Pretty fun and relaxing. The day at sea was cold. The night activities were great for my older kids. We felt safe on the boat and enjoyed the food and drinks.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food in the restaurant was excellent! We ate 2/3 meals in the main dining room because we had a child with food allergies and the staff and chef were so good at accommodating our needs and making sure the food was prepared to meet his food accommodations.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We enjoyed playing mini golf, watching the ice sculpture carving, and going down the waterslides. We didn't use the hot tubs because we felt like they were mainly used for a babysitting tool for parents to send their kids to. The kids that were using the hot tubs were disrespectful, used fowl and discriminating language, broke out in slapping fights, and food was being eaten while they were in the water. There was melted ice cream all over the hot tub deck and pizza floating in the water. And no parents in sight.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The music and dancing on the Lido deck in the evening was so much fun. Our boys thoroughly enjoyed that. There were times in the afternoon when the DJ was doing the music that is was turned up way too loud. You couldn't talk to your neighbor without being really close to their ear. We liked the movie choice, but it showed at 6:00pm and we were usually going to dinner at that time so we either saw the first half of the movie or the end of the movie. We were never able to watch the whole movie all the way through.
We watched the marriage comedy show which was good, but we felt like the shows were lacking on the ship all together. On previous Carnival Cruises, there were music and singing shows that you could watch.
We did play the "name that line" in the Pub, but it was hard to hear because there was not enough room for all the guests that wanted to play, and the microphone was a bit muffled.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had excellent waiters that greeted us with happiness and were eager to serve us with all the food and drink we could ever eat. Our room was very clean, and all the room stewards were friendly and greeting us as we walked down the hall. I would like to commend Chef Prajit from Guys Burgers restaurant. He was more than happy to make a special hamburger that my allergy son could eat. He remembered us the second time we went for a burger and was very kind and worked very hard. He made sure that he served us with a safe and delicious burger and fries for my son.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean and there were always people cleaning and wiping down the touchable surfaces. The only mess was at the hot tub, but I already mentioned that.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The size was great. We knew that we chose a small cabin, but it was just fine for our needs. The pull-down bunk beds worked out great for our boys and made it possible for us to only have to pay for one cabin. Our cabin was always clean and put together nicely each morning while we were at breakfast. The towel animals were always fun to find on our bed. Our room steward was great!
Ship tip
Get yourself acquainted with the ship and the different areas as soon as possible. It was a bit confusing at first, but by the end of the second day, we found our way around pretty good.
We enjoy Catalina Island. It is fun because if you don't want to pay for an excursion, you can walk and discover the island and the beach. We didn't do an excursion.
Ensenada seems dirty and we definitely didn't just walk around the city. We did the Buffadora tour. Our boys loved vising the Buffadora and bargaining with the locals in the shops. The one thing that was a bit disappointing was the amount of time it took to get to the excursion. Apparently, there is road construction that has been happening for over a year and a half, and it made our bus ride to get to the Buffadora almost 2 hours long. On the way back, our guide found another route to take, but it was in the most our back, dirt road, way that we are lucky we didn't have any trouble with the bus, because it was seriously in a dangerous part of the city where no one would have found us. I didn't appreciate that either. Our 3 hour tour turned in to a 6 hour tour.
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