I was a bit apprehensive and didn't know what to expect on this cruise, as my only other Carnival cruise was a very bad experience and I had been using other cruise lines ever since. I will openly admit this cruise exceeded my expectations and would have no problem booking another. The service was terrific, the food was excellent, and while the ship wasn't perfect, it was unique, clean, and had an elegant feel to it. It was a very enjoyable cruise.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Signage could've been better, and wheelchair assistance was a bit hard to find.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was overall good (Guy's burgers were amazing), but the lines for breakfast at the buffet were by far the longest I've ever encountered on a cruise ship. The lido marketplace is undersized for the size of the ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pretty typical cruise events.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The ship band/singers were terrific. The one show I attended was excellent.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was terrific, so much better than my previous carnival cruise where the service was atrocious. Problems were addressed quickly.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Very little pool space, and as mentioned earlier the buffet area was undersized resulting in long lines, but the ship was incredibly clean, had some cool things to do, and was unique being it was initially a Costa ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was bright and modern. The cabins were very quiet, we didn't hear a single toilet flushing in neighboring cabins. We did have one big issue, an AC leak that flooded our carpet, but they diagnosed and repaired it quickly, brought fans in to dry out the carpet, and gave us sweets and a voucher for pictures to make it up to us.
Ship tip
Being the primary pools get packed with people, the deck chairs can be hard to come by. If you go down to the outer walkway along deck 5, there are frequently open deck chairs overlooking the water.
Pretty area. You do have to tender in, and the lines to get a tender to land can get incredibly long, but the tenders are large so the lines will shorten relatively quickly.
Not much by the cruise ship, not even the basic stores that you will normally find inside a cruise terminal. You will get searched by a dog and their relatively aggressive handler if you choose to leave the terminal area.
Digital debark ahead of time was very easy. There were long lines to get through customs, and there was some confusion at times, but it was manageable.
Glad you had fun on Carnival this time. What was your last Carnival experience? Yes the buffet is small but that’s because there are several other included eateries available. The buffet is my last choice on Carnival.
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