Embarkation madness and poor food quality were almost enough to get us to not cruise with Carnival again. The staff were wonderful as always, as were the entertainment and activities. Considering cancelling our March cruise and waiting a few years before trying Carnival again.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Chaotic, disorganized, long wait. Just a few more staff on the ground and better-marked lines would've made a big difference. Also, 3 bathroom stalls for thousands of people? My three young girls almost wet themselves waiting. Once inside the terminal, it was reasonably organized and more smooth. But the embarkation process of our cruise definitely set the wrong tone for a relaxing cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
We have been on several Carnival cruises and have always enjoyed the food. The majority of the food at every meal was meh at best, occasionally something delicious, but bleh embarrassingly often. The BlueIguana had delicious custom burritos. The Seafood Shack had a good Clam Chowder bowl we ordered several times. The Guy's burgers were good but gave us food poisoning at one point (we didn't try them again after that). Room service options were minimal, and though the prices were reasonable, the quality absolutely wasn't. We enjoyed our cruise but absolutely in spite of the food, which was terribly disappointing.
Horizon and Vista Restaurants
3 out of 5
The staff were incredible. They remembered our names, went out of their way to make us comfortable and remembered our likes and dislikes between days. The food was sub-par though. At least half of what we ordered (11 of us) was not worth eating. Some of it was edible but not anything to write home about. A couple items hit the mark though, including the strawberry bisque. Husband ordered the extra$ steak and lobster on a non-formal night and said he wouldn't pay extra to get it again. Just not worth it. Would do the main dining again were it to do over again, but not for the food. Just for the entertainment and the staff. Great people.
Seafood Shack
4 out of 5
We frequented the Seafood Shack several times because nothing else looked good much of the time. The Clam Chowder bowl was yummy. Had that 3 times in one week. Price wasn't awful either, at $6 (plus gratuity).
JavaBlue Cafe & Shake Spot
3 out of 5
JavaBlue was ok. The baristas were nice but couldn't quite understand "green tea" when I ordered it. Language barrier I think. They were nice though.
Guy's Burger Joint
4 out of 5
Spicy fries were delicious. Ate at Guys' 3 times. One of us got a bit of food poisoning after the third time but won't stop us from eating there again. Truly delicious burgers, sauces, and fries.
BlueIguana Cantina
5 out of 5
Fresh tortillas, crunchy hash browns, lots of choices to customize your burrito. Ate here several times on our week-long cruise. Highly recommend.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Carnival always has lots of fun things to do. There were 11 people in our party this time, including 4 kids 11 and under, a mobility therapy dog, and two wheelchair/scooter-bound family members. We enjoyed a lot of the live music, the water slides, the sports deck, ropes course, skyride, dive-in movies, trampoline park. Top notch, all of them. Really fun. We all got sick halfway through the cruise (fevers, coughs, covid-negative), and quarantined ourselves to our rooms. The room service was terrible (the food, not the service), but there were several on-demand movies, both free and paid (6.99 each, paid once and enjoyed for the remainder of the cruise), and I packed several family games that we enjoyed as well. Would have been quite boring without the book and game diversions we brought ourselves if you end up quarantined.
Sky Ride
5 out of 5
Waits could get a little long but the staff were great and the ride was fun. Did it a couple times each.
Carnival Waterworks
5 out of 5
Even in early November it was warm enough to enjoy the waterslides and splash pad. The pool was never over-full of people either. Enjoyed the water attractions very much. Would recommend some water shoes if you plan to do the big waterslides. The steps can get pretty warm.
SportsSquare
4 out of 5
Could get crowded on sea days but most people were understanding and took turns. We especially liked the Ropes Course, the oversized chess, and the mini golf.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We didn't get to enjoy many of the ship shows ourselves but the family members we traveled with did and they had rave reviews. We have loved all the shows and comedians we've enjoyed through Carnival in the past.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
We did not make use of Camp Ocean as our four kids would've been split up. The staff did occasionally rope off part of the Lido marketplace to feed the Camp Ocean kids and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. The water slides, pools, skyride, ropes course, and trampoline park were big hits with our kids (and us). We got sick before we could try out the arcade and had to cancel our Build-A-Bear reservations, but we enjoyed all the kid-friendly things we tried before that. Would definitely have gone back to the trampoline park several times. One note on that: trampoline park is definitely NOT sensory friendly. The strobing/flashing lights, loud music, mic'd staff made things extra fun for 3 of our kids but the opposite for our 1 that just can't hang with that much stimuli.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
This is something Carnival has always been incredible at and they did not disappoint this time either. EVERY single person with a Carnival logo was inviting, helpful, friendly. Our dining room host (Andii) and server (Komang) and our room steward (Fredie) were phenomenal. They remembered our names (seems Carnival is really stressing that, for good reason), our likes/dislikes, and really went out of their way to make our trip a good one. I would've loved to sit and chat with each of them over coffee or something. Incredibly hard working, very cool people. A++ to Carnival for their staff.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Embarkation at Long Beach needs a complete overhaul. The building, the limited bathrooms, the almost complete lack of organization. The ship itself was beautiful. An ocean of staff would immediately appear to swoop up used dishes or tidy something needing tidying. Bathrooms onboard always stocked with necessities. The carpet on a few decks smelled like sour milk but seemed clean, and all the public areas were always immaculate. Would have liked a smoother flow through the Lido deck and marketplace, especially on sea days, but I have no solutions for how to efficiently feed and entertain 4000+ passengers either so we just tried to be extra patient those days. Most people were very understanding. The staff ALWAYS were.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Understandably small balcony room. We booked the adjoining balcony room at 9239 also for our 3 kids. Learned on day 2 that we could have the balcony partition between our rooms withdrawn so we could enjoy a doubled-balcony instead of fighting our way through both heavy balcony doors and adjoining doors. Rooms were great, no noise from neighbors (we would be the loud ones with our kids) or events. Definitely sandwich yourself between passenger rooms above, below, and surrounding unless you plan to be out partying all night. Some of the rooms by elevators and leading out to entertainment areas would get populated and loud.
Ship tip
Bring your own cold meds. The shops are not well-provisioned for illness. Tums and Tylenol are about all you'll find. We visited a Walmart in Puerto Vallarta to try to get some cough suppressants for our kids.
The people inside the Carnival dome were helpful and friendly, including the porters and border patrol, but the organization getting in before that was ABYSMAL.
Our family enjoyed many of the excursions at this port, with good buses and friendly guides. There was, however, some local unrest when we were there. My mother (60) and grandmother (80) were surrounded by a lot of Mexican police warning about a possible riot.
Water slightly less dirty than Mazatlan. Got off here to visit a Walmart and get some cough meds for our kids that had come down with something (not covid). Family did the Rhythms of the Night excursion and loved it. They were late coming back to ship (everyone there was), but were not left behind.
Wonderfully organized. We were told to be out of our rooms by 8:30am. We knew we'd struggle to find room for our party of 11 (with wheelchairs, a mobility dog, and 4 kids), so a couple of us went down about 7 to find a couple tables on the aft section of deck 10 to be together while we waited for our turn to debark. Enjoyed a leisurely buffet breakfast, plenty of coffee, and the exit off the ship was rather seamless.
Sorry it was disappointing. May I ask what was your scheduled embarkation arrival time? Kids and I are sailing in two weeks… want to prepare everyone 😬. Thanks
So sorry you and your family got sick. I agree the food is subpar post COVID. Carnivals staff is amazing and I love that they try ensure our vacation is the best. I’ll be on this cruise in 3 weeks and I’m really looking forward to it. Thank you for your review.
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