The greatest attraction of this cruise was the ease of travel from NYC for elderly family members. Yet we were overwhelmed by the excessive drinking, loudness, and general party atmosphere on this cruise. Not a good deal for anything other than binge eating, drinking, gambling and shopping. Future cruises will not include Carnival Cruise lines.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was fairly efficient, although bags arrived nearly 6-hours after boarding.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Main dining rooms and buffets were largely disappointing. Too many extra charges on the main dining menu and buffet options were typically underwhelming. Specialty restaurants better, especially the Japanese option, but overall not impressive compared to other cruise lines. Few healthy vegetarian and sugar-free options available throughout.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Our favorite activity was rest and relaxation on the Serenity Deck. Otherwise our group found the rest of the ship to be excessively loud and crowded. For example, having a rather limited space called a library directly above the loudest space on the ship was frustrating.
Entertainment
We tried the piano bar but he/she never played long.
Children's Programs
No children in our party
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Generally friendly and helpful waiters and room stewards.
However, we found personnel in guest services and excursions to be rather brisk and often uninformed regarding the layout of the ports we were going to.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Generally kept clean and well-maintained throughout. The ships layout could be more mindful of separating "loud" spaces from more quiet spaces. I laughed at the large screen that boasted sensory inclusiveness on this cruise. Not really!
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Very clean and comfortable. Only recommendation is to replace old worn out bath towels!
Ship tip
Do not expect to have any reasonable WIFI service other than when in ports. While the Carnival cruise cost may seem reasonable there are too many extra costs that other cruise lines would include in their price. Not worth it!
Again, too little information offered from excursion folks other than selling over priced excursions. We should have been advised on how wonderful their port walk was as we spend tremendous time enjoying the area close to the ship.
Our party of 5 disembarked with our bags, however one elderly family member uses a walker and has poor balance. Unfortunately, this person was told to use a different exit point which was confusing. A ship personnel then yelled at us to the stairs and told to keep moving. When we explained that we need to assist our elderly family member he told us how he really hates disembark days and "if she uses a walker she can still use the stairs". Given the horrendous rain storm that morning, Carnival could have altered disembark plan so that people could wait under shelter for cabs and car services. It was a generally a disaster!
The name says it all, "CARNIVAL". As in Festival, Circus, Party. They are known as the Fun Ships for a reason. You may be better suited for Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, Viking, Oceana or Cunard.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience. I think if you would have done more research you wouldn’t have picked Carnival in the first place. It’s very well known that it’s not a laidback atmosphere on there ships.
I cruised in the same ship on 9/8. I have been on Carnival Freedom before and loved it, the reason why I booked on Carnival again closer to home (NYC port). I have no problem at all with people having a good time. However, the passengers on this particular ship were terrible. I would go out at about 6 am to have coffee on one of the decks and there were people there blasting music on Bluetooth speakers. Yes! At 6 am!!! I also have no issue with people who smoke marijuana. Again however , to smell it on almost every deck at almost every time of day starts to really get to people. When you have drug sniffing dogs on board, you know that’s a big issue. I will cruise on Carnival again, but never from this port or ship again.
It feels like you have champagne taste but expected to get that on a beer budget. All costs are pretty transparent when booking and reading through the website. I am sorry you encountered a less than helpful person at debarkation-zero excuse for their behavior.
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