We had a good cruise because we made it good. This is a very critical review - the worst we've ever written. We do not expect perfection, and realize what we should get with a Carnival cruise price. However, after 9 cruises (7 carnival and 2 Royal Caribbean), this is by far the worst cruise we've had. Service has gone downhill, entertainment was overall uninspired.
Unfortunately, will likely be our last Carnival Cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Very fast. Well organized. Although we had reservation for noon arrival time, the line for people arriving early without reservations was shorter than ours. Why allow people without reservations in first? Put them at the end of the line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was good, but the restaurants closed in afternoon. There was really nothing to eat except pizza and greasy burgers between lunch and our 8:15 dinner time. It seems this is different than previous cruises, where at least one line was open.
Plus, ice cream machines were ALWAYS either broken, pouring liquid, or out of cones.
Washington Dining Room
3 out of 5
Ordered a New York strip. This was an extra $20. Not worth an extra $1. This is what a normal steak should be like.
Overall, food is not as good as in past.
BlueIguana Cantina
5 out of 5
Great burritos!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Bingo, hot tubs. Deck party was bland. Plus, played the same few songs over and over all trip on the deck...Cupid shuffle, wobble, follow the leader.
Less live music on deck than previous years.
Pool
1 out of 5
shut down half the time.
Shogun Club Casino
1 out of 5
Too much smoking. Why allow that inside????
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Theater shows were really good. There used to be more live music with guitars and singers on the decks. The steel drum guy was good, but would have been nice to hear something else out there.
Comedian was OK. Liked the violin players.
Ivanhoe Theater
4 out of 5
Shows were good
Children's Programs
No young child
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Overall, slow. Much worse than previous cruises. Out on the decks and in Lido, tables left dirty a long time. Not wiped very well.
Our dining staff improved over the trip. We had a team of three - Atmaja, Ton Ton, and Vin. They were friendly
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Ladies restrooms were dirty, smelled bad. Overall cleanliness was just not up to par in the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was clean. Service was good. Gordana was very nice and responsive.
Ship tip
Just take a 5 day at most. You run out of things to do.
Consider a Royal Caribbean cruise.
We did an excursion - ATV / beach. This was fun. the beach was bad, Food was good there, but the hucksters were a major pain. You couldn't even sit at your dining table with out someone walking up selling junk like cigars, hats, shirts, Iguana (filthy animals to bring to my lunch table) pictures, etc. Guides were fun.
Town was a neat little place.
We did "all-inclusive" beach. Great guide Aaron and Bus driver Gustavo, but this trip was really misleading. A terrible little buffet, and extreme shortage of chairs. I would stay away from this excursion.
Unfortunately, weather delayed arrival. This was OK with us, but the process was by far the worst, most chaotic, difficult debarkation we have had (6 cruises). We were all herded into the elevator lobby on deck 1, and waited over an hour to start debarkation. Once we got to deck three, there was no organization to lines. People kept cutting into line from elevators in front of people who waited for thirty minutes. There were no Carnival people organizing the process.
So you said that you've been on 9 cruises at the beginning but at the end you said 6, which is it? Abd the buffet lines weren't open before 8:15? I think you might have missed something? I've never had a greasy burger from Guy's but I like burgers. The sandwich shop is always open. The buffet has always closed between meals by the way. But the ice cream machines being broken, I'd be mad too! I love that ice cream!!! Try not to let one bad Carnival cruise ruin all of your other great ones.
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