Why Families Love the Carnival Horizon

The Carnival Horizon, the line’s newest ship, launched in April 2018. The megaship continues the mass-market trend of packing in the people and pleasing them with multiple venues. It offers several pools, 12 places to eat and 13 entertainment venues, including bars with music. The ship carries 3,934 people at double occupancy, or 4,977 at maximum capacity. There’s much for anyone to love about the ship — especially families.

Carnival’s next generation of splash parks for children, Dr. Seuss WaterWorks, debuted on the Horizon. The Seuss-themed slides, geysers and bucket dumps entice kids, and the faucets and sprays enable tots in the wet zone to splash happily.

The blockbuster attraction is SkyRide, a pod that riders pedal around a cable course strung 150 feet above the deck. The popular bikelike contraption first debuted on Carnival Vista. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall.

The staff provides supervised activities for tots as young as 2 who are not yet potty-trained. Camp Ocean divides kids into groups for ages 2 through 5, 6 through 8 and 9 through 11 and wisely separates younger teens from older ones. Circle “C” provides a dedicated meeting space and activities for ages 12 through 14, while Club O2 provides a gathering space and activities for ages 15 to 17.

Most everyone likes a good hamburger, and Guy’s Burger Joint, open only for lunch, solves the problem of thin, precooked greasy patties that often arrive cold. Choose from a range of cooked-to-order creations; then layer on sauces, mushrooms, bacon, onions and other favorites from the toppings bar. Best of all the burgers are free. Unless you arrive early or late, waits can be 40-plus minutes.

Nautically themed Family Harbor rooms on Deck 2 come with a few perks: exclusive access to breakfast, afternoon snacks, and evening milk and cookies at the nearby Family Harbor Lounge as well as free meals for kids under age 11 at four premium restaurants when they dine with an adult. The added convenience is nice. Just pick your cabin carefully since some guests complain of noise from the kitchen and dining areas situated above the Family Harbor rooms.

WHEN YOU GO

In 2019, Carnival Horizon will sail six- and eight-day Caribbean voyages from Miami, Florida: www.carnival.com.