Carnival Horizon 14 Day B2B Southern/Eastern Caribbean Review

[jam19872016]

MSC ship at anchor waiting her turn to sail again.

 

 

South Beach.

 

 

 

 

Sail away was special for me today. The breeze hitting my face at the front of the ship taking in the sights of gorgeous Miami, it was a moving experience for me and I continue to count my blessings to be able to cruise again. If you choose to cruise right now, please keep things in perspective and take time for the special little moments whether it is a nice sail away or whatever is special to you.

 

But mother nature was not done giving just yet. There was a beautiful storm just off in the distance that was amazing to witness.

 

 

 

 

My photos don't do it justice, it was a sight to behold for sure!

[jam19872016]

Tonight's dinner menu.

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

For my starter I ordered the shrimp cocktail.

 

 

 

I also ended up eating my mom's cured salmon as she did not care for it. Both were tasty.

 

For my main I ordered the grilled mahi mahi and the pulled beef brisket.

 

 

 

 

The fish was ok, just a little dry but I think some more tomato relish could have saved it. The brisket was very good.

 

For dessert I ordered the tiramisu.

 

 

Another yummy favorite of mine that did not disappoint.

 

Dinner was good tonight and service continues to be excellent just like last week.
 

[jam19872016]

Back in the room we had a towel animal. My mom's bamboo pillow photo bombed him.

 

 

We had some trouble with the on demand movies I guess they were reloading them so I bought one of the two movies available. It was only $5 which is pretty cheap. I paid I think $14 a movie on Royal Caribbean and had no free options.

 

The movie I chose was playing on the big screen for free when I went for second dinner. Oops.

I got a turkey wrap from the deli.

 

 

 

This didn't really do it for me. I peaked at the pizza line but it was a little long. It might have moved quickly but I didn't feel like finding out. So I grabbed an ice cream.
 

[jam19872016]

Next I went up the Alchemy Bar.

 

Alchemy menu.

 

 

 

 

I got a cucumber sunrise from the famous Anna Maria.

 

 

 

Then I finally made it to a late night comedy show.

 

 

The show was held in the theater and I have long been against having these in theater versus the more intimate limelight lounge but this worked out well and I think I am having a change of opinion. The comedian was Cee Jay Jones and he was hilarious!

 

After the show I turned in for the evening, coming up next is a new port for me - Bimini.
 

[peteandpris]

Love your review and your pictures are everything I'm interested in. Thank you.

 

[red lobster]

Really enjoying your review and pictures. I was booked for a cruise on the Horizon last May and of course it never happened, so it's wonderful imagining it through your review.

[helene109]

3 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Thank you! That was my original itinerary before it got swapped. That is at least the second maybe third time I have had Bonaire swapped or cancelled on me. I hope to make it there eventually to complete my ABC's 🙂 

I haven’t been to any of the abc’s! Thanks for taking the time for the review. So many on the Mardi Gras not going to do one.

[EngIceDave]

I was supposed to get B on my Horizon cruise next week, but we're going to Curacao 

 

How bad can your life be if you say things like "Aw man, Curacao again? Bummer"

[Terab85]

4 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

I was supposed to get B on my Horizon cruise next week, but we're going to Curacao 

 

How bad can your life be if you say things like "Aw man, Curacao again? Bummer"

We were doing the ABC islands too in 3 weeks and Bonaire got switched with Amber Cove & La Romona.   Hopefully we'll hit Bonaire next year.

[EngIceDave]

25 minutes ago, Terab85 said:

We were doing the ABC islands too in 3 weeks and Bonaire got switched with Amber Cove & La Romona.   Hopefully we'll hit Bonaire next year.

We were to do Aruba, Bonaire, Amber Cove and La Romana

 

I even had a golf cart reserved for Bonaire...off to Curacao again

[Terab85]

21 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

We were to do Aruba, Bonaire, Amber Cove and La Romana

 

I even had a golf cart reserved for Bonaire...off to Curacao again

We had a snorkel excursion booked for Bonaire.  Maybe next year.

[EngIceDave]

$100 for a golf cart that can cover the whole island sounded like a blast.

 

Snorkeling would be cool

[JaniceB]

21 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

 

I don't find myself falling asleep much easier and that is what I have problems with. Staying asleep is not really my problem but I do find myself sleeping harder so maybe it will help people who having trouble staying asleep. It's not a total bust, but for the money, I don't think I can justify the cost.

 

Thank you 🙂 

Thanks for the update on the watch. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by JaniceB

[jam19872016]

23 hours ago, peteandpris said:

Love your review and your pictures are everything I'm interested in. Thank you.

 

Thank you!

 

23 hours ago, red lobster said:

Really enjoying your review and pictures. I was booked for a cruise on the Horizon last May and of course it never happened, so it's wonderful imagining it through your review.

Thank you. I hope you get to cruise again soon 🙂 

[jam19872016]

21 hours ago, helene109 said:

I haven’t been to any of the abc’s! Thanks for taking the time for the review. So many on the Mardi Gras not going to do one.

YW. Thanks for reading along.

 

20 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

I was supposed to get B on my Horizon cruise next week, but we're going to Curacao 

 

How bad can your life be if you say things like "Aw man, Curacao again? Bummer"

Lol indeed. Curacao is one of my favorite ports.

[jam19872016]

3 hours ago, JaniceB said:

Thanks for the update on the watch. 

You're welcome 🙂 

[jam19872016]

Day 10: Bimini

 

Today we are in Bimini. This is my first time in this port and today  is also tied for the longest cruise I have been on.

 

Health protocols for Bimini.

 

 

 

Breakfast today was an omelet. It was delicious.

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by jam19872016

[jam19872016]

Passing through the casino, they are having an Ultra cruise this week. I did not enjoy my last one as it was just too crowded plus there was no mention of a guaranteed prize which is, to me at least, the whole reason to go. I kinda wish I had booked something now, it has been less crowded in here than the premiere last week and a nice selection of prizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

After breakfast we made our way ashore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bimini is a gorgeous place and I truly think that it has a lot of potential but has some work to do to get there. 

 

There is a small beach just off the ship if that is all you need. There are no facilities, just a beach.

 

There are also golf carts for rent, I didn't think to ask how much. There is a tram near the ship if you are on an excursion and a tram just inside of the port for $5 that will take you into town.

[jam19872016]

Not really wanting to do go into town my mom decided to turn back around. It was a cute little stop and I am not sure which port it officially replaced, but take me here instead of Ocho Rios any time!

 

The walk back.

 

 

 

It is a little bit farther than it looks in the photo because it is not a straight walk, they have it blocked with the tram so you walk around but it was not too bad but keep in mind if you don't plan to take a shuttle into town its a good walk for nothing.

 

Almost back now.

 

 

Back on the ship there was a lady yelling and screaming and causing a scene at guest services. I had to rubberneck and this lady was a mess. She was upset that her ports changed (umm duh!) and that her kids were not allowed to get off the ship. 

 

Now to play devils advocate here, I thought maybe she was trying to invoke the 110% guarantee which I wonder if that is no longer a thing. It sounded like she wanted to go home and get her money back which should be allowed if they still do that. I can't be sure though because she was pretty hysterical.

 

Now that I'm done playing devil's advocate, yelling at people is never the answer especially when it is not their fault. Also I think the communication has been pretty clear from Carnival about the change in itinerary and most certainly the restrictions for unvaccinated passengers. I can't see how you can go through the process of applying for an exemption and not be clear on the rules regarding leaving the ship. It seems while she was the loudest, there were a lot of people at guest services right now upset that their children could not leave the ship, seriously how is this possible that all these people did not know this?
 

[jam19872016]

Lunch today was the pasta bar. Lunch was busy all over today for a port day, I guess a lot of people skipped Bimini. Service was a bit slow as both Cucina and Mongolian were almost full. I got some bread to start off with.

 

 

 

I don't usually get bread but I knew theirs would be good and it did not disappoint.

 

My pasta dish.

 

 

 

I think I've always stuck to my same order but after the success at Mongolian trying something new I branched out and got alfredo today. It was so good and I got another dish to eat here now.

 

And of course I washed it all down with some chocolate cake.

 

[jam19872016]

I spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying some time in the sauna until dinner. Tonight is elegant night and we went a little early because my mom got suckered in...I mean my mom was buying some kinda health supplement thing from the spa and she had her consultation at 7:30.

 

Tonight's dinner menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

For my starter I ordered the blackened pork tart.

 

 

 

For my main I ordered the lobster tail and the spaghetti carbonara.

 

 

 

 

 

The lobster was much better this week, and it seemed like it was a bigger tail than usual. The carbonara was also good, I'm still not sure why they changed the recipe to include onions but I ate around them and it was still perfect. Yum.

 

For dessert I got the crème brulee.

 

 

I'll be honest, I'm not usually a fan of their crème brulee but this was fantastic tonight.

 

The food was excellent tonight and service continues to exceed expectations.
 

[jam19872016]

Ribbit, there was a frog in my mom's bed.

 

 

While my mom went to her consultation I went to the show in the theater. Tonight it was Vintage Pop which I've been wanting to see. The show was ok, about standard for Carnival productions. The talent was good, I have been reading their singing was not good but I did not notice any bad vocals.

 

I spent some time in the room with a movie and thankfully the free movies were back. Once that was over I went out and walked the outside decks for a while.

 

I had intended to go to Serenity but I could not.

 

 

I did not notice anything going on so I am not sure why it was blocked off unless it was due to wind.

 

I was too late for the deli tonight so I hit up the late night snacks which runs on the buffet from 11:30-1 every night.

 

 

The food was decent enough for late night munchies.

 

I took one more lap around outside then turned in for the evening. Next up, Half Moon Cay.