I haven't sailed on Carnival in 8 years, does Carnival....

[kculater]

Hello,

I haven't cruised on Carnival in 8 years. I just booked a cruise on Horizon (6 night) for the fall. Since I have been cruising on Royal Caribbean (recently Harmony of the Seas twice), I want to learn how things are done on Carnival so I can prepare for my cruise.

 

1. Does Carnival offer sales on the Cheers drink package, specialty dining, excursions or internet packages?
2. Do they offer the shows twice per night? 
3. For anytime dining can you reserve your dining time in advance? 
4.  Do they do Quest? Will they do it on the 6 night sailing?
5. Do they do Lip Sync battle on the 6 night sailing?
6. Which places are open for lunch when  you board?
7. Any restaurants that are a must to eat at?
8. Any activity or show that is a must?
9. Does anyone have the 6 night sailing Fun Times?
10. Any additional information I should be aware of?

 

Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[lab_love123]

I can’t answer all your questions, but I’ve got a few answers for you! 

 

1. I’m not aware of any sales necessarily, although these things typically come with a “discount” if you purchase pre-cruise. Sometimes Carnival will run specials, so just keep your eye out. 

2. Yes, typically there are 2 show times each night with times accommodating the early and late dinner seatings. 

3. Not as far as I know. 

4. ??

5. ??

6. The buffet, pizza place, Guys burgers, Blue Iguana, Pig & Anchor. Maybe others. 

7. Definitely Blue Iguana IMO. I don’t really utilize the specialty restaurants though so no advice there. 

8. Comedy shows are usually worth the effort. I always enjoy the piano bar as well. 

9. ??

10. Nothing else from me LOL

[mdin]

Just adding on:

 

7. Farenheit 555 Steakhouse is very good and worth what you pay. I haven't had Ji Ji's for dinner, but their lunch is excellent. 

 

8. Vintage Pop and Celestial Strings are very good production shows, worth checking out. 

[Anyislandwilldo]

 

For anytime dining can you reserve your dining time in advance? No

 

Do they do Lip Sync battle on the 6 night sailing?  You might be able to search for some fun times off recent sailing

 

Any activity or show that is a must?  We enjoy the shows in the theater.  You might want to take in one or 2

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Essiesmom]

Have not seen Lip Sync on a cruise the last three years...might be a thing of the past.  I have seen Quest referred to on these boards, but do not recall it on any of my cruises.  

You can't do online checkin until 90 days before you sail.  You will have to choose a checkin time, or have one assigned.  that's the time you are to be at the terminal, not before.  You can come later, but not earlier.  this is to eliminate that big crush at the terminal entrance at 1030-1100.  EM

[Organized Chaos]

36 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Have not seen Lip Sync on a cruise the last three years...might be a thing of the past.  I have seen Quest referred to on these boards, but do not recall it on any of my cruises. 

 

Lip Sync Battle was just introduced at the end of 2016, then rolled out to more ships in 2017, so it's not a thing of the past. We had Quest on our 7-day aboard Glory last year. OP, not sure if it'll be on your 6-day. You'll have to get a hold of a copy of the Fun Times. For Your Time Dining, you cannot reserve a dining time. It's first come, first serve. We always do YTD since we tend to eat at different times, depending on what we're doing before or what we want to do after we eat, and have never had to wait very long. I think the longest we ever waited was a half hour a few years ago, and that was only because it was the last night and everyone wanted to eat in the MDR.

 

Look into getting discount Carnival gift cards through AARP. There are several threads on this forum (sorry, I don't have links handy right now). You don't have to be a member of AARP, just sign up for a free Rewards For Good account. You accumulate points through email promo codes and by completing quizzes on the Rewards For Good website. Those points can be cashed in for 10% off either $100 or $500 Carnival gift cards. Those cards can be used to pay for your cruise, OBC, Cheers, Wifi, excursions, just about everything.

Edited March 16, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

3. Yes and no. On the Horizon, you don't have to wait in line at the ATD desk to request a table. You can do it through the Hub app and skip that desk entirely. It will ask you how many people will be in your party and give you an estimated wait time. You will get a notification through the Hub app letting you know that your table is ready and it will give you the table number. You then just have to check in at the ATD dining room and they will escort you to your table. If you have a specific time that you're wanting to go to dinner then check on the app to get the estimated wait time and plan to make your request accordingly to get as close to your preferred time as possible. 

 

4. Yes, Quest will be listed in the fun times. If you use the Hub app, you can view the schedule of activities for each day of the cruise to see when it will take place. You can look through the activities for the whole cruise on embarkation day. Makes planning out your activities much easier than waiting until the night before to get the paper fun times for the following day. 

 

5. Yes, they will have the audition and various show times listed in the funtimes. The CD will also make multiple announcements advertising the activity as well. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by Mrs CruisinCritter
Spell check

[30scruiser]

1. On John Heald’s Facebook page he was selling Horizon dining packages. They have stayed publicly that they don’t put cheers on sale but on Black Friday they often post discount codes for excursions.

 

6.People have reported that the first day the Mongolian Wok and Pasta Bar are good options since people typically don’t know about them or that they are complimentary on the first day.

 

[iloverags2]

Does Carnival offer sales on the Cheers drink package, specialty dining, excursions or internet packages?

 

Cheers and Internet packages are both offered at a lower rate prior to the cruise, via The Fun Shops on Carnival's website.  I believe you have until the evening before departure to purchase.  We also received an email shortly before our cruise to purchase either spa packages or excursions (or maybe it was both) at a small discount ahead of the cruise.

[crusinpsychRN]

2 hours ago, 30scruiser said:

1. On John Heald’s Facebook page he was selling Horizon dining packages. They have stayed publicly that they don’t put cheers on sale but on Black Friday they often post discount codes for excursions.

 

6.People have reported that the first day the Mongolian Wok and Pasta Bar are good options since people typically don’t know about them or that they are complimentary on the first day.

 

 

I waited 45 minutes at the Mongolian Wok. Never again.

[PhillyFan33579]

5 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Have not seen Lip Sync on a cruise the last three years...might be a thing of the past.  I have seen Quest referred to on these boards, but do not recall it on any of my cruises.  .  EM

 

In the last two months we have sailed on Miracle and Sunshine.  Both cruises had  Lip Sync and Quest. Quest is a definite must do in my book, but it is definitely not for someone who is easily offended. 

[scpirate]

3 hours ago, crusinpsychRN said:

 

I waited 45 minutes at the Mongolian Wok. Never again.

My wife will stand in line then I eat half of it.she doesn't mind after all I took her on another cruise.

[PlanoDebbie]

12 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Have not seen Lip Sync on a cruise the last three years...might be a thing of the past.  I have seen Quest referred to on these boards, but do not recall it on any of my cruises.  

You can't do online checkin until 90 days before you sail.  You will have to choose a checkin time, or have one assigned.  that's the time you are to be at the terminal, not before.  You can come later, but not earlier.  this is to eliminate that big crush at the terminal entrance at 1030-1100.  EM

We just got off the Freedom this morning.  7 day out of Galveston.  While we didn't attend it, they did hold a lip sync competition with the grand finale in the Big Theater last night.

[Doug910]

15 hours ago, kculater said:

 Do they do Quest? Will they do it on the 6 night sailing?

Not sure if they have Quest on a 6 night sailing, but as someone else said, definitely check the Fun Times or ask at Guest Services. Just wanted to add, if you are used to Royal's Quest, you might be in for a shock watching Carnival's Quest. Carnival's game is a lot more wilder and definitely for, not only those who are 18+, but those that enjoy adult laughs. If someone is easily offended, it's not for them. It's definitely a lot of fun.

[kculater]

Thank you everyone for the information, very helpful. I will purchase Cheers beverage package right before cruise since there are no sales. I know it is cheaper to purchase in advance than on ship. Royal has sales all the time so the price fluctuates.

 

I have downloaded app so I will use it to reserve time for dinner once I get on ship. Royal let's you book 90 days in advance for my time dining so I wanted to learn how Carnival handles it.

 

I'm glad to hear they do Quest, I love it. It will be interesting on how Carnival does it. I will look for it on the schedule as well as Lip Sync Battle.

 

If I could do only one speciality dinner, which restaurant would you recommend?

[thesmiths]

53 minutes ago, kculater said:

If I could do only one speciality dinner, which restaurant would you recommend?

 

Steak House is our vote.

Edited March 23, 2019 by thesmiths

[DukeASUGirl]

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 8:22 AM, Essiesmom said:

 You can come later, but not earlier.  this is to eliminate that big crush at the terminal entrance at 1030-1100.  EM

 

This could be terminal-specific, because we showed up about nearly an hour early for our check-in time and tried to walk over to the line where you go when you're outside your time window, but they just called us straight over to the regular line to check our documents. I tried to correct them and say we were very early and they shrugged. On the ship 5-10 minutes later.

 

We were already finished with lunch by the time our check-in window came!

[Joannawog]

7 hours ago, DukeASUGirl said:

 

This could be terminal-specific, because we showed up about nearly an hour early for our check-in time and tried to walk over to the line where you go when you're outside your time window, but they just called us straight over to the regular line to check our documents. I tried to correct them and say we were very early and they shrugged. On the ship 5-10 minutes later.

 

We were already finished with lunch by the time our check-in window came!

What ship was this on?  We are sailing out of Galveston on the Valor.  I have a 12 check in time, and really wanted to arrive earlier.

 

[hotsauce126]

On 3/16/2019 at 10:41 AM, mdin said:

I haven't had Ji Ji's for dinner, but their lunch is excellent. 

 

I did Jiji's for dinner once on the Sunshine and I'd say its probably my favorite specialty restaurant dinner

Edited March 24, 2019 by hotsauce126

[mistycruiser]

On 3/23/2019 at 6:28 AM, kculater said:

Thank you everyone for the information, very helpful. I will purchase Cheers beverage package right before cruise since there are no sales. I know it is cheaper to purchase in advance than on ship. Royal has sales all the time so the price fluctuates.

 

I have downloaded app so I will use it to reserve time for dinner once I get on ship. Royal let's you book 90 days in advance for my time dining so I wanted to learn how Carnival handles it.

 

I'm glad to hear they do Quest, I love it. It will be interesting on how Carnival does it. I will look for it on the schedule as well as Lip Sync Battle.

 

If I could do only one speciality dinner, which restaurant would you recommend?

The Horizon is the only Carnival Ship that has a Teppanyaki restaurant.  That would be my first choice and 2nd would be the steakhouse. 

[crusinpsychRN]

On 3/23/2019 at 10:21 AM, thesmiths said:

 

Steak House is our vote.

 

Why? What are your favorites? What is cost?

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, crusinpsychRN said:

 

Why? What are your favorites? What is cost?

On the Horizon there are four main sit down specialty venues.  The Steakhouse is 38.00, Teppanyaki is I think 20-30 depending upon entree choice, and Jiji's and Cucina del Capitano are 15.00 each.  For 60.00, or an 8.00 saving, you can get 1 meal at the Steakhouse, Jiji's and the Cucina.  This is a deal being done on a trial basis on the Horizon.

I think the better values are the 15.00 at Cucina and Jiji's.  The Steakhouse was better in my opinion years ago because of items such as the lobster bisque being downgraded and items such as the porterhouse being discontinued.  There is a tomahawk pork chop at Cucina that is delicious.

Also at lunchtime there is no Mongolian Wok in the buffet area on the Horizon, you order via slip of paper at Jiji's while you sit and wait.