I’m taking an eight-day cruise from Miami on one of the newer Carnival boats, Carnival Horizon. Having cruised on the older Victory I’ve been happy to see many different things on this larger ship to keep myself occupied.
There are many technological upgrades that make it easer for someone like me who has mobility and upper arm difficulty. For example, I love that my cabin door opens and closes by pushing a button from the inside or tapping my key on the outside.
The “smart” elevator system was a little annoying at first because I couldn’t figure out how to use the accessibility features of the floor selection. However after two days, I’m really liking this feature because I only have to push one button. Once you are told which elevator to go to, you get in the elevator and it goes.
There are also many eating options not found on older ships. For example, yesterday I ate at the site down Japanese restaurant and today I had BBQ Buffet at the Guy Fieri restaurant.
A new addition to the fun is an IMAX theater which shows current movies as well as more IMAX-friendly features. There is popcorn and soda as well, and it doesn’t cost a fortune!
My cabin is 6207 — a wheelchair accessible balcony. It’s at the front of the ship and while it’s very quiet as far as other passengers goes, there seems to be a lot more noise coming from the outside in the form of howling through my balcony door. In addition, and likely because of being so close to the front, there’s the occasional slamming sound of the boat crashing down on the water. It seems like rougher water than other cruises I’ve been on so that’s understandable.
The bathroom is plenty big and has a roll-in shower and grab bars. The bed is pretty standard and the frame is heavy so it doesn’t move around when transferring, which is nice. The height is about 20 inches and there is clearance under the bed.
I’ll update more about this cruise as we stop in Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao. You can also read about my experience on board when I had to ask for help getting out of bed.
You Should Go Anyway 