Loved the cruise altogether. It was our honeymoon so we obviously made the best of every moment. We learned alot on this ship, though, and will choose a different ship next time along with some different activities and options (such as not paying for the priority Fast to Fun option, etc.)
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Carnival Staff were not really patient with newcomers but overall nice and we got on quickly
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food options in included package could use some 'spicing' up. Everything was bland and breakfast options on the buffets never strayed from the same ol same ol... everything is cooked in water that is included on the buffets, has no seasoning at all, and most of the food gives you the 'bubble guts' afterwards. Only good food is in specialty restaurants or in dinner dining restaurant options.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Spa options are great! Serenity area is nice. Pools are always maintained well. BUT.... upper deck activities like water slides, etc. need to have carpeted or other heat protective surfaces. Many folks came away with burns on their bare feet and staff do not allow any type of water shoe or covering to protect you when you walk up the steps and ramps. They are aware of the situation, too, and they all have on water shoes to protect themselves.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Comedy shows, Karaoke, and trivia options were great for the most part. Love and Marriage show is realllllly raunchy and should be toned down more to be inclusive for all mindsets (clean or mildly adult but not plain out raunchy). Other dance / performance shows are all international based with no true flair for normal things people are interested in. Show rooms were never full and it felt like you were in a ghost town when you snuck in to attend.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Our room steward, Eugene, was great. The rest of the room stewards we passed were awesome. Everyone on the ship greeted you when they passed. However, majority of the staff on this particular ship did not speak English fluently and always directed you to someome else to help you. Everyone at Customer Service desk always claimed to be new on the ship and not really know anything. Something as simple as anserwing the question "do you sell global stamps on the ship" seemed to be very difficult to get an anwer to. And as first time cruisers, we didn't know all of the ins and outs. We tried to tell them it was our honey moon and were looking forward to the cruise and the response we got was 'oh, you should have ordered that when you booked'... ordered what???? I'm still unclear why we got that response. But oh well.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was always clean and seems to be laid out nicely... ONE HORROR SHOW, though... the elevator systems on the HORIZON SUCK!! I had heard it in passing before we cruised and now i firmly believe it!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
BEST choice ever! Laid out nicely, always clean, good storage space... cabin was awesome!
Ship tip
Ship staff turnover seems to be frequent and not alot of customer service going out of their way to make you feel special at all. If you're a first time cruiser, pick another ship with a higher rating. Horizon is the lower class of cruise ships.
If I could go lower, I would. People at border control were hateful. Wrote nasty vulgar messages on the sideswalks as we were leaving. And inside the city, people try to accost you and talk you into unmarked, unsanctioned vans for some off the wall trips. They should remove this port from the list altogether.
George Town is Beautiful. Water taxi in was a little different and little crowded for our liking, but it was a good experience and people in town are very accommodating to tourists.
Absolutely loved everything about this port (except the long walk on the pier, of course... LOL). Everything is beautiful and well maintained inside the port gates and the city outside is buzzing with activity and has the appearance of being completely safe for visitors. People were very friendly.
Smooth and quick. Only comment is they deboard you in numbered groups which is great. But they have each group gather in a place to meet up and walk off ship together. The places they choose for you to meet up required you to walk to another end of the ship from your room and then back down the same path you just came from and down flights of stairs to get to the disembarkation point. Not sure why they don't just tell people what floor and elevator to meet on to disembark. People smart enough to manage to travel internationally probably could figure out how to get to their disembarkation point without an escort or ask for help if they need it. It'd be a lot quicker if they didn't add in the extra meet up step.
Congratulations on your marriage. Cruising is an entirely different experience for vacationing and there is a learning curve. The staff turnover you described is not the case as most crew is on contract for 6 to 9 months at a time on the ship. Almost none are US or Canadian citizens due to the very low pay and although some are fluent in English, many are not. The staff at Guest Services probably thought you were looking for cabin decorations when you mentioned Honeymoon as they do have to be purchased before you board. The reason for the gathering places for debarkation is due to the passengers who insist on crowding halls and stairs trying to get off. It was truly chaos before the procedures were implemented. As the ships got larger, the problems grew with injuries on stairs and in shoving crowds. There is no way to leave you in your cabin as the crew has to strip, sanitize, and refit the space for turnover. We love the procedures. The Horizon is a really nice ship, but for activities you might prefer the Mardi Gras or another EXCEL class for activities.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
