5 out of 10 see above comments for more details . This was an okay cruise but I probably would not sail carnival again I'll stick with royal Caribbean
Embarkation
3 out of 5
I have cruised several times in other cruise lines and I have to say I was underwhelmed with the check in process in carnival . I completed all my paperwork online so basically all I needed was to formally show my I'd etc .... I made an appointment to board the ship ( the earliest available 11:30) but the lines were still long and no real order to them . I made it to the check in desk and unlike other carriers I did not receive my set sail pass (room key ) they just give you a piece of paper with your information on it etc . The room keys were supposed to be outside your door but all access to the rooms was blocked so I couldn't access my room or obtain my card . This prohibited me from getting the drink package and also they never linked my credit card to my room card so I couldn't purchase anything and had to wait over an hour in the line for guest services .
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The buffet food was limited at dinner . Royal Caribbean buffet is better , however the dining room options are better than the dining room options in royal . There is a 15 drink limit for the drink package . This was somewhat concerning because we usually have 2-3 frozen drinks during the day while at the pool and even though we didn't use all the drinks we really had to budget them thru the day . Also when we went to the cruise lines private island half moon cat . The drink package could not be used there . We had to buy our drinks while on that island
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
We spent the majority of our time at the adult pool so no activities made it to that area . All poolside activities happened at the main pool which was overcrowded and full of kids (small babies ) we tried to go to the spa but no appointments were available at the times we were . We missed the shows because of dinner and the comedian was funny but the bingo was a complete waste of 3 hours listening to a question and answer with the cruise director . Who cares ?
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Comedian was great and the lobby musicians were good
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The highlight of the trip was the service . From the room attendant to the bar service and wait staff everyone did an excellent job
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Shop was clean no exceptions for us . One of the groups in our party did have a bad experience upon check in with a dirty room but the corrected it immediately
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room and washroom bigger on carnival than on royal
Ship tip
Buy drink package and any excursions prior to boarding the lines are very long and you waste an extreme amount of time in them
Not a huge beach . Chairs are in the water and since you can't use your drink package here it gets costly for drinks (frozen drinks $10 beer $8 )the luncheon buffet was not the most elaborate either - ho him at best
Boarding... Carnival sent out a notice to arrive at the port an hour later than our selected time. BIG mistake. We had priority boarding and waited in line for an hour. We rescheduled our shuttle service and check ou time when we should of ignored the e mail. There after any request to wait an extra before arrival was and is ignored.
This was my first cruise since they started the new process with the sail and sign card and even though I was skeptical when I read Splendor had it, I paid close attention to the process and when they took your picture at check in, it was applied to your boarding pass. This helped speed up the process of boarding.
My boarding time was 11:00 to 11:30 too. But earlier in the week, I got a letter saying to get there an hour later, which I did and the place was packed. I don't think those folks got the letter or they ignored it.
All in all, it sounds like you had a good cruise.
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