This was our first time cruising Carnival but it will not be our last. We loved the ports we visited. Glad we took the gamble because it was worth it.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
No complaints. There were some lines when we arrived but they moved quickly. We arrived about 12:30 and was onboard by 1:00.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Prior to cruising I read so many reviews about the food being sub par. I found the food to be adequate for the amount of people being serviced. The buffet did seem to be lacking variety compared to NCL and RCCL. The lines were crazy long to get anything to eat at the buffet. It didn’t matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, just expect long lines. That being said, if you didn’t like what was being served or didn’t want to wait in the long lines, there were always other alternative places to eat. Guys burgers really are as good as people said. We ate at the Italian restaurant for a sea day lunch at it was amazing. Everyone should try it at least once. Never had a bad meal in the formal dining room. We ate there 3 or 4 times and our waiters Rosy, Mohammed and Muhammad were very attentive and always one step ahead of us. They truly work very hard and we appreciated their dedication. We even spotted Rosy cleaning tables in the buffet area at 3:00 in the morning. I really don’t know when they sleep.
Cucina Del Capitano
5 out of 5
The food here was very delicious. If you dine during lunch, the surcharge is waived.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The CD Schwartz was very comical. He wasn’t the greatest CD we’ve encountered but he was very approachable and kept the guests thoroughly entertained. The pools are small but I never saw them crowded like I read on other reviews. Having a spa balcony cabin gave us access to the spa which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was just as good as other cruise lines we have been on. The reviews you read about the smoke in the casino is very true. Didn’t spend too much time there because of it. The typical game shows were played like Quest, Love and Marriage, Hasbro, etc and like always they are fun to watch or be a part of.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Carnival does a great job at entertaining and making sure you are not bored. There will always be something to engage you. We didn’t watch any of the production shows which was a first for us. We either had dinner plans, taking pictures or watching movies that kept us from seeing the shows. With multiple things happening at the same time you have to pick and choose what to do and seeing the shows never made it to the top of our list. For some reason we thought there would be magicians onboard but sadly there wasn’t. We did manage to see the comedians on board and they were hilarious. The bands were good as well. They play at different venues on the ship so be on the lookout for your favorite. The DJ’s also did a nice job on the pool deck and in the nightclub.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The service was spot on. Exactly what we expected. The only hiccup we encountered was with our room steward. On day 1 she asked how many times we would like our cabin serviced? We were never asked this on other cruise lines before. We told her once in the morning should be okay. We’re not messy people and figured we could manage from there. It would have been fine but she was not replenishing the towels, bath mat, toilet paper, etc. If you take 3 towels away then you put 3 towels back, right? We would come back from our excursion or time in port and only have 1 towel hanging. So we had her do a turn down service in the evening and problem was solved. Other than that, she was very good and so were the others we encountered. Everyone remembered our names and what we liked. They are always cleaning around the ship and speaking when we pass them by.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I suggest taking day 1 of your cruise and getting the layout of the ship. You can easily get turned around. If you are not quite sure which way to go, use the diagram located at the elevators that pinpoints where you are. We found them to be quite helpful. I think the buffet area is poorly designed which also contributes to the long lines waiting for food. The common areas appeared to be clean. I always spotted carnival staff walking around picking up after people.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a spa balcony cabin and it was what we expected. I wish Carnival had shower doors instead of the curtain. The bed was super comfortable with room to slide your luggage under it.
Ship tip
Download the carnival hub app. This keeps you in the know of what’s going on at any given time. You can also make dinner reservations from the app.
This was a new port for us. We did an ATV excursion booked through shipmate. It was 3.5 hours long and we had a good time with about 15 people in our group. We saw where one of the Jurassic Park movies were filmed. We stopped at a beach for those who wanted to take a dip. Also stopped for some local shopping and to see how cigars and coffee is made.
Disembarkation was a breeze for us. We had luggage tags #1 (thanks to a friend who’s a frequent Carnival cruiser). Our number was called about 8:15 and we were off the ship by 8:30. There were still tons of people waiting on the stairwells, hallways, lounges... I would not have wanted to be in those groups. This was the first time EVER out of about 15 cruises that we went up to the buffet and there was no line for food and plenty of seating. The other cruise lines you would be tripping over people and luggage. I have to give Carnival a huge thumbs up on this one. Our next Carnival cruise is booked for 2021!
Ditto auntpinkie! The review was very informative. I haven't had a bad carnival cruise yet. I will be on number 12 in two weeks. I'm glad you had a good time.
Welcome to Carnival. You just gave a wonderful review and echoed our regular experience. When people say there was nothing to do, I can’t imagine where they were on the ship! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks for the great review, we have our first Carnival cruise on the Breeze Halloween 2020 and we are bit concern as to how it will compare to our other cruises, mostly Princess or RCCL.
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