8-day Captivating Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Horizon

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We sailed out of Miami on Carnival Horizon on Jan 21, 2023

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 1 : Miami

Check-in was very quick and we were on the ship within 30 minutes of parking. The pool and lido deck were packed, so we grabbed some tacos and margaritas for lunch and then headed to the Havana Bar for a retreat, and a retreat it was.

The Havana Bar has been one of our favorite bars on the Vista and higher class ships in Carnival’s fleet. There are some activities in the Havana Bar, but when there isn’t anything scheduled, you can escape there for a nice Cuban coffee, cocktail or just a place to relax in some peace and quiet. I was a little disappointed, as my favorite drink recipe was changed since the last time I cruised on a ship with a Havana bar onboard. The Cuban Iced Tea no longer has Raspberry Rum, but instead has Lemon Rum. It was ok, but it sadly didn’t remain at the top of my drink list for Carnival any longer.

The Carnival Horizon, a Vista Class Ship, built in 2018 has many unique amenities on board. There are two high in the sky bikes called the Carnival SkyRide, SportSquare, mini-golf and Dr Seuss WaterWorks. There is an IMAX theater and immersive 3-D theater as well. Of course Carnival is known for its Serenity Adult Only Retreat and the Cloud 9 Spa and Horizon has these on board as well! There is even Carnival’s First Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse and Brewhouse; yes I said it! A brewery on the ship!

Getting around via the elevator on the Horizon is a little different than using other elevators. There is a panel outside the elevator that you select your floor and number of passengers. The elevator tells you which elevator to go to. Below you can see an example of the panel and the instructions near the elevators.

Southern Caribbean Cruise Days 2-3: At Sea

We spent Day 2 and 3 exploring the ship, playing Bingo, going to comedy shows and lazing around in the sun with lots of cocktails. There was a Victorias Secret and Luxury Handbags boutique, with brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, on board. There was also the typical jewelry, watch, candy, liquor and novelties shops on board as well.

Day 2 was the first elegant night for dinner. For Carnival, the elegant dress code is a lot more relaxed than other cruise lines we have cruised on. On elegant nights, most women are in simple pants suits or dresses and men in khakis and polo shirts. There were a few on the extreme end in tuxedos and gowns, but for the most part, it is more church clothes or business attire.

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 4: Aruba

Best of Aruba and Eagle Beach

We booked this excursion through Carnival. Read the full review here. This is a definite non recommend from us!

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Catamaran Happy Hour Sunset Cruise

We booked this tour through Viator, but you can book on the link above to save $10. This was one of the best excursions of the cruise! Would definitely do it again. Read all about it here.

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 5: Bonaire

Off-Road Dirty Buggy & Cave Exploration

We booked this excursion through Carnival. This excursion was a lot of fun. If you travel to Bonaire, I recommend you schedule an excursion as there is not much to do right around the port. Read about our excursion here!

After Bonaire excursions, we got ready for our second elegant dinner. This 8-day cruise had 2 elegant dinners.

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 6: La Romana

Altos de Chavon & Caves of Wonders

We booked this excursion though carnival. You can see all about the excursion here!

After arriving back on the ship, we played Deal or No Deal and I won $30 free casino play!

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 7: Amber Cove

Zipline & 27 Waterfalls Combo

We booked this excursion through Carnival. This was our favorite excursion of the entire cruise! I consider it a must do! See all about our day here!

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 8: At Sea

We spent the day lounging on Deck 5 on a circular lounger and frequently visiting the Havana Bar down the hall for cocktails. I won $30 free play in the casino and had to start playing. I am not much of a gambler so I headed towards the penny slots! I got up to $45 in winnings and the we headed to get lunch. After lunch I played some more and still was up.

We showered for dinner and then headed back to the casino. My husband had been watching me play for hours, so he decided to play $20 and join in on the fun. He was up to $150 on the penny slots that we were playing. Once I lost all mine and he was down right below $100 we cashed out and headed to the Alchemy Bar.

The Alchemy Bar is a must try on the ship. My favorite was a Cucumber Sunrise with Jalepeno infused vodka! It was a smash hit! Then when our table was ready we headed to dinner.

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 9: Miami

Debarkation was a long process and getting out of parking and off the port was even longer.  At 3 hours after we starting walking off the ship, we could still see the ship!  Getting out of the parking garage was almost an hour ordeal in itself.  The traffic to get over the bridge was stop and go, but mostly stop!  Once we got over the bridge, police detoured us back to the port to go out via the tunnel.  It was a complete fiasco.  We were scheduled to get home at about 5 pm and we didn’t get back to middle Georgia until almost 9 pm.  It was a long travel day for sure!

All in all we had a great time on our 8-day Southern Caribean Cruise on the Carnival Horizon! 

-S&E