skidawg79

I’ll report back in two weeks. I board the Horizon on Saturday and plan on using Verifly.  

On 3/6/2022 at 10:09 PM, ToddlerMom2016 said:

Often wonder why they stack the chairs at night. I’m assuming safety reasons. Feel bad for the crew that has to do this nightly though. 
 

 

I think it has something to do with cleaning as well.   Easier to clean the floors with the chairs stacked.   Loving the review...we board the Horizon on 3/19!  How long have your dinners been?  Heard with the uptick in capacity, they are taking forever. 

On 3/8/2022 at 1:19 AM, CruiseLoverFromNorCal said:

When I booked with the Good to Go promo, it forced me to prepay the gratuities. There was no way to opt out. Anyone else notice this? I prefer to tip individual workers in cash. 

So you go back in the galley and tip the cooks that are cooking your meals?  or only the ones that bring it to you?   the gratuities get spread out to the ones behind the scenes too.   Would never even think of opting out of gratuities....

ok good...i was getting pissed at Century Link.  haha  Glad i saw this post before I called and went Karen on them. 😉   just kidding, I wouldn't do that. lol

I would do the Sunrise.  The overnight in Bermuda sells it.  My first cruise was supposed to go to Bermuda and we missed it because of weather, always wanted to go back.    But dont think you can go wrong with either 1 or 2,   3 would be a distant 3rd for me.

On 11/23/2019 at 8:36 AM, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

Hi all,

 

I am considering doing a Carnival Spirit cruise but have previously sailed Royal Carribean (Mariner and Radiance).

 

Are there any significant differences?

Why do you choose Carnival over Royal?

 

It is so tempting to stay with Royal Caribbean simply because of the rewards programme but I am not someone who prefers the same thing over and over again.

Thanks

I've had 3 on Carnival (Valor, Splendor and Magic) and 2 on Royal Caribbean (Oasis and Freedom of the Seas).  In all honesty I didn't see much difference in the food/service or overall product.   In fact, I think my two favorite cruises I went on were the Valor and Magic (although all were awesome). The only thing you might find "shocking" is the decor in the older Carnival Ships.   If you can get past some gaudy decorating, you wont miss a beat.   Definitely try it and see what you think.  Either way, i'm sure you will have a great time!  

On 12/5/2019 at 11:19 AM, sorrynameistaken said:

HI , Im a  mom and two sons heading out on this trip!

 

you can look at a lot of excursions through shore excursions and trip advisor/ viator as well  lots of cool things to do

 

Such a nice Idea to take your mom I'm sure she will love it and spending time with you!  

Thanks!   good call on Trip advisor.  I've been going through shore excursioneer and the Carnival excursions websites.    I'm probably putting too much thought in it, she'll have fun doing anything lol.   I've done most of the types of excursions (ziplining, snorkeling, swimming with stingrays etc), so I'm up for anything.    Cant wait to surprise her on Christmas!

Thank you everyone for replying. Some great reminders/tips/suggestions.  I really appreciate it.   

On 11/23/2019 at 6:58 AM, LakeWobegon said:

grandmarnnurse is on to something. A small backpack or travel bag full of essentials for the plane and cruise could be a very cool and fun way to present your wonderful gift to her.

 

It would also be a good idea to get together with her several months before the cruise to ask her what her likes and preferences are. Does she want to eat dinner at a set time or anytime or mostly at the buffet, etc. And go overall of the potential activities onboard and shore you both could partake in. Because there are so many options, it's helpful to have a game plan that you certainly can deviate from. 

 

Based on what you've shared, here are some of my recommendations for ports ...

 

Cozumel - For a beach day, consider Paradise Beach. It's a short taxi ride from the pier and gives you the all-inclusive or ala carte option. They have many inflatable water toys like trampolines and pyramids and slides. And besides a beautiful beach and swimming area, they have one of the largest pools and pool areas on the island. Lots of great food and drink options. 

 

For snorkeling, consider Money Bar Beach Club. There's really no beach here but a stairs down into the water with great snorkeling right off the restaurant/bar which is very nice. Tables and loungers with umbrellas. No cover charge here. You're just expected to buy food and drink. Again a short taxi ride. 

 

Or consider Carnival's Fury excursion operated by the Fury company. It's essentially a catamaran cruise with drinks and food included to a variety of snorkeling and beach stops. I did this last year and it was a blast. 

 

I've also done many different snorkeling excursions in Cozumel that include a stop at El Cielo, which is stunning. Cozumel has some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world. I may be a bit biased but have spent 4 weeks there these past two years on land-based trips. 

 

Grand Cayman - We've been there many times but Stingray City is still one of our favorites. I would recommend this excursion above all else. 

 

Ochos Rios - If you want a beach day, I would do it here at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville next to the pier. There's a cover and you have to pay a little extra for the VIP section that includes two loungers with an umbrella and cooler/safe combo. But it comes with two free drinks and it's a safe, short walk there from the ship. 

 

Have fun and safe travels!

 

thank you!  El Cielo looks amazing!   Definitely some great advice. Going to run a few of these by her after Christmas (when I Finally tel her about it haha). Thanks again! 

On 11/22/2019 at 8:52 PM, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

 66 is not that old...  😂😂😂🤣

lol. You are right. Sorry if I made it sound that way 😉

Ok, so I booked the 6 night Carnival Horizon on 3/29 out of Miami.   I am actually surprising my mom with this as a Christmas gift.   This will be my 7th cruise, but her first (she will have turned 66 by the time we are on the cruise).   It's been a while since I was a first timer so wondering if there is anything I should prepare her for haha...I know she has a passport, I can give advice on what to pack, probably take the motion sickness patches (i think she will be fine, but never know), What am I missing that would be awesome for a first timer?

Also, she's pretty adventurous for her age...LOVES to swim and would love snorkeling, we are going to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica.....I'm thinking Cozumel...beach day.   Grand Cayman...sting rays.  But no clue what to do in Jamaica.... I know this isn't a port page, but any advice would be great!  Thanks!

On 6/10/2019 at 2:41 PM, EeyoreRN said:

May 26 continued

Of course, the day 1 Compass was in the room when we arrived and available everywhere about the ship. Here it is again

 

CC Day 1 0526001 (1).pdf 12.55 MB · 5 downloads

 

We spent some time enjoying the balcony and perusing the day 1 compass and thinking about the rest of the day.  Decided to go get some drinks and lounge chairs on deck 12 and enjoy the partially sunny skies and breeze.

Looking down at the Solarium

 

Not too sure exactly where we were here

 

Plenty of lounge chairs today on deck 12

 

Went back to the room to freshen up before muster at 5:45 and dinner at 6:30.  Our bags had been delivered and look what Emma brought!

 

 

We found our muster station right on time and to avoid the crowds flocking to the elevators afterward, we headed forward and up to the helipad to watch the Fascination sail away.

 

That ship has sailed!  Time for our dinner at Giovanni's Table.

I’m in your picture!!! Lol.  The picture of the solarium pool, I’m the guy with the sunglasses just to the left of the giant colorful bird (my head is just above the railing to get in to the pool. Haha. That’s funny.  

On 6/9/2019 at 12:21 PM, EeyoreRN said:

I'm BACK!  Quick update before I backtrack into the details...the cruise was AWESOME!!! 

 

The ship is GORGEOUS and has something for everyone, and fellow passengers were just as fun/respectful as we have encountered on any of our other vacations (we had read many reports and reviews that the ship is old and tired and the passengers are loud and rude), but we did not encounter any of this. Did the carpet in our hallway (deck 7 aft) and some furniture in public areas need replacing? Yes! Did we hear an occasional boom box? Yes! But these were minor issues and in no way affected our enjoyment of our vacation.

 

Food was fine to outstanding, depending on the venue. Windjammer was fine, dining room very good, specialty restaurants in many cases much exceeded our expectations! Bar service was exceptional, drinks were delicious and prompt (except in dining room, but I will get to that in the detailed analysis).

 

Entertainment was good, varied and plentiful, we often had to make choices what to do because so much was going on. Every event we attended was at least somewhat entertaining if not great.

 

The ports, what can I say? I have to go back to them all.

 

Finally, the SERVICE on this ship was so over the top exceptional I barely know what to say. Every individual we encountered at each level of service bent over backward to ensure that every passenger had the best vacation possible. We were blown away by the smiles and service! 

 

I will get to my full report over the next few days/weeks but please feel free to ask questions!

 

Dina

We encountered the same.   We had such a great time on this cruise.  The only complaints I heard were of people complaining about the weather.   Did I spend 10 days in the Caribbean and still go back with a little bit of a sock tan....unfortunately yes lol  But the rain did not hamper our trip at all.  We had an amazing cruise.  I had to laugh at one person that said...”I didn’t come to the tropics for rain”.    Tropical literally refers to warm and hot and moist lol.  

Just saw this. Reading through now. It’s making me upset.  I want to go back. Lol.   Sitting at the Houston airport.  Back to reality of work.   Going back to reading about your trip!   

6 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

 

 

Isn't Cosol the one who was just shot and killed? I was thinking I read about that recently. 

 

So neat about the sunburn part. Since we didn't really get burned this time we didn't get to test that theory. But I know what it feels like to get in anything hot when you have a sunburn and I can't imagine getting into the baths. Ouch.

 

We haven't really ran into too many pushy people in St Lucia. They were all pretty nice. Just the one that had that comment and then he walked away. He didn't even bother us after we came out of the falls. He must have forgotten he said that and he must say it to everyone that goes by. LOL

Omg I just looked it up!  He was killed last year.   Console himself was actually our tour guide that day.  If I remember correctly he was a retired police officer or something like that.  He was awesome. So sad to hear that.  I attached a pic of my friend and Inwith Cosol. Hope that’s ok.     I’ll be happy to remove it, this is your Review.  

We booked the same tour with Spencer Ambrose while we are there in 2 1/2 weeks.   Did a similar tour about 8 years ago with Cosol and loved it.  Doing Spencer this time because you travel more on the boat, Cosol drives you to the beach and takes you back on the boat.  The Roads in St. Lucia are crazy curvy and i wasn't enjoying the bus ride.   I have to say about the mud baths, my friend Emily and I had pretty rough sunburn (mine was on my forehead) and after we applied that mud and rinsed it off....the sunburn was practically gone.   It was crazy.   Excited to use Spencers this time.   One thing that i did remember about St. Lucia was that a lot of people were VERY pushy about buying things and giving them money.   Reading your review is getting me so excited for my cruise.   I leave for Puerto Rico in 12 days!!

7 hours ago, voyager70 said:

 

Exactly.

 

 I travel every week for work.  Have an alarm with camera's connected straight to the police and fire/CO2 detectors connected directly to the fire department.  Also awesome neighbors who keep an eye on my house while I'm gone.   Not to worried about that.  But i do see how that could be a worry.

Wow that water at turner beach! 

Ok so I go to Royalcaribbean.com and everything is in German.  I cannot get it to English. lol.  My cruise planner is in English but the main pages are German.   Weird.   

I'm finally caught up!   Great pictures and review so far!  I have a quick question.  You mentioned on embarkation day there was no lines and you breezed right through.  What time of the day did you get to the port?   I figure it would be a little busier from 12:30-2:30ish....not sure what time we want to go over.    We did pay for the drink package so might as well get on early and start taking advantage of it!  haha Great start to the review.  Looking forward to the rest!

55 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

Geez.  That's a tour I think I'd be happy to skip. I'm glad you made it back to the ship.  Did you tip the guys? I might not have considering how unhelpful they were. AND I'd leave a less-than-stellar review on their website.  Of course, I wasn't there, so maybe the excursions wasn't all that bad.

 

***EDIT***

 

What is this buggy tour you speak of?

She can correct me but  there is a tour called Mad Max Dune Buggies.   I actually booked them on my cruise in 2 1/2 weeks!   I'll be happy to report back what i think!

In excited!  I love your reviews and it’s perfect timing as I’m leaving on the Freedom In 20 days on the same itinerary!!!    I didn’t read any yet. Just saw the review. Haha. Can’t wait to read through! 

On 4/24/2019 at 11:26 AM, BBigfoot613 said:

I KNOW YOUR PAIN!! I booked a surprise Christmas cruise for my children (16 and 13) for this year. Our passports were expired so I HAD to book another cruise (oh the horror) to not tip it off. I'm having a very rough time with saying cruise instead of cruises lol. I'm not sure what I'll do between June and December! I'm sure she'll LOVE the surprise and having 3 months for her to prepare (we know how mothers can be) will be awesome. My kids aren't finding out until the night before we leave. If I was in your shoes I'd do some type of countdown object as a gift. Then she can be hyped and excited every day from Christmas until you leave 🙂

I love that idea!  Countdown clock is an awesome idea!   I actually had to move the cruise to the 3/29 which will give her a little extra time to get ready for it.  Thank you for that idea!

43 minutes ago, Markmom18 said:

I'm a Mom, and what a thoughtful son!  Our son works on Carnival Ships (Fun Squad), so it's me who visits him at "work".  🤗🛳🏝!!

 

Does your Mom have a current Passport?  

SHhhhhh .... as long as you can. But, on the other side . She might like the time to go cruise ship clothes shopping, or even to save some extra cash. You'd know better than any of us.

🌸🌸 Bobbi 

 

She does have a current passport, so good on that front.  I thought the same thing about the shopping, but she is retired and has 2 full months after I tell her  to go shopping haha.  Good call on saving money....the dilemma lol   I'll try to keep it a secret, but might get tough as we get closer!  Also, That's awesome your son works on Carnival!  

So I have been lucky enough to have gone on a few cruises.  Every time I go my Mom talks to me about how she would love to go on one someday but none of her sisters or friends want to go.   Soooo I just booked a cruise for March 2020 and going to surprise her with it as a Christmas (and early bday/mothers day) present.   Booked the 3/1/20 sailing 6 night out of Miami on the Carnival Horizon (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel).   I booked us a cove balcony.  Her bday is 3/7 so we will be able to spend the day in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale on her bday when we disembark.   Cant wait to see her face, she won't believe it!  Now the hardest part is keeping this a secret for the next 8 months!!  haha