All in all it was a wonderful cruise! Kevin the CD was SO AMAZING! I love his bubbly honest personality and love him just as he is! BK was great too! Really all of the staff was amazing and 95% of the Pixels Gallery Photographers were amazingly fun, except for Samuel and Eva. EVA it's okay to SMILE! I know the other reviews sound like I'm complaining a lot, but those were just little things in the scheme of it all! Everyone will face little disappointments, it's just how one chooses to handle them. My husband and I will remember this cruise for a lifetime because of the great staff and passengers! This is a trip I could do again!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
It was so quick and so easy! Everyone was so pleasurable! I only gave 4 stars because of the porters. The porters were very aggressive with receiving tips. My husband and I always tip the porters when getting on the ship and were taken aback when the porter firmly asked my husband where his tip was before he could even pull his wallet out of his pocket. I witnessed other porters doing the same. It is a totally reasonable expectation to be tipped for this service, but not sure if it's reasonable to ask to be tipped. Other than that, the experience was great!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Overall, the MDR is not as good as it could be. The food is often not paired well with other flavorings accompanied with the main entree. I ordered the Penne Seafood and it was an orange unflavored mess. I was expecting a white wine type sauce. The prime rib was probably the best of all the meals. If the foods weren't seasoned well, they were way over seasoned. Most of the desserts except the chocolate melting cake and the butter popcorn salted custard were dry and/or concocted (ie: key lime apple citrus) competing flavors.
SeaDay Brunch is my favorite!
The Lido buffet was lots of sauces and again competing flavors. Prime rib was the best. Breakfast was goodish.
Guys burgers is just another burger, nothing special. Fries are great though! The taco bar thing was open at odd times. I wish they'd leave out chips and salsas for a crunchy snack like they did on the Carnival Fantasy. I went to go get some and every time nothing was available because it was closed and all put up.
The sushi was AMAZING and FRESH! I ate that twice and would have had it more.
Bonsai Sushi Express
5 out of 5
The sushi was AMAZING and FRESH! I ate that twice and would have had it more. It cost less than the sashimi I get at home!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Serenity Deck is our favorite, but it was more crowded on this sailing. At one point my husband and I went to Lido because there was no one in the one of the hot tubs. I went to get in and it was ice cold not even a little warm. This was disappointing as it was our last sea day to enjoy the hot tubs before coming home.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The PIANO Bar DUKES was so much fun! Jeff or Jeffery was hilarious and so so incredible talented. He definitely played a hand in helping us have good memories of this cruise! The main theater shows have lost their Broadway appeal, we walked in and walked out. The keyboard player with the big brown hair that played across the way from the Drama bar was sweet and full of energy and could play well! He should be considered for Piano Bar!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Always pleasurable!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
All was great except there was still hair in the drawer where the hair dryer is.
Okay this is not the fairest review... As no one can control the weather, so I'm really wanting to go back however... It was cold and rainy, the food is not very good at all, and the "On Island" activities were not well located or announced so we missed out on ALL of them. Then having the cheers package but not being able to use it on a Carnival Private Island is silly. It should not cost $39 for a bucket of 5 beers. Cheers package should be able to be used. Carnival, you can do better! With all that said, on a nice day I know that this place would have been so much prettier so that is why I'm interested in going back!
I can't believe there are people who don't care for this port! It is just as pretty as HMC! We did do an excursion. We did the Private Deluxe Beach Day w/ Lunch and 1 non-alcoholic beverage. I'm not sure how much control Carnival has over the meals that come with the excursion but that meal is priced at 26.00 and there is only 4 options while everything else is cheaper. So instead of being able to pick a wrap or a burger that is 17 you're forced into a very very limited menu which is weird.
We've never done the checked bag off the ship were you have them take your luggage, but it made it really enjoyable. Although we enjoyed spending extra time with our friends we waited a bit to get off the ship because the luggage was not ready in the holding area.
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