Carnival is just OKAY to sail with. There is not enough regulation over kids and disrespectful adults. Children 12+ should not be allowed to roam freely until 1 am. Sail in the off-season with Carnival!
Embarkation
2 out of 5
My legitimate bottle of wine was confiscated prior to boarding the ship. The foil over the cork had been smashed and that was the reason they took it.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Buffets are overcrowded with kids/teens butting in line and women in their thong bikinis. Very unhygienic and very unruly. The rules are not enforced to keep things sanitary. The main dining halls are always wonderful, but it stops there for dining on Carnival.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
The pools are overrun with kids and teenagers - AGAIN! 1 am is way too late for kids to have to be back to their rooms. Again, this was not enforced by the crew. The people who actually pay for the cruise can't enjoy the pools, dive-in movies or hot tubs because the areas are overrun with kids at ALL HOURS! The adults get little saunas of areas (bot outdoors) to try to be able to enjoy themselves. After 10pm, kids/teens should either be in their club or in their cabin - PERIOD! The kids are the ones who should have a pool hidden away at the end of the ship and zero access to hot tubs. We could not get in a pool or hot tub because there were never any available.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The entertainers are phenomenal are work their tails off. Hats off to them and their endless sacrifice.
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
The kids programs were mundane. Camp Ocean made it seem as though there would be so many more offerings. Our 4 and 8 year old were both bored and brought to tears if they were told they were going there. Also, it is wrong the way Carnival manipulates the timing of the shows and adult entertainment with the kids' clubs availability. They make it to where you are stuck paying the $18+/hr for 2 kids IF you want to attend an adult show that isn't overrun with kids. This cruise nickles and dimes families to death!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff are the true heroes and gems on Carnival. They are the hardest workers we have ever seen. It is through their sacrifice (not Carnivals) that these cruises are possible.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The shups design is older and yo be expected. As for dining and its cleanliness, the food areas were always out of sorts. That had nothing to do with the staff. They were constantly cleaning up after lazy, trashy people who didn't have any regard for others and were absolute slobs. These people would require a person to follow behind them 24 hrs to maintain spaces.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Jimmy our room attendant was an absolutely amazing human and hard worker. The rooms were kept clean and he was always polite, helpful and smiling. The rooms are dated and the windows in the rooms are corroding. If you just bumped the window, paint and other debris would crumble onto the floor or ledge. The rooms are certainly ready for an update.
Ship tip
Sail in yhe off-season if you want to enjoy your cruise
Carnival could not locate souvenirs we acquired through one of the ports we visited. Due to their nature (wooden swords) we could not keep them. It took a very long time once off the ship to track down these items.
This was my experience over 10+ yrs ago. The Carnival Liberty was my first time sailing. I hated it and swore I'd never cruise again! Fast forward 10+ yrs and I'm now a TA and love the new Excel class ships and cruising in general 😃 But, I'm still definitely leary of cruising the older Carnival ships. So, I completely empathize with you.
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