Probably our last Carnival Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 105

Review summary

There were several issues on this cruise, from food, to cleanliness, to the elevator situation, but we still managed to have a good time. In fact, a very good time all things considered. This cruise just confirmed that Carnival is not the right line for us, though for others it may be. One of the biggest issues was the food. It's just not up to previous standards or even those of other lines. Food was decent, but we don't cruise for just "decent" food. Eggs Benedict was one example. 2 of the 3 times my wife ordered them, they literally came out hard boiled. Everything was just OK, and we certainly didn't go hungry. The only real highlight was the Italian restaurant. Even the updated Emeril dishes just lacked flavor and were bland. The buffet was not very good, though at least it was a bit better than our last cruise on the Legend. Lacked variety and flavor in our opinion. The entertainment on the ship, in particular the production shows, was the standout highlight and was exceptional. The comedians were good as well, and Carnival does seem to have a leg up when it comes to comedy at sea. Overall, the ship certainly felt crowded to us. Yes, it was sold out, but so was our last cruise on another line and the difference was palpable. The elevators were a mess. This isn't necessarily the fault of the system, where you select your destination before you get in the elevator, and you are supposed to do so for each member of your party so the elevators know how many people will be in each car and direct you to a designated car. The problem is, people just don't use it that way. People will press once for a group of 6 people, or hop in the first car that opens even if it isn't their assigned car. Even on the last day people would ask groups in the elevator if the car was going up or down, WHICH ISN'T HOW THEY WORK! Just a mess all around. Cleanliness was an issue as well, as evidenced by the numerous folks who came down with illnesses while on board. This is expected to some extent anytime you have a large confined gathering, but it was lot more than expected. The casino was a mess, and buffet areas were not kept as clean an sanitary as they could have been. Overall, we had fun, but will likely not be cruising on Carnival again primarily due to the food quality issues and cleanliness which we feel are much better on other lines. That said, if you get a great deal and don't mind crowds, then from an entertainment standpoint alone you may very well enjoy this ship.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

Oranjestad, Aruba

Willemstad, Curacao

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

Disembarkation

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