Carnival Horizon cruise ship begins sailing from Miami

[Jason]

Cruise giant Carnival's newest ship on Saturday begins year-round sailings to the Caribbean out of Miami.   The 3,954-passenger Carnival Horizon debuted in April in Europe and spent the summer operating out of New York City. 

Constructed at a shipyard in Italy, Horizon is a sister to Carnival Vista, which debuted in 2016. Horizon is tied with Vista as Carnival's biggest vessel ever. Both ships measure 133,500 tons.

Like Vista, Horizon boasts an 800-foot-long sky ride around its top deck and, on the inside, an IMAX Theater. Other notable features include a 455-foot-long water tube attraction that is part of a Dr. Seuss-themed water park.

New on Horizon is a Guy Fieri-themed smokehouse and brewpub that serves up smoked-on-board barbecue and house-made craft beer. Dubbed Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse, it's the latest eatery on a Carnival ship to come from a partnership between the line and the celebrity chef.

Like other Carnival ships, Horizon has a range of other deck-top fun zones, eateries, bars and entertainment. 

Still, while big for Carnival, Horizon is smaller than the newest ships being unveiled by rivals Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, and it doesn't offer quite the range of amenities. Once known for some of the biggest, most amenity-filled cruise ships at sea, Carnival hasn't pursued bigger ships in recent years in the same way as its rivals. The line no longer has a single cruise ship among the 30 biggest at sea.

Horizon arrived in Miami this week and operated a two-night sampler sailing out of the city on Thursday. Prior to the sailing, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal headlined a celebration of the ship's arrival at Miami's cruise port. O'Neal appears in Carnival advertising and is dubbed the line's "chief fun officer." 

Starting Saturday, Horizon will sail six- and eight-night cruises to the Caribbean out of Miami. Fares start at $419 per person for a six-night sailing.

Horizon was christened in May in New York by Grammy Award-winning musical artist and actress Queen Latifah.

By Gene Sloan, USA Today
Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more
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[Shari2]

Can't believe how big these ships are, and Royal  Caribbean is even larger than these.  With all the new fun things to do, like the sky ride and water tube, and the IMAX theater, they should be very popular ships, especially for families.  Guy Fieri's BBQ should be a popular restaurant.  Should definitely be a Fun ship.  Always nice to sail out of Miami.

Edited September 26, 2018 by Shari2