Pirate’s LIVE “Family Reunion” on the HORIZON…Dec 3-9, 2023

[pirate4me2]

5 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

So the patio door locks like the front door of the stateroom and you use your sign and sail card to open the patio door from the outside, correct?

From what I am seeing there is no way to open the patio door from the outside. I’m in and out thruout the day so leaving it unlocked to go in and out of. 
 

2 hours ago, allinwonderland said:

Ocean Plaza bar is my favorite on Vista Class! Because they have the coffee machine, they can also make real espresso martinis if you like those. I usually end up making bartender friends there and at Alchemy.

ohhhh I love expresso martinis! Trying one later today! 
 

1 hour ago, kpark895 said:

 

Well, I can imagine worse!

according to my hubby…he doesn’t want to see anything worse 😂

[pirate4me2]

6 hours ago, pe4all said:

Quick question - do the Havana cabanas get any sun?  Looks like they are set back and may not.  That would be a deal-breaker for me.  Love my sun - lol!

So, for today our room “patio” has not received any sun, but I’m wondering if we will on the return trip? I’m happy since I can go to the back to get sun, then go to my patio for shade. 
Looking at the other side of the ship, at “grandma & grandpa’s” patio, they do have sun right now. 

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

So, for today our room “patio” has not received any sun, but I’m wondering if we will on the return trip? I’m happy since I can go to the back to get sun, then go to my patio for shade. 
Looking at the other side of the ship, at “grandma & grandpa’s” patio, they do have sun right now. 

How busy was it in the Havana pool area?  Like Serenity or were you able to find space where you wanted it?  Waiter service good?  TIA!

[pirate4me2]

30 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

How busy was it in the Havana pool area?  Like Serenity or were you able to find space where you wanted it?  Waiter service good?  TIA!

Pool area not too busy at all, and the staff onboard are WONDERFUL. Yoga (pool deck attendant) made sure to introduce himself and tell us if we had any problems or needs to let him know. Nita (waitress/attendant) is super sweet and not only walked the pool area but also by the cabana patios to offer fresh frozen fruit and see if we needed anything. They’re fantastic!

[pirate4me2]

Breakfast today was sea day brunch, it was yummy! Check in said 10-20 minute wait, but was more like 10. The brunch burger was so dang good. 

[pirate4me2]

Our cabin door decorations! 

[pirate4me2]

We have spent today hanging out and relaxing in the Havana area. It’s a nice oasis compared to the rest of the ship! It’s not too busy and the staff are wonderful. I’ve had a few La Buena Vida drinks (my favs) a Havana Especial (ok) and a Papa Doble (ewww). For lunch I ventured to the deli and got a Southwest chicken wrap…it was sooooo good! 
Tonight is elegant night, I just showered and am about to get ready to head to Alchemy. More later! 

[pe4all]

1 hour ago, pirate4me2 said:

So, for today our room “patio” has not received any sun, but I’m wondering if we will on the return trip? I’m happy since I can go to the back to get sun, then go to my patio for shade. 
Looking at the other side of the ship, at “grandma & grandpa’s” patio, they do have sun right now. 

Thank you for taking the time to look.  Yes, usually the ship has sun/shade one direction and then the opposite on the way back.

[pirate4me2]

Where did I leave off? Oh yes, headed to the Alchemy! 
We got there about 545 and all the chairs at the actual bar were full, but the “overflow parking” had lots of chairs available. We ordered drinks from Zoltan (almond joy martini! So good!) and sat there until 2 guys got up, then we snatched their seats. We hung out with Zoltan trying his creations, and about 7:00 the place cleared out…it was crazy! Our friends arrived about 7:45, and we all headed to dinner. 
Tonight’s menu didn’t excite me, but oh man…it ended up being a winner! I got the Caesar salad, which was good, and then 2 entrees…the branzino, which I’d never had and wasn’t sure I’d like, and the Indian vegetarian as my “safe” dish. The branzino was SO GOOD y’all….not a fishy fish, and the light bbq sauce they did complimented it well. The Indian dish was delicious as well, and had good spice. I nibbled from both and was a happy camper! 
Dinner was finished about 9:15, so we headed to Ocean Plaza to listen to the rock band, who are REALLY good. They did a Christmas set, then a millennium set. We hung out for both, and are now calling it a night. 
Tomorrow: Ocho Rios, or for us, a “fun day onboard!” 

[pirate4me2]

Hello from Ocho Rios! We slept in until 9, and have done NOTHING but relax in Havana.

Vista class is officially my favorite ship class due to the Havana area. 🙂 

[pirate4me2]

About 10 of us in/around the Havana pool. We have dubbed ourselves the “I love Ocho Rios” crowd…either never got off the ship today or got off for 15-20 minutes and back onboard. 😂

[pirate4me2]

Lunchtime: I decided to sample different offerings from the salad bar. My regular salad had a funny taste in the dressing, so I got coleslaw (yummy), a mixed greens & Parmesan salad (meh, ok), Moroccan potato salad (pretty good) and a roasted broccoli & feta salad (ok). The steak & cheese sub from the deli was a tad dry but good flavor. I won’t go hungry! 

[relmondcrsise]

Very nice review so far.  Thanks for taking the time to do it!

[pirate4me2]

47 minutes ago, relmondcrsise said:

Very nice review so far.  Thanks for taking the time to do it!

Thanks for following along!

[pirate4me2]

So the early afternoon was spent in Havana, then napping and reading on the balcony. About 4 I took a shower, and we headed to Alchemy to hang with Zoltan. I had a coconut something, then a mint chocolate something, then a “something fruity and pretty.” All 3 were delish! 

[pirate4me2]

We checked in for dinner about 7, and had Lowrence and Gil as our servers. Dinner was FANTASTIC. The street salad was yummy, and the eggplant parm was SO DANG GOOD. The banana split from the kids menu was the perfect ending! 

[pirate4me2]

[tradewinds traveler]

Really enjoying your review. All the food looks yummy. Thank you for taking the time to do the review.

[pirate4me2]

1 hour ago, tradewinds traveler said:

Really enjoying your review. All the food looks yummy. Thank you for taking the time to do the review.

Thanks for reading! 
All the food in the MDR has so far been very good! We love the Emeril’s additions!

[pirate4me2]

After dinner we hit the 9:30 Love & Marriage show, which was funny as always. It was over at 10:30, and since Chris and “grandpa” have an early excursion tomorrow (they have to meet in Liquid Lounge at 7:30!) we called it an evening. “Aunt & Uncle” are hitting the casino, “Aunt” is on a hot streak…she’s up like $500 from putting just $100 in! 

[pirate4me2]

Hello from a passing-shower, currently sunny Grand Cayman! 
I wanted so badly to sleep in this morning, but Chris was like an elephant when he got up, so a 7:30 wake up it was for me. I walked outside and was like “why’s everything wet? Did they clean the WHOLE area last night?” Then I realized it had rained. I threw my stuff in a clamshell anyway (Havana area was and still is EMPTY, I’m the only one out here!) and went to get a blue iguana breakfast burrito…and an arepa. It was delish! 

[HxFx]

Is the band Latin Grooves still performing in the Havana Bar? They were fantastic on my cruise. 

[relmondcrsise]

1 hour ago, pirate4me2 said:

Hello from a passing-shower, currently sunny Grand Cayman! 
I wanted so badly to sleep in this morning, but Chris was like an elephant when he got up, so a 7:30 wake up it was for me. I walked outside and was like “why’s everything wet? Did they clean the WHOLE area last night?” Then I realized it had rained. I threw my stuff in a clamshell anyway (Havana area was and still is EMPTY, I’m the only one out here!) and went to get a blue iguana breakfast burrito…and an arepa. It was delish! 

 

These are one of my absolute favorite things on Carnival!  Delicious!

[pirate4me2]

The afternoon was spent again in Havana, in and out of the pool. Stefany (I think that’s the spelling) is a great bar waitress. We did comment that the pool water was looking a little, uh, murky, and shortly after some white shirts came down to take a look, shortly after that, the pool began filling. Also, for some reason, if you lean on the edge of the pool, your arm/foot/back/etc turns blue…the paint rubs off onto you! I guess we we are turning into Smurfs! 😂

[pirate4me2]

We spent from 5:45 to 6:45 at Alchemy. I only had 1 drink, I’m proud of my restraint! It was a coconut something something made by Alan, and was good. 
We checked in for dinner about 7, and BAM…our table was immediately ready! This surprised me since it’s our second elegant night. I got the calamari to start, which was good but needed to be a hotter temp…it was lukewarm. The spinach salad was AWESOME, and the crawfish fettuccine…well, to tell you how good it was let me say that I cannot really eat fettuccini Alfredo, my body hates it, but my tastebuds love it so I do order it now and again…and this was well worth the price I’m paying now. It was DELICIOUS. The cream brûlée dessert was good, but SWEET. 
We found out at dinner that on Saturday when we return the Coast Guard is doing an inspection, so there is a lot of training going on this week. Also found out that we are returning to a different terminal than we embarked at, we will be at F for disembarkation.