Carnival Horizon Cruise B2B: 6-day Western Caribbean and 8-day Southern Caribbean from Port of Miami

 January 2025

We were on the Horizon from Port of Miami in 2020, and you can find additional ship information in my previous post .

View of Carnival ships at Port of Miami from bridge sidewalk 

Arrival and diamond check-in ~ Miami

We walked to the cruise port from the InterContinental, which was farther than we usually walk to a cruise port (just under 2 miles). The walk was pretty easy, although there is a small section when you first get to the port area after crossing the bridge where there is no sidewalk. Traffic is slow, so this did not present too much of a problem. We had planned to take the Coral Way trolley to the port, and then decided it would be easier to walk with our luggage, than it would be to load it on and off the trolley while hoping to have enough room for it.

We did not receive diamond status before boarding this ship, because our Carnival Glory cruise credit from two days before this cruise, had not posted to our accounts yet. I left a voice message and an email with our PVP to inquire about this, and she never responded. Needless to say, we are longer working with her. We worked directly with the diamond desk after this cruise (more information about that experience at the end of this post). The cruise port was packed before we boarded, and we again had difficulty maneuvering through the crowds of people to board when it was our time, just like previous Miami port experiences. 

Cabin 9201, category 4J, on Carnival Horizon

Interior picture window cabin 9201 category 4J 

We think the front walkway cabins on Carnival cruise ships are a great value. Every cabin we have been in is spacious, and they have a large window. The only thing we missed was a second chair, or loveseat type seating for two. Not many people walked by on the front walkway in front of our window. You can only see through the widow to the inside when it is dark out, and the cabin lights are on. Additional photos for this cabin category (#9203) can be found in my previous Horizon post (link above).

Cabin 9206, category JS (junior suite), on Carnival Horizon

Junior suite obstructed view 9206 

We booked a suite for the second leg of our back-to-back cruise, so we we had to change rooms. We packed everything up, and our room stewed pushed our bags down the hall to our new cabin, after it was ready. This was our first time booking a suite, and we loved it! It was a bit pricey, but we had a 25% on board credit, after our 25th cruise, that we used. This was enough to cover our gratuities, drinks, speciality dining, and a few purchases.  

I neglected to get photos of the bathroom and closet area in our suite. This cabin has a large walk in closet by the entrance with a full length mirror. The bathroom has a whirlpool tub/shower combination, and a large vanity with a double sink. The suite also comes with two bottles of water. 

Above: view from balcony of cabin 9206 on Carnival Horizon
Below: balcony 9206 balcony and wetness after bridge window cleaning