We had an absolute blast on the Carnival Horizon! It's a very lovely ship but I learned that I appreciate the smaller ships a lot more (just my preference). Our Cruise Director Mike was a ball of energy and fun! He's from England and I could just listen to him talk all day lOl. The ports were a great experience over all as well and it was great to experience them for the first time.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We purchased Faster to the Fun and were able to board diamond, platinum and suite guests. We were on board by 11:30am and in our rooms shortly there after.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I enjoyed the meal options for the most part. I even tried some new meals. Guy's Burger Joint was a crowd favorite and also taco place. I ate at the seafood shack as well which was one of those meals you pay for. The snow crab legs I had were amazing.
JavaBlue Cafe
4 out of 5
I had Your Time Dining so this is where we went to check in for a table if we didn't check in on the Hub App. We would sit here and wait sometimes and we typically walked past it to get to the Limelight Lounge. Very inviting place when not crowded.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
I kid you not I had at least one burger every day! My roommate only ate it once and she regretted missing out on these amazing burgers! I love Guy's Burgers so much and Carnival Horizon did not disappoint with their burgers.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Both pools were always crowded. I really wish they had a pool on the Serenity Deck. The gym was pretty nice and was able to get a quick pump in during one of the sea days.
Horizon Casino
4 out of 5
This was the only place I can get my High Seas Tea so I was in there quite often. I can't get over the cigarette smell but I withstood it for my drink lOl. As I walked through it looks very inviting and everyone always looked like they were having a great time.
Carnival WaterWorks
5 out of 5
Very Fun! It was exciting for all ages to use. The water slides were very popular and I enjoyed taking pictures with the Cat and the Hat and the Grinch!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I attended one show which was amazing even though they had to adjust some things due to the rockiness of the ship. Mike the CD made sure to let us know that at "Carnival Horizon we don't cancel shows!" Wasn't too crazy about their two DJ's DJ Timmie! and DJ Scoot. They both did really well but if it wasn't a line dance then they were letting the songs play out and sometimes their transition between songs needed some help and better choices.
Children's Programs
No one under 21 in this group.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was pretty good. Our room steward Natan was very attentive to us and remembered things that were requested. For example he always brought ice to the room and extra pillows for my bed because I'm one of those people who like to fall asleep surrounded by fluff.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Because I watched so many cruise vlogs and ship tours I pretty much understood the run down of the ship. The hardest part was running into those "No Thru" areas. Then those elevators not the most popular
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We stayed in cabin 3228 which is conveniently located near the atrium bar. They have a door in place to cancel out noise from the atrium but it made for easy access to the bar and events they had in that area. The room was the perfect size for me and my roommate. Once we unpacked and stored our suitcases until the bed we had plenty of room for us and our other two coworkers when they would visit our room. It was nice watching us pull into and out of ports from the room. Our room steward Natan took great care of us and our room. Although we wiped down the room when we got there we never had an issue with cleanliness in the cabin. I would book this room again if I were to return to the Horizon. Even though we are under the Liquid lounge we never experienced any noise issues while in the cabin.
Ship tip
For the elevators you need to click the floor for each person who wants to go there. That way the elevator "shouldn't" send you a car that is full of people already. Also go over the ship's deck plan if you can to prevent confusion.
Overall I had a good time in Ocho Rios. We did a little shopping with the venders inside the port area. They were a little pushy but not as pushy as the taxi drivers outside the port area. They try to summon you through the gates they have up and once you are through the gates they waste no time trying to sell you tours, cab rides, weed and edibles. They are friendly about it and once you dip into a store they don't follow you inside but they are determined to sell you anything. We ended up going to Margaritaville which has a small beach access with the ship in the background. We were told by a taxi driver that you have to pay for entrance to the beach and the meals would be very expensive but that wasn't true. So long as you are dining there you have access to the beach and the prices were typical Margaritaville prices. It rained when were were trying to get back on the ship and there was a huge line to get back on board. Everyone got soak and wet waiting in the rain because it took quite some time (probably about 15-20 minutes) to get back on board.
It was a very cloudy day when we went but the rain held off for the most part. My coworker and I did the Deluxe Stringray and Sandbar for Familes excursion through Carnival. We met in the meeting area on the ship before being led to the tender boats. It was a short ride to George Town and then we walked over to the meeting spot on the island and checked in. Once it was time we took a short walk to a trolly bus which drove us to our boat. It was maybe a 10 minute ride to the boat. Then once on the boat we went to the sandbar. Although you can stand (I am 5'5 and the water came up to my chest) they do offer life jackets for children and adults. At no point was I in water I couldn't not stand up in. Now the waves tend to push you a lot which made things difficult for me to stand still. I spent a lot of time making sure I didn't step on the string ray near my feet. I got to hold (what I thought) a very large female sting ray and I fed her too. It was an exciting experience. Once we started feeding the female more sting rays started to swim up. We learned some fun facts about Stingrays and then after about 30-45 minutes we got back on the boat and headed back to the port area. After that we went to the Margaritaville in Grand Cayman for lunch. It was nice and a bit of a shocker to us that US money is worth less in Grand Cayman. After we ate we went back on the ship
We had an absolute blast in Cozumel! The weather was nice and sunny and we went to Mr. Sanchos. It was a $17 for the four of us and a very short ride there. We had a wonderful time there and I attempted to do the auqua water park thing they have. Talk about exhausting lOl. Don't get me wrong I had fun but your girl was going through it! My hat blew into the ocean and I had to swim after it so I was out of breath when I finally made it to shore lOl. If I could post videos on here I would so yal could see my struggle. After I caught my breath we went to the pool bar and danced and drank there.
With FTTF I was able to debark early. I set my bags out the night before and then the morning of debarkation we met at the meeting point where they had some juices and breakfast snacks while we waited to be cleared by customs. It was a smooth process getting off the ship. I was abit confused at first when it was time for me to find my bags but once I figured out their system it made sense. I kind of like the Fort Lauderdale port better when it comes to debarking though (just my preference). Once outside I called my shuttle service and made my way to the airport.
You took a shuttle from FLL airport to the port of Miami? Did that cost a lot? We are flying into FLL in May and I am trying g to figure out how to get to the Port without it costing an arm and a leg for 6 of us.
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