It was a quick get away and close and convenient from home. We try to go every few months but I think its worth it to go farther south and get a newer ship and different ports.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
It was quick. They updated my sons picture since his passport photo was years ago. Sail and sign cards are outside your cabin. Huge ramp to walk up to get on the ship. Up to deck 7 I think.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was ok. Several nights we tried to find something on the menu that sounded good, but I think the menu is getting less exciting to lure you to the speciality restaurants. Which on this ship, is none. Flat iron steak got much smaller
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
It was too cold for pools. Heard the hot tubs were not hot. No movies under the stars, they were in a club. Lots of drawings at the Effy shop, where they auction off jewelry to keep you at the giveaways longer.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Friends who went along liked the shows.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My son went to the 15-17 year old club. Mostly just to meet other kids and leave. He loves having a place to go though.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was great. Our room stewards and waiters were great. I hope they get moved to a better ship.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I love the smallet ships. Easier to get around and not so crowded. Its an older ship, I think Carnivals 2nd oldest now, and it shows. There is a weird smell on several decks like sewage and by our room deck upper/6 it always smelled like fuel or engine oil
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was fine. We had a porthole. I liked how they had the two beds. One against the wall from the bathroom and the other against the window area. It gave us a lot more room. Great closets. We were on Horizon in July and didnt have this much closet space and shelves.
Ship tip
I live near JAX. So its quick and easy and affordable. Ive been to the ports sooo many times and we just wanted to get away. My friend brought her mom and it was her first cruise and loved it. Now whenever she cruises again, she will be fine. Its hard to go from a newer ship to an older one. Staff was great. Always better than staying home. Did not see anyone wash their hands while in public bathrooms. There were 6 in my group and we didnt do everything together but that is one thing we all noticed. Different ports have different crowds. Heard a lot of people got sick.
We rented a villa for $599. There was 6 of us and we liked the idea of a place to get out of the sun. There are only 5 villas. Its for 8 people, but you can add up to 10 more for $50 each. When I went to turn in my paperwork for our fin sizes and soda preference, I found out villas D and E were already reserved. That is the farthest up the beach away from the crowds and music at the pirate bar. We got C. Villa was amazing, but it was chilly and the water was cold. We heard the day before the scheduled ship didnt dock there because of high winds. HMC is always amazing, but if we wouldnt have had the hot tub, which we got to 104 degrees unlike the ship, we would have left sooner and went back to the ship.
It was chilly and weve been here many times. Walked around for a couple hours and got back on the ship. Wanted to check out Clifton Heritage Park, but it wasnt swimming weather in my book.
I live close by. Almost made my son do a half of day in school before we left. Close and convenient for me. I was steam cleaning my carpets before we left for the port.
I went to our meeting place to get escorted off at 820 to meet there at 830. My grouo had already been taken off the ship. They told us just to go and it was easy. Again back and forth down a ramp 7 floors was weird. The ramp also is outside.
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