Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Horizon vs Princess Cruises Emerald Princess
The Carnival Horizon was built in 2018. It's 11 years newer than the Emerald Princess, which was built in 2007 and renovated in 2019.
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 Princess Cruises Emerald Princess, the Horizon is 18% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Horizon holds 29% more passengers than the Emerald Princess 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 Emerald Princess.
| Carnival Horizon | Princess Cruises Emerald Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Vista | Crown |
| Gross Tonnage | 133,596 | 113,561 |
| Length | 1,055 | 951 |
| Beam/Width | 122 | 159 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,960 | 3,080 |
| Crew | 1,450 | 1,200 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 34 | 37 |
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 25 different dining options like Bonsai Teppanyaki, Pizzeria del Capitano, and Guy's Burger Joint. Of those options, 16 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 9 options have an additional fee.
The Emerald Princess has 9 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are World Fresh Marketplace, The Salty Dog Grill, and Sabatini's. 9 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 5 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Horizon might be a better choice. It has 56% more dining options than the Emerald Princess.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Horizon | Princess Cruises Emerald Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 25 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 16 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 64% | 69% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Horizon serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Emerald Princess serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Horizon and the Emerald Princess 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 problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Carnival Horizon has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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.
Princess Cruises Emerald Princess has more pools than the Horizon and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Emerald Princess. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
| Carnival Horizon | Princess Cruises Emerald Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| 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 Emerald Princess, 80% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Horizon | Princess Cruises Emerald Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| IMAX Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Putting green | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Skyride | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival is considered a mainstream cruise line. 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.
Princess Cruises, on the other hand, is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
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 | Princess Cruises Emerald Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $6.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $59.95 - $69.95 Learn more | $64.99 - $84.99 |
| Internet Plan | $15.30 to $21.25 per device per day | $24.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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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