Really pleasantly surprised.

Carnival Luminosa Cruise Review

Geepeejay

Contributor Level: Second Mate

33 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 90

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

4 Night Moreton Island (Sydney Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 12, 2024

Ship: Carnival Luminosa

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 7305

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 22 days ago

Review summary

This was a birthday celebration cruises. A short getaway that was worth every moment. Excellent venue & great company. Much enjoyed.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Getting on board was a pleasant experience. Having priority seemed to be a good thing, but as we had an early time, maybe it was just luck. Having gained an early boarding, we explored the ship a bit, as it was our first Luminosa experience. All seemed pretty good. Then we got to our stateroom, which had become a suite... more good news! Great experience.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Was not as happy with MDR and selections. This seems to have been given fewer choices... had my first ever cruise schnitty as the other options were not so good. Brunches at sea are always a good thing, but they too seemed more limited. We did not miss out though. Bar prices are heading towards the exorbitant... minimum $12 for a beer. The Steakhouse was good... really enjoyed that.

Serenity Bar

3 out of 5

Kids found their way in here several times without action. So much for the adult only.

Piano Bar 88

5 out of 5

Great area to be entertained at night, to relax in the day and to have pre breakfast juice & coffee.

JavaBlue Cafe

3 out of 5

Least favourite, but most popular.Used this several times, but on most occasions you had to wait. Quite a while.Coffee (Long Black) had no crema. Was basically Americana and could have been drip filtered.

Lido Marketplace

3 out of 5

Functional, but had to wander a lot to find what you wanted. There are several serveries.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse

5 out of 5

A really good meal and well serviced.

Vela Restaurant

3 out of 5

It got the job done. But it was a big dining room. Try to link all companions prior to sailing.Menu was pretty ordinary and the food was OK (but better and more convenient than Lido buffet).

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Lots of places to relax, or do other activities like table tennis, pool, swim, spa, etc. The area around the Piano 88 bar has plenty of seating to read or whatever. Of a morning the bar provides juice, coffee and pastries. This was really good.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Probably one of the better teams for hitting the right notes and for sound, but the show itself was in need of replacement. Beware of the slippery floor going to seating. My shoes lost grip on ramp and I ended up on my back! No damage, other than bruised ego and bruised tricep from hitting table on way down.

Ocean Plaza Stage

5 out of 5

Really good and they have a big band! Excellent.

Luminosa Theater

4 out of 5

Very nice atmosphere, but be careful on ramps to seating. Very slippery.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

We did not use kids club etc, but this pervaded through the ship. Kids appeared to love it. From parades to dancing, seemed great.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Generally excellent. Let down by a lack of understanding about how some packages / promotions work. Had to get Lobby Desk team to explain to the staff.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

My favourite class of ship; Spirit Class. It is showing signs of age, but appears well cared for. It took about 3 or 4 hours though to get a downright changed in the cabin (from removal to replacement).

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Extended Balcony Grand Suite. Very comfortable, huge balcony looking forward. Well kept by Ketut. This was very much a positive.