10 Unique Carnival Horizon Features Make Her More than Just a Sister Act

You can always count on some things  about a Carnival cruise. There’s an incredible sail-away party on deck with confetti, colorful cocktails and a conga line as Carnival Horizon glides past New York’s  iconic skyline and guests make a farewell wave to the Statue of Liberty on a cruise to Bermuda.

But there’s also an elegance about this newest Fun Ship that marks a real maturity of the line that started as non-stop party boats. Horizon may be a sister to Carnival Vista, but is by no means an identical twin. She’s loaded with features that are probably destined to be added to others in the growing fleet. For now, they’re unique.

If you haven’t been a Carnival cruise recently, you should really check out what’s new:

1) Two ever-evolving pixel pillars

A dazzling three-deck tall pillar in the shape of a Champagne glass soars over the atrium lobby and gleams with an ever-changing digital display. It’s similar to one on Carnival Vista, but it seems somehow bolder, with vivid abstract art, scenes of flowers that slowly blossom into bouquets or aquascapes of fish swimming through reefs. There’s a second, smaller version that’s a centerpiece of the casino, as though it needs more flashing lights than it already has.

2) Havana grows up; family zone expands too

Carnival’s joined the trend toward “ship within a ship” zones that are reserved for guests of certain premium suites. The Cuban-themed Havana area for adults–many of whose balconies have panoramas from the rear of the ship–has even more suites on Horizon than there are on sister ship Vista. By day, the area has its own private lounge with a pool deck that doesn’t allow children under 12. The lounge opens to the public as a dance club in the evening

But families have their own exclusive enclave in the Family Harbor area, which is also larger than on Vista. The cabins are designed for families sharing and it also has a separate private lounge for guests of the zone.

3) Keeping Grinches Away at the WaterWorks

Carnival Horizon is the first in the fleet to feature Dr. Seuss WaterWorks, with all the tubular slides, dump buckets and water sprays dedicated to characters like the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and Things 1 and 2. Seuss is a logical choice for a line that carries about 800,000 kids a year and you’re also going to see Seuss characters wandering around the ship for photos and serving pancakes at the Green Eggs & Ham (yes, that is a menu item) breakfasts for kids.

4) The Casino: more ways to spend– and ogle–money

You won’t believe how many bundles of cash are in display cases in the ever-beckoning casino. There are piles of greenbacks you can try futilely to pick up with claws, hit with magic wands or unlock with keys. Big touch screens let you spin wheels of fortune or try to slap down floating cash. And of course there are flashy slots everywhere and poker tournaments with big piles of chips in play. It’s a remarkable show, even if you’re not a player. (It’s also one of the few areas where guests are allowed to smoke).

5) Feeling fine on Cloud 9

There are pages and pages of  choices for treatments and massages, but Cloud 9 Spa features several Carnival firsts. An infrared heat chamber—like a sauna, only cooler– claims to detoxify your skin and help burn the calories you’re loading on during a day aboard the ship. Another debut is an Ottoman-style Hammam, a room that gradually heats to 113 degrees while you ladle water over yourself. It really does seem to loosen tight muscles and joints. And check out the unique “experience showers” that add fragrances to the scrub.

6) Brewing up ‘Parched Pig’ on board

For the second coming of a brewery at sea, Carnival has combined two popular venues into one. Guy Fieri’s Pig & Anchor rib smokehouse on deck is popular by day on Vista, but on Horizon the smoke continues at night along with craft beers that are made in glass vats so you can  watch them brew. The ship has its own brew master, Colin Presby, who says Vista and Horizon will be the only ships with craft breweries, because it would be impossible to retrofit other Carnival ships with all the connections and equipment needed.

There are always several styles of fresh brewed “Parched Pig” on tap direct from the storage kegs. They range from lager to wheat beer to a smoky porter designed to pair perfectly with the barbecued meat that’s the restaurant’s claim to fame. There’s also a seasonal special brew that changes regularly. For Horizon’s cruises out of New York, the seasonal draft is Big Apple Pie, with a taste of apples and a hint of cinnamon.

7) More immersive production shows

Carnival as upped the entertainment quota with a new series of exclusive shows designed by Playlist Productions on one of the most interactive LED screen stages anywhere. You might want to avoid the first row because some of the shows offer chances for audience participation.

Soulbound is a high-energy show set in a spooky version of New Orleans with cast members singing R&B classics like Superstitious and Born under a Bad Sign in places like a haunted paddlewheel ship or a cemetery highlighted by levitating chairs. Celestial Strings blends classical music with modern pop beats in an enchanted garden featuring swirling 3D effects, as well as aromas. Vintage Pop features a live band performing in a modern-day speakeasy whose a show that includes a (tasteful) burlesque routine and the party ends with guests moving into the atrium to continue dancing with the cast members.

8) Unique shops

Victoria’s Secret is hardly a secret any more, with shops in many malls, but she’s exclusive to Carnival. The merchandise is more scents and accessories than boudoir apparel on this family-oriented ship. But it does set a mood for seduction at sea.

It’s only part of the expanded shopping options on board that also include for the first time Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Breitling and Hublot. There are always flash sales and promotions going on during sea days. Port Side Liquor & Tobacco has a Spirits Tasting Bar where guests can sample and purchase liquors, including Hennessey White, which is currently not available in stores ashore. The shop’s duty-free prices are definitely better than you’ll find in most airports.

9) Elevators make going up more efficient

This is the first ship to install state of the art destination-based elevators that you program before you get in. Pressing your destination floor on a digital screen in the lobby displays the letter of the elevator that will be going to your floor. The only buttons inside are to close or open the doors. The system confuses some guests for the first couple of days and frustrates kids who want to push all the buttons in an elevator. But that’s the point; it gets you where you want to go much more quickly.

10) Less hokum in the dining rooms

One of the signatures of Carnival over the years has been the floor shows of wait staff singing and dancing between courses at meals. Some may call it fun, but for those who just want a quiet meal without having the waiters lip sync Dean Martin singing “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,” it can be a relief that the floor shows seem less frequent on Horizon. Good news for traditionalists, though, they’ve revived the showy final night march of the flaming Baked Alaskas.

Meanwhile, the daily towel creatures created by room stewards that await your return to your cabin are still are as charming as ever.

Carnival Horizon cruises from New York to the Caribbean or Bermuda through the summer and then makes Miami its home port for cruises to the eastern and western Caribbean and Dutch Antilles.

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