Williams Family Blog: Carnival Horizon Behind the Fun Tour

 

During our first Carnival Cruise, we were able to book an onboard tour, Behind the Fun, on the Carnival Horizon which took place on our last day at sea.  I learned about the tour during a shopping seminar on the first day at sea.  There are 3 tours on board that guest pay to take--Brewery Tour (which the husband did), the Crew Lounge Tour, and the Behind the Fun Tour, which includes the Crew Lounge and more.  

Behind the Fun costs $130 per person with no discounts for guests with Cheers Package.  I say that because there WAS a discount on the Brewery Tour for guests with Cheers Package.  The tour is slated as lasting 3 hours and 45 minutes, but our was about 3 hours 15 minutes.  The tour has 2 departure times on the morning of the last sea day.

The tour can be booked at the Port Adventures Desk or at Customer Service, but not on the Carnival Hub app.  Tickets were delivered to our cabin in an envelope.  More information was delivered to our cabin the evening before the tour.

There were strict instructions--no sandals or open toed shoes, no cameras or phone.  At our meeting location, we provided our tour tickets and signed health waivers, similar to health questionnaires we have completed prior to sailing with Disney Cruise Line.  (There were no health questionnaires needed prior to sailing on the Carnival Horizon.)  We were given Carnival hats and required to wear them for our first stop on the tour. Then we experienced our FIRST security want scan.

After we left our meeting location, we began our journey using the crew stairs, which are in the same locations as guest stairs, but behind the walls.  Down we went from Deck 5 to Deck 3 to one of the galleys, this one was for the main dining rooms.  Did you know that only electricity is used to cook all food on the Carnival Horizon.  The Sous Chef told us "no fire."   We got to see fruit preparation, bakery preparation, and walk into one of the large refrigerators with the bar manager.  Coke products were being loaded onto the ship the very next day!  I missed it by one day!  The Carnival Horizon has enough food onboard each sailing for 3 additional days.  If the sailing is 6-nights, there is 9 days worth of food on board.  Lido Marketplace on Deck 10 has its own galley as does the crew quarters. Servers use a hand-held device to place guest orders in the dining rooms and then the number associated with guest order is brought up in the kitchen using touch screen terminals to match the order with the guest.  155 crew work 10-hour shifts 7-days a week in the galleys. 

We proceeded down to Deck 0, using crew stairs which are steeper than guest stairs.  There is a long hallway that runs the length of the ship on Deck 0, which crew refer to as I-95, a major North/South Interstate in Florida.  This hallway allows for crew to move quickly from one part of the ship to another and is large enough for skid steers to move pallets of materials back and forth.  We stopped at the recycling center to see the machines that incinerate the trash into cubes of pellets that get disposed of at port--no feeding of the fish.

Our second security wanding was before entering the engine room.  The large room with one small porthole was full of consoles with displays, buttons, and phones, and one wall that was a digital display.  Video feeds, battery monitoring, and engine speed were explained.  The engine room is manned at all times with at least 1 crew member in 4-hour shifts.  Out of the 1400 crew/staff on board, the engine room employs 21.  

There are 3 more decks below Deck 0 that are only accessible to crew--Decks A, B, and C.  These decks are below water.  We ventured to Deck B to see the Laundry facilities.  Large washers can handle 400 pounds of towels and linens.  Large dryers hold 250 pounds.  It is a very noisy area and I asked about hearing protection and monitoring.  Having worked for Disney, I know that extended exposure to noise over 85 decibels can cause damage.  I was told there is noise protection and hearing checks are performed during annual physicals.  Guest laundry (valet) is performed in a nearby room with standard sized washers/dryers along with steamers and large irons for pressing.  Crew costumes/uniforms are also laundered here. Did you know that linens are not dried in a dryer?  Large machines whisk the newly washed linens through a dry-iron-fold mechanism.  Having seen this during a Walt Disney World Textile Services tour, I was not surprised, but other guests on this tour were impressed.

Crew quarters were next on the tour.  There are two mess areas for crew to dine which are open nearly round-the-clock.  Each meal must include a food that originates from each country represented in the crew (135 countries.)  Of course, some may overlap, like rice or eggs. We saw the crew lounge, also known as the happiness room, which is open the evenings.  There is crew learning center on board for online trainings.  Crew are given a social media Wi-fi package for using What's app to communicate with families.  Most purchase internet minutes to check emails.  When in port, crew know where there is free Wi-fi and download movies and music for enjoyment onboard.  Because accessing email requires a purchase of internet minutes, schedules and announcements are printed or provided by word of mouth from supervisors.  Crew cabins are located on multiple decks, typically near places of work.  For example, entertainers and Fun Squad cabins are on Deck 4, as that is close to their work areas.  Crew cabins have a bathroom are assigned 4 to a cabin or 2 for couples and managers.  There is also a crew laundry area with free washers and dryers.  We were told that not all of them are in working order.

As we made our way to the stairs, we walked by the Brig, or jail on a ship--yes it does exist.  We were told that in most cases, guests would be confined to their cabin with security posted outside.  We also walked by the morgue.

Upstairs to Deck 8 to see The Bridge, but we needed a third security wanding and the security officer stayed with us while in The Bridge.  Second officer greeted us, explained what happens on The Bridge, including having an Officer be on hand 24/7 along with a "watch."  Video feeds provide visual access to all sides of the ship, but are out of the visual range of seeing guest balconies.  We learned about drills and safety measures.  I asked about the use of "pilots" who come on board using small boats, to help large vessels navigate difficult or unusual waterways.  Sure enough, cruise ships use pilots!  We then met Captain Nick, who has been serving 18 years.  Did you know that at each port, the flag of the country is displayed on the ship as a sign of welcome and thanks?  All the flags are kept on The Bridge.

From The Bridge we went to the theater, also known as the Liquid Lounge, which was a favorite area for us on the ship.  We got to see backstage, on-stage, the costume and make-up room for performers.  I asked about "flying" and was told that they do not have that rigging on the Carnival Horizon.  They do have electronic set moving, but no trap doors.  Set pieces are stored either under the stage or in an area off stage.  Shows have digital cues for sound and lights.  Performers have ear pieces to receive information from the show producer along with their face-microphones.  

The final stop of the tour was at The Brewery, near Pig & Anchor, on Deck 5.  We met Cole, the onboard brewer.  He greeted Todd by name!  

This tour was not something I had expected to do or had planned to do.  We had onboard credits to use because of a Carnival Cruise credit card offer and I thought the tour might be interesting.  Disney Cruise Line, as of our last sailing July 2024, did not offer anything similar.  

Guests wanting to become familiar with the ship but not wanting to pay for a tour are in luck, too.  We missed the "Get to Know Your Ship" tour listed on the app on the first afternoon onboard (2:00 pm).  There are also Spa Tours offered throughout the cruise. 

At the end of the tour, we were each given a back-pack, got to keep the lanyards and hats, and could pick-up our included picture with the Captain later that day.  Because we paid for two tours, we got two 8 x 10 photos to bring home.  

Remember the part above about guest orders associated with a number from the hand-held device to the galley?  Well, after the tour we were on Deck 5 at Ocean Plaza, a favorite location on the ship, and a crew member from Port Adventures found us.  Seems our Health Waivers were misplaced and we needed to sign new ones.  I asked how he found us.  He was able to track us down based on the recent scans using our guest accounts (Sail & Sign cards).  

Williams Family: Famous Walter and Other Suppositions

 

First, Famous Walter!  The other evening, the husband, our houseguest, and I visited Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for a lovely alfresco meal at Three Bridges.  On both our way to and from the restaurant, we stopped by the resort gift shop, Panchito's Gifts and Sundries.  During our last stop, there was a small child crying in a stroller.  Multiple adults accompanied the child, each browsing sections of the store, with one of the adults pushing the stroller.  I approached and began talking to the securely strapped in little older than a toddler to distract him from crying.  It worked!  The adults gathered around the stroller, one to make sure I seemed (supposition) safe and two, to see the child's reactions.  I introduced myself to the child and one of the adults told me the child's name was Walter.  Oh, my!  I told Walter that this entire area was created by a man named Walt (Walter, actually) and therefore, he, Walter, was famous.  That generated a smile.  From that moment on, he was referred to as Famous Walter.  By the time our interaction ended, Famous Walter had his fingers in his mouth, his eyes droopy.  We waved good-bye.  It was evident that Famous Walter's family was from the UK and I ventured to guess arrived that day at the resort meaning it was a very long day and very late (supposition) for Famous Walter.

A supposition is "an idea that something may be true without certain proof."  I typically operate with a positive supposition. 

Now, more about suppositions.  

While playing cards on the lanai last evening, after a wonderful rainstorm that took the heat and humidity out of the air, a group of 17 to 22 year olds walked by on the sidewalk.  I said "good evening" and asked about the new camera.  A previous encounter had elicited a conversation about the purchase of a new video camera by one of the young men.  I was informed that none of that group had the camera, but the guy parking the car nearby was the owner of the camera.  This is what I overheard, "Hey, the people that we walk by all the time are asking about your camera?"  I love this!  We are part of the fabric of their neighborhood.  This makes us connected; safe.  As the camera owner walked by, he informed us that he had loaned it to a friend recently and would retrieve it shortly.  All of this isn't really about the camera--it was about having previous knowledge in which to have an interaction, a positive interaction! 

It reminded me of the many times I was leaving work, exiting schools at the end of the day and the start of the evening, and seeing youngsters playing on playgrounds.  I won't say always, but I will say that I frequently verbally interacted with "who is winning" or "stay safe" or "keep an eye on the place."  I enjoyed these interactions with the young people, old enough to gather on an elementary school playground without parent supervision.  Some were former students, some were not.  And, each time, my supposition as to why they were there and what they were doing was positive--play, socialize, do no harm to others, themselves, me, or the building.  That positive supposition worked, for the most part. One school I was a part of for seven years, had vandalism the summer prior to my arrival and one other overnight incident.  I was told by a district maintenance supervisor that vandalism had declined.  Good!  

As I venture, a positive supposition is a continued goal! Beliefs behind the words matters. 

Williams Family: The Years That Nearly Broke Me

 

At the moment you are experiencing something you have no idea what is to come; only what has come before and led up to this moment. If I had known at any given moment early in the happenings what lied ahead, I might have given up. Thank goodness for friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors who helped. 

2015 to 2022 was tough.  A friend told me once that if she were going through what I was going through she would be curled up.  There were times I was curled up, catatonic.  And, there were times I was spittin' mad.  The husband said it all made me stronger. 

In the summer of 2015, after the school year had ended, I was summoned to the school district's central office.  Because of student achievement of the English Language Learner subgroup I had to be moved to become a principal at another school because of federal legislation at that time. Federal legislation that has since been re-written but you may recall, "failing" schools had to remove administration. I was moved to a school that had more red in the student achievement column than the school I was leaving, but it was the number of years in the red that mattered.  I was off contract (on summer break), students and staff were well into their summer routines. Nevertheless, I packed up my office and moved out in a day while speculation and announcements flurried.  My primary concern, the school secretary, aka administrative assistant.  She had worked with the incoming administrator before and it didn't go well.  What can we do, I asked district leaders behind the decision to move principals.  Nothing.  Well, by October, a new school secretary was needed as my warning went unheard and unheeded.  That August, I took the helm of my 5th elementary school in the district. I had done this before and knew how to make the transition as smooth as possible.  What was new about this assignment was the political arm--teacher association presidents, school board members families working at and attending the school.  This continued for the eight years of my tenure. 

In early October of 2015, our dishwasher sprang a slow leak, seeping into the subfloor of our kitchen and eventually into a portion of our basement.  Insurance company, kitchen upheaval with floor and bottom cabinets removed, mold remediation, cooking in a microwave on a cart, eating off paper plates, and walking in/out of the kitchen through a floor to ceiling plastic sheet described the days that turned into weeks. Our kitchen was put back together between Christmas and New Years. 

Then a sewer back-up in our basement on Thanksgiving 2015 led to a multi-year lawsuit with the city as city staff told me in our garage as their Valcal truck was pumping the sewer lines from a manhole cover in the street, that our home was on a "private sewer" releasing them from any responsibility.  Not the lines from our home to the main lines, but the main lines themselves throughout a neighborhood encompassing multiple streets and homes. The case went to court in August of 2021 and a judge agreed with all the evidence collected including an annexation decree.  The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the ruling citing precedent that courts could not make that ruling and ultimately city officials had to make the determination, a route that was taken first with pleas to city council members to no avail.  It felt like being betrayed by a city I had called home for the majority of my life. 

We spent Thanksgiving weekend hauling the contents of our basement into a dumpster in our driveway.  Thankful for help from friends and neighbors. We joked how it was a good thing the new kitchen floor hadn't been installed yet as we lugged damaged items up the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door to the dumpster. Special cleaning, and more mold remediation, this time on our dime. The deep freeze, heater, and washer made it through, but a new water heater and clothes dryer were necessary. 

This issue has resurfaced recently, and the city repaired a sewer issue on a line that one of their city department heads, who was fired in 2023, told the public, city officials, and court officers was not city's responsibility. Glad the city is taking responsibility for the sewer lines--now. 

2017-2020 a school district central office administrator who attempted more than once to admonish. I wasn't the only one in the rifle's site and shots fired worked on others who left the district. I fought back and supported others fighting back; offering advice, protective stances, and moral support. The supervisor directed others to fire shots at me and others, as if this wouldn't be evident. In December of 2019, with the help of a county attorney, an emergency injunction from a judge, and a full court press from the press, the last attempt to admonish failed and the supervisor moved on to another school district in June of 2020, was eventually demoted, then moved on to another school district. 

There were times during this central office administrator at the helm, I was told I was changing positions.  Even fielding a phone call when I was about to board a cruise ship in July, telling me I would be at a different school the next month. Upon disembarkation, another phone call revealed that was incorrect and in fact, I would principal at one school full time and another school part time, shared with another colleague.  The next summer when asked by this person where I was vacationing, I said, "I'm not telling so that I don't get a phone call telling me my position has changed." Then there was the time I was told I was moving again, this time to be a principal at a middle school.  I negotiated salary, personnel, then was told no to those negotiations.  Then, I said no.  Do you know the scene in Baby Boom when Diane Keaton's character declines the buy out offer for her baby food production company?  Well, that was my Baby Boom moment.  As I got in my car after the meeting, I called a colleague, knowing they were next in line so that they, too, could say no.  And, they did.  The administrator who took that position ended up with a salary $40,000 more than what I had negotiated, and the schools closed down in March due to Covid-19. Cha-ching to that individual!  In the first week of March of 2020 as talk of quarantining cruise ship passengers upon return circulated, this central office administrator said to me at the end of an admin meeting, "You're going on a cruise for Spring Break, right?"  I could see the look of glee in the thought of the husband and I being quarantined for two weeks without pay along with any other staff.  My response was no, headed to Walt Disney World.  Of course, we didn't make it as the world shut down the next week. 

During the last of the supervisor's reign, I was prescribed medication, which I took to help with the most difficult days (mostly nights) and saw an Employee Assistance counselor who recommended I get another job. No other strategies--quit and find employment. 

Since that time, I faced one other "hit man" who had me in tears after a day-long meeting due to disrespectful remarks and interrupting me when I spoke.  While I was stunned with the behavior displayed towards me in the meeting, so were my colleagues.  After another interaction and inappropriate remark, I stood my ground during a fierce conversation. When the husband and I retired from the district, this same person was in charge of the retirement reception, a reception that I didn't receive an invitation to as it was sent to someone else with a similar name.  Yep, not invited to my own retirement reception hosted by the school district. Thankfully, other honorees shared the invitation.  As a note, since 2022, there have been multiple job changes for this person across districts and most recently was released from a leadership position early.

The "dance of the lemons" is real.  The lasting trauma is real and dissipates with time.  Schadenfreude is real.  Disenfranchisement is real. The universe gives messages like having a court hearing in the morning and closing on your retirement home in the afternoon, having no control over the assigned dates or either. And retirement package offerings when you are ready. Living a full, satisfying life is the best response.