Access to Havana Pool with Multiple Rooms (only 1 Havana)

[crazy4themouse]

9 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Deal with the reality that every single new build by the mainstream lines will continue with what has transpired with every single new build over the past 5+ years and that they ALL will have some sort of ship within a ship or an upgraded section for adults.  There is one exception, but I don't consider them mainstream since they charge twice as much, Disney.

 

Out of the 4 lines I have sailed, Disney actually does the best at keeping adult-only areas actually adult-only - and has more space set aside for adults. They understand that MANY of us (parents included) don't want to be surrounded by "family-friendly" offerings (including over-tired, over-stimulated wailing kids) 24/7, and we happily pay more for that much more serene experience in the Havana area. That's hardly discrimination against kids -- That's just offering choices. We're very grateful Carnival offers that choice. Hearing that a wonderful area such as Havana is "discriminating" to kids is one of the more ridiculous things I've read all week.

 

(And this is not directed at you at all, @SNJCruisers -- I just quoted you for the reference to Disney.)

 

[Elaine5715]

20 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

Out of the 4 lines I have sailed, Disney actually does the best at keeping adult-only areas actually adult-only - and has more space set aside for adults. They understand that MANY of us (parents included) don't want to be surrounded by "family-friendly" offerings (including over-tired, over-stimulated wailing kids) 24/7, and we happily pay more for that much more serene experience in the Havana area. That's hardly discrimination against kids -- That's just offering choices. We're very grateful Carnival offers that choice. Hearing that a wonderful area such as Havana is "discriminating" to kids is one of the more ridiculous things I've read all week.

 

(And this is not directed at you at all, @SNJCruisers -- I just quoted you for the reference to Disney.)

 

The sounds of Disney...screams of exhausted children

[Elaine5715]

15 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Meh, I'll continue to vote with my wallet. If the lines continue on their current path, they will end up like Crystal. This is my view today. 

Doubt it.  John Heald announced today's sailing on the Horizon are these numbers.  That are 567 first  timers, almost a quarter of the ship.  Ship has a max guest capacity of 3960.

[bdever]

19 hours ago, cuccicruisers said:

My sons 17 and 14 could not get out of Havana area faster…they wanted to be where the action was. Havana was definitely not their preference. 

Same situation with my 28 year old son, who literally told me “Mom, if this is how you’re going to cruise I won’t be sharing a cabin with you ever again.” He said Havana is for “old people”.

@cruisingguy007 - I totally understand your logic with having a child under the age of 12 but the OP mentioned her’s was 12+ so that’s where I’m stumped at needing a second cabin that is not Havana.

[bdever]

2 hours ago, HxFx said:

When cruise lines estimate how many folks will be using an area at any given time, there is an assumption that not everyone who is eligible will be in there at the same time. Swapping wristbands impacts the anticipated levels and diminishes the experience for those who have paid. 

Yes, and Havana Cabins are in extremely high demand on Vista class ships. They are the most coveted and the price of those cabins rarely drop at the same rate as other cabin categories. To diminish the value of those cabins by offering day passes to passengers not staying in those cabins would mean a lot of empty premium priced Havana cabins that would be sold out if exclusivity is not compromised by offering day passes to non-Havana passengers. If you want access to the Havana outdoor area with a minor under the age of 12 you could always book a grand suite and get access that way. 

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, crazy4themouse said:

 Hearing that a wonderful area such as Havana is "discriminating" to kids is one of the more ridiculous things I've read all week.

 

(And this is not directed at you at all, @SNJCruisers -- I just quoted you for the reference to Disney.)

 

No offense taken at all.  It's just that I don't consider Disney a mainstream cruise line because of the inflated rates they charge.  All of the mainstream cruise lines have some sort of upgraded accommodations whether it be the Haven on NCL, the Yacht Club on MSC or the Retreat on Celebrity.  All three of the above mentioned lines also provide a specific restaurant for those who pay to stay in the specialized areas.

[cruisingguy007]

10 hours ago, Computer Nerd said:

And switching bands with passengers who haven't paid for the experience isn't? 🙄

 

Completely wrong. I'd obviously have to pay for it, just as everyone else. And I wouldn't remove my auto grats like some people. I pay for every cabin I book, I expect to get all the benefits I pay for. If I pay for two people, two people should be able to use the area they pay for. 

[darren42]

On 1/20/2022 at 11:05 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

That's not what the OP said. I understood it like my situation in that I have one kid under 12 so I would have to book two different cabins in different areas already, I'd have no choice (if I wanted to use the havana area for my wife and I) since kids under 12 are discriminated against in the havana area. So yes, I'd use both areas for me and the Mrs. since I would be paying for both areas just like everyone else. My kids wouldn't use the spa or hang out in the havana area, they like the kids club, sports park areas and water slides. Utilizing what you paid for isn't getting over.

 

As far as why I don't like the ship within a ship concept, it is because it reduces public areas on the ship, lowers the value of vacation cruise dollars and chips away at the base product. Havana in particular, also discriminated against kids as well and is, along with serenity, more ship pool space that families can't enjoy. Granted parents can use serenity when kids are in the kids club but can't even book havana at all, even if their kids won't use it. I suspect if there were other pools on the ship that banned older people from using them, it wouldn't go over to well. Maybe they should sell cabins that have access to the dining room and others that only can access lido buffet? Ship within a ship right?  That's where this ends up and is not good for mass market low budget lines. Exclusivity and luxury cruising already exists, no need to try and imitate that on the every-man blue collar cruise lines. Hope that explains it.       

They do on Celebrity. If you are not a Retreat Class, ie suite guest, you cannot dine in Luminae, the dining room for those who choose to pay a lot more for their cruise. Other lines do this too. MSC,NCL, so we are already there.

[CruisingFromLA]

My assumptions:  
- Depending on the offer, sometimes it is cheaper to get 2 rooms, than it is to pay for 1 room for 3 people. For example, on my recent Radiance cruise it would have been an additional $300 for a 3rd person in our current room vs if my husband got a separate interior for $50. We ended up getting 2 rooms as it was the cheaper option with more space.  

- OP wants to utilize the Havana area with her husband, while her son will not be utilizing it. Therefore 2 wristbands and 2 people will be utilizing the Havana area. They are not trying to get a 3rd person into the area while they paid for 2.

 

Overall, it sounds like putting all 3 in 1 room (which is hard to get as there are very few rooms that accommodate more than 2 in the Havana area) is more costly, than it is to book 1 Havana balcony and 1 interior. They plan to only have 2 people utilize the Havana area either way. Makes sense to me. I personally have no issue with this plan. However, there are a lot of people online that will say "rules are rules" and that you shouldn't do this, while at the same time they are breaking other rules (sip and cover, not masking indoors, smoking on the balcony, sneaking alcohol on board, driving over 25 mph in a residential zone, etc). OP just needs to understand the risk that she could possibly be turned away since she isn't technically assigned to a Havana stateroom.

 

Lastly, can OP just go to Guest Services once on board and ask them to move people around in the staterooms? That way you still get the offer for the interior, but once on board they aren't going to charge you more because you decided to bunk up with someone else in a different room. If OP's son is 12, then the room just needs to be directly across from the balcony. However, if the son is 13 or older, he can be up to 3 staterooms away. If they are able to move people around once on board, than OP will not be breaking any rules as both her and her husband will be assigned to a Havana stateroom and will both be able to access the Havana area. This requires more planning, as I feel like I always have difficulty finding available rooms directly across from each other. 

 

[SNJCruisers]

11 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

If I pay for two people, two people should be able to use the area they pay for. 

John and Mary, not two out of three of John, Mary and their son Steve.

[MrMarc]

On 1/22/2022 at 11:18 AM, Elaine5715 said:

Doubt it.  John Heald announced today's sailing on the Horizon are these numbers.  That are 567 first  timers, almost a quarter of the ship.  Ship has a max guest capacity of 3960.

Are you saying that more people than this would cruise if they did not have the COVID protocols?  Based on every thing I have seen and read, and the vast majority of people who are sailing, I disagree.  I think if they relaxed the protocols they would have fewer passengers, more cases of COVID, fewer possible ports (if any), even fewer crew, and be looking at a possible forced shutdown based on the increased country wide spread that would happen each time a ship came back. This issue is still not tracked and since I like to cruise I am glad.  If they actually tracked that, I am afraid they could be shutdown, because all cases of people who traveled on that ship would be counted no matter where they actually got the virus.

Edited January 23, 2022 by MrMarc

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, MrMarc said:

Are you saying that more people than this would cruise if they did not have the COVID protocols?  Based on every thing I have seen and read, and the vast majority of people who are sailing, I disagree.  I think if they relaxed the protocols they would have fewer passengers, more cases of COVID, fewer possible ports (if any), even fewer crew, and be looking at a possible forced shutdown based on the increased country wide spread that would happen each time a ship came back. This issue is still not tracked and since I like to cruise I am glad.  If they actually tracked that, I am afraid they could be shutdown, because all cases of people who traveled on that ship would be counted no matter where they actually got the virus.

Yeah, more people would be cruising given the pricing.  COVID restrictions especially the testing is holding people back.  If there was tracking for visitors  to the large amusement parks or Las Vegas, the percentages would the similar in rates of infections.  A virus doesn't care where you are vacationing.  The cruise ship numbers show the number of first timers who are jumping in with all of the nonsense.  The people cruising are not just those of us with multiple cruises.  

[MrMarc]

47 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Yeah, more people would be cruising given the pricing.  COVID restrictions especially the testing is holding people back.  If there was tracking for visitors  to the large amusement parks or Las Vegas, the percentages would the similar in rates of infections.  A virus doesn't care where you are vacationing.  The cruise ship numbers show the number of first timers who are jumping in with all of the nonsense.  The people cruising are not just those of us with multiple cruises.  

I'm sure the cruise lines are blindly following the useless protocols.   I'm sure they have not done any market research or considered the effects of changing their procedures.   That's why even when it's voluntary the are continuing and increasing their safety measures.  Remember all the people who said that all of the rules would go away on January 16th?  How many are posting how wrong they were?  Why do so many people believe that the cruise lines are just blindly doing what they are doing?  What if they actually know what they are doing?

[Elaine5715]

3 minutes ago, MrMarc said:

I'm sure the cruise lines are blindly following the useless protocols.   I'm sure they have not done any market research or considered the effects of changing their procedures.   That's why even when it's voluntary the are continuing and increasing their safety measures.  Remember all the people who said that all of the rules would go away on January 16th?  How many are posting how wrong they were?  Why do so many people believe that the cruise lines are just blindly doing what they are doing?  What if they actually know what they are doing?

Like the CDC?  Doing "market research" about people's feelings regarding COVID precautions (which were on the last survey) are not science.  Because some people "feel" safer when they see crew wearing masks does not make anyone safer.  Not allowing smoking in the casino is probably doing a better job of not causing cancer than preventing the spread of COVID.  Requiring testing has not stopped people from contracting COVID at some point before debarkation.  Sailing with all vaxxed guests has not stopped the spread.  So, yes, the protocols are useless and are simply appeasing the overlords at the CDC. 

[BlerkOne]

What the hell do protocols have to do with cheaters and Havana? The protocols certainly are not useless and are science. Public health based on market research is pure garbage. Underwhelming how some don't care how many people die as long as they are not inconvenienced.

[cruisingguy007]

34 minutes ago, Computer Nerd said:

Yes, if YOU pay for the benefits, YOU should get the benefits. If someone did NOT pay for the benefits, they should NOT get the benefits. Doesn't matter if they are related to a person who paid for the benefits or not. And you stated the problem exactly. The OP wants to pay for TWO people to have the benefits and yet have THREE people use the benefits. That is plain wrong.

Oh, and try to be accurate (which seems very hard for you). I MODIFIED my gratuities to match the level of service I received. I did not remove my gratuities.

 

Fine, I'm "modifying my reservation to match the level of service/benefits I expect" since I pay for it. Same thing. See how that works? I don't recall the OP saying three, only that her and her husband would use it. That is certainly what I was referring to when discussing this issue, having a under 12 to also book for.  

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Fine, I'm "modifying my reservation to match the level of service/benefits I expect" since I pay for it. Same thing. See how that works? I don't recall the OP saying three, only that her and her husband would use it. That is certainly what I was referring to when discussing this issue, having a under 12 to also book for.  

This is from the OP:

Would they allow us to get room keys so we can all access the Havana Pool? (my son is over 12 so no issue there).
 

sure sounds they want all 3 to have access.

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

I don't recall the OP saying three, only that her and her husband would use it. 

All you need to do is go back to post 1 of this thread and reread the final two paragraphs.  You then have the answer.

[travelplus]

On 1/19/2022 at 5:52 PM, Computer Nerd said:

Technically, no. Only the folks actually assigned to the Havana cabin should have the wrist bands that allow access to the Havana pool area.

Would not be fair to those in Havana Cabins. Please consider upgrading everyone to Havana if this is what you want. It would be quite tacky to sneak people into an exclusive area and you may even be debarked for allowing people into access controlled areas 

 

Jus think if I paid $$$ only to learn that a Havana Guest brought in non Havana Guests I would immediately complain to the Havana Concierge/Pool Greeter and Hotel Director. The Pool Greeter could get fired for allowing non Havana Guests in. Especially rowdy kids and teens.

 

At the very least ask the Staff before you even try. Everykne has a Key Card carded for access and perhaps a wristband.

 

 

 

 

Do you try this at Airline Lounges too try to bring in non status Economy Fliers on a $ 5- 10,000 Ticket?

Edited January 25, 2022 by travelplus

[travelplus]

On 1/19/2022 at 4:48 PM, K_e_short said:

I'm daydreaming of a future cruise as I am getting a lot of awesome offers.

 

I know you can only access the Havana Pool during the day if you have a Havana Room.

 

I have heard of families booking multiple rooms and assigning people in rooms to save money, then re issuing room keys at Guest Services.

 

How would that work for the Havana Pool?

 

I want to book a non Havana Balcony with my offer and put my husband in a Havana room with his offer. We'd be travelling with our son, who could go in either room.

 

Would they allow us to get room keys so we can all access the Havana Pool? (my son is over 12 so no issue there).

 

I am daydreaming of flying in the First Class Suites on Emeriates but I sure as heck wont poach the seat. I will find a Sponsorship or Friend who can assist me. If not I will fork over the $$$.

[travelplus]

On 1/20/2022 at 3:27 PM, DramaQueen22 said:

You will also have a secondary issue with this plan.  You book one cabin for say, yourself and your son, and the second cabin is then registered under your husband's name alone.  That second cabin, no matter where it is located, will still cost the double occupancy rate.  Why not just book the coveted Havana and stop trying to get around the requirements?  

 

I stand by my earlier assertion that you get what you pay for.  If someone doesn't like the upcharge, or if they "pay more" for somewhere else, that isn't the point.  If one wants Havana access, pay for the cabin.  

 

 

An airline lounge will refuse entry to teens flying in Coach if Mommy and Daddy are in First Class.

Fair not fair those are the rules . If  the teens want First Class its a earned privilege .

 

Trust me I was in Paid First Class for work and I wanted to bring in my Parents and they said no. I understood..

Edited January 25, 2022 by travelplus

[travelplus]

On 1/20/2022 at 2:52 PM, BlerkOne said:

How many colors do you think they use?

They use Facial Recognition Cameras🤣.

[travelplus]

On 1/20/2022 at 6:19 PM, SNJCruisers said:

We've had this discussion before about your dislike of the ship within a ship concept, but you have to deal with the reality that it is on all of the mass market cruise lines.  

Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, NCL, MSC and Princess all have a variation of it on some of the ships in their respective fleets. It's not going anywhere.  If you don't like it, there are multiple ships on every line I mentioned that do not have the concept.  Of course all of these ships are the older smaller ships in the fleets and this is the sacrifice you will have to make if this concept is so distasteful to you.  

 

Otherwise you have to deal with the reality that every new build on all of the mass market lines will have some sort of ship within a ship area or upgrade for those who wish to pay for access to the special area.  

Remember Deck 15  Serenity? That is where I will be . Its free. Honestly I considered Havana on my Panorama cruise but it just was not wort it. I am fine with Deck 15 and the Havana Bar. And yes I have the means to pay for a Havana Cabin but I decided to do Shore Excursions instead.

Edited January 25, 2022 by travelplus

[Guest BasicSailor]

On 1/22/2022 at 2:11 PM, bdever said:

Yes, and Havana Cabins are in extremely high demand on Vista class ships. They are the most coveted and the price of those cabins rarely drop at the same rate as other cabin categories. To diminish the value of those cabins by offering day passes to passengers not staying in those cabins would mean a lot of empty premium priced Havana cabins that would be sold out if exclusivity is not compromised by offering day passes to non-Havana passengers. If you want access to the Havana outdoor area with a minor under the age of 12 you could always book a grand suite and get access that way. 

I have really no interest in them as there is really no privacy at all.

[bdever]

48 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

I have really no interest in them as there is really no privacy at all.

These are not the only Havana rooms. There are also regular Havana balconies on decks 6-9 as well as Havana interior cabins on decks 5-9.