Short Horizon Review 8 day Caribbean June 5th 2018

We got off the Horizon just this past Wednesday and wanted to offer a short review/random thoughts. We sailed the Vista last January so pretty much knew what to expect in terms of layout, features, etc. Sailed with my husband and 2 kids, age 4 and 9. We are easy going people, and always enjoy our cruises. Our kids loved this ship and we made some wonderful memories.

Check in was easy, we had a 1-1:30 check in time, arrived at 12:20pm and was sent in right away. We went in the early/late line but, it moved very fast and were on board by about 1:10pm. Rooms were not available till 1:30pm and they even had the halls blocked off, which I have never experienced before.

We were in a family harbour interior, first interior with kids and won't do it again, too small. I would do an interior without kids in a heart beat, I actually like them but, this one was just way to small for 4 people. The Family Harbour lounge was super handy, really enjoyed having access to it, despite some rude people leaving messes behind. Happy to answer any questions about the amenities there.

Food is subjective of course but, for what it's worth, the MDR and Lido were basically the same food, presented differently and in my opinion was on par with standard banquet food, edible but, nothing to write home about it. The specialty restaurants were excellent, we tried them all except the steak house as we couldn't get in.

Service was mostly excellent, we did not encounter any rude staff and in fact met up with some lovely crew from the Vista. Camp Carnival was absolutely fantastic, so amazing with the kids, can't say enough about them.

Did not make it to any shows as we spent most of our evenings doing activities with the kids and/or in the casino.

We didn't mind the elevators at all and found them to be actually more efficient and quicker than the Vista but, we tend to zig when everyone else zags so we miss most of the rushes on the ship, we eat later than most, sleep later than most, get off the ship later than most, etc.

Main complaints/reasons why I'm going to think long and hard about doing a Carnival cruise again:

Food availability for our kids was a big problem for us. Long line ups for pizza and deli (45-1hr every time), room service was minimum 1 hour, sometimes as long as 2 hours, very few "kid-friendly" options on Lido, 1 hour wait for popcorn during movie nights, NO kids menus in the speciality restaurants. When my kids came out of kids camp at 10pm , after playing hard for 3 hours, they wanted a snack, and in the entire ship the only thing I could find them without waiting in line for another hour was ice cream. This would never happen on NCL, they have a 24/7 pub with full menu and their buffet has much better hours and selection.

Drink service took way too long for my liking, I hate having to wait 20-30 min for a drink, 2 bartender at a main pool bar during a sea day is unacceptable to me.

Casino staff were excellent but , it felt very small and only one craps table (open very limited hours) was disappointing for us.

Sea days got to be long (probably because we had 5 on this cruise) with limited activities for the kids outside of kids club, we only use the kids club for 2-4 hours a day and otherwise enjoy spending time with the kids. I'm comparing to NCL , who offers G rated comedy shows, family karaoke, scavenger hunts, cupcake decorating, funny family friendly demonstrations, dance classes, Cirque lunches, etc , etc.

Other random things:

Kids were not allowed in the Havana Pool area, even after 7pm - just an observation that we previously didn't know about. I thought Havana was open to everyone after 7.

Debarkation was a breeze, best I've experienced. We were in our Uber exactly 1 hour after leaving our cabin.

Gift shops were very small and offered very limited items, just fyi.

Teppanyaki restaurant only has 2 tables so book VERY early, I tried 30 days out and it was too late for everything except 5pm and embarkation day. We did end up getting a seating on the unexpected sea day and enjoyed it very much.

Guy's BBQ restaurant is well worth the upcharge in the evening, HIGHLY recommend, live entertainment too. It was one of our favorite spots and had some kid friendly options on the menu as well.

I think that is it, happy to answer any questions, especially kid/family related ones.

Thank you for your review and opinion.

Seems like the Horizon with kids, at least how yours travel, isn't the best option. And I can understand the lack of snacks being a concern.

I thought it was clear on the information about the Havana deck for the Vista, that children weren't allowed in the cabins or the area. But there may have been an age limitation. The pool there is smaller than the main pool and isn't designed for much more than a dunking when hot. Not sure why anyone other than Havana cabin occupants would want to venture there after 7PM anyway.

Never a fan of the Sunglasses Neck, take on food, burgers or Q, but it seems as though the Pig and Anchor is getting good reviews so will have to check it out and not for just beer and bourbon.

Thanks for the heads up on the Teppanyaki. Guessing for it and the Steakhouse we need to get reservations earlier for our January cruise.

We got off the Horizon just this past Wednesday and wanted to offer a short review/random thoughts. We sailed the Vista last January so pretty much knew what to expect in terms of layout, features, etc. Sailed with my husband and 2 kids, age 4 and 9. We are easy going people, and always enjoy our cruises. Our kids loved this ship and we made some wonderful memories.

 

 

 

Check in was easy, we had a 1-1:30 check in time, arrived at 12:20pm and was sent in right away. We went in the early/late line but, it moved very fast and were on board by about 1:10pm. Rooms were not available till 1:30pm and they even had the halls blocked off, which I have never experienced before.

 

 

 

We were in a family harbour interior, first interior with kids and won't do it again, too small. I would do an interior without kids in a heart beat, I actually like them but, this one was just way to small for 4 people. The Family Harbour lounge was super handy, really enjoyed having access to it, despite some rude people leaving messes behind. Happy to answer any questions about the amenities there.

 

 

 

Food is subjective of course but, for what it's worth, the MDR and Lido were basically the same food, presented differently and in my opinion was on par with standard banquet food, edible but, nothing to write home about it. The specialty restaurants were excellent, we tried them all except the steak house as we couldn't get in.

 

 

 

Service was mostly excellent, we did not encounter any rude staff and in fact met up with some lovely crew from the Vista. Camp Carnival was absolutely fantastic, so amazing with the kids, can't say enough about them.

 

 

 

Did not make it to any shows as we spent most of our evenings doing activities with the kids and/or in the casino.

 

 

 

We didn't mind the elevators at all and found them to be actually more efficient and quicker than the Vista but, we tend to zig when everyone else zags so we miss most of the rushes on the ship, we eat later than most, sleep later than most, get off the ship later than most, etc.

 

 

 

Main complaints/reasons why I'm going to think long and hard about doing a Carnival cruise again:

 

 

 

Food availability for our kids was a big problem for us. Long line ups for pizza and deli (45-1hr every time), room service was minimum 1 hour, sometimes as long as 2 hours, very few "kid-friendly" options on Lido, 1 hour wait for popcorn during movie nights, NO kids menus in the speciality restaurants. When my kids came out of kids camp at 10pm , after playing hard for 3 hours, they wanted a snack, and in the entire ship the only thing I could find them without waiting in line for another hour was ice cream. This would never happen on NCL, they have a 24/7 pub with full menu and their buffet has much better hours and selection.

 

 

 

Drink service took way too long for my liking, I hate having to wait 20-30 min for a drink, 2 bartender at a main pool bar during a sea day is unacceptable to me.

 

 

 

Casino staff were excellent but , it felt very small and only one craps table (open very limited hours) was disappointing for us.

 

 

 

Sea days got to be long (probably because we had 5 on this cruise) with limited activities for the kids outside of kids club, we only use the kids club for 2-4 hours a day and otherwise enjoy spending time with the kids. I'm comparing to NCL , who offers G rated comedy shows, family karaoke, scavenger hunts, cupcake decorating, funny family friendly demonstrations, dance classes, Cirque lunches, etc , etc.

 

 

 

Other random things:

 

 

 

Kids were not allowed in the Havana Pool area, even after 7pm - just an observation that we previously didn't know about. I thought Havana was open to everyone after 7.

 

 

 

Debarkation was a breeze, best I've experienced. We were in our Uber exactly 1 hour after leaving our cabin.

 

 

 

Gift shops were very small and offered very limited items, just fyi.

 

 

 

Teppanyaki restaurant only has 2 tables so book VERY early, I tried 30 days out and it was too late for everything except 5pm and embarkation day. We did end up getting a seating on the unexpected sea day and enjoyed it very much.

 

 

 

Guy's BBQ restaurant is well worth the upcharge in the evening, HIGHLY recommend, live entertainment too. It was one of our favorite spots and had some kid friendly options on the menu as well.

 

 

 

I think that is it, happy to answer any questions, especially kid/family related ones.

I thought snacks were available in the family harbour lounge 24/hrs a day? Do they stop serving at a certain time?

As much as I’d love to try the vista/ horizon/ panorama the “anti small kid” atmosphere of the Havana area makes me push this off for quite a few years.

Thanks for the tip on the tappanyaki grill. Didn’t know there were only 2 tables.

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We did the transatlantic sailing and when we dined in the speciality restaurants we found that in all of them at least half the tables were occupied by the ship's crew - get your booking in early.

An hour wait for pizza! That's atrocious! Get your act together Carnival!

we tend to zig when everyone else zags so we miss most of the rushes on the ship, we eat later than most, sleep later than most, get off the ship later than most, etc.

 

Love that quote sounds like you are on vacation. My wife is like that but I stick to my schedule even on vacation. So I'll be up on the Lido deck having breakfast when my wife and kids are still sleeping. Will be on this cruise in August, hope they have the long line problem taken care of by then.

Thanks for the review. Nice to hear about Guys BBQ. I also thought that the family harbor area had snacks for kids. Were there any?

We got off the Horizon just this past Wednesday and wanted to offer a short review/random thoughts. We sailed the Vista last January so pretty much knew what to expect in terms of layout, features, etc. Sailed with my husband and 2 kids, age 4 and 9. We are easy going people, and always enjoy our cruises. Our kids loved this ship and we made some wonderful memories.

 

Check in was easy, we had a 1-1:30 check in time, arrived at 12:20pm and was sent in right away. We went in the early/late line but, it moved very fast and were on board by about 1:10pm. Rooms were not available till 1:30pm and they even had the halls blocked off, which I have never experienced before.

 

We were in a family harbour interior, first interior with kids and won't do it again, too small. I would do an interior without kids in a heart beat, I actually like them but, this one was just way to small for 4 people. The Family Harbour lounge was super handy, really enjoyed having access to it, despite some rude people leaving messes behind. Happy to answer any questions about the amenities there.

 

Food is subjective of course but, for what it's worth, the MDR and Lido were basically the same food, presented differently and in my opinion was on par with standard banquet food, edible but, nothing to write home about it. The specialty restaurants were excellent, we tried them all except the steak house as we couldn't get in.

 

Service was mostly excellent, we did not encounter any rude staff and in fact met up with some lovely crew from the Vista. Camp Carnival was absolutely fantastic, so amazing with the kids, can't say enough about them.

 

Did not make it to any shows as we spent most of our evenings doing activities with the kids and/or in the casino.

 

We didn't mind the elevators at all and found them to be actually more efficient and quicker than the Vista but, we tend to zig when everyone else zags so we miss most of the rushes on the ship, we eat later than most, sleep later than most, get off the ship later than most, etc.

 

Main complaints/reasons why I'm going to think long and hard about doing a Carnival cruise again:

 

Food availability for our kids was a big problem for us. Long line ups for pizza and deli (45-1hr every time), room service was minimum 1 hour, sometimes as long as 2 hours, very few "kid-friendly" options on Lido, 1 hour wait for popcorn during movie nights, NO kids menus in the speciality restaurants. When my kids came out of kids camp at 10pm , after playing hard for 3 hours, they wanted a snack, and in the entire ship the only thing I could find them without waiting in line for another hour was ice cream. This would never happen on NCL, they have a 24/7 pub with full menu and their buffet has much better hours and selection.

 

Drink service took way too long for my liking, I hate having to wait 20-30 min for a drink, 2 bartender at a main pool bar during a sea day is unacceptable to me.

 

Casino staff were excellent but , it felt very small and only one craps table (open very limited hours) was disappointing for us.

 

Sea days got to be long (probably because we had 5 on this cruise) with limited activities for the kids outside of kids club, we only use the kids club for 2-4 hours a day and otherwise enjoy spending time with the kids. I'm comparing to NCL , who offers G rated comedy shows, family karaoke, scavenger hunts, cupcake decorating, funny family friendly demonstrations, dance classes, Cirque lunches, etc , etc.

 

Other random things:

 

Kids were not allowed in the Havana Pool area, even after 7pm - just an observation that we previously didn't know about. I thought Havana was open to everyone after 7.

 

Debarkation was a breeze, best I've experienced. We were in our Uber exactly 1 hour after leaving our cabin.

 

Gift shops were very small and offered very limited items, just fyi.

 

Teppanyaki restaurant only has 2 tables so book VERY early, I tried 30 days out and it was too late for everything except 5pm and embarkation day. We did end up getting a seating on the unexpected sea day and enjoyed it very much.

 

Guy's BBQ restaurant is well worth the upcharge in the evening, HIGHLY recommend, live entertainment too. It was one of our favorite spots and had some kid friendly options on the menu as well.

 

I think that is it, happy to answer any questions, especially kid/family related ones.

Good review. Was on same cruise, but without kids so a lot I can't relate to, but I should note, some of the things you found for kids to do on NCL WERE available on the Horizon. We did both family Karaoke AND family comedy shows (at least 3 times for that). Both were later in the afternoon or early evening. I prefer the family comedy to adult comedy where comedians feel they have to constantly curse and be crude to be funny. I believe there was also a scavenger hunt. Don't know about the other things as we didn't seek them out, but all of the Trivia we did were G rated as were some Hasbro games that we played (we won one of the Trivial Pursuit games :) )

We were on the June 13 sailing. I took my 6 year old son to the Havana pool one evening. There were two other maybe 10 year olds hanging in the pool too when we were there. Never saw an employee besides at the bar. No one ever asked us to leave. Enjoyed the area very much and shared a watermelon soda as well.

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