Carnival is a budget cruise line, and you get what you pay for. If this is the only cruise you can afford I still recommend doing it. It is perfectly adequate and you will still have a good time. However, for our next cruise we will for sure be checking out one of the slightly higher end lines and hope to gain nicer accommodations and better food and service. Another thing I'd like to mention is carnivals complete lack of enforcing their own rules. For example passengers were allowed to wear flip flops and sports gear on formal nights in the dining room, children ran unattended all over the place and were allowed to jump, splash and scream in the adults only hot tubs without a parent in sight.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was just OK. There wasn't anything wrong with most of it, but there was nothing great either. The burger place was pretty good, and breakfast had pretty good options but we really struggled to find anything to eat for lunch or dinner.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The comedy shows were great, we also enjoyed the 8:15 show every night. The movies played were good choices and the entertainment staff seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Most staff were friendly but we had two exceptionally bad experiences with members of the wait staff. One in Renoir and another in Monet. In both cases they were rude and service was slow. We ended up eating most of our meals on the lido deck where we didn't need to wait so long for bad service and an underwhelming meal.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
While the ship was reasonably clean it was very outdated!
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
The room was adequate but just barely. Honestly if I had seen a photo of this room before booking I wouldn't have booked with carnival at all. It was incredibly outdated, with tacky pink trim and cheap artwork that looked like it had been done in magic marker. It appeared clean enough on arrival but we quickly noticed that it wasn't being cleaned thoroughly, there was some mold in the shower and a layer of dust on multiple spots in the bathroom.
Not at all what I expected. The cruise terminal was beautiful but the rest of the island wasn't anything special. Save your money on tours and stay at the pool at margaritaville for free!
Such a pleasant surprise! What a beautiful city! We took a tour for $10 with a man named George who was right outside the terminal. It was a great tour, worth every penny! Considering carnival was charging $45 for a walking tour this was a great deal!
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