Great cruise! We would do it again. The food and drink options have gone downhill but not quite enough to make us switch cruise lines. The ship was always clean and the staff are super friendly. The excursion in Amber Cove was the cherry on top!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This was the most organized and simple embarkation we have ever had!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food in the main dining room and buffets are not nearly as good as they used to be. The food on the buffet is very much like what you would get at a Golden Corral but with fewer options. The buffet is also basically the same food over and over. The main dining room has food that is a level above the buffet, but also not what it used to be. There used to be more high grade options with exotic foods, and what you would get a more highly priced restaurant. Now, you get the same foods you would get at an average restaurant. If you want to get the types of items Carnival used to have, you have to order from the menu that you have to pay an additional price. One more note, the only free drinks are coffee, tea, lemonade and water. You can only get those at the buffet area or dining room. Also, they often were out of the tea or lemonade so if you want anything to drink other than water from the buffet area, you have to pay extra yet again and get a drink package. I got the drink package so I could get soda. My husband wanted to get the alcohol package, but it required that we both get it. I can't drink for health reasons so that would have been a waste of time. I wish they would include a non-alcoholic package that includes not just sodas, but specialty coffees so I didn't have to go down to the buffet area every time I wanted something to drink.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We were in the Havana area so we enjoyed the pool there. The other pools are so small that they get really crowded. We did not do many of the other activities because we really just wanted to enjoy time by the pool reading. The best activity we did was formal pictures with Timmy. Wow! He does a beautiful job and we are so pleased to hang them on our wall!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We love the comedians. Hennessy Williams was our favorite. We also enjoyed the Dive In Movies!
Children's Programs
Did not bring children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Loved so many of the staff! I would like to mention a few. Yimyam at the coffee shop was awesome! I love my coffee and he knew what I wanted and how I wanted it made. He was always so friendly. Our stateroom attendant was Agung. He did a great job as well. He just quietly came in to do his job and never intruded on our time. We had mentioned we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and on that day he left the sweetest towel art on our bed of kissing swans and a heart. We appreciate that. The unsung hero's of the trip are the housekeeping attendants. I am a smoker and they worked so hard to keep the area clean and maintained. I would like to give a shout out to Ketut and Winarta. They did an amazing job and I was always happy to see their smiling faces!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Loved the ship! I do prefer smaller ships, but my husband likes the bigger ships so he was in heaven. Everything was clean and well maintained. In this area, Carnival has the edge on their competition.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Beautiful cabin, very comfortable and always clean. We loved the lanai that lead us out to the Havana pool. If there were a smoking area in the Havans section, we would choose a Havana room again.
We did not do an excursion in Curacao. We went into the town and got to know some of the local shop and restaurant owners. They gave us great tips on what to visit there. We just enjoyed the vibe and experience of exploring the town.
It was raining in La Romana so that put a damper on things of course. We went on the Deluxe Beach Resort with Unlimited Food & Drinks. It was the worst excursion of all our sailings. There is a picture of the buffet on the advertisement, but that is actually a location where you have to pay extra. They set up a small grill and buffet near the beach, but by the time we got over there, they had already closed it. Our only option was the one food truck they had with hamburgers. The cook was very rude when I mispronounced something in Spanish. When we got our burgers, they were brown on the outside and raw on the inside. That was the same with everyone sitting around us so it wasn't just ours. I do not drink and can't have sugar so I asked for a diet soda. No diet soda. The option was an alcoholic drink or a regular soda. That was disappointing. I still gave it 3 stars because even though it was raining, we loved the huts that we sat under and I enjoyed some time in the swing. It is a beautiful beach.
100% the best excursion of all our sailings. We did the Over The Ocean Zipline With Beach & Lunch. The guide, Mike was super fun and communicated well when we had questions. I wanted to do this excursion because I have always had a fear of heights. The staff leading the zipline were all young men. They all encouraged me and cheered for me when I had a panic attack. I actually did all of the zip lines and their support made the difference. The food was awesome! Loved the beans and rice the best. There were plenty of options for drink including Diet soda which I needed. We are cruising again Feb and one of our ports is Amber Cove, we would seriously consider doing this one again.
The instructions were very unclear. Once we were called, there were so many people in line already who had not been called but thought they would soon that we struggled to stay in line without being pummeled. That is an issue with other people not following the rules, not Carnival's fault.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I honestly think that the whole crew just probably needs a day off. Like a full ship break like once a week before they set sail again on the next cruise. I believe they would feel refreshed and ready to deal with us. LoL
Appreciate your detailed and informative review. Agree that things aren’t what they once were, but it seems that’s true across the industry. Glad you enjoyed your anniversary cruise.
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