We boarded in Jacksonville, FL. cruised to Nassau and Half moon Cay. We did the Shallow water Dolphin encounter and adventure excursion in Atlantis and it was AMAZING. At Half Moon Cay we did the Island Calipso Tram excursion but unfortunately our snorkeling excursion was cancelled and there was nothing offered in its place. We were refunded the money though which was great. Overall we enjoyed our cruise. The staff, crew members, entertainers, etc were absolutely amazing. I am not sure where you found such wonderful crew but kudos to carnival for that. This was our first cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Getting on the ship went smoothly and was relatively easy to do with 3 children in tow. The customer service was fantastic.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The specialty restaurants Guys burgers and the Blue Iguana were excellent! 5 stars! The imagination and inspiration dining rooms were also wonderful for our Dr. Seuss breakfast and one night of dining that we did. The buffet left a lot to be desired. The food was not bad, it just wasn't really good either. The carved meats were excellent but the sides were most often very bland and flavorless. Almost all of the desserts tasted exactly the same, just very bland. I would give the pizza place 1 star. The BBQ served on the beach was excellent 5 stars!
Duke's Piano Bar
4 out of 5
My husband enjoyed this very much. would be a five star if we were able to take our children in to experience it
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Our kids enjoyed the water slides and the pool. They were able to use the hot tubs because they were not at all hot. Other activities they enjoyed were the paper airplane competition and ice carving
Pool
4 out of 5
The pool is nice but very small. The hot tubs were not hot at all though.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were awesome as well as the musicians and comedians. We particularly enjoyed Marcello (the acoustic guitar musician) and the Steal drum musician as well. My daughter loves to dance and every time we were walking through, if either of these musicians were playing we had to stop to allow her to dance her heart away. They were amazing.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
They did not spend a ton of time there but the little time they did spend, they LOVED. The staff was AMAZING! They remembered my sons name and he never even went to the kids club because he did not want to go alone. The only thing I wish they would have been a little more flexible on the ages. My husband an I were not able to enjoy any of the adult entertainment together because my son would not go to a kids club group on his own. He would have gone with his sister but not alone. He is 4 and she is 6. if they would have allowed him to go with her, he would have been just fine because he is a BIG 4.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Every crew member was amazing. Friendly, attentive, polite. They often remembered my childrens' names. Kevin was amazing. I wish I could remember the names of everyone we interacted with but unfortunately I cannot.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cleanliness was excellent. Ship design was confusing but this was our first cruise so maybe all ships are like that. There were some areas where you could really tell the ships age.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was AMAZING! There was plenty of room, the bathroom was great, the water pressure was fantastic. so much closet space! The only thing that I was not happy with was the refrigerator did not keep things cold.
Ship tip
Try the restaurants! Don't just eat at the lido buffet every time. There is better food elsewhere!
what we saw of Nassau I would never really need to go back to see. However, we spent the majority of our day at Atlantis which was AMAZING. What I really wish is that the ship would give us more time on the island. for example an overnight and board the next morning. Instead of spending so much time on the ship. OR allow us to get back on the ship in the evening 8pm instead of by 4:30 pm. When you pay so much for a day at Atlantis and do not have adequate time to really enjoy it, it is disappointing. You have to hurry hurry hurry rush rush through everything to get back to the ship. Also, the photographers staged right when you are trying to get off the ship need to GO! This backed up our line so badly that our family was sent to follow another cruise ship staff member to our shuttles. the dressed up woman needs to be moved so people can get off the ship quickly!
Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Again my only complaint is not enough time. We should be able to see a sunset on the beach. why do we need to get back on the ship so early when we could enjoy a beautiful beach sunset. We did the island calipso tram, it was informative and a neat way to see the island and the 45 people that live there. It was also interesting to learn that the cruise line does not own the island, only leased it for 99 years. Also that if the employees or any of the 45 people on the island are sick or injured, they do not have access to the helipad or emergency services and must take a boat to Nassau. The cruise line does not cover the employees of the island in the case of medical emergencies.... that was very disheartening to learn :-(
This process went smoothly thanks to Kevin's Debarkation presentation! Don't miss it if you go on a cruise. or at least catch it on rerun on the tv in your room.
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