We gave Carnival a second try because we didn't think it was fair to judge off of one trip. Unfortunately this was our last time. The ship and staff have the potential to be an awesome vacation but Carnival's typical guest is obnoxious, drunk, lack social courtesies and use the ship as a babysitter. Kids were running and screaming through the hallways and stairways constantly - as late as 2 am.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very organized
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Buffet food was average - dining experience in the buffet was horrible due to lack of enforcement of guests attire (uncovered swimsuits, no shirts, no shoes, wet from pool while in dining area). Coffee bar attendant and omelet station staff were awesome. The remaining staff appeared to be overwhelmed and overworked. They seemed sad and did not consistently appear to be enjoying their jobs.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
fitness center and serenity area was nice...the remaining pool areas catered to people that wanted to drink excessively...it was not a family environment in those areas.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
they were fine....not great but not bad.
Children's Programs
my kids were 17 and 19
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Room steward, Teddy, was okay - not memorable. Buffet area staff seemed overwhelmed and overworked. Washington dining room experience was horrible BUT was corrected by reassigning us to the Lincoln Dining Room where we had IMPECABLE service by Sumiarta and Ievgen under the direction of Alejandro the Maitre D'. Bar staff was inconsistent with our orders.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Common areas were clean - layout of this ship to find the dining rooms was difficult. Took a long time to clean up buffet area - again they seemed to be understaffed the entire trip.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We had 7 rooms in all - most of the rooms had some issue (hair from previous guests in one, sticky red drink in the drawers in another, dried mucus in yet another cabin and extensive dust in one). I opted for turn down service only and the staff forgot to come to my room one night.
Ship tip
Pick Carnival if your objective is to drink excessively the entire trip.
Nothing to do unless you pay for an excursion. Cozumel is known for diving - not for its beaches so it isn't a desired port for a cruise ship in my opinion.
Extremely unorganized - again as a result of the type of clientele Carnival seems to draw and their lack of respect to follow disembarkation guidelines. We got gridlock trapped in the stairwell for 30 minutes.
I do agree with one point. Ppl do use the ship as a baby sitter. I don't know about other adults, I personally don't want to be in the adult pool or hot tubs with ppls little kids...when who knows where the parents are!
kids run amok all over the place. It is a sign of bad parenting . . .not a bad cruise line . . .I see it in stores all the time. . It is not the store's fault no more than it is Carnival's
Carnival is a FAMILY FRIENDLY cruise! I love cruising with carnival! I love seeing families have a great vacation together!!! Family time with your kids are wonderful!!
I have to agree with some of what this person has to say on passenger behavior. I have noticed it myself. I know people are on vacation but that is no excuse for becoming an obnoxious jerk. I seem to be seeing it more and more and not just on Carnival. The problem with the kids running amok is going to happen on summer cruises which is one reason we do not cruise during the summer. However, parents need to remain parents even on vacation and keep the behavior of their children in check.
Never had a bad experience on carnival, I expect some people to you know act childish but we sale when kids are in school . We also cruise on to other ships you do get people that act out. But I try not to let that get to me it is vacation! We went on Norwegian wants to be a muta and had one adult act out rudely. But I just love cruising and so does my husband we're going on carnival again on a different ship and heard great things, hope you have a great time please You also don't give up!😊😊👍🏼⚓️🛳❤️
do not usually see people completely wasted except on 1 trip on the ecstasy. ...... person was sitting laughing outside of the elevator. ....saw him that way several times on this cruise. lol
If you want a quiter cruise go when all kids including college kids are in school #1. And #2. Yes carnival one of the cheaper ones. think bout that. and #3 it's a vacation. it's bout everyone one the ship. you think that they can please every single person on a ship
I see that behavior other places. it is not unique to Carnival. I have been on several Carnival cruises and I have always had issues dealt with promptly and reasonably. Sounds like you were predisposed to hang with us "typical Carnival guests" with condescension.
We have done several cruises with Carnival. When you're in a place with all types of people, you're going to have a variety of things, it doesn't matter what cruise line. We witnessed a woman so drunk that they used a stretcher to get her on board in Belize, it took like 8 men to do it. We've had neighbors in the cabin next to us fighting on the balcony over the man drinking too much & leaving her to hang with others, we also had a couple down a few cabins that would be slamming the cabin door, yelling horrible words in the middle of the night. We've had to call security. Those are the few & it's bcs they over do it with the liquor. It's a shame that they spend all that money to spend their week fighting.
I agree with Jbbinder. You probably just need to choose a time where there will be less children. That particular issuse would probably be the same with any cruise line during the summer. I have also never encountered a bunch of heavily drunk people.
11 cruises and I have seen a few what I call drunks like need to go back to your cabin and sleep it off drunk and that is on a 3 day cruise. Summer always has more kids period so you can expect that. Sounds like you are more compatible with Celebrity or Princess. Enjoyed 8 days on Valor last August with about 50 friends and didn't really have these issues but if they were running halls @ 2 a.m. a call ro security will usually calm them down.
We have never had that type of experience on a Carnival ship. But we only cruise November through February, so kids aren't an issue. As for "Carnival's typical guest": the only drunk person I have ever seen in all my cruises was a gal getting back on the ship from Cozumel. I don't know where you're hanging out on the ship, or at what time. And I don't find the guests to be obnoxious or lacking in social courtesies. JMO
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