We would recommend this cruise for adults! The 5-Night Bahamas Cruise was just enough time to be on a cruise; not too long, not too short. We had two ports of call with Nassau, Bahamas being the first port and Half Moon Cay, the 2nd port. We enjoyed Half Moon Cay A LOT MORE than Nassau, but it is all in what you are looking for. We were looking for a gorgeous beach with a free great buffet lunch on it and that is exactly what we found at Half Moon Cay! In fact, we would probably say that Half Moon Cay was our family's favorite part of the whole trip! As adults, we had a lot of on-board activities to choose from-casino, R-rated comedy shows, bingo, music shows, trivia, etc. As our 19 year old son went with us, he found that there wasn't much to do in his age group--mini golf-(free), swimming-(free), casino-($) & arcade-($)--were about all that he found,(he was too old for the teen club) and after swimming every day, the other activities just sounded lame to him. Had the ship had an Xbox tournament or any classes on video gaming, etc., he probably would have been more excited, but they didn't. Overall, we had a good family-fun vacation, and we would probably cruise Carnival again, but we would check out other ships for 'older teen activities', if we have 'teens' along with us.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Believe it or not, we actually got hungry on this ship! Everyone told us there would be food out 24/7, however we only had pizza and an ice cream machine for 24/7. That was all they had for the night crowd (every single night) and I was sadly disappointed. When it came to the Wind Song Dining Room, the food was wonderful-we dined early (6 p.m.). The ship buffet was only so, so. This country girl cooks better. :)
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Onboard activities were okay for adults; not necessarily enough for 18, 19, 20 year olds. My 19 year old son would have preferred an Xbox tournament, gaming lessons, some retro/old style games like PacMan, DigDug, etc. that let you play 2 or 4 games for $1.00. Some nostalgia games that adults and their kids can play together.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We adults spent a lot of time in the casino. We didn't drink a lot, payouts weren't that great, but we enjoyed meeting the people sitting next to us. We did see 3 comedy shows, and all were not what we expected. We expected the comedians to tell funny stories, jokes, etc. Instead the comics found a few people/couples in the audience and just picked on them. Yes, it was funny in the beginning, but those people came to laugh, not be laughed at! Not funny after a while & felt sorry for the people getting picked on.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
For the small children, the ship has Dr. Seuss, and that is okay. For the kids 12 to 13 to 17, they had a 'nightclub'. For the kids 18 to 20, there was very little to do. My 19 yr. old son was not impressed as he is into Xbox and would have enjoyed a tournament or two, lessons on gaming, game designing, etc. He did some swimming, but didn't want to spend $100 or more in an arcade or casino to entertain himself for 5 days, & the mini golf was seldom in operation because of the winds! He was thankful for the port calls to get off the ship. F.Y.I.-Teens were also using the elevators for entertainment--riding the elevators up and down & pushing all the buttons. Sometimes making it very difficult to get an elevator when you needed one. Just saying it shows how bored the older teens were.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The Wind Song Dining Room had excellent staff-Joey, Jerome and 'K' were all very attentive to our needs. Our ship steward had 30 rooms to attend and couldn't really give us much time. Kind of disappointed as a 1st time cruiser because we needed more information/more instruction, but we learned anyway--just had to learn it the hard way.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship is very nice; it was clean and well-tended during the cruise. However the amount of smoking on the ship spread like a thundercloud! One of the smoking areas was right in front of the casino & in the casino itself. By midnight, you could not see for the smoke & it was usually too much to stay and play anymore. Is there such a thing as smoke-free cruises? We will definitely check into it!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
LOVED OUR CABIN! This was a hotel suite on water w/ a balcony & 3 lounge chairs with a table!! It slept 3 people comfortably, bathroom with shower and tub was a decent size, and had a closet to accommodate all our clothes!!! Totally impressed-WOW! :)
Ship tip
For our 1st cruise, we were told to get a room mid-ship for less motion. So, we got a Grand Suite w/a balcony (U76) & we felt very little ocean 'rocking' motion in our room. We slept soundly each night and had very little noise in our hallway.
Be aware that the port/dock is old. It is not a pretty sight, therefore we heard from fellow travelers that they didn't care for the port. We chose this particular port because it was closest to our home--we could drive in, not fly in. We would use this port again.
There are levels of society in the Bahamas just like there are in the U.S. Housing is high on an island, so some people are poor and live rough. Some are mid-class, some are rich; you see a little of all that on the island. Tourism is their biggest asset and some folks prey on the tourists. Don't wave money around; be careful & alert to your surroundings.
Half Moon Cay was the highlight of this cruise! It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon in a beautiful spot with everyone enjoying the sun, the water, and the free lunch buffet! If we could, we would pay to stay on the island for 3 or 4 days; it was just that gorgeous!!
I would try a bigger ship next time. They have a lot more entertainment for someone your son's age. And any port that the cruise lines personally own (i.e. Carnival owns Half Moon Cay, Norwegian owns Great Stirrup Cay, and Royal Caribbean owns CocoCay...all 3 places in the Bahamas) will have an awesome beach with free buffet so that might be something you specifically look for when booking next time. Glad you enjoyed yourselves! 😀😀
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