This cruise was what I have come to expect from Carnival. It’s acceptable. You pay so little for the accommodations, and then every teeny extra costs more. Special restaurants, excursions, WiFi, even the little messenger app costs money. I have cruised on luxury companies like Ama Waterways. Completely opposite experience. But Carnival is a fraction of the price, and so of course you receive a fraction of the experience
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Getting on the boat could not have been smoother. We were with platinum level guests, and we got early boarding, no lines. Problem was, we couldn’t get to our room until hours later. My friend recalls a benefit of platinum status was access to one’s accommodations early. If this was a thing, bring it back. If it was not a thing, make it happen. That would be a great status perk.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
We ate in the main dining room each night. The food was processed and bland. My husband ordered the molten chocolate cake each night. Each night it was a different consistency. Sometimes very soupy, others cakey. No consistency. The wine available for purchase at dinner was an okay selection, but the mixed drinks that we ordered were mixed way too sweet! The best food was the burrito bowls. This would be 1 star if not for that. Even Guy Fieris burgers were blah. Based on the food quality in the main dining room, there’s no way I would splurge on one of the premium restaurants. I have no reason to believe they are any better/worth it.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools were fine, slides were fine. Interactive trivia was a bust the first time as it wasn’t showing on the big screen. Fitness center was disappointing. I tried to attend a premium class and pay extra. Instructor didn’t show. I tried again the next day, same. One of the spa guests said they had the same issue too. Unreliable.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The stage shows were great. Kudos to the choreographer. We love piano bar music, so we went to Danmarle’s ?spelling? show the first night. He wasn’t very good. We tried again the second night, and same. You sub out comedians, why not piano players? Speaking of comedians, we attended those shows as well. Manny Acosta was great! The chap the first night ?Daryl? was horrible! We walked out of his show.
Children's Programs
We do not have kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Sandy was our room steward, and he was fantastic. Top notch service! We wanted for nothing. The service in the dining room was mostly good, only 1 poor experience. The Red Frog Pub, deck 5 not the pool bar, was the poorest beverage service. Painful slow and the tenders were so slow!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There were always staff visibly cleaning. No complaints with regards to cleanliness at all!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was the first time we purchased balcony accommodations. We were happy with the decision. Very grateful to have such a nice space to privately relax.
Ship tip
DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT let the staff of the port of Miami escort you out of customs before claiming your luggage! This happened not only to our party, but 3 other groups as well. The staff at the port were entirely unsympathetic and wouldn’t assist anyone. We still had a person inside and with the help of a porter, they procured all of our luggage. The other groups were screwed. They had to wait outside in the rain until everyone got off the ship (or so we were told that’s what we were going to have to do) and there were children in their party.
The stewards collected our luggage the night before, and it was waiting for us in an orderly manner. Unfortunately one of the members of our party was in a wheelchair. When they took the elevator, they were escorted out of customs, along with 3 other groups of people without claiming their bags. We still had someone inside, and we were able to navigate the situation. The other parties were not so fortunate. The employees at the port were wretched human beings. They didn’t care in the least people with children were forced to stand in the rain and couldn’t get their bags. Just deplorable!
as platinum you can go to your room early to drop your stuff out, but still must leave since they are not completely done with cleaning. the room stewards now have more rooms to clean so takes them a bit longer. not that big of a deal
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