Disappointing

Embarkation was complicated by experienced and/or poorly trained staff that were not aware of visa requirements. I traveled with my partner and friends all from the U.K. After passport control, we were delayed at check-in due to the member of staff not being knowledgeable of the Visa Waiver program extended to U.K. citizens. She asked for a copy of his ESTA, which we did not have because isn't a requirement nor has it ever been. Our friends were delayed at the passport check due to the same reason. These 2 incidents extended boarding by nearly 30 minutes. The colleague never gave us a boarding number with her confusion which created an additional delay for us. We were only made aware of needing a number because our friends had received one from their checkin agent.

The hostess on the first night embarrassed my aunt and her friend when they choose to eat with us in the main dining room. Prior to the cruise we contacted Carnival to arrange for the parties to all be seated in the same dining room. My partner and I and the friends we traveled with were on "YOUR TIME DINING", they informed us there was no need to change and the other party could just queue up with us and be seated. The lovely colleagues working for the cruise unfortunately didn't get the message, and suggested that they could sit with us that night, but would need to go to there assigned dining room in the future. This happened again the second evening were I had to approached the matradee and a few kind words to have this resolved. The quality of the offering in terms of both service and food has definitely diminished since our last cruise of Carnival Magic about 18 months earlier. The breakfast buffet was consistently decent considering in most cases, unless it was a made to order omelette, the food was served lukewarm or room temperature at best. Lunch was the highlight of the cruise with the varied options of food. There were many opportunities to have foods that were made to order, i.e. burgers, Mexican or food from the Mongolian Grill. Although I never had the chance to enjoy the Mongolian Grill, it seems to be quite popular to the extent I would suggest adding a second facility to accommodate the demand. Dinner service was the greatest disappointment. This has previously on my 4 previous cruises with Carnival to be a highlight. Service was mediocre and inconsistent at best. There were some exceptions, but if this was a land based restaurant, I would never return. We would be hopeful food would arrive warm in the least and was surprised on the last evening when the food arrived "hot". Our servers seemed reluctant to remove plates from the table after a course and at some times they had to be reminded to do so, if we just didn't hand it to them ourselves. Drinks would be forgotten, would be completely wrong. Entrees would be missed also. We traveled with 2 kids aged 12 & 8 who were only offered a kids menu on the 6th night of the cruise. This was a concern after the first night that their parents choose not to come to dinner one night due to there being a lack of options for the kids. The flatbread that was offered on several nights should have bee accompanied with a small saw to get through the bread. Service on the Lido deck or Market Place was often performed by robots that no longer smiled or greeted you. The attention and assistant previously offered was absent and when we had the few occasions to approach a crew member it was often received with the disdain of being asked to do their jobs. Once my disabled aunt asked for a Coke and "crew member" happily pointed and suggested she get it herself. The food was "good" at best. The service on the hold was deplorable coming from the food and beverage department. Even the lemonade quality was bad. At one point one person in our party had to suggest to a crew member taste it themselves before they reluctantly resolved it.

The activities were plentiful. I personally did not use any, But they were thoroughly enjoyed by the younger people in our group. The only complaint was half of the water slide was out of use on the first day and both at the beginning of the second.

The entertainment was great. Some cheesy, but enjoyed nonetheless.

With the exception of a few, I am disappointed.

Our cabin was consistently kept clean. The corridors leading to the cabins would often be scattered with room service left overs, trays, cups and other bits. This should be something that should be address immediately. It's a bit of an eye sore to see this through your travels to and from the cabins and left for extended periods of time. The ship is a bit "tired" in places. The decor in the Market Place and cabins need a rethink and move away from the Miami Vice era that has passed on.

Excellent and quiet location at the aft of the ship. We only heard propulsion noises when coming into docks. A lot less of foot traffic and noise you find in the corridors throughout most ships and minimum noises from facilities on decks above and below where activities might be going on.

A bit of a delay at one point, but not totally within Carnivals controls. Directional signs could improve for rental car pick up.