6 days on Magic or Horizon

[JaniceB]

19 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I’m interested in this situation because I’ve never cruised out of Florida. I just booked a FLL cruise and I’m looking at a MIA one.

 

It’s too far out for me to look at plane tickets for my specific dates but out of curiousity I just checked lyft because FLL and MIA look close.

 

Maybe I need to check on a weekend but right now from FLL to the port of Miami you can share at lyft for up to 2 people for $23 or get your own for up to 4 people for $33. No worse than going from MSY to the port of New Orleans. 

 

FLL is about 25 miles from the cruise port but no matter what transportation you take you can expect the ride to be at least 45 minutes and sometimes longer depending on traffic.  I have used SAS shuttle at $15 a person but Lyft sounds like a good option but I am sure the prices go up on Sat and Sunday going to the port.

 

[2wheelin]

We have used UBER in FLL going from hotel to the port. Starts out cheaper than a taxi and soon realized that while sitting in backed up traffic, taxi meter continues to run while car services have a flat rate no matter the traffic.

[jbethel11]

2 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

We have used UBER in FLL going from hotel to the port. Starts out cheaper than a taxi and soon realized that while sitting in backed up traffic, taxi meter continues to run while car services have a flat rate no matter the traffic.

Good tip! Did not realize it was a flat fee no matter what traffic!

[MsMistiS]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:34 PM, cocomango said:

 

Which is more important to you- the ship or the ports?   

 

We've been on Horizon and Magic and been to all the ports mentioned except for Amber Cove. 

 

For ships, Magic was my favorite, Horizon was my least favorite. It was too busy, felt like a mall inside.  Magic was just the right size and the atmosphere. We went on Magic twice and Dream once. I will probably not choose Horizon again (and have no interest in Vista).

 

For the ports, I'd prefer Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. 

 

 

 

 

This is a good question.  For me and since it’s my birthday cruise it should be all about me right lol, it’s most important we have good weather.  But since that is totally out of our hands I would say this time around it’s the ship.  We have been to Cozumel 4 times so i think we would just spend the day on the ship or in the port area if we choose Horizon.  Which means the additional cost of the newer ship is worth it since we will spend more time on it. We enjoy Grand Caymen a lot so it is fine that we have been there 3 times and Ocho Rios is new to us. 

[MsMistiS]

On 4/29/2019 at 12:42 PM, JaniceB said:

My PVP really wanted me to book to the Magic over the Horizon and for me FLL is much easier to get to than MIA.  I have to fly to FLL and take some form of transportation to MIA.  MIA from my area isn't affordable and not many fly there.

We will be flying in to FLL also.  It’s very expensive to do MIA.  I think we will just use Uber since that seems easy. 

[MsMistiS]

3 more things. 

 

How is the Piano Bar on Horizon?  I heard it’s pretty small.

 

Is the Pig and Anchor on Horizon similar to Red Frog on other ships?  We spent a lot of time at the Red Frog on Sunshine.  

 

How is Serenity on Horizon?  On Dream the hot tubs were always super crowded. 

[beachbum53]

On 4/26/2019 at 9:00 PM, MsMistiS said:

We are trying to choose our Jan. 2020 cruise.  We are trying to choose between 6 Days on Magic or Horizon.  Would love some feed back from those who have been on either or both. Here are the details. 

 

Horizon Spa Interior 6 day out of Miami

stops in Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. 

 

Magic Spa Interior 6 day out of Fort Lauderdale. 

Stops in Nassau, Amber Cove & Grand Turks

 

We have never been on a Vista class ship but have been to Cozumel & Grand Cayman several times. In contrast we have been on the Dream but have never been to Nassau or Amber Cove. What would your preference be and why? Also how are the spa amenities on each of the ships?  Is the Horizon much better?

 

 

Based on these two choices, I would choose the Magic. We've been on the Vista and did not like it. Since the Horizon is a sister ship to the Vista, we have zero interest in cruising on the Horizon. We have a cruise booked on the Magic coming up in about four weeks (can't wait!) and another booked on the Magic for next year. While the cruise terminal in FLL is nothing fancy, I like it much better than Miami. Less hectic and better organized for embarkation and debarkation. Also, if you're flying to the port city, FLL's airport is smaller and easier to navigate then Miami's airport. And, while Nassau isn't my most favorite port, I like that itinerary better than the other one on the Horizon.  Since we've never used the spa, I can't answer your question about the amenities. 

[bosoxfan5]

I've never sailed on the Horizon but my husband and I sailed on the Magic and loved it!  The layout was very good.  We sailed to Amber Cove and Grand Turk and I would go back again since it rained while we were in Amber Cove. 

[billfish]

3 minutes ago, beachbum53 said:

Based on these two choices, I would choose the Magic. We've been on the Vista and did not like it. Since the Horizon is a sister ship to the Vista, we have zero interest in cruising on the Horizon. We have a cruise booked on the Magic coming up in about four weeks (can't wait!) and another booked on the Magic for next year. While the cruise terminal in FLL is nothing fancy, I like it much better than Miami. Less hectic and better organized for embarkation and debarkation. Also, if you're flying to the port city, FLL's airport is smaller and easier to navigate then Miami's airport. And, while Nassau isn't my most favorite port, I like that itinerary better than the other one on the Horizon.  Since we've never used the spa, I can't answer your question about the amenities. 

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.   It's Magic

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, MsMistiS said:

3 more things. 

 

How is the Piano Bar on Horizon?  I heard it’s pretty small.

 

Is the Pig and Anchor on Horizon similar to Red Frog on other ships?  We spent a lot of time at the Red Frog on Sunshine.  

 

How is Serenity on Horizon?  On Dream the hot tubs were always super crowded. 

 

The piano bar on Horizon is on the smaller side like you mentioned.  It also opens later than on most ships because they use it to play music for the steakhouse during dinner hours. You can still go into the piano bar and listen to music with no lyrics, but it is nothing like the normal  atmosphere associated with a piano bar on Carnival. 

 

I am not a fan of the Pig and Anchor.  I like the Red Frog Pub with all the different games located thru out the pub. Nothing like that in the Pig and Anchor. 

 

As a a general rule hot tubs are always crowded on every ship during sea days. 

[buddylover]

We have been on both ships and classes and I would choose the Magic hands down.  The Horizon is a Vista Class ship and they are our very least favorite.....will NOT go on another.  The Vista Class crammed more cabins (thus MORE pax and MORE crowded), very poor layout with the Comedy lounge off a packed crowded hallway, the theater is an abomination multi-purpose room with flat main floor, pole obstructions,  unattached seats that move all over - just awful and difficult to see the stage from just about anywhere.  The Magic is a great ship with far better flow and much less crowded feeling, windows to see the ocean from promenade etc.....just our thoughts!!

[christyran1228]

I like to sail for the ports, not necessarily the ship ... so personally I would go on the Magic having done the Horizon's itinerary before. 

 

...although I just booked the Fascination for the ports and realized that the Fascination doesn't have movies under the stars...so, booo.

 

But then, I also liked the Breeze (Dream class) over the Vista (class).  🙂

 

 

 

[2wheelin]

Just off the Horizon and while I didn't necessarily check the hot tubs a lot, several times one of them would be empty with a few people in the other. I used it once with only 5 others there the whole time. The one on the other side was empty.

Haven't been on the Magic but Horizon felt much less crowded and was easier to navigate than the Dream class ships.

[SNJCruisers]

On 4/28/2019 at 11:27 AM, MsMistiS said:

I would much prefer that itinerary but our week off is set a year in advance so this is whats available for that week. That is why we are considering Magic.  It has a much better itinerary even though we didn’t love the Dream. 

You didn't love the Dream, but you're considering going on it's sister ship, the Magic?  Also, any itinerary with a stop in Nassau can never have a better itinerary compared to another cruise unless that cruise is going to Freeport.

With this being said, I would go on the Horizon, since I was on her last August out of NYC and will be on her again this August doing the Southern route out of MIA.

[PhillyFan33579]

40 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

You didn't love the Dream, but you're considering going on it's sister ship, the Magic?  Also, any itinerary with a stop in Nassau can never have a better itinerary compared to another cruise unless that cruise is going to Freeport.

With this being said, I would go on the Horizon, since I was on her last August out of NYC and will be on her again this August doing the Southern route out of MIA.

 

Interesting that someone should go on the Horizon because you were on her last August and going again on her this August.  I am a fan of attending shows, especially comedy shows, and the lounges on Vista class ships are way too small for the size of the ship. Of course if you don’t care about these shows, that eliminates a big negative on Vista and Horizon. 

[TNcruising02]

4 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Interesting that someone should go on the Horizon because you were on her last August and going again on her this August.  I am a fan of attending shows, especially comedy shows, and the lounges on Vista class ships are way too small for the size of the ship. Of course if you don’t care about these shows, that eliminates a big negative on Vista and Horizon. 

I agree.  I don't know if I went on a bad week or what, but the crowds on my Vista cruise were the worst from any of my cruises. My husband and I love to go to the comedy shows and Carnival does them best.  We always get in line early to get a good seat.  To get a good seat at the Vista shows, we had to line up earlier than we have ever had to line up because of the massive crowds.  Since the Vista theater has a terrible setup, we always had to show up extra early for theater shows to get a decent seat.  My husband said never again.  LOL.  I don't know what they were thinking when they designed the Vista theater.  I think more people dislike it than like it.  I agree that people who aren't interested in the shows would not be bothered by these negatives.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Interesting that someone should go on the Horizon because you were on her last August and going again on her this August.  I am a fan of attending shows, especially comedy shows, and the lounges on Vista class ships are way too small for the size of the ship. Of course if you don’t care about these shows, that eliminates a big negative on Vista and Horizon. 

I mentioned about my previous sailing on the Horizon to prove that I have first hand experience with one of the ships being discussed and I had such a positive experience on her I decided to book another cruise on her.  Some people post on here without first hand experience and I was just taking that assumption off the table.

I do enjoy going to the comedy shows, particularly the late night ones and always got in with no problem.  Regarding the multi-purpose main showroom, I was there 3 times over the course of the week.  For Quest, a different version of Love & Marriage hosted by John Heald and the Celestrial Strings show, which was fantastic.  The sight lines could have been better but all of the other positives on the ship, especially the Havana area and our experience at Alchemy and the piano bar easily eclipsed any of the negatives.

[cocomango]

On 5/1/2019 at 10:54 AM, MsMistiS said:

3 more things. 

 

How is the Piano Bar on Horizon?  I heard it’s pretty small.

 

Is the Pig and Anchor on Horizon similar to Red Frog on other ships?  We spent a lot of time at the Red Frog on Sunshine.  

 

How is Serenity on Horizon?  On Dream the hot tubs were always super crowded. 

 

I wouldn't say that the Piano Bar on Horizon was small. It's a square-shaped room with one door. It felt a bit uninviting to me. I love going to the Piano bar in any ship we are on.  We aren't drinkers so I really just want to be able to peek and enjoy without feeling like I need to buy a drink to stay. 

I loved the Piano bar on the Magic and how it was laid out. There was this chaise lounge where my husband and I were able to just hang out while enjoying watching the people sing along. The piano man during the last time we were on the Magic was the BEST one we've ever seen. No one has come close since. I remember his name was Brandon.  On the Magic, you can walk through the Piano bar since there were 2 doors. It was nice to just walk through and decide to stay if you liked the song. The schedule for the piano bar seemed to be better on the Magic too. We have 2 kids and they had a PG-rated time and an adults only time.  We did not see that on the Magic. 

 

The Pig and Anchor on Horizon was really nice- way better than Magic.  Lots of seats- both indoor and out. Of course there's the brewery on Horizon if that's important to you.  The Pig and Anchor looked really popular at night. I'd say yes, it kinda remembered the look and feel of Red Frog. 

 

We didn't spend time at Serenity but did go to get the salad bar during lunch-- that was really, really nice. My husband just wanted some simple, raw veggies (unlike the over dressed salads at the buffet) so we trekked to Serenity to get our salads. Lots of options with toppings. It was exactly what he wanted. I have not seen that kind of set up in other ships (but we could have also just not have known- so thank you to the poster who posted pictures of the Serenity salad bar here).  On the times that we looked around, the hot tubs didn't seem crowded. 

 

One thing I really missed was they didn't have the Q & A on the last sea day. That has been my favorite event. Horizon did not have it! 

 

 

[jbethel11]

3 hours ago, cocomango said:

The Pig and Anchor on Horizon was really nice- way better than Magic.  Lots of seats- both indoor and out. Of course there's the brewery on Horizon if that's important to you.  The Pig and Anchor looked really popular at night. I'd say yes, it kinda remembered the look and feel of Red Frog. 

Would you say the Pig and Anchor barbeque was also better on the Horizon? When I was on the Horizon, I had no idea that there even was a barbeque, so I missed that opportunity!

[cocomango]

On 5/5/2019 at 2:51 PM, jbethel11 said:

Would you say the Pig and Anchor barbeque was also better on the Horizon? When I was on the Horizon, I had no idea that there even was a barbeque, so I missed that opportunity!

 

The food was more or less the same in both ships but in Magic, there was a long line to get your food and it was so hard find a seat. Plus, you have to get drinks at the bar which wasn't convenient.  On Horizon, there was plenty of seating and they had a water dispenser conveniently located. Just makes a difference in the dining experience.