Another packed (ship) day on Carnival Horizon as we spend our third day at sea as we continue on to our first port of call, Aruba. Like yesterday, many were up at the crack of dawn to make sure they secured their deck chair for the day since most would be spending a considerable amount of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather we’d had for the voyage so far.
For it being Labor Day and a holiday cruise, there are not many families with kids on board, presumably because school is back in session. For those like me who don’t like the running, screaming, banging on doors, etc. the unsupervised rug rats tend to partake in, this is surely welcome. The average age on this cruise is a bit higher than other Carnival cruises I’ve been on. There are not too many of the 20-somethings onboard and plenty of those who fall into the 35+ age group and a considerable amount of those 55+.
As you can see in the daily planner at the end of this report, the day was pretty packed with things to do to keep everyone entertained.
When it came time to grab a bite to eat, me and the rest of my travel companions met at the buffet. We collectively agreed that the lunchtime offerings very much resembled something that would be served in maximum security. Absolutely unappealing to look at and none of us were daring enough to even give it a try. In fact, most of the people sitting down having lunch in the buffet seating area were either eating a burger from Guy’s Burger Joint or tacos/burritos from Blue Iguana. Crew who are allowed to eat at the buffet were also steering clear of it and opting for a burger.
I can’t really speak for the food quality prior to the COVID restart, but those who I’ve spoken to about it have said the buffet food quality has really gone down lately. I can’t see it seeking a lower level, so… I’ll stick with a salad. When it comes to dinner, the buffet pretty much serves what is on the menu in the main dining room, with the addition of salads and additional desserts. I have not hit up the main dining room yet, but will at least once (gasp) during this cruise.
Onto the casino for a minute. Since I’m sailing on a free casino rate, I feel obligated to drop a few bucks every evening. While my contribution to reducing Carnival’s billions in outstanding debt is minimal, some of my fellow passengers are dropping serious bucks into machines where the odds are not posted or disclosed. One passenger questioned the casino manager about the odds and was told, “they are not allowed to disclose that information,” so it’s safe to assume we’re not looking at odds in the low- to mid-90%, but more than likely in the mid- to upper-80%.
When you’re gaming with your Sign and Sail card in the machine, your play is tracked for the current cruise only. There is no transparency with their players club program that allows you to see what overall level you’ve achieved over the course of all your cruises and how that information ties into to the various options that are available for high rollers.
On average, you will earn 1 point for every $3 you cycle through a slot machine – either cash in or winnings. So, if you’ve unlocked 100 points, you’ve cycled about $300 through a slot machine. A quick walk around the casino and you can see people with 20,000, 30,000, and more points – so some serious money is changing hands.
Many have been asking how I get free cruises and the answer is simple – cruise lines will give you a free cruise if you spend money in the casino. This is where they make money on the unregulated high seas. More money is made in the casino than selling rooms. The more you spend, the better your offers will be. I’m not a big gambler, so my offers are a free inside stateroom on a cruise that leaves within 5 days to 24 hours, which for me works perfectly. Those who spend more get offers for free balcony staterooms or suites as well as free drinks while in the casino, or ship-wide, along with hundreds or thousands in free play.
Like I said yesterday, Lady Luck and I have never been close, so my losing streak continues.
For dinner, I decided to hit up the ship’s steakhouse – Fahrenheit 555 ($48 per person) which gets its name from the temp of the grill the steaks are cooked on. I didn’t have a reservation, since the Carnival HUB app does not play well with iOS 17 yet, so I stopped in to see if I could get a table. I was offered a high top in the bar which turned out to provide some great people watching while I enjoyed my dinner. The window I was seated at looked out into the promenade where a photo opp was set up, so I got to see those dressed up, dressed down, dressed the same, or half-dressed all smiling for the camera.
Dinner started off with an amuse bouche which was a mini cheeseburger:
Next up was tuna tartare, which was served with a “bird’s nest” on top with an egg yolk. Once that was removed, the tuna was fresh, cold, and delicious:
For the main course, I went with the 18oz spice-rubbed ribeye which was cooked a perfect medium rare, had great seasoning, and was a good choice. Coupled with a baked potato and steamed broccoli, it was a perfect meal.
After dinner, I met up with my friends for the evening’s show called Vintage Pop which was set in a 1920s speakeasy and started out with popular songs from the early eras up to today. Going into the show, I was hopeful it was going to be better than what was presented the previous night and it was. This performance had a live band that interacted with the vocalists and dancers and had a lot more energy and didn’t come off as a group of high schoolers putting on a show.
Once the show was over the party was taken up on the roof to the lido deck for the White Party – and it was INSANE! It was almost like the entire ship decided to go up and Electric Slide and Wobble before bed. People were packed shoulder to shoulder on the dancefloor and if Sister Mary DaVirginity who I had as my 8th grade teacher was there, she’d be screaming “Leave room for the Holy Spirit between you people!”
This was truly the highlight of my people-watching for the day and a fun way to wrap up the night before grabbing way too much ice cream before bed.
That’s all for today, thanks for stopping by, the next report will be from that one happy island, Aruba!
Fun Times for Day 3:
The Fun Times for September 4, 2023, can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.