This was my first cruise and Carnival made it a wonderful experience. I was alone and kind of had to push myself to get involved as I am a bit shy. I am so glad I did. I met wonderful people both with the staff and the passengers.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very fast as I had suite priority. But everyone was talking about how fast it went for them as well.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Nick and Nora's was amazing. The mushroom and crab risotto was probably one of the best risottos I have ever eaten.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I can't really speak to this since I did not use the pools spa's etc. I did participate in some trivia and that was fun especially the Game of Thrones trivia.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were great particularly 88 Keys and the 80's themed show. Lip Sync Battle was fun especially the final round! Clue was a blast! I can not say enough good things about the Playlist Performers. How they kept up the energy for two shows a night I will never know. I did go to one of the shows twice and they were just a lively the second show as they were during the first.
Children's Programs
no kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
My cabin steward Jennifer was just amazing. She always took a few minutes out of her very very busy schedule to chit chat with me. My waiter in the MDR was a bit on the slow side tho. Also Martin one of the performers on board needs to think before he speaks when doing song requests as some of the requests he labels as *not so good* could very well have deep sentimental meaning to the person who requested the song. Other than those two instances, the staff was truly friendly and helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is showing her age but she is very well maintained and laid out, with two exceptions. I really wish the main path between the theater and main dining room did not run thru the smoke filled casino and the sushi bar was near the coffee shop and deck 2 and every time they lifted a lid, the smell was horrible if you were doing trivia in the area. The staff did work very hard keeping everything clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This is one of the two cabins that catches alot of flak due to the stairs by one of the windows and the door that the stairs lead to. I loved the cabin. It was spacious, the stairs really were not that much of an issue and the door was rarely used and then mostly by me. I loved the whirpool bath and used it every day. Jennifer my cabin steward kept the room clean and tidy. I was alone in the cabin and only requested she clean once a day.
Ship tip
Yes if you have to track from the theater to the Main dining room, go up one floor to avoid the smoke in the casino, if it bothers you.
This was probably my favorite port. The people were friendly. I did the Nautilis excursion thru Carnival. It was only about an hour long but very informative on some of the local wrecks and sealife. I bought rum for my grown sons as a gag gift. While I won't name it here, I am sure anyone with any Cayman rum knowledge knows what it was.
I did the top 10 of Roatan thru Carnival. The iguana farm was really neat. Iguanas were everywhere of all shapes and sizes and not a bit afraid of humans. I was constantly worried I was going to step on one. The cameo factory was so amazing. I could have seriously broke the bank in there if I had not given myself a spending limit. The chocolate factory was the highlight of the excursion for me, even over the rum factory. I mean it is a chocolate factory!!! I brought home cocoa. All that being said, House Hunters does a very good job of making things look really good. The people were very nice but be warned of the beggars, especially the children.
I took the Calypso Train Tour. It was culturally very informative. However Belize is a poor country and it shows. It was the only place that I got a little nervous about being alone. The vendors and beggars there were alot more agressive than in Roatan.
This was my second favorite port and my very favorite excursion. I did the VIP dolphin swim at Dolphinarus, also thru Carnival. Marina, our dolphin, had a 10 month baby so we got a little more than we were expecting as the baby wanted to get into the act on occasion or just have mama back, not sure which :). The food was amazing. I had a Yucatan lime soup that I am trying to find a recipe for now that I am home.
This was my first trip out of the country and back so I was a bit nervous about customs having never experienced it before. However Tampa has made it all quick and painless.
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