Pellaz

So we recently debarked off the Horizon and I'm finally getting back to a normal schedule. It was a strange experience because my car was rear-ended in Miami traffic just short of our pre-cruise hotel. I tried not to let it get me down during the cruise and overall, it was a great cruise. We had a Havana patio room and were pleased by everything about it...except the soot we'd find on the exposed portion of the patio and the adjoining walkway. To me it's not a dealbreaker but my friend John wasn't happy with it. We've had balconies before, including aft extended balconies, but I don't remember seeing much soot before. Other observations.... The crew washed both sides of the glass partition along the Havana walkway (with a specially designed angled sprayer) so they didn't have any salt-spray buildup. That was nice. Patios contain a hanging chair, a lounger, a chair with a footrest/hassock, and a table. The Havana area pool and hot-tubs were a bit more crowded than we were expecting, but still FAR better than the regular pools and hot-tubs. Even the Serenity hot-tubs were jammed on sea-days. Staff in the pool area (Roderick, Yoga, Fahrul), and the Havana bartenders (Jens, Jose Luis) were all excellent. We'd heard that frozen fruit (red grapes, strawberry, cantaloupe, etc.) was brought around to patrons in the Havana area twice per day...and that was indeed true! You'll have to exit the pool before imbibing, though. No eating in the pool. 🙂 We had dry weather for most of the trip, which is good since the Vista class, with all of the outside "lanai" spaces, really needs good weather. Our previous sailing on the Vista wasn't so lucky. We encountered a "small boat in distress" on the way back from Cozumel. We circled back around to them (12 in a small boat) and they hastily got under power and declined assistance. Anyway, if you have any questions, fire away!

Totally agreed with Shaq's, and the shawarma station in the Lido (but that might be crowded on embark day). There are MANY options (ex. SeaDogs, also in the buffet area) but sadly, as was observed, the Cucina and Chibang! are not open on embark day.

Typically around 10 am. It's not critical for you since you'll have early boarding anyway, but you should be able to get inside at around 10 am.

I hadn't experienced any sort of wait like this at Jiji's or the Cucina...until my just-finished Horizon cruise. I stand corrected; there CAN be a line or a wait for a table. On our last sea-day we went up at around 2 pm and they were handing out pagers for Jiji's...and turned away a group of 6 or 7 because realistically there was no way they could be seated before they closed at 2:30. There was no wait for the Cucina, though, and that's where we went. On Horizon, the Cucina is significantly larger than Jiji's. I also discovered that Jiji's and the Cucina ARE open for free lunch on port-days; I had hitherto thought they were only open on embark and sea-days. Missed opportunities.... <sad trombone>

Lol, I suppose so, but we've never had to wait for a table; in fact we've never seen the Cucina or Jiji's more than half-full for lunch. On embark day we've been virtually alone in the Cucina and Jiji's for lunch, which is awesome since they are great alternatives to the busy Lido right down the stairs. On the Mardi Gras both the Cucina and Chibang! are very big facilities and Chibang! was perhaps 60% full when I went on the very last sea-day. One of the best meals I had on the Mardi Gras....and THAT's sayin' something. 🙂 N.B. the Cucina and Chibang! are NOT open on embark day on the Mardi Gras (might have changed in a year, though), but there are plenty of other options available.

I booked our pre-cruise hotel through a certain stay-park-cruise website and we're at the Hilton Garden Inn just north of MIA. Free parking for us, there is a $10/pp shuttle to the pier, and the price wasn't outrageous. Last February for my Sunrise cruise the same site produced a Comfort Suites hotel in the same area; oddly enough there were TWO Comfort Suites locations within a quarter-mile, but only the one was offered.

Also of note and free on the Mardi Gras are the three Street Eats kiosks, open during lunch. I hesitantly tried bulgogi beef there for the first time (I'm fearful of spicy foods) and it was great. Small portions, but if you like it you can always return for more. Within the Lido Buffet are a complimentary SeaDogs location, which I thought was really good, and a shawarma location, which I also hesitantly tried...and loved. (I'm not sure if these are lunch-only or also open at dinner.) Carnival's Mardi Gras: educating ignorant diners like me about new foods to try since 2021. 😄 P.S.: Fresh Creations IS great, but on windy sea-days -- and is there another kind? -- watch out for flying lettuce! 😄

Not on the Mardi Gras, and not on the Horizon or other Vista-class ships. Not on the Sunrise at the Cucina either. (It doesn't have Jiji's or Mongolian Wok, which was a not-unexpected bummer.) As I said, these have sit-down service, not standing in line like at Mongolian Wok (and I'll WAIT in that line; I'm a fiend for fresh stir-fry). You show up, you're directed to a table, your server hands you a check-sheet and a pencil, and you fill out what you want in your {pasta | stir-fry} bowl. It's prepared to-order in back and brought to you. Easy-peasy and complimentary. Looking forward to embark-day lunch on the Horizon next Sunday since both options are available!

I've generally found that the deck plans on CruiseDeckPlans.com are better than even the plans the cruise lines provide themselves. Great site. 🙂

Uh-oh, you put that in quotes. Is it not really high-speed? General question: I'm supposedly going to be on the Freedom Jan. 30th. (Looong story.) I know they trialed or tested Starlink on the Freedom, but has it been made permanent on there? If so, any reports on speed?

This, this, and again THIS. However, at neither location do you have to wait in line. It is sit-down service, and your server will hand you a card to fill out with that you want in your pasta bowl or stir-fry bowl. A lot more civilized than Mongolian Wok is normally (as a part of the Lido buffet), but I don't care; I'll happily wait in line since I'm a Mongolian stir-fry FIEND. :D For purposes of clarity, I think the FunTimes lunch listing posted earlier lists these as simply "Mongolian Wok" and "Pasta Bar" instead of Jiji's and the Cucina to better indicate what food you're getting there, instead of the dinnertime ($) menus that most people think of...and could be confused by. Again, for the OP's Horizon cruise, there will be no lines for lunch at Jiji's/stir-fry or at the Cucina/pasta bowls venues. Both are sit-down service for lunch.

"Hey! I paid good money for this passport! At least whip out that stamp and stamp me back in, buddy!" 😄 [I was a little disappointed when Dutch Customs didn't stamp my passport upon entry...for my very first overseas trip. On the way out, I mentioned that ruefully to the Customs agent and, with completely over-the-top ceremony and a wide grin, he proceeded to stamp my passport with a flourish.]

When you chose Anytime Dining on the Mardi Gras, you made a good choice. 🙂 Your Sail and Sign card will actually show the restaurants to which you can go for dinner: Cucina del Capitano, Chibang!, and one of the MDRs. (The precise MDR apparently can change; it changed between our sailing and the one previous.) Since you have YTD you will be able to reserve any of the three beginning at 5:30 pm. Set-time diners have to wait until later. Guy's Smokehouse and Brewhouse is open to all comers for dinner no matter which dining style you have; just go to the podium and the host/hostess will seat you. There are other options for dinner, of course, including Piazza Panini (similar to the Deli on other Carnival ships) and the Lido Marketplace. You will not go hungry on Mardi Gras....except after 10 pm, when nearly everything complimentary closes. 😮

Note that they fully EXPECT you to order or request more than one lobster tail on cruise-elegant night, and they provision the ship accordingly. Your table server shouldn't even bat an eyelash if you ask for a second or third lobster tail; after all, they ARE kinda puny. 🙂 It's been years, but back in 2012 the Chef de Cuisine on the Imagination (r.i.p.) told our Behind the Fun group that the ship's record for lobster tail at one sitting currently stood at...EIGHTEEN. The fleetwide record at that time was...TWENTY-THREE. Caution: this is not meant to be taken as a challenge. Enjoy your lobster tails in moderation, folks! 😄

Remember that Internet service is also dependent on where the ship is sailing and satellite coverage, and that could also have been a factor.

I was on the Sunrise back in February and, while she's certainly an older ship, I didn't see most of the issues mentioned. I thought the food was fine (and this, coming lately from a cruise on Mardi Gras). My biggest complaint about the Sunrise and that sailing was the wi-fi, which was dreadfully slow.

How full is the ship, and how are the lines? We're on in 2 weeks.

Yep, and for YTD passengers, their ship cards actually include Chibang! and the Cucina printed along with their MDR location.

I really like how Carnival bartenders make a Miami Vice, with the strawberry daiquiri red on one side and the pina colada white on the other. BUT, now that I am officially diabetic, I've switched to frozen mudslides -- in moderation! -- because they have half the sugar calories of a Miami Vice. When I asked John Heald about Carnival obtaining sugar-free or reduced-sugar daiquiri mixes, he said he was a fellow diabetic and said he'd take action about my sailing...but did not.

Implicit in my comment was the assumption that you'd be enjoying lunch (free pasta bowls, made to order) in the Cucina instead of dealing with the heartache one floor down at the buffet. On Sunrise in February I almost felt guilty about eating upstairs on embark day. After I was done I considered going back down unto the masses and playing Pied Piper, leading the hungry masses yearning to be free (or at least, fed) back up the stairs.

Truly! I have Coppertone Sport SPF 50 sunscreen here, marketed at Costco as "coral and reef safe" and for a decent price. It contains "No dyes, PABA or oxybenzone" but contains substances mentioned in this thread. I've used it in Cozumel, Bahamas, Grand Cayman and in my fish-filled river in Tennessee. I hope I haven't inadvertently killed anything, but how was I to know?

Reading this rather overwrought thread has been an entertaining 40 minutes. 😄 Many overseas ports have COVID restrictions still in place, so I suspect Royal is covering themselves by making a blanket policy...and as has been observed, they are in the vacation business, not the ocean ferry business. If there were no PVSA violations or local port restrictions involved, I'd expect RCCL to restore the practice in non-emergency situations. But...their ships, their rules. They would be under no requirement to do so.

Holey moley! That is quite high. What does the tour normally include? Before COVID, Carnival's "Behind the Fun" tours had peaked at $99, but they included a lot. Engineering Control, bridge, galley, main theater (performers and also techs), training center, outside doors to the brig and the morgue, crew mess (dining room), crew bar, laundry room, recycling center, drinks storage, meat storage, steakhouse (if present), and complimentary group and (usually) individual photos with the Captain on the bridge. Sometimes a group photo on the bow by the ship's bell and spare anchor. "It's a three hour tour, a three hour tour." (Sometimes longer.) Occasionally we'd get lucky and see things like an actual crew cabin if a vacant one was available, the Captain's private dining room, or (once) the Captain's cabin. On the other hand, Royal is now offering the tours post-COVID, whereas Carnival hasn't resumed them yet due to the virus, so that's a win. 😄

Moot point now since the OP switched ships, but the above info is not completely correct. As on all other ships, the Cucina on Sunrise is complimentary at lunch...which is always the busiest time for the Lido buffet. I made a beeline for the Cucina on embark day and enjoyed my made-to-order pasta bowl while the hurly-burly took place just one floor below.

Agreed, it worked fine for us on the Mardi Gras, which is definitely a ship you'd want the app handling YTD well.