There were 14 of us in our group and this was our first family outing like this. We wanted to do something different for Thanksgiving and overall we had a really nice time. The kids in our group had never been on a cruise before and they had an absolute blast.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were on the ship super fast, no problems at all.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good, I wouldn't say it was great. The food in the dining rooms was much better than the food on the buffets. The specialty restaurants (Burger joint, pizza, deli and cantina) were very good. We were disappointed in the Thanksgiving turkey meal, it was processed turkey. It was good, just not what we were expecting.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The kids in our group loved the putt-putt area where they could just run around and play. They also enjoyed the water slides. The one pool is so tiny that the kids were packed in like sardines.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We went to several of the stage shows and there was one male dancer/singer who was always throwing in sexual innuendos. One show he was a newsboy and he treated a newspaper as male genitalia, he was always bending over and showing the crowd his rear-end. The girls wore some really skimpy outfits. The shows were supposed to be family friendly but I think they were pushing the bar pretty far.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My 8 year old did a couple of activities in Camp Ocean with her cousin and enjoyed them. We played family bingo and all the kids won a prize, there was a special kid's dinner, an end of cruise party and a build-a-bear event that the kids loved. I didn't have her go to camp ocean until the last sea day and wish I had known that it was free from 7PM - 10 PM, a time when the adults could grab some drinks and a show.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The Camp Ocean ladies, the room stewards and wait staff are always so friendly. They really make the cruise enjoyable. Always so helpful.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
This ship is about 30 years old and one of the smallest, but I think it is still in pretty good shape. I've been on this particular ship 2x now and have no issues with it. There are always crew cleaning and working on things.
That being said, I would like to try a bigger ship that might offer a few more amenities like the outdoor movie theater and would like to try the new roller coasters.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
As expected the room was small, but we were only in it to sleep. My husband and I had a king size bed and our daughter had a bunk that pulled out of the wall. This was the first time we had an ocean view and it was really nice waking up to see where we were at instead of having to go up on deck.
Ship tip
Do the Faster to the Fun option. We were off the ship and in our car within 30 minutes. It was wonderful.
This port shows you a lot of what life is like in Mexico...poor. The port area itself was nice with a boardwalk and public beach, but you are bombarded by people trying to sell you stuff the moment you step off the free shuttle. We went to the beach area and sat at a table to get drinks and the bill was $28 for 2 beers and a bottle of water. They charged us $10 to "rent" the table. Of course we weren't told we had to pay for the table until they brought the bill. When I questioned this absurd bill, he said since we only sat there for 20 minutes he "cut us a deal" for $10, they normally charge $20.
Cozumel is gorgeous. We went snorkeling on a non-Carnival excursion and it was really nice. The water is an amazing blue color. There aren't people harassing you to buy stuff. Cozumel is the kind of place where you want to go on vacation to.
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