Overall this was a nice cruise. We picked this one because it went to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, but Bonaire was removed and the two Dominican Republic stops were put in it's place. That was disappointing as Bonaire is our 2nd favorite place to snorkel. This was a beautiful ship, loved the indoor decor. THE STAFF WERE ALL AWESOME!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Started a little later than scheduled so we had to sit in the terminal seating waiting to board for about an hour after our assigned check-in time. They kept letting people in the terminal so we ended up packed in like sardines with no chance to social distance. I'm not weird about COVID, but with all the hype and restrictions we shouldn't have had to sit in such a crammed area for an hour. We are also Platinum and there was no separate waiting area or priority boarding.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Traditional yummy Carnival fare. We particularly loved Pig & Anchor. Buffet food was as usual, I can always find good food-breakfast ,lunch, or dinner.
Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ Smokehouse Brewhouse
5 out of 5
Loved hanging out here, good live music to accompany awesome food! This is a new favorite place for us to hang out, it needs to be bigger as it is very popular!
BlueIguana Cantina
5 out of 5
I always love eating here, you can customize your order. This is my every day breakfast spot!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Plenty to do if you wanted to, lots of choices! It was a Fun Ship you know! Plenty of deck chairs, good to-your-lounger bar service. Serenity deck and staff were awesome! Had fun in the casino and enjoyed the sky ride, too.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We went to several of the evening shows, we enjoyed them all, except Amor Cubano. It was all sang in the Spanish language & most Americans on the ship only spoke English so most of the guests didn't enjoy it so much (at least anyone I spoke to about it and from overhearing other conversations) . We saw many people leave during the show. My favorite entertainment was Aura Pop Duo, they are a couple of wonderful people! They're music was great too! And also the awesome violin music from Sunny Girls Trio. They were so talented, very enjoyable! Our favorite comedian was Mark Simmons, but they were all funny.
Children's Programs
No children with us this time! Thank God!!!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Awesome, awesome, awesome! Every Carnival employee was super nice, personable, and willing to help however they possibly could. "Above & beyond" is not worthy! Shout out to our stateroom attendant Chalinee. Such a sweet lady! Very attentive and took great care of us. We had a light in the bathroom that was flickering, she took care of it right away, not the next day or two, which also shows maintenance staff were right on it to! Also, Andreea at the Lobby Bar, she's a hoot, besides being one of the best in the bartender realm!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Love the Horizon, lots of beautiful areas and easy to navigate. even though this was our first cruise on her. Didn't see any dirty areas at all!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was a nice but standard balcony room. Love having a balcony.
Ship tip
You have to try Pig and Anchor, they set up a buffet of many of their offerings at lunchtime. Also, be sure to download the Carnival Hub app, it's very useful.
Excursion to De Palm Island through Carnival. It was nice there, learned a few dance moves, enjoyed the water with good snorkeling, they had some flamingos and a nice water slide. The buffet lunch and open bar was also good. I would go here again.
Always nice here, we took a Carnival excursion called west beaches, national park, turtle snorkel & lunch. This was awesome! The turtle snorkel was so cool, lots of turtles swimming all around all of us snorkeling in their cove. This is a must do!
Again, another Carnival excursion, All Inclusive Playa Bachata Resort Pass. This was a nice clean beach, the water was not really clear, but not bad. The food was good and the drinks were made well. The pool was nice, the only problem was they had plenty beach chairs, but many were broken.
Awesome review. Love the attitude that not all the food was great but if you look you can always find something you like. Sorry about the boarding delays for Platinum level. I'm sure it will be back to normal soon.
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