We had such a wonderful time that we already booked our next cruise onboard. Our cruise was perfect but I'll try to be helpful to others. The ship constantly shook while underway. While this was a non-issue for us, it may bother others. Had FTTF so embark and debark were easy but it looked like a nightmare for others. Had two ship excursions (Dolphin Swim and Las Caletas) and one off ship (Mazatlan ATV). Next cruise is 9 months out but FTTF is sold out already and embark, debark and tenders are so bad the wife is thinking about cancelling.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Dining room dinner 3 times all excellent, Steakhouse one night which is definitely worth it, and buffets the rest which were a lot better than my 4 day cruise. Sea Day brunch in dining room is a must.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Not a lot going on. 9 hole mini golf was crowded. Pools are crowded. You'll need to push/ scoot yourself down the disappointing water slide. Serenity decks are kind of a joke as that's where drunken 21 year olds want to go to whoop it up. Arcade was expensive and a waste of money.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Enjoyed comedy (with and without my 7 year old) and was pleasantly surprised with a couple of musical shows. Lounge singers alternated stages and 2 were good, 2 not so good (okay they were awful).
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
7 year old loved camp carnival. He met new friends and ate a couple of meals with the kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Pleasant crew everywhere. Room steward made sure he knew all our names and would greet us every time he saw us in the passageway. Get a bucket of ice from room service and cabin steward kept it filled the entire cruise.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was clean but it's layout was terrible. There were fewer people on this cruise than my 4 day cruise yet you were always fighting through the lines to get anywhere. Seemed like we were always going the length of the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Got a normal balcony. Reviews complained about the size. While you can't lay out, the wife and I (I'm 6'6" 300lbs) enjoyed coffee every morning sitting on the balcony. We all used it more than I thought we would.
Ship tip
Stay near the elevator. Reviews in general say that's a noisy area but the way Carnival is set up, the elevator lobbies are isolated from the passageways.
Las Caletas is pretty fun but popular. Good photos but stand firm on a price and you'll get them for $10 (they want $60) by the time you get back to the ship.
Keep checking back on FTTF. Carnival usually makes some available a month or two before the cruise date. Once they see how many diamond and platinum cruisers are going they'll make some available.
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