A Honest Carnival Horizon Review, from a Royal Caribbean Fan
Carnival Horizon Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
8 Night Eastern Caribbean (New York Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 05, 2018
Ship: Carnival Horizon
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Okay, lets start this off by saying the Carnival Horizon is getting a bad rep. It has had a string of unfortunate events happen, engine problems, Crew member passing, Skyride not working, and a Port crash. Some of these are bad luck, some are unfortunate circumstance, and some are new ship issues. But don't let these things stop you from cruising on this fantastic ship. So, i am going to do this Review in several parts. Pros and Cons. And Tips and Suggestions. Lets start with the Cons: The main theater sightlines are terrible. The structure poles and low hanging lighting block the shows (so get there...early). Just a bad design The cabin is pretty Carnival standard but of a brand new $800 million dollar ship should have outlets by the bed. The bathroom was nice, but once again your $800 million dollar ship flagship should have a Glass Enclosure on the shower, not a flimsy shower curtain that sticks to you and the toilet... and Carnival please remove the toilet brush, nobody wants to see that...ughhhh. The Horizon has 3 pools, but they are too small and too few for a ship of this size. Surprising. And we noticed on our cruise, at the rear of the ship (pool area), smelled like diesel smoke. (but this maybe due to sailing in September and high humidity, which made the funnel smoke hang lower). Hurry, ING (Liquid Natural Gas, much cleaner) Ships... Now on to the many Pros: The Buffet was not was good as Royal Caribbean, but it didn't have to be, because Horizon has so many food options. The Buffet, the main dining room, Asian food, Tacos, Seafood, Guys Burgers, Italian, 24hr pizza, room service, sandwiches, hot dogs, salad bar, BBQ. So finding something was not a problem. The music was great (way better than Royal), the ships decor was modern and fresh. Not All "Disco" like Carnival's Older Ships. The staff was young energetic and friendly (especially our room attendant "Windu" and "Arine Rose" in Ocean Plaza) The comedy shows were great every night. (Especially "Spike Davis") There are many activities, Imax/3D movie theater, Sports Bar, Havana Bar dancing, SkyCourse, Sports Deck, night time movies on the deck (find a spot and some food, good times), and the ships main draw. The "Skyride" it is the closest thing to a rollercoaster on a ship (try it on sea-days) and on this sailing we waited no longer than 15 mins. And one activity that's really an non activity, is the Promenade. Because of the design of the ship the outdoor waterfront had plenty of areas to just go chill and enjoy the sea. It goes around the entire ship... The laundry. Washers and Dryers, Ironing board (good especially if you had kids) And the NYC Port had the fastest getting on and off the ship, we ever experienced. With parking right by the ship. Also, the Carnival Hub app actually worked great, it had deck plans, your pictures, showtimes, and activities. Didn't need my Highlighter this time. The best feature was the Chat, which allow you to Text other members. Making them easy to find. (it was $5.00 for the week). This feature will catch on with other Cruise Lines... On To: Tips and Suggestions: The Carnival Vista, Horizon and Panorama are Carnival's new class of ships, the flagships of the fleet. Please change the Hull Art. Add some stripes (maybe the same as the funnel) enlarge the ship name on the sides, something, because these ships from the outside look like Carnival ships from 10-15 years ago. Not latest and greatest. Please, do something different with your upcoming 188,000 ton ship(s). And for a $800 million dollar ships, add some outlets beside the bed. Get rid of the toilet brush, nobody wants to see that...ughhhh. And enclose the showers with glass. It seem that it would also be a cost savings in the long haul. The controversial "Smart Elevators" for the most part they work, fast and Efficient . The problem is if you change your mind after you get in, you can't change your mind (no buttons), and go to another floor. Carnival should have conventional elevators, along with smart (Express) elevators. So to sum it up Carnival Horizon is a wonderful, loud, ship with plenty of food, music and activities. It's not Royal Caribbean, and that's okay... So in the future, we will sail on Carnival's newest ships I also must thank the captain for getting, us home safe ahead of the hurricane.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Learn the Elevators, they do work as advertised
Ports of call
San Juan, Puerto Rico Did not visit port
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic
Disembarkation
Traveler Photos
13 Comments
WarrenPeace 6 years ago
queenbriz 6 years ago