This was our first time booking a cruise over Thanksgiving and had not been on Carnival for 15 year (we are Gold members). Not what we remembered. There were "gangs" of teenagers hanging out in the hallway and security had to be called a couple of times. This cruise is definitely geared towards kids and families. We are bringing the grandkids on the Magic in April. Expect a noisy crowd, and waiting on the Lido Buffett.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Liked the fact that we had an appointed time to arrive, so the wait was minimal. We drove from Fort Myers and had reserved parkng and huttle at Best Miami Cruise Parking at 123 SW 1st St (through Parkway parking). The garage was closed, directed to another here gate was broken. Waited 1 hour for fix, then no shuttl so had to take a taxi for 420.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining room food was very good to great, except for the Thanksgiving dinner. Loved the warm molten lava cake. However the Lido buffet food was mediocre. It wa also so crowded in the morning we did not have time to eat and make the tour. Staff could not accommodate the crowd and tis needs t be addressed. We learned to eat breakfast in the main dining room. You want to do this on sea days, as they have a delicious brunch menu including dessert.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The on board activities are excellent for children. I was disappointed to see there were no cardio or Zumba classes. The game section of the library was terrible. Most if not all of the games were in tatters and missing prices. I wanted to play Mah Jongg but the game was missing tiles and there were no racks. The 2 dance classes were a joke. Barely 1/2 hour and one "instructor" kept forgetting his choreography. The Bingo "announcer" was very annoying and needs to be more professional. Towers should be available for people who use the aft pool. You had to go to the main pool on #10 to get a towel.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We went to the comedians in the lounges and they were good, as were the bands that played in the lounges. However, all the shows were performed by the ship dancers and singer, who were mediocre at best compared to shows on other ships.
Children's Programs
We went as a couple for the itinerary. We will be sailind in April on the same ship to different ports with our son, daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our waiters for Table 728 late dining (Woody and crew) were excellent. They did an outstanding job, were very attentive and personable. Room steward we did not see every much, but the room was always clean and they asked what time was most convenient for us. The guest services front desk was top notch. KUDOS to Dragana Celebic, who lent me her phone to try to resolve an issue .
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
This ship dd not stress washing your hands. No one was at the entrance to the buffet to remind people to clean their hands, and the dispensers, if you could find one, were empty. You cannot get to the other end of deck 3 from the back of the boat. You had go up or down to do this and it was very confusing when going to guest services or the theater.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Ship tip
We bookd a balcony under the rate of not being assigned until embarkation. The room we got was on deck 2. The room was fine, but being located right by the elevators, the noisy people woke us up in the ealy hours. I think he galley was above us as we coould hear things being moved around several nights, especially in last night. We will always book out room ahead of time in the future; Lesson learned
We have been here many times, so we just visited the shopping area at the port. No need to take a taxi into town as there is adequate shippongat the pier.
We visited this port on Thanksgiving Day. We did not do a tour but just walked the streets. Thanksfully tere were many shops open. A bid disappointment was that El Morro the Fort was closed. This was not communiated by the ship. Thankfully, we did not walk the 1 mile some did to find the gates locked.
We did an Island Tour and beach. Pretty disappointed. The guy doing the tour tried his best, but there really is not much to see. You saw John Glen's space capsule, looked at water that is suposed to be part of the Bermuda Triangle. Then stopped for a demonstation of shell, seas urchins, star fish etc. The beach was nice and chairs provided, but the rest rooms had no toilet paper. You got 1 peice of spice cake and a small bottle of water.
We opted to keep our luggage and get off the ship ASAP so we did that pretty quick. A tip NOT to use Best Miami Cruise Parking at 123 SW 1st street. The promised shuttle never came and we had to pay $20 for an Uber.
Thanks for a nice well thought out review. Your title was perfect. We sailed once during Spring Break and swore to never again sail when that many "children" would be on a ship. Children = all ages that act juvenile.
Wouldn’t use the term ‘gangs’, but when you decide to book a cruise during the holidays, summer months , and spring break yes you will find children of all ages.
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