Took this trip 2 years ago and from start to finish it was amazing. On this trip everything off the ship was great. Everything on the ship has definitely gone downhill either from lack of training or cutting corners.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Getting on board was fast and easy and we were allowed to board early.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Main dining room - definitely NOT up to par. Service was super slow, orders not delivered or given wrong items, and food was seriously lacking. A brisket order from the main menu was a giant hunk of fat - the whole thing! Did anyone in the kitchen even check it? Sent it back. The “deli” on Lido deck? The sandwiches look awesome in Carnival Hub! My Reuben was 2 slices of bread, 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of meat and no sauerkraut and a pinch of dressing. It was laughable. Guys burger joint was ok because you could cover the overcooked 1/4” burger with lots of topping so you thought you were actually eating something. Breakfast buffet had options but no one keeping the food fresh. Generally speaking it was a disappointment. HOWEVER - the CHEF’S TABLE was amazing!!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Hot tub nice, bingo is fun. The rest of the activities we skipped.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The musicians in the Alchemy bar and the Atrium were pretty good. The DJs clearly wished they were somewhere else.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Bar service - awful. Alchemy bartender ignored us so he could talk to other staff member on multiple occasions and could only deal with 1 drink at a time so things took forever. The “drink of the day” was the same drink every single day. Atrium bartenders were better. Dining room staff kept brining us a different red wine than we ordered so we eventually gave up. Our room steward kept the room clean and our ice buckets filled which is all we needed.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was clean and well maintained. Lots of elevators and never had a problem getting anywhere. Thank heavens for the ship maps outside the elevators!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Loved our cabin. Was able to close the bedroom door which I love since I am a night owl. Bed was super comfortable and the pillows - well I liked them so much I ordered some. The bathroom had 2 access points and the vanity was nicely placed. There was an issue with turning on the shower which we notified the room steward about but he couldn’t fix so some of the time we had to take baths instead of showers. The cabin was at the very back of the ship with an amazingly large balcony. The only issue we had was on the way back from Cabo we must have been going full speed ahead because there was ash all over the balcony in the morning.
Ship tip
Don’t do the eat whenever you want choice. If you can pick a specific time then do it. Your server will get to know you and I am thinking your dining experience will be better.
We did an amazing shore excursion booked on the Carnival site and everything was well organized and it was amazing. In general when you 1st get off the ship if feels like there are 100 people offering you something every 2 feet. Once you get past the main area it is much better.
Love Ensenada. Much less touristy. We always take the trip to Rosarita for the lobster lunch. The trip is entertaining, you get a little shopping time and the lobster lunch is great!
Times are changing. I hop we are only on the down swing now so it will start getting more organized . I love cruising I just mist the little things that made it more special.
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