Overall, the cruise was fun and enjoyable. We were disappointed we were niot compensated with a fare settlement for the hassle we had embarking, but overall without including that issue, the cruise was good.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
The fact that we were scheduled to embark at 12:00-12:30PM, we found the ship had an issue that delayed it getting into port at the correct time. Thus the cruise line sent everyone a message that we were to all show up at 4PM instead. Imagine 2000-3000 passengers trying to embark at the same time. This is what we experienced. The cruise line didn't even provide water while we stood in 80 degree heat for hours. Very disappointing to say the least. Finally after everyone was onboard, we had to stand in the heat again to go through the safety process lecture in the same heat and more confined space. There was even one passenger who passed out in the midst of the process. As I said before, we were lined up like cattle.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
After the embarking experience, we found the food to be excellent. We enjoyed all sorts of fine food and fast food, and all in between type food. A lot of good stuff was there to enjoy and try out.
Grand Buffet
4 out of 5
Most of the time, the selection was great. There was always sometime available to tease the taste buds. A very nice selection of most everything one would want to eat. I never had a dinner there,, since we ate dinner in the Paris Room, but from what I saw as we were walking through the area, there were some good looking choices. Breckfast and lunch were great.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
What a fun and enjoyable experience Guy;s Burger Joint was. A perfect burger each and every time. They had a wonderful fixins bar which included saute'd Onions and Mushrooms, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and even peppers for those who like to spice up things a bit. All the sauces one could ever want to dip the excellent fries in, or add to your burger. Wish we had one of his places here in my town.
Paris Dining Room
5 out of 5
We were treated like stars. The staff was very good. They took time to know our names and some info about us. They answered all our questions about the different types of food available. A very nice experience. The food was fantastic.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Most of the things that were available, were not of interest to me. I didn't use thee pools since they were mostly filled with children. The fitness center looked nice, but I really didn't want to work out on my first cruise.
Club Monaco Casino
2 out of 5
Smokey. I am not a smoker, thus it was offensive to me. As soon as you stepped off the elevator on the 5th floor, or walked near the 5th floor on the stairs, the smell was there to offend. The only time the place was a little tolerable was early in the morning, when most were asleep. The gaming was ok. The machines were tight. No winnings to come home with. Seems like the same people were winning the drawings, picked by a computer. It seemed that nobody won that much, of those who did play. But that is gambling.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We went to a couple of the shows and enjoyed them. The house band were very good, and was the house singing group and dancers. They provided a very nice show with a lot of excitement and fun. I uspecially enjoyed the magic show. Fun to watch and enjoy. Very professional. We even got to see our first Christmas celebration this year on the ship. Lots of fun for the few children and us old folks as well.
Rome Main Lounge
4 out of 5
Very nice entertainment. The ships house players were professional and fun to watch.
Children's Programs
No children onboard
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Never did we have any issues finding someone to assist or work their job. The housekeepers were always available. It was amazing to see eveyone working together on whatever project that needed care at a time when something was needed. The waiters in the Paris Room were fantastic.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cleanliness was good. Well maintained. Layout was a little confusing at first, but once figured out, it was fine.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Had a very nice room. Clean and comfortable.
Ship tip
Gte the priority upgrade. The better room was well worth the difference from what our son and daughter in law had,
Very enjoyable. Cannot ask for a better experience. We enjoyed the excursions we chose, including the fun time we had snorkeling in the beautifull water. We chose to use Pricelines excursions, which made it much moire personal. We had an nice lunch at an authentic Mexican hole in the wall type place. The food was excellent and enjoyable, and we were treated like we were part of the family. The tour of the Tequillia farm was interesting and fun. Very personable tour guide, who seemed to enjoy the small group we were with. If I remember correctly, there were only about 7 or 8 people in out tour total, thus we had access to hearing everything and enjoying all without huge crowds. Finally the trip to the lighthouse area was great. We saw animals we never thought were living in the area. Fun to look around and enjoy. The only setback I feel worthy of mentioning, the Jeep we were assigned to and drove was hard for our ladies to get in and out of. The issue was resolved quickly by one of the tour guides helpers, finding a stool to assist in getting in and out. Overall, a great tour of the area and fun things to do.
We were not sure what we had gotten into at first, as we got into an old bus that transported us to what was called the "Terminal". The terminal consisted of a huge group of venders, hounding us to buy this or that. Once we asked and found out where we were supposed to go to find our tour, we had to wander though the middle of all the venders to get to the right place. When there we were assigned a large van/transport and met with our guides. The van/transport was air conditioned and comfortable. We were treated by personable guides, ansering all our questions as we drove to the Mayan ruins. The guide was knowledgeable and knew is way all over the areas we were traveling. When we got to the ruins, we were met by the Mayan tour guide. He did an excellent job of informing us about the history and all about the ruins. The thing that impressed most, was we had only us four in our tour group. We could hear and understand all he was saying. Other tour groups in the area had 15 to 30 or more in their groups. I assume that unless the guy had a loud speaker, he could not be heard by all in their group. This made our tour especially good. Overall, this was a great excursion, with a lot of knowledge passed along for learning experience. And a plus for the excursion, we were delivered right to the ship dock so we didn't have to wait to ride the old bus back to port. We were treated very well and had some very educated and fun tour guides.
This was okay. We needed to wait a while for our plane to depart, thus we hung around as long as we could on ship. When we fin ally had to depart, we were brought though customs, and that went easy for us all. No issues on this one.
They will not give compensation for a change in boarding time. I’m sorry you had to stand in the heat, though, but I be seen that happen for some ships that didn’t have a great terminal. Just last year as I was on deck on my ship, I noticed the ship docked ahead of us, only had a tent for check in and a long line outside! Horrible! But they won’t compensate you for that. As for the muster drill. That is mandatory in all sailings. I have no idea why Carnival still makes people stand out on the deck for it! For my past three cruises—2 on RCCL and 1 on NCL—we were inside in the theater. Much better way of doing it.
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