NEW HORIZONS - Carnival Horizon 8 Day Review From New York

[cjknox]

This will be a very concise review of my time on the Carnival Horizon; of course feel free to ask any questions you’d like. I'll be separating this review into segments, each subsequent post will be a different segment.

 

Thanks for reading! :D

[cjknox]

Flight

 

Obviously not a part of the cruise itself but I must say ifyou have a chance to fly first class DO IT!

 

We flew with Delta and had access to their Sky Lounge whichwas miles better than having to sit in those hard terminal chairs. Also, in thelounge were complimentary food, a bar with many free drink options, and thebathrooms were well appointed and clean.

 

Boarding the plane was a breeze (no pun intended) as thefirst class passengers are the first to board which allowed us to take our timeto put our bags away and get settled. Also, in flight we had complimentary 3-coursemeal with alcohol.

 

The flight from San Francisco to JFK was only 5 hrs and 5 minutes long, minimal turbulence, awesome flight crew.

 

Overall a nice way to start vacation.

[Cruisegirl6]

We only fly first class/business class its the perfect way to start your vacation and end it.

[cjknox]

New York (Manhattan)

 

Having never been to New York we decided to spend 8 days inManhattan prior to the cruise.

 

Coming from dry and fire plagued California I never realizedhow HUMID New York is, the first two days were hard, but I got used to it.Since most places have A/C it wasn’t too bad.

 

Stayed at the Hyatt Centric Times Square, I highly recommendthis hotel. When we got there our suite was a bit dirty, but we let the managerMaya know and she promptly took care of it and gave us the first night free andpersonally inspected our room tom make sure it was up to her standards.

 

Now that is wonderful customer service!

 

New York is such a dynamic place, there is always somethingto do and see. A quick shortlist of the main things we did:

• · Times Square
  
• · New World Trade Center Complex & MemorialMuseum
  
• · Shopping All Over
  
• · Lots of Eating
  
• · Staten Island & Ferry
  
• · Two Broadway Shows: The Lion King & The PlayThat Goes Wrong
  
• · Rode the Subway
  

Those are just the main “tourist” type things we did;overall New York was great and I can’t wait to come back.

[cjknox]

Cruise

 

After 8 days in Manhattan it was finally time to board theship! Our sailing was the now infamous 08/08/2018 sailing.

 

Fun Fact: According to Anthony, one of the fun squad members, this sailing was the largest sailing in the history of Carnival; I think the official passenger count was around 4600, pretty close to max capacity.

 

The itinerary was as follows:

 

1) New York

2) Fun Day @ Sea

3) Fun Day @ Sea

4) Grand Turk

5) San Jaun

6) Amber Cove

7) Fun Day @ Sea

8) Fun Day @ Sea

9) New York

[cjknox]

Boarding/Embarkation

 

Since we had priority boarding (we boarded in zone 4) which was nice. We got to the terminal later than we planned at 11:15 am but it turned out to be perfect timing. We were escorted to the side security line,checked in with our documents, and boarded all in a matter of 25 minutes.

 

We stayed in stateroom #7299 which is one of the grand suites on board, we were told our room would not be ready until 1:30 pm but we didn’t want to drag our carry on luggage around the busy Lido so we decided to check for ourselves. When we got to deck 7 the big water tight floor doors were closed but we decided to try and they were unlocked, we walked down the hallway and ran into Tommy Davidson the comedian from the 90’s show “In Living Color”he was shooting a show “Vacation Creation” on board and later on during the cruise we got to be extras in a few scenes; that was a memorable experience!

 

After chitchatting with Tommy for a little we finally got toour cabin at around 11:55 am and to our surprise it was already ready!

We sat our stuff down, looked around the room and headed tolunch and by 12:15 pm I had a juicy Guys Burger in my hands!

[cjknox]

Stateroom/Cabin

 

The Grand Suite itself was very big (for Carnival suite standards)and had lots of storage space (including a separate walk-in closet which camein handy, the bathroom with the double vanity and whirlpool tub was a nicetouch.

 

It also had a bidet, which I may or may not have tried (I plead the fifth) ;p

 

The extended balcony was nice it came with three chairs, afull deck chair, and two upright chairs.

 

Our stateroom steward Agus was wonderful, he was very attentive and cleaned our room twice a day and even left us complimentary chocolates one night!

[cjknox]

Sail Away/Activities/Entertainment

 

Sailing out of Manhattan harbor and going under the Verrazano Narrows bridge was an experience.

 

Unfortunately, the first two days at sea were overcast but the rain held up so it was bearable.

 

 

Activities on board were standard Carnival faire, sail away party was fun, there were some cool deck games, hairy chest contest, trivia etc. enough to pass the time and there’s something for everyone.

 

We saw Mission Impossible: Fallout in the IMAX theater which was a popular movie on board. It’s nice having that option and the ticket prices are the same as on land.

 

The Thrill Theatre was okay, not as good as I thought itwould be but I’m sure for younger kids it would be exciting/scary enough.

Dive in movies were a nice option for a late night movie, wesaw Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity Wars but they had different moviesplaying every night which was nice.

 

The Library Bar was one of my favorite spots, I read two very good books during the cruise, since its open 24/7 it was nice to go late at night and sit down with a good book. At peak times it could get a little crowded surprisingly so I’d imagine it should get bigger on the next generation of Carnival ships.

 

Sports Square was always packed and I tried the ropescourse, didn’t try SkyRide, as there was always a long line. I recommend gettingthere right when it opens or right before it closes If you feel like you haveto try it.

 

The comedy shows were decent, two of my favorites were TomFoss and Billy D. Washington both are funny but I found their routines to betoo short. The shortest one was about 15 minutes long, they should be longer.

 

Playlist productions, ugh, I’ve never been a fan of them and much prefer the older shows. While I appreciate the return of the live music,the big screen behind the performers kills it for me. It probably didn’t help that in New York we saw Broadway shows which blew those out of the water.Another problem was the singers. Their singing voices were so low that oftentimes the music overpowered their voices instead of complimenting them. For me this was the worst entertainment on board. Others liked them, so I guess it depends on your personal preferences.

 

A special shout out to Lennox Lust, a band that was on board, they are phenomenal, the girl has vocals of an angel!

[cjknox]

Food

We had your time dining which was nice but we still sat with others, so it was the best of both dining methods. Our main waiter Adi whom we had for 5 out of 8 days was amazing.

 

However, a word of caution. try to get to the dining room BEFORE 6:30 pm. It seems like they begin to get behind at that time. One night we got there around 6:45 pm and waited 15 minutes for bread.

 

The food itself was good, some dishes were outstanding like the Escargot but others like the bacon Penne pasta were just okay. Desserts were always good and the Baked Alaska on the final night was a superb!

 

Lido food was standard, the breakfast burritos at the Blue Iguana were delicious! Didn’t not try the seafood shack so can’t comment on that.

 

Guys Burgers was perfect. Enough said.

 

Guys Lunch Barbecue/ Pig & Anchor were both delicious.

 

Did not go to Chef’s Table, JiJi, Teppanyaki, Cucina delCapitano, or the Steakhouse this time so I can’t comment on those.

 

One big disappointment was the “midnight buffet” it wasliterally ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken marinara, some bread, rice, and afew more items. That’s it. Long gone are the days of the Grand Gala Buffett,what a shame!

[cjknox]

Ports

 

Grand Turk

GT was your standard Caribbean island port with shops and a beach, it was cool to swim so close to the ship. Picked up some reasonably priced alcohol too.

 

Unfortunately, our ship left GT almost three hours late dueto the unfortunate passing of a 30 year old crew member. Apparently, his wife,mother and father all work for Carnival on different ships. We watched as theytook his body off of the ship and put it into the hearse they had waiting forhim on the dock. Life is so fragile and you never know what your life will belike tomorrow.

 

San Juan

 

SJ is a beautiful island and I can’t wait to go back. We didan island tour not with Carnival, It was okay accept we lost about 40 minutesoff of our tour since the tour guide was trying to fill the last five seats hehad on the bus. The rest of the tour felt kind of rushed but overall it was okay.

 

Amber Cove

 

AC was the destination we were most looking forward to visiting. We were pulling into Amber Cove and all of a sudden the Captain pulls the ship around (so our aft is facing the island) so I thought he was going to try and back it in. Then we come to a stop and he drops anchor, we sit therefor a good 15-20 minutes and finally he announces that “due to technical issues”we are “unable to safely dock in Amber Cove”.

 

Bummer. This was the first time this has happened on any of my cruises; it was bound to happen sooner or later but I did not expect in on such a new ship. According to a passenger that talked to an engineer, one of the Azipod units had limited propulsion and maneuverability. I knew something was wrong though because on day 2 we could feel ship vibrations that got worse on the lower back half of the ship. Obviously a propulsion issue.

 

The night of the Amber Cove "incident" we were going really slow in the water and at one point the Captain cut the engines and we were bobbing for a good 2-3 minutes before they were started up again. Also, the wake on the back of the ship looked weaker on the right side which lead me to believe that the problem was with the right Azipod.

 

Carnival credited each passenger $50 OBC. I don’t think that was enough and it’s not like they didn’t get it all back in on board spending.

 

They should award OBC on a total cost percentage basis. Based on how much thetotal cost of your cruise was. For someone in an inside cabin that paid $500; $50OBC is a greater financial reward relative to the total cost whereas a suiteguest that paid $2100 is a drop in the bucket.

 

For example, if Carnival decided to refund 10% of the totalcost for a missed port then the person who paid $500 would get $50 OBC and theperson that paid $2100 would get $210. That is fair.

 

I’m interested to get your thoughts on this?

 

Ultimately, I realize that the technical issue is not Carnival's fault since the ship is too new to have any maintenance being neglected. I am also aware of the troubled history that Azipods have so the manufacturer is at fault. (No different when a new car has engine trouble) but it still disappointing when it happens on your vacation for whatever reason.

[cjknox]

Debarkation/Overall Scores

 

We opted for the early debarkation where you take off all of your luggage. When they called our deck we went to deck 3 where Mike the CD was saying goodbye to all of us, and it was that simple. We were off of the ship, out of the terminal in about 15 minutes.

 

Overall, the cruise was great despite the missed port and the death of the crew member. The ship was very clean and I always saw a crew member sweeping or wiping which was a nice thing to see.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10.

 

The cruise would be an 8.2/10

 

The return flight wasn’t as good as the initial one, the first class crew didn’t seem as friendly; it was also a longer flight at 6 hours and 30 minutes as our captain took us up and over into Canadian airspace and we reentered US over Montana. I’m sure there was a reason for it. At least the food was good and the booze plentiful!

 

The flight would be an 8.6/10

 

The hotel/New York Experience would be a 9.2/10

 

Thant's all folks. Feel free to ask any questions. :D

[BENHANDEL]

Thanks for the review!

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for doing the review, and also the rest of your trip. I have not seen you post in some time, good to see you posting again.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Cherries Jubilee]

Thanks so much for the review! We leave in 7 days!

[cjknox]

Thanks for doing the review, and also the rest of your trip. I have not seen you post in some time, good to see you posting again.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thanks for reading Jimbo, I enjoyed your Horizon review as well. I mainly just skim the boards now, and comment sparingly but it's nice to know my absence was noted. :D

 

Usually you end up saying what I was going to say anyways! Haha

[cjknox]

Thanks so much for the review! We leave in 7 days!

 

Thanks for reading! Have a great time!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[cjknox]

Thanks for the review.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read riclop!

[SonoranDevil]

You'll have to let us know when your episode airs! We'll keep an eye out for you!

[cjknox]

You'll have to let us know when your episode airs! We'll keep an eye out for you!

 

Definitely! The producer mentioned sometime in the fall.:D

[SNJCruisers]

Besides the slight diversion to Canada on your trip west, there are two other reasons why the trip west took longer than the trip east. Going west, most planes will get a head wind, slowing the plane and thus making the trip longer and coming east, most will get a tail wind, speeding up the plane and thus making the trip shorter.

Also, why did you feel it necessary to break the rules and enter through the closed doors to attempt to get to your cabin before you were supposed to @ 130? Did you feel entitled because you were staying in a suite?

[hamatsea]

Thanx for the review. We will be on the 9/3 sailing, hope things are working then. We live in the city and our glad to hear you enjoyed our wacky hometown.

[heffy2]

Thanks for the review!

[pirate4me2]

Thanks for the review! We sail on the Horizon in a month and a half, I can’t wait!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[AAAAmerican]

Dear cjknox,

Thank you for the review!

On the $50.00 money back, they have to refund that. look at the total amount just under $250,000.00 for all the passengers paying that for the missed Port of Call.

A FYI, in Bermuda a Cruise line used to charge Passengers for how many Ports ( they have 3) of Call they went in to too. But the Govermnment only charges ONE Fee even if a ship visits all the 3 Ports.. So yes that AKA: Nickle and Dime line abused the passengers and Commerce Laws.

With your refund Carnival complied.:D:D

 

 

 

Ports

 

Grand Turk

GT was your standard Caribbean island port with shops and a beach, it was cool to swim so close to the ship. Picked up some reasonably priced alcohol too.

 

Unfortunately, our ship left GT almost three hours late dueto the unfortunate passing of a 30 year old crew member. Apparently, his wife,mother and father all work for Carnival on different ships. We watched as theytook his body off of the ship and put it into the hearse they had waiting forhim on the dock. Life is so fragile and you never know what your life will belike tomorrow.

 

San Juan

 

SJ is a beautiful island and I can’t wait to go back. We didan island tour not with Carnival, It was okay accept we lost about 40 minutesoff of our tour since the tour guide was trying to fill the last five seats hehad on the bus. The rest of the tour felt kind of rushed but overall it was okay.

 

Amber Cove

 

AC was the destination we were most looking forward to visiting. We were pulling into Amber Cove and all of a sudden the Captain pulls the ship around (so our aft is facing the island) so I thought he was going to try and back it in. Then we come to a stop and he drops anchor, we sit therefor a good 15-20 minutes and finally he announces that “due to technical issues”we are “unable to safely dock in Amber Cove”.

 

Bummer. This was the first time this has happened on any of my cruises; it was bound to happen sooner or later but I did not expect in on such a new ship. According to a passenger that talked to an engineer, one of the Azipod units had limited propulsion and maneuverability. I knew something was wrong though because on day 2 we could feel ship vibrations that got worse on the lower back half of the ship. Obviously a propulsion issue.

 

The night of the Amber Cove "incident" we were going really slow in the water and at one point the Captain cut the engines and we were bobbing for a good 2-3 minutes before they were started up again. Also, the wake on the back of the ship looked weaker on the right side which lead me to believe that the problem was with the right Azipod.

 

Carnival credited each passenger $50 OBC. I don’t think that was enough and it’s not like they didn’t get it all back in on board spending.

 

They should award OBC on a total cost percentage basis. Based on how much thetotal cost of your cruise was. For someone in an inside cabin that paid $500; $50OBC is a greater financial reward relative to the total cost whereas a suiteguest that paid $2100 is a drop in the bucket.

 

For example, if Carnival decided to refund 10% of the totalcost for a missed port then the person who paid $500 would get $50 OBC and theperson that paid $2100 would get $210. That is fair.

 

I’m interested to get your thoughts on this?

 

Ultimately, I realize that the technical issue is not Carnival's fault since the ship is too new to have any maintenance being neglected. I am also aware of the troubled history that Azipods have so the manufacturer is at fault. (No different when a new car has engine trouble) but it still disappointing when it happens on your vacation for whatever reason.