Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Horizon vs Margaritaville at Sea Islander
The Carnival Horizon was built in 2018. It's 18 years newer than the Islander, which was built in 2000 and renovated in 2024. The Islander formerly sailed as the Costa Atlantica before it was brought to the Margaritaville fleet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Horizon is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,055 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, the Horizon is 56% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Horizon holds 87% more passengers than the Islander based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Horizon has less space per person compared to the Islander.
| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Vista | MAS Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 133,596 | 85,619 |
| Length | 1,055 | 960 |
| Beam/Width | 122 | 127 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,960 | 2,114 |
| Crew | 1,450 | 920 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 34 | 40 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Horizon has nineteen different dining options like Bonsai Teppanyaki, JiJi Asian Kitchen, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Islander has seven fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Far Side Sushi, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, and Mexican Cutie Cantina. Six of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Horizon might be a better choice. It has 58% more dining options than the Islander.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 19 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 15 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 6 |
| % of Included Options | 53% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Horizon has 2 more bars than the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. The Horizon has 14 bars like Alchemy Bar, Serenity Pool Bar and SkyBox Sports Bar. On Islander, you can grab a drink at 12 different bars such as Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar, Flip Flop Atrium Bar and The Far Side Lounge.
| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • SkyBox Sports Bar • Tides Pool Bar | •5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar • Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar • Coral Reef Lounge • Flip Flop Atrium Bar • Havana Daydreamin' Sports Bar and Lounge • Hemisphere Dancer Craft Spirits • Hot, Hot, Hot Night Club • JWB Prime Lounge • LandShark Bar and Lookout • Love and Luck Casino Bar • The Far Side Lounge • The Tiki Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Horizon and the Islander below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Horizon has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
The Margaritaville at Sea Islander has the same number of pools as the Horizon and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Islander. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Horizon.| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Horizon. Only 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Islander, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dry kid's play area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| IMAX Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Skyride | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterslide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Horizon will likely be more expensive than on Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Horizon | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.95 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $8.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 64.99 |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $17.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
We sailed aboard the Carnival Horizon
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Horizon. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Miami
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Amber Cove
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Grand Turk
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Sea Day
Carnival Horizon - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Nassau
5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Horizon
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