Drose716

I'm fairly sure the deli on Magic had them in August & if that's the case I would think Dream does too. Of course things could've changed since August.

I used to do shorter cruises because my kids were young so I cruised without them & couldn't be away too long. 3 is way too short. 4 days is also too short but it's doable if you go in looking for just a long weekend thing. I've done  a few 5 days too. They feel more like a vacation, but I still prefer longer. 

I usually sail with my kids now & can do longer trips. Their first was 4 days & they agreed it was too short. So we tried my first 6 day. Loved it & have since done 2 7-days & an 8-day. 7 days is perfect. 8 was amazing too. Our next is also an 8 day. 

 By the last night of the 8 day I still wasn't ready to go home & give up the fun & the cruise life. BUT I was sick of the food & booze & pretty exhausted. I still think 7/8 is a good sweet spot for me. 

I've never technically cruised solo. But I did 2 cruises with just myself & my kids who always have their own lives on board. The first was fairly boring. But it was a 4 day January cruise to the Bahamas & not a popular sailing obviously. I still met people to chat with & had a great time.

On the second I met the man who is now my boyfriend of 2.5 years on night 1 at the casino bar. 

Since, we've been on 3 cruises together. We've met other people & couples to hang out with on every one. Take the plunge! If you're a social person, you'll make friends. 

A friend of mine who is a big fan of another cruise line told me about this. I went to Google & nothing came up so I asked for a link. Turns out he says it may have been fake news 🙄

I was on Dream in '17, Vista in March, Magic in August & I'm booked on the Horizon southern for May.

I hated the Vista at first. The atrium was blah. The decor was blah. The layout was all wrong & the theater flat out sucked. As the week went on, the layout & decor grew on me. The atrium made it's amends. The theater still flat out sucks lol.

After being on Magic I realized the layout isn't far off, I actually like the muted decor... and the theater is still 1000000000× better on Dream class :')

So the theater on horizon will suck. But it will have the newest & the best. The Magic was also fantastic. You wont go wrong either way. If you want new & fancy... go Horizon. If you want an upgraded classic Carnival... go Magic.

I've been on 10 Carnival cruises. There's always a deck party & always fun to be found in my experience.

The general vibe varies based on length, time of year, & the luck of the draw of who is sailing with you. My quietest cruise ever was a 4 night in January. As quiet as it was, I have videos of my kids dancing their hearts out at the deck party. I've been on longer sailings where we've seen the casino & club packed until all hours & sailings where it gets quiet before midnight. I've always found people & fun & things to do.

As far as booking, if you're booking ES, dont wait. Get your cabin choice now & you can always price match if the opportunity arises. Our last cruise was on Magic. I booked an interior at first & prices changed & I later switched to a deluxe ocean view for about $100ish mors for all 4 of us. I'm booked on the Horizon in May. I've been watching prices for months & there has been no change at all. They dont always go down.

I was on the Magic a couple weeks ago & it was hit or miss. Sometimes I was given a straw, sometimes not. I don't care about those little bar straws with spirits & soda say, but I do prefer a straw with the sugary type drinks & I was always given one if I asked.

Every ship is a little different so be sure to check the fun times when you board.

From our experiences, check in/registration was always day 1 between boarding and muster. They

 

 

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Yup. I was on the Magic 2 weeks ago & it was between boarding & muster. It was opened again a little while after sailtime for registration & free play time. We went then I want to say around 5:30 or 6. That was my 4th cruise with kids & it was the same on all 4 ships if I recall correctly.

Usually, you cannot do drop off for camp ocean on the first night, but the room is open to play in supervised. They did have drop off after 10pm for night owls.

My son always uses a lanyard. My boyfriend usually does too. My daughter either uses a lanyard or a phone case that has a card slot in it. I use my pockets, wristlet, or inside my phone case.

My son LOVES camp & always wants to stay until close. As others have said, the theme parties, usually 2 (maybe 3??) on a 7 night cruise, tend to be more organized. But I've noticed they still bend to the audience. They go with the flow of what the kids want. If the kids want the organized activities, they'll stick to that. If they are all happy playing games & watching a movie, they've let them do that in our experience.

The theme nights are a $15 flat rate & my son looks forward to the little trinkets they get every cruise.

The reviews I've seen indicate that Horizon has had their nightclub in the comedy club pretty much since it started sailing...and vista seems to have moved in that direction as well. Also reports that some of the late night comedy has been moved to the liquid lounge when there isn't a conflict.

I was on Vista in March & yup, the night club was in Limelight every night. "Late night" comedy was either earlier than on other ships or was in the Liquid Lounge at least one night.

I've done non-stop from JFK/LGA to FL day of 3 times. All early morning (7ish am) flights. 2/3 times went off without a hitch. One time we were delayed 1 1/2 on the tarmac waiting on someone to sign off on a light bulb repair. I was flipping out the whole time. We still made it with plenty of time to spare, but oh the anxiety! I'm an anxious person with too many experiences with delays & cancellations so I don't do day of anymore.

That said, 7am from NY/NJ gives you a decent cushion with no stops & a chance of alternate flights if there's a hiccup. You'll probably be just fine.

On our Vista cruise my boyfriend did a cash account while I used a credit card. They directed him to a line to set up his account in the terminal & directed me to a seat to wait for boarding.

I haven't been on the Horizon yet but we are booked for next year. I have sailed Dream & Vista though. I love the Dream. My favorite ship to date. That said, the Vista was great too. I'll be on Magic next but then Horizon soooo

If the itineraries are equal or not important, give Horizon a try & see how you feel. Only you will know!

There is a soda package, but there's no self-serve machines. You go to any bar & they'll pour from a can into a bar cup. You'll get a new cup for each drink.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3836/~/bottomless-bubbles-%28unlimited-soda-program%29

Dream. I've been on multiple Fantasy class, Triumph class, conquest class, splendor class, dream class & visita class. I just loved the layout of the Dream class.

I loved the Visita. But it felt different & bland. I'm still hooked on the Horizon next year. I just loved Dream more & cant wait to sail Magic next month.

I am allergic to strawberries, but they tend to be fairly easy avoid since my allergy is generally from direct consumption so I just never order an item with "strawberry" in the description. However...

I had a tablemate 1 cruise with very severe celiac's. She ate most of her meals in the MDR. They met with her to pre-plan her meals a day in advance to accommodate her dietary needs. She spoke very, very highly of the accommodations & mentioned at buffets they were happy to provide.. or find someone who could... info on the buffet food.

Carnival will take care of you. Call the special needs department & speak with the maitre'd on day 1.

Bump. I'm also curious as to whether ships sailing out of Miami use the onboard mailbox system or provide S&S cards at check-in. Sailing on Victory in three weeks.

For Miami they card will be in the mailbox after you board.

First of all, so sorry for your losses.

Now I met my boyfriend on his very first cruise & my 7th. He lives in Ohio & I in NY. Its been nearly 2 years we've been living the long distance life.

Meeting him he knew nothing about cruising. He got a serious kick out of just being shown the ship, the comedy, the shows.

His 2nd cruise was with me. I planned some exciting excursions so he really got to see what cruising has to offer. He's hooked. Our 4th cruise together is next month.

So take a ship tour. Show her all of the entertainment offerings. Plan an exciting excursion. Plan a nice meal in the steakhouse or another specialty rerestaurant. Keep it casual. She will catch the bug like the rest of us!

I've been told by Carnival it can only be used on new bookings. However, I got off the Dream last August & was able to price match on my already booked Vista cruise.

I was on vista in March. The first couple days, I hated the ship & vowed never again on this class. I was underwhelmed by the dreamscape & atrium. I found the layout confusing. The decor was boring & drab. I felt like I spent all my time walking.

However, I honestly warmed up to it. Once I learned the layout, I didnt mind it anymore & I grew to really like the decor. I'll be on the Magic next month (Dream class is still my favorite), but we now have the Horizon booked for 2019.

Here's my observations:

- Overall it quite honestly didnt feel any more crowded than any other cruise. I got a chair on serenity when I wanted one. Short wait for the ropes course. Waited maybe 10 minutes or so for a table on YTD on formal night.

- Lines on lido felt the same & often shorter. Never had a problem finding a table with little to no hunting. The lines for Guys & Blue Iguana were fine. Pizza at night was insane as always. Deli lines were hit or miss.

- It was spring break so a TON... EPIC TON... of kids so it's hard to comment accurately on the pools & kid oriented spots.

- Went to every adult comedy show on the sailing. We saw people lining up a half hour or more early. We never got in the line & still got a seat easily for all but one show. We arrived late, after starting that time tho.

- Whoever designed the main show lounge should hang their head in shame & be invited to never design anything ever again. Absolutely horrible. Drink servers cannot get to you & the crowd actually had to pass drinks back over their heads. Seriously?! The poles are horribly placed. The tables attached to the seats in the balconies are cramped & horribly placed. I whacked my funny bone good while simply trying to sip my drink & dropped it. WORST thing about the ship.

- I was not a fan of the limelight being a show lounge AND nightclub. It really messed with the showtimes. I'm not sure if Horizon is the same.

- The atrium never grew on me. It felt closed in & blah. I prefer the glass elevators to the dreamscape. I did like the smaller dreamscape set up in the casino though.

- Approach the decor with an open mind. Yes, it's different for carnival but I honestly grew to like the more muted tones.

So Dream class is still my fave, but I'm open to Vista class too. It has it's good & bad. The crowds I think depend on the sailing, but they aren't necessarily worse than any other ship. Dont take anyone else's word. We're all different. It's worth a try!

I was on the Vista inaugural. What I didn't like about the casino was that it was ENTIRELY smoking and the bar is in the middle, so all the smokers congregate there so there's no getting away from it.

This is actually true of the Dream class as well. The walkway goes through the casino just like on Vista & the bar is in the center. I love the Dream class, but I did prefer when the walkway was alongside the casino rather than in it.

I'm sailing my 10th carnival cruise next month & have never had to "take a number" for a comedy show.

Our next is Magic, but on Dream 15-20 mins was enough to get a seat. On Vista, which is known on these parts to be a nightmare for the comedy shows, we never waited in line once & went to every show. We only ended up standing for 1 show we arrived late to.

I believe all ships above the Fantasy class have them. Victory & probably Triumph (unless upgraded) have weird contraptions on the bathroom wall. Every other class has them in the vanity drawer. I have some long, sorta thick hair & have made do, but if you can bring your own it's probably for the best.

Haven't been on Horizon yet (booked for next year), but I did Vista in March. Party of 7 on elegant night & we waited maybe 15 minutes on YTD.