Life is not perfect, and neither was this cruise, but overall I recommend it and would do it again in a heartbeat. We all had a relaxing, wonderful time, and that is what it is all about. If I were running the show there are some things I would do differently, such as not allowing smoking at the pool and brewing better coffee, but then others would complain about that. We knew this was not one of the most modern, biggest, best ships in the fleet, but we chose it on purpose because we did not want to be in a crowd of 5000 people. The size was perfect and did not make us feel crowded or herded around.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Due to weather beyond Carnival control, embarkation was a nightmare, but I can't blame Carnaval for that. They tried.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The dining room service was fantastic and the food was excellent the first 3 nights and good the rest of the time. Buffets were good with lots of variety. The coffee was horrible!!!! It is not difficult to brew drinkable coffee, so why they had such awful coffee is anyone's guess, but otherwise no complaints about the food. We enjoyed it.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
One pool was nice but crowded because they allow smoking at the other pool so no one with families wanted to sit and smell the smoke. The water slide was a bit of a disappointment to the children because it is very slow. The upper deck is a wonderful spot for relaxing because they have great cabanas for lounging. Everyone loved bingo, even the kids, the video arcade was fun and all of the lounges and music venues were nice.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The Hasbro Game show was a lot of fun, as was the last night. I think they could have had more family oriented entertainment.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
My 10 year old grandson was looking forward to meeting other kids at Camp Ocean, but when he got there it was not fun. Older kids were mixed with the little ones and they were doing very "day care" type activities instead of taking the older kids up to the sports deck for sports, mini golf or similar activities of interest to older kids on vacation. Our 13 year old granddaughter wanted to try Circle C but all the activities were during our dinner so neither of the kids really participated.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service was excellent. Ivan, our waiter, went out of his way to be helpful, and our room stewards could not have been better. Guest services was attentive and friendly every time I contacted them for anything.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is clean, well maintained and the layout was easy to get around. The dining room is a little gaudy, but we knew that from the photos going in so we got accustomed to it. As stated above, they allow smoking at one of the pools, so the pool/hot tub areas are not optimal, but we still enjoyed the pool and had fun.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
No complaints. Beds were comfortable and with the suite layout, we had plenty of space. Cabin was clean.
Ship tip
We really expected more family activities such as games, shows, etc. If you go as a family, be sure you plan to make your own good times.
Our family of 10 booked a private car and driver. We had an excellent day. One place you should definitely go is Casa del Maiz...wonderful sample of Mayan culture. We all rated it very highly
We went on an all day excursion with Sea Sports Belize. Fabulous. Morning trip included looking for manatees and then a cruise up the river for other wildlife and to see the jungle. Had a super lunch at a remote location and then went snorkeling in the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed it.
Went on a private snorkel/dive charter with Cayman Turtle Divers. Went to starfish point where the kids loved being able to find dozens of star fish in the shallow water while some of the adults went for a wall dive, then all went to dive/snorkel with the sting rays in about 15 feet of water. So much fun. Highly recommend!
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