Good getaway for the money
Carnival Spirit Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 26
5 Night Bahamas (Jacksonville Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 04, 2022
Ship: Carnival Spirit
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8227
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Spent my days on the Serenity deck in a clamshell facing the back of the ship. Enough said. Loved the private island. We booked this trip two weeks prior and paid less than the cost of a hotel on the beach. We got exactly what wanted, paid for, and expected for the money. It was a relaxing cruise with beautiful ocean views. Just what the doctor ordered.Embarkation
We arrived at 1:15pm for our 1:30pm appointment time and had to wait outside in the blazing sun for well over an hour. We didn’t board the boat until around 3:30pm. For such a small ship, this was definitely not anticipated.
There was no organization at all outside the port. The line wrapped around the parking lot. No one was checking boarding passes as people lined up. At one point, they were pulling people out of line who showed up late for their early embarkation time and moved them to the front but did NOT turn away those who were there well before they were scheduled until they’d reached the front of the doorway which caused a crowd to form at the entrance blocking others from getting through. A few simple changes would’ve made a drastic improvement. Once we got to the building things went more smoothly, but getting there left a lot to be desired.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Not the best for gluten-free eats.
Guys burgers was great. The line was long but moved quickly. We ate there everyday, sometimes twice.
They had gluten free pizza crust and gluten-free bread at the deli, so that was a plus, but after day three eating nothing but carbs - and having not eaten carbs like that in years - I was beyond lethargic.
The salad bar looked OK but the times I went they only offered iceberg lettuce so I skipped it. I did note that they had tuna and chicken on the salad bar too.
The Seafood Shack was not worth the extra money. My husband got the sampler and said nothing had any flavor. I got the lobster roll sans the bread which was served in 2oz condiment cups! It was 90% mayonnaise and had zero seasoning.
My filet at the steakhouse was good but cooked medium well and not medium as ordered. The sides - I got potatoes & garlic rapini - were served in 2oz condiment cups. The potatoes were soupy and the rapini was beyond bitter.
Onboard Activities
Seemed to be a lot going on, but we basically just spent our days on the Serenity deck which was great. The saltwater pool was tiny but felt great after laying out in the sun. There was plenty of seating both in the shade or in full sun.
We loved Karaoke at the Red Pub bar. My husband also enjoyed the trivia games.
Entertainment
We only attended one comedy show but it was funny. We didn’t bother trying to fit in any of the shows based on past reviews.
There was plenty of music on board and seemed to be something for everyone.
We also enjoyed an outdoor movie by the pool while the majority of guests were in Nassau.
Service and Staff
All of the staff were friendly and our room steward was great. I was a bit disappointed with the staff’s knowledge of food allergies and always felt like I was playing Russian roulette when it was time to eat, but overall they were nice. The coffee bar attendant remembered us after just one day and it seemed all of the staff went out of there way to remember our names.
Ship Quality
This ship is old and is showing its age. It could definitely use a major deep cleaning. The windows clearly hadn’t seen a squeegee in years which made enjoying the beautiful views from indoors or while seated not as enjoyable. Also, the food court tables weren’t bused regularly so finding a clean table there was difficult. We took most of our meals back to the Serenity deck.
Cabin / Stateroom
An OK cabin with extended balcony. The door way is ridiculously narrow as is the entry hall. The bathroom was beyond tiny and our “king” bed was two twins that would not stay together. Our air conditioner didn’t work and even after maintenance fixed it the room was hot. The shower drained so slow only one of us could shower in the morning. The other had to shower at night.
This room is also right under the dining hall so going to bed early wasn’t an option as you could hear a lot of creaks and groans coming from above.
Our steward, Pande, did a great job keeping everything clean and tidy which helped to outweigh the issues and his towel animals never failed to make us smile.
Ship tip
Don’t book this ship for the dining. However, if you just want to getaway and have some fun without breaking the bank, then it’s a great option.
Thumbs up
0
Disembarkation
They ask you to leave your room by 8:30am and gather on either floor 9 or floor 3. If you carry your own bags off they said they would begin disembarking at 10a by floor. If you checked your bags that was scheduled to start by 10:30am. Honestly, it sounded like it was going to be utter chaos.
We chose to carry our own bags and have an early breakfast in the main dining room (7am, on floor 3). We took our bags with us to avoid battling for an elevator later on.
After breakfast, we waited by a window in the lounge but couldn’t hear the announcements so my husband had to stand in the hall. We were on the 8th floor so were first when they began calling floors at 9:45a. We walked off and through security with no issues and were in our car and on our way home by 10am.