The fun we had on this trip seem to be making the best of a bad situation. Carnival needs to do better with this particular class of ship there are design features that make things difficult on the Horizon. I won't even remotely consider booking this class of ship again.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was easy enough
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Extremely inconsistent after first night in MDR. Guys pig and anchor was gross at the buffet, maybe dine in is better. Ji Ji's Asian lunch was ok, nothing special. Entertainment at Bonsai Teppanyaki was good, but the appetizers were obviously pre-prepared and warmed up. I mean when pork belly is cold and chewy it's not a good look.
The buffet was mid-level at best. Blue Iguana cantina was good as it is fresh made to order, as was Guys Burgers.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The party's were decent and the trivia was fun.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Spellbound was a good show, probably the highlight of on-board entertainment.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Extremely inconsistent. The MDR staff was disorganized and chaotic. Our steward popped in several times as my wife was getting dressed or undressed almost to the point of "How did they know?"
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The design of this ship with a restaurant in the middle that breaks up flow from mid to fore is a stupid layout. Not thrilled about Java blue being relegated aft, when it's a venue where several people stop by for a drink on the way back to their stateroom. Absolutely despise the elevators, it's a 50/50 mix of the technology and the people using them. They do not behave as they are advertised. They always seemed to want to put upwards of 15 people in each elevator, and I can't count the number of times a full elevator would open on deck 1with blank stares of riders.... People... Deck 1 is as low as you can go... The only reason to go on an elevator to deck 1 is to get to your stateroom, not to bounce back up....
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was okay, was not thrilled that the mini fridge was taken up with an end room mini bar that you couldn't use the mini fridge. That's just cheap and a money grab.
Ship tip
Book a different class of ship you'll be much happier.
Wife got sick from MDR meal, night before and we could not get off at Cozumel. We missed our excursion and Carnival was unflinching in offering any kind of refund.
Of the 17 different Carnival ships we have been on, the Horizon and Vista are definitely the best class in their fleet. So many awesome restaurants and activities and a great spa. Much better than the new class with the madi gra and celebration. The majority have the mid ship galley that require a few minutes to figure out. Generally people figure out the elevators by day 3.
The inconsistency with the food and drink was disappointing. I'm sure you can get used to the layout I just looked at it from an engineer point of view and I saw design flaws.
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