My Brief-ish Thoughts on Horizon 8 Day S. Caribbean

[Ariel0185]

I got back today and want to share my opinions. I’ve been going nonstop since Jan. 5, so I hope I make sense!

 

Other passengers: The best behaved group ever! Everyone was polite, friendly, and patient. Seemed to also follow all the smoking rules, including the folks that smoke left handed😉 Even the kids were all very well mannered. 

 

The ship and crew: No complaints. Similar to the Vista. Crew has been reduced but it honestly didn’t negatively impact my personal experience. The crew at Pig and Anchor was fantastic!!!

 

The food: Solidly meh in the MDR with the exception of the ever great Indian food. Covid has to have impacted this area. I’d always found Carnival's food to be be good to very good, and never understood people comparing it to Applebee's. Applesbee’s may be a step up, at this point. First cruise where I didn’t really gain weight, so good for me I guess lol. JiJi’s and Bonsai were fantastic, though. There’s a duck dish at JiJi’s that’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Seriously that good! Lobster rolls were pretty good, too. 
 

The ports: Don’t let people scare you away from La Romana. Did a private trip with Seavis and it was a perfect day. Also had the best snorkel ever with Woodwind in Bonaire. 

The bad: I’ll never do a balcony again. Heard others complain about the noises from the wind. But what got me was the heat. I’ve cruised all over the Caribbean in hot months, spent land vacations in Hawaii and Mexico and never experienced a room so hot that I couldn’t sleep at night. A technician came and changed the thermostat out bc even Carnival deemed it too hot. The positive change lasted until about morning when it stopped blowing out cool air again. A second tech came and said everything was normal go figure. I cannot imagine cruising in that cabin in the summer. Carnival would have to pay ME and even then it wouldn’t be worth it. And I wear hoodies in Arkansas summers bc of how cold businesses turn down their thermostats. Having said that, other ppl in lower interior rooms said they froze. Just luck of the draw I guess. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Ariel0185
Typos

[Illbcruzn4life]

thank you for the review. I love the Horizon. Why do you say covid must have affected the MDR? Lack of staff, etc?

[Guest BasicSailor]

3 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

thank you for the review. I love the Horizon. Why do you say covid must have affected the MDR? Lack of staff, etc?

Lack of staff would be my thoughts. I also love Horizon. It's a fair review. Maintenance seems to be spread short too. They always seem to show up on the last day of your cruise. 🤣

[Markmom18]

5 hours ago, Ariel0185 said:

I got back today and want to share my opinions. I’ve been going nonstop since Jan. 5, so I hope I make sense!

 

Other passengers: The best behaved group ever! Everyone was polite, friendly, and patient. Seemed to also follow all the smoking rules, including the folks that smoke left handed😉 Even the kids were all very well mannered. 

 

The ship and crew: No complaints. Similar to the Vista. Crew has been reduced but it honestly didn’t negatively impact my personal experience. The crew at Pig and Anchor was fantastic!!!

 

The food: Solidly meh in the MDR with the exception of the ever great Indian food. Covid has to have impacted this area. I’d always found Carnival's food to be be good to very good, and never understood people comparing it to Applebee's. Applesbee’s may be a step up, at this point. First cruise where I didn’t really gain weight, so good for me I guess lol. JiJi’s and Bonsai were fantastic, though. There’s a duck dish at JiJi’s that’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Seriously that good! Lobster rolls were pretty good, too. 
 

The ports: Don’t let people scare you away from La Romana. Did a private trip with Seavis and it was a perfect day. Also had the best snorkel ever with Woodwind in Bonaire. 

The bad: I’ll never do a balcony again. Heard others complain about the noises from the wind. But what got me was the heat. I’ve cruised all over the Caribbean in hot months, spent land vacations in Hawaii and Mexico and never experienced a room so hot that I couldn’t sleep at night. A technician came and changed the thermostat out bc even Carnival deemed it too hot. The positive change lasted until about morning when it stopped blowing out cool air again. A second tech came and said everything was normal go figure. I cannot imagine cruising in that cabin in the summer. Carnival would have to pay ME and even then it wouldn’t be worth it. And I wear hoodies in Arkansas summers bc of how cold businesses turn down their thermostats. Having said that, other ppl in lower interior rooms said they froze. Just luck of the draw I guess. 

  Hi,

   Thank you for your review.  We are going on this 8 day cruise in September.  And, I booked us an Aft Starboard Side Balcony.  I sleep every night (year round) with a fan blowing on me — just my comfort temp! 😁

  If it’s not too personal, can you share the Cabin # you had? 
 Thanks,

 🛳🛳

 Bobbi

   

[TeresaJ]

We leave on this same cruise on Saturday. We also have a balcony, so hoping it's not too warm. We've never had issues on other cruises before.

 

I second Seavis tours in DR. We did this tour years ago and it was great. We are also doing Woodwind in Bonaire. How was the snorkeling?

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Ariel0185]

14 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

thank you for the review. I love the Horizon. Why do you say covid must have affected the MDR? Lack of staff, etc?

Hmmm to some degree but nothing that was nonfunctional. You can tell the staff is having to HUSTLE and I hate that for them. We did YTD and our average time in the MDR, even at brunch which I kept reading ppl talk about what a cluster that had become, probably averaged 45 min. But there were a few dishes that tasted a little cool or dried out a bit (the gnocchi with stripped bass were definitely sitting there a while).

 

For me, I feel like the quality of ingredients have decreased. For example, the flaming tomato soup used to be one of my faves. On this cruise, it was bland and watery. I also ordered the chicken Parmesan in the MDR which was supposed to be a feature of their Culcina del Capitano. It tasted like the chicken parm I’ve had from Lean Cuisine or Nutrisystem. It wasn’t just these two items, imo. Food is super subjective, so I know this may not be everyone’s experience.  
 

My husband did order the wienerschnitzel with creamed spinach, and it was delicious. But even then, the side of spinach was served in one of those silver things a lot of places use to serve ketchup or salad dressing.

[Ariel0185]

11 hours ago, Markmom18 said:

  Hi,

   Thank you for your review.  We are going on this 8 day cruise in September.  And, I booked us an Aft Starboard Side Balcony.  I sleep every night (year round) with a fan blowing on me — just my comfort temp! 😁

  If it’s not too personal, can you share the Cabin # you had? 
 Thanks,

 🛳🛳

 Bobbi

   

No problem. It was 9396. I wouldn’t worry. I truly just feel like it was our bad luck. 

[Ariel0185]

5 hours ago, TeresaJ said:

We leave on this same cruise on Saturday. We also have a balcony, so hoping it's not too warm. We've never had issues on other cruises before.

 

I second Seavis tours in DR. We did this tour years ago and it was great. We are also doing Woodwind in Bonaire. How was the snorkeling?

 

Thanks for sharing!

It was amazing! The best I’ve ever experienced. I’ve snorkeled all around the Caribbean and even did beginner type scuba in Cozumel (on my honeymoon during a land based vacation that was probably a littler more than beginner and probably illegal but hey it is Mexico lol), Belize, and Hawaii. The reef in Klein Bonaire is soooo pristine and well preserved. It was like a Jacques Cousteau doc!

[TeresaJ]

35 minutes ago, Ariel0185 said:

It was amazing! The best I’ve ever experienced. I’ve snorkeled all around the Caribbean and even did beginner type scuba in Cozumel (on my honeymoon during a land based vacation that was probably a littler more than beginner and probably illegal but hey it is Mexico lol), Belize, and Hawaii. The reef in Klein Bonaire is soooo pristine and well preserved. It was like a Jacques Cousteau doc!

Glad to hear it was great snorkeling!

[Jenner9]

What time were you in La Romana? We are booking Seavis tours as well bit are there from 1130-600. When I did this excursion a few years ago we got in earlier. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, Ariel0185 said:

Hmmm to some degree but nothing that was nonfunctional. You can tell the staff is having to HUSTLE and I hate that for them. We did YTD and our average time in the MDR, even at brunch which I kept reading ppl talk about what a cluster that had become, probably averaged 45 min. But there were a few dishes that tasted a little cool or dried out a bit (the gnocchi with stripped bass were definitely sitting there a while).

 

For me, I feel like the quality of ingredients have decreased. For example, the flaming tomato soup used to be one of my faves. On this cruise, it was bland and watery. I also ordered the chicken Parmesan in the MDR which was supposed to be a feature of their Culcina del Capitano. It tasted like the chicken parm I’ve had from Lean Cuisine or Nutrisystem. It wasn’t just these two items, imo. Food is super subjective, so I know this may not be everyone’s experience.  
 

My husband did order the wienerschnitzel with creamed spinach, and it was delicious. But even then, the side of spinach was served in one of those silver things a lot of places use to serve ketchup or salad dressing.

Thank you again for your reply. Unfortunately your reply sounds like the same things I am reading across the board for all the mass market cruise lines.

 

The food is just average at best and the selections aren't that good.

 

I was ready to book a 10 day cruise on Celebrity a week or 2 ago and just before I booked I read that the dinner buffet was cut way back to only about 3 stations open and the choices of what they had was abysmal. 

 

There was a video of the dinner buffet posted yesterday and it looked like a ghost town.

 

With the cruise lines in so much debt this is unfortunately what it has come down too.☹️

[RenoNanaOz]

7 hours ago, TeresaJ said:

We leave on this same cruise on Saturday. We also have a balcony, so hoping it's not too warm. We've never had issues on other cruises before.

 

I second Seavis tours in DR. We did this tour years ago and it was great. We are also doing Woodwind in Bonaire. How was the snorkeling?

 

Thanks for sharing!

Us too! We have an Aft Balcony, we've never had issues either.

[Ariel0185]

5 hours ago, Jenner9 said:

What time were you in La Romana? We are booking Seavis tours as well bit are there from 1130-600. When I did this excursion a few years ago we got in earlier. 

We got there at 9 and had to be back on board at 330. 

[Oceansaway17]

On 1/15/2023 at 7:51 PM, Ariel0185 said:

I got back today and want to share my opinions. I’ve been going nonstop since Jan. 5, so I hope I make sense!

 

The bad: I’ll never do a balcony again. Heard others complain about the noises from the wind. But what got me was the heat. I’ve cruised all over the Caribbean in hot months, spent land vacations in Hawaii and Mexico and never experienced a room so hot that I couldn’t sleep at night. A technician came and changed the thermostat out bc even Carnival deemed it too hot. The positive change lasted until about morning when it stopped blowing out cool air again. A second tech came and said everything was normal go figure. I cannot imagine cruising in that cabin in the summer. Carnival would have to pay ME and even then it wouldn’t be worth it. And I wear hoodies in Arkansas summers bc of how cold businesses turn down their thermostats. Having said that, other ppl in lower interior rooms said they froze. Just luck of the draw I guess. 

oh yes the wind.  Twice last year on another cruise line (RCI) I had balconies that had a slight angle and when the ship moved, the wind whistled in between the dividers near the top and bottom.

And one can hear folks opening and shutting the doors from above, below, on each side.   I did quite a few balconies last year, and I am ready to return to insides.

[Ariel0185]

19 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

oh yes the wind.  Twice last year on another cruise line (RCI) I had balconies that had a slight angle and when the ship moved, the wind whistled in between the dividers near the top and bottom.

And one can hear folks opening and shutting the doors from above, below, on each side.   I did quite a few balconies last year, and I am ready to return to insides.

I was ready to back to lowly steerage a few nights in🙈

[TeresaJ]

We are currently on the Horizon and our cabin is hot. I am not a person who likes it especially cold but my husband slept without a sheet or blanket last night and we both woke up this morning both feeling like there was no air in our room. We mentioned it to the cabin steward this morning and we just got back to our cabin after being out all day and it's hot in here! So I called guest services and they sent a tech down and he measured our room at 78 degrees! They are now calling in a technician to further come look at it. We are in a balcony on the 7th deck.  😒

[Ariel0185]

37 minutes ago, TeresaJ said:

We are currently on the Horizon and our cabin is hot. I am not a person who likes it especially cold but my husband slept without a sheet or blanket last night and we both woke up this morning both feeling like there was no air in our room. We mentioned it to the cabin steward this morning and we just got back to our cabin after being out all day and it's hot in here! So I called guest services and they sent a tech down and he measured our room at 78 degrees! They are now calling in a technician to further come look at it. We are in a balcony on the 7th deck.  😒

Man, I hate to hear that. Pretty much what happened with us. I hope they fix your cabin. It honestly negatively impacted my vacation bc I didn’t sleep well for 4 nights in a row. 

[TeresaJ]

22 hours ago, Ariel0185 said:

Man, I hate to hear that. Pretty much what happened with us. I hope they fix your cabin. It honestly negatively impacted my vacation bc I didn’t sleep well for 4 nights in a row. 

It's pretty frustrating as you know. They fixed it and the temperature is tolerable but not real cool by any means.

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 minute ago, TeresaJ said:

It's pretty frustrating as you know. They fixed it and the temperature is tolerable but not real cool by any means.

Im guessing they say its in Carnivals accepted range. Been there myself. Not a fun experience.

[CaptG]

Been reading a lot about the Horizon being hot lately...hope they get that worked out soon. The last thing anyone wants to be while trying to sleep is hot.

[cruisin from vegas]

Was on The Horizon in July.  Loved it except everywhere was HOT!!  Everywhere.  I’m from Vegas and love heat… but this was stifling.  I seen this said repeatedly for years.. 

[TeresaJ]

There are certain areas of the ship that feel chilly and others warm. As we headed to our cabin on deck 7 tonight we walked almost the length of the ship and we found noticeable temperature ranges from cold, warm, to chilly, etc. just in the hallway. Not consistent.

 

Edit: I have not noticed warm temps in other public areas but maybe it's just me.

Edited January 24, 2023 by TeresaJ

[coops]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:36 PM, TeresaJ said:

We are currently on the Horizon and our cabin is hot. I am not a person who likes it especially cold but my husband slept without a sheet or blanket last night and we both woke up this morning both feeling like there was no air in our room. We mentioned it to the cabin steward this morning and we just got back to our cabin after being out all day and it's hot in here! So I called guest services and they sent a tech down and he measured our room at 78 degrees! They are now calling in a technician to further come look at it. We are in a balcony on the 7th deck.  😒

What cabin as we have 9 cabins on deck 7 next month.

[TeresaJ]

14 hours ago, coops said:

What cabin as we have 9 cabins on deck 7 next month.

7341 balcony

[vince5251]

Any chance that you remember which nights were the elegant nights for your trip?  We head out on the 8 night Southern in July and would like to book dining.  I called Carnival yesterday to get specific dates and was told that there are "4" elegant nights and was given each date.  I assumed he was confused and clarified, but he again told me the same.  I haven't cruised since before Covid, but I am pretty certain that there aren't four elegant nights on our 8-day cruise.

 

Can you share what specific trips you booked in Bonaire and DR?

I saw on the Carnival Facebook page were someone had recently booked what they said was a fantastic beach excursion; I tried to get back to it to research, and couldn't.  Always my luck!

 

I appreciate any help!

Edited February 24, 2023 by vince5251