This was a great ship and great itinerary. A few small changes would make it perfect. Overall we had a really good time. I suggest you spend the first day walking around the ship and deciding what you want to do and places you may want to eat. It may seem like you have a lit of time, but it goes quickly.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth and fast embarkation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dinner and Sea Day brunch in the dining room were excellent. Pig n Anchor was amazing, good food and filling portions. The Taiyaki cones in Cherry on Top are a must try. Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana were amazing as always! The buffet needs improvement. The layout is not the best. People can get on the line from any side, so people were regularly cutting each other off. My kids are both allergic to fish and there was a day that there were three fish options at the buffet and lamb - they ate sandwiches for that meal. The deli offered lots of new sandwiches, with various daily specials. They also now offer fries, which is nice. There is also a gelato station at lunch. The flavors change daily - so you need to stop by everyday to try it :)
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There is an Imax on board showing new movies. The arcade is small but nice. On the sports deck, the ping pong tables, foosball and foot billiards (pool) are in an enclosed space, so that's nice. Twister and mini golf available too. They have sky ride, but I never got around to doing it.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows were fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised at the vocals of the playlist members. The shipboard musicians were all great. The Fun Squad were, well, FUN!!! The music poolside could be improved. The volume wasn't consistent which was weird. They no longer have a live band poolside, which I don't like. I think the music is played from an iPad or whatever, which is fine, but it should be consistent. Loved the variety of dive in movies, but I think they should offer a few more late night/ midnight movies. Comedy club performers were fantastic! PG shows and 18+ shows were great. Adult Quest is a must!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The staff was always cleaning, mopping, wiping, they made me tired just looking at how hard they were working. The layout is really great. There are a ton of outdoor areas on deck 5. Each restaurant on 5, even Cherry on Top, had outdoor seating. The theater and comedy club (Liquid and Limelight, respectively) are too small for a ship of this size. The theater is only two levels. On other Carnival ships that I've been on, it's three levels. You have to get the the theater or the comedy club at least 30 minutes early if you want a decent seat.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had two cabins between the 5 of us (2 in 1301 and 3 in 2243). The cabins are spacious, lots of closet space. Love that we had a full bathroom with shower, sink and toilet and another bathroom with sink and shower/tub. USB charging ports in the room a great idea.
Ship tip
They serve breakfast on deck 5, Ocean Plaza. Lido is always crowded in the morning, so this is a nice place to sit and grab breakfast. They don't have as much as Lido, but there is plenty: eggs, sausage, bacon, pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, oatmeal.
One of my favorite ports. We did not do an excursion, just went straight to Margarittaville. Word of caution: as soon as you go towards the beach area, you will be bombarded with people asking you if you want an umbrella. The guy that came up to us said $50 for 5 chairs and 2 umbrellas. I am thrifty (and suspicious), so before my husband paid, I asked a security guard. The dark green umbrellas that say "Grand Turk Cruise Center" are free! Pool was great as usual, beach was a little seaweedy this time around, but still great water.
Old San Juan beautiful as always. Besides the major store for shopping, lots of little mom and pop local shops. We stopped in CVS to stock up on some snacks and toiletries and then walked around a bit. Also bought stuff at Marshalls and Rainbow - just cause :) Try to stop at some of the local vendors and buy coconut drops. Yum!
So, Grand Turk used to be favorite port....until we stopped at Amber Cove. I LOVED THIS PORT!! I would have gladly given up a port for two days here. After the slightly long walk down the pier, you go through a duty free shop. Great prices here on Dominican rum. The pool area is very similar to Grand Turk, minus the beach. The differences here: life size chess, life size tic tac toe, volleyball court, small basketball area, ping pong table. There are some hammocks (free), a waterslide (free) and a kiddie splash area. There is a zip line, $20 buys you a wrist band you can use all day. The restaurant by the pool area is fantastic, even though you just got off a ship with food this is worth it. Some items to try: Coco Loco (drink), Coco Cana sampler platter (fried shrimp, yucca fries, fried calamari, tostones cups) and the chicarrones.
Another tip for those planning on shopping in Puerto Rico: most places have done away with free plastic bags (to help the environment). Best to bring a reusable shopping bag, we discovered this after buying about $80 worth of stuff in CVS and realizing we needed to buy bags too.
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