I know of, or use the dedicated Diamond/Platinum line for guest services on deck 8 aft.

i just wanted to jump in and ask this too. We are booked on a summer 2025 cruise on the MG that has 4 ports with days 2 and 5 being the sea days. Would the elegant nights still be on 2 and 6 (with day 6 being a port day) or would they move the 2nd elegant night to day 5?

12 minutes ago, tha sista said:

Let’s hear about the Bonaire excursion. I’m heading back there this year 

We went snorkeling with Woodwind. They don’t advertise, so you need to go to their website https://www.woodwindbonaire.com/

I believe we were out there for 5 hours and had 3 snorkel stops. They have all equipment including masks with prescriptions (that was great- never had that before) wetsuits, swim shirts, etc. They also served drinks & lunch. The guides were extremely knowledgeable & they only take out a small group. 

This isn’t exactly what you asked for, however, when we went on our A, B, C cruise, we rented an UTV through Arubiana in Aruba and went all over the island. We were able to go to different beaches as well as see the desert side too. It was amazing. In Curaçao, we rented a car though Advance Car Rental… the guy who helped us is called Celestino and he’s amazing to deal with. You get a gps pre programmed with spots to visit and a cell phone in case of emergencies. We brought our own snorkeling gear to both islands and had the best snorkeling experiences ever. We saw more turtles than we’ve ever seen before!
 

If you are going to Bonaire, I have a great recommendation for a private excursion. it might be the best excursion we’ve ever been on. 

2 hours ago, jsehlmeyer said:

How was your experience?  I just stumbled up on this and would much rather rent and drive the family around then feel like cattle on a tour bus; as well as be on our own schedule.

I can also reply to your question. We used Advance Car Rental with Celestino for our cruise last July on the Celebration. He was excellent & provided service exactly as promised. There was a gps in the car with preloaded points of interest & a cell phone in case of emergency. My husband & I had a great time going around the island at our own pace. We brought our own snorkeling gear, and we were able to see the turtles (go there first) and other great snorkeling spots if that’s your thing. There are incredible beaches to go and relax. It was an amazing day. 

19 hours ago, dacsmom said:

I was booked in 5208 on the Horizon and it was fantastic. Loved the square layout and I walked out of my cabin and and the outdoor area was right there. I never heard a peep from the havana bands playing. I would book it again in a minute.

We have 5205 book for Spring Break this year. It’s the same cabin but on the opposite side of the hall. It’s our 1st time on a Vista class ship & our 1st time in a Havana cabin. We booked this cabin because it was recommended by several people on CC, and we are very excited.

Following along..DH & I will be going on the Horizon for the first time over Spring Break. We have a Havana inside. I’m very interested in all you have to say about the Horizon & the Havana area because we’ve never done either. 

We are going on the Horizon for the first time over spring break and booked Havana inside 5205. It will be our 1st Vista class and Havana experience. We decided against trying the Havana area (from what people said here) when we sailed on the Mardi Gras & Celebration. 

Thanks for all of your replies! We definitely have a lot to think about!

We want to take our 3 sons on a cruise in December but will have to wait until 2024 because of their work/college schedules. We are trying to decide between the Mardi Gras (DH and I have been on a b2b last summer and loved it & just got off the Celebration) or the Vista. We have never been on a Vista class ship before, but we are going on the Horizon in a Havana inside cabin in March. Since we’ve only read on here how great they are, we are coming back here for opinions.

The 2 cruises we are looking at are a 7 day Mardi Gras (regular inside cabin ) and a 6 day Vista (Havana inside cabin.) We are getting 2 cabins and the price difference is about $300- the Mardi Gras is more expensive. 

Mardi Gras- Nassau, Grand Turk, Amber Cove

Vista- Half Moon Key, Grand Turk, Amber Cove

We have never taken a cruise over Christmas before, so we figured getting a balcony on the Mardi Gras during that time of year would probably be a waste. If that’s not the case, lmk. 

Thanks for any help! 

Thanks again for another fun, spectacular review! It’s made me even more excited for our cruise on the Horizon next spring break. It will be our first time trying out the Havana area & our first time on a Vista class ship.

We are going on the Celebration next Saturday- can’t wait! (Maybe your review will come out before we leave 🤔😁) 

Thanks for writing another great review! We will be on the Horizon for the 1st time next Spring Break. Looking forward to reading more about it.

2 minutes ago, BrotherCraig said:

 

Thank you. Have a great time!  Go Phillies!

Thanks so much! We can’t wait! Go Phillies!!

Great review so far! Love the pictures (& your Phillies hat)… getting me even more excited for my ABC cruise on the Celebration next month!

This is not a situation where someone should ever take the chance and depend on an outside source to get something so specific to feed their child- especially on a cruise. What would happen when they got there and there was a miscommunication and the wrong flavor/brand was purchased? All the apologies in the world aren’t going to feed the child. It’s not like the OP can run out to the nearest store and grab it, 

This is a situation where you need to make sure you are bringing enough and extra for your son. Bring a dr’s note explaining why it’s necessary if need be. I’m sure if you contact the special needs department and let them know you are bringing it, and see if they can help you store it. I just wouldn’t take the chance that you would not have what you need. Enjoy your cruise with your family. 

My husband is British (from Nottinghamshire btw and loves Carnival) and I lived with him in England for several years, so I have to agree with previous posters that the tea selection is horrible. 

4 hours ago, tytanbri said:

We the ones your brought the carton with the screw off top? 

Yes, we brought the ones in the carton with the screw off top. No problems.

Can’t wait to read another one of your reviews too and to see all of the beautiful pictures you always include. We are going on the Celebration in July for our 1st ABC cruise. What did you think of the Celebration in comparison to the Mardi Gras? We did a b2b last summer and loved it! 

23 hours ago, TexasJohn82 said:

Yes us as well, that probably explains why it is so sold out as they are just now doing the 8 day, still trying to wrap my head around the until 10PM in Aruba and Bonaire

We will be on that cruise too! Can’t wait!

On 3/26/2023 at 3:34 AM, CruizinSusan70 said:

5205 or 5208.  Stayed there for 16 nights on two different Horizon cruises in 2018 and 2019.

We booked 5205 for spring break next March on the Horizon. It’s our 1st time on a Vista class ship and 1st time staying in the Havana area. Super excited!

We decided that we might rent a car too and would like suggestions as well. Looking for the best sights for first timers to Aruba and good snorkeling spots! Any suggestions would be great. 

We are wondering the same thing. DH was thinking about renting a scooter after our time with Woodwind. I’m wondering how late things are open in Bonaire and what there is to do…

7 minutes ago, StephPS79 said:

Booked Horizon Havana Interior 5208 for November 2024!  ABC itinerary!  I'm so excited for this trip!

 

Unfortunately...it's 610 days away lol.

 

Fortunately...we have 3 cruises booked before that.

 

😁😁😁

That’s so exciting! We are going to the ABC’s for the 1st time on the Celebration in July. I can’t wait.