This was a worthy 2nd cruise for us. We had some prior experience and were excited to try a different cruise line. We enjoyed our time away and found quite a bit to do on the ship itself to keep us busy. Our 2 excursions were terrific. The service and staff were amazing, even if the food and drinks were "just" good. The steakhouse was worth the extra cost, but the Bubbles drink package probably wasn't.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Getting on the cruise at the Port of Baltimore was easier than I remember from my previous cruise, but it was very, very hot, even inside the building. The lady who checked us in was cheerful and helpful, even explaining some things on the cruise itself.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The buffet was always more than enough, even if it was super crowded. The buffet's coffee machines were spotty. Some would work, others wouldn't, and the workers resorted to having carafes of coffee near the machines on some mornings. In the ship's main dining room, meal portions seemed small (one night, my side was 5 small diced potatoes), making the dessert portions seem big in comparison. The specialty restaurant (steakhouse) was amazing. The food was terrific! Our biggest issue by far was the Bubbles drink package. We had a hard time finding information as to what the Bubbles package entailed (only canned sodas, no bottled water). When we signed up for it, one of the options was Bubly sparkling water, which was nowhere on the ship. We could only get said sodas at bars, which meant bellying up with those who were drinking alcohol and really making more work for the poor bartenders, especially since we'd always need a glass of ice with our sodas because they were just sitting out.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We played mini-golf, which was a fun thing to have. We also played a lot of trivia in the Red Frog Pub. We spent some time in the adults-only Serenity Spa, sitting in the hot tub and lounging on the deck.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the two shows that we saw (the 80s show was neat with all the different backdrops and such), as well as the 3 comedians we saw.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All of the staff we came in contact with where very pleasant, cheerful and helpful. Our room steward, Ainul, was especially attentive, even reminding us about departure times for excursions. A shout-out too to Maria, who hosted a lot of the trivia and was fun and energetic!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship's layout was nice, and big enough that you wouldn't really know how many people were on board if it wasn't for certain activities (lunch after excursions, for example). The common areas were clean and well-maintained. My one concern is noise-- both in our stateroom and in other locations on the ship, we could hear running and stomping above us. As a high school teacher, it sounded like kids running to class, but at midnight?
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Since it was just me and my husband, the cabin was a terrific size, very roomy. The bed was nice and comfortable, and the little sofa in the room was perfect to have a seat. Our balcony was amazing, giving us amazing views. We were really lucky to have been able to upgrade to this room!
Ship tip
Bring a water bottle and a travel coffee mug, especially if you aren't into the drink packages. You can fill up the water bottle anytime. The travel coffee mug is helpful in the mornings-- go find a quiet spot somewhere to read and chill while you sip.
Baltimore was hot inside and out. There was a heatwave, so hot outside was expected, but the inside of the building was oppressive, especially since we were just waiting in line, which took a long time. Once we were with a person, the check-in process went very quickly.
The Grand Turk port was clearly meant for tourists! There were shops right at the port, which was actually a smart idea, because then the tourists had something to do while they waited for their excursions. Grand Turk had kiosks available right in the port for people to check in for their excursion, so you knew right away what you were doing. There was a beach that we spent time at, wading while we waited for our snorkling excursion. Hats off to Captain Stumpy and his crew for our 2-Reef snorkeling excursion-- they were fun, yet professional, and they did everything they could to keep all the snorklers at ease, especially the newbies.
Half Moon Cay wasn't quite as organized. We had tickets to do the waterbikes, and it took some doing to find where they were located. Once we found them, we had a blast! Afterwards we lingered in the clear blue water. I went with 4 stars for this one because we had no idea when we left the ship that we would be able to have lunch here, included with the cruise, and because there wasn't a whole lot of signage or information about excursions.
We didn't do an excursion here. Instead, we left the ship to walk around the area, which really was just little shops and stalls right by the dock. I don't think Freeport is a tourist area-- it seemed very industrial.
This was silly. We had to be out of our rooms by 8:30, or by 9:00, or by 9:30, depending on what you read. My husband and I opted for a very early breakfast and we took up residence in a booth near the buffet to wait it out. We set ourselves up on the Carnival Hub app to disembark (group 7) and it said we'd disembark between 10:55 and 11:15. We would get a notification in the app (stay connected to the ship wifi!) and hear over the intercom when it was time for our group. BUT at 10;40-ish, there was an announcement that pretty much every single group (letters and numbers up to about 12) should already be disembarking and the rest of the folks could disembark now. We neither received a notification nor heard an announcement prior to that. Instead of there being trickles of people leaving, it was pretty much everyone at once. Inside the port, the Baltimore folks again were really pleasant and quick.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
