Horizon Review 7/31/18

[Bhern05]

Hi Guys! I just got off the Horizon and thought I'd share some thoughts with you below. Sorry it's a little long :halo:

 

 

Embarkation/Debarkation: Embarkation moved pretty quickly with the new boarding pass system. We’re used to sailing out of Miami with a nice, shiny terminal - the New York one is less so, but that doesn’t matter once you’re on the ship right? Debark was also relatively easy. However be warned if you check your bag the night before to get it in the morning, they place it all in the terminal and you have to locate it yourself by tag number. This may be how it is in most other ports, but again this hasn’t been done in Miami in years so just thought I’d mention it. We did self-assist debark since we had an earlyish flight out.

 

 

The Ship: Is beautiful. I love the clean lines and neutral colors. I didn’t mind the absence of the tall atrium and glass elevators. I will say that some things that you’re accustomed to seeing in the atrium area that now have to be found elsewhere that I could potentially find myself missing. For example the shiops have a heavy focus on the jewelry/watches/beauty. The carnival branded items are in separate shops more off to the corner – similar to how the shops are set up on older ships like the Sensation. I passed by them occasionally but could’ve easily been missed especially if you don’t attend shows. Also the Pixels Gallery is now on deck 5 out of the atrium. Again, not totally hidden but if you’re used to just walking around the middle of the ship and seeing Pixels easily accessible it’s a bit different.

 

 

 

Pool Area: The Dr. Suess waterpark was super cute and very fun. Both of my kids enjoyed this very much. I didn’t get a chance to go on the tube slide but the blue one is FAST! The main pool had chair hoggers in full force. We’re talking people holding chairs with a bottle of sunscreen or a childs shoe. I think they could’ve done a better job in the layout of the Lido deck here. Some ships have the 3 decks of chairs providing a lot more places to sit. This pool even without 2 jacuzzis had a lot less chairs with a lot more people. It was almost impossible for us to find even 2 chairs together any time before 2.

 

 

 

Room: We had a balcony on deck 9, room 9359. I was worried about noise being under the Lido but I can say noise was never an issue. The room felt a little bigger than normal. I think it might have been a combination on them making the desk area smaller and leaving out the random table/chair in the room. Even when traveling with the stroller we could walk around the room no problem which has not been my experience in the past. I also think they curved the wall of the bathroom so instead of being a straight hallway it kind of opened up into the rest of the room. Idk, kind of hard to explain but it might also be that way on other ships and I’m crazy.

 

 

Food: We did not eat in the MDR at all except for the Dr. Suess breakfast. We have an almost 2 year old and for us it’s just easier to grab something on Lido and avoid having to wait long in the dining room. The Lido Marketplace had pretty decent selection every day and since there are multiple buffets I never witnessed any long lines.

 

 

-Breakfast: If you’re a late riser like us, the only thing I can say is there is only one omelet station open after 10 or 10:30 and the line for that did become slightly long (especially when one family orders literally 15 omelets :mad:). Lines on port days were almost nonexistent, especially since we had early port times.

 

 

-Lunch: I never witnessed a long line in any of the Lido lunch spots including Guys, Blue Iguana, etc.. The pizza place in the back did accumulate a line but it’s deceiving. They have 3 stacked ovens and can make about 12-15 pizzas at once. So even when there was a line of 10-12 people, everyone pretty much got food at once since they made so much at a time. I thought this was a lot more efficient than the other ships that only make a few at a time.

 

 

-Chef’s Table: We attended this at the invite of the casino. We had done this before on another ship and they recently changed the menu. There’s also now a dedicated room in the galley to host the dinner which was very nice. My husband and I are not adventurous with food, so we told them upfront we don’t eat seafood or lamb. The menu was exclusively seafood/lamb/duck, no chicken or steak. They did a nice job accommodating our request for alternatives. Honestly, unless you’re very open to food and trying things I wouldn’t recommend this. It is a nice experience with unlimited wine/champagne but it’s just not for us.

 

 

-Bonsai Teppanyaki – We loved this so much! It was in a room next to the Sushi restaurant with 2 Hibachi tables. I know some people mentioned it feeling like a fishbowl but I honestly didn’t feel that way. It’s not in an extremely high traffic area and I didn’t notice people stopping and staring. The chefs were great and energetic. The cost was similar to what you pay on land, I think $30 for the filet mignon.

 

 

-Steakhouse – This was one of my favorite meals. I had the caesar salad and filet mignon which was perfectly cooked and delicious. Also the mac and cheese was amazing!! I highly recommend if you’re considering a dinner here to do it!

 

 

-Pig & Anchor – My daughter ate here for dinner one day. She had the ribs which were $8, but also came with corn on the cob and cornbread. She said she liked them. The mac and cheese here was also good and I think it’s the same one they serve during lunch

 

 

Service/Staff – Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful and was especially kind to my young son we were traveling with. My room steward was amazing! He cleaned up morning and night (without asking us) and always stopped to chat with us and play with my son. The staff in Camp Ocean was so nice and great with the kids. They’re always really good with my young son. My daughter kept asking to go to the camp earlier and earlier to hang out with friends and do activities.

 

 

 

Entertainment: We don’t really do shows, but we did attend comedy and it was good. We went to Hasbro the game show and my daughter was sad she didn’t get picked but still liked the show. We also saw Lip Sync battle and if you like the TV show, you should definitely watch this. It was really good. They did the auditions on the Lido I think the 2nd Sea Day which was hilarious and they had a mini battle in the Trium another night. The final show was really good and was packed.

 

 

I also want to mention I never really set much store by whoever the CD is onboard. I’ve cruised with Dr. E before and remember him being great but the rest I kind of just forgot about. But MIKE PACK – MIKE PACK IS FANTASTIC. He’s hands down the best cruise director I’ve encountered. He was super friendly, engaging and just put so much energy into everything he did. I HIGHLY recommend going to his music trivia shows in the atrium lobby. The 80’s and 90’s shows were standing room only, including up on 4 and 5. They were so good.

 

 

Other Random Thoughts:

-We went up to Serenity one night to use the hot tubs and it was empty which was nice. We can’t really use it during the day with kids. But Serenity is up on deck 15 and it was WINDY. Our shoes were flying across the deck and everything. The same happened when you got in line for the water slides, so I think the high deck is just a bad place for Serenity in general. Took away from the relaxation of it.

 

 

-The Alchemy Bar was sooo good. I fell in love with the Martini Seduction. Annamaria and Zuzana are amazing! My husband often ordered drinks for them to create and they always nailed it. Highly recommend!

 

 

-The casino felt a little cramped for such a big ship and I was a little taken aback by the smell. My husband likes to play so I’ve been on the ships casinos before. But I thought maybe since the ship was so new that it hadn’t been smoked in that much that the smell would be less or something, I don’t know. It wasn’t intolerable, but it was a little stronger than I expected. Also, the casino is on 4 and you have to walk thru it, as opposed to next to it, it to get to the sports bar/lounges/etc. I let me daughter play the cash crane which is not on the casino floor but in the walkway everyone has to walk , and someone went and complained to the casino host about it. I mean how much time do you have to have on your hands?

 

 

-Our ship stopped in Grand Turk from 7-2:30. I knew the Sunshine was also arriving that day at 9am so I ordered breakfast to the room and wanted to be off before it docked. We always go to Margaritaville here because it’s easy and my daughter loves the pool. We got there around 9am and there were literally no chairs, and the other ship hadn’t even docked yet. We rented some private chairs in as shaded area with a fan which actually turned out to be perfect and was only $45 for the day. But if you plan on coming here, do it early. And if you’re the second ship in port then I wouldn’t expect too much until the first ship starts leaving.

 

 

- Do NOT wait until the last day to order/pickup pictures. I made that mistake and went midday to pick and had to wait until an empty tablet opened up and the line to pick up at night was horrendous.

 

 

-We did skyride and I would suggest doing it while the ship is in port if possible. We did it right after we sailed from Amber Cove. The line has markers showing your approx. wait time. We got in line at around 15 minute mark but still waited about 30 minutes. The reason I say do it in port is because when the ship is moving, you might have to fight the wind a little. I encountered this and thought someone who was smaller or not used to being active might find it a little difficult. But it was fun.

 

 

-Cherry on Top has the ice cream inside that my daughter loved. It was $3.50 and you picked your ice cream flavor and toppings. They mixed it together like coldstone

 

 

-We visited Havana Bar at night and loved the music. There’s a good amount of seating and some dominos tables. I would recommend checking it out. We only saw someone using the pool while were there (after 7pm) once.

 

Ok sorry this has been so long, but I know there’s been a lot of questions about this ship since it’s fairly new. If there’s anything I missed or you want to know, let me know and I’ll do my best :D

[Silent Penguin]

Thank you for sharing your review. It was educational. I enjoy reading reviews by people who are sailing the same ship and itinerary (or one we're going to try) who do things differently from us.

[crewsweeper]

Thanks for your review and thoughts. Glad overall you had a good cruise.

 

We're on in January out of Miami so embark/debark will be different.

 

So nice to hear Annamaria is "manning" the Alchemy. She was on the Vista when we were on. Great personality. Hope she's still on in January.

 

And based on my experience with the Serenity Deck on the Vista, I can see why you thought it was less serene. Very crowded on sea days ( the lunch salad bar was great though) and depending upon where you finally locate a place to sit, very windy as the ship is moving.

[Cherries Jubilee]

Thank you so much for your review! I love longer reviews!

 

My only question is did you have to stand for a long period of time for embarkation or debarkation?

 

 

The last time I cruised out of NY the lines were a nightmare.

[Bhern05]

Thank you so much for your review! I love longer reviews!

 

My only question is did you have to stand for a long period of time for embarkation or debarkation?

 

 

The last time I cruised out of NY the lines were a nightmare.

 

Not at all, as long as you do the online check in. I got to the port around 1:30ish. I don't know if you've sailed since they've started the new embarkation process of giving sail and sign cards at the stateroom. You just show up to the terminal with your boarding pass, they confirm that you completed online check in, take your picture and verify your documents and you're good to go. Your sail and sign card will be waiting for you at the room. Security didn't move too slowly either.There is a separate line that you have to wait if your check in is incomplete or you want to add cash to your account, which seemed to have a bit of a line.

[Bhern05]

Thanks for your review and thoughts. Glad overall you had a good cruise.

 

We're on in January out of Miami so embark/debark will be different.

 

So nice to hear Annamaria is "manning" the Alchemy. She was on the Vista when we were on. Great personality. Hope she's still on in January.

 

And based on my experience with the Serenity Deck on the Vista, I can see why you thought it was less serene. Very crowded on sea days ( the lunch salad bar was great though) and depending upon where you finally locate a place to sit, very windy as the ship is moving.

 

You're welcome! Embark/debark will be even smoother in Miami :)

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your review of the Horizon.

[BENHANDEL]

Thank you so much for the review! We are not big gamblers but I'm wondering what the smell was that you were noticing in the casino. Other people have said they could barely smell smoke at all. Did you find it Smoky? I am very sensitive and that would determine how much, if any, time we spend in the casino. Thank you

[Bhern05]

Thank you so much for the review! We are not big gamblers but I'm wondering what the smell was that you were noticing in the casino. Other people have said they could barely smell smoke at all. Did you find it Smoky? I am very sensitive and that would determine how much, if any, time we spend in the casino. Thank you

 

I didn't find it smoky as in thick with cigarette smoke, but the smell definitely lingered. As to how noticeable, I think it just depends on the person. I remember walking in the first night and noticing it, but as the cruise went on it's strongess kind of faded.

[mets123]

The casino bar is a smoke area which means that people to there to smoke and not gamble. It just adds to the smoky haze. The ventilation system doesn't handle all the smoke. I saw many casino staff walking around with their faces covered with a handkerchief. Talking to management unfortunately falls on deaf ears.

[Bhern05]

The casino bar is a smoke area which means that people to there to smoke and not gamble. It just adds to the smoky haze. The ventilation system doesn't handle all the smoke. I saw many casino staff walking around with their faces covered with a handkerchief. Talking to management unfortunately falls on deaf ears.

 

I actually didn't see a lot of people hanging on the casino bar smoking. It's usually packed with smokers, it's been that way on every ship I've sailed. But the Horizon bar isn't located next to live music like other ships, so I don't know if that's why, but It wasn't utilized so much as a lounge for smokers as I've seen in the past.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Cherries Jubilee]

Not at all, as long as you do the online check in. I got to the port around 1:30ish. I don't know if you've sailed since they've started the new embarkation process of giving sail and sign cards at the stateroom. You just show up to the terminal with your boarding pass, they confirm that you completed online check in, take your picture and verify your documents and you're good to go. Your sail and sign card will be waiting for you at the room. Security didn't move too slowly either.There is a separate line that you have to wait if your check in is incomplete or you want to add cash to your account, which seemed to have a bit of a line.

 

Thank you! I hope it’s this fast on our trip. Our wait to board Norwegian was so long that I was exhausted all day.

[nursemommy7578]

Thank you!!

[Tierlifer]

Thank you so much for the review! We are not big gamblers but I'm wondering what the smell was that you were noticing in the casino. Other people have said they could barely smell smoke at all. Did you find it Smoky? I am very sensitive and that would determine how much, if any, time we spend in the casino. Thank you

 

 

Great question. Were from NY where smoking has been banned in bars for 15 years now and I noticed cigarette smell at the casino bar like a drug sniffing German Shepard. We stayed VERY clear of that bar. Sometimes it would even (barely) drift into the Sky Box sports bar (Carnival Liberty) on occasion but again I think when you are a non smoker and have not smelled cigs in bars in almost 15 years it stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

In the regular casino it would just depends how close you were to the bar area or if you were near a smoker.

[clearwatergirl]

Thank you for your review. We'll be sailing on the Horizon in Jan and I'm trying to read all the reviews available.

 

Will definitely check out the Havana bar area, attend the 80's 90's event in the atrium and visit Pig and Anchor. Hopefully we'll have time for the Sky ride too.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Thanks for the informative and humorous review, it was great and timely for us as we sail on Horizon 8/28. Question: I saw that there's a soul band that plays the second night at 7:30 and 9:30. Do you know where they play, and were they good?

 

Thanks.

[Bhern05]

Thanks for the informative and humorous review, it was great and timely for us as we sail on Horizon 8/28. Question: I saw that there's a soul band that plays the second night at 7:30 and 9:30. Do you know where they play, and were they good?

 

Thanks.

 

I don't recall seeing a soul band, but if it's part of their entertainment lineup that plays in the big show lounge, we didn't see them :(

[GINNY L]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. By chance do you remember the name of the Hotel Director and Assistant HD along with the Food and beverage Director?

[Jesserose]

Thanks so much for your thorough review - love the way you organized it by category which made it an easy and enjoyable read. Cruising Horizon on 8/16/18 and you provided some great tips! Can't wait to try the Alchemy Bar! Did you have any of the cakes they serve at lunch at the Lido Buffet? They look so dang good!

[Bhern05]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. By chance do you remember the name of the Hotel Director and Assistant HD along with the Food and beverage Director?

 

I don't I'm sorry. I'm sure they mentioned it on Captain's Night.

[Bhern05]

Thanks so much for your thorough review - love the way you organized it by category which made it an easy and enjoyable read. Cruising Horizon on 8/16/18 and you provided some great tips! Can't wait to try the Alchemy Bar! Did you have any of the cakes they serve at lunch at the Lido Buffet? They look so dang good!

 

You're welcome! I did not try any cakes, I'm actually not much of a sweets person - but they did look good. Enjoy your cruise!