First Time, Not the Last

We took our first cruise to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and were thoroughly impressed with the ship, its staff and the experience as a whole.  I spent fifteen years working and managing various hotels and restaurants throughout the US and am not easily impressed.  Having not cruised before, I was prepared for a mediocre experience of "okay" food, passable entertainment and cramped quarters.  Boy, was I wrong on all accounts!  After this experience, we cannot wait for our next cruise and will choose Carnival again in a heartbeat.

From the outset, our cabin steward went of his way to make sure we got settled in and oriented.  He not only took the time to remember our names, but made sure to greet us and chat with us every evening, and whenever possible.  Although the room was somewhat small, we expected that and, frankly, who needs much room when the staff is cleaning up after you three times a day!  In any event, we found little reason to stay in our room (okay, it was our anniversary, so we did spend some time there...), but the entertainment and activities aboard the ship kept us busy to the extreme!  The live shows were well produced and fun -- I still can't get over how dancers can pull off those moves when the floor is literally moving below them.  The cruise director, Steve, kept the action going non stop and was not only full of energy, but very accessible. His staff was a nice mix of personalities, and backgrounds, and all of them seemed to be enjoying themselves almost as much as we were.  Last, but not least, the wait staff and restaurant team was top notch.  We took every opportunity to dine in the formal restaurant and, frankly, I don't see how the specialty restaurants survive as the quality, presentation and service in the "regular dining" facility, was simply superb.  The servers made every meal seem like an event and even went the extra mile when my wife let it slip that we were on our anniversary cruise.  After surviving the initial horror of an entire dining room singing to us at the same time, we enjoyed a priceless rendition of "happy anniversary" that will live on in our memories for many years to come (I didn't know that you could sing it in so many different keys at the same time, but I wouldn't change a thing )

We took advantage of two excursions on our trip and both were exceptional, however, the quality of our on board experience was actually so good that we enjoyed our "sea days" even more.  I know it doesn't help sell the excursions, but don't stop doing what you do.  It's a testament to the quality of the experience when a large number of "cruisers" don't leave ship when it comes to port.  Simply put, they are having too much fun to get off the boat.  Why bother!

Many thanks to Steve, the entire staff, and crew for making our first cruise memorable.  We will return and will be sure to tell everyone we know about the awesome experience.