What a hot mess

Carnival Horizon Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 7

Overall rating:

3.1 out of 5
Carnival Horizon

8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 22, 2023

Ship: Carnival Horizon

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

There were way too many people on this boat. It exceeded capacity. It was hard to find a place to sit and eat because people wanted to just sit and chat afterwards. Hard to navigate on this boat.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Quick and easy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
The food was ok. The best was Guys burgers and the taco bar. The buffets were ok. Some morning the eggs tasted like fish. The deli had good food. Main dining room was ok.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
It was too crowded to enjoy anything. The best location was the serenity deck.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Was only able to see the comedian shows. They were ok.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Had some great staff. Tevin was great as well as Pauline at the serenity deck bar.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Public restrooms were ok. Sometimes wouldn't flush.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Our cabin was great. We always get a balcony cabin. Only issue was it was cool during the day and hot at night

Ship tip

Be patient.

Ports of call

La Romana, Dominican Republic

3 out of 5
From ship to port, long ways. Glad for guys giving bike rides. Not a lot at the port to do

Oranjestad, Aruba

3 out of 5
The excursion we paid for was a rip off. Eagle Beach is not what they say. Too far, plus we had to rent chairs and you had to walk a ways to get something to eat, drink and use the bathroom.

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

3 out of 5
The excursion was a long way from the port. Not sure why can't find beach area closer. It was ok.

Miami, Florida

3 out of 5

Bonaire, Netherlands Special Municipality

3 out of 5
We just went to the stores close to port. Too hot to do anything.

Disembarkation

2 out of 5
This was a hot mess. No organization at all. People would not follow directions. Took forever to get off the ship.
Was this review helpful? 7

13 Comments

cruiseplayer    1 year ago

You mentioned the ship was way over limit with passengers! Did you stop to count them ?? If it was over limit , where were the extras sleeping ?

cortneyb    1 year ago

I'll never understand why people complain that the ship is sailing full during summer when kids are out of school. when somebody starts a review of....too crowded, too many people. etc, I quit reading right there

ericbran    1 year ago

I'm going in mid-October and called Carnival and was told that the cruise ship is sold out. I said I need to go probably in late November, lol

Kick13    1 year ago

I'm sorry you were not able to fully enjoy this ship due to the capacity. I found the Horizon to be a beautiful ship. We sailed on her late August last year and were pleasantly surprised at how low the crowds seemed to be. Our itinerary was a bit different bit I appreciate your feedback and hope your next cruise is amazing 🚢🌻

esrescuer    1 year ago

I forgot that Horizon can have a max of 4,977 passengers with every cabin maxed out.

esrescuer    1 year ago

Summer is the worst time to cruise, and you will never see seasoned cruisers during that time. The only cruise to ever take in the summer is in Alaska. We never go to the Caribbean while school is out, and when family's go on vacations aka Summer! On average, each cabin is expected to sleep 2 passengers. However, many cabins can sleep between 3 to 5 passengers. The Horizons' capacity is 3,960 passengers in 1,967 cabins.

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

cbyron3    1 year ago

Cruise ship "capacity" is based on 2 passengers per cabin. During the high season (when experienced cruisers don't cruise) if there are 3 or more in a cabin it will actually put the ship "over capacity".

yk07us    1 year ago

I have the same question, repeatedly, about ships exceeding capacity. Were strangers sharing a room with you? Did anyone sleep in the hallways?

javawoody    1 year ago

I would suggest not cruising during high season

cruising2004    1 year ago

Sorry you were disappointed in your cruise. Hopefully any future cruises will be more to your liking. Thank you for sharing your experience.

SRAlbritton    1 year ago

Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us. Sorry it did not meet your expectations. Just remember that even a bad day on the water beats a good day at work. Stay positive, things can always get better.

AFE8Ret    1 year ago

How can a cruise ship exceed capacity?

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