Horizon questions for upcoming trip

[sad549s]

I just booked a cruise over Christmas on the Horizon and have a couple of questions.

 1.) Is there a happy hour?  If so, when is it and what are the specials?

2.) Can you remove the balcony divider that separates 2 adjoining balcony cabins yourself or is there a process to have it removed my someone else?

3.) How strict do they enforce the mask policies?

4.) How full / at what capacity do you think the ship will be?   (7 day leaving 12/19)

5.) Are there any tips / secrets that you can share?

Thank you

[mondello]

1) Happy Hour likely a distant memory, occasionally posted first day until 2:00pm, last seen at Red Frog Pub (not on Horizon).

2) Ask room steward about balcony divider

4) Capacity varies but, I expect Christmas to be the highest since the restart. 85%+ wouldn't surprise me

We board 12/26 so, say hi before you leave.

[txgal08]

I am on the Horizon Christmas cruise as well.  Happy Hour would be at Pig and Anchor if they have one since they don't have Red Frog but I haven't been on this boat, so I am only assuming it would be similar.  Mask policy is enforced like when you are entering the buffet, dining room, etc on my previous Carnival cruise.  If you are actively eating or drinking, you don't have to wear it.  Keep in mind that you have agreed Carnival's mask policy.  I don't like them either but if a company requires it, you should respect it.

[Indytraveler83]

I was just on the Horizon and agree with the above posters about capacity, happy hour, etc. 

 

As far as masks- 

Staff compliance is very rigid. Aside from distanced entertainers who are allowed to perform without, I think I only saw a few late night outdoor workers that removed their masks temporarily. 

 

Embarkation and debarkation they are fairly strict with passengers. Once you are on th ship, there are reminders and occasional announcements in large venues (such as before a show), but the only time I saw staff actually individually asking passengers to mask up was in the dining room as people were led to their tables. 

 

As far as tips-

1) The piano bar and comedy club fill up fast. Arrive 30 minutes early to ensure a seat. Bar staff is usually already there and you can have a drink while you wait. 

2) People seem to be burning that OBC that they accumulated during the pandemic. The for fee restaurants were packed, but the MDR was half empty every night. The staff in the MDR right now is phenomenal, take advantage of it.

3) Breakfast in the MDR is also really good. We never visited the buffet, and instead chose sit down breakfast every day. Watch our for the steak and eggs on the "brunch" menu, they use filet mignon as the steak!

 

 

 

[Shamrock73]

16 hours ago, sad549s said:

2.) Can you remove the balcony divider that separates 2 adjoining balcony cabins yourself or is there a process to have it removed my someone else?

Not all balcony dividers open to the adjacent balcony. Some open to the balcony to the right or to the left but not both sides. That is something that should be confirmed prior.  If it does open, your cabin steward can do this for you.  

[rabidstoat]

I'm on Horizon now. Mask compliance isn't very rigidly enforced with guests but I did see one person asked at the casino to put theirs on. But they just picked up a drink instead.

 

I would say it's about 50% to 70% masked indoors, with mask usage going down at night. Even the elevators, people aren't wearing masks. If you are going to be concerned when people are not wearing masks it's probably not a good time to cruise.

 

Staff mask compliance is 100%.

 

Edit: Also, masks aren't required everywhere indoors. It's elevators, casinos, marked entertainment venues, entering restaurants, and events with children. So if you're just hanging out in the atrium or walking around the halls, it's recommended, not required.

Edited November 15, 2021 by rabidstoat

[kapcruiser]

8 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

I was just on the Horizon and agree with the above posters about capacity, happy hour, etc. 

 

As far as masks- 

Staff compliance is very rigid. Aside from distanced entertainers who are allowed to perform without, I think I only saw a few late night outdoor workers that removed their masks temporarily. 

 

Embarkation and debarkation they are fairly strict with passengers. Once you are on th ship, there are reminders and occasional announcements in large venues (such as before a show), but the only time I saw staff actually individually asking passengers to mask up was in the dining room as people were led to their tables. 

 

As far as tips-

1) The piano bar and comedy club fill up fast. Arrive 30 minutes early to ensure a seat. Bar staff is usually already there and you can have a drink while you wait. 

2) People seem to be burning that OBC that they accumulated during the pandemic. The for fee restaurants were packed, but the MDR was half empty every night. The staff in the MDR right now is phenomenal, take advantage of it.

3) Breakfast in the MDR is also really good. We never visited the buffet, and instead chose sit down breakfast every day. Watch our for the steak and eggs on the "brunch" menu, they use filet mignon as the steak!

 

 

 

Did you have set dining time or anytime?

i have 8:15 dining time, but afraid I’m going to be late for the shows 

[rabidstoat]

2 minutes ago, kapcruiser said:

Did you have set dining time or anytime?

i have 8:15 dining time, but afraid I’m going to be late for the shows 

I have early dining so I can hit the comedy shows, but I think they have main show times so that you can go before dinner if you have late dining 

[Indytraveler83]

6 minutes ago, kapcruiser said:

Did you have set dining time or anytime?

i have 8:15 dining time, but afraid I’m going to be late for the shows 

We had anytime and likely will never switch back. With the app, it also seems to seat you at the same table anyways, which was previously the only reason we considered set time- to have the same staff every night. 

[kapcruiser]

6 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

We had anytime and likely will never switch back. With the app, it also seems to seat you at the same table anyways, which was previously the only reason we considered set time- to have the same staff every night. 

Were you on horizon? That’s why we picked late seating! When you requested a time on the app did you have to wait along time to go to dining room. When do you request a time  - right before you want to go or anytime during the day?

 

 

[Indytraveler83]

1 minute ago, kapcruiser said:

Were you on horizon? That’s why we picked late seating! When you requested a time on the app did you have to wait along time to go to dining room. When do you request a time  - right before you want to go or anytime during the day?

 

 

Let me start by saying we get hungry early, so I can't attest to how the dining room looks late. 

 

We would request our table, and it was usually set within 5 minutes. They seem to open reservations about 5 minutes prior to the dining room opening. Once you have a table, it says they will hold it for 10 minutes for you. 

 

Overall we loved the new system. No lines, no fuss and the easiest MDR experience we've had. 

[txgal08]

3 hours ago, rabidstoat said:

I'm on Horizon now. Mask compliance isn't very rigidly enforced with guests but I did see one person asked at the casino to put theirs on. But they just picked up a drink instead.

 

I would say it's about 50% to 70% masked indoors, with mask usage going down at night. Even the elevators, people aren't wearing masks. If you are going to be concerned when people are not wearing masks it's probably not a good time to cruise.

 

Staff mask compliance is 100%.

 

Edit: Also, masks aren't required everywhere indoors. It's elevators, casinos, marked entertainment venues, entering restaurants, and events with children. So if you're just hanging out in the atrium or walking around the halls, it's recommended, not required.

Is the movie theater open?   I know the Thrill theater will likely be closed.

[topaz123]

Just off the Horizon....had late dining....half empty. ALL of the fee based restaurants were full, especially the Steakhouse, and Tepan Grill.  Crew all masked up, cleaning all the time....cruisers mostly, but not 100%, late night hardly any masks.

[kapcruiser]

9 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

Just off the Horizon....had late dining....half empty. ALL of the fee based restaurants were full, especially the Steakhouse, and Tepan Grill.  Crew all masked up, cleaning all the time....cruisers mostly, but not 100%, late night hardly any masks.

About how long did dinner take? 

[topaz123]

7 hours ago, kapcruiser said:

About how long did dinner take? 

I would say about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. Service was slow ...but we were on island time. If you have somewhere to be, better plan accordingly.