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Carnvial Horizon vs NCL Breakaway...FIGHT!


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This review will not be in chronological order. Instead, it will be broken down into topics of interest. I will also be comparing and contrasting with the NCL Breakaway class ships, which will be useful for folks wanting to see how the other half of pier 88 live.

 

Background

 

My first cruise was in 2011 when I sailed the Carnival Glory. It was a nice ship with fun stuff to do. There wasn’t great entertainment, but it was passable. It involved a lot of passenger interaction rather than professional performers. The food was good, but not great. Again, the bare minimum to be passable. The face of the crew (Cruise director and main staff) were all native English speakers, but just about everyone else had varying degrees of fluency, usually directly proportional to the amount of customer interaction expected for the job. There seemed to be a lot of “optimizations” like that. Kind of like how the American car companies operated in the 1990s. Customers care more about cup holders than internal electrical relays, so if there was a cut to be made, it was in a place they wouldn’t see. Of course, those chickens eventually come home to roost. The Japanese and European carmakers benefited greatly from upholding a level of quality that was not seen as profitable by their American competitors. It made me wonder if Carnival’s beauty was only skin-deep? I tried an NCL cruise the following year and liked what I saw. The food was better and had more options. The entertainment was better, too. So, I switched. The year after that cruise also confirmed my suspicions about Carnival when the Triumph had its share of “issues.”

 

NCL’s advantages over Carnival have eroded each year as they struggle to compete against the larger cruise companies. Every year, there have been cutbacks and price increases. The final straw for me was two years ago when they killed the Uptown Grill on the Breakaway and banned bringing cans of soda onboard. After a year hiatus cruising, I am giving Carnival another try.

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I think that this could be interesting. We enjoyed our single cruise on NCL, but it was a short one. While all boards have their share of "cutback" threads, the NCL board seems full of them. Lots of concern about high drink prices and limited choices. I would like to hear the views of the OP.

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NCL lingo

 

Here’s a cheat sheet for Carnival cruisers who haven’t sailed on NCL. I’m only including relevant terms that apply to this review.

 

Haven: A separate area on newer NCL ships that provide guests with access to their own pool and dining area. There is no age limit. All the rooms are suites or better.

 

Butler: Higher up suites are assigned a “butler.” The duties of this butler are somewhat redundant since they do the same things that can be done on a smartphone like make dining reservations or rent movies. It’s a brilliant marketing ploy by NCL to call these glorified room stewards butlers.

 

O’Sheenans: A place on newer ships where you can get free pub food like burgers, wings, and fish and chips. Ice cream costs extra there even though it’s free at the buffet.

 

Uptown Grill / Margaritaville: A place that has burgers and salads on the Breakaway’s lido deck. Used to be free, now converted to an a la carte restaurant.

 

Atrium: Definition is the same. However, the atrium on the Horizon is for drinks and parties. The Atrium on the Breakaway is where a lot of entertainment (trivia, love and marriage game, etc. ) is held. It’s much smaller on the Breakaway than Horizon. It’s very crowded and noisy.

 

Spinnaker Lounge: This was on older NCL ships. It’s about the size of the Punchliner on the Horizon and it’s where most of the smaller events would take place. The Breakaway doesn’t have this area.

 

Vibe: An adults-only cabana area. There is no pool but it does have a hot tub. You cannot purchase this in advance. It’s first come, first serve. There are only a few Vibe passes available and they sell out immediately.

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Topics

 

Havana Cabana

 

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I booked one of these rooms. I knew from my experience on the NCL Breakaway that the pool area was going to be a disaster on the Horizon. The lido area on both ships are comprised of chair hogs, a pool that is too small for the number of passengers the ship carries, and young kids splashing water everywhere. The Havana area has an age-limit of 12 and older. Coupled with the fact that most of the rooms have a maximum capacity for two people means the odds of seeing a teenager in the Havana area will be extremely low. The Havana pool is nice and deep. It was difficult to get a lounger on sea days. I suspect the additional Havana rooms on the Horizon is to blame. However, the pool, hot tubs, and shaded water areas were never crowded and every room has their own patio area that includes a lounger. If you like to relax and go for dips in a pool / hot tub, GET THIS ROOM!

 

There is no equivalent to the Havana Cabana on the Breakaway. I mean, almost all the elements are there, but not in a neat package. There is a rear pool area that is supposed to be adults only, but usually isn’t enforced. You could get Vibe passes, but that costs extra, is very limited, and not guaranteed.

 

Another perk of these rooms is their location on the ship. Deck 5 aft is extremely convenient for most things. It’s right next to Ocean Plaza where all the trivia and minor events occur. One level down is the main dining room and comedy club. Most of the attractions are on or near deck 5. The buffet, JiJis, and the Italian restaurant are an elevator ride away. If you aren’t going to get a Havana room, I’d suggest getting a room on deck 6 aft near the elevators.

 

I had a surreal experience on the first night when I discovered my hanging chair had gone missing. Apparently, Carnival is discontinuing them. They’ve been replaced with a plain old wicker chair.

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Topics

 

 

 

Havana Cabana

 

 

 

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I booked one of these rooms. I knew from my experience on the NCL Breakaway that the pool area was going to be a disaster on the Horizon. The lido area on both ships are comprised of chair hogs, a pool that is too small for the number of passengers the ship carries, and young kids splashing water everywhere. The Havana area has an age-limit of 12 and older. Coupled with the fact that most of the rooms have a maximum capacity for two people means the odds of seeing a teenager in the Havana area will be extremely low. The Havana pool is nice and deep. It was difficult to get a lounger on sea days. I suspect the additional Havana rooms on the Horizon is to blame. However, the pool, hot tubs, and shaded water areas were never crowded and every room has their own patio area that includes a lounger. If you like to relax and go for dips in a pool / hot tub, GET THIS ROOM!

 

 

 

There is no equivalent to the Havana Cabana on the Breakaway. I mean, almost all the elements are there, but not in a neat package. There is a rear pool area that is supposed to be adults only, but usually isn’t enforced. You could get Vibe passes, but that costs extra, is very limited, and not guaranteed.

 

 

 

Another perk of these rooms is their location on the ship. Deck 5 aft is extremely convenient for most things. It’s right next to Ocean Plaza where all the trivia and minor events occur. One level down is the main dining room and comedy club. Most of the attractions are on or near deck 5. The buffet, JiJis, and the Italian restaurant are an elevator ride away. If you aren’t going to get a Havana room, I’d suggest getting a room on deck 6 aft near the elevators.

 

 

 

I had a surreal experience on the first night when I discovered my hanging chair had gone missing. Apparently, Carnival is discontinuing them. They’ve been replaced with a plain old wicker chair.

 

 

 

We asked our room steward the next morning and she said that one apparently fell (with someone in it and the person was hurt (not sure how bad, but as they removed them, I guess bad enough).

 

 

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Crowding

 

The Horizon didn’t feel too crowded (compared to the NCL Breakaway), but there were some problem areas. The pool and loungers, obviously. If you love the pool and want a place to lay out in the sun, get a Havana room. The deli always had a long line. It’s a shame there’s only one. Pizzas are another extremely popular item that simply cannot keep up with the demand. The seafood shack should be converted to another pizza shop immediately. The lines at the Blue Iguana were often too long. Carnival could expedite the process by having someone take orders before they get to the window. More time is wasted by idiot customers bumbling through the menu options than people actually preparing the food.

 

Elevators

 

There’s a bit of misinformation about the Horizon’s elevators. They do work, but you will not think so on the first day. A fatal combination of ignorance and passengers crawling over every inch of the ship at the same time will lead you to believe the elevator system is horribly broken. After things calm down on the second day and people get more accustomed to the system, you will begin to like the elevator system. Of course, any time there is a surge of passengers all using the elevators at once like on port days or peak times, it’s going to cause long wait times. Yes, there will be a minority of passengers who simply don’t use the elevators correctly that will mess it up for everyone. It’s still better than the old system.

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Thank you for writing this comparison! I sailed on the Escape last year and the bliss a couple weeks ago. I have been trying to get as much information as possible to help me prepare for differences going into my first ever carnival cruise on the horizon this fall.

 

Very glad I booked the Havana even if I had to go to a Havana interior from a balcony for the price.

 

 

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MDR and Buffet Food

 

This was probably the lowest point of the cruise. Food at these areas ranged from meh to good. Definitely a step down from NCL. Still, you will never go hungry. There usually something that can be found that you’ll like (assuming it’s OPEN when you want it.) Nevertheless, I was disappointed.

 

Guy’s Burgers

 

I don’t get the complaints about this place. These are REALLY good burgers, REALLY good fries, and the toppings are awesome. The Pig Patty is a dumb idea since there are much tastier bacon pieces available at the fixins bar. Get the Ringer!

 

Pig and Anchor

 

Really good food for lunch on sea days. I didn’t try it for dinner. Some of the sauces tasted a little funky. I think they were left out for too long.

 

JiJi’s (Lunch)

 

The Mongolian wok is usually one of my favorite places to go on a cruise. The quality was lacking. A lot of the meats were overdone. The flavor was off, too.

 

JiJi’s (Diner)

 

Excellent specialty restaurant. Worth the $15. The main courses are a little too sweet. I went twice without a reservation when they first opened. Don’t be dissuaded if there are no reservations listed. They were mostly empty both times I went and I got in without issue.

 

Ice Cream

 

Soft serve is available 24 hours. I can’t speak to its quality since I don’t like it and didn’t have any. The gelato was uninspiring. It takes way too long to make and there are only two flavors available at a time. Usually one is much more popular, which creates a shortage of one and an abundance of the other. Since it’s made on the fly, it doesn’t get a chance to harden and is always mushy. Carnival should just replace it with prepacked ice cream.

 

Pizzas

 

The pizzas are good, especially the four cheese. I wouldn’t call these pizzas great, but they’re available 24 hours, so…

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Enjoying so far. . . interested to hear more about how the passengers use the elevators incorrectly. Not something I had ever considered.

 

The elevators on the Horizon have no buttons on the inside other than door close, door open, and alarm available to the rider. Instead of a simple Up/Down button, the Horizon elevators require the rider to indicate the floor they want to go to via a touchscreen. Then they are assigned an elevator by letter. The problem is that people ignore this and get on the first elevator whose door opens.

 

 

Here's a video explaining it:

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Rope course

 

Not nearly as good as the one on the NCL Breakaway. No “walk the plank” option due to the SkyRide.

 

SkyRide

 

Exhilarating on a windy day. Nice to do on a calm day. Not worth a wait longer than 30 minutes.

 

Hours of operation

 

The lack of availability of the food and entertainment options at expected times was an issue that kept happening. There is no breakfast at the MDRs on sea days. Instead, they have a brunch that starts at 8:30AM. That sucks for early risers. Breakfast is served on port days, but if you’re not getting off the ship, chances are you’ll miss it if you want to eat after the crowds die down. Guy’s opens at 12PM sharp. Why not 11 or 11:30 AM? It closes for dinner, so if you want a burger then you’re out of luck. I thought I’d hit the SkyRide on a port day when the crowds will be low. Nope. They closed it and the rope course until the ship was about to depart. They only need 4 employees to staff that entire area. It’s not a huge imposition to keep it open longer.

 

One positive note is that there are more small events like trivia on port days than on NCL.

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Thank you for this comparison between NCL and Carnival. I haven’t sailed with Carnival since 2007, but have 2 booked for 2019 and 2020. My last 2 cruises were on NCL Getaway, and we absolutely fell in love with NCL. We booked our upcoming Carnival cruises for a variety of reasons, and did read some positive reviews about the ships we chose (Breeze and Magic). But I have also read some things that leave me a bit nervous. You pointed out a couple of them, such as the time availability of some food venues and their continued issue with long lines at food venues. I love how I could get great food on NCL pretty much anytime and anywhere I wanted it. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good experience on my Carnival ships, especially since I will be in inside cabins.

 

 

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Comedy

 

I loved the comedy shows on the Horizon. NCL used to have “Second City.” They were funny, but it’s ALWAYS improv rather than stand up. It doesn’t matter if the people are different. The act is the same comedy improv exercises. Carnival seems to rotate the comedians during the cruise, so there’s always fresh material.

 

Smaller shows (Trivia, etc.)

 

Carnival seems to always employ native English speakers for these events. It’s nice to not have to struggle to understand a trivia question spoken through a thick accent. Carnival gives away a cheap trophy to contest winners. On one hand, it makes things more fun. On the other, it encourages cheating, which I witnessed conclusively a couple times.

 

Theater

 

Before I can review the Horizon’s theater, I have to explain the theater. Standard theaters have unmovable seats. Each row of seats gets incrementally higher so that all the customers can see the stage. The stage is the focal point of the show and where all the action occurs. The Horizon’s theater is not designed like this. The first floor is mostly flat with movable chairs that can be arranged in different configurations. But why? The large production shows in the theater all involve the performers going into the viewer's areas. The shows do not just take place on the main stage. They extend out into the seating area. The upshot of this is that the viewers a few rows back on the first level get an immersive experience. The people on the balcony have to deal with many obstructions and poor visibility. I would honestly walk out than endure a seat on the theater’s second level.

 

I had great theater experiences, but there was a price to pay: I had to show up before the doors opened (30 minutes prior to showtime) to get a good seat. It’s not something that I’m happy about, but sitting 3 to 4 rows back on an end seat was really amazing.

 

Main Theater Shows

 

The Horizon has some of the best entertainment of any cruise I’ve been on…if you like that kind of show. There are four production shows involving an incredibly talented cast of singers and dancers. The back of the stage is a giant movable set of TV screens that add to the ambiance. It looks like it’s the same technology used for the funnels in the atrium. I didn’t think I was going to like four singing and dancing shows without any magician, acrobat, juggler, etc. I’m not usually a fan of these kinds of shows, but I loved them all, especially “Soulful.”

 

There’s a wild card show that could be a singer, juggler, or magician, but there’s no guarantee what you will get. Carnival rotates these performers on and off ships. Ours was a Motown singer, Marcus Anthony. Again, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I did. He was wonderful.

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NCL’s advantages over Carnival have eroded each year as they struggle to compete against the larger cruise companies. Every year, there have been cutbacks and price increases. The final straw for me was two years ago when they killed the Uptown Grill on the Breakaway and banned bringing cans of soda onboard.

 

We really enjoyed our one NCL cruise and at the time intended to make NCL our "go to" cruise line, but they left Houston before we had a chance to try them again. We were going to try them out of NOLA, but before we had a chance, all the cutbacks started. That doesn't mean I'll never give them another try, but they are no longer elevated above CCL the way I felt they were just a few years ago.

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The elevators on the Horizon have no buttons on the inside other than door close, door open, and alarm available to the rider. Instead of a simple Up/Down button, the Horizon elevators require the rider to indicate the floor they want to go to via a touchscreen. Then they are assigned an elevator by letter. The problem is that people ignore this and get on the first elevator whose door opens.

Here's a video explaining it:

Enjoying your comparison very much! My dd's apartment building elevators in NYC work the same exact way. I have been "avoiding" the newer mega ships on both lines as I think they will be too crowded and big for me. (Epic, Breakaway and Getaway are large enough!) Looking forward to more of your review.

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Comedy

 

I loved the comedy shows on the Horizon. NCL used to have “Second City.” They were funny, but it’s ALWAYS improv rather than stand up. It doesn’t matter if the people are different. The act is the same comedy improv exercises. Carnival seems to rotate the comedians during the cruise, so there’s always fresh material.

 

Smaller shows (Trivia, etc.)

 

Carnival seems to always employ native English speakers for these events. It’s nice to not have to struggle to understand a trivia question spoken through a thick accent. Carnival gives away a cheap trophy to contest winners. On one hand, it makes things more fun. On the other, it encourages cheating, which I witnessed conclusively a couple times.

 

Theater

 

Before I can review the Horizon’s theater, I have to explain the theater. Standard theaters have unmovable seats. Each row of seats gets incrementally higher so that all the customers can see the stage. The stage is the focal point of the show and where all the action occurs. The Horizon’s theater is not designed like this. The first floor is mostly flat with movable chairs that can be arranged in different configurations. But why? The large production shows in the theater all involve the performers going into the viewer's areas. The shows do not just take place on the main stage. They extend out into the seating area. The upshot of this is that the viewers a few rows back on the first level get an immersive experience. The people on the balcony have to deal with many obstructions and poor visibility. I would honestly walk out than endure a seat on the theater’s second level.

 

I had great theater experiences, but there was a price to pay: I had to show up before the doors opened (30 minutes prior to showtime) to get a good seat. It’s not something that I’m happy about, but sitting 3 to 4 rows back on an end seat was really amazing.

 

Main Theater Shows

 

The Horizon has some of the best entertainment of any cruise I’ve been on…if you like that kind of show. There are four production shows involving an incredibly talented cast of singers and dancers. The back of the stage is a giant movable set of TV screens that add to the ambiance. It looks like it’s the same technology used for the funnels in the atrium. I didn’t think I was going to like four singing and dancing shows without any magician, acrobat, juggler, etc. I’m not usually a fan of these kinds of shows, but I loved them all, especially “Soulful.”

 

There’s a wild card show that could be a singer, juggler, or magician, but there’s no guarantee what you will get. Carnival rotates these performers on and off ships. Ours was a Motown singer, Marcus Anthony. Again, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I did. He was wonderful.

Didn’t you feel NCL offered more of a Broadway production than Carnival? We were amazed by the entertainment on NCL! We got to see Million Dollar Quartet.

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