Choose Fun: A New Horizon for Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Horizon lives up to Carnival Cruise Line’s “Choose Fun” motto while adding some new twists—like the crazy looping waterslides in Dr. Seuss WaterWorks. The ship also features the line’s first teppanyaki restaurant and a combined smokehouse and brewhouse with Food Network celebrity Guy Fieri.

Carnival Vista, which debuted in 2016, was “extremely popular and very well received,” said Adolfo Perez, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and trade marketing. “It had a lot of firsts like SkyRide and all the new dining. With Horizon, we’ve refined the offering and added some new things as well,” he added.

More premium accommodations, new shows, upgraded retail facilities and the fleet’s fastest Wi-Fi service are among other innovations.

The elevators are different, too. Instead of pushing a button to call the elevator, riders select their floor on a touch screen and are immediately directed to a specific car, indicated by a letter. In the car, there are no buttons to push (other than “open” and “close”), whisking riders straight to their deck.

Carnival Horizon also reprises Carnival Vista’s bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction, SkyRide, an IMAX Theater and the Havana and Family Harbor areas.

Fanciest and Most Common Accommodations: Of special note are more premium accommodations, with 18 additional Havana staterooms for a total of 79, together with 96 Family Harbor accommodations, 104 spa cabins and 74 suites.

Perez encouraged agents to boost their commissions by selling suites and the premium Havana and Family Harbor areas. “The Havana section, with its exclusive daytime access to a Havana-themed bar and pool, is really popular,” he said. The minimum age for children there is 12.

For families with younger kids, the Family Harbor has been a “home run,” with its roomier accommodations and a lounge with games, snacks and buffet breakfast.

The most common accommodations are the 864 balcony staterooms, each measuring 220 square feet.

What’s for Dinner? The main dining rooms are Meridian, seating 1,474 for Your Time Dining (5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) and Reflection, with 702 seats for traditional early and late dining.

Both restaurants serve an American Table menu and, for “cruise elegant” nights, an American Feast menu with fancier fare. Diners can choose from a wide selection of appetizers, entrees, grill items, side dishes and desserts. Main courses and grill items might include prime rib, fried chicken, pasta, salmon, beef tenderloin and pork chops. At least two vegetarian choices are also provided.

The large, poolside Lido Marketplace has stations including a deli, carvery, grill and salad bar.

Outside are Pizzeria del Capitano, open 24 hours for free slices, and Seafood Shack, serving lobster rolls, shrimp, clams, oysters and platters (à la carte pricing).

Situated beside the main pool are Guy’s Burger Joint, serving Guy Fieri’s wildly popular handcrafted burgers, and Blue Iguana Cantina for burritos and tacos.

The new Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse | Brewhouse is already a hit. The brisket is smoked for 12 hours, there are Memphis-style baby back ribs, and everyone raves about the Trash Can Nachos topped with pulled pork (à la carte pricing). Four craft beers are brewed in the restaurant, and cocktails include a Bacon Manhattan.

Carnival’s outstanding steakhouse, Fahrenheit 555, has been enhanced with new preparations and presentations. Smoked oysters, for example, are served with a flourish under a smoke-filled glass dome. (There is a $35 service charge at this restaurant.)

Other signature spots include Cucina del Capitano (family-style Italian), Bonsai Sushi, the new Bonsai Teppanyaki and Ji Ji Asian Kitchen. As a treat for a discerning few, the Chef’s Table inside the galley offers an eight-course, gourmet extravaganza ($95 plus 15 percent gratuity).

Best Entertainment: Tough call. Carnival passengers like participatory fun, so Lip Sync Battle and Hasbro, The Game Show are popular, along with karaoke, the Piano Bar and music trivia parties. Punchliner Comedy Club packs ’em in, too.

New Playlist Production shows in the big Limelight Lounge are “Soulbound,” a gothic-inspired journey through New Orleans; “Celestial Strings,” with a live string trio; and “Vintage Pop,” mingling music from the Great Gatsby and Cotton Club era with contemporary songs.

Favorite Excursion: A major new attraction, Rockland Estate, opened this year in St. Maarten. “The Big 3: Flying Dutchman, Schooner Ride and Canopy” bundles a chairlift, the world’s steepest zip line and surfing down the mountain in an inner tube (six hours, $129.99).

Who Goes on This Ship? Many first-time cruisers and families (Carnival carries 800,000 kids per year), couples, honeymooners, singles and affinity groups.

Insider Booking Tip: Havana staterooms typically sell out at least six months before the cruise.

Key Selling Points: The ship offers fun for the whole family, plenty of participatory entertainment, dining options, Havana and Family Harbor areas—and good value.

Agent Assistance: Promotions, sales tools and training at GoCCL.com.

JUST THE FACTS

—Line: Carnival Cruise Line

—Ship: Carnival Horizon

—Size: 4,977 passengers, 133,500 gross tons

—Entered service: April 2018

—Itinerary: Four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean sailings from New York, then, beginning Sept. 22, six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami year-round. Six-day cruises depart Sundays for Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Two different eight-day sailings leave Saturdays. One visits Grand Turk, La Romana, Curaçao and Aruba; the other, Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.

—Price: Caribbean fares start at $479 (six days) and $659 (eight days).

—Base Pay: 10 percent

—Contact: 800-327-9501 (individual bookings), 800-327-5782 (groups), carnival.com, GoCCL.com