We would definitely do this cruise again. The Carnival Firenze is great ship. We'd definitely stay on the 5th level, we're spoiled at this point. And this time it was our 30th anniversary, but in the future, we'd like to take our daughter and grandkids with us the next time. In the words of the old NIKE campaign, 'JUST DO IT!'
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very organized. You could pick the time slot as to when you wanted to arrive, and even though there were quite a few people, you got into the line of your time slot, and just follow the directions of the Carnival people that were there helping.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Our main dining experience was great. We had an early dining, my wife and I were celebrating our 30th anniversary, and every meal was very good. For breakfast a couple of times we ate in the MichaelAngelo restaurant and we weren't disappointed. Every Cruise ship has the Lido deck where you can choose your own food from the buffets. A couple of times during the day we went to the Lido deck and got some food, and we weren't disappointed.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We were on the 5th level and that section was great. We had wrist bands to enjoy the Jacuzzi's. So that was great, it wasn't crowded and we were able to enjoy an evening in the Jacuzzi.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
They had a great DJ, we went to the Sail Away party, and that was nice. We passed through, going back to our rooms where they were having Karaoke, and we'd stop to listen, and people were enjoying themselves. Everyone was enjoying themselves, listening to their friends doing their best to hit those notes. Some didn't quite make it :-)
Children's Programs
We didn't have any children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The Carnival cruise staff, the room steward, the waiters, guest services, etc....they all go out of their way to make you feel special. You meet people from all around the world. Our Waiter was from Indonesia, and we met others from South Africa, and, Japan. Their whole purpose is to make you feel welcome and appreciated.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The cruise ship was very clean, as mentioned they go out of their way to make it a very welcoming experience. It's a great layout and design, it does take you a day or so to know how to get to certain parts of the ship, but the Carnival Hub App, is very well designed. You look up where you want to go, it will show you a map whether it's AFT, Forward or in the middle, etc. So using the App is highly recommended and it was easy to navigate.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was the best part, our room was a nice size for my wife and I, and we have a terrace with 2 lounge chairs with a beautiful view of the ocean. My wife is now spoiled, she says, when we cruise again in the future, we have to have a room like this. That whole level, 5th floor, with the terrace, the different people we met at breakfast, etc...were all speaking about how much they enjoyed being on that level. Nice, peaceful, beautiful terrace, the wrist bands, only for ones in that area...everything about this cruise was excellent.
Ship tip
The one piece of advice I can give is you have to be patient getting to the parking lot, etc. Everyone is doing the same thing. Everyone is anxious to get on board, etc...but it's a process. You have to park your car, get your luggage, etc. Make sure you already have all of your documents printed, the Carnival Luggage tags on your luggage. We got there early enough, brought our luggage that we were going to check with one of the porters, they let you know what time the luggage will be in your rooms, etc. But BE PATIENT, people NOT THE STAFF, but people will be people, they're all anxious to get to their vacation etc. So, we wanted even that part of our trip to be stress free, and it was. So make sure you already have everything printed out, your luggage tags, etc, make even that part of your trip a wonderful experience.
This is where we boarded. We live in LA, and it's the first time we took a cruise out of Long Beach. I would say the biggest issue with this port is the bathrooms. You have quite a few people arriving that need to use the restroom. The mens bathroom only have 2 urinals and 1 toilet, and my wife said that the woman's restrooms only had 2 toilets. So you can imagine the lines. I think, with all of the people they have coming through that facility, they should have more bathrooms. Once you get inside of the building there's more bathrooms, but outside in the parking area, that part should be updated.
Cabo was an amazing. We chose the Camel Excursion, which included riding a camel in Mexico. Who would've thought, we didn't have to go to Egypt to ride a camel. This was great, and we highly recommend this excursion. It includes, the Camel Ride, ] knowledge about the camels, a section where they tell you about the various plants in that region and how to survive. It also includes a Mexican Buffett, that was great. They show you 'how to' make corn tortillas from scratch, and they have a tequila tasting showing you various types of tequilas. This excursion we highly recommend. When we got back to the ship, people were asking what we did and when we showed them some of the pictures they were amazed and for some reason didn't realize that excursion existed. We loved this, and in the future, we'll be doing this one again. It's part of Cabo Adventures. Our tour guide was Alina, and made this part of our trip very enjoyable.
Great port. My wife and I never did kayaking before, but this was our first time. One of our tour guides was Rebecca, same name as my wife. We went to La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a blowhole located on the Punta Banda Peninsula in Baja California, Mexico, about 17 miles south of Ensenada. There were 4 guides total working with the group. That day, they said, was a nice day because the ocean was very calm. We went out pretty far, but they're all concerned about safety first and they make sure that you're safe. What's amazing is you wouldn't be able to see the coastline and La Bufadora from up above, being right there with it was another experience that we enjoyed.
Very Organized. You could pick the time, from your app, when you wanted to leave. We also had our luggage picked up the night before and picked them up in the terminal before we went back to our car. This was our 5th cruise, but our third one on Carnival, and we're NEVER disappointed.
Thanks for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. I have this same cruise booked for April 2025. I can't wait to board her. I rode the camels 🐫 in Dubai will now be doing it on this cruise
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