Our Sail Away

It went rather fast after you think about it. While you go through it seems like it takes a bit of time, but really it was rather seamless after you get on the boat.

We dined at the dining room almost every night. The food was always good. There is only one thing that did kind of bother me was while the dinner show was going on, the music was a bit loud for the speakers to handle. Marco, our head waiter was always pleasant and was very quick to remember everyone's name. He was very personable and friendly, to bad my neighbors at home aren't more like him. Ikaktut, the other waiter who helped also was very friendly. Together they made the dining experience a pleasure. We did go to the buffet during the day and on a couple nights and found that the dinning experience was a better option. For us, skip the buffet for the evening meals and always go to the dinning room. Overall, the food is really good and you will always get plenty. Since this is my second cruise, I now know to stay away from most of the desserts. One call out is the cheese cakes. I tried everyone that I could find and did NOT find one that tasted good enough for me to finish the piece I did get. There where plenty of desserts and did have fun trying just about everyone but in the end, desserts are not the reason to go cruising. I guess my sweet tooth side is NOT in alignment with the flavors that Carnival has to offer. Other than the Carnival Chocolate Cake and the ice cream.

Putt Putt golf was a bit fun. Hitting a ball while the ship is moving is a little bit of a challenge (Or at least I can try this as an excuse. The whirlpool tubs where a bit cold on the first few days of the cruise but later we found one that was a bit to hot. They were enjoyable so long as there were NOT to many guest trying to enjoy. I did NOT go on the slides, but others from my group did, and some enjoyed them and others did not. I guess if slides are your thing then they work. The pool was NOT a main thing for me or the other members of my group, but all of us enjoyed the whirlpools when they were warm enough. The 80's show was really nice to watch and the performs really did a great job. I lived through that era and since have a bit of the liking for the music. The score did NOT really appeal to me but I do understand that there is a limited amount of time to present a rock concert and something has to be shortened. Again, the performers did a really great job doing their part, just the music scores could do with a little tweaking for my taste. The comedy club is a nice place to go and watch live comedians. I enjoyed the shows and even the grumpy person in me laughed a little. The show fills up fast so if you know this and go early enough you can get a seat. I am not certain of the room limits but for all the shows I went to there was not enough seating. I believe some of the tables could be smaller and make room for a few more chairs for people to sit in. Oh, and for those who saved seats, well, tell everyone to come at the same time...... While I did NOT have an issue with this, I saw quite a few guest attempting to find seats only to be informed that they were for others coming in a few minutes. Maybe it can be looked at by the Entertainment director on how to arrange a better seating. Something like an usher to lead people to their seats once all their members have arrived. This suggestion may make it a bit difficult to manage and is just that a suggestion. Again, overall, show up early enough and you don't have this issue. I went to the Casino quite frequently to smoke and watch a few players. While I am a smoker, the casino could do with a bit better ventilation. The air was stale but did make for a good place to smoke without going out in the high winds. I am NOT normally a classical music person, but sitting in the main deck area and listening to the violins playing did turn out to be some of the better music. The guy and girl duo (there were 2 of these) also turned out to be really good. Both in the main deck area and the ocean lounge. I found myself listening while people watch as time slipped by. I did go to several of other shows and the crew members were always great in their performance. My hat goes off to them as to their abilities for singing and dancing. My cruise was also the Halloween cruise, I my hat goes off to many of the guest who dressed up. It was enjoyable to watch them walking around in costume. I was in the Ocean lounge when many of them gathered and it got a bit crowded but this should definitely be expected as there are many guest who partake in the event. It was very enjoyable to mingle with the guest and stare at their costumes. After all the events, I found a happy medium between down time and shows to attend. Overall, I was very pleased at the time line of all the events giving me plenty of time to sit and relax and go see a show.

The shows, musicians/DJs and performers are worth watching and listening. In my comments above I covered most of the details. Again, the performers all did a great job, however one or two shows could be edited to fit "my" taste. Nothing to much, just I am a little picky. I believe most guest would NOT feel the same as me which I understand. Overall, the shows were very much a pleasure to watch.

I did NOT have kids with me nor did I attend any childrens events

Marco, the head waiter, excellent Ikaktut, our other waiter, excellent Yulia (shortened) our room steward, excellent The above, I can NOT praise enough as to how nice and personable they were. As for the rest of the ships personnel, everyone was always very nice, polite and very attentive to our needs. I did NOT have or see one member having a bad day or even coming close.

Everywhere I looked, someone was always cleaning. As soon as I was done eating and got up to walk away, someone was taking my plate away and cleaning the table. The glass, elevators, stairs, walls (everything) was always being kept clean. Everywhere I went on the ship was clean. If it was dirty or something was out of place, it wasn't long before someone saw to cleaning it or straiten the place.

Overall, the room is plenty big for two people. The bed was a bit on the hard side for me as I do have issues with my back. The Balcony was really nice to stand out side on and watch the ship roll in or out of port. As for sitting and looking out, the railing or the chairs kind of got in my line of site. Not really a big deal as I found myself on the aft deck smoking and sitting in a cushion chair most late evenings. The shower temperature was a little bit of a challenge for setting the temperature. The water got a little to hot for the misses at times. The TV was fine, I did not watch much, but the misses did watch a movie or two and had no complaints.

I am NOT sure how this could be better. I am a smoker and do believe that when purchasing the Tax Free cartons of cigarettes it should be a little clearing if their going to be a Tax applied when getting off the ship. I purchased several cartons and wasn't really aware. When leaving, I did get asked and was honest so I paid my taxes. The cigarettes are still cheaper and I cant complain. I just wish it was a little clearer to me that I was going to pay them. Funny enough, I saw plenty of guest, purchasing multiple bottles of alcohol and strangely enough, when I was paying my taxes, was the only one in the room. Go figure. This is NOT really impact on the Disembarkation as getting off the ship in a very timely manor was really easy. It was almost a non-stop walk off the boat once our group number was called.