We had a fantastic time as a family and will definitely cruise again. We were most pleased with the water slides and least pleased with quality of food. Next time, we will likely take a smaller ship in hopes that less people will help eliminate or minimize wait times and accessibility to amenities and common areas.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very efficient. Only feedback is the luggage tags - I would recommend that Carnival send guests a note of some sorta ahead of time offering up a way to purchase the plastic hang tags for sliding in the printed luggage tag. A couple of ours fell off and we initially thought our luggage had been left at the port. Thankfully, guest services had recovered our missing luggage.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The first night, we were served dinner in the Sapphire Dining Room. Due to the inattentive staff, we requested a change to the Blush. Our wait staff at Blush was fantastic! Major shout out to Juan and his team for great customer service. Juan spent time every night making origami or napkin figures for my 4 and 5-year-old children. They kept our drinks full and the pace of every meal was great. I must say, however, that the quality of the food left much to be desired. There were a few nights were I felt the food was almost inedible - the lasagna and tilapia were two examples. I also struggled with portions - on the night filet was served, my piece probably weighed 3-4 oz. I know that portion control is a priority for the ship to cut costs and I also know you can order unlimited entrees. I just didn't want to reorder and hold the entire table up from proceeding with dessert. The desserts were better - though I did not care for the apple pie, the baked Alaska and bitter n blanc were fabulous. I also was a bit disappointed with accessibility - there were periods between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. where access to anything other than pizza and ice cream was a challenge. There were times where our children would nap or we would take an excursion that would result in a late lunch and there was nowhere to go for food. I believe that the Lido Deck should keep one buffet open from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., even if the options during this window are more limited. I was also disappointed that neither dining hall (Sapphire or Blush) offered a lunch option. The most tasty options offered were Guy F.'s hamburger joint and the bbq pit. I also really enjoyed the cake options offered during the lunch block at Lido Deck. Another recommendation - add chips to the burrito spot...some chips with salsa would be a great and fairly inexpensive addition to compliment the salsa bar.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
My children absolutely loved the water slides! Though we had a good overall experience, I do have a few observations I'd like to share. First, I had a slight concern about the safety of the orange slide on the Breeze. My 5-year-old son was allowed to ride the slide (which he loved). However, I noticed that he was falling off the ledge onto his back when he would shoot out of the slide chute (in other words, when the tube would disappear and he would land in the big orange bowl it concerned me that he was landing too hard on his back). I allowed him to continue riding it but was a ball of nerves hopeful that Carnival lifeguards would intervene if it appeared to be a safety issue. Due to ship overpopulation, the pools were also murky and smelled of sulphur (which I am assuming was due to the oversaturation of pool water with urination). I know that this issue is probably unavoidable due to volumes of people enjoying this amenity.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
I was pleased with this option and the activities offered.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had excellent service at the Blush Dining Room! Our cabin steward was also great keeping our room clean and making the towel animals for our children.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Since the ship is large, the wait times can be long for breakfast, pizza, ice cream, etc. because all 5,000 guests are being forced to those common areas. Next time, we will probably go on a smaller ship with less passengers so that only 2k are being forced into common areas (which is less than half). Overall, the common areas were well maintained considering volume of people coming in and out. The staff worked really hard in the Lido Cafe to keep the tables cleaned.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very pleased with size - roomy and accommodate our family of 4 well which was surprising.
Ship tip
Big ship - since it was so crowded, we enjoyed being on the ship while docked at ports so we could enjoy the amenities when less crowded
We were afraid to get off of the ship. I was surprised Carnival did not issue a statement addressing some of the safety concerns due to all of the vacationers that are falling ill at resorts (i.e., the couple that mysteriously had simultaneous heart attacks at this port, etc.).
We decided not to take an excursion since the shopping excursion was full. We got off the ship thinking there would be a few shops. However, we quickly realized that the building next to the port had nothing but a few liquor stores. This said, our experience would have been much different had we taken an excursion. We have been to Puerto Rico on other occasions and were pleased - we just did not think the other excursions were appropriate (the rum excursion, the history walking tour, etc.) considering we had two young children (ages 4 and 5) and two older grandparents (almost 70).
I loved this port as well! There are so many shops and amenities. Grand Turk has done a great job of building this area up to accommodate the tourists. This was our second favorite day on the trip!
Amber Cove was an awesome experience for us. We were there in January 2019 and we had a very good time! We did not leave the port area where all the souvenir shops and restaurants are but we still had a very good time there as there is a lot to see. I would recommend to future Cruisers to do not fear getting off the ship and at least exploring this part of Amber Cove.
Sorry. That was supposed to say I think it’s okay to get off the ship in the D.R. And that I wouldn’t drink any of the drinks that were in refrigerator’s that are in the rooms.
There is so much that you were unhappy about I am really surprised that you want to go on another cruise. I think getting off the ship in the. D.R. I wouldn’t go to any of their all-inclusive. And I definitely would not drink out of the room’s refrigerated
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