Cruising is expensive. I want to shadow someone who says it is not!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We had no issues with embarkation. We were traveling with my 81 year old mother and they treated her kindly, with a wheel chair waiting and we got on in a timely fashion.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Money money money money.... Being on a cruise is like being in Disney.... the money just get's sucked out of your wallet.
When people say you can save money on cruising, I want to know how? After you purchase your tiny room, and air fare, I'm already up to 2800.00 dollars!
The Horizon was a nice ship.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Sky Track bike riding! Very cool experience!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The facial and the massage were wonderful, however, the upsale is a killer! They get you in there, pamper you and then have all of these wonderful products you need to purchase to feel that good all the time!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Great staff no issues at all.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean as it should be seeing we were only the 2nd sailing of that ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Bathroom was impressive and roomy. The twin beds were a little smaller than regular, but an ok size room for 2 people.
We stayed in Barcelona for a couple of days before the ship. Great city, never felt unsafe once! We walked from Mt. Monjuic back down to our Airbnb a 2.0 mile walk in the rain and we found our way.
Taxis are very difficult to get, so whatever you read, don't let them tell you otherwise. One taxi driver, even after showing him the address took us in circles and didn't understand! We said take us home and pointed at the apartment address and got the heck out of his car as soon as we could!
Amalfi Coast WAS BREATHTAKING! We did a private excursion with Bruno (don't remember the company name as my niece found this company). Bruno had WIFI which was a hit!!!!
Grabbed a taxi waiting at the port but did not do a Carnival Excursion. The taxi fella showed us around the spots visited by tourists, charged us $25 per person for 2 hours...
If you cruise at peak times, get expensive balconies and constantly buy all the cruise “upcharge” junk—yes, it can be expensive.
The cruise line isn’t responsible for the cost of your flight.
We have an occasional drink but mostly just enjoy what is already included in the fare. Get an inside or ocean view cabin, sail during off peak times, go to the free shows and a cruise is, frankly, a bargain.
Then I would recommend camping to you, stay on land. But try to figure yourself with a trip to Florida, lodging,food,rental car and your entertainment along with air travel to your destination multiplied by all persons going that's all is expensive. Cruise packages are the way to go but all big shot vacations are expensive, real world!!!!
We feel you can make your cruise experience as reasonable or as expensive as you want ! We usually get the ocean view room cause we did balcony before and we are hardly ever in the room so why spend a fortune on a room you only sleep in, We always enjoy ourself without leaving our bank account there and never felt like we missed things for instance sometimes we dont take the ship excursion and grab the vans outside and get a 3 hour tour for about $20-$40 per person so we can see the whole island and the tours are wonderful ! We get off right away so there is no chance we miss the ship and we love it ! Sometimes we will go back a little earlier and eat dinner on the ship instead of on the island if we have been there already so there are ways not to spend a fortune
My family of five cruises 2-3 times a year and we have never spent more thank 2500. On the cruise and that’s the worst case. Usually we cruise for around 1800. And we eat at the included restaurant and lido deck and buy soda cards. We don’t get our excursions once off the boat wee there are other options and prices are negotiable. We normally drive from Maryland to NO, Florida, or what ever port we choose.
I cruise 3x a year. You have to know how to spend your money. I book at least a year in advance and purchase excursions and the extra stuff a little at a time so I don't have a huge expense all at once or a huge bill at the end of my cruise
Thank you for your review, I will be test driving the ship in september. I think what is and isn't expensive comes down to the individual and there situation. What may be expensive for some may not be expensive for others.
It’s possible we went in November 3 of us for $2,900 Balcony suite and we spent maybe $400.We had dinner at the free restaurants and had drink package.
We just control our spending. We only eat in the dining hall and lido deck that is included. We don’t buy alcohol. I research what to do ahead of time at each port and we do it ourselves. My family of four cruises in a balcony room for $3200 for an 8 night cruise. Best deal on the planet.
Cruising is the only way to vacation in our opinion! We do quick frugal cruises a few times a year and splurge on a suite or balcony 7 day once a year. When you add up travel, hotel, food, and entertainment on a regular vacation it's crazy! We drive from TN to cruise port, so we never need to fly in for our cruises, so I guess we save there. We are actually looking at trading in one of cars for a decked out minivan to make the trip to FL in comfort from now on! Lol!
Depends on your cruise, time of year, the port etc. the way I see it is one you are traveling to different destinations all inclusive. You would not do that part any cheaper flying to these destinations alone. It includes food and someone cooking and cleaning up after you. A hitje room or beach house cost the sane if not more and you still have to entertain and provide food. If you do additional restaurants etc that aren’t included then yes it will add up quickly. I always book my excursions outside of the ship once I book my cruise and know where I’m going. It’s a lot cheaper and you save a lot of money before hand. If you have the time to invest and truly plan your trip out then you can save yourself a lot of money. Unfortunately there’s no way around the expensive gratuities taxes etc. but take advantage of all of the onboard credits and upgrades that you can. I take my teenage son. We get to see many different places for the price of one trip. While on the ship he can do his thing and I can do mine. We still do many things together. If st the beach or elsewhere would be laying a lot for all the extras that is at least included with your package. I only shop the local inexpensive places when we go to our destinations and catch sells on the ship. I’m a single mom and very frugal. But fir me the most bang for your buck. Download the carnival hub app only pay for basic WiFi and communicate that way instead of high dollar internet. That also saves a lot. I treat us to one good vacation each year and this is so far the best Way for us.
Holidays are expensive whether land or sea! Cruising has all your entertainment, food, and visits to different ports included. Really have to research if you want to do excursions, they are way more expensive on ship. You can eat inclusive but if you choose to go to Speciality restaurants could be $30 a visit. Carnival Horizon was expensive 15% grats on drinks as well as your daily charge. And they wondered why the line at service desk was never ending to remove them. So if you cruise without excursions, pay restaurants and gratuities not expensive at all.
Really isnt i do it 3 to 5 times a year its and i buy everything new each time i go as lso for my family i jus budget certain things like instead of having the cruiseline take me to the beach for $80 i take the bus os hustle the cab driver like the hustle us i shop only things i really want at the islands
It can be. But if u pay $1000 for three islands, all you can eat for 7 days thats not bad if u fly to an island, purchase your own food and hotel you will pay more than $1000
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