Ship broke down and cruise was terrible

Item: Carnival Horizon
Rating: 3.9
Author: mustlovecruises

Carnival Horizon Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

mustlovecruises

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 27, 2021

Ship: Carnival Horizon

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 9205

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

This ship was built in 2018. People began mentioning that they saw and heard engine issues three weeks before our cruise, yet Carnival did nothing about it. Halfway to our first port, the engine gave out. We got to go to our first two ports (late to our first), then had to spend the next 4 days traveling 16MPH back to Florida so we’d be back on time. There was a lot of clanking, banging, and an extreme amount of rocking which caused me to be very seasick, even with patches behind both ears. They would not let me see the doctor without paying $125, but told me they wouldn’t be able to do anything to help. So, I spent most of the time sick in bed. Carnival gave us $100 OBC and 25% off our next cruise, yet the people who were supposed to be on the ship the next two weeks got a full refund and a free cruise. They were transferred to another cruise ship since the Horizon will be going to Italy to be fixed. So, they didn’t suffer the week on a doomed cruise, yet they were rewarded greatly while we feel like Carnival didn’t care about our experience onboard. John Heald made a post on Facebook about it and many onboard commented, yet Carnival still hasn’t reached out to us about our experience. This was such a disappointment.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food was good, but they need flavored creamer and more jam other than grape!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Sky hair and ropes course were fun before the engine failed and we were unable to do anything else.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Great the first day, but then too seasick due to the extreme movement since we could only go 16MPH and felt every wave.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone was exceptional, especially our room steward and Gail at shore excursions.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The suite was roomy and comfortable. Balcony is obstructed by the captain’s bridge directly underneath.

Ship tip

It would be a great ship since it’s new….except the engine failed.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

We left from this port, but didn’t spend time here.

Thumbs Up 0

Oranjestad, Aruba

2 out of 5

Due to a medical evacuation, we arrived a few hours late which meant that, after our excursion, we had no daylight hours for beach time. Many of the larger restaurants and the shops were closed by 4pm, which was frustrating. But, Aruba was beautiful.

Thumbs Up 0

Bonaire, Netherlands Special Municipality

5 out of 5

We took a Best of Bonaire tour, and really enjoyed seeing the island.

Thumbs Up 0

La Romana, Dominican Republic Did not visit port

Cruise ship broke down.

Thumbs Up 0

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic Did not visit port

Cruise ship broke down.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

13 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for your review.

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Darrelljones 2 years ago

My wife and I were on the same cruise and had a great time. Even with the engine problems we enjoyed the ride. Our motto is "any trip away from home is a vacation".

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Gheemaster38 2 years ago

I think the only thing I would have requested was the captain to slow down a little more so we don't blow the last engine (Use that one to get another sea day, hopefully)

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hollysmomtravel 2 years ago

Your choice not to see the medical staff due to the cost was all on you. They didn't "refuse" to let you see the Dr. I know they use to have motion sickness meds In The shop, and there are several other natural ways to help remedy it. Also, ships go by knots!

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CaribLifestyle 2 years ago

CRUISE CANCELLATION AND ITINERARY CHANGE POLICY Carnival reserves the right to cancel or substitute any scheduled port of call at any time and for any reason whatsoever without prior notice and shall not be liable for any loss to guests by reason of such cancellation or substitution. This policy can also be found in Section 7 of your Cruise Ticket Contract.

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CaribLifestyle 2 years ago

All of the ships in this class have had engine problems that needed repairing.. Those small fine prints that nobody reads says they can do whatever they want in certain situations..

Thumbs Up 2

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

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byhisgrace 2 years ago

Thanks for your review. I was scheduled to be on the next sailing. We are getting a future cruise credit and a refund, but it is not a free cruise. We are getting our cruise fare back which is about 40 to 50% of a cruise.

Thumbs Up 1

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AdmiralJAH 2 years ago

Thanks for your review. I am currently on Carnival Glory and Bonaire was cancelled and replaced with Curaçao. Glad you got to Bonaire. Wonder why Glory switched ? 🦜😎

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 2 years ago

I appreciate your feedback

Thumbs Up 1

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Thanks for the review. Itineraries can and do change for a variety of reasons and are never guaranteed. The cruise lines are not obligated to offer any compensation per the sailing contract that everyone agrees to when booking. Regardless of what they do, some will never be happy. Another reviewer on the same sailing still enjoyed their cruise in spite of the issues. Attitude and flexibility are the keys to making the best of any situation or focusing on the negative and making yourself miserable.

Thumbs Up 5

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izrgreen 2 years ago

Thanks for your review

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great ship, bad engine.

Great cruise. Had some engine problems but still had fun. Would like more ventilation in casino

waste of money