We did not plan on taking any Carnival cruises. The reason we did with Venezia, is because we wanted to visit PR and St. Thomas. We even overpaid but over $500 of what we normally pay for a cruise. Then, the hurricane came and we ended up going to....Bahamas for the 6th time! Princes Cay was nice. But I can't blame Carnival, although hurricane never came close to the islands. The ship had a very Italian style, and had Venetian theme everywhere. That started with a giant pole that had huge cross on it, in the atrium area. The ship is clearly old and some parts of it were not really remodeled. But some areas were stunning, i.e. giant gondola in the mdr. There were several conveniences, such as multipurpose ATM and dining reservation via app, that made this cruise line stand out. The aft pool area floor is always wet and slippery. So be careful. I saw 5 people fall on day one. We also enjoyed that there was no push to buy next cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Fastest we've had in a long time. It was seamless and friendly. However, when we got on board, there was no welcoming party with or without drinks saying welcome.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
First things first. This is kind of personal, but they had Arepas! I was very pleasantly surprised. The buffet food was plenty, but it was repetitive. Having said that, they also had Latin food, Guy's Burger joint, and two sandwich places. One sandwich shop was on deck 5. MDR was for the most part very good. The food brought was always hot to very warm. This was a pleasant change from other cruise lines. The food quality was good to very good. They did drop the ball on the last night, however where glazed mini-ribs dish lacked expected sweet bourbon or similar flavor and porkchops were very tough. The lobster was small but one could get up to three, before being charged $5 for the fourth main dish. The staff was friendly and accommodating. However, they were a bit impersonal. So it would make sense trying my time dining if we ever sails with Carnival again. Staff does need to be trained on where to clean dirty dishes. At our original seating, we were exposed to one staff thoroughly cleaning all plates into one big plate, at the table situation outside the box and right next to us. So it was upsetting. Drinks were good and strong and fairly priced. Most of the bartenders knew how to make drinks. But all knew it in theory.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were many different activities going on all the time. Silent party was only hip-hop and the staff dealing with headphones was confused. Other activities were very good. We attended Italian Fiesta where they used closed pool area to put on a nice Italian dance/food/relaxation activity, with DJ playing old Italian music remixed., which was quite pleasant. We also attended white party, Latin music, and some other. The 80s party was a riot.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were all musicals, except for comedy show and welcome aboard. The performances were professional, pleasant, and entertaining. The DJ was well versed in the variety of genre. This translated to the great multicultural experience.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Majority of staff was accommodating and willing to help and assist. Our room attendant was very good and caring. Security is tight and pool attendants are best at keeping order. There is a drug sniffing dog on board. We ordered room service breakfast once. It was prompt even early. The sandwiches were huge.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was clean. The design was was unusual, and resembled Norwegian. Pools were rather on the smaller side. However, the pool in the midship area had steps. Elevator floor calling design was unusual. We had to choose the floor in the lobby, and then appropriate elevator would show up. Also, the rugs and flooring, especially near and in the elevators gave off the feel of the old vessel. The most disappointing was that they left Costa funnel, instead of making it a whale tail.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Room was quite large, and had a coffee table amongst other amenities. There was plenty of room to hang clothes. We had a cove balcony on deck 2 midship. It was fun overall. However, life boars were blocking the sky. That being said, it was a very private experience, and close to the MDR. The room condition was not good. There were a couple of screws off the hinges, and one hinge in the furniture was broken. So while they did fix it same day, it was bad first impression. The water in the faucet was hard to control, and it was very hot most of the time. If we left faucet with hot water running and flushed the toilet, the toilet had hot water going. So there is an issue with pluming as well. Shower temp was ok. There were few TV stations, but generous selection on-demand movies, and a music channel. While we were sitting on the balcony and inside the room, there was constant slamming of the balcony doors, and the doors were not slowed down to close quietly. This was very very disturbing. We woke up every day from the door slamming and something happening upstairs in the crew area.
Ship tip
Get an app. It's a must. Buy a chat for every person in your party. It's only $5 and will afford you good way to communicate with everyone. Beware, there is a dog on board, in case you not into dogs. This dog will go anywhere public if necessary. The aft pool area floor is always wet and slippery. So be careful. Also, Sauna is always free.
There was a delay. So we left quite late, although we did choose latest disembarkation. It was still organized. There was also smell of sewage going on the ship, during disembarction.
jallaway Carnival now has drug dogs on all their ships to stop people from sneaking stuff on and even medical marijuana since it is federally illegal.
Thr Venezia is a relatively new ship being built in 2019. I think they rushed much of the change over to a Carnival ship. I sort of like they kept the Costa funnel. Thank you for a nice detailed review since so many are trashing the ship because it is not a standard Carnival ship.
The hurricane may not have gone neat the islands, but it would have been in the path of the ship. It's better to be safe than sorry! This is one of the reasons why we don't sail during the summer/hurricane season down to the Caribbean.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
