A Hawaiian Dissapointment

Carnival Spirit Cruise Review to Hawaii

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 5

Overall rating:

2 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Spirit

15 Night Hawaii (San Diego Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 13, 2012

Ship: Carnival Spirit

Cabin type: Suite

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 12 years ago

Review summary

The ship was nice and we primarily picked it based on the itinerary from San Diego to Hawaii which included 5 Hawaiian port visits. The 4 days at sea to Hawaii and 5 days at sea back to San Diego we were excited to watch shows, eat, relax, and be entertained. We were not! The shows were very lacking in good entertainment value. The best shows were actually where they had the passengers entertain the crowds and the magic show was good too. The Carnival Spirit Singers and Dancers were about the least entertaining of all the cruises we have been on. The band was good but without direction on how to make a good entertaining show there was nothing they could do. Out of the 15 day cruise, there were 3 dance/singing shows, 1 magic show, 1 hypnotist show, 2 guest shows, and luckily the PASSENGERS brought on an Elvis impersonator for their own groups Blue Hawaii Cruise Tour and he gracefully performed a show for the entire ship because the ship had nothing planned! It was the best show of the whole cruise and it had nothing to do with the Carnival's entertainment plan! Overall we were terribly bored and disappointed with the entertainment. The service by the general crew was also disappointing. We had my-time dining and it took us several days to find a set of wait staff we liked. Once we did we requested their tables every night! It was more about the general crew members not being able to understand or respond in basic English to most of our questions. It was the least quality of general service we have ever received on a cruise ship. It could possibly be because they were all at the end of their season and they are transitioning to Alaska after this cruise was over. But never the less, it was poor service.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
The food was slightly below average for a cruise ship. They tried too hard to be fancy but forgot about quality and taste! There were two formal nights and they only served steak and lobster once during the 15 day cruise. The menu's some nights had nothing appetizing and other nights had too many items to choose from. They could have evened it out so there was something we would eat on each of the 15 nights.

Entertainment

1 out of 5
Worst entertainment we have ever had on a cruise line! The shows were terrible if they even had the shows, the cruise line passengers shows were at least funny and the magician they brought in was ok. It was weird, they blamed the swells and sea state for cancelling the dancing and singing shows, but then they said that DJ so and so is down in the dance club or lounge so everyone go dance the night away...

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
The kids areas were great! How do I know, because my 8 year old didn't want to leave! That is the sign of a good klids area on any cruise! This was 2nd only to Disney! This was another reason we chose Carnval over Princess or Celebrity for this 15 day cruise.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5
Very poor service, we had to ask multiple people before someone would understand the most basic questions and be able to respond clearly in English! The demeanor of the crew was just below average. Like I said above I think many may have been tired and getting off or near the end of their contracts beacuse the ship was transitioning to Alaska after this Hawaii cruise..

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
The ship was nice, it was not as grand as the NCL Epic but was nice. They even had put on an additional waterslide which was a bonus! The common areas, lounges, restaurants were par and nicely laid out. The free Sushi Bar every evening was great also!

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
We had a very nice large balcony suite with lots of storage under the bed and couch with lots of closed space. The bathroom was the largest we have ever had on a cruise. The down side to our room was that our walls inside creaked and made rubbing noises without ever stopping while at sea. Maybe we never noticed it before but this ship had the most amount of creakes and squeaks we have ever heard. The worst one was right above our head boards. Guest services said they could/would do nothing and only sent us some ear plugs! We lost a lot of sleep. Also, the storage under the bed came at the price of comfort! This was the hardest and lumpiest mattress we have ever had and was not comfortable at all! My rack on a U.S. Navy Fast Frigate was more comfortable...

Pros: Itinerary and Water Slides

Cons: Entertainment and Service

Recommends Carnival Spirit? No.

Was this review helpful? 5

Be the first to comment

Other reviews of this sailing