A NEW CARNIVAL VESSEL IS ON THE HORIZON
It’s exciting times for Carnival Cruise Line (cruise.center/carnival). The line’s newest ship, the 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon, just completed its sea trials earlier this month in the Adriatic Sea, and is one step closer to its April debut in Barcelona.
The 3,974-guest ship is currently in its final stages of fitting out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. The second sister to Carnival Vista, which debuted in 2016, Carnival Horizon will set sail on her maiden voyage this coming April 2, with a 13-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona. It’s the first of four such departures from Barcelona before the ship sails across the Atlantic Ocean on May 9, and a rare opportunity to sail with Carnival in Europe.
Sea trials are an important stage in the construction of any ship. Designed to test the ship’s sophisticated technical, mechanical and navigation systems, these trials are conducted by teams of officers and engineers who ensure the ship performs as expected. Now that trials are complete (I hear Carnival Horizon passed with flying colours), the ship’s final fitting out work can continue.
Although Carnival Horizon is a sister-ship to Carnival Vista, guests can expect a substantial number of tweaks, improvements and changes on board, including new features and amenities that are unique to Carnival Horizon.
The ship will offer Carnival’s first Dr. Seuss- themed water park, which is being designed in conjunction with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Carnival carries nearly 800,000 kids per year, and the waterpark is the natural extension of the line’s superfun Seuss at Sea partnership that encourages kids to read and also offers a shipwide parade, led by the Cat in the Hat himself, which culminates with story time in the ship’s main theatre, read from an oversized copy of The Cat in the Hat.
This new waterpark will feature larger-than-life replicas of The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and The Grinch, who will sport a surfboard tucked under his arm. Some of Dr. Seuss’s most iconic phrases will be written on clear partitions that surround the facility.
Adults aren’t left out of the picture, either. Continuing the trend started aboard Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon will feature a full Imax movie screen (only the second such facility at sea), along with Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-BQue Smokehouse | Brewhouse, a new barbecue-style restaurant helmed by Food Network star Guy Fieri. The restaurant, which takes smoked comfort food to the max, will also be stocked with four different kinds of craft beer, brewed right in Carnival Horizon’s onboard brewery.
Carnival’s newest FunShip will also have the first Teppanyaki specialty restaurant in the line’s history, serving up Japanese-inspired cuisine with a fun flair that combines traditional cooking techniques with performance art. Think of it as dinner and a show. This new venue will be situated within Bonsai Sushi (already one of my favourite places to dine on Carnival’s newest ships), and will complement the other specialty on-board dining venues, including Carnival’s signature steak house experience, Fahrenheit 555.
On the accommodations front, Carnival Horizon will offer a wide range of stateroom choices, including the line’s hugely popular Family Suites, Cloud 9 Spa Suites, and the fabulously designed Havana staterooms and suites that were first introduced aboard Carnival Vista.
These Havana-grade accommodations feature tropical decor and private access to a stern-facing pool and lounge area. The latter is worth the price of admission on its own merits, as it is closed off to the rest of the ship (and only accessible to guests in Havana staterooms and suites) until well into the evening.
If you want to set sail aboard Carnival’s latest and greatest, there are a number of great itinerary options available for her inaugural season. In addition to Carnival Horizon’s short European season and her extensive transatlantic crossing, she’ll also offer a summer schedule of four-day voyages to the Bahamas and eight-day departures to the Caribbean that sail round-trip from New York.
In the fall, Carnival Horizon repositions to Miami to offer six- and eight-day cruises to the Caribbean, beginning on Sept. 22.
As with most new ships, bookings for Carnival Horizon are extremely popular — particularly for the ship’s European sailings and transatlantic crossings. Booking early is a good idea.
Happy cruising.