Carnival is a fun cruise, despite the gripes I posted about the layout of the ship, getting burnt in the buffet, and the not so great performances in the large theater. The cruise director was great. I got a kick out of the fact he was 'teaching' folks to dance Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as Thriller had come out before the cruise director was even born. I also loved the Veterans' Recognition event in the main theater. That was very well done, and my husband and I both filled out the form for a drawing for a free cruise for Veterans. The Christmas program was very nice. I loved how they did not leave out the story of Christ as some organizations tend to do so as to not offend anyone.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
It took some getting used to after having been on Royal Caribbean and Disney. The food was good. The only real problem was the hot serving areas had the hoods so low, some of us actually burnt our hands getting our food out. They should have warnings telling folks to keep their hands low when pulling food out with serving spoons and forks. The Pizza place was excellent. Guy's Burgers was okay. I didn't understand what the fuss was about as Guy's Burgers taste just like the kind I make at home.
Pizzeria
5 out of 5
This was probably one of the best food venues of the ship. I loved being able to order and watch the pizza being made fresh. The pizzas tasted so good.
Guy's Burger Joint
3 out of 5
For us it wasn't all the rage it was cracked up to be. The burgers tasted just like the ones I make at home.
Lido Marketplace
4 out of 5
The food was very good, but there should be a warning about the hot hoods over the food. Some of us actually got burnt by the hot hoods when removing food to put on our plates.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The Fun Shops
4 out of 5
There were lots of neat items for purchase. It would've been nice to have a selection of sugar free candy and cookies buy.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The best venues for music and entertainment were the small venues. Liquid Gold was amazing. The large venue was not as good. The singers were pitchy and out of tune. There was one singer who was very good in the large venue.
Children's Programs
We have no kids, unfortunately.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was great. The chow hall wait staff would bring us coffee, which was really nice.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship is beautiful. The only gripe we have about it is the layout. My husband said it was like being on a Prison Barge and reminded him of being on a Ship to Stovacor (Star Trek Klingon prison reference). What was frustrating was, if you were at a venue aft, but your chow hall was fore, you literally had to go up two flights, walk across, then come back down two flights to get to your chow hall to eat. That's because the galley takes up a whole area of ship that some ships have designed to allow folks to either walk through or around. The ship is very clean, so no gripes about that.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was nice and bed was comfortable.
Ship tip
Try to get your stateroom just above your dining room if possible. Be very careful in the buffet when getting food out. The covers over the food are very low, and people have burnt their hands getting food out, so be very careful.
We like it. There are a lot of shops and places to see. Since I have DV plates, I get free parking. Anyone who has DV plates, if you bring your letter from the VA, your license, registration, and proof of insurance to the white trailer in the main terminal parking lot, they will give you a parking pass free of charge. I also suggest dropping off your bags before you park. It is possible to walk from the parking area to the ship, but it is hike around and not straight through. They do have a pickup van or bus you can take if you want.
I enjoyed it. We ventured off on our own as usual. We hired a local woman to drive us around. She took us to a historic place, then took us where we could get my standard souvenir items.
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