Overall it was an excellent cruise and certainly one that we will do again. Met lots of folks who have done the cruise before and were full of info and suggestions and just really nice people.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Super smooth process. We were greeted at airport baggage claim by Carnival rep and then to the shuttle stop. Arrival at the terminal we turned over our bags to porters and headed in. Our check in time was between 1:30-2:00pm and to be fair we did have “priority” check in that I think was because we had a small suite stateroom. Step one was to confirm we had the necessary documention ie COVID test results, passports, etc. We used the VeriFLY app and it is super simple and easy. Once past that we headed for security and were thru in less than 2 minutes. Then inside the terminal we headed for the line marked for priority guests and 5 minutes later were walking onto the ship. There was a small line for regular check in but unlike the grocery store with 20 people waiting to check out and 3 cashiers, there were a larger number of Carnival reps and the line seemed to move very fast.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food was tasty and lots of options. Really enjoyed the “Chefs table” dining experience. Food was cooked to correct temperatures and some of the “rare” finds on the main dining room menu were just yummy. Hint - salads in main dining room on the smaller side so order 2. You can order more than one entree so ask the server for a smaller or half portion so nothing is wasted. At the steakhouse food was very good as well.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lots to do. Schedule is available on the app but you can also pick up a hard copy at guest services. Trivia all day, bingo, 3 pools that were never crowded, karaoke, multiple music venues with some very good singers. Since we were cruising we skipped the healthy stuff like the fitness center. Water slide and arcade. We stayed busy.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Musicians were very good. DJs didn’t really seem to be able to read the crowd very well so while they played people pretty much ignored them. They needed to try different music to see what the people wanted. Comedians were funny and enjoyed them (location is in the very bottom of ship, small space, so if you don’t like tiny enclosed spaces think twice). Missed the entertainment productions due to other activities. Loved the Q. & A with Georgia. Sports bar was a bit of a disappointment. Big TVs but limited sports. Mexico vs USA soccer was on and we were unable to watch on big screen. We had to purchase internet service for the day and use Univision on our iPad in order to watch it with several other of the bar patrons who wanted to see the game. If we could get it on the iPad why couldn’t the bar get it on the TVs.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Most of the staff was awesome. The wait staff in the main dining room and steakhouse was super friendly and went out of their way to be helpful however there were a few issues. Staff at the steakhouse weren’t able to give us information about some of the items on the menu. It literally took so long to get our main course that some of the other tables asked us if we actually ordered a meal. We got out check before anyone delivered our desert and never offered us coffee. We felt rushed. Main dining room was much smoother but again no offer of coffee.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was clean and seemed well maintained. Layout was easy to follow.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Loved our stateroom. Was very spacious and the bathroom even had double sinks. Plenty of closet space and drawers. Beratha was our room attendant and he did a great job of making sure we had ice every day, a made bed, clean room and fresh towels. We loved that he asked the best time to do the cabin so we were always sure when it would be cleaned. Only drawback was lack of 110 outlets. Note to self - bring a power strip.
Ship tip
Don’t be afraid to aske for what you need as the crew is very accommodating.
Very clean. Had a blast. Vendors on the port were a bit “in your face” but that is pretty much anywhere. We opted for a 90 minute massage ($50) away from the port which was fantastic. Afterwards we had a great meal at the pier. Plenty of fresh seafood. Lots of shopping as well to pick up a trinket or two.
Super clean and organized. We did a shopping/lobster lunch excursion to Rosarita and it was fantastic. Hopped on a bus with Jesus our driver and Pedro our host. Pedro was funny, interesting and had the entire bus laughing. In town he told us the places to avoid and where to get quality goods. At lunch in Puerto Nuevo he asked if we wanted musicians and asked if everyone would chip in a few bucks for them which we did. As they started playing Pedro started singing with them and he was pretty good. Our lobster lunch was FANTASTIC.
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