Carnival Venezia Cruise: 10-day Eastern Caribbean and 9-day Bahamas from Manhattan

January and February 2024

There are literally hundreds of posts and comments about this new Carnival ship. I tried to focus this post on some of the less talked about things; however, it is still a bit lengthy. There is lots of info, if you are looking!

We added a second cruise to our original booking a bit after we had booked the first itinerary. The cabin we had for the first cruise was not available the second week, so we had to change rooms on our back-to-back cruise. You can find more info about B2B details near the end of this post.

Above: Manhattan pier 88 as Venezia is pulling away
Below: the walkway as we are boarding

Arrival and platinum check-in ~ Manhattan cruise terminal

We walked one mile to the cruise port from DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York Times Square West. This was pretty easy without many pedestrians until we got close to the port. Our check-in time was one of the earliest, 10AM - 10:30AM, and there were quite a few guests wheeling their luggage away from the port when we were trying to enter the port area. We felt a bit like fish swimming upstream.  😄

The check-in process and security screening went quickly, and then we took a seat in the general waiting area until boarding started. We did not hear any special groups board, like wedding parties; just handicap and diamond guests before platinum guests boarded. We were on board around 10:45 AM. Guests boarded later than this for our second cruise, because our B2B process had not been completed yet at 10:30 AM.

 

Balcony cabin 7209 on Carnival Venezia

Balcony cabin 7209 category 8G

We felt like this cabin should be listed as an obstructed view cabin with a lower price than an 8G balcony cabin. We would have chosen the cabin next door, #7215, if we had realized the information I am sharing here.

Balcony cabin category 8G #7209 on Carnival Venezia

The balcony in this cabin is about 1' shorter than the rest of the balconies because of the way it starts out since it is the first cabin. Also, since the bridge is on deck 8, we had an extreme overhead roof, and some obstructions from the navigation equipment. The overhead roof was not as much of a hinderance to us as the equipment. If you prefer sun, you will definitely not like this room.

Balcony cabin category 8G #7209 on Carnival Venezia

New York: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York Times Square West

January 2023, weekday, one night, two double beds city view

View from guestroom 3110 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
New York Times Square West (photo credit goes to our son) 

Arrival and diamond perks

We reserved a basic double bed guestroom for three adults, and received an upgrade to a city view guestroom three days before arrival. This hotel was an easy half mile walk from Moynihan Train Hall. We exited the train hall on 9th Street, and headed north. 

I had the mobile key, and stopped at the front desk to get waters and cookies before going to the guestroom. This took almost five minutes, even though there were five or six agents behind the front desk and no guests in the area. The agent who assisted me did not smile, request my name, or look up my reservation. The reason it took so long is because staff members were looking at their computers or otherwise pre-occupied, rather than paying attention to lobby activity.

Guestroom 3110 and diagram in DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel 
New York Times Square West

Two double beds city view 3110

This is a basic tiny guestroom in New York City. There was barely enough room for our luggage and three guests. The only seat in the guestroom was a chair at the desk next to the TV. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for a large person to sit in the desk chair at the foot of the bed and work. The guestroom was satisfactory, at best. The bed was not very comfy, although it was not awful, either. 

Guestroom 3110 in DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New York Times Square West

New York City: Moynihan Hall lounge and Amtrak to Toledo

February 2023

View of New York from Manhattan cruise terminal

Our cruise ship arrived at the Manhattan terminal and was ready for passengers to disembark before 8:00 AM. Our Amtrak ride was not until 3:40 PM, so we took our time disembarking, and then walked to Moynihan Train Hall. The walk was 1½ miles, which was not difficult even with our luggage. 

I am sharing info about the train station, and just a bit about the train ride in this post. You can find additional information about the train ride in my previous post about our train ride from Toledo to New York City.

Moynihan Train Hall in New York City

Metropolitan lounge, baggage check, and boarding in Moynihan Train Hall

The following passengers have access to the lounge in New York City: Amtrak Guest Rewards members with Select Plus or Select Executive status, Amtrak Guest Rewards station lounge pass holders, and passengers with first class or private room tickets. A roomette is a private room, so we had access to the lounge. Fortunately, there was not a time limit for how long we could be in the lounge, because we arrived before noon. 

Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall 

Once we checked in at the lounge, we were able to come and go, if we did not want to remain in the lounge the entire time. We had entered Moynihan Hall from 9th Street, so we saw Metropolitan Lounge before the baggage check area. Once inside the lounge, we observed an escalator from the lounge to the boarding area, which is also where the checked baggage counter is located. We were able to use the lounge escalator to access baggage check, and check our bags several hours before our trip. The agent in the lounge told us we could check our bags 24 hours ahead of time, if we wanted. When we first purchased our coach seats (before upgrading to a roomette), I had tried to find this information on Amtrak's website without success. I even called the train station to ask how far in advance we could check our bags, and I never reached a person. I left two messages, and no one ever called me back. It is great to know that bag check is available early, for passengers who want to explore the city until departure. 

We were a bit concerned about the weight of our larger bag, since it had weighed 49 lbs. on our trip out. There is a scale on the customer side of the counter to check bag weight and size (like the photo I shared in the Toledo station); however, it was not working. The person who took our bag did not seem to care; he merely hoisted the bag right over the working scale without weighing it, and then provided tags.

Looking toward balcony seating and boarding area from Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall

Amtrak: Roomette on Lake Shore Limited from Toledo to New York City

January 2023, 16-hour [actually 18-hour] Amtrak ride from Toledo 

View from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1

Ticket purchase and Toledo station

We initially purchased coach seats online, and then upgraded to a roomette via telephone a few weeks before our trip when Amtrak was running a Buy 1 Get 1 special. The Amtrak representative had told me we did not need to pay the balance due until the day of our travel, and she had said we could pay the balance online. After we completed the upgrade process, I could not find our trip online [to view or to pay the balance]. I ended up calling back to pay the balance right away because we wanted to be able to view the trip details. I presume the trip needs to be booked online in order to pay the balance online, although this is not what we were told. This was our first experience upgrading and booking a roomette, so I had chosen to call. In the future, I think I would just complete everything online. After we paid in full, we received an email confirmation, which showed we had been assigned a roomette in car 4812. Apparently, the Amtrak system does not update throughout, because in the days leading up to our trip, we received several emails with upgrade offers for a roomette or sleeper car. This was a bit alarming before I double-checked the Amtrak website to confirm that our upgraded booking was in fact there. 

Baggage policy sign in Toledo station

Although we live in Michigan, we chose Toledo, Ohio for our starting point because this station has baggage check, and it is open 24 hours. The station is a mile from the Hilton Garden Inn downtown where we had stayed the night before. The agent in Toledo was helpful and professional. He clearly explained where to board the train when it arrived, at the far right end. When the train arrived in Toledo, there were about 10 passengers waiting to board in coach, and we were the only roomette passengers to board at this station.

Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1

Roomette #1 in car 4812

We were in room #1, and we were the only passengers in our car for most of our ride. Although this car was not a remodeled newer style, we had a great experience concerning our room. It was comfortable and quiet. The bed was made up when we entered at 3 AM. Four pillows and wrapped blankets were provided, along with two bottles of water. The photos above are what the room looked like when we arrived.

View from Lake Shore Limited Car 4812 Roomette 1