Awesome cruise.
Carnival Horizon Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 123
8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 18, 2019
Ship: Carnival Horizon
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 5225
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Overall I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to doing it again.Embarkation
The cruise was out of Miami. It boarded late due to some issue with the cruise before us but once we were allowed to board (1 hr. after our designated time) the process was smooth and fast. Getting through security was the longest part. After the metal detectors, we walked straight to the ship. There was no waiting in the large hall to speak to a desk person and get your picture taken.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Overall, the ship looked great. It should because it's new. The safety briefing was conducted in the dining room for me, sitting at a table. No standing in lines beside the life boats. This is a large boat with many passengers. The only time I felt crowded was at some of the comedy shows (standing room only) and at events in the atrium. The popular ones attracted many guests and there was not enough space on the three floors. The room was clean when we arrived, and was cleaned very well every day. Dining room food was excellent. Better than I can remember on other ships. I ate at the hibachi one night, and was a little disappointed with the food. There was a lot of it but it wasn't the best.
Onboard Activities
We enjoyed a Havana room which gave us access to the Havana pool during the day. This was very nice. The only drawback was that all the music played was Cuban, which is nice for a while but not all the time. Love the trivia games, comedy shows, and the large productions in the Liquid Lounge. It was my birthday so I received a $50 gift card to the Spa. My wife and I went for Pedicures. The two ladies that worked on our feet were nice and social until we refused to purchase the merchandise they were trying to sell. At that point they became distant and rude, like they were trying to rush us out. I will not go back to the Spa on this ship.
Entertainment
I was very pleased with all of the shows. This was a longer cruise (8 days) so they changed out the comedians half way with two new guys. All very funny.
Service and Staff
Cruise Direct Mike was great and very personable. Seemed to enjoy his work and meeting the guests. His staff (Lindsey & Stefanie) were also great. Never got to meet the room steward but the room was kept very clean.
Ship Quality
Ship was laid out very well. Never seemed crowded except as mentioned above.
Cabin / Stateroom
The cabin was a typical inside cabin, which I like. My wife and I stay up late and appreciate the fact that it stays dark in the room even after sunrise. This was an Havana cabin so we had a nice headboard on the bed. It was still two singles pushed and strapped together. The cabin is one of the least important things about a cruise for me. It's a place to sleep, get clean up, and get ready.
Ship tip
Some of the specialty restaurants offer a free lunch. Check these out when you get tired of the buffet, burgers, or burritos.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Love Grand Turk. The beach is right off the boat. Be careful of the local gentlemen trying to sell rent you chairs and umbrellas, even the ones the cruise company owns and are free. There is shopping for those who want it and Margaritaville
I went on an excursion here. It was the Saona Island & Blue Lagoon with Open Bar. The island was more than an hour from the ship. It took a 20 min. bus ride and then a 50 minute boat ride to get there. The boat ride is not smooth so I would not recommend it for anyone with back problems. On the boat ride out, we stopped at a sandbar (with about 5 other boats) to swim and drink. This was the best swimming of the day. We were there for about 30 minutes then got back in the boat and headed for the island. On the island we were given a designated area of the beach to stay in. The food provided was okay but the drink choices were very limited. The swimming area was rocky and very shallow, and the depth never even got to my waste. A couple of hours on the beach and we headed back. I do not think I would book this excursion again.
This port was okay. I did not book an excursion here. We arrived at 1:30 PM and left at 10:00 PM so my thought was to enjoy the city's night life. I shopped some during the day and enjoyed a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in Rif Fort. I didn't make it long after dinner before I was ready to head back to the ship. The city is beautiful but the restaurant was the highlight of the visit.
This was the best port of the trip. I went on the De Palm Island Beach & Snorkel and had a great time. There was a 10 - 15 minute bus ride to get to the dock and a 5 minute boat ride out to the island. There were two eating areas on the island and they were serving breakfast when we arrived. There were adequate chairs for all, both under cover and in the sun. There was a large water park area for the kids. This was far enough away from the adult areas that I never even heard them. There were two lunches served. One was a buffet style lunch with chicken, rice, etc. and one of hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, and fries. The snorkeling and swimming areas were very nice. Overall, this was the best excursion of the trip.
Disembarkation
I carried my own luggage off. We were told that they would start announcing floors for disembarkation at 8 AM. I was sitting around on deck 5 between 7 and 7:30 AM. At 7:30 they started letting us off. I walked straight off, through customs, and was on the street before 7:45.