Overall, an OK cruise. Staff was amazing and they made up for what Carnival lacked. Not sure I'd do this again - unless it was extremely cheap (almost free).
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Super organized, easy to move through the process and staff was patient, friendly and helpful. Would be nice if staff vocalized options for the guests on what to do while waiting for their cabins to be ready. Many were confused and lost - no idea where to go, what to do while luggages were being delivered. Elevators were not available to guests because staff was using them to deliver luggages. That's fine - but again, people were all over the place and getting in the way of the staff.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was OK. Soft serve was probably the best food item. Everything else was just OK - mostly tasteless. Cocktails were made for the typical drink that enjoy super sweet drinks. No high end liquor or wine available.
Need more cafes. Again, over 2K guests and only 1 café. The café always had a line. The baristas were great and worked as fast as possible. Great coffee at the café (Lavazza). Not so great in the dining.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pools were disappointing - way too many people (mainly kids) in the pools. Fitness Center had more than enough treadmills, but not enough weights. And, fitness centers need more ventilation and fans. I was on the tread for about 20 mins and nearly passed out. Game room was helpful to fill the time - especially with kids.
Movies (for kids) was also great.
Overall, there just did not seem enough 'activities' for the amount of people (over 2K guests, but two pools [excluding the adult only pool].
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Entertainment was pretty good. Plenty for various ages. My 6-year old granddaughter had a blast, loved the Dr. Seuss activities (but story time would have been great to have folks dress in actual character gear); 80's dance/ song show (great performers); Bingo; towel folding; bear making; etc.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
My 6-year old granddaughter had a blast, loved the Dr. Seuss activities (but story time would have been great to have folks dress in actual character gear); 80's dance/ song show (great performers); Bingo; towel folding; bear making; etc.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Amazing staff. They made up for what the cruise lacked.
Some callouts that deserve kudos from Carnival:
Candy - housekeeping on Deck 1 room 1224. She worked an enormous amount of hours, but always had a smile and so cheery. She made my 6-year old granddaughter feel super special - always had an animal towel on her bed. Super sweet lady with such a great attitude.
Our dining was at table 286 early dinner. Our waiting staff were amazing. Every night was special (and not because of the food). Again, they made my granddaughter feel special.
Sarvesh - always had a smile, very attentive and had a rubber duck hidden each evening for my granddaughter. She kept all of them - and hid them for her step siblings and parents when she got home.
Sukanta - amazing waiter. Again, always smiling, very attentive and made sure we were happy.
Suma I Kadek - was our server a few times and was also attentive, made sure we were taken care of.
All four made our trip special - and they made all the difference.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship seemed clean - our cabin was for sure (thanks to Candy).
The dining layout is way too condensed. At lunch - it was a zoo. Difficult to find a table.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Bed and sofa sleeper were comfortable. Cleanliness was great (again thanks to Candy). Vanity area was a plus, to make up for the small bathroom.
Oceanview as nice.
Liked being on Deck 1
Size is a bit small - for three people.
Bathroom a bit small.
Please provide hair conditioner and an higher capacity hair dryer. One wall adapter is not good. At least two would have been helpful.
Ship tip
Internet is only available for purchase (and it's not cheap and still with limited access) - so inform your family at home that they may not hear from you for a while. Bring light sweatshirts/ sweatpants. It was cold most of the time and we went in mid July. The rooms (especially theatres) were chilly. Bring an outlet extender because most cabins only have one outlet. You can bring your own hangers as there are limited hangers in the cabins but there's room in the closets to accommodate more. No iron or hair conditioner in the cabin
We did the town shopping lunch with horseback riding excursion (did not book with Carnival, booked through United Airlines). It's a 90 minute ride to town (Monica our guide was amazing). Town experience was OK - expect vendors to be in your face the ENTIRE time. Lunch was very good (took Monica's suggestion). Spent 90 mins in town which goes by super fast. Another 90 min trip beach horseback riding. That was about 15 mins just off the side of a busy street. Trotting on a beach where there are a lot of people. Felt super bad for the horses, they do not seem like they are well taken care of. Even though our guide, Monica took the rest of the guests back to port - she came back to the beach to ensure our ride back to port showed up (yes, we were getting nervous). I'm not sure if I would do another excursion. Maybe staying on the ship and enjoying the pool while everyone else was excursing is a better option.
Took advantage of the early disembarkation option and it was a breeze. My cabin was on Deck 1, which was the first deck to disembark. It probably took less than 10 mins from leaving the cabin and getting a taxi.
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