Just Ok

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Review summary

Overall the cruise was just ok. Getting on the ship was extremely easy, considering we were VIP ( which was a surprise) and walked right on the ship within 10 mins. Since, we were some of the first on we walked around and explored to see where everything was located. Our first port was Nassau, Bahamas. If I ever went again, I would stay on the ship. Nassau was dirty and seemed sketchy. My husband and I decided to try the water park at Atlantis. When we got off the boat, the excursion directors told us there was a 70% chance of rain and we could downgrade our trip or get a refund. We decided to do the tour of Atlantis and decided within thirty minutes it was a waste of time and money. To us there was nothing special about the place. We stayed for an hour or so went back for the shuttle to the ship. Our next port was St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. It was absolutely beautiful. We immediately disembarked and found a taxi with fellow cruisers we just met. We decided to go to Trunk Bay in St. John. We spent around $80 for both of us there and back which included a cab to the ferry, ferry ride, and then a cab to Trunk Bay, and a $4 entrance fee per person to Trunk Bay since it is part of the National Park System. Trunk Bay is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. This is an absolute must do!! There are restrooms, showers, food, drinks, rentals available. There is a nice underwater snorkeling trail here as well. We were very happy we decided to do this on our own instead of booking through the cruise line. We saved about $100 and we had a lot more time to relax and explore. We felt completely safe to do this on our own. The last port was St. Maarten. We arrived early and disembarked about 7:30 a.m., which was too early since shops, etc did not open until 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. We took an island tour with about 8 people we met at the stand. Since there was ten of us going it made the tour only $25 a person and we were gone about four hours. This tour took us completely around the island and stopped at Orient Beach, the clothing/clothing optional beach and at Sunset Beach. Our stop at Orient Beach was short, just to say we've been and at Sunset we stayed about two hours. Sunset Beach has a bar/restaurant and is right next to the airport, so you have amazing views of airplanes flying literally right over your heads. The ship was extremely clean considering over four thousand people aboard. We had a basic interior cabin. It was clean and comfortable. We didn't see any need in splurging for a suite or balcony since the majority of our time in the cabin was to sleep and/or get ready for dinner. Our cabin stewards were like ninjas, we only saw them once, but were very friendly. We tried My Time dining and enjoyed it very much. The most time we had to wait was an hour and that was on the first cruise elegant evening. The other nights we waited about ten minutes and sat by ourselves every night but one. My time dining is the way to go! Our wait staff was always so kind and helpful. The dinners were by the far the best food on the ship. Breakfast and lunches were pretty much the same thing everyday. We were extremely disappointed with the food. I am a big fruit eater and there was really no fresh fruit like pineapple, strawberries, watermelon, etc in the buffets. The fruit for breakfast looked like canned fruit. This is my biggest complaint. The quality and selection of food needs to improve. I cruised with Royal Carribean last year on one of their older, smaller ships and the food was better, more to pick from. The entertainment was also ok. The shows and pool activities were mediocre. Disembarking the ship on the last day was also a breeze. We opted to take our on luggage off and was also some of the first off the ship.muf you are physically able to take your own luggage and do not have small children this is the way to go. Like I said before, this cruise was just ok. We may not ever do another cruise, if We do it will not be with Carnival!!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

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