Cruise Director Deon made this cruise one of the best we've ever had! His positive energy was contagious. He is by far the most genuine cruise director we have ever had in 20 plus cruises across many cruise lines. He said goodbye to every single passenger on debarkation day wearing a blow up dinosaur costume for heavens sake! He is hilarious! If you have taken a lot of cruises before you will understand this. Sometimes on the last morning of a cruise the crews attention is already turned towards the next guests getting on board, rightly so, it's a busy day. This was the first debarkation over 20 plus cruises that we did not feel that way. Deon's goodbye was as warm as his welcome. He is really a treasure!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Calm, easy, smooth! Verifly and doing covid testing prior to arriving to port was the way to go. Check in was 10:30 to 11:00 and we were on board by 11:30. So much better than the old way with the long lines and frantic energy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining rooms menu is virtually identical to the last time we were on Carnival 5 years ago. That was a bit of a disappointment but the food is still good. We were however surprised that they oversat our table making it a very tight fit. Next time we will definitely do anytime dining where you can get a separate table just for your party using the app. We ended up going to the steak house, Italian, and sushi. Italian was amazing with a nice atmosphere despite being above the buffet it felt very separate and had very good ambiance. Get a corner window table. They are very private and have an excellent view during sunset. I still cant believe the up charge is only $15. The steak house was good as always but it is so much food that you can end up feeling so full that you wonder if you should have gone at all. Sushi was excellent. Especially the rolls and one piece sushi offerings. If you have it in your budget it's well worth spending a bit extra on specialty dining. The difference in quality is substantial when compared to the main dining room. Also, you can book all reservations through the app which is convenient.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We thought the daily program may have been a bit less full than previous years. This turned out to be a good thing because it meant that we didnt have any conflicting activity times.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The entire entertainment staff and fun squad crew seem to really genuinely enjoy their jobs. That is half the fun. The D.J. was high energy and the singers and dancers were excellent. Carnival really is The Fun Ship! If you forgot how to have fun during the pandemic they will reacquaint you. The energy is unlike anything else. This is a big reason we still sail with Carnival after all these years while also sailing with some of the higher end lines.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff as always is amazing!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is basically brand new. Everything is clean, shiny, and new! As of April 2022. You will have to get used to the idea of carrying your phone around with you. Gone are the days of locking your phone in the safe and being totally disconnected from the world. For us it's a bit sad to see it go but if you are still holding out Guest Services does have printed daily activity schedules and the restaurants do have paper menus if you ask. The best things about the app are being able to check in and reserve tables, review what food venues are currently open, plan your daily activities, and be able to see where each activity is on the deck map.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Carnival cabins are some of the largest in the industry. We had a balcony forward one deck below the bridge and about 4 cabins down. Deck 7. We love forward cabins for a few reasons...they are further from the food which means we get more exercise, they are in a way secluded making them more quiet, and we love watching the goings on on the bridge when coming in and out of port. You get to see just how mad the captain is when he/she sees runners or poor mooring work, lol. Remodeled cabin was very nice with the standard storage and bathroom.
Ship tip
Figure out how to get to the aft dining room before you eat there for the first time. You cant get through on decks 3 and 4 because the galley is in the way. If you hear people talking about a weird layout on this ship, this is what they are referring to. Everything else is easy. And do go as soon as you can...its a totally remodeled ship!
If you can go to wine country do so. Also, if you have had a favorite taco shop in the past dont be disappointed if it's no longer there. The pandemic has changed a lot. A walk down the waterfront is good exercise and newly revitalized.
Catalina has some of the clearest water in Socal. If the weather is warm snorkel. If it's your first time there your first task should be to rent a golf cart and drive up into the hills. Art museum is good and if course there are plenty of guides excursions.
Very smooth and quick. We always eat breakfast in the main dining room on the last morning. Very relaxing. By the time we were finished eating around 8:45 they had called our number which was a later debarkation option, number 18 luggage tags.
I so agree about the constant need for the phone in hand. As you noted, it’s great for dining reservations, not so much everything else.
I really don’t want to have my phone out at dinner to order. Thanks for the tip that paper menus are available. That is a hoppy medium!
Great review!
We had Deon on the Dream in December, he is a great Director, my granddaughter loved him, he sent her strawberries and gave her a build a bear certificate, took photos with us, great personality.
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