Our family has just returned from an 8 day Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Horizon and we had an absolute blast! I wanted to share an honest review of the things we loved and didn’t love on this ship! Our itinerary in order was Embarkation Day, 2 Sea Days, Aruba, Curacao, La Romana, Amber Cove, Sea Day, and then Disembarkation Day.
Room
We shared an Ocean View family room in the Family Harbor section. Basically we were in a special hall for families, with rooms to accommodate more than 4 people. Our room had 5 beds, 2 bathrooms and plenty of storage. It’s a cruise so it wasn’t exactly roomy but it was perfect for 5 people. The best part of staying in the Family Harbor was access to the family lounge right down the hall! It was open nearly all day and night for drinks, snacks, a full on breakfast and ice cream PLUS it was a place to play video games, board games, use a computer if needed or just to get away for a minute. We used this lounge daily and as someone who primarily travels budget friendly when I am with my kids, I was in LOVE with this amenity.
Fun
This ship had a TON of things to do on the lido and upper decks- waterslides, pools, hot tubs, adults only pool, ropes course, sky ride, sports deck and so much more and we spent nearly all of our sea days in these areas. The kids found things to do all day long especially because they made friends in the kids club! Pro Tip- Go To the kids club ice breaker games the first and second night. That is when everyone meets and it is the easiest to become a part of the group!
Dining
We never do my time dining because we love to connect with our server, but I wanted to try it out again for the convenience factor and it was a win for us! Dinner was quicker and more convenient and we did find a server we liked and asked to be seated in his section by the window each night. Shout out to Welly from Indonesia- We loved him!!
Pro Tip- Check in from your room. You have 10 minutes to get to your table and it’s nicer to wait there then huddled in the hallway! If you prefer a certain section, just ask the host when your table has been called and he or she will accommodate if possible!
Add On’s
We purchased everyone the $5 chat package so that we could easily communicate back and forth between us. It worked much better than other ships I have been on, so I would definitely do that again.
Internet package- We shared an internet package for one device because I had to be available for clients to reach me as they were traveling. It was $160 and worked AMAZING…. this was a huge win across all of the ships I have been on!
Bottomless Bubbles package-4 out of 5 got a soda package which totaled around $360 total…. I’m not positive that we got our moneys worth but cokes were $3.00 a glass so I feel like I’d rather just get the package and not worry about it. I did not buy a alcohol package as the kids were with us and although I did drink, I would not have come out ahead on the package so it was better this trip to just buy per drink.
The kids all had cards with charging privileges and tbh, I put a limit on their spending right from the get go- mostly because of a previous cruise with a very large arcade bill. One kid spent her money by day 3 and the other two had money left over at the end.
Port Adventures-
In Aruba, we did a Resort for a Day Pass at the Riu Palace Aruba al inclusive resort and it was EVERYTHING! This day pass gave us access to the pools, beach, chairs, shade, food, drinks ect and it was totally worth every penny for everything to be included! The cab ride from the port was 10 minutes and cost $16 each way total. Pro Tip: Aruba taxis will be noted with a license plate starting with a T if it is a legit taxi car! Don’t get in a pirate taxi because you do not have the same coverages if there were to be an accident .
Curacao we went to the Mambo Beach complex. It was a nice beach setup but if had had a longer stop here, I would have gone back to Kennepa Beach!
La Romana- This was my least favorite stop. I should have planned something here but wanted to stay on the ship. Instead we went to the pool in the port for a little bit. If I were to do it over, I would have done the monkey and waterfall adventure. It was spendy but I think it would have been worth it.
Amber Cove- VIP area cabana with waterslides, wifi, and chairs for $90 was a great deal! We enjoyed this so much and would totally do it again! I also really liked the Monkey land option but no one was on board with me and monkeys.
Things we loved
The comedy shows and Karaoke every night are an after dinner staple for us. We love it! The theatre shows were impressive and the deck parties were so outrageous and fun!! NO ONE does Deck Parties like Carnival! There is a reason they are called the fun ships! The service overall really was fantastic! For a budget trip, we were treated like royalty, were waited on every where we went, and we met the kindest staff on the ship! The lunch and dinner options were fantastic…. and the Carnival Chocolate Melting Lava Cakes just can’t be beat! Justin saw a movie at the IMAX and really enjoyed that as well!
Things we didn’t love
Breakfast- We tried the main dining, we tried buffet. It was just ok. Not great. I also missed having the hot tubs in the kids area also. There are hot tubs in the adults only area, but my kids love a hot tub and I think we missed that a little bit!
Rating
I give this ship and trip a 9/10! For the value and money we spent, the amount of fun we had, the quality of food and service, I would do this again in a minute!
