APDMOM

After Lunch Views: It has become tradition to call my mom and sister in on WhatsApp for a virtual ship tour… here are a few of the views I shared with them:

It seems like the pictures don’t want to upload unless I resize them. If I upload the original, they are all black. Hope this is not an ongoing issue. Pig and Anchor Lunch: Brewhouse Menu:

TIP: They strongly encourage you to do your muster first. We chose to do this so that it could be out of the way. Hindsight, we would have done lunch first, then muster to avoid crowds in the buffet. You have plenty of time to complete muster prior to the deadline. TIP: They do not require everyone in your party to attend muster at the same time. You check in, and they show you how to put on a life jacket - very quick, but not as quick as on other cruise lines who have gone completely digital with a video and a single scan at the muster station. In all, we waited about 10 minutes for the demonstration. Boarding Day Lunch: TIP: If you want to avoid the crowds, eat at Pig & Anchor, Ji Ji’s, or Cucina del Capitano for boarding day. We chose Pig & Anchor for this lunch. The Brewhouse was very empty, with plenty of seating when we arrived. The line was less than 3 minutes for us, but grew to about 10 minutes while we ate. Coming up… pics of lunch and the menu. I just have to figure out why they load all black at this time.

TIP: Download the Carnival Hub app before you board. I love that our countdown has not changed to:

Safety: I love that Carnival has a drug sniffing dog prior to embarkation. Before you walk through security, everyone lines up with bags, purses, etc in front of you, and this beautiful dog makes it look like a walk in the park. It is a very quick process - super efficient and painless… at least it was at our boarding time of 11:00. (Could not get a better pic without too many people’s faces) 😄 TIP: They did not check the boarding times. They have two lines - one for people within their boarding time, and one for those who are early or late for their boarding time. Despite the fact that we were right within our arrival window of 11:00 to 11:30, we were directed to the ‘early/late’ line. This may be because the line was not long. Our boarding was quick and painless.

I agree 🙂 I would love to know the reason behind not allowing a digital copy. A hard copy can be manipulated just as easily as a digital copy - that is why we are required to bring a passport or other approved travel documents. It was quite a surprise to me.

TIP: Be sure to bring a hard copy PRINTED boarding pass. Carnival will not accept the digital copy on your phone. We tried with the digital boarding pass first, but thankfully had the printed passes nearby in our hand luggage.

Arrival Timeline: 10:55 Parked in parking garage by Terminal D. 11:16 Entered Terminal 11:25 Walked down the gangplank and onto Deck 2 of the ship TIP: Find out where your ship leaves from and arrives. We are leaving from Terminal F, but arrive at Terminal D in 8 days, so we decided to park at Terminal D garage. It was an easy walk to Terminal F. TIP: Take a picture of where you park and which garage you use. TIP: Take a picture of the suitcases you check in, in case ‘they’ lose one. Ready to Cruise! Is that a Whale Tail I see?

My View: Day 1 - Miami, FL

Me too! We have no idea what to expect, but the price was right, the itinerary includes 2 of our favorite destinations, we love cove balconies, and 8 days are better than 7 😁 We plan on enjoying it.

Hello to old friends and new! We are about to board our 44th cruise - first time on the Horizon. For those who are new to “My View” reviews, I will be posting TIPS in red for the skim-readers. If you have any requests while we are onboard, feel free to ask here. I will try my best to get information to help fellow-cruisers, as time allows. Our itinerary includes Aruba, Curaçao, La Romana, and Amber Cove. We have not been on Carnival since 2016, but we look forward to returning to a Cove Balcony and Blue Iguana Arepas 😄 I will try to post every day, but am likely to fall a day or two behind for all the FUN on the ship. Boarding is tomorrow with an arrival time of 11AM. I look forward to virtually sharing our cruise experience with you! 🍀

Not this horizon: This HORIZON 😀

My pleasure! 🙂 Happy cruising!

Thank you 🙂

When I think Carnival, I think Arepas 😂 Have tried many on land and only one time did I find one that came “sort of” close.

Thanks for the heads up! About how long did it take before they realized you were unable to move? Was the safety belt completely unbuckled or just loose (as in not the right fit)?

My favorite! 🙂