This was the first cruise for the family. We picked Carnival based on the date and Eastern Caribbean destination. We could not have been happier with the ship, the crew and the gorgeous locations. We will definitly take another cruise on Carnival. We were thinking a Southern Caribbean cruise next time.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We got on the ship very quickly. Food was waiting for us. Only issue was bringing too much stuff in our carry on bags. We had to lug that stuff with us. If you are cruising for the first time my suggestion is less is better!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room was amazing. Yoseph, our head waiter made every evening wonderful. The staff greeted us by name every night and made the whole family feel welcome.
The buffet was... well, a buffet. Guy's Burgers (just about everyday) is excellent and the service was surprisingly quick.
The Blue Iguana had the best breakfast burrito I have had in a long time.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We enjoyed the hot tubs in the Serenity area very much. We spent a nice evening in the rear area hot tubs as well.
A nice break was finding the suana in the Spa. I was able to relax with a book and a beautiful view of the ocean for as long as I could take the heat. The steam room was also relaxing.
The whole family enjoyed the comedy show at the Punchline.
Spa Carnival
5 out of 5
If you get time, find the spa and enjoy a steam or the suana... so worth the time and its FREE!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We dindn't find much time to enjoy the shows. Next time we will try to get to at least a few. We did catch the comedy show one night and we all laughed more than we expected. Very funny.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Yoseph! Yoseph! Yoseph! Our head waiter was the best. Along with Yoseph was Mark Jason who is tied for the best. The dining room staff makes the trip totally worth it.
Novi, our room steward deserves huge props. Always happy and ready with whatever you need at a moments notice.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The flow of the ship was excellent. The elevators were enough to keep things moving even during busy times. The buffet would get a little crowded at breakfast, but the staff did a great job of clearing tables as they freed up.
There was some rust on metal surfaces and some of the interior space could have been utilized a bit more.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Clean and welcoming. Novi kept up with anything we threw down :)
The balcony was absolutely worth every penny. Every morning and night we spent time just soaking in the ocean.
St. Maarten / Saint Martin is beautiful. However, it has been devistated by the hurricanes of 2017. We took an island tour with Benards Tours. I give them a 5 start rating. Our guide ("The Mailman") had to be on his toes due to all the damage to the island. We were not able to stop at Orient Beach or in Grand Case for swimming, but he quickly found other activities we could enjoy.
So... we didn't book an excursion for St. Kitts. We walked into town and rented a car. We even had to get a drivers license for the day so we could drive on the other side of the road. We didn't have a grand plan we just started driving. After getting lost for a little while (they could do with some street signs in Bassterre!) we found the outter drive and the views are spectacular! The first stop was Romney Manor. We didn't know what to expect and it blew us away. The Caribelle Bastic store was really interesting and we picked up several items that we will cherish.
A short drive from Romney Manor is the Brimstone Fortress. We took hundreds of pictures and spent hours walking thru the ruines. Everyone agreed we will need to take a trip back and spend more time on St. Kitts.
We didn't have enough time to really enjoy, but made the most of it. Old San Juan was much larger than we expected and we had to cut our walk short. The ladies did find a Coach Store so the budget was expanded slightly before we grabbed a cab to Hermanos Beach (I think that was the name - We asked on the street for a nice beach to relax for a bit).
Breath taking! Governor's Beach is fabulous. We took a snorkeling trip with White Sands. Our captain was Mackenzie and he could not have been better. We got to snorkel "The Wall" and a coral reef. After those we swam with stingray and enjoyed a Conch Salad fresh caught and prepared by Mackenzie. 10 out of 10.
All things concidered not as bad as it looked at first. We had plenty of time so there was no rush to disembark quickly. The whole process took a little over an hour. Everyone was very friendly which helped the time pass.
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