Sailing the Seas Onboard Carnival Horizon

Hotel

In August of 2024, my family and I did a pre-cruise overnight stay at the beautiful Hampton Inn & Suites Brickell. Although this was an overnight stay, it exceeded all of my expectations from how affordable it was, to the accommodations, views, the cleanness of the entire property, friendly staff and the local surroundings such as attractions, bars and delicious eateries that were within walking distance. I will definitely be staying at this location again and will recommend this to clients.

Cruise

My group arrived at the Port of Miami to board the beautiful Carnival Horizon. Once my eyes landed on the ship, I instantly understood what the hype was all about surrounding this ship. This 133,550 gross tons, 15-deck, Vista class ship was launched in 2018. Upon entry onboard the ship, I was in awe of how beautiful the atrium was and the calming sound of Caribbean music flooding my ears. All of the anxiety I had built up planning this trip suddenly vanished. Although this was just about a sold out cruise holding 3,960 passengers at its full capacity, not once did I feel claustrophobic with the amount of people onboard. The activities onboard this ship are limitless and there is something for everybody! If you want to be adventurous, go for the ropes course, sky ride or the two waterslides. If you want to engage in something entertaining, I would recommend joining in on some of the onboard activities such as the live Family Feud show, Deal or No Deal show, the Playlist Production shows or seeing a comedian at the Punchliner Comedy Club. Some of these activities will be hosted by the onboard staff who engage in the FUN and make the experience much more entertaining. All of these activities can be found on the Carnival Hub app which I would highly recommend downloading on your smartphone. Another unique thing I found onboard was the IMAX theater, which is not on all ships! This makes for a great family night to see some of the latest movies. If you want to relax and unwind, there is also something for you. I would recommend the Cloud 9 Spa or visiting the Serenity deck which is adults only. I personally spent a lot of time at the Serenity deck to relax, read a book and listen to my favorite podcast and to also just have an amazing view of the open ocean. Some of my go-to eateries onboard were of course everybody's all-time favorite, Guy's Burgers and Pizzeria Del Capitano, which are included. JiJi's Asian Kitchen and Cucino Del Capitano for lunch are also included; however, please be advised that these two restaurants charge an additional fee for dinner. I would also recommend Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse which can make for a great date night or even a family dinner, this is also an additional fee. Lastly, we can't forget about the Main Dining Room. Talk about class and elegance! The Main Dining Room is a great option for families or big groups to gather for breakfast and dinner at no additional fee. The dining room on the Horizon is nothing less than stunning and can also serve as a good date night option. On this sailing I was able to get the drink package which was a plus. My top favorite bar was Alchemy, the staff was super amazing and helpful when it came to deciding which drink I was looking for. The bartender recommended '40 is the new 20' and it was super delicious. Overall, Carnival Horizon is an amazing ship and is a highly recommended ship for anybody!

Destinations

Many ship destination stops differ, therefore I would recommend getting an idea of what countries and port stops you want to visit before making your booking. In my case, my group wanted to experience Jamaica and Mexico... again. I was able to book this cruise onboard the Carnival Horizon that made stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Although my family has visited Cozumel before, we can never get tired of stopping here. The island is beautiful and so much fun. My group was able to get transportation to my favorite beach club, Mr. Sancho's. At this beach club you can get an all-inclusive experience for an affordable price. The food is delicious and the drinks are amazing, the staff keeps the drinks coming without you asking. The beach club also offers other excursions such as snorkeling, jet skiing, horseback riding and so much more. Before arriving at the beach club, I was able to make reservations for my entire group which is something I highly recommend before arriving because seats are not guaranteed. I would also recommend arriving as early as possible to snag a good seat. Another port stop was Grand Cayman which is a tender port, meaning you will need to board a smaller boat which will take you to the island. Grand Cayman is such a beautiful port from the blue turquoise water, the scenery and the locals on the island. For my group, we were able to get transportation to a 7-mile beach for a low price. After about an 8-minute drive we arrived at the beach and were instantly immersed in the smell of Caribbean cuisine that was being prepared by locals. I was able to taste samples of jerk chicken and oxtails and decided to purchase an oxtail plate which was super delicious. After being fully immersed into the Caribbean vibe, the ocean was calling my name. The water was simply beautiful and felt amazing. I would say that Grand Cayman is one of my personal favorite port stops to visit a beach. Our last and final port spot was the amazing Ocho Rios, Jamaica. After about a 10-minute walk we arrived at Margaritaville and the beach. This was the perfect spot for great photo ops with the Jamaica sign and cruise ship in the background. I also was able to find another local spot for another oxtail plate from Island Coffees Cafe and Bistro which was amazing. I would highly recommend all of these port stops and the Carnival Horizon ship no matter the age or the type of traveler you are.

What do I pack?

Some of the recommendations I have are: sunscreen, beach hat, toiletries, elegant attire for captain's night, each guest 21 years or older is allowed to bring onboard 1.75L bottle of wine or champagne (you are not allowed to bring hard alcohol onboard), bug spray, tumblers with the straw (they do have paper candy straws but for me they sometimes get soggy), pool and beach attire. I would also recommend magnets (the staterooms are magnetic), which can be very helpful to hang up, hats, swim attire and your room key that you will hook on to a lanyard.

Documents

Each person must have a valid ID and birth certificate or passport to board the ship and this goes for any cruise line. There are safes in each stateroom to store your important documents.

If you are traveling in the summer time, which is a peak season (June, July, August), there will be more kids onboard as they will be out of school on vacation. If you want to cruise with fewer kids onboard, I would recommend the months that the kids are back in school. I would also keep in mind the hurricane season which is those summer months along with September and possibly October. Another important thing to know is that once you're onboard, be sure to immediately complete your Muster Station Drill. Be sure to identify your Muster Station prior to boarding and even if you are lost there will be staff onboard to assist with guiding you to your designated station.

Now let's talk about staterooms. Staterooms will typically be ready around 1:00pm -1:30pm. If you get to your room and your luggage isn't there, DO NOT PANIC. Most times luggage won't show up to your stateroom until around 5:00pm. In the event that you want to take a dip in the pool or hot tub, simply pack your swim attire in your carry-on bag. That way, once you arrive at your room and even though your luggage isn't there, you will still have your swim attire in your carry-on bag. A lot of first-time cruisers don't know this but in order to get into your cabin and purchase things onboard you will need to use your stateroom key. Upon checking in to your cruise, which is usually 2 weeks before you are scheduled to disembark, you have the option to add your debit or credit card on file which will be linked to your stateroom key. Your stateroom key will be located in the slots outside your cabin door, BE SURE TO KEEP UP WITH THIS KEY. You will need this key to disembark and embark the ship at ports of call. For example, when disembarking the ship in Mexico, the staff onboard will scan your key card and verify that it is you disembarking the ship. When you come back onboard, the staff will scan your key card again for verification. If any alcohol is purchased at the port of call, you will need to check it in with the staff onboard the ship and they will hold it for you until you are back at your home port to disembark.

Another important thing to know is that if you want to dine at any specialty restaurant, be sure to make reservations online (or you can make reservations on the ship but you risk the possibility of there being no reservations). Lastly, have FUN! Lean into this experience, meet new people, make memories, get off at the port stops to explore and book excursions. If there are any questions, reach out to me I will be more than happy to assist you with sailing the seas!

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