We sailed to Bermuda 15 years ago on Norwegian out of Philadelphia. This was a much bigger ship and had many more amenities and we love not having to fly. We love the downtime at sea since there is so much to do on the ship. Some additional feedback based on our opinions:
- Internet was overpriced but there were a few options to choose
- Carnival Hub app should include the Chat feature for free ($5/person)
- Taj Mahal theater was very comfortable and good line of sight
- Nightclub only went from 11pm to 1am so we never got there; maybe start at 10pm
- Dinner celebration at Normandie with Sinatra songs and staff dancing was a lot of fun
- Port and ship photographers were annoying and aggressive; don't make eye contact
- TV map was nice feature to know where you were sailing but make part of Hub app
- Include water temp with sea depth on TV map
- Deck and balcony chairs make a lot of noise
- The only areas that could use some more cleaning attention was fitness center and public bathrooms; notice seats and floor were usually very clean but stall walls and doors were not
- Jazz band should play more than 30 minute set or have a night of all jazz
- Draft beers were good but only three options - IPA, Amber, Belgian Wheat
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy and efficient
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
great variety, open dining option was awesome choice, somehow got selected for a small group chef's tasting; portions were perfect size given you could eat whatever amounts you wanted and staff was incredibly professional except for one bartender on a single occasion; one minor suggestion is to have snack food buffet with cheese and crackers, chips and dip or something veggies between meals
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
pools and fitness center were great; sauna and steam was a huge plus and we probably should have packed more workout clothes; would have been nice to have piped in music (reggae or soft jazz) in Serenity Club
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I'd give a very good if it was an option with the only "negative" being the production singers sometimes struggled with the songs they were performing; dancing was excellent; comedy club has awesome talent but club got really crowded and the one explicit show was borderline distasteful; the PG shows were funnier in most cases; jazz music was excellent and In the Groove played a request the next night on a very complex song (Affirmation) but nailed it despite downloading the sheet music on the spot. Made my cruise! Piano bar lady was very talented as was the violin players and the In the Groove singers. DJ and reggae guys were very entertaining as well.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Tremendous except for the woman bartender outside Normandie who was kinda rude one night. Our stewards and all the staff were extremely friendly and professional.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Dishes were gone most times before we were out of sight of tables, focus on cleanliness was apparent
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was tight but was to be expected, cleaned twice a day, balcony while at sea was so peaceful; the only negative was deck 9 (front pool and smoking area) where alot of chair movement happens was right above us and we heard quite a bit of noise from that but no voices or anything else. Would probably do deck 7 next trip to be close to deck 9 where the food and pools are but away from noise.
Ship tip
Take the ship tour, we did not realize what an operation it is and will definitely do it next time.
efficient passport and checkin process, nice and comfortable waiting area while boarding ship but nowhere to really sit around inside (and it was hot at noon) once you disembark so have a ride or plan in place; we now know the times for disembarkation from ship (based on decks and tags) so we'll be better prepared next time.
beaches are rocky as is surf, not sandy but more coral or smooth rocks so don't bother going in water at beach unless you want to snorkel; take the trip to Governor Beach or just relax at huge Margaritaville pool and swim up bar
incredible sand and water, truly a tropical beach and bars and food right nearby including Carnival lunch buffet; great excursion options with added benefit of not having to get tag to get on water taxi from ship; excursion tickets get you priority taxi ride; wish we could have stayed 2 days there; bike tour, sea-doos, snorkeling, horseback among excursions; beautiful island
without knowing exactly how it would go even after watching presentation it was not that bad but if you keep your luggage higher decks go later but before checked luggage that has a tag system distributed the night before; everyone has to be out of rooms by 9am so you have to find a spot to sit around for awhile
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