Such high expectations for “Choose Fun”, let down.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
It was by far the worst embarkation experience I have ever been a part of. We signed up for the 11:30-12:00 time slot, however once we got to the terminal all 3000+ passengers were in line, irregardless of their chosen embarkation time. Carnival employees refused to enforce their own rules and it took us an hour and 20 minutes to step foot on the boat. Absolutely horrible.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
With 65% passenger capacity the ship ran out of bananas 2 days into an 8 day cruise while visiting Southern Caribbean?!? They ran out of Gatorade 4 days in and Propel water 5 days in. I checked every single bar and food venue. Only Ocean Bar had Propels left in stock, largely due to the bartender Sushana knowing how to stock up on essentials. Specialty restaurants (Ji Ji’s, Cucina Del Capitono, Guy’s Pig & Anchor) were excellent food and service wise, the only complaint we had was with the noise level in Cucina Del Capitano stemming from the basketball bouncing super loudly over our heads. Main dining venues (Reflections and Merridian) had very good food and exceptional service. The only negative was the repeating choice of food (for example cocktail shrimp was on the menu all 8 days). Blue Iguana Cantina was excellent but only open 12:00-2:30 for tacos, burritos, enchiladas which was ok for sea days but not for port days. Fresh Creations salad bar was excellent for food but was the only place where I kept running into rude staff. It also had too limited hours of 12:00-2:30. I saved the worst for last as the Lido Marketplace had by far the worst food on the ship with rock hard pancakes and soupy eggs.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The “Fun Ship” was a disappointment as trivia was ran 5-6 times a day, and my must do activities were limited to 1-2 a day in sharp contrast to other cruise lines where we’d have to decide on what to settle on as there were numerous things going on at the same time.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
I remember the days when cruise director was a very exclusive position on the ship, right below the ship captain. He/she had to have an actual talent not just good hair and bleached teeth. Donkey was so lame, the only way he could have gotten his job was by being related to someone of high importance on Carnival board of directors. The stage shows, and I mean all the stage shows were a joke, I have never ever seen that many people get up and leave in the middle of those so called shows. To be fair the 2 female lead singers had absolutely beautiful voices but the men OMG!!! Karaoke bar had better talent. The 2 hour White Mega Party was a disappointment magnified by the fact that we were bombarded with adds for spa services and IMAX adds during the entirety of it
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone on the ship from bar staff, to waiters, to room stewards to any and every person employed on the ship was absolutely amazing. If I could give them 10 stars I would. The only exception was Fresh Creations salad bar employees on Serenity deck. I got attitude from both male and female staff when asking for a little more lettuce or seeds, it’s as if they had ownership of those ingredients and I was making them lose profits lol
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
For a ship that was built in 2018 and was not in use for 15 months it had too many issues. From the revolving doors leading to the Havana pool area that never worked properly to the Havana hot tubs that spewed brown discharge and required being shut down for the last 2 days of our trip, to the lounge chairs and our belongings being covered in soot from the ship’s chimney…
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Just the right size, always meticulously cleaned
Ship tip
Save your money on FTTF, and book cabanas 2 years out in Amber Cove
South Beach is so overrated!!! Trash is literally everywhere (worse than NYC). Seaweed is omnipresent in and out of the water. And the smell of weed is constant
Thanks for the comprehensive review. Sorry you had so many disappointments. I don’t know if Carnival reads these particular reviews. But if so, you gave them good info to up their game. Loved your photo of the snorkel excursion. Where was that? And was it an independent or a Carnival excursion? Thanks in advance.
I am one of those people that has the shrimp cocktail every night. I am happy that they have it. But the usually change the rest of the appetizers. Sorry to hear that this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. BTW: your aren’t supposed to leave items on your balcony. However, appreciate your sharing your experience.
Maybe I was too hard on the entertainment portion but that was the result of my expectations being through the roof from “Fun Ships” and “Choose Fun” advertising
Sorry about your cruise. I will say that hot tub situation in Havana area would have made me mad too, especially since the Havana area costs more. I was on this same cruise and had a blast. I danced the whole time at the white party and had a great time, wished they played more KC and the Sunshine band.
Sorry it didn’t live up to your expectations. Things are obviously different during a pandemic from cruising in normal times. Maybe cruising isn’t for you until things return to normal.
We sail on Sep 12th in a Havana Suite , sure hope they have the hot tub issue fixed. We haven’t cruises since Thanksgiving of 2019, we have 3 booked between now and July 2022!
So sorry you had a so-so cruise. I've had a couple of subpar ones myself but like you, I managed to find something to enjoy. Cruising will always be one of my favorite ways to vacation. Thanks for sharing your review.
Thanks for the review. Sorry you didn’t have a great cruise. I sailed on Horizon on the 15th. My embarkation was one of my best ever. I chose 11:00-11:30 and was onboard at 11:09. Maybe the earliest time is best. I personally liked Donkey. I know not all personality’s click. I know there are also breakfast hours at the Iguana restaurant as I had a delicious breakfast burrito. I Agee the buffet food is just ok, which I expect. So I like the Guys Burger, Iguana and Pizza choices which are included. Yes the ash is a problem, I had it on my white jeans. The ship was very clean, but sorry about your hot tub. The others on the ship were so nice on my sailing. Glad you enjoyed your ports. I loved Amber Cove.
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