mdin

Hello everyone! My wife and I are freshly off of the Mardi Gras and I figure I'll try to post a review and thoughts of our sailing around the Western Caribbean. I'll try my best to cover our experiences and what we did on and off the ship. Plus I'll add some pics along the way. Also, I'll do my best to answer any questions. We are both in our late 30's and this was my 8th cruise and her 7th, all with Carnival. This sailing was a 7 day Western Caribbean with stops in Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. This was my first time in Roatan since 2007, and our first time in Cozumel since 2010. Neither of us have been to Costa Maya, so essentially it was a new itinerary for us to experience. We originally booked Mardi Gras for February 2021, but obviously that didn't happen. Jump forward 2 years and we finally got to experience Mardi Gras. This was the most hyped either of us have been for a ship. Bigger than anything we've ever been on. We watched a bunch of YouTube videos about Mardi Gras to get a head start on learning the ship, plus it's fun to do when it's cold out 😆.

Just got off Mardi Gras on Saturday and they had them. I ate several 😀

Just got off the Mardi Gras and had the exact same experience. I noticed it a lot in Serenity, which defeats the whole purpose of that area. A loud, personal playlist playing over the intended soothing music destroys the vibe. The staff (who were great btw) did not intervene. Probably trying to avoid confrontations.

We've sailed the Horizon twice (2019, 2022) and have another sailing booked on her in 2023. My wife and I really like the ship. We had a Havana room last time and loved everything about it.

That is only airing in the tri-state area, so I doubt it'll air on the ship's feed.

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

I normally lean 8 day almost every time, but in this case I prefer the Celebration itinerary (plus newer ship can't hurt). I recently booked a NYE 24/25 cruise on the Vista. 8 day Southern Caribbean.

I haven't been on Celebration, but Horizon is my favorite ship so far. My wife and I did the Southern Caribbean itinerary last March and loved it (especially Aruba). When our Vista 2024 cruise was cancelled, we rebooked Horizon for the same itinerary again. Eastern Caribbean is great too though (love St. Maarten and St. Thomas).

Great review, thanks for posting!

Awesome live review! Thanks for posting, I finally caught up! My wife and I will be sailing on the Mardi Gras early March 2023 and doing a family New Years cruise December 2024 (Vista). This is basically getting a preview of 2 cruises in one for me lol. BTW, hopefully the ankle is better.

My wife and I stayed on deck 7 on Horizon and feel the same way. Having that stairwell in the back made getting to all of the Havana amenities very easy. Except for a family NYE cruise on Vista, we will always try to book in Havana.

Is a 2:15p flight too early? The airline moved my original 4:15p flight out of MCO to 2:15p.

My wife and I prefer January and February. We live in the northeast so getting a break from winter for a week is a nice treat. We did cruise in late March this year (originally booked for February). Initially we were a little worried about cruising during spring break season, but fortunately it wasn't a bad experience at all. There were definitely a lot more families with children on the sailing, but for the most part it didn't seem much different than our non-SB cruises. (To be fair, we did have Havana and spent most of our time in there).

This past March my wife and I booked a day pass for Ocean Osasis. Beautiful place with loungers, shade, and excellent service. However, the water entrance is very rocky. I skipped swimming that day, so not sure if there is a spot to comfortably walk in.

No reason to think it's better to wait. I've since explained the advantages of booking early and will book as soon as the family confirms they are in. Yesterday it didn't occur to me to book asap and I didn't want to rush anyone into a decision. Ended up saying we have plenty of time to decide without thinking if a holiday trip books faster than usual.

So over the weekend, my family suggested we should go on a New Years cruise. If we're all in, we decided December 2024 would be ideal. Just need to figure out ship, itinerary, and duration that we want. Now normally, my wife and I pick cruises sailing anytime from January through March, and then book it about 12 months in advance. It obviously gives us plenty of options to choose from. For this one however, we are limited to a specific week. How far in advance should we book it? Originally I was thinking booking it by this time next year, but now wondering if these sailings sell out faster due to the week it's on. TIA

I was hoping to get an excursion offer. Did those offers come via email, or is offered within the Carnival account? TIA

Good advice, thank you. Ironically it is for that same March 4th sailing (7 day W. Caribbean). Comparing today's balcony price to the price I paid in January for interior it's a savings of $259. Being this is my wife's and mine first time on Mardi Gras, I think we'll be exploring the ship more than relaxing on the balcony. Will probably pass on it this time.

Going to jump on this thread instead of starting a new one. I received my first ever upgrade offer. I'm currently in an interior room for a March 2023 sailing on Mardi Gras. The offer is to move to a deck 12 balcony towards the back for $350. Out of curiosity, is that a good deal as far as upgrades go?

TBS and Fox Sports in this case, at least in the U.S.

Back in March the "Funship" was $1 off I believe.

Great review. My wife and I did this same itinerary in March. On Vista Class, we are 100% in agreement about Havana. Loved that space. We ended up spending most of our days there. Also agree that La Cucina was a disappointment. Everywhere else we ate was good to excellent however.

My wife and I did the A & B portion of this trip earlier this year (also went to La Romana and Amber Cove) on Horizon and had a great trip. Just like you have planned, we did the Sunset Sail and it was one of the best excursions we've ever done! Excellent choice! We also did the steakhouse on the first night. My only tip there is if you drink wine and don't mind paying, take the 50% off bottle deal. We basically gave into our waitress pushing the free bottle on us and the red wine was terrible. Getting breakfast in the MDR on port days was quick and easy, and the food was delicious. If you have time during your pre-cruise stay, I'd recommend checking out the cruise ships sailing away on the pier at the end of South Beach. It was a cool experience.

I used this Master Lock travel safe. Worked well for me.

My wife and I sailed Horizon this past March to Aruba, Bonaire, La Romana, and Amber Cove. We stayed in Havana and loved the ship. As for what we did ashore: Aruba - took a taxi to beautiful Eagle Beach, spent a good part of the day there. Then did the Sunset Sail through Carnival. Instantly became one of our favorite islands to visit. Perfect day. Bonaire - took a taxi to Ocean Osasis resort and just had a nice, laid back day by the water. Beautiful area, but rocky. We really liked the resort. Food and drinks are available to purchase, and the service was great. Here's a more detailed review of the trip