Cabin Review

I absolutely loved my Havana suite. The view was beautiful, the glass partitions did not take away from it in the least. I allowed myself every night a couple of hours to just relax in the swing, enjoying the peace and quiet. Many people have expressed disappointment in the lack of a full size hammock, but I didn't miss it at all. There is also a full size lounger, a kind of "half" lounger with a footstool, and a matching table. The amazing part was, 99% of the time, I was completely alone when out on my patio. I rarely saw any of my neighbors, other than the English lady right next door who took a daily nap in her lounger. I can't imagine booking this beautiful area and not enjoying it to the fullest. Of course, there may have been others that I just could not see. Surprisingly, the patios are much more private than you would think. The solid partition between patios gives you as much, if not more, privacy than a standard balcony room. There is so much room......I had breakfast there every morning, my group of 5 could easily hang out there, and I found my patio area to be much cooler than the Havana pool area. Towards the end of my cruise, I actually thought to look up at the balconies above me. It was a bit shocking how small they looked and how little space they provided as compared to the Havana patios. Thinking back at past cruises, I realized I used and enjoyed my Havana patio probably 100% more than I ever did a balcony in past cruises. It's safe to say, I'm a fan, and I have to applaud Carnival and whoever came up with the design of these cabins.

Aside from how wonderful the Havana "cabanas" are, the mere convenience of these cabins makes them worth booking. I never went to the deck area through my cabin door, but instead, chose to always enter and exit from my patio. Plus, being on the Promenade deck, everything you could possibly need is right there.

The Havana bar, which spills out onto the Havana pool area, was often pretty happening, but we could just barely hear the music on our patio. My daughter said they did not hear it, even in their inside cabin. Speaking of which, this is one thing that kind of bothered me.....a lack of music. Someone had said that Cuban music could be heard, piped in to the Havana patios. This was not the case on my cruise. In fact, there was no music AT ALL, even during the day, at the Havana pool area. This didn't bother me too much, since I was looking for the relaxation. But my 23 year old daughter said that the Havana area is, "boring and full of old people". Ok, I guess that means me. She much preferred the craziness of the Lido deck, and believe me, it was crazy. We walked up there several times on our sea days and it was sooo crowded, and LOUD.

So to finish up my review of the Havana area.......I loved it, and wouldn't change a thing other than the one thing they already changed, which was raising the time of public access to 7:00 PM. (And yes, the crew was quick to enforce armbands). The area was swamped by 5:03 by teens and children, so at that time, I headed to my patio. But since that has been corrected, I can't imagine cruising now in any other cabin when the Havana is offered. HOWEVER, I will say, for those looking to party down and the music, dancing, and hairy chest contest, this probably is not the cabin category for you. Like I said, I doubt my daughter would ever want to book one of these cabins again, well, at least not until she is older.