To be able to celebrate New Year's Eve on the ship was special and helped make this a memorable experience. Carnival does have some work to do with the quality of the food and service overall. There has been a noticeable steady decline over the years.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Best ever - congratulations Carnival and Port Canaveral
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining was okay, just okay
Breakfast buffet took forever and the food was "blah" - but the breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros from the Blue Iguana were great!
Cucina del Capitano was NOT worth the extra money at all! Poor service and bland uninspired food!
The Steakhouse was WELL worth the extra fee - great service and food! The table side dessert is well worth the calories!
Guy's Pig and Anchor was good - the meats were great, sides were so, so
Alchemy Bar was good for a creative drink
Guys Burger Joint was one of our "go tos". Awesome burger and fries!
Prime Steakhouse
5 out of 5
Well worth the extra money!
Cucina Del Capitano
1 out of 5
Not worth the extra money at all!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
It was great celebrating New Year's on the ship - lots of party goers all dressed up!
Fitness Center was well equipped
The top deck over looking the pool area is too small, not enough chaise lounge chairs for the size of the ship. On the at sea days people had reserved all of them before 6:45 a.m. We like these because you get the sun and still can be involved in the activities around the pool. It is a design flaw, because so much is devoted to the water works and outdoor ropes course - which are great if you have children with you - we didn't.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The sound of the stage shows was a little sub par - but the singers were good...
Loved Scott at the Piano Bar
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Bojan was very personable and attentive in the main dining area
Samuel makes great Bloody Caesar at the Rum Bar
Veron, aft pool bartender, was good
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
As I stated I did not like the design for just sitting above the main pool area. It is designed better for families - which I then would say it was well designed. Looked a little tired in a couple of places.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Well laid out
Ship tip
Explore the 5th deck early. The outdoor area through the RedFrog Pub is a nice spot
Did the catamaran snorkel, beach, rum cruise - had to wait too long for the boat, but once on board crew was engaging. the snorkel part was not the greatest. They baited the water to get fish to come to the boat. Too small an area for the number of people. The beach was nice and the crew got the people singing and dancing as the rum punch flowed freely! It was fun.
Damajagua Falls was great! - We booked through Cruises Only and had a great time. This excursion group takes you to 12 falls, where the Carnival excursion only goes to 7. The only issue is that Carnival does not let outside excursion groups inside the port area, so it is a mile walk - but it is not bad at all!
To get to the falls, it is an uphill 30 minute muddy hike, so be prepared! But well worth it!
Wait, wait, wait - okay now go - and join 1000 other people! They could have paced this better. Basically, it felt like, "Get off the boat" and that dumped us into the baggage customs area with 1000-1500 other people! Not the greatest.
Our first two cruises were on the Magic. While we loved just about everything, it was the food that made us want to try another ship or even another cruise line to see if it would be better. TBH, it want bad, just not that great either.
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