Pre scheduling Horizon shows

[bury me at sea]

1 minute ago, Trueblueky said:

If "up with the times" means I need to prebook entertainment months ahead of time, I hope Carnival is never that modern.

 

Me too.

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

The length of a ship by itself doesn’t tell you much without considering the beam (width). The beam of Allure is significantly wider, which is why the gross tonnage of Allure is 225,000, considerably more than Horizon’s gross tonnage of 133,500. 
 

 

You do know gross tonnage has nothing to do with weight?

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

I think it's great there are cruise lines that cater to people who want to pre-plan each day of their vacation.

 

I think it's great that Carnival allows choices for those of us who prefer not to vacation with a daily preset schedule.

 

Choose the line that suits your preference.

 

 

 

On nights with the Hasbro game show and the Lipsync battle are there any other shows available other than the comedy club?

 

Are there any nights on Carnival where there are no shows other than the Comedy club?

 

 

[tandemcruzr]

3 hours ago, Trueblueky said:

If "up with the times" means I need to prebook entertainment months ahead of time, I hope Carnival is never that modern.

 I agree completely.

[Caribbean Drifters]

On 4/23/2020 at 7:55 PM, trummy said:

You don't even have to have a preset MDR time. We do "your time dining" so we can eat when we please. We don't like schedules on vacation. If we are having a great conversation with newfound friends or have just discovered a great musician, we might not want to leave just because we have a scheduled meal. But, that's us. You do you and enjoy.

 

https://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CARNIVAL-HORIZON-FUN-TIMES.pdf

 

Trummy, thanks so much for the Tips, this is helpful.

[PhillyFan33579]

32 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

It sounds like you view the ability to make reservations for show a plus.  Many Carnival people view that as a huge negative.  I was recently on the Harmony of Seas.  It is a beautiful ship and the shows were amazing.  However, one of the negatives for me was making reservations for shows ahead of time or risk not being able to see the show at all.  I would MUCH rather simply decide what I want to do on the day I want to do it and arrive 30 minutes early to get a good seat.  Sure, with other ships you can use the standby line, but then you won't get a good seat.

If things not being able to reserve a show bothers you so much, then maybe NCL or Royal would be a better fit for you.  In general, Carnival is a better fit for me.  Also, on my Royal cruise we didn't have the ability to book a comedy show ahead of time.  So as soon as I got on the ship, I went to book one and found out there would not be a single family comedy show the entire cruise.  I was cruising with my grandson and that was a big disappointment. We did have a fantastic cruise, but the scheduling ahead of time and being locked into that was one of the few negatives.

Anyway, the no reservations required for shows with Carnival, along with the great comedy shows, are two of the main reasons we usually choose Carnival.  

Really good post!

 

I don’t understand people like the OP who make comments/complaints assuming everyone thinks the same way they do.
 

I have been a long time cruiser on Carnival (34 cruises) and have heard countless complaints while cruising on ships, from friends and family, from online sites like this one, etc. Some of the complaints are valid while a lot of complaints are things I wouldn’t think twice about. But I cannot recall anyone ever complaining about Carnival not having a reservation system for shows on a ship prior to this thread. 

[evandbob]

On Carnival, I would only pre-book reservations if available for the comedy shows. On other lines, I'll pre-book the theater and production shows simply because they are higher grade and hence, more in demand.  I usually don't go to Carnival theater productions so no preference there.

 

To us, it's no different than pre-booking a shore excursion we really like or locking in times for specialty dinner reservations.  The lines that do offer prebooking were also the first to utilize easy to follow cruise planning calendars to keep track of activities.  Carnival was one of the last lines to institute these calendars.

 

We recently sailed the Symphony of the Seas in January for the 1st time, and I was amazed at how less crowded that ginormous ship felt compared to a Carnival ship.  As a long time Carnival cruiser (40+ sailings) I was expecting lines and delays on the SOTS since there are so many cruisers on that class ship, and was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong.

 

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

It sounds like you view the ability to make reservations for show a plus.  Many Carnival people view that as a huge negative.  I was recently on the Harmony of Seas.  It is a beautiful ship and the shows were amazing.  However, one of the negatives for me was making reservations for shows ahead of time or risk not being able to see the show at all.  I would MUCH rather simply decide what I want to do on the day I want to do it and arrive 30 minutes early to get a good seat.  Sure, with other ships you can use the standby line, but then you won't get a good seat.

If things not being able to reserve a show bothers you so much, then maybe NCL or Royal would be a better fit for you.  In general, Carnival is a better fit for me.  Also, on my Royal cruise we didn't have the ability to book a comedy show ahead of time.  So as soon as I got on the ship, I went to book one and found out there would not be a single family comedy show the entire cruise.  I was cruising with my grandson and that was a big disappointment. We did have a fantastic cruise, but the scheduling ahead of time and being locked into that was one of the few negatives.

Anyway, the no reservations required for shows with Carnival, along with the great comedy shows, are two of the main reasons we usually choose Carnival.  

 

Since you were on one of Royals Oasis class ships you know that Carnivals system of no reservations required would not work on Royals Oasis class.

 

With 6000+ pax on the ship there would be a lot of irritated people on the ship if a high percentage of pax decided one night they wanted to see the same show as there would be no way even with 2 times to pick from in a given night they could accommodate everybody.

 

Thus the reservation system. Once on the ship it keeps everything running smoothly and keeps people dispersed so the ship does not feel crowded.

[JerseyGirlJen]

I love that Carnival doesn't do scheduling of entertainment, etc. because I truly enjoy not having a set plan every day.  Sure, in my mind I have an idea of what I would like to do, but I like not being tied down to something and having the freedom to change gears as the day goes on.  

 

Even though I love going to Disney World, one aspect of cruising Carnival that I really like is NOT having to plot out meals and entertainment months in advance when I cruise...doing it at Disney is enough.  Real life tends to be "too scheduled"...I don't want to be doing "real life" when I'm on vacation.

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

Since you were on one of Royals Oasis class ships you know that Carnivals system of no reservations required would not work on Royals Oasis class.

 

With 6000+ pax on the ship there would be a lot of irritated people on the ship if a high percentage of pax decided one night they wanted to see the same show as there would be no way even with 2 times to pick from in a given night they could accommodate everybody.

 

Thus the reservation system. Once on the ship it keeps everything running smoothly and keeps people dispersed so the ship does not feel crowded.

I agree that the reservation system on the Harmony worked well.  The ship was amazing and never felt crowded.  I booked the cruise late in the game, so many of the good reservation times were booked.  I couldn't even coordinate the Any Time Meal (or whatever it's called) reservations with the show times.  It was very frustrating, but I did see that it worked well for the passengers.  We bought the Key, so we actually were able to sit in special sections most of the time.

I didn't like the fact that if I didn't book a reservation, my only option of seeing a show that day was standby.  I had to pre-plan everything and when you book a cruise close to the sail date, you are out of luck with a lot of options.  I am sure many people prefer the reservation system, I am just not one of them.  That being said, Harmony is an amazing ship with a lot to do.

Edited April 26, 2020 by TNcruising02

[Caribbean Drifters]

14 hours ago, JerseyGirlJen said:

I love that Carnival doesn't do scheduling of entertainment, etc. because I truly enjoy not having a set plan every day.  Sure, in my mind I have an idea of what I would like to do, but I like not being tied down to something and having the freedom to change gears as the day goes on.  

 

Even though I love going to Disney World, one aspect of cruising Carnival that I really like is NOT having to plot out meals and entertainment months in advance when I cruise...doing it at Disney is enough.  Real life tends to be "too scheduled"...I don't want to be doing "real life" when I'm on vacation.

With the other major cruise lines you dont HAVE to set any plans, you just have the AVAILABILITY to set plans if you want to, there is a big difference. Carnival is simply incapable of offer BOTH the way their competitors do. And im sure everyone wants to see Carnival do even better things, right?

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Caribbean Drifters

[Illbcruzn4life]

24 minutes ago, Caribbean Drifters said:

With the other major cruise lines you dont HAVE to set any plans, you just have the AVAILABILITY to set plans if you want to, there is a big difference. Carnival is simply incapable of offer BOTH the way their competitors do. And im sure everyone wants to see Carnival do even better things, right?

 

 

Why would you need to make reservations for shows on Carnival? Do they have shows in more than 1 venue a night other than the main showroom and the comedy club?

[HxFx]

14 hours ago, Caribbean Drifters said:

What you are not grasping is that having the AVAILABILITY to pre book things does not mean that you will miss out if you do not pre book.

If there were a reservation system then everyone would feel compelled to make a reservation so as to not run the risk of not being able to get into the show.

[TNcruising02]

With the reservation system, those with reservations are allowed in first.  Then later they open it up to standby.  Obviously, the people who use the standby line are not going to get the same type of seats as those with reservations. 

[Caribbean Drifters]

1 hour ago, HxFx said:

If there were a reservation system then everyone would feel compelled to make a reservation so as to not run the risk of not being able to get into the show.

Maybe read the post the thread before posting. Just because there is a reservation system doesn't mean they sell out the whole venue to prebookers, the other two major lines hold many spots available for the people who dislike booking ahead of time. This is exactly how Carnival already operates their Specialty Dining Reservations, it would be a beneficial  to extend this reservation system to entertainment for the portion of people who would like the OPTION of coordinating dinner times with entertainment times on their larger, Vista class ships that are well know for feeling ver crowded.

[TNcruising02]

My suggestion for the Vista class  to look at the Fun Times to see the show times and book your reservations around one of the nightly show times.  Arrive at least 30 minutes early for the shows.  The theater shows are timed so that people who have early dining can see the late show and people with late dining can see the early show.

The theaters in the Vista class ships aren't as good as the other ships, so arriving early is a must to get a decent seat.

[Caribbean Drifters]

5 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

My suggestion for the Vista class  to look at the Fun Times to see the show times and book your reservations around one of the nightly show times.  Arrive at least 30 minutes early for the shows.  The theater shows are timed so that people who have early dining can see the late show and people with late dining can see the early show.

The theaters in the Vista class ships aren't as good as the other ships, so arriving early is a must to get a decent seat.

thanks for the advice, that is really helpful. so far its proven a challenge to find a funtimes for my itinerary on here, or just on google.

[TNcruising02]

22 minutes ago, Caribbean Drifters said:

thanks for the advice, that is really helpful. so far its proven a challenge to find a funtimes for my itinerary on here, or just on google.

Maybe someone who has done a review in February or March could help.  I think the shows are usually at 7:30 and 9:00, but I am not positive. I would recommend scheduling dinner reservations for either 5:30 or as late as possible.  That way you will be able to see either the early or the late show.  I can see how this is frustrating since you are used to being able to pin down definite times for dinner and a show for a specific day.

I was on the Panorama in December, but we mostly hung out at the comedy club.

Edited April 27, 2020 by TNcruising02

[Caribbean Drifters]

29 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

Maybe someone who has done a review in February or March could help.  I think the shows are usually at 7:30 and 9:00, but I am not positive. I would recommend scheduling dinner reservations for either 5:30 or as late as possible.  That way you will be able to see either the early or the late show.  I can see how this is frustrating since you are used to being able to pin down definite times for dinner and a show for a specific day.

I was on the Panorama in December, but we mostly hung out at the comedy club.

Thats smart, I will search that way.

 

It's just a great convenience to have all the options. I live 30 mins from the Panorama, here in Southern California. I frequent her dock mates Imagination/Inspritaion. It's the closes $5 craps table to my house, I have to play higher than my normal level in Vegas (4 hours away) to get a hotel to comp my rooms/food/beverage, but that comes with every cruise!!!
 

[Caribbean Drifters]

7 minutes ago, HxFx said:

Can you acquaint me with where you described how having some folks reserve seats would not impact those who do not want to reserve seats? If the supply is reduced others will feel compelled to either reserve as well or rush even earlier to show. 

ill see in which comments i talked about that, but I'll surmise here. Basically only a portion of the capacity is opened for pre booking while a another portion will only is only available to either receive once onboard (this is exactly how carnival already operates their specialty dining reservation system for the most part). and/or leave capacity open for people like those who have commented what they want a totally free unscheduled experience. 

You see, why I said maybe read the thread is because the 4-5 people on here who are balking are not reading; they keep saying words like "forced" and "required," and that simply is not the case. Neither of Carnival's competitors operates that way.

As to your point about what people "will feel compelled to" or "rush even earlier to a show,"  that is a very big assumption, and i dont know how you think you can foretell human behavior, and impulse. I for one KNOW on the occasions while cruising that I didn't prebook something on say, Bliss that I could still show up to ANY entertainment that was able for rebooking and and get into the other line at the same time and still see the show I decided that day i wanted to see because NCL does a great job of handling that on their larger ships.

[HxFx]

25 minutes ago, Caribbean Drifters said:

As to your point about what people "will feel compelled to" or "rush even earlier to a show,"  that is a very big assumption, and i dont know how you think you can foretell human behavior, and impulse. 

Isn't that what you're doing by saying they won't be impacted? Perception is reality. Fewer seats = greater concern for not getting a seat or having to get there earlier. BTW, I'm assuming that folks would be impacted because several folks on here have said it would impact them. Regardless, I hope you are able to enjoy your cruise. Not gonna be the definition of insanity.

[Caribbean Drifters]

Well said, perception is def reality, I just don’t claim to be able to figure what people’s perceptions are, that’s another form
Of insanity. Yes, let’s bury this dead horse. Just to Seder your last question, maybe go check out for yourself how NCL does it, two lines before doors open, they open the same time, so you can just show up 30 mins before just like Carnivalers are already doing.


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[HxFx]

8 minutes ago, Caribbean Drifters said:

Well said, perception is def reality, I just don’t claim to be able to figure what people’s perceptions are, that’s another form
Of insanity. Yes, let’s bury this dead horse. Just to Seder your last question, maybe go check out for yourself how NCL does it, two lines before doors open, they open the same time, so you can just show up 30 mins before just like Carnivalers are already doing.


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Yes, the horse is dead 🙂 I am interested in how other cruise lines do it. I was not wanting to insult anyone for wanting the reservations, merely understanding how it could affect those who don’t. I will indeed check out the NCL process. I am a planner and it could be something that I would like. We went to Disney for the first time in over a decade recently and I loved using their app and working my “magic” to get FastPasses and dinner reservations.

[Caribbean Drifters]

8 minutes ago, HxFx said:

Yes, the horse is dead 🙂 I am interested in how other cruise lines do it. I was not wanting to insult anyone for wanting the reservations, merely understanding how it could affect those who don’t. I will indeed check out the NCL process. I am a planner and it could be something that I would like. We went to Disney for the first time in over a decade recently and I loved using their app and working my “magic” to get FastPasses and dinner reservations.

Thats awesome! I have an 8 and a 5 year old daughter, and once i realized how inclusive it all is the price seems like a bargain; where before I felt it was SUPER overinflated.

[NCbmwmom]

Having to prebook shows in order to get a decent seat is one of the big reasons I won’t sail RCCL.