Overall the cruise was great. A lot of entertainment as well as time to relax. The food could be buffet upgraded and the Cheers package should be a bit more flexible. Give some flexibility to parents on the times camp is available to smaller children.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We arrived early so it was smooth experience getting our luggage tagged. It was fast and orderly boarding the ship. My bags was at my room when I arrived but I pre-ordered bottle water to make bottles for the baby and I never received that nor the crib I initially requested (canceled it when we realized there was no space for it).
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
With the exception of breakfast and the buffet food was horrible - tasteless with poor presentation. Salad bar was limited. The burgers and taco bar were great additions for lunch. My dining experience was just ok as well. When booking and in subsequent follow up calls, no of the booking agents was quite clear on how anytime dining worked. With that, we did not have a main server and many nights service was exceptionally slow waiting almost an hour from appetizer to dinner being served.
Drinks: We had the Cheers package and it is overpriced and a waste, Wouldn't advise anyone to get it nor will we ever get it again. My husband couldn't purchase for me and vice versa. It was overpriced for watered down drinks and we couldn't even purchase a drink for our child. Carnival should find a way to lower the price and incorporate it where parents with children under 12 could get 3 drinks even if its a smoothie on the Cheers package.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Onboard activities were fun and entertaining. Re: Fitness center - I thought there should be more free classes and that there should NOT be an extra charge to use the steam room. And one should be notified in advance of the extra charge on the Horizon ship since other ships don't charge you to use them.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Entertaining.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
We utilized the kids club. We were was under the impression that parents 0-2 years old would be able to enjoy dinner together utilizing the camp but it does not begin to 10 pm, which we found late. Consider shifts 6pm-10pm, 8pm-12am or 10pm -2am to allow parents to enjoy more activities such as the comedy shows, dinner or a movie.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward - Cadet - Was FABULOUS. He took good care of us and our room.
Bartender - Encountered a few rude ones when I said my soda was flat taking it from me and throwing the can roughly in the trash.
Pizza bar - They were SOOOO rude. We'd be standing there for hours and nobody wouldn't even make eye contact with you to take your order. I left 2x's not sure of how to get the pizza. On my 3rd and last attempt, I asked the gentleman if I needed to pre-order and he gave me the nastiest look. The guy behind me proceeding to ask for him to make a pizza with extra pepperoni and mushroom and he gave he another bad look that said - leave me alone-without really saying it.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabins are still TOO small. Common areas were clean and well-maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Cleanliness - Our cabin steward did a great job with maintaining our room.
Comfort - Was just "ok". We made the best of it but the cabins are just too small for a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 child, 1 baby). Literally NO space for a crib and/or luggage. I selected a balcony room thinking it would be a bit larger than the ocenview but I was wrong.
Ship tip
Do NOT get the Cheers drink package and don't have great expectations for the buffet.
Pretty smooth process to disembark. Lack of seating in dining area so people should be encouraged to eat then head out on the deck to allow others a chance to have breakfast.
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