Not what I expected
Carnival Horizon Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 51
8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 22, 2018
Ship: Carnival Horizon
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 6273
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
We prefer the Norwegian Escape over the Carnival Horizon. Overall we like the ship layout, food and overall experience better. When it was all said and done we paid less for Norwegian for a better experience. We had three nights of specialty dining and drink package was included in our upfront cost. The buffet food was also better. They had a bar that stayed open much later than the Horizon that also served food. The ship layout was also very open.Embarkation
Getting on the ship was horrible, the line wrapped around the Miami building. Once on Board it was fine, our room was ready so we were able to put down our carry on. The remainder of our bags arrived in a timely manner. Because of the delay boarding the ship we hardly had any time to eat before having to go to our muster station.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The buffet food was pretty good for breakfast but horrible otherwise especially the late night options. I liked the food served in the main dining room. I was disappointed that there was an up charge of $20 for the better steaks and lobster. You should add a note to the menu that the night that the better steak or lobster will be available without the up charge on formal night.
I did visit a few of the specialty restaurants during the lunch times when there was not an up charge. I did not care for the sauces at the BBQ place but the meat was good. Asian was bland. The beef lasagna was good at the Italian place. For the money we paid I expected more of the specialty restaurants to be available without an up charge. I was also very disappointed that after one a.m. the only option is pizza which needs way more cheese and toppings. The burgers were good at the Guy burgers.
I really wish there was a bar that stayed open 24 hours that served drinks and a few food options like fries and chicken tenders. There were a few nights that we wondered around bored because the only one bar open past one which was the casino bar and it was super smoky in that area. I would add a better ventilation system around that bar.
Onboard Activities
The bikes were not working, the pools were small and dirty (murky water especially on the 2 days returning home.). One of the pools needs to be designated an adult pool so the kids are not running around when you are trying to relax in the pool.
I liked the area that have pool tables and putting greens.
Entertainment
We really enjoyed three out of the four comedians that performed. Loved Chas Elstner, Chris Wiles and Mike Estime. The only one we did not care for was Vargus Mason. We heard several others that had the same opinion as us.
We went to two of the stage shows. One of the shows with the violins was amazing the other was Vintage Pop. The Vintage Pop we did not care for and saw some people leave.
Loved the Havana/Cuban music but one idea that I had was to add a dance class during the day to teach cuban dance. Then at night I would know how to dance to that type of music.
The place where the nightly DJ/dance played more pop/rap music. More variety would be nice. Or a separate bar/night that played country and other types of music.
The love and marriage show was fun.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
My room stewards were wonderful. The first couple of nights we went into the main dining room the wait staff was slow. Then we happened to sit at table 381 in Andres (Headwaiter), Roberto (waiter) and Nedeljkos (Asst. waiter) table and from that point forward we requested to sit in their area. They were wonderful. Please give them a raise.
One main issue we had was many staff were not trained well regarding the APP. There was the impression that you had to have the wifi package to download the App after the ship left port. Not true.
There was also some discrepancies regarding the cheers package with certain bar tenders. For example when we ordered a rockstar and vodka. Some would mix the drink and give us the remainder of the rockstar in the can and others would not.
This is the main reson for the 3 rating. My husband had an instance where he went into the restroom and there was an employee that used the restroom and then was exiting the restroom and did not wash his hands. My husband asked him if he was an employee and he was. He asked him to go back in and wash his hands and the employee did. He was so shocked that he forgot to look at the guys name. So he went down to guest services to ask if they could pull video of that area so he could report the guy or tell them the time and restroom where it happened so security could look for the guy but guest services were not interested in helping. I wonder how many times this guy does not wash his hands and then touches handrails, doors or worse food.
Ship Quality
The design of the ship was very disappointing. I felt closed in, not enough open spaces inside to walk around. The hallways were full of people pushing through to get to different areas of the ship. Especially on 4 near the sports bar where you could not walk outside to get around. I heard this from several people.
Everything was pretty clean but the pools were dirty on the return home.
Cabin / Stateroom
Ports of call
Thumbs Up
0
It was dirty and I felt a little uneasy about all of the military/police standing around with guns. They rode behind our tour train to escort us through the intersections but I also felt like there was a reason they needed to protect us. I am glad they are there to protect us but not happy that it was necessary to have them there.
Went on a great excursion with a great guide. We got a lot of information about the city and life there in Curaco. Later we walked over to the downtown area so we could walk across the floating bridge.
We did not do an official excursion but we did pay $20 per person to ride in an air conditioned van around the city and then to the beach. Aruba is a beautiful place and I felt safe.
Disembarkation
4 Comments
Barbara139 6 years ago
MrsRJ811 6 years ago
I agree that cruising may not be for you. Cruising is what you make it. Seemed as if you were picky about every minor detail. I sailed the Horizon and paid thousands of dollars for 6 of us and we made the best of everything. My only issue was the smoking which I have no control over. The ship is absolutely beautiful. There aren't many cruiselines that offer free dining at specialty restaurants. If they say it's included, trust me, it's embedded in your fare somewhere.