This is likely the last spring break cruise we will take. We did have fun and meet some more nice people that we keep in touch with.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Back at full capacity. No more getting straight on. Now have to wait in the terminal for up to an hour.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was really hit or miss everywhere this time. Guy's burgers were so bad that not only did we not eat ours, we saw uneaten burgers left everywhere. Again no chipotle mayo ever to be found. The fries are different and not good. The shrimp cocktails in the MDR were frozen one night. My wife ordered jerk pork one night and 1 out of 3 on her plate was even edible. She had to send it back and get another plate. We had a magician visit us for the first time dining in the MDR and he was really good. He did a few tricks for us and we still don't know how he did such amazing stuff just inches from our faces.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Same old shows
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
We never had the same waiters twice. Our steward never made an effort to learn our names, but made sure to ask for an extra tip.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
We didn't see the diligent cleaning we saw at the restart.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Being so used to a spacious oceanview, we didn't like the interior. The steward didn't vacuum the cabin until the 5th day of the cruise.
We watched the pole show and walked around the port a bit. We went to the taxi area and asked to be taken to Krazy Lobster. After waiting about 10 minutes and seeing several other groups who came up after us get sent out, we were directed to the very back seats of a van. The middle seat went to 3 broke individuals who we didn't know told the driver some place next to Krazy Lobster. We heard the 3 in the seat in front of us say they only had $20 cash between them and didn't know how they would get back. The driver didn't hear this as he wasn't in the van yet. We ended up at the place next to Krazy Lobster where they tried to tell us they are both owned by the same people. The prices at this place were high for food, drinks, and massages. My wife had a screenshot to show them when they tried to charge us $45 for massages instead of $20 like KL. They agreed to $20, and we both got massages side by side on the beach. After the massages we were led to loungers on the beach where vendors immediately approached us with wares. They wouldn't take the first no thank you and a new one was in our faces as fast as the old ones left. We each had 1 drink which we rushed through, and I bought 1 souvenir. Once our drinks were finished, we got a cab back to port. We were both sick of vendors in our faces. Next time we will ask for a cab by ourselves and go directly to KL for massages and straight back to port.
Our 3rd and final visit to Mr. Sancho's was by far the worst of the 3. The price went up from $60 for adults to $68 and the whole day was like a big joke. Aldo asked if we wanted to sit at the buffet. We said beach and he took us to a table on a hill, crammed close to others. I fell over in the chair and he told me to just move the chair over. You can't order 2 drinks anymore unless you go to the bar yourself. He brought my wife back the wrong drink. He served me food and a couple of drinks, but my wife had to keep getting her own stuff all day. I got my own a few times too. Aldo was not attentive to any of his guests as evidenced by the table of 5 next to us only tipping him $10. My wife was quite upset that we spent all that money and had to serve ourselves all day. We have booked Paradise beach for her Birthday trip and the trip after that already.
It was a long weaving stand still line to get off the ship. We finally got out of the terminal only to have to wait over an hour in line for a shuttle to get our truck.
Like others have said, we don’t cruise when the kids are out of school. Also Carnivals policy of offering cheap cruises and then trying to maximize profits by reducing services and charging for things that were included in the past, has given us a “wandering eye” towards other cruise lines. I realize all lines are doing this to an extent, but it’s time to look around. We have always been loyal to Carnival but have decided we will ride out the 3 previously booked cruises on Carnival and then try something else. 🤷♂️
Appreciate your detailed feedback. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. You know it’s bad when even Mr. Shanchos is bad. Spring Break is to be avoided. I was told by someone on the fun squad to avoid Thanksgiving as well.
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