CDF Horizon - Great Cruise!

Two weeks ago we returned from a 7-night trip on the CDF Horizon out of St. Maarten. The cruise was much better than we expected. The biggest surprise was the outstanding quality of the production shows in the main theatre. Unlike most cruise lines that fill many of the evening entertainment slots with comedians, jugglers, piano players, etc., CDF schedules an elaborate production show with singers and dancers every night of the cruise. The dancers were from Brazil and were absolutely outstanding. Although the ship is about 25 years old and does show its age, it was well maintained and clean throughout. The food at dinner in the main dining rooms was very good. The buffets at lunch and breakfast are more limited and geared to the French passengers as expected. The basic fare includes basic cocktails and wine so we saved a lot of money from not purchasing drinks throughout the cruise. The ports we stopped at were great and with only one sea day, the cruise seemed much longer due to the five enroute port visits. I highly recommend CDF and we look forward toward our next cruise on this line. Note for US Citizens ---- you need a Venezuelan Visa in order to take this cruise as it stops at the island of Margarita which is part of Venezuela. Be warned, no visa and you won't be allowed to board the ship. We were two of only four Americans we encountered on this trip ---- likely due to the Visa restriction. All crew members speak English so no problem for English-only speaking passengers.

The Horizon was one of my very first cruises when it was with Celebrity. Would love to see some photos of the ship from your vacation if you happen to have any! Glad you had such a good time!

we are going to this island, but are not getting off the ship. do we still need venezuelan after they changed requirements in 2015

Had a similar experience to that of the original poster OneNewTexan.

Cruising on the Horizon was a delight and my cruise ( july 2016 ) departed Calais France and went to Norway before returning to Calais. The food was typically French with a regional speciality each evening....always found a dish that I liked and the food was good and as OneNewTexan said all basic alcoholic drinks were free including wine with your dinner in the restaurant.

If you speak no French virtually all the crew could speak English...you could feel a bit left out in the restaurant if your dining companions speak no English.

Had a great cruise and enjoyed the shows in the theatre. Really enjoyed the ports in Norway

I also very much enjoyed CDF Horizon. The ship is lovely and has been well maintained. The food and service was good too. As already stated the crew are happy to speak English. Announcements, entertainment, daily programmes and menu are in French so a bit of school French helps. I was part of a group so we made our own entertainment.

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