Carnival Horizon Cruise B2B: 6-day Western Caribbean and 8-day Southern Caribbean from Port of Miami

 January 2025

We were on the Horizon from Port of Miami in 2020, and you can find additional ship information in my previous post.

View of Carnival ships at Port of Miami from bridge sidewalk 

Arrival and diamond check-in ~ Miami

We walked to the cruise port from the InterContinental, which was farther than we usually walk to a cruise port (just under 2 miles). The walk was pretty easy, although there is a small section when you first get to the port area after crossing the bridge where there is no sidewalk. Traffic is slow, so this did not present too much of a problem. We had planned to take the Coral Way trolley to the port, and then decided it would be easier to walk with our luggage, than it would be to load it on and off the trolley while hoping to have enough room for it.

We did not receive diamond status before boarding this ship, because our Carnival Glory cruise credit from two days before this cruise, had not posted to our accounts yet. I left a voice message and an email with our PVP to inquire about this, and she never responded. Needless to say, we are longer working with her. We worked directly with the diamond desk after this cruise (more information about that experience at the end of this post). The cruise port was packed before we boarded, and we again had difficulty maneuvering through the crowds of people to board when it was our time, just like previous Miami port experiences. 

Cabin 9201, category 4J, on Carnival Horizon

Interior picture window cabin 9201 category 4J 

We think the front walkway cabins on Carnival cruise ships are a great value. Every cabin we have been in is spacious, and they have a large window. The only thing we missed was a second chair, or loveseat type seating for two. Not many people walked by on the front walkway in front of our window. You can only see through the widow to the inside when it is dark out, and the cabin lights are on. Additional photos for this cabin category (#9203) can be found in my previous Horizon post (link above).

Cabin 9206, category JS (junior suite), on Carnival Horizon

Junior suite obstructed view 9206 

We booked a suite for the second leg of our back-to-back cruise, so we we had to change rooms. We packed everything up, and our room stewed pushed our bags down the hall to our new cabin, after it was ready. This was our first time booking a suite, and we loved it! It was a bit pricey, but we had a 25% on board credit, after our 25th cruise, that we used. This was enough to cover our gratuities, drinks, speciality dining, and a few purchases.  

I neglected to get photos of the bathroom and closet area in our suite. This cabin has a large walk in closet by the entrance with a full length mirror. The bathroom has a whirlpool tub/shower combination, and a large vanity with a double sink. The suite also comes with two bottles of water. 

Above: view from balcony of cabin 9206 on Carnival Horizon
Below: 9206 balcony and wetness after bridge window cleaning

Carnival Glory Cruise: 4-day Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral

 January 2025

We were on the Glory from Port of Miami in 2011. You can find more information about the ship in my previous Glory blog post.

View from Carnival Glory in Port Canaveral

Arrival and platinum check-in ~ Port Canaveral

The last time we cruised from Port Canaveral, our ship was docked at terminal 5, so we had to get a ride out to the pier, as there is no way to walk to that location. This time, Glory was docked at terminal 3, which is located across the street from two Holiday Inn hotels, so we were able to walk to the port. Arrival and check-in was the smoothest we have ever experienced with Carnival. This port has a waiting room for diamond and suite guests. We were platinum, and our waiting area was outside this room. After guests in the private room boarded, we were next. We are on board at 10:40 AM. 

Cabin 6233 on Carnival Glory

Interior cabin 6233 category 4D

I had not noticed that this cabin is above the showroom until shortly before departure. We have stayed on deck 6 before; just not in a forward inside room. After I saw this, I tried to contact our PVP to see about changing rooms or upgrading. The first time I contacted her, she told me there was nothing available. She told me to check with her again after we had completed check-in. I called her and sent her an email after we had checked in, and she never got back with me. After we boarded, I stopped at guest services to ask about a different room. The person I spoke with said there was nothing available; however, she did not look at our cabin number or check anything on the computer. In hindsight, I should have approached guest services again after the first night, and given them our room number. During our 4-day cruise, the late night comedy shows were in the front showroom, rather than the comedy lounge, so the music and noise vibrated inside our cabin until midnight. There was only one night this cruise when there was not a late night show in the front showroom. I do not suggest this cabin, unless you do not plan to sleep until after midnight.

This video was from one of the quietest evenings in our cabin. Noise was not the only thing we disliked about the cabin. The bed was hard, and the two twin beds they make into a king bed would not stay together. The lumpy pillows had a stale odor, as if they needed to be cleaned, and I had to request laundry bags from our room steward. After the poor sleep quality on this ship, I was not interested in another Carnival cruise when we disembarked.

Platinum Aft dining room on Carnival Glory

Food and beverages

Food was pretty much the same as I wrote in my previous Glory blog post. The only food item I recall being disappointed with was the turkey wrap from the deli. It was dry and did not taste fresh. Lobster is not served on elegant night on 4-day cruises. The Carnival drink package has gotten outrageously expensive. We have purchased this in the past, when it was around $50 a day; however, for $80+ a day, we did not even consider it for this cruise. We each brought a bottle of wine on board at the beginning of the cruise instead. We also purchased a bucket of six beers for the week, as they are each $1 off when purchasing the bucket. You can get this at any bar.

VIFP gifts on Carnival Glory

Cape Canaveral, Florida: Holiday Inn Club Vacations Beach Resort

January 2025, Sunday night

Above: sunset from Holiday Inn Beach Resort Cape Canaveral building 2
Below: property map for Holiday Inn Club Vacations Resort Cape Canaveral

Arrival and platinum perks

I reserved a standard king guestroom with points, and received an upgrade to a two bedroom villa. We arrived early, and the front desk agent said she would put in an early check-in request for us. We checked our luggage, then returned our rental car, and walked back to the property. I am not sure the early check-in request really did much good, because we did not receive a call saying our room was ready until over three hours later, shortly after 3:30 PM. After we received the call, we returned to the front desk to get our checked luggage, and then waited a few minutes for the property tram, as our villa was in building 2 at the far end of the property. We arrived at our villa around 3:45 PM. It did not appear that anyone had recently stayed in this villa. Since check-in time is 4:00 PM, I guess the early arrival request got us into our room a few minutes early! 😆 😳

We absolutely loved our villa upgrade, even though we did not have much of a view. It was much more fabulous than a regular hotel room.

Villa 2312 in Holiday Inn Club Vacations Beach Resort Cape Canaveral

Guestroom villa #2312

The villa number matches the building number, floor, and then unit number. We were in building 2 on the 3rd floor, in unit 12.

Villa 2312 in Holiday Inn Club Vacations Beach Resort Cape Canaveral
Below: view of cruise ships leaving port from our balcony in villa 2312

This villa is a complete living unit. The living and kitchen areas were spacious, and the balcony contained a table and chairs. The view overlooked the pedestrian walkway. The channel was beyond the walkway, although you could not see the water due to the shrubbery. 

Villa 2312 in Holiday Inn Club Vacations Beach Resort Cape Canaveral

Ports of Call from Carnival Venezia: Princess Cays, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, San Juan, Miami, Nassau, Freeport

January and February 2024

Princess Cays on Carnival Venezia January 2024

Princess Cays, Bahamas: January 8AM - 4PM

Princess Cays is a tender port, and we received a printed paper with tender instructions the night before. The paper actually contained information about priority tender boarding for passengers with excursions. I presume they just used the same notice for platinum and diamond guests, too. After breakfast, we walked to the showroom boarding area, where boarding was already in process. We arrived on the island before 9AM.

Princess Cays January 2024

We walked to the right after getting off the tender boat, as we had heard this area is less crowded than the main side. It was definitely less crowded. In fact, we decided not to have lunch on the island after we saw how crowded and busy the main area was later in the day. The lines for lunch looked like utter chaos. Some in our group stayed; however, my husband and I returned to the ship.

Princess Cays January 2024 from the less visited side of the island

This was our first visit to Princess Cays. The water is beautiful; however, the island and beach area is much smaller than Half Moon Cay. If you just want to enjoy the beach and water, there are plenty of lounge chairs available on both sides of the port dock.

View from our pool chairs at Margaritaville in Grand Turk

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos: 11AM - 6PM

We have been to Grand Turk several times, and you can find more information about this port by clicking on the label at the bottom of the post. We have previously done beach days at this port, as well as the Junkanoo Party Bus, Rum Mixology & Beach shore excursion. This time, we decided to just have margaritas at Margaritaville. 

Carnival Venezia at Amber Cove January 2024
Below: Amber Cove pricing - visible if you click on it to enlarge

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

Carnival Paradise 5-day Western Caribbean Ports of call: Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico

 January 2023

This is a brief post, as I have already shared information for both of these ports in several previous posts. I am sharing some new information here, and you can click on the links at the bottom of this post to find more details about areas you are interested in.

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan from Carnival Paradise

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

We had a casual day at this port; we walked to the port beach after lunch for a few hours. We were the only ship in port, so there were plenty of loungers available in the shade without having to rent an umbrella. Wifi is available for the day for $5. You can purchase with cash at a booth, or online with a credit card. I suggest purchasing with cash, as the credit card purchases were not working correctly. After I agreed to the terms and payment, the page reloaded and told me to pay $5 [again]. When I went to the booth to get this corrected, I waited behind another passenger being helped who had had the same trouble. The staff member got her account signed in, and then she fixed mine. If you purchase wifi at the booth, you are given a one-time access code to sign in with (which is pretty much what the staff member did after confirming we had actually made the purchase). Local beers were available at the bars for $5. Wine and mixed drinks were available too; however, I do not know the cost, since we did not purchase any. We have previously gone on the Tabyana Beach shore excursion at this port, which I recommend, if you are looking to get away from the ship dock. 

Iguana in the Cozumel port shopping area

Carnival Paradise Cruise: 5-day Western Caribbean from Tampa, Florida

 January 2023

Tampa from Carnival Paradise

Arrival and check-in ~ Tampa

The check-in and boarding process in Tampa was not as efficient as most cruises we have been on. Our early arrival, because the hotel shuttle schedule could not meet our desired arrival time, did not help matters. When we arrived at the cruise port around 9:20 AM, people were still disembarking (passengers are usually off the ship by this time on most Carnival cruises we have been on). We found a place to wait out of the way until all the guests had disembarked, and porters were starting to take new guests' luggage, which was around 10:00 AM. We then walked up the stairs to the check-in lines. There is an escalator next to the stairs; however, it was still roped off when we ascended the steps. There were stations at the top where staff members viewed boarding passes, and then directed guests to the appropriate lines. Several guests were already waiting in the roped queues. A short time later, we were told there was a computer glitch. Around 10:45 AM, our VIP line started to move. We went through security, completed check-in, and then went to the platinum waiting area. We were on board around 11:30 AM.

View from Carnival Paradise heading out of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida

Carnival Elation: 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise from Jacksonville, Florida

January 2023

Carnival Elation in Grand Turk

Arrival and check-in ~ Jacksonville cruise port

We opted to park at the Parking Mall across from the cruise port, as the cost was $7 less per day. The parking area is fenced in; however, we would not choose this option again for a couple of reasons. I am providing the details here, to assist others in making their own decision. If you do plan to park there, I suggest NOT booking in advance, like we did. Pay when you arrive, and have exact cash for the cost. The cost is $70 for a 7-day cruise, if you pay when you arrive. If you book an advance reservation online, you will be charged $75. This is extremely unfair, because our check-in process to board the shuttle was a quick click by the worker on his tablet. We then had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for people checking in that day, who needed change, or to run their credit cards. The second thing we did not like about this business, was the return shuttle pickup process. There was no organization at the cruise port, so each time the bus arrived, people who had just gotten off the boat were trying to shove in to the line to board, when there were already too many people trying to board who had been waiting two runs or more. Some of you may think the return chaos cannot be controlled by the shuttle service, and I would disagree with that to some extent. We have observed other shuttle services that have someone at the port, and/or more than one bus running during busy times. When the first bus arrived after we got to the pickup area, we observed a few people who seemed quite annoyed with the wait, so possibly they waited even longer than we did (we got on the third pickup after arriving). A second bus did start running this day just before we got on our shuttle, so things may have run smoother after we departed. Unfortunately, there is not a pedestrian walkway to get from the cruise port to the parking lot.  

The boarding process to get on Elation in Jacksonville was efficient, and one of the easiest we have ever experienced. Our credit card authorization was processed before 8:00 AM. Our check-in time was 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, and we were on board before 11:00 AM.

 

Carnival Elation cabin R26

Porthole cabin R-26, deck 4

We usually prefer a balcony cabin when on a cruise of 7 days or more; however, this time we went with an interior less expensive room. Overall, we were quite happy with this cabin. We liked the windows, and we liked having the ledge in front of the windows.

Carnival Elation cabin R26, small stool in corner of top photo

Carnival Magic 8 Day Eastern Caribbean Ports of Call: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, Grand Turk

February 2022

Some of the ports on our cruise itinerary had paused cruise ship visitors before our cruise, so we were not 100% sure if any of our port stops would be changed. Locations were starting to reopen right when we left on our cruise, and Carnival Magic ended up stopping at all the original ports.

St. Maarten from Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038

St. Maarten 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

We love this island! The people are great, and the beach within walking distance is beautiful. You can take a water taxi ride to the beach area for $7 roundtrip, if you prefer. We wanted to walk through the shops first, so we did that, and then continued out of the cruise terminal, then down the sidewalk to the beach, which is an easy walk of about 1 mile, one-way. 

Beach in St. Maarten in front of Kalua Bar & Restaurant

We rented our chairs from a friendly guy with chairs in front of Kalua Beach Bar & Restaurant. We paid $15 for 2 chairs, and an umbrella right by the water. You could also rent chairs that came with rum punch (I do not know if it was unlimited, as we did not purchase that). The beach and water in this area is beautiful! When you walk farther down the beach, toward the shopping pier and downtown shops, the sand becomes more like the beach near the cruise port in Grand Turk with crushed shells. It is still a nice beach; the sand is just not as soft as it was where we were seated. You can enlarge any photo in this post by clicking on it.

Above: some of the crushed shells on the beach near the west end
Below: looking east from in front of our seat in front of Kalua

With the chairs we rented, we were also allowed to use the bathroom in the bar, and the wifi code. The wifi signal was not strong enough to use by the water. There are benches along the sidewalk by the bar, so we used it there before we left for the day. A bucket of 5 beers with ice from Kalua cost $12, and the guys renting chairs were eager to please. 

View while on our walk back to the cruise port in St. Maarten

We stopped at Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor Store on our way back to the ship for complimentary tastings. This store is just outside the cruise terminal, so it is not far to carry purchases back. There is a public restroom outside at this location. Everyone on this island is extremely friendly, and the prices are fair. Payment was not expected to use any of the restrooms. When we politely declined sales by people on the beach and when leaving the cruise terminal, we were not resolicited.

Two of the ships docked in St. Kitts February 2022