My daughter's family have been on several Carnaval cruises, but said this was the worst one ever! My first...and last. I was disappointed with the serve I received from and will deal directly with the cruise line. The so-called onboard credits were a joke...we spent about $10k on this cruise and got $50 per cabin (3). There were not other benefits from using . We weren't even that close to each other. I'm going back to Disney!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was fine...tried to get too many people on at the same time.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I understand things had to change after COVID, but the selection of food was not a varied as in the past. We were incredibly disappointed that the Ice cream machine was turned off in the early evening. We also bought a soft drink package that was advertised as fountain (it was not...canned) and only Pepsi products. We never saw anything about that in the advertisement, as we ONLY drink Coke products...very disappointing! Other ships have the Freestyle machine. This one is so dated. Also, a HUGE stress factor came the first night when my family (party of 11) were sitting at 3 different tables! I booked this cruise for all of us at the same time and paid for it. I cannot believe we had to go through the hassle of practically begging to get seated at one table. They were able to do that on the second night, but the first night I was so angry, that I couldn't enjoy it at all.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We participated in BINGO and Deal or No Deal...outrageous cost to play and the prizes in no way reflected the amount of money the ship took in. It was very obvious to us that Carnaval ONLY cares about digging deeper into people's pockets! Won't make that mistake again!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Violinists were very good. Stage show was very good, with the exception of the soloists...they kept going flat (not sure if they could hear the music trax, but for a musician, to hear those long notes fall flat, hurt! The dancing was great and the performers were very likable. B-rating.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
Kids went once and begged to not go back...appears there's a lot of "you make up what we are going to do today".
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Raul & Danilo in the dining room were wonderful! Rizki kept our room wonderfully well! A+ for all of these guys! Cruise director was great too!
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
Ship was clean, but it was difficult to get from one side to the next. Even on the last day I had to go to the map at the elevator to find where I needed to go. This ship really needs to be retired. The pool and jacuzzi were always over-crowded and we didn't dare go in because it just looked unsafe and dirty because of the number of people in them. Every time we went past the jacuzzi, it was wall-to-wall people...no thank you! Nasty!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was well-maintained by Rizki. We felt that the size was very good. Disappointed that we could not keep the door open (it should have been a sliding door) so that at night we could hear the waves...First cruise ship we've been on where we couldn't do that. Again, speaks to the need to retire this ship or lower the prices...I honestly felt ripped off at the end.
Ship tip
Do not do it! Also, the agent from disappeared and when I needed to talk to her, her extension number no longer existed.
The snorkeling trip was good - water was way too rough (but that's no one's fault, just a fact). I stayed in about 10 minutes. The stingray thing was good...only 1 stingray, but the guide took the time with everyone to get some good photos.
Again, trying to get too many people off the ship at the same time. It would be better if they'd use more letters of the alphabet or break into smaller subgroups, like A1, A2, A3...
Appreciate your feedback. The switch to Pepsi products has been in place for years. Getting $50 OBC would have been part of the deal under which you booked, not the amount you spent. The beauty of the cruise industry is that there is a line for everyone. Sounds like Disney is your baseline. Glad you have found one that fits your needs.
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