HORIZON MAY 18-26 2019

[CheckersMidwest]

We took salsa dance lessons and spent a lot of time in the Havana Bar dancing at night. It was so fun. The music was great too.

 

This was the last sea day. My husband went to the IMAX and watch the new Avengers movie. Daughter & I tried out the Thrill Theater. It was fun. We also went up to the Sportsquare, she did the Sky Course and we did a little shopping. I didn't buy much at the shops onboard, just didn't appeal to me this cruise. Not interested in Victoria's secret or Invicta watches onboard. I missed the simple jewelry stores. They did have the $10 tshirts sale at 10:00 am.

 

We went to the Dr Seuss Brunch. It was $5 each. Food not fabulous but it was fun.We work with kids so this was fun. I've had my photo taken with Thing 1 & 2 and Sam I Am previously and really wanted The Cat In The Hat. The kids think I am so cool because "I know them".

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

For lunch, we tried to go to the Italian place but there was an hour wait and we wanted to get into the Thrill Theater. We went to the lido instead. I did have sushi twice from Bonsai place. I got it to go and ate it back on our cabana. I also had a taco salad one day from the Blue Iguana.

 

Here are SKy Course photos........

[sausimayok]

What a great review, thanks!  I’m glad you mentioned being afraid of heights and still taking on the Skyride, I’ll do it for sure! 😀 

[CheckersMidwest]

Oh yes ! Do it. It was fun. That first turn coming out of the 'gate' and you're out in the open was an OMG moment but after that it was great !

[CheckersMidwest]

Pictures of the Thrill Theater.....

[CheckersMidwest]

Random ship photos.....

 

Atrium 'funnel' - it's been a topic of controversy on here but I loved it.

 

Art in the stairwells is all 'tile' photos now. Hard to get pictures of them without glare. I liked them.

 

The Seafood Shack. Daughter had the Lobster Roll twice and crab legs once. Takes a few minutes but they make it fresh. Extra charge but much cheaper than we can get seafood at home.

 

The Library seemed to be a popular place but I didn't know why. 🙂  On the last day wandering around, we found this self serve wine machine there ! Very cool.

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Time to get off the ship. We were staying in Miami for the day, flights home were cheaper and at better times tomorrow. Didn't think about it being Sunday and stuff opening a little later.

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami across the street from Bayside. We've stayed here before. We used Uber to go/to from places in Miami.

 

We hung out at the hotel for awhile then walked over to Bayside. We had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe then went to South Beach.

 

They were having a Memorial Day air show on South Beach. We wandered around awhile and watched, shopped, walked up/down the street.

 

Back to Bayside for dinner - Bubba Gump's Shrimp .

 

Repack the suitcases so the purchased alcohol and other liquids are where they need to be. Off to the airport.....and the suitcases are too heavy. Unpack/repack and we're off to KC.

 

Pictures of Bayside:  Great place to walk around & shop, see marina & boats, lots of restaurants. Music at night.

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Hard Rock photos:

[CheckersMidwest]

South Beach and some of the air show:

[CheckersMidwest]

Here are some random photos from Aruba - the food stand/bar at Sunshine Beach. They were at the end of my photos . I used a Canon powershot, Olympus Tough, and my iphone, so they're uploaded to my computer in mixed order.

 

They bring your bill out in a cigar box. Probably so it won't blow away but cool. We ordered a pizza and a combo appetizer , which was really good. They have Pepsi here 🙂 - doesn't quite taste the same but close.  There was a blue lizard in the rocks too.

[CheckersMidwest]

And just like that, vacation is over.

 

Some notes:  Our daughter was quite lucky (for us non gamblers) in the casino. One night she won $70 and another $180 on the slots. As usual, I lost every penny. My husband played blackjack most of the time and I think broke even in the end. He usually plays roulette but it was all over the place & he knew to stay away. Casino was usually busy.

 

For the first time, I found a hidden rubber duck. 🙂 From Gail. It was in the bonsai tree at the podium of the Sushi restaurant. It seemed to be a thing this cruise. Lots of people on our facebook group participated and brought them. This is the only one I saw the whole time.

 

The shows in the lounge were different than the other ships. A lot of choreography, elaborate costumes, etc. Very good. However, I didn't enjoy them as much because for the most part, I didn't know the songs. I like to sing along. Something familiar.

 

The Electric White party was in the Atrium. They utilize this area a lot more on this ship than I'm use too. It's crowded but very energetic. They drop balloons at the end.

 

80's deck party was great. Some people were in costume. Lots of dancing, great music, and fun. Don't miss this !

 

There were several craft sessions.....beads, cross stitch (I laid mine down on a table when the latin dance class started & someone took it. 😞 )  and some other stuff. I didn't attend but saw it regularly even when it wasn't in the fun times.

 

The Piano Bar was also fun as usual. It is next door to the steakhouse, in the early evening, they open the partition between the two and a guy plays classical piano music while you eat.

 

I didn't go to a comedy show this time. (Weird - always been on the other ships) Also did not attend karaoke. Something we usually do.

 

The Cuban Ice Tea at the Havana Bar will kick your a**. It goes down really smooth but has a lot of alcohol. 🙂 You should try it.

 

If you don't know how to line dance or salsa dance - watch youtube videos before you come . It 's a lot of fun & you don't want to miss out.

 

Remember - WATCH the elevator how to video on youtube. Do it.

 

Next up: Dream September 2019

 

Any questions?

[cidymom]

Great photo review!  I've been debating back and forth about whether to book Horizon.  Love the 8-day itinerary.  This is swaying me to go for it.  Question: what is the cost for the Thrill Theatre?  Thanks.

[DB2VA]

On 6/1/2019 at 12:11 AM, CheckersMidwest said:

Here we go.....

 

[DB2VA]

On 6/1/2019 at 12:11 AM, CheckersMidwest said:

Here we go.....

I'm surprised to see prices on the Pig and Anchor, I thought it was just a regular choice. 

[CheckersMidwest]

The Pig & Anchor is FREE for lunch but then a charge for dinner. Just like the Italian place. 🙂

 

Thrill Theater was $6.50 I think. There are 3 levels and we did level 2.

[pit NJ]

I noticed in your pictures (Great, thank you) that your Havana balcony photos showed the swing chair.  When did they put those back?   We sailed last August and they had been removed for "Safety" reasons. My family was excited when I told them that your pictures showed them.  We sail again on the Horizon July 7th. Thank you again for your review.

[smurfm69]

On 6/1/2019 at 7:38 PM, CheckersMidwest said:

First port of call: GRAND TURK

 

We've been here before. My daughter & I booked the Segway tour through Carnival. My husband said his balance was too questionable and didn't want to risk it. We went early, 7:30 I think. You have to wear a helmet and I thought early morning would be cooler. This was SO much fun ! They take you one at a time for a quick lesson. You turn....go straight....up an incline....in the sand....on pavement.....down the ramp....and stop. At first it's really tricky but you get the hang of it quick. The longer you ride, the easier it gets. We rode in a single file line....down a one way street first. Crossed a street and rode in the sand awhile. We stopped twice for our legs/feet to rest. My toes & ball of my foot tingled. We drove past salt ponds and stopped again at an old church. Finally we drove on a regular street with traffic and back to the dive shop where we started. I'd do it again.

 

We went back to the ship, changed into swimwear and met my husband. We went back ashore to the beach for awhile and then did some quick shopping at the port.

 

We did Segways in San Juan and agree they are easy and a lot of fun to drive.  Might consider this on future stops in GT.

[smurfm69]

 Great review!  I feel like I was there on the ship with y'all.  Oh wait, we were. Lol  What a great surprise to cruise with you guys again.  We are planning an Alaskan cruise in the beginning of June 2021.  Can I twist your arm to have y'all on that one too?  Lol

 Great job on organizing and posting info on the tour in La Romana with Seavis Tours.  Looks like some other people weren't too crazy about this port so we definitely picked the right excursion!

[DebOinKC]

Great review & great pictures! I REALLY want to do this itinerary, some day it will happen.

 

P.S. I'm also from the KC area 🙂 

[ciera123]

I really enjoyed your review - thank you! We are on the Horizon September 7, and we’re also from the KC area. 😊

[debrasdream]

Great review! We will be on this cruise Dec. 14 - we are also from KC.

[CheckersMidwest]

There you have it. Landlocked Missouri people can't wait to get away to the ocean. 🙂

 

Havana Swing: I have no idea when they put them back. But I used it A lOT.

 

Jerry: I'd go to Alaska again. This time, we'd take the kids. Our son is a Wildlife Biologist and the whole time we were there we constantly talked about how much he'd love it.  We went to Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Tracy Arm Fjord. Message me if you have any questions! We spent some time in Seattle too precruise.

[crucero]

Is the room you had called a Havana Cabana or is it just balcony in the Havana area? I would love to have that much space on my balcony. My favorite activity on a sea day is to relax on a lounger in the shade and read. I will have to wait a bit though as my youngest is 9.5. 🤪

 

Thanks for the review!

[CheckersMidwest]

It was a "Havana Cabana". Within the Havana Area of the ship are all kinds of rooms....interior, balcony , suites, etc . The kind of patio we had is a Cabana. You could go out the gate & walk down to the pool. It was great !

[lasvegascruising]

Just want to drop a note to CheckersMidwest, what a great review.  Perfect balance of pictures and story.  I really enjoyed it.