lensonlife

I was on the Horizon last July and there was a white party. It wasn’t quite what I expected- more felt like a large gathering of onlookers. It’s really loud, and very crowded. That said, it’s entertaining! Terrible photos, but you get the idea. 

We did this same cruise last 4th of July. Eagle Beach in Aruba is so beautiful- DREAMY like a postcard! And Curaçao was so much more than I imagined- a fun, friendly, and walkable place to visit that has a lot to look at and a great island vibe! I would be thrilled to visit both again. We did Jacks Shack at Grand Turk. It was not crowded- we were the first to arrive actually. It was an easy day- the walk in the heat with our stuff was probably the worst part. We go back to Grand Turk this summer. Still undecided about what we’ll do, but could easily spend another day at Jacks Shack! 

This is for a 9 night Journeys cruise on Radiance- Eastern Caribbean. TIA. 

10 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Must have been on Carnival. We are just off of the Sky Princess. Awesome variety. All types of chicken and so much more. The buffet's yes buffet's more than one are so big. There was never a line or any problem finding a table. Even when we first boarded. No sea day was ever a problem. 

Yes- Carnival! I loved all the other dining options, except for the buffet. Not to mention that the floor is a literal death trap. I’m surprised there are not more comments here about the slipperiness of the floor in the are of the buffet on the Horizon. It was unbelievably unsafe despite crews efforts to maintain it. So many times I near broke my neck which was terrifying. I live in VT and have had the experience of breaking my ankle in three places from a fall on ice. It’s like walking on ice in there! With a plate of food, and sometimes a buzz 😂🤪

Just now, twodaywonder said:

 I’m not a heavy meat/fish/seafood eater and found my choices limited (I’m not a vegetarian). What do you eat? What's left?

I do eat meat lol- I like chicken, but not dark meat! I will eat bacon and ham. They had an eggplant dish on the buffet that I liked- I’ll gravitate towards things like that. One night they had fried chicken and I’m not going to lie- there was all but a fight over it. I was like WTH is even going on in here?!!! I would have eaten that, but I did not need it that badly. Reasons I avoid the buffet. 

I really did not like the buffet on our last Horizon cruise. My husband and son enjoyed it just fine. That said, I don’t like buffets at home and they do. I’m not a heavy meat/fish/seafood eater and found my choices limited (I’m not a vegetarian). I loved the MDR and specialty restaurants. When we cruise the Radiance in June/July (just my husband and I), I plan to book us solid into the restaurants- leaving a couple nights available for MDR. He can buffet at lunch 😆

Back in 2002 we sailed the Disney Wonder and the Norovirus was going around. I remember the entire ship smelled of bleach all the time- the crew was constantly cleaning and disinfecting. They also served you at the buffet- there was no self service. A dear friend who cruised with me and my then two littles ended up getting very sick and had to be quarantined. The rest of us remained healthy. I don’t remember there being a lot of sick people on the ship- but obviously some were affected. The Disney Magic however had to be docked as I think they had a couple very sick sailings around the same time (it was a November cruise- just before Christmas). 
 

I agree with others. Be a bit more conservative with your self-care, and enjoy your vacation. I always pack a really good first aid kit too- I bring everything I could ever possibly need (and never use). 

We purchased the 80# magnet hooks from Amazon for the Horizon and they worked fine for lots of things like swimsuits, misc. bags, etc. But there were some items that these simply were not strong enough to hold and they would slide down the wall. I will purchase stronger magnet hooks the next time. They are SO useful in helping to keep a small space organized! 

1 minute ago, 1025cruise said:

Have you checked your roll call for fellow cruisers?

Yes- there is nobody there. Initially the cruise was scheduled to go to Cuba. So a roll call was started, but quickly dissipated. 

It was honestly one of my favorite parts of the cruise! The male contestant on the 4th of July Horizon cruise was phenomenal- the female was too!! He had me with Rick James’, Super Freak 😂🤟

I’m dreaming of sunshiny faraway places! I’m also puzzled as to why this is called a Journey’s cruise. Maybe because there is an additional day? When we cruised the Horizon last June/July (same time period), there were also 4 stops, and they had the buffet open at midnight one night. Will this buffet be more grand? 

On 10/31/2019 at 7:42 PM, crewsweeper said:

When we were on the Horizon,  they had as really good cover  band. But the Latin band in the Havana Club was excellent. No disappointment on the  music front for me.

We sailed the Horizon over 4th of July and these two frequently played in Pig & Anchor. They played some Eagles tunes, but also remember them playing some country. They were very good! 

I loved Eagle Beach in Aruba, and Curaçao was a special little place- I definitely would return there! Lots of hobbyist/artists.. a very colorful and happy place ☀️ 

2 hours ago, FlyingAnchor said:

 

Awesome - thank you for this information! It makes our decision to upgrade to a Havana Cabana a lot more simple. 🙂

I actually think I would appreciate it a whole lot, but it makes me wonder why it’s often so empty! 

That’s SO unfortunate. We sailed the Horizon 8 day over the 4th of July holiday 2019 and the after hours facilities at Havana were near vacant. We spent a LOT of time on the aft deck and thereabouts and it was the same thing every day. We ventured down once and had a good soak and relaxation- we truly had BOTH tubs to ourselves! 

Cucina Del Capitano and Jiji are both really good! We never went to the pasta bar (did reservation), but did go to JiJi one day for lunch and the line/wait was crazy long- like an hour. We waited and it was worth it! We also happened upon a small buffet down where they have entertainment and do trivia during the day- off from the coffee bar/pastries area. I don’t know if it’s always set up, but it was PEACEFUL. 

Eagle Beach in Aruba was so dreamy! We would totally go back! 

On 1/5/2020 at 6:54 PM, coevan said:

contaminating it with what, cup cooties? 

I was referencing personal drink containers (bottles) where some touch the mouth of the bottle that they drink out of to the nozzle of the water dispenser (and some do). I wasn’t referencing clean cups. Personally, I am not the germ police. If I were, I could never sail on a cruise ship (or do what I do for a living). 

Our 8 day was around $450 (4 ports). 

The lines were so long at times on the Horizon, I can only imagine the discontent I would have caused if I’d filled up my family’s 32 ounce containers cup by cup lol. I found staff to be gracious- they were often present. But I do understand that not everyone is compliant and touches their drinking containers to the spicket- likely contaminating it. 

We brought these 32 ounce thermal bottles purchased from Amazon, and also purchased the straps- they were super handy to have and are of no threat to self or others so long as you are not touching the bottle to the nozzle when filling which was easy to avoid (wide mouth). We were never questioned and used them on and off the ship! Our bottles came with two lids- a flip top and screw top. The strap allowed us to be hands free often when we needed to be. We might purchase the 64 ounce for our next cruise to keep in our cabin! 

We did the walking tour in Curaçao and loved it- they meet you right at the ship. It might be too much for some (especially in the heat which was wicked in July), but we are not in the best shape of our lives and survived just fine! Bring water! We walked back ourselves, which was nice because you can spend a bit more time in the areas you fancied. We learned a lot about the history of Curaçao! I quite enjoyed this port- a lot of art, and I didn’t feel the pressure of sales at all. 

We’re sailing Radiance out of NYC in June and intentionally booked Lido! 

We’ve been on a 4 night and an 8 night cruise and have yet to purchase with no regrets! That said, neither of us are coffee drinkers. I fancy and bring my own tea bags. My husband might drink a bucket of beer on ship days, and I will likely have a few glasses of wine/Prosecco, or a cocktail. Together we did not spend more than $500 on our last 8 night and that included a few sodas, milkshakes. I also brought home one of the bottles of wine I brought onboard. There were 4 ports- and I think that makes a big difference. We drank off the ship too, and the heat from the day just whipped us! I’ve been thinking of not purchasing the package for our 9 night this June with 4 ports, but we still have plenty of time to decide. The extra sea day is the one reason I would be tempted. I still think I might not though. 

We have always been on or near deck 5 midship, and book inside cabins. But that said, my husband and I are sailing are first solo cruise this June via Radiance and sans children (the first vacation ever alone in 25 years!) and have chosen Lido. I’m glad to hear so many positive posts here about Lido- the comments echo our reasons for choosing the deck... convenience!!!