Carnival Horizon: Dunn’s River, Paradise Beach, & Grand Cayman

Choose Fun (or not) Carnival Horizon

To master the unpredictable aspects of traveling, one must learn to accept the good and bad.

You must go with the flow (cliche or not)!

This cruise on Carnival’s Horizon was no different!

The first port up was Jamaica.

My eight hour allotted time by Carnival was eaten up by the long drive to Ocho Rios.

The first lesson when I finally made it to Dunn’s River Falls & Park: All waterfalls are not created equal.

Some are a marvel to look at.

Others are a massive structure made for climbing.

I should’ve listened to TLC concerning this one.

By the time I arrived at the park, I had about an hour and a half before the ship left.

The full climb up the fall took the same amount of time.

Thankfully, I was able to get a personal guide for a shorter trek.

Even though I wished I had more time in Ocho Rios, I was grateful that I did not have to climb the whole waterfall.

The guide was nice enough to hold my hand throughout but I had some close calls when I let go.

I was definitely not trying to injure my right ankle for the third time.

The rocks were intimidating and the water was freezing cold.

I wanted to record more but it was hard when watching my every step.

Finally, the guide took my camera and I let him do his thing.

My best investment was the clear waterproof phone case from Amazon. It came two in a pack.

Pon De River

Dunn’s River has changing rooms and lockers but I left everything with the driver.

I was so happy when my fifteen to twenty minutes were over.

I tipped the guide and went in search of food.

He was nice enough to warn me of possible vultures at the shop area.

It was an outside market of huts and once I told every merchant a firm “no”, the food and outside eating areas were at the end.

I ordered festival, jerk chicken and rice and peas (beans).

It was eaten on my balcony and was so good (though cold by the time I made it on the ship).

*Don’t forget your towel, water-proof phone case, changing clothes & water shoes.

Grand Cayman

Ocho Rios was the only port I hadn’t visited before.

Grand Cayman was stop two.

I didn’t want to do water activities or 7 Mile Beach so I hung out with someone who recognized me from my Mediterranean cruise (and her group).

We walked the area near the port and caught a local bus (minivan) to Peppers Bar and Grill.

One of the women had read rave reviews about the place.

It was an outdoor/dine-in island vibes set up that turned to a lounge after dark.

The take-out lunch line kept a steady stream of locals which was always a good sign.

I ordered “with my eyes”: fried plantains, rice and peas (beans), veggies and oxtail.

It was some of the best West Indian food I’ve had and I managed to eat most of it!

I will definitely be returning whenever I’m in town.

The beach is not that far across the street and Pepper’s is ten minutes away from the cruise port.

Paradise in Cozumel

I’ve been to Cozumel the most out of any port.

I have done everything I wanted to in terms of excursions.

I’ve been certified in making chocolate and tequila.

I also did a mariachi, shopping, Mexican buffet & taco excursion.

This time around, I wanted to relax.

Usually I don’t like paying for beach excursions (mainly because I live in Miami), but I wasn’t staying on the ship.

I had to do “something”!

Shore Excursion Group charged me a $25 expedite fee for booking three days before the cruise. I wasn’t aware of a cutoff period.

It was for a beach escape with pick-up for $100 (can’t remember the name).

Their reviews were OK compared to the other horrible ones I had read. The next day SEG issued a refund with no explanation.

I figured I would be able to book something with Carnival if there was still availability on the ship.

It would’ve been good either way!

Thankfully, I was able to join my new found friends on their excursion to Paradise Beach Cozumel for $64.

It was also “all inclusive” minus transportation. The taxi was $15 each way per group.

I was wary since most of the beach clubs in Cozumel had horrible reviews of disrepair, bad food and worse customer service.

Paraiso (Spanish for paradise)

Paradise Beach exceeded my expectations.

The only complaint I had was that food was served without utensils, napkins or a tray.

Once you walk pass the tall palm tree filled entrance, paradise awaits in the form of a pool ( wasn’t heated though it was advertised) and a beach.

Swings over water were a sweet surprise at the end of the pink pier.

The ocean had floatable slides if that was your thing.

I loved the pool and didn’t even get in the ocean.

I can’t swim and the entire pool was a comfortable 3 and half feet.

There were various floatables to use free of charge.

I wasn’t interested in the other water activities advertised.

We sampled the various pizzas and tacos. Rice and burgers were also on the menu.

There was a choice to upgrade to top shelf liquor or a day bed.

The bed rentals are $50 a day which is the lowest I’ve ever seen.

The best part was that the beach club wasn’t crowded and had more than enough beach chairs.

An on-site food truck made the tacos to order.

If you’re a big drinker, I would upgrade the alcohol.

I had three Bahama Mamas and barely felt them. But that was OK with me.

Carnival Horizon

Horizon is the newest and largest Carnival ship (I kept getting lost) I’ve ever been on.

It  even had better crowd control than the smaller Conquest I cruised on in June.

The most high tech feature were the smart elevators.

There were keypads to enter your floor number and quantity of people.

It would then give you the correct elevator letter to wait for.

It was a mess the first day with luggage handlers using certain elevators, but by the end of the cruise I had gotten used to them.

And like all technology, they’re far from perfect!

I was also surprised to see an entire level dedicated to outside retailers like Victoria’s Secret.

Food quality on Carnival (I cruise them exclusively for now), in my experience, has decreased significantly.

I avoided the three course main dining room that was included in my cruise fare like the plague.

I only booked specialty restaurants for most of the cruise.

An exception for a dinner buffet was made on the first night.

On the final night, I attempted the dining room but seeing how it had turned into an awards show, I walked out.

The only paid specialty restaurant I didn’t try was the steakhouse.

I had done it three times on two different cruises (2022) and the menu is not that versatile.

Will Pay for Experiences on Carnival Horizon

Cucina Del Capitano was $18. BonSai Teppanyaki was $35.

JiJi’s Asian Kitchen was $18. [Drinks excluded for all]

Check app for times when these may be free of charge but I wanted guaranteed service.

Obviously, ya girl enjoys an experience and willing to pay extra for it.

The only one I regretted was Bonsai (their version of Benihana).

We sat next to a louder chef/table who started before us and ruined the experience.

I expected a group activity but not two at once.

Worse of all, the chefs told the same corny jokes so I got to hear everything twice.

I mentioned my dissatisfaction on Carnival’s survey (fingers crossed).

Speaking of survey, I also mentioned the lack of diversity in the music they play especially since they frequent Caribbean islands.

I requested a Carimi song (popular Haitian band) and it wasn’t even on the preset playlist. Not one Haitian song at that!

But enough about that, (as a Black person the continual fighting at every turn gets tiresome).

An Epicurean Wonder

This cruise, I also did Chef’s Table for the second time. The last time I attempted onboard, it was unavailable.

The cost is now $99 on Carnival and includes a tour of the galley (kitchen).

My first one was more informative as we learned about the process long before the food arrives on board.

There’s usually a baking prep demonstration followed by the sit down “taste test”/ visual masterpiece.

I also enjoyed the food more last time (EVERYTHING was delicious).

This one was more about the experience.

Or maybe my palette has changed with age.

Perhaps its just in my head, but I feel like they served less options too.

Overall, I think everyone should try it at least once.

Each ship puts their own spin on it.

Be ready for a magical surprise!

On the next ship that has it, I would like to try Pig and Anchor.

I could not make room for it on this cruise!

~Poof…Bee Gone

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