This cruise was a college graduation gift to our son, so my husband, son and I shared an inside cabin to keep costs down. We had an enjoyable time. The food was decent for the most part. I especially enjoyed having many ports of call. Carnival is a good bargain if you are looking to have fun, but when my husband and I cruise alone, we will be going on NCL again. Carnival does offer good excursions, better than NCL in my opinion, but overall we prefer NCL as a step up.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We chose the 1:00 embarkation window and missed the crowds. The process was streamlined and we were on the ship within 10 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Pig & Anchor is great! There was hardly a wait on embarkation day; other days, the line was not as long as some commented and moved quickly (one line on each side). The buffet has been pared down considerably from cruises ago; there is a small salad bar but not much in the way of fresh vegetable offerings. Breakfast is basic American...nothing special in the way of smoked salmon...just your standard bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc. They do have an omelette station. The Deli on the Breeze was ok compared to the Ecstacy...more bread that stuff inside. Dining is best on formal nights...filet one night was very good and I got fresh green beans! I enjoyed the soup/appetizers and salad more than the entrees. Pizza Pirate is decent.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I found the fitness center to be very stuffy with low a ceiling. In comparison to NCL, I did not like the fitness center and programs as much, and the Fun Times newsletter did not promote much in the way of spa specials and classes, so you really need to tour the facility and check things out ahead of time. The whirlpools are not hot, but I am guessing they are supposed to be warm and relaxing (jets very light); there are two each on both sides of Deck 5 if you want more peace and quite and fewer people. Again, comparing to NCL, I did not think there was enough variety of daytime activities for adults.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The comedy shows in the Limelight Lounge are probably the best entertainment on board, but the later evening ones can be very raunchy. You will want to arrive early (45 minutes) to get a seat as this is the most popular entertainment venue on board. The shows in Ovation Theater are just ok, but the theater itself is quite large, and you can enter on either Deck 3, 4 or 5.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Erman, our room steward took such great care of us. Our experiences as guest services were a little frustrating as they didn't seem to know as much as you would expect. We inquired about medical services, disembarkment procedures and general account questions, and we always seemed to walk away not feeling like we had our questions answered. You do have to be patient...there is not a huge language barrier, but it is still harder to communicate. I took my son down to medical after a couple of days due to 2nd degree sun burns and swelling and what looked like infection (he also has a hormone deficiency that requires more attention). Although we had been doing everything the nurse explained we should do, I still felt like she didn't understand. We continued with her recommendations but returned to see the doctor a couple of days later. He was wonderful and fully understood our concerns and my son's condition. He did end up with an infection in his leg and had to be prescribed an antibiotic, cream and pain meds. The dining room staff were all very nice and attentive until about the last full day. They may have been short handed, but we had a disappointing experience at the final Sea Day Brunch not getting the juice and pastries as requested twice and also in the Sapphire Dining room later that evening trying to get beverages (even water service) and pop with the Bubbles card. I always try to give the benefit of the doubt, so some of these experiences may have been off days.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Love the bright, beachy interior. The hallways to the cabins feel roomier and are design with lighter teak-type looking wood, beachy blue and yellow carpeting, palm tree murals throughout. The interior is light and bright throughout, so you don't have that claustrophobic feel that you get on some ships. The common spaces, especially on Deck 5, offer a lot of space and different seating areas.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This inside cabin was much brighter than one we had on NCL. You will not lack lighting. The closet is separated into three sections, two of which were for hanging clothes and one with shelves. We would have preferred having more shelves. There is a desk and mirror with some side drawers which made it nice for me to do my hair and makeup while my boys were in the bathroom. The bedding was comfortable. The only complaint is upon arriving in our cabin, there were fruit loops on the floor between one side of the (king) bed and underneath, so sweeping was lacking.
Ship tip
Just always be ahead of the crowd and you shouldn't have to wait. We had anytime dining and showed up at 5:15 (doors open at 5:45 but usually around 5:35) and we were seated first most nights
We would have enjoyed the pool area and water toy rentals as this port developed by Carnival looks like a fun day in itself. We ended up choosing the Outback Safari with Outdoor Adventures (through Carnival), which we thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
We love St. Thomas. This time we did parasailing for the first time, and it was fantastic. Afterward, we walked about 10 minutes from the pier to the Paradise Point Skyride, which I would recommend doing once as it is $21 pp roundtrip, but the view at the top is spectacular. We grabbed some good bites at Taste up at the top but $67 with tip for three (flat) dacquiris, one quesadilla and order of nachos was a bit pricey.
This port is an hour ahead (Atlantic time)...we did not pay close enough attention, so be aware. I had a map of Old San Juan I printed online, so we walked left past the ships to a little park where vendors were setting up for the day. The people there are very nice and not pushy. We walked down Paseo de Princesa to the Raices fountain which was not operating but still nice to look at, then around the old city wall to the old city gate. We enjoyed walking around the inside of the old city wall and taking in the views including an iguana and the pigeon park. We enjoyed homemade fruit popsicles (dairy ones offered too) at Senor Paleta's and enjoyed the most delicious lunch at Punto de Vista rooftop restaurant/bar above the Hotel Milano on Fortaleza Street...get there early as it is a popular spot. You have to try the Mofongo and BOGO mojitos...best food of our trip!
We got mixed information from guest services that conflicted with what was being presented on their TV station and in the theater. Ultimately, we walked off before they called our floor (we self disembarked) and were able to make our 9:00 shuttle.
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