This was a wonderful family cruise. Our daughter and her family live far from us in North Dakota (we live in NY) so this was a great vacation with quality family time. It has created many memories for us all.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This was literally the fastest embarkation we have ever had! Walked from the Uber, right onto the ship! Fabulous!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate 6 of our 7 nights in MDR, and food was always hot and delicious. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. We ate one night in Steakhouse, and our steaks were cooked to perfection. On our first night, embarkation day, it was Super Bowl Sunday, so only my daughter, granddaughter and I ate in MDR, since the men (hubby, son in law, and 2 grandsons) ate from the large tailgating buffet set up for those attending the Super Bowl viewing in the Amber Theater. (They also did the same set up up on Lido deck for those that watched the game on big screen outside. Too cool and breezy for our guys) I found the buffet on Lido plentiful (too much so, as I gained 7lbs on this cruise) and we NEVER encountered a line, as we have on larger Carnival ships.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We loved how there was always music playing, or a trivia game. Our grandsons did the Build A Bear Workshop, and they both, along with our 13 year old granddaughter were involved with the kids camps.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Just love all the awesome entertainment onboard. The Epic Rock show was unbelievable! Fabulous!
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Our grandchildren loved the kids clubs. Our 13 year old granddaughter got involved from day one.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
OUTSTANDING!! What else can I say? Our room steward, Michael, was extremely attentive.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was immaculate, and beautiful! I had read some negative reviews, where people said it should it’s age. I did not notice this. Absolutely beautiful! As for rust, yes, there was rust on outside of ship, which was to be expected of any ship that sails in the salt water of our oceans. John Heald actually talked today about the rust on ships, and the cause.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had an inside cabin on deck 7 (7244). It was just perfect for us. Our daughter and son in law had a balcony cabin, and that was very roomy, and balcony was nice to have. Just not in our retirement budget. Our cabin was always clean, and although inside cabins are small, Carnival inside cabins are larger than those on RCCL and NCL(the smallest).
Ship tip
Don’t forget to attend the Sea Day Brunch. Truly awesome! How can you argue with steak and eggs for breakfast?
I only gave NOLA 4 stars, because we stayed in the French Quarter, not far from Bourbon St, and felt the area was absolutely filthy dirty. Disgustingly dirty. We actually saw vomit and urine on the streets. Since my hubby is primarily a beef eater, we had trouble finding someplace within walking distance of our hotel that wasn’t primarily seafood and creole. And food was outrageous in price! We saw steak prices from $40-65! We were happier when we ventured out of the French Quarter. We rode the Red Line streetcar to Jackson Square, the cathedral, the French Market. Green Line streetcar will take you all the way to the Garden District, which is absolutely beautiful with many mansions. If we cruise out of NOLA again, we will not stay in the French Quarter again. Too many drunks,band just filthy.
I gave this port a high score, because there is so much to do in this port. We have been here 6 or 7 times, so we just walked around and but there are a ton of things to do here. Our son in law rented a Jeep, and their family toured the island.
No issues what so ever. Although we had FTTF, we chose the last time slot to debark. We were not in any hurry, as we had another 2 days in New Orleans. We were of the last 300 passengers off the ship. It made it easy to find our luggage.
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