It’s time for Day 2 of this 8-day cruise on Carnival Horizon, and today was the first of two back-to-back sea days as we make our way toward our first port of call, Oranjestad, Aruba, where we’re set to arrive Tuesday morning around 8am.
Aruba is the “A” stop on this ABC cruise, with “B” coming on Wednesday in Bonaire and “C” on Thursday in Curaçao. There are only three port stops on this itinerary, so in reality, we’re spending more time at sea than on land. But in my opinion, these ABC cruises are much more desirable than the standard Eastern or Western Caribbean runs that often stop at some pretty lousy ports like Costa Maya, Mexico, or Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic.
The tradeoff on an ABC cruise is that you usually don’t get a stop at one of the cruise line private islands. But when you’re hitting three of the most desirable ports in the Caribbean, that’s a tradeoff I’m more than happy to make.
For this trip, we have a somewhat late night in Aruba, with all aboard set for 9:30pm and departure scheduled for 10pm. That gives everyone plenty of time to explore “One Happy Island,” and for me, it means some time out and about in the evening where I plan on grabbing dinner ashore after a full day of my usual wandering and exploring around town.
I keep thinking back to a few months ago when I was on a Holland America cruise that had an overnight in Aruba, giving us two full days there, which was pretty freaking amazing. There’s a lot to see and do, and despite the island’s connection to the Natalee Holloway case that still gets brought up whenever Aruba is mentioned, Oranjestad and the downtown area are generally very tourist-friendly. Like anywhere, you still need to use common sense, especially at night, but Aruba remains one of the Caribbean ports I’m always happy to see on an itinerary.
Being that it was a sea day, the activity schedule was packed, as you can see at the bottom of this post. Carnival is what Carnival is, and one of the things they do really well is plan activities for all ages and keep the schedule moving throughout the day.
One thing I’m always intrigued by is trivia.
Yes. Trivia.
I’m not sure what it is about a cruise ship and trivia, but whenever and wherever it shows up on the schedule, people come out, and they are passionate about the game. I love reading some of the posts in cruise forums where trivia players complain and call out others for cheating. It’s more competitive than pickleball in The Villages, and I just don’t get it. Especially since a lot of the trivia questions are recycled from cruise to cruise, so if you’re doing a back-to-back, you might already have the edge on the second leg!
Breakfast & Lunch Options on Carnival Horizon
Let’s talk for a minute about breakfast and lunch offerings on Carnival Horizon, starting with breakfast. You can see all the menus located on our Carnival Cruise Line restaurant menu page.
Since this was a sea day, Sea Day Brunch was served in the main dining room from 8:30am to noon. The Lido Marketplace had continental breakfast from 7am to 7:30am, full breakfast from 7:30am to 10:45am, and a limited breakfast offering from 10:45am to 11:30am.
If the buffet isn’t your thing, BlueIguana Cantina offers breakfast burritos, arepas, and huevos rancheros. One of the newer offerings that has rolled out across different ships in the fleet is Bagels @ Sea, which on Horizon is offered in Pizzeria del Capitano, the walk-up pizza spot near the aft pool. There are various bagels and bagel sandwiches available from 7:30am to 11am.
All of those breakfast options are complimentary.
Lunch is where things start to get serious, beginning with Guy’s Burger Joint, which has a true cult following for some reason I will never fully understand. The burgers are greasy, messy, and a complete cholesterol bomb, but people line up for these things like they’re gold bricks on sale at Costco for half price.
I’ve definitely had my share of Guy’s burgers in the past, and I can really only do it once a cruise. They’re a greasy mess, but people love them, so to each their own.
Keeping with the Guy Fieri theme, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse is also onboard. They smoke their own meats right here on the ship and serve them buffet-style at lunchtime from a small outdoor spot on Deck 5. Pork butt, chicken, smoked beef, mac and cheese, and other sides are available. Having had it on Horizon previously, as well as on other Carnival ships, I’m just not a fan. I find most of it to be dry and mid at best.
The smokehouse is open from noon to 2:30pm.
Back at the buffet, lunch is also served from noon to 2:30pm, and BlueIguana Cantina is open for tacos and burritos. Of course, there’s also pizza, which is served from lunchtime well into the evening, along with sandwiches from the deli. Those spots are among the most popular, and busiest, places at lunchtime.
If you’re looking for something a little less crowded and don’t want to stand in line, Seafood Shack is open from 11:30am to 5pm and serves fresh fish, lobster, oysters, fried seafood, shrimp, and more at à la carte pricing.
If you’re in the mood for pasta, Cucina del Capitano, where I had a wonderful dinner on night one, has a complimentary pasta bar at lunch where you choose your pasta, sauce, and toppings.
The ship’s Asian restaurant, JiJi Asian Kitchen, also offers a special express Mongolian wok menu at lunchtime, with some items included and others available for an upcharge. At dinner, JiJi has a cover charge, so lunch gives you a chance to get a little sampling without committing to the full dinner experience.
Finally, sushi is available at Bonsai Sushi, which is an à la carte spot.
So there’s definitely no shortage of food for breakfast or lunch on Horizon, or really on any ship in the Carnival fleet for that matter. Of course, offerings and restaurants vary by ship, but Carnival does a pretty good job making sure nobody is going hungry during the day.
Tomorrow, I’ll get into the dinner options onboard.
Chef’s Table on Carnival Horizon
As I mentioned in yesterday’s report, I had booked the Chef’s Table experience for tonight, which just so happened to also be elegant night onboard Carnival Horizon.
Chef’s Table is one of Carnival’s more intimate specialty dining experiences and is currently priced at $124 per person, plus 20% gratuity. It’s hosted by one of the ship’s chefs and is held either directly inside the ship’s galley or in a small private dining room space tucked away within the galley area. It’s part dinner, part behind-the-scenes tour, and part “let’s eat way too much food and pretend we’re fancy for the evening” kind of experience.
Unlike a regular specialty restaurant where you simply show up, sit down, order, and eat, Chef’s Table is more of a guided evening. You’re brought into the working galley, given a look at some of the behind-the-scenes operations, and then served a multi-course dinner prepared and presented by the culinary team. The menu is fixed, the pacing is slower, and the whole thing feels much more personal than just another dinner reservation.
Our meeting place for the evening was the Atrium Bar on Deck 3, where we checked in, signed our health questionnaires, and met Chef Mohammed, who would be leading the experience. I actually first met Chef Mohammed on Carnival Celebration and did two Chef’s Table dinners with him on that ship, so I was surprised to find him here on Horizon and even more surprised to be doing his Chef’s Table again.
Once everyone was checked in, Chef Mohammed led us through the dining room and into the galley. Before entering the dining space, we all had to scrub up, which makes sense since you’re walking through an active food preparation area. From there, we headed into the small private dining room space inside the galley, where his team was already busy preparing the food for the evening.
It’s always a little surreal walking from the public dining room into the working galley. One minute you’re in the familiar cruise ship dining room, and the next you’re behind the curtain watching the organized chaos that makes dinner service happen for thousands of guests every night. There’s a lot going on back there, but it all runs like a well-oiled machine.
From there, it was time to settle in and see what Chef Mohammed and his team had planned for tonight’s menu.
After having a group photo taken, we headed to our assigned seats, where our names were on place cards and the evening’s menu was waiting at each setting.
Now, this menu was very familiar. Carnival has been using this Chef’s Table menu for a while, and while that doesn’t make it bad, it was definitely familiar to me. Carnival does change these menus from time to time, but not all that frequently. I’m thinking that once the new 2026 main dining room menus roll out fleetwide, maybe the Chef’s Table menu will be next for a little tweaking.
Once we were all seated, Chef Mohammed introduced the team who would be taking care of us for the evening. Then one of the servers walked us through the wines that would be served throughout dinner. There was a red and a white, and yes, they were unlimited. We started things off with a glass of sparkling wine for a toast, and from there, Chef Mohammed and his team were off and running.
The evening was split into two parts: the Chef’s Reception and the Chef’s Degustation. The reception included several small bites to get things started, followed by the main tasting menu once we were seated.
The Chef’s Reception included:
- Duck Cigar with cranberry, fig, brie, and mushroom ash
- Tuna Crudo with netted wafer, wasabi, and gari
- Avocado Popper with beet mayo and provolone
- Land & Sea with double cooked lamb and apple wood smoked scallop
The Chef’s Degustation menu included:
- Lobster Our Way with saffron beurre blanc, lobster jelly, and cognac pearls
- Chef’s Sampler with beet cured salmon, air pillow beef carpaccio, and crab with grapes
- Dover Sole and Razor Clams with fermented purple crystal potato, leche de tigre, and heirloom baby carrot
- Hickory Smoked Lamb Loin with cheese katafi, smoked squash, beet, and port jus
- Sorbet with blood orange, raspberry, crunchy cucumber, and green apple granita
- Braised Wagyu with burgundy shallot, celeriac mash, tomato dust, and air bubble merlot glaze
- Chocolate Forest with chocolate fudge, lavender mousse, basil moss, mushroom meringue, micro sponge, and cherry sauce
- Sweet Treat with cheesecake sphere
I’ll include photos of each course below, because this is definitely one of those meals where the presentation is part of the experience.
About midway through dinner, we took a break from the table and headed back out into the galley, where one of the pastry chefs gave us a demonstration on how to make Carnival’s famous Chocolate Melting Cake. If you’ve sailed Carnival before, you already know this dessert has a fan club of its own. It’s one of those items that has been around forever and still shows up on just about every Carnival cruise as one of the most recognizable desserts in the main dining room.
The demonstration was a fun little behind-the-scenes moment and a nice break in the middle of what is otherwise a very long, very food-heavy evening. And yes, after watching the pastry chef make it, you realize pretty quickly why it tastes the way it does. There is absolutely nothing light about it, which is probably why everyone loves it.
In between each course, Chef Mohammed took questions from the group and talked a little bit about ship life, including what it’s like to be a chef on a cruise ship where the culinary team is responsible for feeding thousands of passengers and crew every single day.
A few of the tidbits he shared were pretty wild.
He said that on each cruise, they go through between 4 and 6 million fresh eggs, and each one is cracked by hand. Yes, by hand. According to him, two crew members work 12-hour shifts doing nothing but cracking eggs. Just imagine that being your workday.
He said they have tried to automate the process with machines, but too many shells were slipping through. They also don’t use liquid eggs because it makes a difference in the recipes. Not being much of an egg fan, I didn’t know that, but I also cannot imagine waking up, going to work, and cracking eggs for a 12-hour shift every day for seven months. Chef mentioned that this is often one of the assignments given to a first-time galley crew member.
He also talked about Carnival’s efforts to reduce waste onboard. According to Chef Mohammed, paper is recycled onboard and then processed through machines that turn it into paper towels used around the ship. He also mentioned that some broken glassware and dishes are recycled onboard, with facilities on the ship that can turn those broken pieces into new glasses and dishes.
It’s always interesting hearing those behind-the-scenes details because as guests, we usually just see the finished product. Food appears, plates disappear, drinks are refilled, and everything just sort of happens. But behind all of that is a massive operation running around the clock.
As with every Chef’s Table experience I’ve done, the service was fantastic, the food was exceptional, and the free-flowing wine certainly didn’t hurt.
We also had a visit from the ship’s magician, who stopped by and did some mind tricks for the group. A few people were left wondering, “How did he do that?” Simple answer: Bluetooth and modern magician technology! I’m kidding. Mostly. But it was a fun addition to the evening and gave everyone something else to talk about between courses.
So, is Chef’s Table worth it?
I still say yes, but with one big caveat. You need to be at least somewhat adventurous with food. This is not the kind of dinner where you’re ordering chicken parm and a side of fries. The menu is fixed, the ingredients are more elevated, and some of the dishes are things you might not normally order on your own.
One person in our group was not a fan of many of the items served and really wasn’t open to even taking a small taste of several courses. That’s totally fine, but if you’re going to drop some serious money on this experience, you really need to be willing to try something different.
All in all, the experience lasted about two hours. Between the galley access, the interaction with Chef Mohammed, the multi-course menu, the wine, the service, and the little behind-the-scenes extras, Chef’s Table continues to be one of Carnival’s most unique specialty dining experiences.
By the way, for those having dinner in the main dining room tonight, a special “Feast” menu was being served for the first elegant night of the cruise.
Carnival Cruise Line Main Dining Room Dinner Menu - Elegant Night 1
Some ships in the fleet are still offering the pre-2026 new menu. This is NOT the 2026 new menu release.
Available on: all ships
After dinner, I stopped by the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse bar for a few gin and tonics to end the night.
I enjoy this little bar because it’s usually quiet, not heavily used, and they have a nice selection of spirits. Although, I will say, the selection has definitely been pruned down since the last time I was on Carnival. Still, it’s a nice place to chill after dinner, especially when you don’t want to be around the louder crowds at some of the other bars around the ship.
After all, Carnival.
As I mentioned earlier, we have another day at sea tomorrow before making landfall in Aruba. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the dinner spots onboard Carnival Horizon, so stay tuned.
And as always, thanks for following along.
Fun Times for Day 2:
This is also available as a PDF by clicking here.
