I will not be traveling on Carnival again any time soon. We prefer the ships which are a step above Carnival and we are willing to pay the price to have what these other cruise lines offer.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
It was OK the logistics could have been better and I felt the ship was over booked and under staffed.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Dining room Vista was under staffed and I did not feel they were happy to be working on this cruise ship. The food was the standard you get on other cruise lines, just OK. The 555 specialist was amazing, but we enjoyed the sushi dining the most.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Again the ship was packed to the gills. Each time we went to the sports area there were kids and adults at every game. We had to wait for hours to get to use any of the games, ride the sky bikes, use the obstacle course etc. Hot tubs were always overflowing with people. So we did not use the pool or hot tubs.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Shows were OK. We attended the comedy shows at least 4 times and they were good. The sad part is that they all talked about poop, or going to the bathroom, which for me is just gross.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
I have been on 20+ cruises including Carnival. This was the first time that I had my cabin steward clean my room once a day. Yes, once a day! Guest Services was so slow and again I believe it was over booked. Guest Services did follow up with our concerns, we had room 11210 which was directly above the gym and pilate room, which every morning around 6am the banging would beginning. It was as if a medicine ball, jumping jacks, or some exercise that required jumping was happening. We would be awaken by the loud thumps each morning of the cruise. We told guest services and they said "what can you except being directly above the gym", what there should have been a disclaimer stating this room had such issues. We would have never booked these 3 rooms.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Yes, the ship was clean and the common areas had excellent seating. The design of the ship was poor, we felt there was not a central hallway that went from one end of the ship to the other.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin size is very standard of the industry. Was clean and tidy, beds were as. comfortable as you can get on a cruise ship. Bathrooms were small, did not like the shower curtain, I would rather have a glass door. The refrigerator in our cabin was not working, which is disappointing as my wife loves her ice each evening and morning. Power was a BIG issue my wife could NOT use her flat iron (hair tool) as it drew too many amps. They brought her a big black box (brought up the amps) that stayed on our desk the entire cruise. We had 3 rooms, our girls (3 of them) had to come into our room to get ready everyday. The 3rd room for our son and daughter-in-law their personal safe was not working nor could the staff get it working the entire cruise again they had to use our safe to place their valuables in.
Ship tip
For as new as this ship is (2019) is sure seemed to have a lot of small issues that made our cruise not so pleasant. We had booked 3 rooms, all with Cloud 9 Spa access. That was probably the best part of the cruise.
We did a lot of walking, but it was enjoyable. We took the city bus (0.50 each) to ride way out. But be-careful coming back in to the ship. Several of the bus drivers were like $2 per person for a city bus. But we had a Spanish speaker with us that final was able to get us on a city bus back to the ship terminal.
I really liked the tiles on the sideways that will take you where you want to go. We loved the cleanliness of the city, plus there were police every other block throughout the city. That was nice and comforting. There was a Catholic church that was easy to see from the ship and that is were there was a lot of shopping.
Walked all the way around the bay to the beach and stayed there most of the day. The shops were closed early in the morning, as we arrived before the sun was even up. But we were able to shop coming back to the ship. Kids seemed to enjoy this shopping the most.
Again the logistics of getting off the cruise ship should be super easy and I should not have to wait in big long lines to get off the ship. We were late getting back into Long Beach port which probably did not help.
Being an experience cruiser, you should know booking a Christmas cruise would be crowded and filled with kids. Carnival is not the only line that has gone to one turn down service. No matter what line you cruise, booking doing holidays and spring break. The ship will be at or almost at capacity, your lack of planning is your fault, not Carnival. Do your research 20+cruiser, I was on the Vista the same time frame, but I packed some patients with my toothbrush.
Appreciate your details. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. Surprised with your experience that you booked that close to the gym. Let me also advise not to book under the shops. You may think since they open late no problem; wrong! The noises start at 6:30AM. Thanks for sharing your experience with cabin location.
The first time cleaned once a day? I think it's been a longgg time since they've been on Carnival. Also hear that RCCL is moving to that model. BTW, ive noticed the room stewards also make a second visit when they can on Carnival. It does pay to be nice to them and respect what they do.
We loved the panorama and will definitely take her again loved all the ports we visited we are now diamond with carnival and we have tried three other cruise lines but have more fun on carnival with a terrific staff and I have never gone hungry and have gained weight on all the cruises
You booked your cabin without checking to see what was above and below your cabin and that’s Carnivals fault ? With thousands and thousands of guest on board of course there will be lines for the most popular activities that’s just common sense..
I wouldn't say Never Cruise Carnival again but I will say Never Cruise Panorama again. I had the worst time of my life and 4 other patrons exited the ship in Mazatlan. I spent 90% of my vacation with GUEST SERVICES.
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