We had a wonderful time on the cruise, but it was because we were with, and enjoyed, family time and generally being on vacation. This cruise felt somewhat boring/lackluster in comparison to other cruises when it came to entertainment, but the service folks were second to none. Obviously Carnival can't do anything about rainy days, but it was at these times especially that having some good entertainment would have been a nice addition!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Need more signage/direction for unloading luggage and parking at the port.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Rating IS NOT reflection of service! Service was beyond excellent. Food in the main dining room was generally good, well prepared, and sufficient serving size.
Buffets were mixed - breakfast was great, lunch okay, dinner - blah.
Specialty restaurants - Guy's Burgers - great; Pig & Anchor - outstanding; Seafood Shack - won't do again; Bonsai Sushi - very good
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We don't do the pools, but they looked fine. I used the fitness center and walking track daily - still bummed that Carnival positions the walking track DIRECTLY in the position to have to deal with cigarette smoke from the deck below!! Fitness center was great for those who like treadmills, ellipticals, and recumbent bikes. There were plenty of weight machines for those who like machines - not so great on the free weights and area to use them was very small (only 3 benches and 2 sets of barbells).
The sky course is great.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I don't think it's the fault of the actual performers - the Playlist performances (Motown, 88 Keys, the country show - can't remember the name) were awful. Having the dancers 'fake play' guitars, piano, and so on just doesn't cut it. Flick was okay - better on the Vista - but I think the smaller stage and fewer performers probably influenced that.
The comedians we watched were good and made us laugh. Was glad that their R rated shows weren't as profanity laced as some we've seen in the past.
Was disappointed in the fun crew - they didn't inspire our group to want to attend anything they were doing - exception was trivia/sing-a-longs in the Atrium. Violinists in the Atrium were outstanding; singing duet, not so much. Didn't attend the lip-sync battle, and wasn't overly impressed with the DJ.
Children's Programs
No children of age to do children's activities
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our dining staff (shout out to Rommel, Christian, and Jasmine) we're absolutely fantastic! The were engaging, they made each person feel special, we laughed and enjoyed both their conversation and service immensely. Maître D had to rework our table setting (8 people should have been at a single table but were placed at 4 tables), and he did so without hassle.
Our room was kept very clean and tidy. Our steward, Jerold, introduced himself and spoke when we passed in the hall. We had no complaints.
Room service every morning at 5 am - delivery was always a little early and very much with a smile.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everything was fine - I just always hate having to smell the odor of smoking from the casino (it was located right at the fun shops/shopping area). It rained every day of our trip, but any break we had, the staff kept the areas as dry as possible and very well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We didn't use the balcony much this trip, but it was due to the weather. We enjoy the bathtub/shower combo available in other rooms more than just the shower (shaving legs is more difficult!), but the room is definitely big enough for a couple. King bed, sofa, 3 closet spaces, drawers, etc - we had plenty of room for our things, and I had enough floor space to do some simply yoga exercises.
We did Faster to the Fun in order to have priority boarding. Still debating on whether or not it's worth the cost. We had no 'problems' with the port, but didn't really do anything other than park and board the ship.
We actually went to Playa del Carmen for the Ancient City of Tulum excursion. I THINK the excursion would have been excellent had it not rained buckets almost immediately upon exiting the bus.
We didn't do an excursion on Roatan, but we did shop and enjoy talking with the local vendors in their market area. Small 'tourist' area, nicely laid out so someone can shop or visit a beach area if they'd like.
No excursion here - and it's probably not the fault of the port, but there were 3 cruise ships who's passengers all descended on the area at the same time (at least 10,000 people), and the area just isn't designed well enough to handle all the people. I actually left the port early to go back to the ship because there was not enough room to decently move about.
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