Review: Carnival Horizon's first cruise to Bermuda; May 24-28, 2018

[mizLORInj]

Overall ship A+

Public spaces and décor A+

Cabin A+

Activities A

Food B

Entertainment B

Muster drill D

 

Arrived at NYC terminal for the quickest Carnival check-in ever—i-padlike devices before you go through Security. (if you’ve cruised on Anthem of the Seas—similar set up to the one at Cape Liberty). We then went to the back area where plat/diamond area was. Shortly after we sat down we were able to board this new ship.

 

Cabin. Lovely and pleasant décor. Love that the coffee table has a shelf for storage. Usual closet/cabinets with safe. Plenty of hangers. Fridge was warm and ended up getting replaced. Nice new bed with very comfy mattresses, pretty linens that have leaf embossing on them. Balcony had 2 chairs (one reclines)and a table. Still in perfect condition. Bathroom good size but please stop using those curtains! Sufficient storage shelves. Toilet is now more like a bucket—no “shelf”. That was the best description I could come up with. Nice soft new towels. Use your key card to power the room. They need to fix balcony doors so they don’t slam shut as it's annoying to feel the bang of these doors. Large tv on wall in front of the bed. It was cute how it said "Welcome [our names]" and then at the end said "Ciao [our names]. You can view your account, several views from cameras (bridge, port, starboard, and aft!) which we liked. Getting to your account was a little tricky with when to choose “OK” vs. the fwd arrow. How it showed our onboard credit was odd. Also, if you have a joint account it shows up inconsistently between the tv and on the Carnival Hub app. We went to GS and it was explained to us well by Jing, but it wasn’t intuitive.

 

I do not like being asked if I want cabin service in the morning or evening. Other cruise lines service twice per day as a given. I would have liked towels refreshed in the evening but felt bad because I figure Carnival has cut staff and given the cabin stewards more cabins to clean. Yet they have not decreased the daily service charge.

 

Guest Services needs to have more staff available when the line gets long.

Below us were Havana balcony cabins. Looked nice but I don’t like that everyone can look down on part of your “balcony” and also ahead of you is a glass wall much higher than a balcony wall. We looked in one of the Havana cabins on our deck and the décor is 4-poster bed and what seemed to be larger and bulkier dark furniture. There are “secret” stairways to take you to the Havana bar to the private Havana area, which although very nice, was small. 2 hot tubs and a very small pool. Comfy chairs and loungers and its own bar at the back of Havana club which is open to all guests after 7pm. It is a very nice area.

The lobby has this very cool 3 story “funnel” that has various colors and patterns that change. Lobby area is larger than some other Carnival ships we’ve sailed, so that was good. It is a very pretty area. There's also a cool colorful funnel in the casino area.

 

Spa. Listened to some of their treatment options but did not yield to their pressure to buy. Personally, being on a ship is my Bliss (Norwegian stole my term and named a ship after it!) so I don’t need any“youthing” treatments while on a cruise. The spa area was nice with 2 types of steam rooms, 1 dry, and 1 infrared room. Those tile heated lounge things looked cool and the mineral pool looked pristine. Gym looked very good too since everything was new. They offer organized classes—some include in fare, some not.

 

Library is very nice on this ship, with lots of books and games. I wish I remembered to bring my own already-read books to leave onboard. Piano bar looks larger than other ships and is very pretty. Steakhouse is also right in this area, along with Teppanyaki and Bonsai. Alchemy bar too which did not disappoint.

Pictures are all done on screens now. You select the pkg and can have them printed or digital. Continuing along this deck toward the stern is Java Café, and the Ocean Plaza, a very nice multi-purpose space. Bar there too where I had an Aperol Spritz or 2 or 3.

Outdoor seating and eating spaces are on this deck and are nicely setup. If you’ve been on Norwegian’s newer ships—think the Oceanfront area. Very similar.

 

Launderettes had very nice Speed Queen machines. You use your cruise card for payment.

 

We had your time dining (or whatever Carnival calls it). Checked in on deck 5 mid-ship and both times immediately received our table # and got seated. First time was at the stern and it was very warm, and next time was more forward in the dining room and it was very cold. So dress appropriately for dining—I will bring a wrap or jacket next time just in case. We had lobster as featured one night and It was good although the sizes of the tails varied greatly. Service was a bit slow, but we dinnered with 3 very nice and fun ladies so it was fine. The second time we were given a two top between other two-tops and we were very close together but it was ok. Strip loin was just ok, the short rib was fabulous. Beef lasagna was good too. We also had sea day brunch in Meridian, the aft dining room which was also where we had dinner. No more popovers! The chicken diavolo did not disappoint. I had to have the froot loop french toast too. Drinks (used our free drink coupon) took over 30 minutes and by that time were watered down.

 

Mongolian Grill is now a sit-down restaurant on its own above the Lido Marketplace. Included in fare for lunch and upcharge for dinner. You sit down and fill out a paper to select your food and then it gets made for you. I made the mistake of choosing noodles with my long list of veggies, and the bowl that came out was 90% noodles. Next time I will choose veg only. AND it’s under the basketball court and yes we heard basketballs bouncing. Not sure that would be pleasant at a long meal.

 

Didn't try the Italian place but the menu looked good.

Pizza. Finally after many long long lines there, on the last sea day they had two people working the stand and made lots of pizzas, so the line built up but then moved quickly as the ready-made pizza was served. There has got to be a better system. I remember when the pizza was ready and there were rarely lines there.

 

Seafood Shack is also at the stern. Sometimes had a line, sometimes not. We tried the lobster roll on Victory and I didn’t wish to bother againpaying for something that was just ok.

 

Lido Marketplace. Buffet is now in two sections. There are islands that all contain bins of the same food on each island. A salad bar is separate, as is the sandwich station (Deli) which was always under-manned and had lines. That moved very slowly. Why do they have those beautiful and tasty chocolate cookies at this station! They should be more easily accessible. Dessert station is separate.

Chocolate extravaganza is nothing like it was in past years. The chocolate cakes were good though (at the Lido Marketplace) and rivaled the one you pay $2.25 a slice for at the Java Café.

 

Didn’t eat at Guy’s burger or Blue iguana but why do they close at 6?

 

Guy’s Pig & Anchor was not open embarkation day for lunch, but we ate there the first sea day. It’s set up outside and as a buffet with a line from either side. It was very good food. We found a table outside on one of the little half moons that stick out of the deck. This restaurant/bar had a lot of whisky choices. We did a beer flight which was good, as was their seasonal beer.

There was food at the Ocean Plaza area too. Trivia was held here too which is a nice large space.

Tea Time was offered on both sea days. I went just to see if they offered any unique or at least different than the Lipton black and Bigelow green tea in the buffet. Nope. Same 2. So I left. I did see cuke sandwiches being served, andalso a cart with desserts on it.

 

Outdoor movie screen had movies, but we didn’t get to any on this short cruise. I love outdoor movies on ships.

 

We rode the Sky Ride and it was fun. There was a line but it moved rather quickly and the ride itself was fun. The wind helped push me along a lot of the time.

 

We went to the Cruise Next location but apparently the Carnival staff did not have it on their schedule, so by the time the person showed up we only got to hear a little before leaving for our next event—a 3D movie. Too bad as I enjoy hearing about new itineraries and ships. She started out w/ talk about their credit card instead of ship info, so we didn’t get to hear much other than which ships are based in which US ports.

 

We went to the Imax theater to see the National Parks 3D. It was $5.50 per person. Excellent film. Showed various films during the trip.

Lots of sundecks and attractive seating areas all around the ship.

 

Serenity adults-only area is at the front of the ship and was very nice. Away from the loudness of the pool area.

Lots of decks have forward open space, including deck 5 Promenade deck. Loved being outside at the front of the ship. You cannot go all the way around though as Havana pool and private area is at the stern on this deck.

 

Liquid Lounge is attractively decorated but seems small for a ship this size. And the top level was freezing cold. After freezing in seats in the top level at the Welcome Aboard show, we chose lower level seats for the Vintage show which was interesting. The music was very good.

 

Comedy. Seems the thing to do these days is turn on the house lights and wander the audience talking to and picking on people. This happened twice. When it started at the second show we went to, we left. The Disco trivia and party was going on in the lobby at the same time and we should have just gone to that as it was very fun and entertaining.

 

Muster Drill. Carnival just cannot get it to be quick and painless like its competitors. Longest muster ever and quite disorganized. First piece of advice: look on the back of your cabin door to see where your muster station is. We heard employees being asked and some just didn’t know which muster was where. Fortunately we knew we were on deck 3 Meridian dining room. FunTimes said 3pm so people started assembling, we arrived around 3:15 but it was then 3:30 and nothing was happening yet. I think we started at 3:45, but it was waiting and waiting. Apparently people were not checked in (cruise card get scanned). Carnival, you know who they are so make them attend the make-up one and don’t keep us sitting there for so long. PLEASE work on this. Send employees on other cruise lines like Norwegian and RC and see how expeditious and efficient theirs are 99% of the time.

 

Smoking on balconies. Sigh. Now this is mentioned during muster: “Fire at sea”. . . “no smoking in staterooms or on balconies.” This is not sufficient. At the Welcome Aboard show the CD said 48% were first time Carnival cruisers, so maybe some did not hear this at muster. It was either Norwegian or Royal Caribbean in the last year where the announcer said “let me repeat that” and said no smoking in cabins or balconies again for emphasis. Which is a great idea. But we could not fully enjoy our balcony due to cigarette smoke that happened way more often that I could comfortably tolerate. The last sea day it was constant unfortunately. Although I did leave a note for the cabin steward that there was smoking on balconies nearby, if I could pinpoint where it was coming from I would have reported it to Guest Services. There are cameras everywhere so I’m surprised they don’t notice puffs of smoke from balconies. I do think some people just don’t know smoking is prohibited, but I realize that some do know and do it anyway. Surprised that Carnival doesn’t do more about this considering they had a fire on a balcony from a flicked cigarette on Sunshine in 2016 (on a cruise right before we got on). Other lines take this seriously; on Royal Caribbean you get a notice on your door immediately. People other than me need to speak up if smoke is bothering you while on your balcony; I cannot be the only person who did not enjoy the smoke on this cruise.

New elevator system. Ugh. Not working well. You choose your floor from a screen and the screen tells you which elevator to wait at. And wait. And wait. We ended up doing a lot of stairs—which is not a bad thing—but not easy with a cocktail or tea in your hand. Many passengers were quite frustrated by the elevators.

 

Sailing out of NYC port is always great as the ride down the Hudson is lovely.

 

Platinum gift was headphones.

 

Bermuda is beautiful and the water was so calm it was shiny. We seemed to do a very slow 180 degree turn to dock. This was the first time Horizon was porting there. Tug “Faithful” was standing by to assist. I don’t know where her sister “Powerful” was. (those who’ve been to Bermuda know these are the 2 tugboats). Seemed to be a very long time to get cleared to debark, and as a result, there were long line in the stairwells. Continued on our way and we took the $7shuttle to Horseshoe beach. This time I actually could see the pink sand which I guess I just never noticed before. Fabulous warm and sunny day. 2 chairs and an umbrella cost $45 to rent here. Headed back to the ship mid-afternoon on a shuttle bus. Wandered around the port area a bit. You can get wifi at many places there.

 

The last day at sea had a mix of weather but it was enjoyable anyway(minus the cig smoke).

We stopped at the channel outside NY harbor for the pilot to board just after 3:30am. We were at the dock with lines tied by 6:15 or so. Went to the appointed location for platinum/diamond for debarkation. Interesting system where you line up your luggage in order of your arrival and then go sit down. We waited till around 6:45 and then lined up with our luggage and walked off after swiping our card for the last time. Fort those who may not know, there is a lot of walking involved at the NYC port. You debark forward but walk to the end of the terminal to go in, down an elevator or escalator and then walk forward again for customs/immigration, then exit. It was quick and easy to get to the taxi line. No more customs cards unless you’re over the allowance.

 

The ship is really beautiful. Ifyou’re going on Horizon, ENJOY!!!

 

Notes to Carnival in case you read this: 1. Please fix balcony doors not to slam. 2. Please get the muster drill together better. 3. Please do more to ensure smoking is truly prohibited on the balcony. 4. New elevator system not so great.

Edited May 30, 2018 by mizLORInj

[Baby_Bear]

Thank you so much for your honest and detailed review. Always great to hear about the pluses and minuses! I really hope Carnival will listen to your (and others) feedback and sort out the elevator system - it's in a lot of NYC buildings and works very well but has to be properly implemented and explained. The smoking is unfortunate and irritating, but that seems like a more fleetwide issue. But very annoying when you want to just chill out on your balcony.

 

If you have any ship pictures, would love to see them. :D:D:)

[uttu]

Thanks for the details! Can you elaborate on pixels packages and pricing you saw? Any specials?

[April42749]

Thanks for the review.

 

 

We're going on the ship next week, to the Caribbean.

 

 

You probably don't know the answer to this question, but I'll ask anyway.

 

 

Do they have almond milk? I generally ask for it in the buffet and they bring it "from somewhere".

 

 

Thanks if you know...and thanks if you don't!

[mizLORInj]

Thanks for the details! Can you elaborate on pixels packages and pricing you saw? Any specials?

 

In the Fun Times it shows 10% off all photos on cruise elegant night. You can even download and purchase photos in the Carnival HUB app during the cruise. Sorry--i paid no other attention to pics or prices BUT during conversation with someone they told me the prices are better now than her cruise a few months ago.

-------------------------------------------

 

Thanks for the review.

. . .

Do they have almond milk? I generally ask for it in the buffet and they bring it "from somewhere".

 

Thanks if you know...and thanks if you don't!

Sorry--don't know!

-----------------------------------------

Thank you so much for your honest and detailed review. Always great to hear about the pluses and minuses! I really hope Carnival will listen to your (and others) feedback and sort out the elevator system - it's in a lot of NYC buildings and works very well but has to be properly implemented and explained. The smoking is unfortunate and irritating, but that seems like a more fleetwide issue. But very annoying when you want to just chill out on your balcony.

 

If you have any ship pictures, would love to see them. :D:D:)

Agree--and it's not a Carnival specific problem but other cruise lines seem to take more action about smoking. And yes, the elevators are common now in NYC and work ok for the most part in those bldgs; maybe Carnival just needs to refine it a bit more on this ship. Hope they do work it out. I have pics but don't know how to post. Others have posted pics if you do a search for Horizon threads. :D

[sanmarcosman]

Hi - We love Bermuda.

More importantly, why were there no popovers? When we get there around 11am the breakfast pastry service has ended and the (addictive) popovers are being served.

[mizLORInj]

Hi - We love Bermuda.

More importantly, why were there no popovers? When we get there around 11am the breakfast pastry service has ended and the (addictive) popovers are being served.

 

RIGHT!!! I was quite disappointed. we had the popovers on our last cruise and got seconds and maybe thirds!! I asked the guy who was serving breads from the basket and he was going to check but never came back. I can say the croissant was good and the lemon cake was fabulous! It was a caloric meal but then we took the stairs a dozen times. hehe. We got to the brunch around noon I think but i think they were serving it since breakfast time according to the Fun Times dining section.

[jerseyjjs]

Don't understand why Carnival won't install sliding glass doors on the balcony and sliding shower doors for bathing. It's shudder-inducing when the shower curtain has it's way with you and the thought of how many other people's butts it's shimmied against.

[cruisewiththekids]

I'm trying to decide on a flight time home post-cruise. It sounds like you were able to be off the ship fairly early, but we do not have status. I'm wondering when the regular folk were able to disembark.

[mizLORInj]

I'm trying to decide on a flight time home post-cruise. It sounds like you were able to be off the ship fairly early, but we do not have status. I'm wondering when the regular folk were able to disembark.

 

I would say the first group for self-debark (carry your own luggage off) probably went at 7am. There is not a lot of NYC traffic at that hour either which is great.

 

--------------------

 

Don't understand why Carnival won't install sliding glass doors on the balcony and sliding shower doors for bathing. It's shudder-inducing when the shower curtain has it's way with you and the thought of how many other people's butts it's shimmied against.

 

Agree! I tried not to touch the curtain while in the shower. At least it has not had its way with too many people yet since it's new! And absolutely agree about the sliders--all other lines' ships we've been on have sliders--not doors that open out. Yes, they are occasionally slammed but not as often as those Carnival ship balcony doors!

[nybumpkin]

Hi Lori! Thanks for the detailed review. We're sailing an 8-day out of NYC - it'll be our first time out of NYC since 2012. For the basketball court - our experience (at least our sons' experience) is that they close the court when dinner starts so you don't get the bouncing sound. One of my thoughts on tea is to bring my own - I'm rather partial to English Breakfast or Earl Grey, and they didn't have either available on our Bermuda cruise last year.

[Pellaz]

Thanks for the review! A friend of a co-worker was on the same sailing.

 

When you complained to Guest Services about the balcony smoking, what did they say?

 

It sounds like our muster drill on Vista last October was in sharp contrast to yours...highly efficient with the "iPad" check-in, and an indoor muster. Compared to Royal's, ours was great. In February Royal was actually checking people off at the muster station using a printed list, and it took forever...outside in the heat.

 

We found that the free Italian pasta bar lunch was at least as good as the Mongolian (at Jiji's across the foyer). Both were gloriously un-crowded, especially compared to the Lido on embark day!

[CruiseAdict218]

Thanks for the review, cant wait to sail on her.

[mizLORInj]

Thanks for the review! A friend of a co-worker was on the same sailing.

 

When you complained to Guest Services about the balcony smoking, what did they say?

. . .

 

. . .

 

I didn't go to GS. If the cruise was longer I would have, and anyone else who could and would have done something about it. I had left a note in the cabin for the room steward but I didn't have great expectations.

[maryann2]

You really should have reported the smoking to guest services. Not fair to expect the steward to deal with it.

 

 

I was on the TA and we had popovers at brunch after 11 am!

 

 

The elevators actually worked really well after people got used to them.

I suppose on a 3 day cruise not the case.

Press the floor you need -go to designated elevator , get in get off at floor requested.

The problem I think is that a group of 6 people press the button just once so the elevator thinks it is just one person and allows many more to be added. So 36 people are trying to get in.

Perhaps instructions should be printed out in each cabin.

[Pellaz]

You really should have reported the smoking to guest services. Not fair to expect the steward to deal with it.

Either Guest Services or maybe even Security. It wouldn't be the steward's area of responsibility...although he/she might be able to confirm to GS who the miscreants were by noting cigarette butts or residue on the balcony.

 

The elevators actually worked really well after people got used to them.

I suppose on a 3 day cruise not the case.

We had a similar experience on the Vista; we sailed during the brief period during which the new on-demand elevator system was in use...just a few weeks. People got used to it by the second day, but Carnival still opted to remove the system only a sailing or two after ours.

 

Press the floor you need -go to designated elevator , get in get off at floor requested.

The problem I think is that a group of 6 people press the button just once so the elevator thinks it is just one person and allows many more to be added. So 36 people are trying to get in.

Perhaps instructions should be printed out in each cabin.

Yes, or emailed to passengers before sailing.

Supposedly you'd press the button once for each member of your party and that way the system could schedule elevators based on demand...but we were never told that, and the on-screen instructions never mentioned it.

[maddea20]

Yasssss! :D Thanks so much for your review. I cannot wait for my cruise on this ship. 49 days to go. And I too hate, hate cigarette smoke. Never smoked in my life and never ever will ugh. Thanks for the thoroughness of your review. Helped me a lot.

 

Did you have a massage on this cruise or were just using the spa facilities?

 

Thankssssssssss

[cruisebarbie]

What time did you get to NYC terminal to board? We are first time Platinum and want to make sure we are there in plenty of time to board right away. Never cruised from New York and want to figure out when to leave hotel.

 

Thank you!

Vicki

 

 

Overall ship A+

Public spaces and décor A+

Cabin A+

Activities A

Food B

Entertainment B

Muster drill D

 

Arrived at NYC terminal for the quickest Carnival check-in ever—i-padlike devices before you go through Security. (if you’ve cruised on Anthem of the Seas—similar set up to the one at Cape Liberty). We then went to the back area where plat/diamond area was. Shortly after we sat down we were able to board this new ship.

 

Cabin. Lovely and pleasant décor. Love that the coffee table has a shelf for storage. Usual closet/cabinets with safe. Plenty of hangers. Fridge was warm and ended up getting replaced. Nice new bed with very comfy mattresses, pretty linens that have leaf embossing on them. Balcony had 2 chairs (one reclines)and a table. Still in perfect condition. Bathroom good size but please stop using those curtains! Sufficient storage shelves. Toilet is now more like a bucket—no “shelf”. That was the best description I could come up with. Nice soft new towels. Use your key card to power the room. They need to fix balcony doors so they don’t slam shut as it's annoying to feel the bang of these doors. Large tv on wall in front of the bed. It was cute how it said "Welcome [our names]" and then at the end said "Ciao [our names]. You can view your account, several views from cameras (bridge, port, starboard, and aft!) which we liked. Getting to your account was a little tricky with when to choose “OK” vs. the fwd arrow. How it showed our onboard credit was odd. Also, if you have a joint account it shows up inconsistently between the tv and on the Carnival Hub app. We went to GS and it was explained to us well by Jing, but it wasn’t intuitive.

 

I do not like being asked if I want cabin service in the morning or evening. Other cruise lines service twice per day as a given. I would have liked towels refreshed in the evening but felt bad because I figure Carnival has cut staff and given the cabin stewards more cabins to clean. Yet they have not decreased the daily service charge.

 

Guest Services needs to have more staff available when the line gets long.

Below us were Havana balcony cabins. Looked nice but I don’t like that everyone can look down on part of your “balcony” and also ahead of you is a glass wall much higher than a balcony wall. We looked in one of the Havana cabins on our deck and the décor is 4-poster bed and what seemed to be larger and bulkier dark furniture. There are “secret” stairways to take you to the Havana bar to the private Havana area, which although very nice, was small. 2 hot tubs and a very small pool. Comfy chairs and loungers and its own bar at the back of Havana club which is open to all guests after 7pm. It is a very nice area.

The lobby has this very cool 3 story “funnel” that has various colors and patterns that change. Lobby area is larger than some other Carnival ships we’ve sailed, so that was good. It is a very pretty area. There's also a cool colorful funnel in the casino area.

 

Spa. Listened to some of their treatment options but did not yield to their pressure to buy. Personally, being on a ship is my Bliss (Norwegian stole my term and named a ship after it!) so I don’t need any“youthing” treatments while on a cruise. The spa area was nice with 2 types of steam rooms, 1 dry, and 1 infrared room. Those tile heated lounge things looked cool and the mineral pool looked pristine. Gym looked very good too since everything was new. They offer organized classes—some include in fare, some not.

 

Library is very nice on this ship, with lots of books and games. I wish I remembered to bring my own already-read books to leave onboard. Piano bar looks larger than other ships and is very pretty. Steakhouse is also right in this area, along with Teppanyaki and Bonsai. Alchemy bar too which did not disappoint.

Pictures are all done on screens now. You select the pkg and can have them printed or digital. Continuing along this deck toward the stern is Java Café, and the Ocean Plaza, a very nice multi-purpose space. Bar there too where I had an Aperol Spritz or 2 or 3.

Outdoor seating and eating spaces are on this deck and are nicely setup. If you’ve been on Norwegian’s newer ships—think the Oceanfront area. Very similar.

 

Launderettes had very nice Speed Queen machines. You use your cruise card for payment.

 

We had your time dining (or whatever Carnival calls it). Checked in on deck 5 mid-ship and both times immediately received our table # and got seated. First time was at the stern and it was very warm, and next time was more forward in the dining room and it was very cold. So dress appropriately for dining—I will bring a wrap or jacket next time just in case. We had lobster as featured one night and It was good although the sizes of the tails varied greatly. Service was a bit slow, but we dinnered with 3 very nice and fun ladies so it was fine. The second time we were given a two top between other two-tops and we were very close together but it was ok. Strip loin was just ok, the short rib was fabulous. Beef lasagna was good too. We also had sea day brunch in Meridian, the aft dining room which was also where we had dinner. No more popovers! The chicken diavolo did not disappoint. I had to have the froot loop french toast too. Drinks (used our free drink coupon) took over 30 minutes and by that time were watered down.

 

Mongolian Grill is now a sit-down restaurant on its own above the Lido Marketplace. Included in fare for lunch and upcharge for dinner. You sit down and fill out a paper to select your food and then it gets made for you. I made the mistake of choosing noodles with my long list of veggies, and the bowl that came out was 90% noodles. Next time I will choose veg only. AND it’s under the basketball court and yes we heard basketballs bouncing. Not sure that would be pleasant at a long meal.

 

Didn't try the Italian place but the menu looked good.

Pizza. Finally after many long long lines there, on the last sea day they had two people working the stand and made lots of pizzas, so the line built up but then moved quickly as the ready-made pizza was served. There has got to be a better system. I remember when the pizza was ready and there were rarely lines there.

 

Seafood Shack is also at the stern. Sometimes had a line, sometimes not. We tried the lobster roll on Victory and I didn’t wish to bother againpaying for something that was just ok.

 

Lido Marketplace. Buffet is now in two sections. There are islands that all contain bins of the same food on each island. A salad bar is separate, as is the sandwich station (Deli) which was always under-manned and had lines. That moved very slowly. Why do they have those beautiful and tasty chocolate cookies at this station! They should be more easily accessible. Dessert station is separate.

Chocolate extravaganza is nothing like it was in past years. The chocolate cakes were good though (at the Lido Marketplace) and rivaled the one you pay $2.25 a slice for at the Java Café.

 

Didn’t eat at Guy’s burger or Blue iguana but why do they close at 6?

 

Guy’s Pig & Anchor was not open embarkation day for lunch, but we ate there the first sea day. It’s set up outside and as a buffet with a line from either side. It was very good food. We found a table outside on one of the little half moons that stick out of the deck. This restaurant/bar had a lot of whisky choices. We did a beer flight which was good, as was their seasonal beer.

There was food at the Ocean Plaza area too. Trivia was held here too which is a nice large space.

Tea Time was offered on both sea days. I went just to see if they offered any unique or at least different than the Lipton black and Bigelow green tea in the buffet. Nope. Same 2. So I left. I did see cuke sandwiches being served, andalso a cart with desserts on it.

 

Outdoor movie screen had movies, but we didn’t get to any on this short cruise. I love outdoor movies on ships.

 

We rode the Sky Ride and it was fun. There was a line but it moved rather quickly and the ride itself was fun. The wind helped push me along a lot of the time.

 

We went to the Cruise Next location but apparently the Carnival staff did not have it on their schedule, so by the time the person showed up we only got to hear a little before leaving for our next event—a 3D movie. Too bad as I enjoy hearing about new itineraries and ships. She started out w/ talk about their credit card instead of ship info, so we didn’t get to hear much other than which ships are based in which US ports.

 

We went to the Imax theater to see the National Parks 3D. It was $5.50 per person. Excellent film. Showed various films during the trip.

Lots of sundecks and attractive seating areas all around the ship.

 

Serenity adults-only area is at the front of the ship and was very nice. Away from the loudness of the pool area.

Lots of decks have forward open space, including deck 5 Promenade deck. Loved being outside at the front of the ship. You cannot go all the way around though as Havana pool and private area is at the stern on this deck.

 

Liquid Lounge is attractively decorated but seems small for a ship this size. And the top level was freezing cold. After freezing in seats in the top level at the Welcome Aboard show, we chose lower level seats for the Vintage show which was interesting. The music was very good.

 

Comedy. Seems the thing to do these days is turn on the house lights and wander the audience talking to and picking on people. This happened twice. When it started at the second show we went to, we left. The Disco trivia and party was going on in the lobby at the same time and we should have just gone to that as it was very fun and entertaining.

 

Muster Drill. Carnival just cannot get it to be quick and painless like its competitors. Longest muster ever and quite disorganized. First piece of advice: look on the back of your cabin door to see where your muster station is. We heard employees being asked and some just didn’t know which muster was where. Fortunately we knew we were on deck 3 Meridian dining room. FunTimes said 3pm so people started assembling, we arrived around 3:15 but it was then 3:30 and nothing was happening yet. I think we started at 3:45, but it was waiting and waiting. Apparently people were not checked in (cruise card get scanned). Carnival, you know who they are so make them attend the make-up one and don’t keep us sitting there for so long. PLEASE work on this. Send employees on other cruise lines like Norwegian and RC and see how expeditious and efficient theirs are 99% of the time.

 

Smoking on balconies. Sigh. Now this is mentioned during muster: “Fire at sea”. . . “no smoking in staterooms or on balconies.” This is not sufficient. At the Welcome Aboard show the CD said 48% were first time Carnival cruisers, so maybe some did not hear this at muster. It was either Norwegian or Royal Caribbean in the last year where the announcer said “let me repeat that” and said no smoking in cabins or balconies again for emphasis. Which is a great idea. But we could not fully enjoy our balcony due to cigarette smoke that happened way more often that I could comfortably tolerate. The last sea day it was constant unfortunately. Although I did leave a note for the cabin steward that there was smoking on balconies nearby, if I could pinpoint where it was coming from I would have reported it to Guest Services. There are cameras everywhere so I’m surprised they don’t notice puffs of smoke from balconies. I do think some people just don’t know smoking is prohibited, but I realize that some do know and do it anyway. Surprised that Carnival doesn’t do more about this considering they had a fire on a balcony from a flicked cigarette on Sunshine in 2016 (on a cruise right before we got on). Other lines take this seriously; on Royal Caribbean you get a notice on your door immediately. People other than me need to speak up if smoke is bothering you while on your balcony; I cannot be the only person who did not enjoy the smoke on this cruise.

New elevator system. Ugh. Not working well. You choose your floor from a screen and the screen tells you which elevator to wait at. And wait. And wait. We ended up doing a lot of stairs—which is not a bad thing—but not easy with a cocktail or tea in your hand. Many passengers were quite frustrated by the elevators.

 

Sailing out of NYC port is always great as the ride down the Hudson is lovely.

 

Platinum gift was headphones.

 

Bermuda is beautiful and the water was so calm it was shiny. We seemed to do a very slow 180 degree turn to dock. This was the first time Horizon was porting there. Tug “Faithful” was standing by to assist. I don’t know where her sister “Powerful” was. (those who’ve been to Bermuda know these are the 2 tugboats). Seemed to be a very long time to get cleared to debark, and as a result, there were long line in the stairwells. Continued on our way and we took the $7shuttle to Horseshoe beach. This time I actually could see the pink sand which I guess I just never noticed before. Fabulous warm and sunny day. 2 chairs and an umbrella cost $45 to rent here. Headed back to the ship mid-afternoon on a shuttle bus. Wandered around the port area a bit. You can get wifi at many places there.

 

The last day at sea had a mix of weather but it was enjoyable anyway(minus the cig smoke).

We stopped at the channel outside NY harbor for the pilot to board just after 3:30am. We were at the dock with lines tied by 6:15 or so. Went to the appointed location for platinum/diamond for debarkation. Interesting system where you line up your luggage in order of your arrival and then go sit down. We waited till around 6:45 and then lined up with our luggage and walked off after swiping our card for the last time. Fort those who may not know, there is a lot of walking involved at the NYC port. You debark forward but walk to the end of the terminal to go in, down an elevator or escalator and then walk forward again for customs/immigration, then exit. It was quick and easy to get to the taxi line. No more customs cards unless you’re over the allowance.

 

The ship is really beautiful. Ifyou’re going on Horizon, ENJOY!!!

 

Notes to Carnival in case you read this: 1. Please fix balcony doors not to slam. 2. Please get the muster drill together better. 3. Please do more to ensure smoking is truly prohibited on the balcony. 4. New elevator system not so great.

[mizLORInj]

What time did you get to NYC terminal to board? We are first time Platinum and want to make sure we are there in plenty of time to board right away. Never cruised from New York and want to figure out when to leave hotel.

 

Thank you!

Vicki

 

We got there around 11am--earlier than we anticipated since we caught an unexpected express train from central NJ. Walked in to Terminal, told them we're platinum (they noticed "Priority" on the boarding pass), went to one of the people who was lined up along the side to check us in, handed her our passports, and two minutes later we were going through security. Short security line. That was it. It was amazingly fast. Then you show the port staff your boarding pass and tell them you need the platinum area and they direct you to the far end of the terminal which was pier 88 this time (have not boarded Carnival ships at Pier 88 before--always Pier 90). We also returned to pier 88 instead of 90. Maybe that's where they'll dock when they're the only ship in port. Or maybe it was because it was fleet week and there was a military ship on the north side of Pier 90 that day. (although I didn't look if it was there when we returned on Monday).

Keep your boarding pass out as you will need to show it multiple times as you head to the back area. Keep in mind it was a 1 nighter the night before us so I figure we boarded a little earlier than normal since there was probably no checked luggage to line up at the terminal for returning passengers. Usually Carnival starts boarding around 11:30, at least that's been our NYC experience w/ them.

-------------------

RE; the elevators. . . none of us realized every person has to push the button. People waited a long time and would then push their desired floor on the panel again. Instructions would have been nice. For when we returned to the ship on Bermuda there was an elevator operator overriding the system which was good otherwise we would have been waiting a long time with a lot of people.

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the review. Muster has gotten significantly worse, not better since they have gone to scanning sail and signs. I would love to hear how other cruise lines got it right. Do you have thoughts on this?

[steveknj]

Thanks for the review. Muster has gotten significantly worse, not better since they have gone to scanning sail and signs. I would love to hear how other cruise lines got it right. Do you have thoughts on this?

 

Was on RCCL in November, and we waited almost an hour before Muster began. I had previously taken NCL and CCL and don't remember ever waiting more than a few minutes if that. Sad if Carnival has gotten slow now as well.

[mizLORInj]

Thanks for the review. Muster has gotten significantly worse, not better since they have gone to scanning sail and signs. I would love to hear how other cruise lines got it right. Do you have thoughts on this?

Have not ever had long muster drills on Norwegian or Royal Caribbean over the past years. And they went to scanning cards a couple years ago. At the appointed time or when the horn blasts happen, people get to the muster station (know where it is!), scan your card, everyone pays attention to the BRIEF but important announcement or video. You don't sit there and wait for 15, 20, 25+ minutes for it to start (unless you show up too early!) Oh wait, I do remember one oddly long muster on NCL Breakaway a couple years ago - there seemed to be some type of problem. But that was a one-off in my NCL muster experience.

 

This is why I say those 2 lines have muster together for the most part. People show up, they get the announcements taken care of immediately, and it's over. Or maybe I've just been lucky on those cruises to have quick and efficient muster drills. :cool:

 

This was the FIRST Carnival muster that was actually in a dining room -- all others on them (my last was Victory in Nov. 2017) we had to stand outside lined up. And they just would keep saying "quiet please" but nothing would happen. For a seemingly long time. Then the alternate side of the ship dismissal. . .ugh. took too long.

I suppose it would be important to note that people need to show up in a timely way once the horn sounds . . . out of consideration for everyone involved. If they are not there, let them attend the make-up session. Don't keep everyone else waiting.

Anyway, this has been my muster experiences on these various lines. I realize people can have "off" experiences on these lines too.

Edited June 1, 2018 by mizLORInj

[jaxie001]

Nice write up :)

 

 

We just did the 10 day Med on the Horizon. I found this new way of muster soooo much easier and better myself. Our muster was right in the area of Alchemy and Ji'jis. We went as soon as they started to announce it and they were scanning a card for each room and checking to make sure that whoever was rooming with you. As they went thru the Ipad list of names they started to call out certain names and we did end up hearing those names called over the PA system. Once they got started it was quick going thru the info. And much nicer than standing out on a hot deck shoulder to shoulder. Just my thoughts and experience tho.

[cruisebarbie]

Thank you!

 

 

We got there around 11am--earlier than we anticipated since we caught an unexpected express train from central NJ. Walked in to Terminal, told them we're platinum (they noticed "Priority" on the boarding pass), went to one of the people who was lined up along the side to check us in, handed her our passports, and two minutes later we were going through security. Short security line. That was it. It was amazingly fast. Then you show the port staff your boarding pass and tell them you need the platinum area and they direct you to the far end of the terminal which was pier 88 this time (have not boarded Carnival ships at Pier 88 before--always Pier 90). We also returned to pier 88 instead of 90. Maybe that's where they'll dock when they're the only ship in port. Or maybe it was because it was fleet week and there was a military ship on the north side of Pier 90 that day. (although I didn't look if it was there when we returned on Monday).

Keep your boarding pass out as you will need to show it multiple times as you head to the back area. Keep in mind it was a 1 nighter the night before us so I figure we boarded a little earlier than normal since there was probably no checked luggage to line up at the terminal for returning passengers. Usually Carnival starts boarding around 11:30, at least that's been our NYC experience w/ them.

-------------------

RE; the elevators. . . none of us realized every person has to push the button. People waited a long time and would then push their desired floor on the panel again. Instructions would have been nice. For when we returned to the ship on Bermuda there was an elevator operator overriding the system which was good otherwise we would have been waiting a long time with a lot of people.

[Jamman54]

Hey neighbor! Hope all is well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Haven't cruised on a Vista Class ship yet, but I'm sure we will some day! :D