Comin’ at you LIVE from Horizon 3/7-3/15

[Organized Chaos]

Alright, folks, let's wrap this puppy up with some final thoughts.

 

Embarkation: Quick & fairly painless, but very frustrating at one point. We had cash S&S accounts set up, so they forced us to visit Guest Services in the terminal, even though they were already funded with Cruise Cash. I wasn't happy about that. I tried to get out of it by explaining to the woman who checked us in, but she marked our boarding passes with a highlighter to signify we had cash accounts and needed to go the GS. Then I tried telling the woman who was directing people to either GS or their waiting area, but since our boarding passes were marked, she made us go to GS. The guy my son went to noticed the Cruise Cash on his account and stamped his boarding pass right away. The woman I got didn't seem to understand what Cruise Cash was, acted like she couldn't see it on my account, and finally just gave up, stamped my boarding pass, and told me to visit GS on the ship. That's the second cruise in a row that they wouldn't let us handle our own business once we got on board the ship. It also happened in Dec. in NOLA.

 

Internet: I purchased the Premium plan because I had read about how great it was aboard Horizon and thought if I got board now & again, I could watch some YouTube. On embarkation day, the Hub app was working, but internet service was not. I finally went to Guest Services that evening and she told me they were having trouble with the satellite, that some of their systems were also down, like their ATM & others, and that if it continued, they'd look at issuing partial refunds. I could've pushed for compensation considering we barely had use of internet for most of the day, but I'm not the type to cause a big stink and I let it play out. The Hub app was working and I was using that more than anything at that point. Overall, I was quite disappointed with the speed of the Premium plan. We were on the Valor in Dec. and my Value plan was just as fast. Not to mention, my son's friend got the Value plan on this cruise and was able to stream YouTube. It took a few seconds for his videos to load, but it worked. I don't know how often he used it, so I don't know how well his videos played. I should've just gotten the Value plan and saved the money. At some point overnight on night 6 or 7, we got logged out of our plans. The next day, none of us could get online, and it seemed to be a widespread issue. Members of our group had trouble and I also overheard others on the ship talking about it. Being a tech savvy guy, I knew what steps to take to troubleshoot the problem and discovered we had been logged out. Once we logged back in, it worked again. But I'm sure there were plenty of others who didn't realize this. I didn't use the Hub chat, but everyone else in my  group did and it was pretty reliable.

 

I wasn't able to add funds to our S&S accounts using gift cards at the kiosk. It got to the point where I'd choose the amount to add, but wouldn't register when I tried to enter the amount. Had to go to Guest Services. On Horizon, only one of the kiosks (deck 5) is able to take cash to add to your S&S. It's also the only one that can dispense cash if you want to withdraw.

 

The SkyRide and ropes course were fun. I did the ropes course twice, making sure to take a route I didn't do the first time. After that, I was kind of over it. I only did the SkyRide once. I wanted to do it again, but just didn't make a big enough effort to go up there, and when I did, the line was long.

 

I touched on it before, but I didn't like the location of all the smoking decks on Horizon, and the fact that there were more of them. I mean no offense to any smokers who might read this, but it is unpleasant for us non-smokers. The worst location, in my opinion, is deck 11 starboard aft. We like to stand on the aft decks and look out, but I'm not going to do it in a cloud of smoke & stink. The crescent-moon design of deck 11 aft is such that you can't really avoid it. We weren't Havana, so we couldn't go there. The only other place is deck 10 aft, behind the Tides pool, but during the day, nearly all of that empty space is filled with loungers. I was able to stand there and watch us back into La Romana, but only because they hadn't set out the loungers yet. Smokers also have deck 11 starboard side overlooking the pool. Again, a very common area for people to walk through. Then there's another area out on the deck 5 Lanai, starboard side forward. That one was pretty easy to avoid, but we did find it while making our way to one of the forward observation decks. We were making our way from aft to forward and thanks to the forward position of that smoking area, the smoke could be smelled for quite a long ways towards the aft.

 

Another subject I touched on was trivia held in Ocean Plaza. Aboard older ships, when held in the Lobby with limited seating, trivia doesn't tend to fill up much. People don't like to stand. But since Ocean Plaza has a lot of seating, I think that attracted more people to play. More people means the greater likelihood of cheaters. We caught one woman red-handed on two separate occasions. We were playing "3 strikes," meaning you get a strike for a wrong answer and you're out if you get three. We wrote our answers on dry-erase paddles and held them up. My wife had noticed that this woman had gotten one wrong, but when the Fun Squad member came around asking how many strikes each player had, she said zero. Despite her cheating efforts, she still lost that game, so she made sure not to lose the next one. The next one was just regular trivia and she was looking up answers on her phone to make sure she won, which she did. I love playing trivia, but the cheaters ruin it for me and the Fun Squad hosts rarely care. The ones on Horizon did tell often people not to cheat, but never took any actions to prevent it or stop the ones doing it.

 

Food and MDR: I feel like the overall food quality on Carnival is declining. I know Guy's is hotly debated on CC, but I've always liked it. Heck, in the beginning, I loved it. But it's quality seems to decline with every cruise we take. I had it three times on Horizon and I couldn't even finish my last one. The fries were pretty bad, too. More than one person in our group agreed with that. I did enjoy the Pasta Bar, albeit it was kind of bland, but still pretty good.

 

We used to love dining in the MDR, but it's losing its luster for me. The food is now just fairly average food and many portions are getting smaller & smaller. The cuts in wait staff mean our waiters are no longer as fun & personable as they used to be, with the exception of a few once in a while. That, along with food we loved, was what attracted us to the MDR so much. We had a group of 10 total, but usually dined with 6-8 of us. We were YTD, so dined in the aft (Meridian) MDR. On three or four occasions, checking in with the Hub app, they got our table wrong. They'd try to seat us as a table with one or two less chairs than we needed. How hard is it to count to eight? When we'd tell them, they'd want to add chairs to that particular table and squeeze us in, but we'd have to tell them there just wasn't enough room. The girl seating us never knew what to do and the hostess often looked like she was annoyed by us, but it wasn't our fault they couldn't count. She wasn't very friendly at all. And we ALWAYS got stuck way back in a dark corner when there were big tables available all over the place. When the waiters did their little dancing routine, we'd hardly get to see it because they'd all be doing it elsewhere. For one member of our group, they would forget to bring some of his appetizers on at least three of the nights. These waiters now have way too many tables to tend to and despite how good they are at their jobs, they can only do so much. Carnival needs to pry open their coffers, fork over some of those record profits they report year after year, and bring back more waiters.

 

Our muster station was the other MDR, Reflections, so we were only in there once. Why in the world did they think it was a good idea to design a main dining room with giant windows that look out at the lifeboats? That's downright ridiculous.

 

We only at at the Serenity salad bar one time, but it was good. The salads are much larger than I expected. I thought the ranch dressing was great, but I wish I had asked for more of it. They used it sparingly.

 

Elevators: I don't hate the new(ish) elevator system. Having read up on how to use them, I was already aware, but there was obviously a wicked learning curve for those who didn't understand. I think the people who were using them wrong were the ones who made them worse than they actually are. I oftentimes found myself stopping at decks with no one there because those people either got tired of waiting, or got onto another car when they shouldn't have. There were many times it did feel like I waited longer for one to arrive than with the old system, but as it's designed, that car is then supposed to get you to your destination quicker. Oftentimes it did. They got better as the cruise went along and people started figuring them out, but there were those, even late into the cruise, who still didn't understand the concept. I often found myself on the same elevator as someone who was griping about the system, clearly not understanding how they're supposed to work. If we only had to go up or down a deck or two, we often just took the stairs and didn't even bother trying to get an elevator. I mentioned this before, but the interface screen is painfully slow. There has to be ways to speed that process up. Instead of hitting a deck multiple times for multiple people, maybe choose a deck number then choose the number of people on the next screen. When we had 4, 6, or 8 people in our group, waiting for the screen to refresh and get back to letting us hit the deck number again was a major pain! Overall, I don't think it's a terrible system. Both the old and new are slow at times and fast at other times. I did miss the glass elevators, though.

 

Crowded feeling: Here's the big one. The one that had me wondering if cruising on the Horizon was worth it or not. User Gettys84's live review back in April of last year helped ease some of my concerns. His reports & pictures made it feel like it wasn't as bad as some people said. How do I feel? No, it's not as bad as I imagined, but there are times & places where crowding is bad. I don't sit around the pool, so crowding there doesn't affect me. With the bad weather we had the first few days, it wasn't even an issue outside. The buffet stations never felt overly crowded and I was always able to find a seat...some times were easier than others. The pizza line was often long at night when everything else closed, but it's like that on other ships too. The most I ever had to wait for pizza was 10-15 minutes. Usually around 5 minutes. On sea days, the crowds obviously got worse, depending on where we were.

 

I think the new design of the Liquid Lounge and Limelight Lounge are terrible. We missed the semi-circular booths in the comedy clubs on Conquest class ships. If you had a group of people with you in the comedy club, the seating design just wasn't appealing for that. Rows of chairs & long couches. Those aren't good for groups to sit and chat with one another. I also didn't like having to show up 30 minutes, or more, early just to try to get a good seat, all thanks to a poorly designed room. I don't know what Carnival was thinking when they designed two of the most popular venues on the ships.

 

Debarkation: We had FTTF and chose to do Express Debark (self-assist), so we had the option to go to the MDR at 7:15am. Our shuttle wasn't due to arrive until 9am, so first we decided to just go when they started calling the decks for self-assist at 7:45. After mulling it over for a while, we decided we didn't want to fight the massive wave of people trying to get elevators because we've had very bad experiences with that. In our experience, people become crazed animals on debarkation day when they want off the ship. So we decided to go down around 7:30 before the elevator bays filled up. I'm one for following the rules laid out for us, but we did have FTTF, so we were allowed to go early. We went to the MDR and, by then, the line was moving steadily off the ship. The smoothest debarkation we've ever experienced.

 

It was so strange coming back to an empty terminal. Thanks to the shut-down, no one was coming aboard after us. I feel so bad for the people who learned at the last minute that their cruise would be cancelled. If it were us, we would be terribly bummed out. I have noticed that the people in this thread who were scheduled to cruise after us have disappeared, and I don't blame them. It has to suck getting so excited, getting so close, then to have the rug pulled out from under you. I hope you all get to take your cruises soon enough and I hope this thread is of some use to you. That's why I do these things. Not for the attention, not to be a message board celebrity. I just like to help. Anyway, back to debarkation. Miami has the facial recognition systems, so you don't have to show your passport to the CBP agent anymore. We breezed right through it. There were no additional debarkation measures being taken in regards to coronavirus. Someone in our group had gotten home and posted to facebook that they were so shocked there was no customs upon our return. Yes, there is. You still have to fill out a customs form, if you purchased enough goods to qualify. Carnival simply doesn't pass out the forms anymore, and they haven't for a few years. You have to go get them if you need them. And for those with a passport, the facial recognition IS the customs process that replaces the agent checking them manually. I don't like it when people spread misinformation like that.

 

So that's it, folks. Thanks for checking in and reading. I know mine aren't as detailed as others and doesn't include as many pictures, but I can't say it enough...our cruise comes first. I hope y'all enjoyed it and hope that people will find this information useful in the future. Would I cruise on the Horizon again? Probably, but not anytime soon. I enjoyed having additional dining and entertainment options, but some I could easily live without. The crowds weren't nearly as bad as I had originally feared, but reared its ugly head at times and in places enough that I doubt we rush back to Horizon.

 

My wife has decided she wants to do one of the Carnival Sailabration cruises in March 2022, so I think we'll start looking into those. We're kind of thinking about the Sunrise. I know there are people who don't like the refurbished ships, but I'm really curious to see what it's like. Who's coming with us? 😉

 

[Organized Chaos]

If anyone has any final questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks for reading.

[Joe817]

Thanks for a great review O.C. ! 👍

[beshears]

I was able to get on here and read a little more.  Thank you for your postings, and all the info that you put out, along with the pictures.  Unfortunately as you know, our cruise was cancelled!  I'm glad (even though many said we should NOT) we held out until Carnival cancelled out.  This way, we will get our money back, and I was afraid I would not get anything back from insurance, as I have lost a LOT of sleep over all of this going on.  I just called today, and she said we would get our insurance money back, "if" we choose the full refund back, and not rebooking with the OBC.   I have decided to do it this way, and at least I know I will get my full refund back, plus the insurance, or at least that is what the insurance lady said! My two sons/d-i-l are in Cozumel right now, and I see a beautiful picture from over there, and WISHED I was there, but that is part of life!  I did pray and ask God to BLOCK the cruise, if it was not meant for us to go, and HE did! I just hope when my 3 family members come back on the 22nd, they won't be blocked in any way, or have contact with anyone that has the Coronaviris. I will try to finish your posting in the next few days when I find some time. 🙂

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

I feel like the overall food quality on Carnival is declining. I know Guy's is hotly debated on CC, but I've always liked it. Heck, in the beginning, I loved it. But it's quality seems to decline with every cruise we take. I had it three times on Horizon and I couldn't even finish my last one. The fries were pretty bad, too. More than one person in our group agreed with that. I did enjoy the Pasta Bar, albeit it was kind of bland, but still pretty good.

Thank you for freely sharing your thoughts. I agree with you, the food quality is declining, or I guess our taste buds are improving?

[Organized Chaos]

17 minutes ago, beshears said:

I was able to get on here and read a little more.  Thank you for your postings, and all the info that you put out, along with the pictures.  Unfortunately as you know, our cruise was cancelled!  I'm glad (even though many said we should NOT) we held out until Carnival cancelled out.  This way, we will get our money back, and I was afraid I would not get anything back from insurance, as I have lost a LOT of sleep over all of this going on.  I just called today, and she said we would get our insurance money back, "if" we choose the full refund back, and not rebooking with the OBC.   I have decided to do it this way, and at least I know I will get my full refund back, plus the insurance, or at least that is what the insurance lady said! My two sons/d-i-l are in Cozumel right now, and I see a beautiful picture from over there, and WISHED I was there, but that is part of life!  I did pray and ask God to BLOCK the cruise, if it was not meant for us to go, and HE did! I just hope when my 3 family members come back on the 22nd, they won't be blocked in any way, or have contact with anyone that has the Coronaviris. I will try to finish your posting in the next few days when I find some time. 🙂

 

As unfortunate as it is for you and the others who got cancelled, if you believe everything worked out for the best, that's what matters. I'm sure you'll get to take your cruise when the time is right.

[Organized Chaos]

11 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Thank you for freely sharing your thoughts. I agree with you, the food quality is declining, or I guess our taste buds are improving?

 

I know my taste buds aren't improving. LOL I have very simple taste buds. I know I talk a lot about things I didn't like. That's just me, I'm a realist and not everything is going to be great. I'll especially notice something I thought was good in the past, but I feel has gotten worse. I also know there are times when pointing out the negatives gives off a false impression of how much I enjoyed or didn't enjoy myself. Don't let it fool you...it's not all bad and we had a great time. I just think it's important to make note of the negatives as much as the positives. If someone paints everything in a positive light, it can give off a false impression. Carnival isn't perfect, but that's ok, so don't preach like they are. Not everything is going to be to our liking. That doesn't mean the product is bad. We all see things differently. What's good, or bad, for some may not be for others. Despite the things I didn't like, Carnival still offers a product we enjoy overall. Some of the things I didn't like on this cruise were specific to the ship, so they're easier to avoid in the future. In the end, I'm just one opinion of many and it's important for  people to collect as much information as they can and come to their own conclusions. I mentioned the Sunrise. I know a lot of people on here don't like those ships. I'll take their experiences into account, but I want to experience it for myself. That's the only true way of knowing if I like it or not.

 

It's frustrating to see Carnival boast about record profits, knowing that real cuts are being made that are having a true negative impact on the experience for many of us. I'm no pushover. For me, there's a line in the sand and if there comes a time when the negatives outweigh the positives, I'll simply choose not to sail the line anymore. I'd love to see them use those profits to turn some things around. Bring back the number of stewards and wait staff they had just a few short years ago. Give us back the personalized experience we had with those two teams. I can get a disconnected waiter from each and every restaurant at home. We cruise for something different, something special. I know people will suggest other lines that still offer such things, but as a family on a budget, that's not really a viable option. Besides, I don't need high-end stuffiness. I enjoy the fun of Carnival. I'm just asking for some of the experiences we had as recently as a few years ago.

[crusinpsychRN]

On 3/10/2020 at 12:40 AM, Organized Chaos said:

I’d say they have. The hand sanitizer pushers haven’t been as strict today as day 1 & 2, but the dispensers are still around. They’re still serving everyone at the buffet, including at the ice cream machines.

 

I hope they keep doing so. I've frequently seen kids really make a mess at the ice cream machines.

[crusinpsychRN]

Can you tell me where to find "the bell" at the top? I don't see it. I have a key and a star.

 

God has much better things to do than block cruises.

Edited March 20, 2020 by crusinpsychRN

[peteandpris]

Thank you for the great review and pictures, good job.

[Organized Chaos]

3 hours ago, crusinpsychRN said:

Can you tell me where to find "the bell" at the top? I don't see it. I have a key and a star.

 

In the top right corner of the page, you should see a small bell icon to the left of your username. That's your notifications icon to let you know if someone quoted your post, "liked" your post, etc. There will be a red circle on it with a number letting you know how many new notifications you have. Clicking on the bell opens the notifications box to show you what kind of notifications they are (replies, likes, etc.).

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, peteandpris said:

Thank you for the great review and pictures, good job.

 

No problem, and thank you, I appreciate it. It's not much, compared to many others, but I enjoy giving people an opportunity to ask questions and comment when someone's actually onboard and able to provide the most up-to-date info.

[crusinpsychRN]

2 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

In the top right corner of the page, you should see a small bell icon to the left of your username. That's your notifications icon to let you know if someone quoted your post, "liked" your post, etc. There will be a red circle on it with a number letting you know how many new notifications you have. Clicking on the bell opens the notifications box to show you what kind of notifications they are (replies, likes, etc.).

 

I've only got a key and a star.

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, crusinpsychRN said:

I've only got a key and a star.

 

I don't have a key or a star. LOL So I don't know what's going on. Are you using a web browser on a computer or smartphone, or maybe an app?