Family Harbour suite - yes, no or maybe?

[Over Land & Sea]

Looking at these suites for the 4 of us but feel there's potential issues similar to the threads concerning the Havana cabins.

Unlike the Havana area I presume that the Harbour lounge is open to all 24/7 which could lead to a lot of activity in the venue as well as various comings & goings. Without wanting to generalizse could result in a lot of unsupervised kids in the area.

Also the suites are positioned below the main galley and having never had a stateroom below a public area wondered about the likelihood of noise bleed-through at night/early a.m when cleaning, re-stocking and breakfast prep was occurring. I know this has been cited as a problem on Quantum, but do Carnival's ship builders have better soundproofing requirements.

I suppose wanting to voyage during an inaugural season requires a lot of guesswork.

[jimbo5544]

Looking at these suites for the 4 of us but feel there's potential issues similar to the threads concerning the Havana cabins.

 

Unlike the Havana area I presume that the Harbour lounge is open to all 24/7 which could lead to a lot of activity in the venue as well as various comings & goings. Without wanting to generalizse could result in a lot of unsupervised kids in the area.

 

Also the suites are positioned below the main galley and having never had a stateroom below a public area wondered about the likelihood of noise bleed-through at night/early a.m when cleaning, re-stocking and breakfast prep was occurring. I know this has been cited as a problem on Quantum, but do Carnival's ship builders have better soundproofing requirements.

 

I suppose wanting to voyage during an inaugural season requires a lot of guesswork.

 

 

I think it will all be vetted out in short order, once she starts sailing. I love the functionality and look and feel of these suites. And the lounge as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[MaiTaiMary]

Has anybody seen a floor plan of these cabins? There will be five of us. We usually book two cabins, so I'm wondering if this would be more comfortable for us. :confused:

[Velvetwater]

The family cabins look really good but I am wondering what the other perks are apart from the great decor and the lounge? The booking page says there are other perks around the ship but they might just mean the the lounge?

 

I personally think that although the decor of the lounge is great the fact its an inside space with no windows makes it feel really pokey and I wouldn't use it if I was with children.

 

Would it be cheaper and better to book a Deluxe ocean view that also fits a large family?

 

For a typical 8 day in early July time it would cost a family of 4 an extra $95 for the harbour room instead of a Deluxe ocean view.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Velvetwater

[mrsnowka]

Hi, I cannot tell from the pictures if the little half wall closes off so that the kids sleep in a separate cove than the adults, or is it still just one open room? If it separates I can totally see the point- like a Holiday Inn Suite for families- but I don't want to pay just for the lounge. Thanks in advance

[Love2Cruz2015]

The rooms look gorgeous as does the pool area but the lack of privacy of the patio is a deal breaker for me so I booked a standard balcony one deck below the food :D

 

I can still go after 5 to enjoy the atmosphere.

 

 

 

{{{{disregard-intended for Havana suites}}}}}}

Edited January 26, 2015 by Love2Cruz2015
Ooops, disregard..I mistook this post for the Havana suites

[BaseballMomof4]

The family suites look great, but I would be concerned about what is above me.

[TheTravelista]

Looking at these suites for the 4 of us but feel there's potential issues similar to the threads concerning the Havana cabins.

Unlike the Havana area I presume that the Harbour lounge is open to all 24/7 which could lead to a lot of activity in the venue as well as various comings & goings. Without wanting to generalizse could result in a lot of unsupervised kids in the area.

Also the suites are positioned below the main galley and having never had a stateroom below a public area wondered about the likelihood of noise bleed-through at night/early a.m when cleaning, re-stocking and breakfast prep was occurring. I know this has been cited as a problem on Quantum, but do Carnival's ship builders have better soundproofing requirements.

I suppose wanting to voyage during an inaugural season requires a lot of guesswork.

 

The Harbour Lounge isn't open to all 24/7. Just available to those in family suites. If I was traveling with a alrge family I'd book it in a second. The separate breakfast is a huge draw IMO. Not having to go up to Lido in the morning would be fantastic.

[Over Land & Sea]

The Harbour Lounge isn't open to all 24/7. Just available to those in family suites. If I was traveling with a alrge family I'd book it in a second. The separate breakfast is a huge draw IMO. Not having to go up to Lido in the morning would be fantastic.

 

Thanks for the interesting info, so in addition to the Havana area that makes 2 semi restricted areas. I can see some rows looming with folks trying to sneak in out of hours.

[Love2Cruz2015]

The Harbour Lounge isn't open to all 24/7. Just available to those in family suites. If I was traveling with a alrge family I'd book it in a second. The separate breakfast is a huge draw IMO. Not having to go up to Lido in the morning would be fantastic.

 

IF their breakfasts are as nice, then yes, I agree, but something tells me those breakfasts will be an abbreviated version of what's being served at Lido.

[falkcor]

IF their breakfasts are as nice, then yes, I agree, but something tells me those breakfasts will be an abbreviated version of what's being served at Lido.

 

or catered via the room service continental breakfast menu :rolleyes:

[Janbo25]

Can anyone shed any light as to what the layout will be in the family suites, as we will be travelling with a 10 year old and a 1 year old so will need suitable sleeping arrangements or will they or can we provide a travel cot?

[seabrookcruiser]

Can anyone shed any light as to what the layout will be in the family suites, as we will be travelling with a 10 year old and a 1 year old so will need suitable sleeping arrangements or will they or can we provide a travel cot?

 

 

I found information about the Carnival Vista State Rooms at Cruise Deck Plans.com. Just click on "Stateroom Descriptions" and choose the deck. It has square footage, amenities, etc. for all cabins.

 

For those interested in the Family Harbor staterooms, there is also a link showing what is included in the Family Harbor Lounge. Hope this helps.

 

http://cruisedeckplans.com/Carnival/fleet/vista/Carnival%20Vista.html

[legion3]

It would probably be a no for us, would not want to pay suite prices to be under the galley. Plenty of noise complaints from the Dream class ships under the galley.

 

I would probably book further aft in one of the Deluxe FH OV cabins making sure the MDR was above us.

[Love2Cruz2015]

I went ahead and booked one of these rooms, OV for Dec. 2016. It's one of those odd shaped rooms that is double width, but shortened due to a stairwell. It looks like it will have two windows so that should make it bright, which is some thing I enjoy. I was going back and forth between this and balcony, but I really like the photos and the decor of this new stateroom category. I think my DD will enjoy the family lounge as well, it's something different.

 

I gave up the balcony for this, so I hope it's worth it! Can't wait to see the initial photos!:D

[Love2Cruz2015]

duplicate post-sorry!

Edited February 15, 2015 by Love2Cruz2015

[CatlinSTJ]

We considered it and opted for a 4J - for now at least. (I'm keeping an eye on prices, if we can get a family cove balcony for a decent price closer to sailing we may switch.) One of the big perks, for us at least, is that the kids eat free in the specialty restaurants. I have to wonder about the specific rules for that, what ages do they consider to be children? Our girls will be 16 and 8 when we sail, I assume that the 8 year old is included, but what about our teenager?

 

We had the same concerns as other have mentioned as well. Have a feeling that the lounge area is going to be crazy with kids running amok unchaperoned rather than families spending time together. Our cruise is very port intensive - only one day at sea - so needing to keep everyone entertained onboard isn't a big concern. We also weren't thrilled with staying on deck 2. We did that once and it was very difficult for me to manage and we hated waiting for elevators. I have joint issues, so I can't take the steps, especially going up, for more than a couple decks at a time.

 

This is our first time being booked on a ship that doesn't exist yet. Very strange not having specific reviews for the ship, rooms, etc. to read. :p

[Sam_Eagle]

We considered it and opted for a 4J - for now at least. (I'm keeping an eye on prices, if we can get a family cove balcony for a decent price closer to sailing we may switch.) One of the big perks, for us at least, is that the kids eat free in the specialty restaurants. I have to wonder about the specific rules for that, what ages do they consider to be children? Our girls will be 16 and 8 when we sail, I assume that the 8 year old is included, but what about our teenager?

The kids eat free in the specialty restaurants was part of what drew me to this category as well. My wife missed out on the steakhouse on the Breeze since my youngest refused to be dropped off at Camp Carnival. My kids will be 8 & 12 at the time of sailing, so I'm assuming/hoping both will be included in this perk. The free night of babysitting service also is a nice perk.

[legion3]

It actually states your kids eat free in most specialty onboard restaurants

 

What is most? Probably not the steakhouse? Cucina probably as it's not that big a cost anyway, seafood shack, ji-ji's?

 

Most is not all, just wondering, however I agree that it is a selling point even to us.

[nomad098]

According to cruisedeckplans http://cruisedeckplans.com/Carnival/fleet/vista/Carnival%20Vista.html

they reckon all fee paying restaurants except chefs table

 

I know it's a long time before we get any official confirmation and things will change

 

But a nice perk if true

 

They posted up about the age limit in the Havana cabins long before Carnival did and seem to have quite detailed information

[legion3]

Would the Chef's Table really be considered a specialty restaurant? Its only held once or twice depending on demand.

 

The other possibility is that the steakhouse is included but kids eat from a kid menu and not the standard $35 menu. We shall see.

[Carnival_Brides]

It would be lovely if they'd offer a children's menu for the Steakhouse. We believe in dining together as a family, even on vacation, but our minion won't eat much of what they include on the menu, so we haven't been able to go the last few cruises. We booked a FH cabin for the CTN in NYC.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Carnival_Brides

[Sam_Eagle]

It would be nice if the steakhouse is included as one of the free specialty restaurants, but if it's not, I'll just schedule the free night of babysitting service for the night we go to the steakhouse. It'll work out either way. :)

[JMKreno]

I am booked in a FH Cove Balcony for the Nov 7 11-day to the Eastern Caribbean. I would have done Havana, but they were not available with young kids (10 and 17 months at the time of the cruise).

 

I am a bit nervous about noise, however it looks like ALL of the balcony options for FH rooms are under the galley and most of the regular rooms, including the lounge, so hopefully this was thought of. Strange to put an area dedicated to families in a very noisy area...

 

I am looking forward to these rooms. I know the lounge also offers what appears to be a continental breakfast every morning, sandwiches, etc for lunch, and some light dinner options. Also, there will be a concierge desk for reservations, shore excursions, etc. Should be interesting!

[falkcor]

According to cruisedeckplans http://cruisedeckplans.com/Carnival/fleet/vista/Carnival%20Vista.html

they reckon all fee paying restaurants except chefs table

 

I know it's a long time before we get any official confirmation and things will change

 

But a nice perk if true

 

They posted up about the age limit in the Havana cabins long before Carnival did and seem to have quite detailed information

 

actually that information is a direct copy of carnival's TA / internal site - copy/paste - so it actually *is* official.