mdotson2k1

Cozumel and Grand Cayman were the best stops. Belize left more to be desired on this trip. Loads of fun on the Liberty with our CD Karl with a K. Carnival Legends show at the end of the trip was SO much fun! Luckily I was selected to participate and sing as Garth Brooks for the show. Great way to have the cruisers interact and be a REAL part of the cruise!

First, the Itinerary was completely inadequate for even a NORMAL cruise experience. This being my 10th cruise overall (6th with Carnival), I have never been so disappointed in the ports of call. A full day in Bimini was a total waste of time and money. The island did not begin to offer enough to explore or enjoy aside from a straw market and a startup casino resort that, honestly, you can pay a charter service in Miami $35 to transport you to at a moment's notice. Half Moon Cay, while a beautiful landscape, was also a wasted stop, especially since it was the second stop following Bimini. NO excitement factor to this port, but yet, I did journey on shore. Limited shopping and activities outside of a select few excursions (which, however not sailing at full capacity, were booked up so much, my group could not enjoy them together, so we chose not to book any at all.) Aside from the weather for most of the day, which is beyond Carnival's control, it was not a port I will recommend. Amber Cove, D.R. : Aside from being the ONLY port which had a variety of shopping and local atmosphere, it was also the most unpleasant due to the overall cleanliness and upkeep of the area's beaches. I personally was injured on shore by BROKEN GLASS SHARDS all over the beaches! Trash floating in the water beside me like paper dinner plates and wrappers! For this to be a port-of-call created by Carnival, I was utterly disappointed at its upkeep. Food: I understand that every cruise line has to prepare food suitable for a great many "tastes" . I found the overall quality of the food was subpar at best. Also, the layout, design, and utilization of the Lido Buffet was HIGHLY insufficient! Only one half of the front lido area at one time, and MAYBE the complete rear lido buffet was ever open at the same time! Lines were longer, food was depleted faster, and that was only if you wanted to try one of the extremely limited choices offered! On-Board Events: I visited a comedy show four times... each instance was at a different location on the ship. First night in the Liquid Lounge (Deck 4,5 Forward) the next show was Deck 4 aft in the Limelight Lounge. Next night, again in the Liquid Lounge... then back to the rear of the ship on the next show! And THEN the show was only 15 minutes at the MOST! Even the comedians were saying that they needed to "wrap it up" or Carnival would scold them! Karaoke is also very limited in song selection and it was also in different venues on the ship...Pig and Anchor one evening... next time it was in the Ocean Plaza... thankfully those were close together and on the same level! NO CONSISTENCY! Trivia sessions were very hard to enjoy due to the language barrier. I did enjoy Gerry, however his strong accent made it hard for most players to understand what the questions were. This could have been easily resolved. The casino area was in total disarray. It took me the whole cruise to find out where the cash cage was! Stuck back in a little nook away from everyone! No bar in the casino, so the servers had to walk out of the casino, down a flight of stairs to the main lobby area for drinks. Which makes for a LONG wait to get a drink! By the way, I understand the Eco-friendly steps Carnival is trying to take... but sugar and flavored straws? Every Pina Colada or Miami vice I ordered... I never got to finish because the straw got soggy and collapsed into the glass or flattened to the point the straw was useless! With the size of the Carnival Horizon, I was expecting MORE rather than less. More room in the stateroom! My group's interior was more comfortable than my balcony room, not counting the small balcony area! More hot tubs/Spas... There were only four! And the elevator system on the Horizon is an absolute mess! Totally ineffective to what I am sure Carnival spent a good deal of money on to be a better system. Shame on those engineers who thought of it and shame to the beards of Carnival for accepting that system as a good idea! Lastly... Who in the world was the cruise director? I can still tell you my first two cruise directors on Carnival... Karl with a K on the Carnival Liberty. And Eric the magician on the Carnival Glory! I saw the CD's EVERYWHERE on other cruises... and yet I only saw who I assume was the CD twice... maybe three times on the Lido deck during the deck party? I think he was on the Morning show thing for the TWO out of 5 mornings on-board! The CD has always been a major part of my cruise experience... not this time. I was expecting some upset of cruise line operations, but was not prepared for this. While I am sure Carnival can only do so much, the change in itinerary was TOO DRASTIC. I went from a Western Caribbean "Cozumel Plus" type, to an abridged eastern Caribbean getaway. DIsheartening experience with Carnival. May have to attempt a cruise with another line... as much as I love Carnival.

Other than a select few bartenders, and hosts... this trip on the glory left A LOT to be desired. Activities were late more than not, which made scheduling your day worthless. Half Moon Cay was not as expected, especially since Carnival OWNS the island. I will be filing a lengthy complaint to Carnival about my lackluster experience on the Glory.