Thought this cruise would be great with a new ship!But what a disappointment crew was rude and unhappy, entertainment was poor ,did not stop at one port that everyone wanted to stop at !the older ships are much better I will never go on this shipb again save your money and enjoy the other ships.excursion we horrible had to wait for latecomers if you are not there on tine you should miss it that’s it !in dinning room we waited 3 hours for meal bright spot was comedian Percy Cruze very funny entertaining Iger guests were great met some really nice people they need to work on employees and service loved my other cruise s because of the customer car and joy the brought into my day I came home more stressed then relaxed I spent a lot ooney for a stressful week hope someone makes some changes talking to other guests they felt the same Read Less

This was my 5th cruise, 3rd with Carnival and being this was a new ship, I had such high hopes. I was severely disappointed. Your time Dining was HORRIBLE. First night we didn’t eat at all. Took 30 mins to wait in line and then another 30 mins with a pager to eat. I have a special needs child who started to freak out so we just went back to cabin. Luckily the next day we had to pull the Autism card and got switched to a set dining time. I felt sorry for all those other people stuck with that dining plan. Norwegian knows how to do that so much better. Food court in Lido was so bad. Not enough seating. Food choices poor and weird. Nothing for kids unless you waited on a min 30 min line for pizza. The Pride was soooo much better. Overall food was nothing great AT ALL Room was clean but shouldn’t it be? The ship was brand new. I would say ship didn’t give the appearance of new though and I am used to crew being everywhere cleaning. Not on this boat. Overall I thought it was pretty dirty. Stewart was OK but not real friendly and forgettable. Crowded oh so crowded. People everywhere with not enough space to accommodate. I think they jammed as many cabins as they could without thought to activities for all these people. Thank God I got a balcony room for some elbow room Elevators were a nightmare. NIGHTMARE. New system implemented and it DOESN’T work. Staff were OK but not great. Not overly friendly like I’ve experienced on previous cruises. They seemed slow and unhappy. Some side notes not necessarily Carnivals fault but worth mentioning. Someone got ill or something on board causing us to lose one of our ports. I think they could have made it to the port had they sped up but why should they...a third day at sea so people could gamble and spend money. I don’t gamble and enjoy the ports so I was severely disappointed. Our consolation was 20%off a future cruise. Not a consolation if you ask me. I’ll never use it. Also worth mentioning that I wasn’t surprised to hear someone got ill as the boat was swarming with older senior citizens. Decrepit senior citizens. Some looked like they should have been in a hospital. I have never seen so many sickly people on a cruise ship in my life. I’m sorry but I don’t think a cruise is somewhere for sickly older people when there are no facilities close in the event of an emergency. This was the case on my cruise and because if 1 person needing medical attention and the boat having to turn around, over 4000 people were inconvenienced. Maybe I’m insensitive but that was not cool!!! People complain about certain cruise lines having too many kids well this one has way too many old people. All in all Carnival bombed with this new ship and I seriously doubt I will ever take my family on a cruise again because of this. Too crowded, too unpredictable with older senior citizens, and quality/cleanliness going downhill. Read Less

I cant put into words how bad this cruise was for my wife and i. The low lights * damaged luggage with missing clothes *dress code not enforced in the buffet or dining area ( nothing more appealing than watching shirtless men in line for foor or seeing arm pit hair at the table next to yours.) *kept getting billed for drinks we didnt buy * cold food in the dining room *wrong food in the dining area *almost getting knocked out from getting hit with a tray of food ( still waiting for someone from carnival to say sorry.) *rules not enforced in the Havana area. *room and public areas were hot. I should have went with my gut and asked to go home on day two. The group of six that was with me will NEVER sail with carnival again. I would suggest you save your money and try another company. The one bright spot was eden parker in the piano bar. Read Less

This was my wife and myself 8th cruise, 6th with Carnival. Although we did have some issues, overall we enjoyed the cruise. Things we did not like: Elevators - you go to a kiosk and hit the floor you want and then wait for the elevator that a computer thinks is the best option. Once it comes you get in the elevator and it takes you to that floor, no buttons to push. You have no idea what floor the elevator is at nor when it will get to you. Most people (including staff) did not like it. Service - at the bars you might as well go up and get your own drink, service was terrible. Buffet dining was okay but for deserts you waited in line while someone sliced what you wanted. This was slow and caused major lines. Same for the pizza. Dining staff at main dining could have been better, not personable at all. Got our orders wrong 3 separate times. Entertainment was okay on first 2 shows but didn't really like the last 2 shows. What we liked: Cabin - had 2 separate bathrooms, one with a shower/bathtub and sink and the other with shower, sink and toilet. Cruise director was excellent. Amazing what he can get people to do to entertain everybody. Something going on constantly. Large comedy club but packed every night, every show (4). Food at Guys burgers and Pig and Anchor was excellent. Shore excursions were okay although Grand Turk needs to be cleaned up. No issues with casino but it is smoky. You will smell the smoke before you see the casino. Getting on and off the ship went very well but it has changed since our last cruise. Would we go again? Definitely on Carnival but on smaller ship. This ship was so big and with so many people I think you lose out on personable service. We did like the newness of the ship and it is a beautiful ship. Read Less

I Just returned from my first and maybe my last Carnival cruise . I was on the Horizon 8 day to Puerto Rico , Grand Turk, and Dominican Republic . Let me start with a positive note getting on the ship was great from there everything got worse. I had made reservations with the Steak House online before going and also purchased beer, water and excursions. When I got on board I stopped at the steak house to confirm my reservation only to be told I didn't have one. I let it go thinking maybe there was some glitch. Then I went to my room and found my water with a note but no beer so I called Guest services the phone rang for 15 minutes before someone answered and told me I had never purchased beer . I explained that I had and she asked if I was able to prove it and thank God I had the confirmation. I was then told they would have to do an email inquiry. I waited 5 hours before walking to Guest Services to only be told I hadn't purchased it so I showed her my confirmation and about an hour later I got it. Next, I had received 3 of my 4 bags my husband and I bought with us. I kept asking were they bringing more bags and was told yes , yes but after 5 hours waiting I started to worry so I started walking to guest services to see if they had it when much to my surprise a man was bringing my bag into the hall from his room . He told me the staff had put it in his room . I was very upset since it had my personal items in it . My husband and I purchased bar cash so we went on the top deck and ordered 2 drinks , later on that night I looked at my account and found they had charged me for the peoples drinks behind me as well as mine . I had to go back to Guest Services to get them to remove the charges. I played in the casino quite a bit so I was able to get a drink card pretty quickly . I only ordered 1 drink while in the casino and was made to feel like I was a thief. Gentleman took my order then came back and realized I should not have not been charged so he went to get it taken off. The casino host then came over and picked up my card and asked me if this was my card and if I had taken it from someone . I was floored , I hardly ever drink so I would not have stolen anything like that . Needless to say I didn't drink there anymore . She asked me for my name and said spell your last name . It was very embarrassing . My husband and I are very early risers so I requested room service every morning 5 to 7 am . We also go to bed by 9 pm so we made sure the tag was on the door by 9 . One morning I am waiting and waiting for my coffee to come so I finally opened the door and it was still there no one picked it up. One evening it too me 2 hours to get my food . No one walks around and asks if you want a drink or they can help you . I asked the person that cleaned my room if he could get me a opener for the beer I had bought he told me no I had to call room service, so I did and when she came she wanted to open 1 bottle at a time she wouldn't leave the opener. How can you sell beer with nothing to open it . Now let me tell you about my bar cash. Again, I only purchased 200 because I know I am not a big drinker but I like to have 1 or 2 fruity drinks a day . Well , every few days my debit card linked to my room would have to be re- swiped and they would put a hold on my bar cash . I had no idea until I would go to order and drink and then be humiliated in front of all the other guest. I had to go to Guest services several times regarding this. I was so fed up I asked the desk person to refund my bar cash I was told that only you can do that. I was actually in tears I felt so un appreciated I don't think I will ever go back . The food was cold most of the time . I ate brunch twice , once it was good and one time my husband ordered a bloody maria and they never brought it . I feel the ship is not staffed well and could use some serious customer service lessons . This brand new ship has a horrible smell too !! Smelled like dirty diapers. I will not said Carnival ever again. I also called them and sent a copy of this letter and not one phone call or email did I receive . Read Less

This is my 26th Carnival cruise spread over many different ships. I have also been on many Disney cruises. Although I would be remiss if I didn't point out the challenges on this new ship, in general it was a really nice cruise on a beautiful ship. Pro's: The ship - despite other reviews we thought this ship was so clean! Yes the elevator system bothered so many people. I think it just felt like the wait was longer than traditional systems because there was no floor indicator so you had no idea when it would arrive. Mostly we took the stairs. The atrium is different from the older class of ships but equally pretty and a fun place to be during scheduled events. Spa Cabin - our cabin was nicely decorated and the thermostat worked perfectly so we were never too hot or too cold. The extra amenities in a spa cabin were nice as well - beautiful brand new robes, nice lotions and shampoo's, slippers, serenity towels, etc. We did not take advantage of the spa discounts we received but did use the thermal access several times. The Crew - The nicest, most friendly crew I've ever seen with one exception (see dining hostess staff under cons!). Special shout out to our awesome dining room waitress Mirjana. Yes it took three sets of dining staff to find her but she was amazing. Our food and drink orders were taken quickly and the food delivered quickly and hot! The entertainment crew was among the best - special shout out to Erin and Kyndall. Mike, the Cruise Director, has so much energy and was very present. Ok, so no one can hold a candle to Matt M but he came super close! Our steward Samuel and his assistant were fantastic. And contrary to other reviews you can ask for two times per day service and they happily accommodate. Activities - So much to do on this ship. Highly recommend the Military Appreciation event and the Behind the Fun tour. Zumba on the Lido is a nice addition too. Comedians were in general funny. The house band and violist's were great. Favorite food choices: Salad bar at the Serenity deck was awesome. Fresh and so many choices including shrimp! BBQ was great as well. Cons: I don't have many but here are the notable ones in my book. Menu Selection in the main dining room. This is not necessarily a Horizon only criticism. We just didn't like the new American Table Menu. The choices each night and the overall taste was just not great. Dining room hostess - As much as we loved the crew on this ship I've never run into someone so rude on a ship. One night we went directly to dining room instead of checking in on 5 as we were around the corner at the comedy club. Showed platinum card and requested our favorite server. We were told her station was booked and, in fact, the entire Your Time dining room was full and we could not be accommodated. Our server saw us and seated us immediately. During our entire meal her station was half full as was the entire Your Time dining room. It was clearly a case of "follow my rules or I'll have the last word". That was the only time I ran into anyone less than awesome. Embarkation and debarkation in NY: Embarkation seemed frantic as only the Diamond guests were separated for early access. Platinum's were grouped with the Faster to the Fun crowd. Debarkation in NY is the worst ever! We used the luggage service the night before and had to wait an hour to get our "priority" bags in zone 3. I can't even begin to tell you how awful it was to get a cab, Lyft or Uber in NY. I will never cruise from there again. Wine prices - they have really increased the prices both with the wine packages and individual glasses. A glass of KJ cost more than an entire bottle in the grocery store. 2X is fine but 4X? Read Less

This was our 7th Carnival cruise, have also done 9 Princess cruises, switched to Carnival when our son was born. Hitting the Breeze again in February 2019 but then probably done with Carnival. We had a great vacation. Cruises are forever the best value for your vacation dollar, and you can do whatever you want, when you want. The Horizon is really nice, big, beautiful, new. Frankly, though, it was like a new Doubletree hotel....nice, new, but in a couple of years, it's going to look really beat up. Didn't see much in the way of the usual quality workmanship you are accustomed to in ships. Felt Target-y. Already after 2 months carpets in the main areas are worn. It's understaffed, sorry to say Carnival, and so it's not getting the regular cleaning and maintenance it's going to need. And finally, for a new ship, it just wasn't working right. AC in our room worked only half the time....we and many other rooms complained to Guest Services regularly, they finally came and drained the coolant system for our room on the 3rd day for it to work, but it never got working fully. Our sliding door howled for 3 days before they came and fixed that. Mistakes in build...our friends had a Family Harbor Suite on the second floor that was beautiful, but was RIGHT BELOW the dishwashing area where all night and early morning they are loudly washing dishes...ultimately our friends had to move to a new room and get some money back...they couldn't sleep there, and others were complaining too. The much written about elevators are actually better than what people say....when it's not a busy time they work beautifully. However when it's busy, like during dinner, you could wait 10 to 15 minutes. I had read a lot of articles about the build of the ship while it was occurring...the strikes in Italy, the delays, the worries about quality and workmanship, and it looks like those issues have definitely impacted the Horizon. All in all, nothing that's going to completely ruin your vacation, but disappointing these issues exist. Hearing Carnival may be done with Italy and moving to Finland for their new ships... Again, cruises are terrific for food...I have no idea what people complain about. It's plentiful and it's ok. Buffets are dinner are consistent, though the cooks for the steaks and meat do overdo, so order all your meats one level rarer. I don't expect 5 star food on a Carnival cruise. Main courses are good. Appetizers are good...portion sizes are smaller, but good. Food highlights, though....Guys Burgers and Fries are phenomenal, have no idea why he doesn't open on land. The Bonsai Teppanyaki grill was fantastic...though a little pricey at 35 bucks a person (ps....this is only a 12 seater, and if you reserve, you better cancel more than 24 hours in advance or you'll pay regardless, as you should....that's a note to the lady that whined about 2 of her party not showing up and them charging her for it...WHAT DID YOU EXPECT??!!!). Sushi was great. The 555 Steakhouse was very very good....a notch below the last couple of Carnival steakhouse experiences, chalk it up to early kinks. And BlueIguana (Chipotle-Plus on the sea) is ALWAYS good. We visited Grand Turk / Margaritaville, one of our favorite places, with their beautiful beach and pool. And San Juan is coming back, slowly....God Bless these wonderful people for what they've gone through....we walked through Old San Juan, did some shopping, spoke to a lovely young lady in one of the shops where she gave us all the details of the island's experiences of the last several months post Hurricane. And finally, Amber Cove, DR....this is a really beautiful port, and is going to become a top port next several months and years....the work there is beautiful, smartly designed...picture the cruise port at Grand Turk combined with Cozumel....STRONG RECOMMEND for Ocean World Day Pass Excursion....relative value at 49 adults and 39 kids......great time with beach, pool, animals, birds, excellent Sea Lion show...so much to do. Add 50 bucks per or so to live encounter a dolphin. We loved this place. Onboard: Waterworks is excellent, well done. TONS of activity, it's busy. And I'm skeptical they can keep up with the cleanliness, I'm sure kids peed in that water all day long. Didn't do the Broadway shows but reviews from others were mixed. Comedy was OK....did 5 of the later 18+ shows, mostly 2nd rate guys that felt talking about specific female and male parts were hysterical. It wasn't. Manny Olivera was the funniest of this bunch, a mix between Dice, Lampanelli......I'd look for him if he played locally, the others, not so much. Also, comedy shows too tight...a timed 30 minutes and you're out. Casino: Carnival Players Club VIP, so read on casino smarks: they changed all the slot machines to high volatility machines, so if you won, you won big...saw several Jackpots of 2000 to two 40000 (25 buck machines)....but if you lost, you lost big. You will not grind on this ship, slot players be aware. HATE that the poker table is in the sports lounge....and you need another one. BTW, TX Hold Em tournament where you 150 per 10 players, but only pay 750? That's freaking robbery!!! The VIP first day cocktail party was a nice touch. Need more waitstaff in the bar area now that anyone can get "free drinks" once they hit small number of points. Nice daily activities, trivia was always fun, Lido fun, and Hasbro Game show was fun. Camp Ocean is great for kids!! People....mix of folks you would expect from NYC...all types, all nationalities. Lots of kids. Parents: could you please watch your kids? KIDS DO NOT BELONG IN THE &*#&#$# Jacuzzis!! One woman got upset when her diaper ridden 15 month old wasn't allowed in Waterworks.....what did you expect???!!!! And some of you have punk ass kids preteens that are spoiled rotten crappy kids. Spilling burgers and food everywhere, not picking it up (this is to those of you that let your kids hang in front of the arcade all day)...and also destroyed the games in the arcade. I weep for our future sometimes. On that note, I have to say....some people suck, they treat the workers like crap. We as usual had many great conversations with the workers, they are great people and work their butts off.......try it folks, you'd be surprised, and you'll appreciate what you have so much more. On the other hand, there were a few workers who did deserve the poor treatment...particularly I notice the Eastern European "supervisors" in the dining areas....boy do they treat their subordinates badly. They all need a lesson in managing people.....buttholes! I'd fire them all....jerks. Need to call out our room steward Windu....TOP NOTCH, great guy, super nice!!! Costinel, from Romania in the MDR was one of the best servers we've ever had on any cruise!! Mike the CD was good, witty, quick thinking....and the host in the Comedy lounge was good. Some of the CD understudies, though, need to rethink their careers, they're not genuinely nice or good, and you can tell they go through the motions. All in all, again, cruises are a great value, and this was no different. And you're on vacation, so complaining is for the birds. For us, our son is getting older, and once we do one more Breeze (favorite Carnival ship) in the spring, we're moving onto RCL or back to Princess. For families with young kids, or first couple of times cruising, or budget conscious families looking for a nice vacation, do this. Read Less

Boarding the Horizon was easy and took no time. We were aboard ship eating and drinking within an hour after arriving at pier. The new smart elevators were great after the first day. The only thing I think should be different with elevators is that the should tell you how long for next elevator. The food in the Reflections dinning room was mediocre. Guy burgers delish, Pig and Anchor BBQ was great on Sea Days. DJ Jazze was great she kept the ship rocking. The shows in the Liguid Lounge were amazing. We were in cabin 7270 forward. Great location and roomy. Enough storage space. Would have liked the casino to have a section for no smoking. Serenity Retreat area for adults only is nice but would've been better if it had a pool. It does have two whirlpools. Which stay full. I loved the tides pool area. The comfortably seating on deck 11 was also a great success. Read Less

I am 63 and retired. We picked this cruise because it was on a new ship and was leaving from NYC(just a train ride away). We got to the pier at 1 o'clock,There were no lines since you enter your info online before you get to the ship. When we got to our deck, we waited ten minutes for the 1:30 pm room availability to drop our bags. Your room key cards are outside your door in an envelope and you must put a card in a slot to turn on the lights I was told there were 4000 adults and 600 kids on board. I never thought the ship felt crowded. The new type of elevators required a long wait. Many people gave up and walked. I was told you are supposed to hit the button once for each person. Maybe they'll work out the kinks. Over all I thought the food was pretty good. Breakfast was pretty much the same every day. The made to order omelets were very tasty. On sea days there is brunch in the MDR, worth going at least once. For lunch besides the buffet there are the Guy's burgers and BBQ. I thought both were great and had only short lines if any. There is also pizza, pasta and Asian noodles none of which I tried although the one time I wanted to try them the was long wait. There are also burritos and tacos, which never seemed to have a long line. For dinner we had "any time" dining. We always opted to eat late. You check in on deck 5 and they tell to go to deck 3 or 4. The first night things were a little chaotic. But by the second night it seemed to go smoothly. The last night I ordered the pork and it was a little dry. We also ate at the steak house and the chef's table. I enjoyed the chef's table but would not do it every cruise. The entertainment was good. I never had a problem getting a seat in the Comedy Club. We listened to the band in the Ocean plaza. Very Professional. Service was good. I thought everyone was trying their best and they were all pleasant. We didn't take any organized shore excursions; we went out on our own. On Grand Turk we took a taxi to Cockburn Town. We just walked around and went to the museum( $5).The museum was interesting but it doesn't seem like there is much else to do or see. In San Juan we walked the long way to El Morro. We saw the city wall and the (outside of) governor's mansion. Since El Morro is run by the Natl Parks service we got in for free with my Senior Pass. It was very interesting but there are some challenging stairs. In Amber Cay(Puerta Plata), we just stayed in the cruise port area since we got up late and the ship was leaving at 2:30.Also, the rum distillery is closed on the weekends. Read Less

This was my birthday cruise. Living in NYC meant we did not need to fly. Experienced cruiser with at least 15 cruises on different lines THE GOOD Food quality: in included and specialty restaurants. Steakhouse was great. Clean ship, I like new ships. Awesome shows, especially Spellbound Nightly movies outside with popcorn. Finally got to see Blackpanther. THE BAD Elevators: I think it’s a software issue. Could be very frustrating at dinner time. Liquid Loung (main theater): way too small, get there early. Some seats are blocked by columns on the upper level. Buffet : I have never seen such a poor variety. Pizza and Deli are very understaffed. Cheers drinking package: starts on day 2 (8 day cruise) when you leave out of NYC. Although it’s more generous then some other cruise lines the cost is for 7 days but bars are closed on disembarkation. Lack of seating poolside. Read Less