Deciding between Horizon and Sunrise plus Family Harbor questions?

[5lilfish]

Me, my husband and our youngest 2 kids (twins..12 yrs old) are looking to cruise over President's week.  We are deciding between the Horizon and Sunrise.  The itineraries are basically the same except the Horizon has an extra day with a stop in Cozumel.  We have been to all the ports on this itinerary.  The only amenity that Horizon has over Sunrise, that we think we might enjoy/miss is the Imax theater.  My concern...the big size/crowd on Horizon.  I know a bigger ship can spread people out but that won't help on the ropes course, the pool, etc.  Will the 1000 extra people be a big negative impact or pest for our girls when they try to do things...or for any of us?  Especially over a school break...more kids.  What else might we miss on the Horizon?  Thoughts?  Pros/Cons?  Thanks...

 

Also, the Family Harbor room/lounge is new to us.  Is it worth a couple hundred extra?  What does it offer?

 

Thank you...

Jess

 

 

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, 5lilfish said:

Me, my husband and our youngest 2 kids (twins..12 yrs old) are looking to cruise over President's week.  We are deciding between the Horizon and Sunrise.  The itineraries are basically the same except the Horizon has an extra day with a stop in Cozumel.  We have been to all the ports on this itinerary.  The only amenity that Horizon has over Sunrise, that we think we might enjoy/miss is the Imax theater.  My concern...the big size/crowd on Horizon.  I know a bigger ship can spread people out but that won't help on the ropes course, the pool, etc.  Will the 1000 extra people be a big negative impact or pest for our girls when they try to do things...or for any of us?  Especially over a school break...more kids.  What else might we miss on the Horizon?  Thoughts?  Pros/Cons?  Thanks...

 

Also, the Family Harbor room/lounge is new to us.  Is it worth a couple hundred extra?  What does it offer?

 

Thank you...

Jess

 

 

Tough call, they are two excellent ships. I have been on the Horizon in June of 2018 and it was jam-packed. However, it wasn't really wasn't a problem until embarkation and disembarkation. With all of the open space available on the Lanai Promenade, there was no problem with lounging since the lanai had four pairs of comfortable clamshell beds on the vestibules that protruded between the lifeboats. However, the Sunrise, although lacking this feature would not need it as the smaller crowd doesn't justify more outdoor space. If I had to choose, I would go with the Horizon again as the SkyRide was closed during my sailing. 

[SNJCruisers]

The Sunrise is a recently renovated ship and you're comparing it to the newest built ship in the fleet.  Since your girls are 12, you would be eligible to stay in the Havana area on the Horizon which is totally worth the extra money since you practically have your own pool and hot tub.  Plus the extra amenties for your girls to enjoy make it an easy choice.  Your only problem may be available space in the Havana area because you're locked into a popular week.

[carolinagirl530]

We were just having the same debate and ended up booking sunrise. The main reason was because we did Vista two Presidents’ Day breaks ago and my husband felt it would be an exact repeat of the prior vacation. Having said that, we all thoroughly enjoyed Vista. We did family harbor and it was tremendously helpful for our kids who were 2, 7 and 9 at the time. With 12 year olds I probably wouldn’t bother. I would love to try Havana if that is an option. Don’t worry about skyride too much. You can easily find time without lines (early morning or port day) and that basically amounted to half an hour of the cruise. We all enjoyed it, but only did it once. 

Its rough when you are bound to a school break week. We would have done Horizon if the itinerary had been different. We are booked on Mardi Gras for 2021, so I’m looking at 2020 as just a quick getaway. 

[ddloml]

7 hours ago, carolinagirl530 said:

 Don’t worry about skyride too much. You can easily find time without lines (early morning or port day) and that basically amounted to half an hour of the cruise. We all enjoyed it, but only did it once. 

 

The Skyride and Ropes course on Horizon were open when the ship was at sea.  When docked, these activities were closed.  We had a late morning arrival in Cozumel, so they did open them that morning at 9:00 for a couple of hours - that was when we tried them out because there were very short lines.  They were fun activities, but not worth waiting for more than 20 minutes to ride.

[5lilfish]

Thank you, All.  We booked the Horizon today.  It was just such a great deal....couldn't pass it up.  I'm sure we will have a great time.

 

Jess

[jbethel11]

9 hours ago, 5lilfish said:

Thank you, All.  We booked the Horizon today.  It was just such a great deal....couldn't pass it up.  I'm sure we will have a great time.

 

Jess

You will enjoy it! Trust me, one of my best cruises so far and it was only a 4-Day! Have a blast!

[AAAAmerican]

We have cruised on both new. Each does have attributes the other lacks too.

 

Now, on Family Harbor/Harbour it is a wonderful area for children as well adults.

 

I do wish many more Carnival and the sibling lines use this wonderful area more now.

 

It makes the ship so much better!