August 10th Horizon Trip Report

[chrislo]

My family and I just returned from an amazing trip on the August 10th sailing of the Horizon.  We sailed to La Romana, Grand Turk, Curacao and Aruba.  This was our 3rd time doing this itinerary but we still found something new to enjoy. 

The reviews for the Horizon in the months leading up to this trip were not very positive with many complaints about overcrowding and poor food quality.  We did not experience any of this.  Our only small issue was temperature.  Our cabin (Spa cabin 12218) was very warm but I was prepared with 2 small fans which helped circulate the air in our cabin.

We had faster to the fun and arrived at the port around noon.  Check in was fast and we were in our room within 15 minutes.  The longest part was walking up the gangway, it felt like it went on forever.  This was our first spa cabin and while we didn’t really use the spa facilities we though the cabin seemed bigger than the regular balcony cabins.  We also loved the location.  We had the 1st cabin nearest the door to deck 12 waterworks.  Our hallway was empty except for people staying in one of the cabins near us.  During the day you could hear banging from kids running around outside but with the exception of 1 night it was quiet. 

We did not eat any of our meals at the Lido buffet, so I can’t comment on that.  We had reservations for the steakhouse 2 nights and we were never disappointed.  I had risotto and lobster both nights while my son and husband got the filet mignion.    For appetizer my husband had the lobster bisque which he said was good and the bone marrow which he thought was outstanding.  We also had JiJi’s 2 nights and as always the food was good and way more than we could eat.  The other nights we ate in the main dining room.  We had YTD and used the Hub app to make our reservations.  No matter what time we ate a table was ready before we could even walk there from our cabin.  No complaints on the food or service.

For our first stop La Romona in the Dominican Republic we did a Carnival excursion Catalina Island Beach Break.  With all of the trouble in the DR lately we thought it best to stick with a Carnival excursion and we brought a cooler with us filled with water.  I filled 2 zip lock bags with ice and that kept our drinks cold during the day.  We had use of free chairs and an umbrella and the beach was very clean with crystal clear water.  There were the usually vendors selling shirts and other souvenirs but they weren’t pushy.

In Grand Turk we did the Carnival excursion Underwater Power Scooter, Beach Break and Lunch.  We did this last year and had so much fun we decided to do it again this year.  While it was still fun we just didn’t enjoy it as much, maybe the novelty of the power scooter wore off.  Next year we will try something new but if you haven’t done the power scooters I highly recommend you give them a try.

Up next was Curacao.  This is our favorite stop and the 3rd time we are visiting here.  Since we knew what we wanted to do here we rented a car from Advance Carrental for $75 which included all insurance, unlimited mileage, GPS and a phone if we got lost or wanted to return the car early.  We picked up our car right outside the port gate and set off for our favorite beach Playa Jeremi.  This is small local beach with no amenities but some of the clearest water with great snorkeling and no crowds.  We spent a few hours in the water before deciding to head back to the ship.  On our way back we decided to stop and check out another beach Playa Porto Mari.  This beach had chairs, umbrellas and a restaurant with food and drinks but the best part was the wild pigs that wandered the beach.  Since I can’t resist the change to pet some pigs we stopped here for another hour before finally getting back on board the ship at 7:30.

After such an active day we decided to spend a relaxing day at the beach in Aruba.  We took a taxi to Palm Beach this year after visiting Eagle Beach the last 2 times.  It was nice but I think we will stick with Eagle beach just because it is closer to the ship.  We rented 3 chairs and a small umbrella for $55 dollars and set up to relax.  Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were there and since we were still tired from the last 3 days of activity we decided to just head back to the ship and relax there.

We spent our last 2 days relaxing on deck 11 overlooking the main pool.  Overall, the Horizon was our favorite ship.

[plunker]

49 minutes ago, chrislo said:

My family and I just returned from an amazing trip on the August 10th sailing of the Horizon.  We sailed to La Romana, Grand Turk, Curacao and Aruba.  This was our 3rd time doing this itinerary but we still found something new to enjoy. 

The reviews for the Horizon in the months leading up to this trip were not very positive with many complaints about overcrowding and poor food quality.  We did not experience any of this.  Our only small issue was temperature.  Our cabin (Spa cabin 12218) was very warm but I was prepared with 2 small fans which helped circulate the air in our cabin.

We had faster to the fun and arrived at the port around noon.  Check in was fast and we were in our room within 15 minutes.  The longest part was walking up the gangway, it felt like it went on forever.  This was our first spa cabin and while we didn’t really use the spa facilities we though the cabin seemed bigger than the regular balcony cabins.  We also loved the location.  We had the 1st cabin nearest the door to deck 12 waterworks.  Our hallway was empty except for people staying in one of the cabins near us.  During the day you could hear banging from kids running around outside but with the exception of 1 night it was quiet. 

We did not eat any of our meals at the Lido buffet, so I can’t comment on that.  We had reservations for the steakhouse 2 nights and we were never disappointed.  I had risotto and lobster both nights while my son and husband got the filet mignion.    For appetizer my husband had the lobster bisque which he said was good and the bone marrow which he thought was outstanding.  We also had JiJi’s 2 nights and as always the food was good and way more than we could eat.  The other nights we ate in the main dining room.  We had YTD and used the Hub app to make our reservations.  No matter what time we ate a table was ready before we could even walk there from our cabin.  No complaints on the food or service.

For our first stop La Romona in the Dominican Republic we did a Carnival excursion Catalina Island Beach Break.  With all of the trouble in the DR lately we thought it best to stick with a Carnival excursion and we brought a cooler with us filled with water.  I filled 2 zip lock bags with ice and that kept our drinks cold during the day.  We had use of free chairs and an umbrella and the beach was very clean with crystal clear water.  There were the usually vendors selling shirts and other souvenirs but they weren’t pushy.

In Grand Turk we did the Carnival excursion Underwater Power Scooter, Beach Break and Lunch.  We did this last year and had so much fun we decided to do it again this year.  While it was still fun we just didn’t enjoy it as much, maybe the novelty of the power scooter wore off.  Next year we will try something new but if you haven’t done the power scooters I highly recommend you give them a try.

Up next was Curacao.  This is our favorite stop and the 3rd time we are visiting here.  Since we knew what we wanted to do here we rented a car from Advance Carrental for $75 which included all insurance, unlimited mileage, GPS and a phone if we got lost or wanted to return the car early.  We picked up our car right outside the port gate and set off for our favorite beach Playa Jeremi.  This is small local beach with no amenities but some of the clearest water with great snorkeling and no crowds.  We spent a few hours in the water before deciding to head back to the ship.  On our way back we decided to stop and check out another beach Playa Porto Mari.  This beach had chairs, umbrellas and a restaurant with food and drinks but the best part was the wild pigs that wandered the beach.  Since I can’t resist the change to pet some pigs we stopped here for another hour before finally getting back on board the ship at 7:30.

After such an active day we decided to spend a relaxing day at the beach in Aruba.  We took a taxi to Palm Beach this year after visiting Eagle Beach the last 2 times.  It was nice but I think we will stick with Eagle beach just because it is closer to the ship.  We rented 3 chairs and a small umbrella for $55 dollars and set up to relax.  Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were there and since we were still tired from the last 3 days of activity we decided to just head back to the ship and relax there.

We spent our last 2 days relaxing on deck 11 overlooking the main pool.  Overall, the Horizon was our favorite ship.

Did they have movies by the pool every nigjt?

[chrislo]

Yes, they offered 2 movies a night by the pool.  The early one was always family friendly.

[plunker]

What about the tv stations in the room?  We're there any free movies to watch?

[Bagbklyn]

Yes, there were free movies in the room on the TV

[Bagbklyn]

On 8/21/2019 at 10:47 AM, chrislo said:

My family and I just returned from an amazing trip on the August 10th sailing of the Horizon.  We sailed to La Romana, Grand Turk, Curacao and Aruba.  This was our 3rd time doing this itinerary but we still found something new to enjoy. 

The reviews for the Horizon in the months leading up to this trip were not very positive with many complaints about overcrowding and poor food quality.  We did not experience any of this.  Our only small issue was temperature.  Our cabin (Spa cabin 12218) was very warm but I was prepared with 2 small fans which helped circulate the air in our cabin.

We had faster to the fun and arrived at the port around noon.  Check in was fast and we were in our room within 15 minutes.  The longest part was walking up the gangway, it felt like it went on forever.  This was our first spa cabin and while we didn’t really use the spa facilities we though the cabin seemed bigger than the regular balcony cabins.  We also loved the location.  We had the 1st cabin nearest the door to deck 12 waterworks.  Our hallway was empty except for people staying in one of the cabins near us.  During the day you could hear banging from kids running around outside but with the exception of 1 night it was quiet. 

We did not eat any of our meals at the Lido buffet, so I can’t comment on that.  We had reservations for the steakhouse 2 nights and we were never disappointed.  I had risotto and lobster both nights while my son and husband got the filet mignion.    For appetizer my husband had the lobster bisque which he said was good and the bone marrow which he thought was outstanding.  We also had JiJi’s 2 nights and as always the food was good and way more than we could eat.  The other nights we ate in the main dining room.  We had YTD and used the Hub app to make our reservations.  No matter what time we ate a table was ready before we could even walk there from our cabin.  No complaints on the food or service.

For our first stop La Romona in the Dominican Republic we did a Carnival excursion Catalina Island Beach Break.  With all of the trouble in the DR lately we thought it best to stick with a Carnival excursion and we brought a cooler with us filled with water.  I filled 2 zip lock bags with ice and that kept our drinks cold during the day.  We had use of free chairs and an umbrella and the beach was very clean with crystal clear water.  There were the usually vendors selling shirts and other souvenirs but they weren’t pushy.

In Grand Turk we did the Carnival excursion Underwater Power Scooter, Beach Break and Lunch.  We did this last year and had so much fun we decided to do it again this year.  While it was still fun we just didn’t enjoy it as much, maybe the novelty of the power scooter wore off.  Next year we will try something new but if you haven’t done the power scooters I highly recommend you give them a try.

Up next was Curacao.  This is our favorite stop and the 3rd time we are visiting here.  Since we knew what we wanted to do here we rented a car from Advance Carrental for $75 which included all insurance, unlimited mileage, GPS and a phone if we got lost or wanted to return the car early.  We picked up our car right outside the port gate and set off for our favorite beach Playa Jeremi.  This is small local beach with no amenities but some of the clearest water with great snorkeling and no crowds.  We spent a few hours in the water before deciding to head back to the ship.  On our way back we decided to stop and check out another beach Playa Porto Mari.  This beach had chairs, umbrellas and a restaurant with food and drinks but the best part was the wild pigs that wandered the beach.  Since I can’t resist the change to pet some pigs we stopped here for another hour before finally getting back on board the ship at 7:30.

After such an active day we decided to spend a relaxing day at the beach in Aruba.  We took a taxi to Palm Beach this year after visiting Eagle Beach the last 2 times.  It was nice but I think we will stick with Eagle beach just because it is closer to the ship.  We rented 3 chairs and a small umbrella for $55 dollars and set up to relax.  Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were there and since we were still tired from the last 3 days of activity we decided to just head back to the ship and relax there.

We spent our last 2 days relaxing on deck 11 overlooking the main pool.  Overall, the Horizon was our favorite ship.

 

We were on the same cruise and enjoyed it very much.  I think you summed it up pretty nicely.  I have taken multiple Carnival ships in the past and the reviews had me a little skeptical.  The food was great and the ship made me love Carnival again.  I feel I can recommend Carnival Horizon with no hesitation.  Cruise director Mike was great. Staff assisted me when I was trying to carry multiple cups for my family.  There weren't long lines in the lido deck.  I think by having the same food at different buffet stations helps tremendously.  In the Aft portion of the buffet is it slightly different but not by a lot.  It was truly a great cruise!!!