Just got back last Sunday from an 8 day trip on the Horizon (3/15). I have cruised on 35+ cruises and this was my least favorite. Embarkation was a breeze and there was no wait. We ate in the dining room 6 nights and not once was my meal satisfactory. The entree was always over cooked and dry. The main dining room service was excellent. We at Jiji's one night and it was the best meal of the week! We also dined in the steakhouse. The food was superb, but the service was absolutely horrible. Also the casino was doing a promotion for all the heavy gamblers. Some of which were on a free cruise because of the amount they spent in the casino on previous cruises! There was absolutely NO NON-SMOKING areas in the casino. When you stepped off the elevator on deck 4 you could immediately smell the smoke coming from the casino. The atrium was the least spectacular of any ship I've cruised on. Decorated in very muted colors and It was only 3 stories high. Not at all majestic, nor were there any glass enclosed elevators. Disembarkation was unbelievably easy. We walked off with our luggage. There was NO customs agent present. We only had to glance into an iPad with facial recognition technology, and we were out the door! We will definitely NOT cruise on this ship again! Cheers! Read Less

Choice this cruise as a group trip to try a new ship. Ship was fine but not too my liking. Plenty to do . Went to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday night . Drove to Miami on Sat morning and parked at Safe Cruise parking and took a shuttle to ship. Very could parking in enclosed garage. Quick shuttle to and from the port. Arrived at ship about 1030 and went directly onto the ship after filling out a health form which was ridiculous.Went to the Lido deck and had the first of many bad meals.Items most often on this deck were cold.The egg plat parmagane was to hard to cut with a knife. Dinner was supposed to be at 6pm, we were moved to 530 and put im the ATD . Day 1 and 2 sea days normal sea day activities. The CD (Donkie) and his group really did good job with activities Day 2 was elegant night. Food was cold as most nights Day 3 Grand Turk used to be one of my favorite ports. Now they have gooten rid of most of free chairs on beach and commercalized it. Spent thirty minutes there and left . Day 4 La Mona spent day a good bar in port and found a 2 qt Corana for 5 dollars. Had already been there three times so skipped the all inclusive Day 5 Curucoa ther from noon to 1030 did walk around shopping disticet and then took a tour of the Island It was great. Not a Carival Tour but went same places for less. Day 6 Aruba Walked to a publid beach. Been there several times befoe and enjoy it each time Day 7 and 8 Sea day normal activty The entertainment was good and bad, Had a couple of uncanned shows in Liguid lounge which were good. Group in Ocean Plaza was very good Horizon Wireless and the Hotspots. Cabin was a blacony. seemed like the balcony was larger that ships had two chairs and table comfortable there. Seems like the showers and rooms are smaller. Closet doors got in way of bathroom and hall door. Steward service was great. Dining was average. Many meals in the dining room were cold. Breakfast was cold every morning as the food was put out The ship was in good shape some things would go down like ice but would be fixed quickly. I would not take the Horizon again only because I did not like the layout of the ship and size. That is just a personal preference. If you like bigger ships it would be fine Returned on Sunday morning and was off ship as priority by 30. Friend who was not priority was off by 8. Easy and good debarkation and embarkation Read Less

When getting to port embarkation went smoothly. Cabin was in the family harbour inside was concerned that there would be noise from children but this was a comp room so just happy to be on cruise, the noise was never a problem. The area that you can get a small meal or snack was very convenient. The staff was on top of making sure it was stocked only problem was older person on scooter was running past others dropping things and over all rude not Carnival fault. The room had 1 closet but plenty of draw space with large draws under sofa. Cleanliness of room was not what I would have expected and room attendant was very slow we got of the ship came back at 1:00 room was not done he offered that he could just give us towels, but then did call supervisor who apologized and room was done. Actually 2 days later when getting back on board room was significantly cleaner black stuff that had been on floor behind toilet had finally been cleaned never saw room attendant again so may have been replaced. Main dining my time able to get a table thru app never more than 10 minute wait food was mediocre service was slow. Buffet was confusing need to check if both areas open both areas to get full selection need to visit both areas and with crowded areas this can be challenging. Entertainment was ok it is Carnival that doesn’t generally have much that I have found appealing love and marriage show was mid day and standing room only didn’t stay comedy club generally required an hour of standing in line not what I want to do on vacation, and not great anyway. Casino (how I have comp) was small lacked machines lower than $2-$5 a spin. Premier host was nice as was his assistant felt bad one night took 1/2 hour to find player in casino for bull game. Regular host seemed new. Overall would not rush to go on horizon again. Not bad just not great and only have so much vacation time. Read Less

I’m a player. I usually cruise for free on RCL and Norwegian; however, I paid to be on this Carnival Horizon because I like where they go, and Carnival is a fun ship. But I am so disappointed with casino. FREE DRINKS only when you are sitting at the slots or table. You can’t go to the bar and order. You must wait forever for a waiter to take and then get you drink. There is a 15 drink limit per day, and you must wait at least 5 minutes between drinks. You need 2,500 points to get the free drinks. PREMIER PLAYER CLUB only works on past cruises. You must reach at least 7,500 points to get into the club for some nice free perks. The points must be earned in one cruise. However, you don’t get any of those perks during that cruise if it is your first time into the “club. For example, by day 3 I reached the 7,500 goal. I’m on a 8 day cruise. I don’t get any of the perks on this cruise. The casino staff did not make this clear to me until AFTER I made the goal. Then they were rude to me about it saying they had told me it would be on a future cruise. I didn’t book a cruise to be treated rudely or like a child. NON SMOKING IS ALMOST NON EXISTENT. The Horizon has a very small non-smoking section. And people smoke all around the non-smoking section so it’s like smoking anyway. The ventilation is only okay. This is TERRIBLE for anyone with COPD or asthma. SKIP THE CASINO. 1 out of 5 Lungs. 1/5.....Don’t cruise on this ship if you gamble and have COPD or asthma. The ship itself is nice. It has a good spa, and nice cabins. The food is good. I’m just very, very disappointed with the casino. Read Less

ROOM - We had Stateroom 2450 in the Family Harbor section. We traveled with 2 adults and 3 kids. We could all fit nicely in the room. While a little crowded, I was surprised at how well we managed. Two beds drop from the ceiling and the couch is turned into a twin bed. The couch takes up no more space as a bed than a couch. There is plenty of closed space and desk space for all the random crap we collected over the week. The room has 2 outlets and 2 USB ports. There are 2 more USB ports on the TV. We brought a 5 port charger and never had an issue. The half bath with a little tub was nice for our smallest one. Our Steward was great and everyone was super friendly. We LOVED the family harbor lounge a few doors down as it had snacks throughout the day and ice cream, coffee, water, and ice from 6:30a - 9:30p. The breakfast was a smaller version of what is served in the Lido buffet without the omelet station. SHIP - The ship is nice and new and easy to get around. Once you learn the elevators (you have to push the floor button for EVERY person that wants to go to that floor) they work well except during large people moving times. We chose to use the stairs a good but during the heavy periods. The upper promenade was easy to get around and if you are in a hurry to go from bow to aft, either do it a long stateroom deck or hit the outside on deck 5. On sea days it could get super crowded. My major complaint is that people reserve chairs at 6am that they don't plan to use until much later in the day. This was frustrating. My small kids loved the water park. On sea days I had to stand many times to keep an eye on her as the adjacent chairs were either occupied by a towel or people unaffiliated with a kid in the water park. FOOD - Decent. The Main Dining room was good. If the portions aren't enough for you order an extra. The selection was nice. The lido deck food seemed to be trying to be something no one wanted. The food was complicated. I just want a hamburger or hot dog without waiting at a station. Give my kids some chicken fingers or cheap pizza. All of those were options, but you had to stand in line at a special place to get it. I mean the Guy's Burgers, and Lido Pizza joint, and Sandwich station were really good - but the lines were 15-20 minutes on sea days. Certainly there is a hybrid from fancy to simple here. Once bright spot is the Gelato near the front of the Lido buffet - spot on! CAMP OCEAN - All I can say is that my youngest (4) LOVED that place. I don't know if they are feeding them heroin in there or what, but she wanted to be there all the time (There or the pool or the water park). The staff was so awesome. I can't add much more than that. Oh - they have dinner at 6pm (kid food) this really makes parental dining in the MDR so much better than a wiggling 4 year old,just sayin. We did the behind the scenes tour, it was cool and worth the $95. Make sure you go to the excursion deck as soon as you board and grab a spot. It's limited to about 30. OVERALL - It was a good value. Don't expect gourmet food and amazing service for value price. If you manage your expectations, you will have a great trip. If you' re looking for a Viking River Cruise, you'll be pretty upset. Read Less

Embarkation: Embarkation was a breeze we did not have any priority embarkation and from arrival to port till the time we got on the ship was only about 30 min at 1pm in the afternoon which I would presume to be one of the busiest times. App: The Carnival Hub app is the best cruise line app i've seen it's extremely user friendly and I loved being able to request a table from anywhere on the ship. Cabins: We had a Havana Premium Balcony as well as an interior room. The balcony room had a huge balcony but I would have liked more chairs the decor in the room was very nice. If you are staying in the Havana area I would reccomend a Havana Cabana instead. The interior room was quite basic but there weren't any problems although I would like USB ports beside the bed. The rooms were both very quiet. Staff: We didn't have any problems with the staff on board and for the most part they were quite friendly however none of them stood out to us and went above and beyond. Guys Burgers: Just as good as everyone says, one of the best burgers i've ever had. The only negatives of it would be the fries weren't anything special and lines were usually around 10-15 minutes. Sports Area: The sports area and clubhouse was very big but still quite crowded. The mini golf course was quite good but if your a serious golfer I would reccommend bringing along a ball as the balls provided are foam ones that aren't that great. Main Dining Room: We had our meals in the Meridian Dining Room which had pleasant decor. It was your classic main dining room food which was quite good. It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes for meals. Comedy Club: The facility was very good with comfortable seating and good sightlines the comedians were good but will vary by sailing. Shows: The shows on the ship were terrible. We went to Soulbound and Celestial Strings and had to walk out of both of them. The performers weren't terrible but the coreography and story of the shows were horrendous. The theatre itself was very small with terrible sightlines as the seats aren't steep at all and there is big poles on the upper level. Bars: I am not a drinker but the decor in the bars were very nice I especially enjoyed the skybox sports bar. The virgin pina coladas on the ship were also very good and all cocktails came with candy straws. Shops: The shops were quite overpriced on the ship especially Cherry on Top if you do go there do not get the bulk candy it is stale and probably 5x the price you will pay on land. Ocean Plaza: The Ocean Plaza was a nice venue with a little breakfast buffet if your looking for a quiter spot. It doesn't have any pancakes or omelettes but if your looking for just a quick bacon and eggs or something it's a great option Buffet: I found the buffet on the ship to be quite better then other ships. Im not a huge buffet fan but the food was quite good although the options were limited. Expect 10 or so hot items at breakfast 12 or so hot items at lunch and even smaller selection at Supper. Pasta Bar: The pasta was good but nothing to great just your basic pasta dishes. Deck Chairs: If you are looking for a deck chair you probably want to get there before at least 10am and if you want one at one of the pools 8am. Main Pool: The main pool was very crowded but a nice area, we didn't spend too much time here. Waterslides: The body slide was very painful on the back and im not sure if you would be able to sit straight up on it. I preferred the tube slide although it was a fair bit slower. Pig and Anchor (supper) : The BBQ here is very unique in flavour usually a hickory flavour. We loved some of the stuff and hated some of the stuff. Havana Area: The Havana area is a very nice area to get away from the busy main pools with some really nice daybeds at the back. I would definitely reccomend if you can afford it. Arcade: The arcade was way bigger then any i've seen on a cruise ship with probably over 50 games and not a single one broken in comparison to Ovation of the Seas which only had about 15 games half of which were broken. They also have power hours which are half off games and it doesn't really get much busier at these times. Seaday brunch: The seaday brunch on the ship was very good. I would highly reccomend the french toast. Skyride: The skyride was very fun and you didn't really have to pedal if you don't want to it wont give you much more speed. Lines range from 20-50 minutes depending on when you go but will be shorter when it first opens and on port days despite the limited hours. Blue Iguana Cantina: Im not a big mexican fan but the burrito I had was quite good and they had lots of variety of salsas. Thrill theater: The thrill theater was the bets ive ever been on and I have been on over 10. It incorporated so many more elements then any other one ive been on im not going to spoil them but its well worth the $5.50 cost Imax: The Imax wasn't really an imax but just a large movie screen which played recently released movies as well as documentaries. I think the new releases were $11.50 while the documentaries were $5.50 Pizzeria Del Capitano: The pizza is very good thin italian style. The lines were long but moved very quickly. Our itinerary was the 6 day to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel Ocho Rios: We did the blue hole, river tubing, and zipline which was about $125. The blue hole was absolutely beautiful. It is a tour with 4 jumps ranging from 5 feet to 25 feet and 1 rope swing its not on your own schedule at all and you cant do the same jump twice or just swim in the pool. It takes around 45 minutes. The river tubing was more of a river float that most of the time you had to paddle yourself to go anywhere it was very beautiful though. The ziplining was only 3 zips but 2 of them were very long it didn't feel like the safest zipline but it was still fun. I would reccomend this excursion Grand Cayman: We took a shuttle taxi to seven mile beach for $5 where we went to Royal Palms Beach Club which is $2 entry and has a pool as well as cabanas for rent that cost $100 to $300 and sell out over 2 months in advance lots of days. There are also lots of chairs and umbrellas for i think $10 a chair and $15 an umbrella. The beach is the best beach ive ever seen and you could snorkel right of the shore. At the beach club you can rent snorkel equipment, kayaks, paddleboards, and jet skis. There is also a snorkel excursion available for $45. Food and drinks are quite expensive but very good. I would highly highly reccomend the Royal Palms Beach Club and 7 mile beach. Cozumel: we did the adventure jeep snorkel and tequila which was about $110. The jeeps were closed tops with broken stereos and no AC in the back although I think we got the worst of the group. The drive was mostly just a 20 minute highway drive to Ponta Sur where you drive down the beach. The snorkelling was way better then most reviews say and I wouldn't skip out on it. The beach is also very nice but there is some seaweed. The food was not very good. The lighthouse had an amazing view from up top but there are some tight spaces to crawl through. The mayan ruin was very fascinating and our guide Danny was veyr informative. We did not see any crocodiles. Overall, I would reccomend this cruise but I wouldn't say its the best cruise ever. Read Less

Airport Transfers - We began by utilizing an airport to cruise port (Fort Lauderdale to Miami Cruise port) for the first time and we are so very happy we did - Jiffy Jeff. The driver(s) and vehicle were great! Prompt pick-up on both the embarkation and debarkation sides. Much less expensive than Carnival and so much easier and convenient - I recommend them highly!! Cruise - We chose the Horizon because the dates of the cruise and the destinations were what we were looking for and we have never tried another cruise line as we have always been pleased with Carnival. Cabin - we had a balcony on deck 9 aft - generally where we try to be - and we weren't disappointed - comfortable beds, decent sized cabin and balcony. Dining - buffet and restaurant lines were long at lunch time but food was great as always. Entertainment - there was a great pianist on the ship, Jeffrey Munks - very different than normal, the comedy show lines were very long every night and we didn't want to wait the 45 minutes plus in the lines and still not be able to get a seat. Shows in the auditorium were so-so. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of dates, ports of call, and leaving from Miami. Getting to the cheap was slowed by traffic issues surrounding Super Bowl Weekend in Miami, but that was not the cruise company's fault. Perhaps a text warning to allow more time could have been helpful. We were early enough it ended up not affecting us, but some fellow passengers talked about the stress. The ship is beautiful. It is spacious enough that one could always find a quiet place, and busy enough one could always find a fun activity. Food was very good, though sometimes lukewarm in buffet line. Our time dining was convenient and we never had a problem getting in when we wanted, although they could use more waitstaff. They sometimes looked a bit frazzled trying to keep up. The ship was clean. Fellow passengers were polite and fun. All and all an above average experience. We had an interior cabin which was kept very clean. No complaints. We got what we paid for. We were near the rear or the ship on 8 and it was just a two deck walk up to the Lido deck. Read Less

Horizon was a lovely cruise ship overall PROBABLY my favorite so far as far as the carnival family.... We always choose Carnival bc we do family trips and CARNIVAL BRINGS THE FUN‼️ and Guys burgers... Hands down the BEST and on horizon Guys Barbecue Joint OMG good... Loved the new ship overall.. my only draw back would probably be I absolutely love the family dinning experience and on this cruise they were really slow and also love, love, love Latino music/atmosphere... We went to the Havana Bar and was never greeted or attended to at all. They clearly seen us, looked at us and we in fact had to walk over to the bar and order when we were at a table.. Overall we love Carnival. Our only disappointment was the Havana Bar bc we were treated like we wasn't there and dining was slower than usual but absolutely beautiful ship.. Read Less

This was our 7th carnival cruise. Embarksion PRO: was smooth and quick. Headed up to the lido deck for lunch at Guys Burger until 1:30 when we had access to our cabin. CON: employees scanning were rude to folks not going quick enough and barking orders. Cabin PRO: typical layout of previous trips and room size with balcony. Liked the ability to control the thermostat! Beach towel were in room for excursion. Daily newsletter each day. CON: No conditioner in shower.....just shampoo and body wash.ended up spending $10 for conditioner from the shops. Steward asked if we preferred morning or evening room turndown/ cleanup. This surprised us as it was always both in the past. We requested both which was then granted. Watch the blue beach towel -we had to ask where they went as she removed from the room and didn’t return until we asked for them back (note: you will be charged for missing towels). APP PRO: loved the APP to see what’s going on tru out the ship. Able to make dinner reservations at specialty restaurants as well as “ your time dining in main restaurant” via app. Ability to purchase photos. Book shore excursions. This is a must to download! So easy to use. CON: times were off on a few events. Not able to see spa services or book a spa service thru the app. This would be a nice to have for cruisers. FOOD PRO: was okay...above average of a typical restaurant but not up to past cruises experience. Guys burger and fries GREAT. Deli food was pretty good. CON: Minimal fresh cut fruit. Missing the desert table of cakes, pies, cookies. Etc. They did have 5 types of cakes daily in the buffet area. Just not the past experience. Didn’t have the midnight buffet as past cruises had. Wasn’t excited at all about the lunch buffet selection of food. GAMES PRO: mini golf, pool, basketball, indoor clubhouse with kickball pool, ping pong and bean bag toss. Water park slides. DANCERS PRO: The shows were unique compared to past cruises. I’d say this was our top shows. They were great with kids and did a little wave to my 5yr old daugter who absolutely loved them. Took ohotos and had small props for the 20s show before the show started. MAIN THEATER: CON: Hate the name Liquid Lounge. Need something a bit more classy. Didn’t like the layout at all. With kids you must get there when doors open or they won’t be able to see. It’s tough for adults to see as it is. Order a drink and you end up holding it thru out the show as well. PRO: Dancers use not just the stage but main floor to try and have more audience see the show. ENTERTAINMENT PRO: variety of events. The lip sync event started on the lido deck and then last main show winner was selected. Loved that the ocean club kids got to participate in last main show. Learned how to salsa the downfall was all dance events had minimum space and felt to crowded. Had an 80s evening dance at 10:30 but would be more fun knowing this before going on the cruise so one could have a costume to make it more fun. Seaside movies as well as music always had something going on the lido deck. CON: a lot of people but not necarrily enough space for some events. LAYOUT - CON: It’s s bit all over. Took us until day 5 to find the theater which costs additional fees. Photos was day 3 to locate. The stores could have better options as other carnival shops have. Liquid lounge layout is horrible. This cruise ship has a modern feel and not the elegant feeling as other carnival ships. SHORE EXCURSION PRO: Do your research ahead of time, if there is a shore excursion that had 5 and unde are free go ahead and order tickets for everyone but them, they actually don’t need a ticket. Our cosmuzel excursion got cancelled due to winds and we were refunded. Pixel photos CON very expensive. First photo is $19.99 then additional are $5/ea. There were photos I’d love to get a 4x7 of an event but no way am I paying that much. I did spend $100 in photos. Dining Was disappointed at first not having either an early or late set time/table. However, I ended up loving the on your time dining. No rush and we still saw the waiters show, table location wasn’t to bad and getting a table was always within 5 mi utes. Only thing I miss is the personal touch of having the same waiters each day. I’m now a fan of dining when I want to! Read Less

We were excited to sail on one of Carnival's newest ships but the maintenance issues and poor guest service left us extremely disappointed. First, we paid the additional fee for priority boarding. When we arrived to the port we were informed that priority boarding is only for the first passengers to board the ship and that it had ended at 10am. When we purchased priority boarding we were not informed of a time stipulation. The embarkation process was slow but smooth. When we boarded the ship there was a stench in the hallway and in our room. We booked a junior suite, the booking agent told us that the balcony was larger, the balcony was standard size. The walk-in closet was very nice and we enjoyed the additional space that the junior suite allotted. Our cabin steward was amazing and attentive, he left us extra bottles of water because we were return cruisers and a little box of cookies for being suite guests. There was a jetted tub in the bathroom which was nice, but the jets didn't function properly. On day 3 of 6 we started have an issue with flooding in our room. For 2 days we had soaking wet carpet. The first 2 guest service representatives that we spoke with were dismissive and rude. They implied that the flooding issue was something we had done. We found out from our neighbor that they had been dealing with flooding issues since day 2 of the cruise, apparently some pipe in the wall had a leak and the 3 rooms on the hall with us were all dealing with flooding issues. The dining room service was slow, our service attributed it to the larger ship and more passengers. We paid for specialty dining at Bonsai Teppanyaki and 555 steak house. Bonsai was entertaining and tasty, the Steak restaurant was average at best. We enjoyed the comedy shows and movies, both on deck and in the imax theater. Because of the maintenance issues that were not properly addressed and dismissive and rude guest service interactions we will not be taking anymore Carnival cruises. Read Less

The ship is nice and the staff very friendly and helpful. Loved the sky ride. There was a worker named Milos who made our cruise more enjoyable. The rooms are nice as well. However the food on the buffet was mediocre. The breakfast was better than the dinner. I was totally disappointed with the desserts. Thought I was getting cake but instead the texture was a mixture between jello and pudding and tasteless. We still don’t know what that was. I noticed there was a lot of cheesecake which is fine if you happen to like cheesecake which my husband and I don’t. This is our six cruise and we would like to see an improvement in the food. Why can’t there be normal desserts like the classic cake or pies? Would like to see a separate bar set up for serving cokes because when you pay to be able to have them, you have to go to the bar which takes forever because they are busy mixing alcoholic drinks and seemed to be more concerned with making them than messing with the cokes. Itjust seems like a hassle to just get a coke. If you want pictures taken they have plenty of photographers taking them and they look nice. But you have to have a big pocket book to be able to purchase them. They charged $20 for just one picture that you can download on your phone or you can buy packages but be prepared to pay a lot of money. They would probably make more money if they made the pictures more affordable so that people would buy more. Had fun on the excursions except for the Bamboo Beach in Jamaica. It was a 45 minute ride to and from. No place to get out of rain so we got soaked before even getting to swim. Beach was not as nice as I thought it would be. By the time you got back, there was no time for shopping. Would not recommend this excursion. Grand Cayman and Cozumel was very nice. 7 Mile Beach was beautiful. Swam with the dolphins in Cozumel and loved it. Would highly recommend this excursion. Read Less

My wife and I decided to finally go on one of Carnival's newest ships and we loved it. We never felt like we were with 4,000 other cruisers. The layout of the ship makes it very accessible and easy to get around. Previously, we had been on four of the older ships with half as many passengers. We loved the 'Smart' elevators, just wish everyone would make an effort to use them properly but we never noticed any serious problems. Our interior cabin cabin was perfect, it even seemed larger than previous interior's on older Carnival ships. The location was perfect as you could reach the forward elevators or the mid elevators within a few steps. We loved the Hubb App as we had Anytime dining and used it every single night to request our dining reservation. We never had to wait more than five minutes to get a table. We would normally request it while we were finishing a show and by the time we walked over our table was already assigned. The Food in the Meridien Dining Room was very good with excellent service. Breakfast on the Lido Marketplace was very good as well. The made to order omelets were delicious but always busy. Definitely worth the wait. Mike P was our CD and this was going to be his last 6 day Horizon cruise as he was promoted to a Carnival Corporate job. Let me tell you there was NO short timers disease with him. He was 100+% the entire trip. Definitely a well deserved promotion! Overall we loved our FANTASTIC Horizon cruise. Read Less

We had a fantastic week on the Carnival Horizon! This was my 27th cruise and have been on Carnival, Royal, Disney and NCL. I really love the layout of the new Carnival ships. So open and beautiful! We really love the Lanai area on deck 5th! Love how you can get a coffee and just sit out in some comfy couches or chairs and look out at the sea! The coffee shop makes a nice hazelnut latte! Boarding this ship was a breeze! We had boarding group 5 and were literally on the ship and at Guy's burgers by 11:45 am! It was great! Our room on Lido was ready at 1:30 as posted. We had Inside this time and I really do not mind giving up a window or balcony to be on Lido inside. Walk out my room and to the pool in like 1 minute! The room is designed with plenty of room for the 2 of us and we slept so good! The elevators are what everyone complains about, but as long as you use them correctly they work! That is after the 1 st day when everyone has them confused! LOL You put in your floor and how many! So if you have 4 people then you hit that 4 times. Not that big of a deal and we did fine with it. When a group walks up with 5 and only hits it once that causes a problem! The dining was so good! Although I can't comment much on the Buffet because we rarely go! We did however enjoy the Guys burger, Blue Iguana Cantina, BBQ on deck 5 outside. We also enjoyed our dinner in the dining room! The staff were so attentive and excellent. This ship was so clean! Everyone always cleaning and keeping it so beautiful! We did visit the Seafood shack a few times! We could get a pound of peel and eat shrimp for $10 and sit out at Tides pool and watch the sunset! Perfection!!! The Buffalo shrimp were good too! Totally worth the extra cost. The only disappointment was the stage shows The stage is so small and they cant do much with it? We did enjoy the DIVE IN movies every night! Love that they give you popcorn and a blanket! Showed a lot of Disney which I love! Saw Lion King and the new Aladdin! So fun. My friend and I did the thrill theater too! Kind of creepy , but fun! Our room stewards were excellent! Always called us by name and kept ice bucket full all the time! This ship never felt crowded to us. We never waited for anything , but we never went to the buffet either. We did get wait listed for Teppanyaki and got in! What a fun experience! Our chef was so funny and talented! Worth the splurge! The ports in the Southern Caribbean were spectacular! Some of the best places we have ever been! Loved Aruba and did an excursion with Carnival that got great reviews! VIP sail and snorkel on a 100 foot wooden Schooner sailboat with open bar and lunch! All I can say is WOW! What a day! All our stops were so fun! This was overall one of our best sailings ever! We are not too hard to please! We just love cruising! We did self walk off the ship and was out in no time! Do not pay attention to the negative reviews! The elevators are not that big of a deal and the staff was incredible everywhere we went! I did a massage too and the staff at the Spa was always so fun and energetic! Great Cruise and great memories! Bon Voyage! Read Less

I just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Horizon and had an amazing time! It absolutely exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to book another! Embarkation can be hectic as you are carrying your luggage and the attendants want you to keep moving since, of course, there are so many people to board. Once you get on and get settled, its amazing! Public Areas: There are so many places to lounge, indoor or outdoor enjoying a drink or soaking in the sun. There are staff around constantly cleaning and making tables or chairs available for you. Entertainment: There is so much freakin stuff to do on this ship!! Of course the waterslides, sky ride, ropes course, clubhouse, basketball, mini golf, spa, but also the shows and music around the ship was 10/10. The acoustic guy in the Artrium was great, the band that played in the ocean plaza- GREAT, Country band in the Pig Anchor - AWESOME, and the violinist in the Atrium OFF THE HOOK! They hired extremely talented people that I didn't think would be on a cruise ship. The comedian Chris Wiles was OK to me, probably hilarious to others, but not really my type of funny. There is always something to do. Moreover there are seminars for every interest all day long. On the 6 day long cruise, we didn't even get to do everything available on board! And dancing everywhere! So much fun. Dining: The lido buffet is just abut always open with pretty good food. The main dining room is also free and the sea brunch was good too!! Delicious fresh squeezed juice and the chia pudding was my favorite. The lox also tasted good. But, really, the Pig n Anchor BBQ spot was soo good. I can't say enough. Its a great size portion and only $8 for a meal. We also ate at Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, another delicious dinner and superb service. It is on par with Alexanders steakhouse, and better than Flemings or Mortons. You are treated like royalty. There is so much food on this ship, of every kind. Any kind of food you can think of - its offered. Room: The Havana Premium Balcony room is huge, and balcony even better and spacious. It comes with lounge chairs and gorgeous views. The stateroom steward, Muh, was the most friendly person I have ever met! You immediately feel like best friends with him. He remembered our names the first time. He also knew my BF's birthday and sang a little song; and I did not tell Muh that it was my BF's bday! He just knew and remembered. He took care of us and provided everything we needed for our room. I also loved the towel animals that were in our stateroom every day. Excursions: Unfortunately 2 of our excursions were cancelled (glass boat tour in Grand Cayman and Blue Hole in Jamaica) due to weather/ rain and uncontrollable reasons. I believe we will be getting our money back for those. However we still had an enjoyable time, or came back to the ship early to do more FUN STUFF. Cruises seems like an affordable way to vacation and see new places. I can't wait to do another. Overall Carnival exceeded my expectations and I really felt did a 10 out of 10 in every aspect. I would absolutely choose Carnival AGAIN! Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the affordable price. Maybe you get what you pay for as we struggled a little with other guests at times. Too many drunks, so maybe folks spent their savings on the all you can drink plan. We saw a guy nearly throw up on the comedian and his buddy just stand up in the middle of the comedy show for no apparent reason. We saw a woman punch her boyfriend in the jaw after he called her an unthinkable name (this was in port). Most of all, we had "a lot of loud" whether on deck, in the comedy club, restaurants, etc. It occurred to us that some folks might be maxing out the 15 drink limit to get their money's worth and that was leading to some of what we saw. Why not also offer an 8 drink limit plan for less money and maybe folks don't have to get so wasted that they are annoying everyone else. As for the ship, the ELEVATORS ARE A COMPLETE JOKE!! Folks blamed other passengers for not knowing how to use them but I can tell you that having just gotten off the Carnival Magic, the Horizon consistently had MUCH longer waits for elevators and they stopped at an average of 4 or 5 floors once you got in one! This is definitely not just user error. Most folks got so frustrated that they just got in the first elevator that opened up and rode it as close as they could to their floor then got off and walked up and down steps to get where they were going! It was truly pathetic! The ship is beautiful with a modern design that we really enjoyed. The main dining room has areas that make if feel like a much smaller restaurant. However, the Liquid Lounge which is where the shows was obviously designed by an someone who had never been to a show on a ship. The balcony was basically unusable unless you sat in the first row as the seats behind them are not set high enough to see over the person in front of you. Even the first row has to deal with poles and glass panels that create some issues. As if this is not enough, they have large props for some shows that additionally reduce visibility. There was a giant rose right in the middle of our visibility of the stage. Similarly, the comedy club has large poles that obstruct the view to many of the seats. The stage shows were visually beautiful with colorful costumes and the singers were better than other Carnival ships. However, it was very broadway like without broad appeal for the audience. They took popular songs and twisted them to the point that they were unrecognizable and impossible to appreciate. We generally left thinking we missed the whole story line. I'm sure some will disagree with me, but generally those are the people who pretend to "get" abstract art! The comedians (Chris Wiles and Manny Oliviera) were not our favorites. They both relied more on vulgarity than material. We've been to alot of adult comedy and these two were among the most vulgar we have seen. We enjoyed the waterslides (better than other ships) and the mini golf was the most challenging of any ship. The sky ride and the ropes course were both a challenge in stiff winds. We really regret that Carnival allows kids in the aft pool and all of the hot tubs. We already had to risk that drunks were peeing in the pools but now we have toddlers that we know are peeing in the pools. Read Less

Just a few quick thoughts about this cruise. The ship is very new very clean and modern. Getting on and off this ship is a breeze. Probably cruise number 17 or 18 and this is by far the fastest and best. A lot has been said about the elevators on this ship. I found them great and very fast. (Note watch a video on how to use them and it’s a breeze) The staff was very good. Almost all used your name when addressing you. I found the food options very good while on board. We didn’t even eat at any of the pay restaurants. At lunch some of the pay restaurants are actually served with no charge. Each dinner and lunch provided a wide array of different choices. Had coffee delivered to our suite every morning and the room service staff was great also. The entertainment was also very good (as always on carnival ) the only down side to this entertainment experience was that the liquid lounge (new design they are very proud of) has very limited amount of good seating. The balcony is in my opinion useless. It is laid out so flat that If you are not front row you can’t see over the seats in front of you. Having said that the entertainment on the ship was over all really good. You just need to arrive 30 mins before show time to get a floor seat. Dinning staff and room staff are great as expected. Our suite number 7378 is by far the biggest one on the ship. I can’t say enough about this room. Separate dressing ares wide open spaces and a balcony that was the size of 3 normal balcony’s. Read Less

We went with this cruise because it's family friendly. We have a 3 and 5 year old and thought they would have fun at Camp Ocean. We also traveled with my parents who are in their 70's. Our rooms were right next to each other. So the ship is really clean. I'm not sure what all the complaints are about. I didn't see anything dripping, nothing looked worn out, but then again, I was busy having fun and enjoying my time not trying to pinpoint things to complain about. Dining options. So the buffet was okay, we didn't really eat there that much. We liked Guy's Burgers, really good! The taco place is also good and my kids loved the 24 hour pizza. We ate at the steak house which is additional. The presentation is amazing, but the steak wasn't cooked properly. My husband ordered medium rare and he got medium well. I ordered medium and it was more medium well also. Steaks should be on point. The appetizers, sides and dessert were good. We also tried the Japanese steak house. This was fun and the food was great. We also tried the bbq place, but didn't like it. The ribs didn't have that much meat on them and lacked flavor. Our kids ordered chicken tenders and fries and the dishes came with maybe 2 small tenders and 10 french fries. We also ordered room service a few times and the family really enjoyed the wings. There is a good variety of food for everyone and the days we were off the boat, we actually went out to eat at the islands which was nice. Camp Ocean, my 5 year old LOVED it. She would have stayed there the whole trip if she could. The camp counselors really seem to enjoy the kids and had a great attitude. One of the nights my kids were there, another girl had pinched my daughter and they told us about it and said they talked to the mom. No mark was left on my child, but we were told she did cry. It was nice that they told us about this. The kids would always come back with craft projects. My 3 year old who isn't in school just yet didn't like camp at first. He would try to run out. But after 5 minutes of crying at drop off, he would calm down and have fun. We would only leave them there about 2 - 2.5 hours a day, except for the day we went to Curacao since we got back to the ship late. On the last 2 days my 3 year old LOVED camp and didn't want to leave. The only excursion we did through the ship was the Monkey Sanctuary at LaRomana. Our family had fun there. You spend about about an hour with the monkeys. They jump around on you and you get to feed them and get photos with them. Visiting the country house though, that was okay. The kids were bored. It did take about 45 minutes to get to the destination and 45 minutes to get back. The island is pretty poor and you see it driving through town. We never felt threatened or anything. The cruise terminal was fine, didn't feel scared there either. I had read some reviews about it, but no one was pushy trying to sell us anything. Grand Turk the beach off the port was nice. We walked over to Margaritaville and ate there first. Then we went to the beach and spent 2 hours there. Then walked back to Margaritaville and hung out at the pool. We decided not to do a tour here. My parents tour that they booked from the cruise, a glass bottom boat tour was canceled due to strong winds, but they were able to book a tour once they got off the boat. It was a 1.5 hour tour. We also got to do some shopping and there is a Starbuck's at the port which was nice. Curacao is pretty, too bad you get there so late! We did a private tour which was from 230 - 8pm. We saw the blow holes at the National Park which were breathtaking. We saw the sea turtles and people snorkeling with them. We didn't though, water is murky and didn't really want to swim with fish guts. We also hit one of the beaches and spent about 2 hours there then drove to the East End to see the beautiful houses. You are a rush against the sun going down though. Sun goes down at 6/630. Wish we would have gotten to the port earlier. Downtown area with shops was really pretty and clean. We ate downtown. Aruba we also did a private tour and loved it. We saw the rock formations, the national park, the 600 steps, Eagle Beach, did some shopping and ate at The Old Fisherman. Had amazing grilled red snapper. We fit a lot in during our day. Private tours are the way to go! You get an air conditioned van all to yourselves. We saw some amazing comedy shows on the ship! So funny. We watched the 10pm shows. Also saw the Lip Sync battle which was good and the Love and Marriage show. The cruise director, Mike Pack was really fun. Service on the ship was nice, everyone was attentive. Our family had a fun time, memories were made. Can't complain. The water was a little choppy due to the heavy winds, but we didn't feel sick. I would totally do another cruise on the Horizon or check out their new ship next year! Read Less

This was our 8th cruise. We were on the Horizon out of Miami, in a deck 8 mid ship balcony cabin. We had early dining with a group of 12 adults. Our embarkation process went very smoothly. We practically walked from curb to Lido deck without stopping. Cabin service was excellent. Our requests were handled quickly and were remembered. We were greeted often and by name. There was a wide variety of entertainment on board and was great. Dining room staff were attentive but dinners were long. Seemed to take a fair amount of time to bring various courses. Often times we started at 6 and weren't finished till close to 8. We chose the Horizon because it was a new ship and I thought it would provide the latest and greatest amenities and services. The main lobby was nice, but seemed subdued. The center funnel image was nice but I liked seeing the exterior elevators as on other ships better. Lido deck (Marketplace) meals were pretty much the same as on other ships. Corner restaurants (Guys Burgers, Pig and Anchor, BlueIguana and JiJiAsian Kitchen were very good. Staff was experienced and excellent. Our cruise director was Mike and was great. Raquel is one of the Massage Therapists and is excellent. The gym fell short. They have reduced the Men's locker room to almost a closet. On other ships there would be 20+ lockers and 6+ showers for our use. Here there were fewer lockers and ONLY 1 SHOWER. The steam room has been moved to a "VIP room" and can be used after paying an exorbitant fee. Only 3 pools on the entire ship and I only found 3 Hot tubs, one on Serenity and 2 on the rear deck by the pool. Ports were great. Lots of shopping and good excursions. Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Ports, shopping and excursions were great. We got off the ship at every port for either an excursion and or shopping and the process was efficient. Some of our excursions were through Carnival and a couple were through a private group who gauranteed our on-time return to the ship. All were well worth attending. Read Less

We recently went on Carnival Horizon and I chose this ship because it looked like there was a lot to do. When we first got on the ship I missed the grand appearance of the atrium. It was beautiful but toned down. We had an ocean view room on deck 1 and it was great. We had two washrooms which was nice. We took the stairs a lot it was just faster at times. The new elevator system isn’t complicated you just have to wait a bit. Breakfast was disappointing as it was the same menu every morning. Dining room dinner menu was really good, lots of variety. Guys burgers...yummy! I think the ship needed more pools and hot tubs for its size. Entertainment was ok, especially on sea days there wasn’t that much to do. Our cruise director Mike was great! I’ve been on Royal Caribbean as well and if I compare the two I think Royal is better experience and food wise. Ports were fun: Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico Read Less

We're Platinum cruisers on carnival and like to take a New Years cruise every year. We've been on the Breeze and Vista before so we chose the Horizon because it was the newest in that class of ship. I would have to say I wasn't impressed with this latest ship. I think the goal is to cram more people and rooms while sacrificing open areas, pools, jacuzzi's, and most of all food. The Buffet areas in this ship are tiny....and the food is extremely limited in options. I would have to say it was a lower quality than I've ever experienced before in all my sailing....and worse than Golden Corral. Even the pay restaurants were not up to par. If your a big dessert fan....don't choose this one....the only option in the buffet for dessert was cake. There were no cookies, pudding, mousse, jello, or pies.....just cake. The only food option on that entire ship that never disappoints is Guy's burgers, and the Pig and Anchor. Lido deck seems to be getting smaller, with more people to cram in those areas. Pool seemed alot smaller, no jacuzzi's, and half the amount of lounge chairs for sunning. I spent my entire cruise in the back of the ship where that had two jacuzzi's and the pool. Our cabin was good, except for the locaton, we had a cove balcony , 2374 and the noise from upstairs was awful. It would start around 11pm, go to about 3am...then start up again around 6am. Otherwise...the location of the room to everything was great. The new elevator system was not explained in detail, signage upon arrival was minimal and still left cruisers confused. Apparently you choose your floor on the outside lobby....when you get into the elevator...there are no buttons for after thought floor changes. By day 3 everyone understood the process and things ran smoother with elevators. Overall, great trip, but not impressed with the bigger class ships....the lack in decor...food... and ample common area spaces. Read Less

This was our fourth Carnival cruise. The embarkation experience was wonderful. The best we've ever had. We were originally upset because we wanted to purchase Faster to the Fun and it sold out before we could purchase it. It was not needed for this cruise at all. When we entered our cabin we found leftover food from the previous occupants in the room. When we went to the balcony we found old/used water bottles, cherry stems and hair ties from previous cruisers. The room was much smaller than anticipated and the layout made the room feel cramped. There wasn't enough room to store your luggage and walk through the room. We had been on previous cruises where the vista balcony rooms were suites. On this cruise they are not. We knew this but did not expect the room to be so small. The Lido deck is one deck above so you constantly hear all of the noise of the Lido deck all night long. For example, the staff use carts to move items throughout the night and we were continually woken up by the rumbling of the carts above us. The extra large balcony is nice but it is really much larger than needed for two people. Some of the balcony space would have been much better utilized to enlarge the room. The ventilation in the room is horrible. We called guest services multiple times throughout the cruise because the room stayed so warm. Each time we were told the room was within ship standards. We spent every night sweating and ended up taking turns sleeping outside on balcony just so we could have some air circulation. The stench of cigarette smoke from the Casino is horrible. We were not able to enjoy the Casino due to the overwhelming cigarette smoke. We chose this cruise for the ports. We had never been to 3 of the 4 ports before. We were also excited to be cruising on a newer ship. We had mixed feelings on the ports. We had previously visited Grand Turk and new what to expect there. We enjoyed getting off the ship and walking around the port. We chose not to do a scheduled excursion in Grand Turk this trip. The Dominican Republic is a location we never need to visit again. It is absolutely filthy. We chose zip lining as the excursion. The zip lining park was about an hour bus drive from the port. The park was nice and the zip lining was fun. We enjoyed the excursion but felt like we could have done this excursion anywhere. Our favorite port was Curacao. It is absolutely gorgeous. We did a boat ride with snorkeling for our excursion. This did not disappoint at all. The service on the boat was great and the overall experience was outstanding. The final port was Aruba. Aruba is also beautiful. We chose to do a segway tour followed by time on the beach. The segway portion of the tour was phenomenal and did not disappoint. We felt that the excursion could have had a much better beach experience. If you wanted an umbrella or chairs for the beach they needed to be rented from a separate entity. The cost is not included in the cost of the excursion. When we arrived they were out of chairs and umbrellas so we weren't even able to rent them. Unless you brought your own towels or blanket you could only sit on the sand in the sun. Nothing else was available. When we returned to Miami we signed up for the Airboat tour with a transfer to the airport. This excursion was a lot of fun. They started disembarking the ship at 7:00 am and our flight was not until 4:00 pm so this was a perfect way to spend our day. We were excited for this cruise and the opportunity to visit these ports and to sail on a newer ship. Overall the ship was clean, although our cabin was not. We were extremely disappointed in our cabin and our service throughout the ship. My husband had ordered the anniversary package with champagne as well as chocolate covered strawberries to be set up in our room prior to our arrival. When we entered our room the anniversary signs were hung but the champagne was not on ice like my husband was told it would be and the strawberries were not there. We never ended up drinking the champagne on the ship so we never opened the champagne glasses. When we got home we found that the stems of the glasses were broken. The overall customer service on this ship did not positively compare to the customer service on previous Carnival cruises and was very disappointing. Many other cruisers we spoke with on the Horizon who had been on Carnival before felt the same way too. The entertainment on the Lido deck was minimal and not as enjoyable as it had been in previous Carnival cruises. The food on the ship was good. There was nothing spectacular about it but there was nothing bad about it either. The ship provides lots of activities, especially if you are traveling with children, which we were not. They take photos while you are on the cruise and you can view them via their mobile app while on the cruise. However once the cruise docks at the end, the pictures are no longer accessible. So if you don't buy them during the cruise you can't purchase pictures which is very disappointing. The Carnival Hub mobile app is great while on the cruise. The experience on this ship will not prevent us from cruising with Carnival again but we definitely would not do this ship again. Read Less

My wife and I always cruise with Carnival because of the emphasis on comedy clubs. This one offered up to 4 shows a night. 4 comedians , two of them top notch. The new year's eve party was wonderful. The pianist at the piano bar was joined by the lead singer of the evening show and threw an unforgettable party. Service was excellent. Thete are quiet places to be, to avoid the upper decks. Check out the decks on the fifth floor. There is an adult only pool, so you dont have to be with children if they bother you. Buffet choices were superior. The dining room reservations operate through an app. Our cabin, that had ocean view window, also had two separate bathrooms, one of which had a toilette. The second had a bathtub. The only recommendation I have is that for the folks that seek the quietness of the fifth floor deck, some soft background music would be a treat. The crew were fantastic. Helpful and ultra polite. We will certainly be back, again and again. Read Less

Embarkation went smoothly, since it started raining they ushered everyone in and really had the lines moving. Almost too fast, i felt rushed going throygh security with many crew members pointing for you to this way and that. Once on board we immediately went to eat brunch sisnce we hadnt eaten yet. Food was good, Guy Burger's was all that I yhought it to be and some!! Our luggage arrived within the first two hours. We chose late dining an had the pleasure of being served by Arsenio and his team!! Plenty of activities for each age group. My teenagers had something to do all day each day and so did I. The shows were great, pool and hot tub packed so I stayed awsy from that. Our excursion we chose was the 27 waterfalls and zip lining. Fun and more fun and a lot of walking!! However in bewteen rtge activiies there was a rather long wait and it felt that they had too m any groups booked at the same time. Service was great, and staff friendly. Most importantly my children had fun and I was able to relax and unwind. The ship was packed and I still found quiet spots and am very thankful for the Serenity deck!! Read Less

We decided to take a Christmas cruise. It was a nightmare. 12&13 year old knocking on doors in the night n running away. Water dripping from the ceiling in the dining area. Food n dishes left every where. Children breaking glasses at the dinner table. While the parents sat at another table. The staff didn’t look happy to be working. We waited at dinner for 10 minutes and no one never came over to greet us at dinner. We had to go find a waiter to place our dinner order. Several people walked out and never got served that night. The service has went down so much. And the food was not good. Not enough activities to do. And they charge for so much now for everything. You could at least charge half off on port days for the movie’s. I made several complaints to guest service and was told next time don’t take a cruise with kids. Which was funny when we had ours with us. So disrespectful n rude. I couldn’t enjoy my balcony room from the noise above us. Making bigger ships and taking away all quality n respect. I don’t mind paying for more if I got quality and some respect. So if the staff was rude n they just look unhappy. Many complained about their pay. Please take time and listen to your consumers n your staff. This is why so many are going to other cruise lines. Last but not least I had to look for staff people to fill up the wipes in the gym just to clean the equipment. Not my job but wanted to clean from working out. Read Less