Additional information - Precruise service was good on carnival. Precruise, a representative would be on the phone in less than a minute. Post-cruise, we tried to reach out about the broken bottle and some other issues and nobody will answer the phone. I do not mean they leave you on hold longer, I mean THEY WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOU. they require you email and wait. after several days, I called and talked to a pre-cruise CSR to try and get an escalation and was told I have to wait 30-40 DAYS for a response. Basically, "we got your money so go f*!# yourself". when they did finally respond, they said to take it up with the liquor store - which I did not buy the rum from. I'm still waiting for further response to see if they will do anything at all to compensate for breaking my ONLY souvenir from the Dominican (I wanted the bottle more than the rum, but it is shattered (the packaging and tape was holding together where it didn't leak out all at once, but when I unwrapped it to find the leak, the bottom fell apart where it won't even stand up).
Embarkation
5 out of 5
fast and efficient - One thing Carnival did right
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
the food was not as good as we have had in the past, but it wasn't terrible, either. at the Guys BBQ, they literally ran us out of our seats when we were trying to see the band two nights. also, in Alabama, we have better BBQ at gas stations.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
the roller coaster was okay, but was honestly double or triple what it should have cost. The pools were typically so full you couldn't relax in them and there aren't enough chairs. the whole cruise, we couldn't get a chair because people were holding them, then, on the last day, I got up EARLY and go us some. Then, when we went to lunch, someone from Carnival came through, removed our towels and left a sticker that said we couldn't save seats.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Caught in the Act band put this where it deserves seven stars out of five! They provided the best entertainment I have ever had on a ship - by far!
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
the hours of operation were very disappointing. in the past, the teen and children's areas have been available, for the most part, all day. this trip, the hours were EXTREMELY limited. at least on sea days, they should be open by 9am - not opening at 1pm or later as was the case. the kids (13 year old boys) said even when it was open, they wouldn't let them play the video games more than half the times they tried to hang out in there.
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
This is the first time I have ever cruised where the room steward would not set the kids' beds back to living space during the day and return them to beds at night. Also, my kids had a couple of stuffed animals get wrapped with the laundry. This would not have been a big deal, but we had to fight and beg them to even look. we ended up having to go so far as file a security report because they told us they weren't in the laundry and we must have "thrown them away or something." After the security report was made, they were found within 3 hours - IN THE LAUNDRY AREA!
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
the overall design was good - the room design was horrible! We always get veranda rooms and this trip was no different. I have NEVER had such a tiny room on a ship. They did not even have a curtain to separate the parents from the kids. This also meant getting ready took longer because only one person could change at a time. the ladder for the kids beds entirely blocked the walkway and the pathway between the main bed and wall was so narrow we had to turn sideways to get through. The room needed to be 20% (at least) larger, but Carnival got too greedy!
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
the size was too small, the layout was too small, the balcony was too small. There wasn't room for our family of four to be on the balcony at the same time. This may well be our last cruise on Carnival - EVER!
Disembarkation was okay - until i found out the liquor bottle was broken after I picked it up. They rush your through picking things up and I put it in my padded backpack with the whole family's pajamas for additional padding. in the miami humidity, I thought I was sweating until I got to the car and realized I smelled like Dominican Rum.
I didn’t think you were supposed to take liquor back with you to your stateroom. If it were turned into security then the broken bottle would not have been an issue. Security would have delivered the bottle the night before debarking. Then it would be the fault of the passenger if it breaks. Just my thought.
Weird review. And has anyone seen a standard balcony (sleep two, some will do 3 or 4) with curtains anywhere but at the window and shower? I wonder why he did not detect the damaged bottle? Rum stinks and he should have been able to smell the leakage on the ship, not after he left. Or a damp spot? (Could be wrong, if it was fractured turning it over to him and then jiggling made it separate more)
Appreciate your details. Obviously you didn’t look at any reviews about the cabins being smaller on this class of ship. Many reviews industry wide have complained about the once per day room service and the beds filling the living space for the whole cruise. Post-Covid cruising isn’t what it once was. I am sorry your rum bottle was broken.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
