This was my 3rd Carnival cruise was disappointed in the service, the temperature on board was horrible. And the small things we were provided for free now had a surcharge. Or were missing all together.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
quick and painless
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Service in main dining was slow- up to 3 hrs to get a full meal, items forgotten not delivered, water not refilled, the escargot was pea sized I had to hunt for them in the sauce. Buffet was limited in choices in some ways especially if you can not eat spicy foods. Last sea day buffets were set up for chocolate lovers - and only the pizza was open early. I am not a chocolate fan. When I ordered a Mr Pibb 3 times all were FLAT!!! Even my mothers Diet Pepsi's were FLAT.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
most that were offered were during my dining time and since service was slow it was not worth going to see half a program. Was charged for entertainment.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
most that were offered were during my dining time and since service was slow it was not worth going to see half a program. Was charged for entertainment.
Children's Programs
no small children
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Our Steward was awesome. I found some of the staff was surly, and yes even the servers at the buffet. There was one waiter in main dining hall who went out of his way to say hello- he came from Latvia and noticed my last name- and yes, I am Latvian. He would beam and say hello. Sadly we never were seated in his section.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
our ship felt old, and when you looked you could see it had some wear on it.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
this was by far the smallest cabin I have had the 'honor' of having. The beds were so small I constantly rolled into the wall or start to fall off the bed. The 'table' looked drunk. The door to the balcony whistled the entire trip. The thermostat was set to ice box, the dial even fell off, they replaced it but didn't change the fact we were frozen most of the trip. We asked for blankets and luckily they were provided. Our Steward was awesome.
Ship tip
Those free perks- free tv- gone, and a few others that I can't think of.
My mother had injured her leg prior to our cruise so she wanted to save her energy for the excursion and asked for a wheel chair to the beach so we could eat. One was provided to the restaurant.... but could not find any one to provide one to return to the rally point for our excursion. The server was great at first but, I had to hunt him down to pay for our meal. Our excursion - started to rain and we were charged $5 for rain ponchos. The roads were so bad ( although it was kind of a thrill ride) due to the rainy season our down time at the part was to be 15 mins- the road conditions added almost 15 each way to the drive. Our guide was friendly knowledgeable. We took the Pirates, Monkeys and Birds. If 10 mins was spent on the pirates part I would be amazed. It shouldn't have top billing. The park is beautiful, the animals looked healthy and were rascally. A monkey climbed on my mothers head.
Expensive, the bathrooms were 90% closed for maintenance. Poor selection for food. We took the river adventure. Since they had 7 days straight of rain the river was a muddy. They spent almost a 1/2 hr looking for manatee noses to pop up. The captain sped up the river missing wild flowers, birds, but would stop quickly for iguana's, we saw one croc, and a Momma Howler Monkey with her baby. I know you can't predict animal sightings, but to fly by bird groups, and flowers it is sad. On the way back to the boat our propeller fell off an engine making the return trip way longer than expected. As a result we barely made it back to the ship to get something to eat at the buffet. Oh, they did provide us rain ponchos.
This port never fails to make me smile. EVERYONE is friendly. Prices are reasonable and food is available. it is clean and well maintained. We took the Pasion Isle tour. I missed the part of relaxation for two hours and wished I had a book. The food was excellent. The shops expensive. The beach beautiful. Tour guides were a blast- they even played volley ball with the guests.
I see nothing in your comments that would not be expected, except the thermostat. If a tour does not list food, there is none on the excursion. Yes, the ports can be expensive as the locals must make a living. It is your choice to buy or not. On Roatan, you could have eaten on the ship since your Mother had an injured leg, could have brought some assistance device with you and taken the skylift. As to the ship, I just got off a 14 day trip on her and choose the Spirit class ships for size and ease of moving around the ship. Gotta expect a little wear and tear with 2,000 guests on every week and 13 years of travel! We thought she was in very good shape! The balcony cabins are also very generous by today's standards. We had one that was very comfortable. Perhaps you usually get a suite? The Miracle crew was outstanding on our trip, and we had none of the issues you encountered. Your demands and attitude may have affected your perception of the dinner service as they MUST turn the tables and 3 hours at a sitting cannot be allowed by the Maitre De (who was one of the best we have had on Carnival). I can empathize with the cold cabin, but they did try to fix the issue. Sometimes more is needed than can be done in a day when technology fails - even in my home! I am not sure where the extra charges come in, and which perks are missing. You didn't mention specifics. We love cruising and will be back on Carnival soon. We sail other lines also, but come "home" for fun when we love the itinerary! Truly a great vacation choice.
I agree with moe. Miracle is my fave . I'm a firm believer that you make it what it is either you're going to get out and do the things you want to and have fun or write bad reviews.
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