This 7-day cruise is very relaxing and fun. Carnival had tons of fun options for us to choose from for entertainment -- we did a few, but mostly relaxed and did our own thing. This was the first time we did a beverage package, and that was loads of fun -- trying out the different lounges and drinks-of-the-day, including a great coffee bar!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Carnival did an amazing job processing people, baggage and supplies quickly when our ship sailing was delayed due to Port of Tampa closure (fog). This was rare, yet our ship made up over 8 hours in order to arrive at our first port on day 2. Yes, standing outside in line for over 1.5 hours was tough, but the Carnival team did an amazing job getting the disembarking folks off, and us on so quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I thought the food was excellent! We had breakfast and dinner in the main dining room, and lunches on the Lido deck. Hubby and I are on a low-carb diet, and we had lots of options to choose from. We were able to stick (mostly) to our diet. My only criticism would be the breakfast menu (main) did not change the entire trip.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Our favorite feature this trip was the Alchemy Bar. What a fun place! We had heard good things on blogs, but the experience exceeded my expectations.
Entertainment
Didn't attend, doing other things instead.
Children's Programs
No kids in our party.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I think the wait staff and room stewards did an outstanding job! Yes, the ship is a little older, but it was fairly recently refurbished and the ship was very clean! I know our steward worked LONG hours, I saw him around all day and late into the night.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I loved this ship -- the decor around was very interesting (loved the literature figures and murals)!! It wasn't too big or too small, just right. It had several of the "newer" features, like the Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Pub, and Cherry on Top. Wish it had included Guy Fieri's Burgers.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The room had more storage options than I had expected. I way overpacked, yet I had plenty of options for storing baggage (under bed) and on shelves and in drawers. The Carnival bedding was of high quality and pristine. We got a great night's sleep. We had watched YouTube blogs and came prepared with extra extension cords to run our CPAP machines at night. Mine had to rest on floor beside bed because the night stand was so small.
Ship tip
Check out the YouTube blogs for a ship tour. This was the first time I did that, and it was really fun to get to know the ship in advance.
Not a whole lot to do in the immediate Port area. We had a car and was able to drive a short distance north to an outlet mall...we had over 8 hours delay due to a rare fog condition that closed Port of Tampa and delayed our sailing. Rating is for the port, NOT the fog.
Wow, that was quick! Carnival had a well documented process for when and how to handle luggage and the customs. I also attended the disembarkation "show" to learn all about it, and recommend attending if you've never sailed through Tampa (or any Carnival cruise) before. Again, kiddo's to Carnival for how well they performed at our embarkation, because our disembarkation showed how well they really perform under normal circumstances.
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