Three islands, four sea days and a week aboard Carnival Horizon created an itinerary with plenty of time both ashore and at sea. We sailed round-trip from Miami from May 28 through June 5, 2022, visiting Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao on three consecutive days.

We normally choose cruises for the ports rather than the ship, and this itinerary immediately caught our attention. Aruba gave us enough time to scuba dive two wreck sites and still visit Flamingo Beach. Bonaire introduced us to its reefs, limestone coastline and salt-producing history. Curaçao combined a morning in colorful Willemstad with a private boat charter and a dive at the Tugboat wreck.

This article is the overview of the entire cruise. Each port also has its own detailed guide, with the excursions, photographs and practical lessons from our day ashore.

Our Carnival Horizon itinerary

Day Destination Scheduled time

Saturday, May 28 Depart Miami 4:00 PM

Sunday, May 29 Sea Day

Monday, May 30 Sea Day

Tuesday, May 31 Aruba 8:00 AM–10:00 PM

Wednesday, June 1 Bonaire 8:00 AM–10:00 PM

Thursday, June 2 Curaçao 8:00 AM–5:00 PM

Friday, June 3 Sea Day

Saturday, June 4 Sea Day

Sunday, June 5 Return to Miami 8:00 AM

The unusual part of this itinerary was its rhythm. Two sea days carried us south from Miami, all three port days came together in the middle, and two more sea days brought us home. That meant the cruise never felt frantic. We could settle into the ship before the busy part of the trip and recover afterward.

Departing from Miami

We boarded Carnival Horizon in Miami and stayed in a balcony stateroom. The balcony gave us a private place to watch the coastline disappear, check the weather before heading out and relax away from the busiest public decks. On an itinerary with four sea days, that extra outdoor space was particularly valuable.

Miami also makes for a dramatic sail away. The skyline, cruise terminals and blue water gave us our first photographs before the ship had properly left the city behind.

Four days at sea aboard Carnival Horizon

Carnival Horizon offers far more activities than we could realistically cover in one trip. Its better-known attractions include SkyRide, WaterWorks, the Serenity adults-only area and an IMAX theater. We spent our sea days exploring the ship, relaxing around the pool, attending events in the atrium and enjoying the formal evenings rather than trying to schedule every hour.

We had a good time and the ship experience was comfortably positive. Carnival Horizon did its job well, gave us plenty to do between ports and never distracted from the itinerary that had brought us aboard.

Aruba: wreck diving and Flamingo Beach

Aruba was our first port and our longest day ashore, with a scheduled stay from 8:00 AM until 10:00 PM. We used almost all of that time.

Our morning began with Red Sail Aruba aboard the dive boat Bon Bini. We completed a two-tank trip, diving the Antilla wreck first and Pedernales afterward. Antilla gave us large sections of wreckage, coral growth and schools of fish, while the shallower Pedernales site offered a different look at Aruba below the surface.

After diving, we went directly to the Renaissance. We had booked one hotel room and shared the cost with another couple so all four of us could access Renaissance Island. A water taxi carried us to the private island, where we spent the remainder of the day around the hammocks, clear water and flamingos.

That combination made Aruba the most ambitious day of the cruise: two dives in the morning followed by one of the island's most recognizable beaches in the afternoon.

Continue reading: One Day in Aruba from a Cruise: Antilla Wreck Diving & Flamingo Beach

Bonaire: reefs, 1,000 Steps and the salt pans

The following morning brought us to Kralendijk, Bonaire. We booked Carnival's Best of Bonaire excursion, which gave us a broad introduction to the island rather than concentrating on a single attraction.

The day combined time on the water with several of Bonaire's best-known landscapes. We saw the limestone steps and turquoise cove at 1,000 Steps, snorkeled in exceptionally clear water, visited the salt pans and stopped near the small historic huts once used by enslaved people working in the salt industry.

Bonaire felt quieter and less developed than Aruba. The dry landscape, intense blue water and enormous white salt pyramids made the island visually distinctive, while the coral and fish made it immediately obvious why divers and snorkelers return.

Continue reading: How to Spend a Cruise Day in Bonaire

Curaçao: Willemstad and a private dive charter

Curaçao had the shortest port call, so we divided the day into two very different experiences.

We spent the morning walking through Willemstad, photographing the colorful Handelskade waterfront, Queen Emma Bridge and the streets surrounding the harbor. The city is compact enough to explore on foot from the cruise port, making it easy to see a meaningful part of the capital before an afternoon excursion.

For the second half of the day, we joined the other couple for a private charter with Ocean Encounters Diving aboard Galaxy. Our group included two divers and two snorkelers, and Remy was our divemaster. The private format let us stay together while still choosing different activities.

We made one dive at Curaçao's Tugboat wreck and then explored Spanish Water from the boat. Snacks and drinks were included, giving the afternoon the feel of both a dive trip and a relaxed private cruise.

Continue reading: One Day in Curaçao from a Cruise: Willemstad & Tugboat Diving

Returning to Miami

After three consecutive island days, the two-day return to Miami was welcome. Instead of packing immediately after Curaçao, we had time to slow down, revisit our favorite parts of the ship and enjoy the ocean from the balcony.

The itinerary worked because it balanced active days with genuine downtime. We could dive, snorkel and explore three islands without feeling as if every day required an early alarm and a race back to the ship.

Was the Carnival Horizon Southern Caribbean cruise worth it?

Yes. We remember the trip as a good cruise with an excellent itinerary. Carnival Horizon was a comfortable base, the balcony suited a route with four sea days, and the long calls in Aruba and Bonaire gave us room to do more than one activity.

The real strength was the sequence of destinations. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao sit close together, but each port felt different. Aruba delivered the most ambitious day, Bonaire offered the strongest mix of reef and landscape, and Curaçao gave us the best combination of city and private adventure.

If you are choosing this route, plan around the ports first. Look carefully at arrival and departure times, reserve any limited-access experiences well in advance and leave a safe buffer before all-aboard. Then allow the sea days to be what they are supposed to be: time to enjoy the ship without a checklist.

Planning notes

This was our personal experience from May and June 2022.
Current Carnival Horizon features and itineraries should be confirmed directly with Carnival.
Renaissance Island currently describes access as exclusive to resort guests; verify the rules before using our 2022 hotel-room strategy.
Dive schedules, operators, prices and departure times can change.

Never rely on a private excursion provider to hold the cruise ship. Confirm the ship's time, local time and return plan before departing.

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The photographs in this article represent only a small selection from my collection. Additional high-resolution images from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Carnival Horizon may be available for editorial and commercial licensing.

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