We had fun despite Carnival on this cruise. As my wife put it, "after 8 Carnival cruises, this was by far the worst, the food was inconsistent and outside of Guys Burgers or Blue Iguana where things were freshly prepared in front of you, the food was just not good." This cruise definitely pushed us to try a different cruise line on our next cruise.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Our embarkation was the day of the Miami Marathon which led to a lot of congestion and chaos. Nothing really Carnival could do here except be more understanding with transport timing.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The MDR and bars were inconsistent throughout the whole cruise. The MDR staff was stretched too thin and the food quality was inconsistent. The drinks were mixed differently each time and there were times when drinks simply were not mixed and remained in layers.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs were ok, it was borderline too chilly out to swim for any length of time.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Spellbound was a good show, thats all we had time to do.
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Our room steward was rather creepy and had a bad habit of barging in despite the Snoozin sign and without waiting for an answer to a knock. He would just quickly knock and immediately barge in. MDR staff never got anything correct on any of our meals we were missing sides, appetizers and drinks constantly.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I did not like the reflections restaurant being mid-ship, it broke up the flow on deck 3 and 4 being able to get to guest services and the atrium. Java Blue being relegated to the aft portion doesn't make a lot of sense, as it tends to be a central place for people to stop by and pick up a coffee or a drink. It should be central as it is in Excel class ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The comfort was ok, there was some kind of stain on the curtains that I hope was food, because it looked like blood.... The lack of a usable minifridge in the cabin in favor of a minibar that you have to ask to be unlocked feels like a money grab and is inconvenient if you want a nice cold drink at some point during the night or in the morning.
Ship tip
I personally would book a different class, and would not sail in late January/early February again. The temperature is borderline for swimming and the weather is unpredictable.
The staff was rude and only one or two people actually cooperated to let us disembark when we did self assist. The system of calling by muster station when doing self assist is only going to cause people to miss flights, etc.. Carnival needs to be more flexible and consistent.
Was on the same cruise and our experience was the exact opposite. We received great service. Our room steward was fantastic and food was not bad, Celebration last year was worse in both food and dining room service. Sorry you didn’t have the same experience.
Our room steward lead on the Horizon in August was funny. Knocks on the door first day to ask when we would like the cleaning service....I Said "Afternoon" she was like, "how about morning?" OK. We would go for breakfast and a walk and try to stay away for a while, but they always seemed to knock to clean when we were in our room for a rest or refresh. Thanks for your honest review, I can relate to it!
We were on the Horizon last March and had an empty unlocked mini fridge. Not sure why yours was locked. Sorry for your bad experiences. Hopefully your next vacation of choice is better.
Locked minibar. Wasn't locked on horizon 2 years ago. I'm not believing it. Love horizon. Service is bad everywhere can't wait for horizon in September.
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